Night Reverie – an emotional adventure like no other

This article was brought to you by NAG

In a time where originality is so hard to find in games, Indies are more important than ever. When I think back on my time spent gaming, the games I remember with so much fondly from my childhood weren’t the prettiest or the most polished or even the ones with the longest playtimes. No, they were the games that had something to say and made no apologies about doing so. While a lot of AAA titles today do have great stories, more often than not, there is so much to distract from it that it becomes secondary to the rest of the game.

With Night Reverie, it’s almost impossible to see where the gameplay ends and the story begins. Because even though, at its core, Night Reverie is an adventure game, it is also first and foremost a story. Here is usually the part of the review where I tell you a bit about that story so you know what you can expect from the game, but I’m not planning to say anything this time because if I had to give you just one reason to play Night Reverie, regardless of if this is the type of game you usually gravitate towards or not, it’s the story. While I love a good plot twist and usually pride myself in being able to spot them coming from a mile away, the one in Night Reverie floored me and made me think back on my time in the game with a completely new light and understanding.

When it comes to Indie games like Night Reverie, much of my enjoyment comes from the relaxation games like this afford me. While I enjoy League of Legends or Souls-like games as much as the next person, there is something vitally important about playing a game that exists purely to deliver you a story and take your mind off of any stress. Night Reverie was that game.

I played through Night Reverie during one of the busiest weeks, yet I found myself so captivated by it that I never felt anxious, rushed or like I should be working instead. The music playing through my headphones was never prominent enough to steal focus away from the game, but it was consistent enough to keep me listening, and the pixel art was just the cherry on an otherwise perfect game sundae.

While playing, I did have a thought that the game could be improved by more strongly asserting who it was aimed at; as I did have the occasional moment where I wondered if I was enjoying a game for a much younger audience. Although, at the same time, regardless of the childlike art and the simplicity of the puzzles, I knew that wasn’t the case. And now, in retrospect, sitting back and thinking through my entire experience playing Night Reverie, I can’t honestly tell you one thing about the game that I would change.

Everything about Night Reverie is the way it is for a reason and it lent towards one of the most emotionally climactic endings of games today.