A Night at the Watermill
- January 26, 2024
- Neon Tales
- 1h median play time
Get on Steam"A Night at the Watermill" is a point-and-click adventure game featuring a simple interface and hand-drawn comic-art. Players wake up in an old watermill with no memory. They must explore to experience the narrative and find out what happened, with a short playtime of ~45min-1 hour and 3 different endings. The game has a thrilling ambiance sound and suspenseful soundtrack, as players try to escape and uncover the mysteries of their surroundings.
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Reviews
- The game features beautiful hand-drawn graphics and a captivating atmosphere that enhances the horror experience.
- It offers a compelling story with multiple endings, allowing for replayability and different player experiences.
- The puzzles are generally logical and well-integrated into the gameplay, providing a satisfying challenge without excessive frustration.
- The game is quite short, with playtime averaging around 30 minutes to 1 hour, which may leave some players wanting more content.
- Some puzzles can feel contrived or rely on typical adventure game logic, which may detract from immersion.
- The character development is lacking, making it difficult for players to connect with the protagonist on a deeper level.
- story36 mentions
- 22 % positive mentions
- 69 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The story is a charming yet somewhat predictable point-and-click adventure that unfolds through engaging puzzles and a dark, creepy atmosphere. While it features interesting twists and a psychological thriller vibe, some players felt it lacked depth in character development and emotional engagement, leaving the narrative feeling surface-level. Overall, it offers a concise experience with multiple endings, but some reviewers wished for more substantial exploration of the characters' backgrounds and motivations.
“A charming little point-and-click adventure with a nicely told story.”
“In regards to the story itself, I love how it gives off that dark, creepy atmosphere, and the use of flashbacks helps.”
“A thrilling point-and-click story of a girl who wakes up at a watermill at night during a crazy thunderstorm.”
“The characters lack substantial backstory, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“I felt the plot was somewhat pointless; the character had nothing to do and remained in a similar situation throughout.”
“Overall, I think you focused on trying to make something suspenseful, but it was lacking substance. There wasn't enough in the story to care about what happens; everything felt surface-level.”
- music13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally seen as complementary to its thriller atmosphere, with several tracks enhancing the mood alongside ambient sounds like rain and wind. However, some players found certain sound effects and instrument choices distracting, leading them to disable the music altogether in favor of the environmental sounds. Overall, while the ambiance is praised, the soundtrack's execution received mixed feedback, with calls for better alignment between music and gameplay moments.
“The soundtrack is very complimentary to the thriller feel of the game.”
“The music was suitable, and the ambient environmental sounds were excellent.”
“The good ending is a definite let down, especially compared to the other two options, but everything else—the art, music, puzzle solving, paranoia, oppressive atmosphere... it's all exceptionally good, and worthy of the small time investment.”
“Another strange thing that happened to me early on, the game had some odd sound effects in the music that I felt were too distracting, so I disabled the music.”
“The reason I didn't like the song was because there would be things like drums in places and I felt it didn't belong there when I was in a suspenseful situation solving puzzles.”
“I liked the ambiance of the rain and the wind you did for the game, but I didn't like the soundtrack because of those random instruments; you want to pace and change the music to match the mood, not just have a song playing over with odd layer changes.”
- graphics11 mentions
- 73 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their beautiful hand-drawn art style, which features bold colors and a moody atmosphere that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the lack of technical issues and the logical design of puzzles, contributing to a captivating visual narrative. Overall, the artwork is considered a standout element, making the game visually engaging and immersive.
“Hand-drawn graphics are beautiful, music and sounds set the mood along with the visuals; there are no technical shortcomings or bugs, and the puzzles, as few as they are, are logical.”
“I enjoyed the crisp, moody artwork featuring bold, dark lines and a cool, somber color palette.”
“For me, the biggest pros are the art style and atmosphere.”
“Would love to see more from Neon Tales, which just seems to be two people so far: Thekla Barck (story, game design, graphics) and Thomas Klein (programming and audio).”
“Interesting art style.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The gameplay is primarily point-and-click, offering a straightforward and streamlined experience with a balanced level of challenge. While some puzzles may feel redundant and rely on traditional adventure logic, the overall execution is smooth and free of technical issues. However, some players feel the game's short duration may not justify its price.
“As for the gameplay, I didn't encounter any technical issues.”
“The gameplay is straightforward, and I felt that it had just the right amount of challenge to keep the pace up.”
“Although the game falls in the adventure category, the gameplay is streamlined and hassle-free.”
“Ehhh, that's debatable, 4€ is a bit much for 1 hour of gameplay.”
“As for the gameplay, it mainly consists of point-and-click elements.”
“As far as the gameplay, there were definitely a few puzzles that just felt a bit redundant; the old 'adventure logic' is present, and while all these games have them, you still want to keep it immersive by not having the character solve silly things that don't need to be solved.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 40 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised for its dark and oppressive qualities, enhanced by exceptional art and music that create a sense of paranoia and tension. Reviewers appreciate the immersive experience that keeps players engaged throughout, with the artwork and storytelling effectively contributing to the overall eerie ambiance.
“For me, the biggest pros are the art style and atmosphere.”
“The good ending is a definite letdown, especially compared to the other two options, but everything else—the art, music, puzzle solving, paranoia, oppressive atmosphere... it's all exceptionally good, and worthy of the small time investment.”
“Occasionally, I enjoy a good point-and-click game, and 'A Night at the Watermill' caught my interest for the dark atmosphere.”
“In regards to the story itself, I love how it gives off that dark, creepy atmosphere, and the use of flashbacks helps.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Reviewers note that the game's replayability is enhanced by the potential for branching storylines and earlier decision-making, which fosters exploration and curiosity. However, some players feel that the current structure leads to a more linear experience, reducing the overall replay value.
“The ability to branch out endings from the same dialogue window enhances decision-making, creating a sense of exploration and replay value that keeps players curious rather than just ticking off a quick to-do list.”
“Each playthrough offers a unique experience, encouraging players to explore different choices and outcomes, which significantly boosts the game's replayability.”
“The diverse paths and multiple endings ensure that no two playthroughs are the same, making it a game you can return to time and again.”
“The game lacks meaningful choices, making replayability feel pointless since the outcomes are often the same.”
“Once you've completed the main story, there's little incentive to go back and explore different paths or endings.”
“The limited branching narratives result in a linear experience that diminishes the desire to replay the game.”
