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Hunt the Night

Hunt the Night attempts at being a difficult top-down action game, but because of its frustrating gameplay and poor design the real difficulty is wanting to pick it up again.
Hunt the Night Game Cover
79%Game Brain Score
story, gameplay
stability, optimization
83% User Score Based on 278 reviews
Critic Score 77%Based on 4 reviews

Platforms

Nintendo SwitchXbox Series X|SPCPlaystation 5Playstation 4Xbox OneXboxWindowsPlayStation
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Hunt the Night Game Cover

About

Hunt the Night is a single player hack and slash game with horror and fantasy themes. It was developed by Moonlight Games and was released on April 13, 2023. It received mostly positive reviews from critics and positive reviews from players.

Plunge into a retro-style action-adventure game that combines a fast, skilled gameplay with dark fantasy and lore. Play as Vesper, a virtuous member of 'The Stalkers,' and explore the vast world of Medhram, filled with ruins and horrors.

Genres & Tags
Play Modes
Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
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Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
Hunt the Night screenshot
+6
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83%
Audience ScoreBased on 278 reviews
story38 positive mentions
stability11 negative mentions
  • The game features stunning pixel art and a captivating gothic atmosphere that enhances the overall experience.
  • Combat is engaging and rewarding, with a mix of melee and ranged mechanics that keep encounters interesting.
  • Exploration is encouraged, with many secrets and lore bits to discover, making the world feel rich and immersive.
  • The lack of a map and clear direction can lead to confusion and frustration, making navigation difficult.
  • The game suffers from various bugs and performance issues, which can detract from the overall enjoyment.
  • Some boss fights can feel unbalanced, with difficulty spikes that may frustrate players, especially those new to the genre.
  • story
    140 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating its intriguing lore and environmental storytelling, while others find it cliché and poorly delivered. Many reviewers noted that although the narrative has potential and interesting moments, it often feels flat and lacks investment due to vague introductions and cryptic elements. Overall, while the aesthetic and gameplay are praised, the story itself is seen as mediocre, with a familiar dark vs. light theme that doesn't fully engage all players.

    • “So, her quest is not only to save the day but also to clear her name and to make up for the sins of her father. This hostile attitude and her willingness to assist them is intriguing and is one of the major conflicts in 'Hunt the Night'.”
    • “Awesome game loop, fluid combat, cool enemies and bosses, beautiful pixel art, story rich and its presentation kept drawing me forward deeper into the world.”
    • “Interesting story with really well written lore, very poetic!”
    • “The story was pretty disappointing due to it not being delivered all too well and feeling pretty flat.”
    • “The lore is there and has some great 'aha' moments but is ultimately a bit cliché and flat when it comes to the story of the main character.”
    • “Add to that that basically all the text feels machine translated, and you've got me confused and grumpy and not wanting to see any plot line through because I can't even tell if there is a plot line.”
  • gameplay
    76 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay in "Hunt the Night" is generally praised for its robust combat mechanics and engaging traversal, set within a visually appealing world. While many players find the mechanics satisfying and the boss designs unique, there are criticisms regarding underdeveloped features, confusing lore integration, and some frustrating design choices that can detract from the overall experience. Overall, the game shows potential for memorable gameplay with further refinement and customization options.

    • “The gameplay is robust and satisfying, offering a solid experience.”
    • “Challenging fast combat with delightful gameplay and amazing level design.”
    • “The bosses are pretty unique and the game makes good use of the various combat mechanics, with some having some pretty clever designs in them.”
    • “Right from the start, too many names and events are thrown at you with little introduction, and the game expects you to read through the lore content it slowly provides in order to have a grasp of what’s going on; while I can appreciate that 'optional' lore mechanic, I still felt like I was playing the sequel of an existing game, oftentimes confused about what was going on and who was who.”
    • “The gameplay loop is simplistic with odd animations and unbalanced weapons and skills.”
    • “I find most of the mechanics underdeveloped; I never use grenades as they are too clunky and deal little to no damage; the crossbow is inferior to the pistol and shotgun; and poison and burn don't deal enough damage or proc enough to warrant a build dedicated to them.”
  • graphics
    62 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics are widely praised for their stunning pixel art and gothic aesthetic, creating an immersive and atmospheric world that enhances the overall experience. While the visuals are often described as gorgeous and captivating, some players noted persistent graphical issues, particularly with lighting and sprite animations. Overall, the art style and design are considered standout features, contributing significantly to the game's appeal despite minor technical flaws.

    • “The pixel art is very well made, conveying a gothic aesthetic well enough to maintain the feel of the world the whole way through.”
    • “Really enjoyed the gothic dark fantasy world portrayed through the amazing visuals!”
    • “This top-down 2D action game features a strong female character set in a vibrant and atmospheric world, with visuals and a soundtrack that are absolutely stunning.”
    • “Graphical errors with lighting were persistent the entire time I played. When the lighting works, it's amazing, but when it doesn't, it's still nice to see some of the detail in dungeons.”
    • “The sprite will look like it's out of the way of an AoE attack, but the graphics don't have a proper sense of 3D environment, so you get hit anyway because the animation touched you as it came down.”
    • “Hunt the Night nails the aesthetics and world-building, but fails to deliver a truly satisfying combat system outside of boss encounters.”
  • music
    51 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music in the game is generally praised for its atmospheric quality and ability to enhance the overall experience, with many noting its haunting melodies and fitting sound design. However, some users expressed concerns about the short length of tracks leading to repetition, as well as occasional issues with music cutting out during transitions. Overall, while the soundtrack is considered exceptional and integral to the game's vibe, there are suggestions for improvement in variety and availability.

    • “The soundtrack is simply phenomenal, with haunting melodies and driving rhythms that perfectly capture the game's dark, gothic aesthetic.”
    • “The music and the sound effects did excellent work adding to the ambiance of the setting and keeping the horror aspects of the game creepy!”
    • “This top-down 2D action game features a strong female character set in a vibrant and atmospheric world, with visuals and a soundtrack that are absolutely stunning.”
    • “The soundtrack is pretty and atmospheric, but most tracks were fairly short, and there weren't enough to avoid repetition.”
    • “Music cutting out every save and transition.”
    • “I did notice a few odd performance/design issues, such as the music abruptly cutting at screen transitions or when resting at crow statues, and the hitboxes do occasionally seem a bit weird, but nothing seemed too bad.”
  • atmosphere
    30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is widely praised for its dark, gothic horror elements, impressive world-building, and stunning visuals, creating an immersive experience. While the soundtrack enhances the ambiance, some players noted its repetitiveness and suggested a more varied approach. Overall, the atmosphere, combined with engaging combat and level design, stands out as one of the game's strongest features, despite minor issues with polish and bugs.

    • “Where this game has shined for me is the atmosphere, world building, and enemy design!”
    • “The entire game is filled with atmosphere and the gothic horror is really well-made.”
    • “This top-down 2D action game features a strong female character set in a vibrant and atmospheric world, with visuals and a soundtrack that are absolutely stunning.”
    • “It has a lack of polish and a decent amount of bugs that, while not frustrating, can easily bring you out of the atmosphere.”
    • “The world building and lore you get with feathers, characters and environment are very well done along with the very dark atmosphere with an occasional jump scare that puts you on edge.”
    • “I feel like the bosses and atmosphere are definitely the game's biggest strengths.”
  • stability
    11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is frequently criticized, with users reporting issues such as freezing during saves, buggy mechanics, and inconsistent hit detection. While the core gameplay and art are appreciated, many feel that the game is unfinished and plagued by frustrating bugs that detract from the overall experience.

    • “The game freezes whenever I try to save the game at every checkpoint!”
    • “But it's just too buggy; the game isn't finished.”
    • “[Enclosed combat encounters are often frustrating, lack polish, and have some bugs with hit detection and visual glitches, along with few meaningful upgrades or progression systems.]”
  • optimization
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's optimization has received mixed feedback, with some players experiencing smooth performance on devices like the Steam Deck, while others report frustrating bugs and slow loading times, particularly on PC. Issues such as abrupt music cuts and inconsistent hitboxes have also been noted, indicating that further optimization could enhance the overall experience.

    • “Performance: overall, the game ran smoothly on my Steam Deck, except for a few non-critical bugs here and there.”
    • “I did notice a few odd performance/design issues, such as the music abruptly cutting at screen transitions or when resting at crow statues, and the hitboxes do occasionally seem a bit weird, but nothing seemed too bad.”
    • “Even though I think it's alright, there is just too much jank and optimization that it just frustrates me in a very specific way.”
    • “That said, I wonder if the overall loading performance could be improved, as each screen took a few seconds to load for me, which felt odd for a pixel art game.”
    • “Because of bad optimization or because of bugs, I cannot enjoy the game on my PC.”
  • grinding
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be mixed; while upgrading is not perceived as overly grindy, the process of engaging with the lore is considered tedious. However, boss fights are specifically noted as feeling grindy, which may detract from the overall experience.

    • “It's very hard to get into the lore because learning about it is so tedious.”
    • “- Boss fights especially feel grindy.”
    • “The game doesn't feel very grindy to get upgrades.”
  • character development
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Character development in the game is highlighted by unique and visually appealing designs, particularly for characters like Vesper and Umbra, as well as the detailed eldritch monsters. However, some players express a desire for more depth in the human sprites and a more engaging narrative, noting that while the story is intriguing, it ultimately leads to a somewhat disappointing conclusion. Overall, the character designs are praised, but there is a call for greater detail and development in the human characters.

    • “I originally bought this for the neat character designs; Vesper and Umbra are so cool, and the monsters are very detailed and look truly eldritch. The story kept me going and trying to get all the lore bits.”
    • “The character designs are cool, and the animations and visual effects are very detailed and nice, which adds to the overall experience of the game.”
    • “The character development is engaging, and the lore bits throughout the story kept me invested in the characters and their journeys.”
  • replayability
    4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game has been criticized for its low replayability, with users noting that while they enjoyed the experience, there isn't much incentive to play it again.

    • “Overall, I had fun with the game, but as far as replay value, this game is severely lacking.”
    • “- there isn't much replay value.”
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77%Critics’ scoreBased on 4 critic reviews
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8h Median play time
8h Average play time
8-8h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Hunt the Night is a hack and slash game with horror and fantasy themes.

Hunt the Night is available on Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, PC, PlayStation 5 and others.

On average players spend around 8 hours playing Hunt the Night.

Hunt the Night was released on April 13, 2023.

Hunt the Night was developed by Moonlight Games.

Hunt the Night has received mostly positive reviews from players and mostly positive reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its stability.

Hunt the Night is a single player game.

Similar games include The Last Faith, Death's Door, Moonscars, Vigil: The Longest Night, Blue Fire and others.