If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers

About

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers is a single player action game with horror, drama and mystery themes. It was developed by Laura Hunt and was released on September 21, 2021. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

A narrative-driven point-and-click adventure that explores the stories of four different characters in a masked ball taking place on a train in the late 1920s.

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers screenshot

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96%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,799 reviews

story448 positive mentions

grinding22 negative mentions

Stunning pixel art and fluid animations create an immersive, atmospheric experience.
Deep, emotionally resonant storytelling that explores dark themes with care and maturity.
Beautiful soundtrack and sound design enhance the mood and setting, complementing the narrative.

The game is short, lasting around 2-3 hours, leaving some players wanting more.
Slow walking animations and some pixel hunting can make gameplay feel tedious.
Lack of modern quality of life features like multiple save slots or chapter select.

story
923 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
49%
49%
2%
The game's story is widely praised for its richly crafted, emotionally engaging, and atmospheric narrative, delivered through three distinct, haunting chapters with mature themes like grief, trauma, and loss. The storytelling excels via detailed pixel art, evocative music, and clever integration of light puzzles that enhance immersion without distracting from the narrative. While some find the story a bit brief or linear, the overall consensus is that its dark, poignant, and well-written tales make it a memorable and impactful experience, especially impressive for a free, short point-and-click adventure.
- “A gorgeously fantastic point-and-click story collection that absolutely flew by.”
- “Rich story, gorgeous art, dripping in craftsmanship and atmosphere, and topped off with flawless music and sound design - bravissimo, Laura Hunt and Thomas Moehring.”
- “The storytelling is absolutely fantastic, each story giving the perspective of four different characters.”
- “The first story is very one dimensional in that the story doesn't move on unless you've interacted with every item that you need to with very heavy hints as to where to interact.”
- “This is very surface level storytelling and doesn't require any thought process at all as the game basically holds your hand throughout and tells you every interaction you need to make.”
- “The only thing that surprised me about the story was that it just suddenly stopped as soon as it seemed like something more exciting was actually going to happen.”
music
366 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
66%
33%
1%
The game's music is widely praised for its beautiful, atmospheric, and emotionally evocative qualities, perfectly complementing the pixel art and storytelling to enhance mood and immersion. It skillfully blends original compositions with classical pieces, notably by Kreisler and Satie, to reinforce the game's dark, melancholic, and often haunting tone. While some find the soundtrack repetitive over longer playtimes, overall it is regarded as a standout element that deeply enriches the gaming experience.
- “The music design is absolutely, insanely, brilliant and the writing is *chef's kiss*.”
- “The beautifully detailed pixel art, the riveting stories, the soundtrack, all of it!”
- “The music melded in and out of the background, often included diegetic elements; additionally, it screeched to halt or took on unnerving undertones to emphasize key moments.”
- “What really annoyed me, however, were the unpleasant noises in chapter 2 (background music with lots of dissonance for a few minutes) and chapter 3 (a crying baby for a little under a minute), as well as the pixel hunting.”
- “Although, getting stuck on a puzzle can cause the music to become a little too repetitive.”
- “[*][b]Music:[/b] the soundtrack is solid and fits the atmosphere well, but it tends to be somewhat repetitive over the course of the game.”
graphics
339 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
65%
33%
2%
The game features beautifully crafted pixel art graphics that effectively create a moody, atmospheric, and immersive experience, with detailed visuals, stylish animations, and a fitting color palette that enhances its dark and emotional narratives. While some players found the pixelation too simplistic or occasionally challenging for item visibility, the overall graphic design is praised for its artistic quality and strong contribution to storytelling and ambiance. The harmonious blend of visuals with music and sound design elevates the game's aesthetic, proving that compelling graphics do not require high resolution or modern realism.
- “The pixel artwork is masterful, the whole plot is deep and thrilling, the puzzles are engaging and to the point, the writing is excellent, the music and sound effects fit the atmosphere.”
- “The artwork is quite pixelated, giving the characters more of an abstract look, but the developers were still able to cram so much lavish detail into the locations.”
- “The pixel art aesthetic, combined with a muted color palette, creates a moody and nostalgic atmosphere that complements the game's somber narratives.”
- “We now have technology to create mind-blowing graphics... yet along comes this game.”
- “My only complaint is that the pixel graphics are too pixelated for me and in some cases it actually harms the experience when I barely can see what is happening.”
- “So, in terms of visual quality and technical delivery, this features really godawful, lazy pixel crap 'art' instead of real graphics.”
atmosphere
278 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
78%
21%
1%
The game is widely praised for its rich, immersive atmosphere, masterfully crafted through detailed pixel art, evocative music, and haunting storytelling that together create a dark, melancholic, and often unsettling mood. Despite simple gameplay mechanics, the atmospheric design deeply engages players, effectively complementing the narrative and enhancing emotional impact. Overall, the atmosphere is considered the game's standout feature, elevating it into a memorable and compelling experience.
- “A wonderfully crafted narrative experience, with an atmosphere that is both haunting and poetic.”
- “The four narratives and characters are acutely differentiated, superbly-written and have their stories play out in very different way, all with gorgeous artwork and music in spades, building a wonderfully rich and almost tactile ambience and atmosphere.”
- “One of the most atmospheric and emotionally affecting games I've played in a long time.”
- “It's the one moment where the mechanics feel like they're working against the atmosphere rather than with it.”
- “All atmosphere and no substance -- like a ghost.”
- “[*][b]music:[/b] the soundtrack is solid and fits the atmosphere well, but it tends to be somewhat repetitive over the course of the game.”
gameplay
136 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
18%
73%
9%
The gameplay in "If on a Winter's Night, Four Travelers" is simple and predominantly point-and-click with light puzzle-solving, emphasizing narrative and atmosphere over complexity or challenge. While some players find the pacing slow and occasional pixel hunting tedious, the mechanics effectively support the emotional storytelling and immersive experience. Overall, the gameplay is modest but fitting for a short, story-driven, and artistic adventure.
- “The puzzles, story, art, and mechanics worked really well with each other.”
- “Loved the gameplay: all the details really drag you into the different stories, and puzzles keep you focused but aren't too hard.”
- “The gameplay in if on a winter's night, four travellers takes a backseat to its narrative focus, but it complements the storytelling well. The point-and-click mechanics, dialogue choices, and interactive elements help drive the story forward, encouraging players to explore and engage with the game world. While the gameplay is relatively simple, it is effective in creating an interactive experience that complements the emotional depth of the narrative.”
- “From a mechanics standpoint, if you've played one point-and-click, you've played them all.”
- “This is by no means the greatest game ever created; it has, at least to me, some issues that do make the gameplay frustrating at times (these include achievements that are more of a bother than they are enjoyable, walking speeds that are sometimes so slow that the player struggles to get to their desired location, and it being hard to sometimes see what objects can be picked up or interacted with).”
- “I walked away from each one going either 'huh?' or 'huh.' The little gameplay that exists here is very tedious, actually scratch that – extremely tedious.”
emotional
112 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game delivers a deeply emotional and heart-wrenching narrative experience through its beautifully crafted pixel art, evocative music, and compelling stories of four passengers, often exploring themes of grief, tragedy, and personal struggle. Players frequently describe being emotionally absorbed, moved to tears, and profoundly impacted by the stories, though some warn it may be too intense for sensitive players. Overall, it is praised as a short yet powerful emotional journey that leaves a lasting impression.
- “I'll put it this way: I missed a puzzle clue not because it was hidden poorly, but because the story had me too emotionally absorbed to notice.”
- “All of the vignettes work splendidly as their own short stories--I am especially fond of the second one--and tackle disturbing, horrific events maturely, but the added frame story grouping them all together really lands that final punch of emotional weight that moves the portrayal of events from possible sensationalism to pure tragedy.”
- “Literally a once in a lifetime experience with a story that carries such well written emotional depths you will never forget it.”
grinding
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game features engaging stories but is often hindered by slow movement and tedious puzzles, especially in later acts where backtracking exacerbates the frustration. While the atmosphere benefits from the pacing, the slow walking speed and pixel-hunting puzzles can make gameplay feel repetitive and drawn-out. Overall, grinding through these sections may require patience or breaking play into shorter sessions.
- “Walking speed is painfully slow, and this makes the not-super-complicated puzzles tedious at times, turning what could have been a nice, compact game into one you may want to break into a couple shorter sittings.”
- “The most tedious part with puzzle-solving is the backtracking because the walking speed is way too slow.”
- “The slow movement speed means this should have only been done twice max, but the section takes up to like 10 minutes (which is saying something when the game is only like 1.5 hours long) and is ridiculously tedious.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
The game generally offers limited replayability due to its linear structure, making it primarily suited for a single playthrough. Despite this, its short duration and engaging gameplay provide a worthwhile experience. However, some users rate its replay value more favorably, highlighting a few exceptions.
- “8/10 for replayability.”
- “Infinitely replayable.”
- “The game probably doesn't really hold much replay value, but it's a couple of hours that's worth your time.”
- “The game's linear nature limits its overall replay value.”
- “It's only worthwhile as a single playthrough; no replay value and it only takes a couple of hours to play, so it's engaging for that time.”
- “Cons: low replay value.”
optimization
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game boasts stunning visuals with smooth, unparalleled performance and minimal to no bugs. It is well-optimized, allowing it to run easily on most systems, earning high marks for both visuals and overall optimization.
- “Visuals and performance (9.8/10): absolutely stunning.”
- “No performance issues; from everything I can tell, it should be pretty easy to run.”
- “Unparalleled performance.”
humor
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is predominantly dark and morbid, creating an intriguing contrast with its point-and-click adventure format. While not overtly funny, the subtle and sometimes surprising humor complements the rich writing and compelling characters, enhancing the overall experience. Fans appreciate the clever, restrained wit that aligns well with the game's visual style and storytelling.
- “I love the art style, the oft-morbid humor, the rich characters and rich writing.”
- “To me there's something intrinsically humorous about the format of point-and-click adventures, so to play one that had such dark subject matter made for a very interesting juxtaposition.”
- “This game is so amazing, the pixel art and animations are incredible, the characters' stories are compelling and interesting, and the dark humor is on point; such a gem I feel bad for it being free, and made by a team of two people?”
character development
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The character development is generally praised for its strong design and contribution to the game's tone, though some users note occasional lack of clarity in character actions and missed opportunities with intriguing designs that are not fully explored.
- “The character design was splendid and really added to the game's tone.”
- “I found the art, sound, and character development very enjoyable.”
- “However, the character designs could use a bit more clarity—at times, it's difficult to tell exactly what the characters are doing.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game suffers from a major stability issue where attempting to save causes it to freeze, forcing players to quit the program. This critical bug prevents proper saving and significantly disrupts gameplay.
- “There is a huge bug that freezes the game when you try to save, and the only option is to force quit the program.”
- “I couldn't save the game as it always freezes when I try to do so.”
monetization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's monetization is praised for offering a high-quality experience for free, encouraging players to support the developer through optional purchases like supporter packs. This approach effectively serves as positive promotion for the developer's other works.

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3h Median play time

3h Average play time

2h Main story

3h Completionist

2-4h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 10 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers is a action game with horror, drama and mystery themes.

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers is available on PC, Mac OS, Windows and Linux.

The main story can be completed in around 2 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 3 hours to finish. On average players spend around 3 hours playing If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers.

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers was released on September 21, 2021.

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers was developed by Laura Hunt.

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers for its story but disliked it for its grinding.

If On A Winter's Night, Four Travelers is a single player game.

Similar games include The Cat Lady, What Remains of Edith Finch, The Dream Machine, Marie's Room, DISTRAINT and others.

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