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Night Book

Night Book Game Cover
70%Game Brain Score
story, atmosphere
gameplay, graphics
73% User Score Based on 233 reviews
Critic Score 60%Based on 1 reviews

Platforms

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Night Book Game Cover

About

Night Book is a single player simulation game with a horror theme. It was developed by Wales Interactive and was released on July 27, 2021. It received neutral reviews from critics and mostly positive reviews from players.

Night Book is an interactive narrative horror game where you play as a besieged literary translator facing supernatural threats. Your choices determine the protagonist's fate as you navigate through a harrowing series of events, reminiscent of classic horror literature. The game offers a unique and suspenseful experience, blending text-based storytelling with atmospheric visuals for a chilling choose-your-own-adventure style gameplay.

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73%
Audience ScoreBased on 233 reviews
story41 positive mentions
gameplay3 negative mentions
  • The acting, particularly by the main actress, is strong and adds emotional depth to the story.
  • The game features multiple endings and branching paths, providing good replayability for players.
  • The unique webcam format and the use of modern technology to tell the story create an engaging atmosphere.
  • The story is short and feels rushed, with many scenes lacking depth and coherence.
  • Some choices feel meaningless and do not significantly impact the narrative, leading to a sense of frustration.
  • The horror elements are weak, relying on predictable jump scares and lacking genuine tension.
  • story
    181 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The story of "Night Book" revolves around Loralyn, a pregnant translator who inadvertently unleashes a malevolent force while interpreting an ancient text, leading to a blend of horror and folklore. While the concept is intriguing and the interactive choices allow for multiple endings, many players feel the plot suffers from pacing issues, lack of depth, and a rushed narrative that detracts from its potential. Overall, the game offers a unique storytelling experience through its webcam format, but the execution leaves some players wanting more coherence and emotional engagement.

    • “Night Book is an engaging FMV thriller that mixes remote work, folklore, and horror into a story about an ancient curse and possession.”
    • “The concept alone is immediately compelling: a story about communication gone wrong, where language becomes a doorway for dark forces to invade not just the world, but the mind of the one who dares to speak it.”
    • “The story invites players to step into the shoes of a pregnant translator who accidentally recites cursed words during a translation, unleashing a malevolent force.”
    • “The problem is there is not enough tension for me to feel involved in the story or care too much what is happening in the game and to the characters at all; the whole thing feels weightless to me.”
    • “However, I cannot recommend this title because the story is absolutely inconceivable, lacks direction, and is all over the place with pacing.”
    • “While the screenlife concept has been executed well in other titles, 'Night Book' struggles to deliver a compelling and coherent story.”
  • atmosphere
    22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's atmosphere is characterized by a claustrophobic and tense environment, effectively enhanced by its minimalist production and the use of video calls and webcams. While some players appreciate the eerie and engaging atmosphere, others find it undermined by stiff performances and predictable dialogue. Overall, the game successfully conveys a sense of mystery and psychological discomfort, making it a notable entry in the FMV genre despite its limitations.

    • “This game, produced entirely during lockdown, uses its unique production constraints to its advantage, crafting a claustrophobic and intense atmosphere that perfectly suits its eerie story.”
    • “The story unfolds through scenes captured via video calls and webcams, creating a tense and mysterious atmosphere.”
    • “Every scene is framed within the isolation of Loralyn’s home, heightening the claustrophobic atmosphere that defines the experience.”
    • “Stiff performances and predictable dialogue undermine any potential atmosphere.”
    • “The horror elements, such as glitchy cameras and possession, come across as cheesy and fail to create a genuinely tense atmosphere.”
  • gameplay
    17 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The gameplay is primarily focused on watching scenes and making limited choices, creating an immersive but minimal interactive experience. While it effectively enhances the narrative tension, many reviewers note that the mechanics are underdeveloped, with weak scares and a lack of meaningful context for choices. Overall, it appeals to fans of suspenseful stories but may disappoint those seeking deeper gameplay mechanics.

    • “This isn’t a super scary game — it’s more unsettling than terrifying — and the gameplay involves watching scenes and making choices.”
    • “Highly recommended to all fans of suspenseful stories and unconventional gameplay!”
    • “The gameplay itself is minimal, but it succeeds in reinforcing the illusion of being trapped in the same confined digital world as Loralyn, where every click could mean safety or doom.”
    • “But it suffers from underdeveloped mechanics, weak scares, and shallow choice design.”
    • “There isn't much to the gameplay here.”
  • optimization
    16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Overall, the optimization of the game is praised for its simplicity and ease of setup, especially considering the challenges of filming during lockdown. While the performances are generally strong, some characters exhibit stiffness, and the visual effects do not meet industry standards. Despite these shortcomings, the game's immersive experience is bolstered by commendable acting, particularly from the lead, Julie Dray.

    • “The game has good optimization, simple operation, and easy setup.”
    • “The performances in 'Night Book' are exceptional, with a small but talented cast who bring depth and authenticity to their roles.”
    • “Its success lies in its excellent storytelling, strong performances, and innovative use of technology to create a compelling and horrifying experience.”
    • “The performance of the father character was particularly underwhelming, and the VFX used in the game falls far below industry standards.”
    • “Stiff performances and predictable dialogue undermine any potential atmosphere.”
    • “However, it falls short in terms of narrative depth, plausibility, and acting performances.”
  • replayability
    14 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game offers significant replayability with 15 different endings and over 200 scene variations, encouraging players to explore various choices and outcomes. However, some reviewers noted that many choices lead to similar results, which can diminish the overall interest in replaying. Despite this, the branching narrative structure and the potential for uncovering new information keep players engaged, making it worthwhile for those who enjoy exploring different story paths.

    • “This branching narrative structure not only adds considerable replay value but also deepens the engagement, as players are directly responsible for the unfolding events and their ultimate consequences.”
    • “This makes for a high level of replayability, as players can try to achieve different outcomes by making different choices.”
    • “I thought it had a pretty good replay value as each time I started again I unearthed more and more information on the people I interacted with and the story itself; I was intrigued to find out more.”
    • “The only positive I can give this is that, with 15 endings and hundreds of scenes, there is plenty of replayability; however, the story does not interest me enough for me to sit through it a second time.”
    • “Night Book has a fair bit of replayability due to the choice tree and dialogue options available to the player, though many of the choices give you very similar outcomes.”
    • “The story is fairly short and in theory can be made up for with replay value, but I just didn't find much of it here.”
  • graphics
    10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's graphics feature a blend of live-action scenes and computer-generated imagery, effectively utilizing limited resources to create a unique visual experience. While some players appreciated the artistic direction and motion graphics, others criticized the strange effects and found them detracted from the overall horror experience. Overall, the visuals received mixed reviews, with some praising their quality and others deeming them lacking in impact.

    • “The game blends live-action scenes with computer-generated graphics and allows the player to make choices that impact the narrative.”
    • “First of all, I did like the visuals and the whole idea behind the ancient book and conjuring a demon.”
    • “As far as that goes, I can't fault anything wrong with the visuals.”
    • “Failed game for the strange graphical effects and boring script.”
    • “But the scares were not that scary and the strange graphical effects seemed forced and not needed.”
    • “However, if you can't handle graphic suicide or killing, then please stay away from this one.”
  • emotional
    7 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Players report a mix of emotional experiences, ranging from laughter to tears, particularly praising the strong emotional core anchored by the character Loralyn and her complex relationship with her father. However, some feel that the game's emotional impact is weaker compared to previous titles, expressing a desire for more dramatic storytelling and varied scenes in future installments. Overall, while the game elicits strong feelings, it leaves some players wanting a deeper emotional investment.

    • “I laughed, I cried, and I was invested in this story; Aurora is a delightful character.”
    • “Julie Dray, who portrays Loralyn, anchors the narrative with a strong emotional core.”
    • “The interactions with her father, who is mentally unstable and possibly possessed, add emotional depth that keeps the story grounded even as the supernatural elements escalate.”
  • music
    6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The music and sound design in the game effectively support the narrative, featuring atmospheric accompaniment and fitting soundtracks, though they are not particularly memorable or standout elements. Given the game's short length, the limited use of music is well-integrated into the scenes.

    • “The atmospheric musical accompaniment enhances the overall experience.”
    • “As a short game, there isn't much in the way of music, but when it is used, I found it fit the scene.”
    • “The sound and music design are sufficient to support the story, but they do not stand out as remarkable features of the game.”
    • “As a short game, there isn't much in the way of music, but when it is used, I did find it fit the scene.”
  • grinding
    5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    Reviews indicate that while some players appreciate the absence of excessively grindy achievements, others find certain repetitive elements, like watching similar scenes multiple times, to be tedious. The inclusion of a scene-skip option is seen as a positive feature, but it doesn't fully alleviate the monotony of replaying the game for completion. Overall, the grinding experience varies, with some enjoying the streamlined approach and others feeling it can still become tiresome.

    • “There are no tedious or grindy achievements that force you to replay the game over 9000 times, which is great if you want to get 100% completion.”
    • “You'll need a second life for grinding.”
    • “Another tedious 'watch the same transition scene with a minor variation 100x' simulator by good old Wales Interactive.”
    • “It has an interesting storyline - the only thing is, after a few playthroughs, even though you can skip with Tab, many scenes won't skip because there's like 1 line different somewhere - this makes it a bit tedious to replay.”
  • humor
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The humor in Wales Interactive's FMV games is consistently praised, with titles like "Bloodshore" noted for their entertaining and funny character dialogues. Reviewers highlight the effective blend of humor within the detective genre, contributing to an engaging and enjoyable experience.

    • “It's also shown in the form of multiple character dialogues, but it's a detective with humor.”
    • “It's funny.”
    • “Wales Interactive has proven time and again that they can develop good FMV games, with humor being a standout aspect in titles like Bloodshore, which is somehow funny and entertaining.”
  • stability
    3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The game's stability is generally solid, with only a few eerie moments that effectively utilize expected horror elements like shadows and glitches, though they may not feel particularly innovative.

    • “The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
    • “I experienced constant lag and frame drops, which ruined the immersion.”
    • “There are numerous bugs that disrupt gameplay, leading to frustrating experiences.”
  • character development
    1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative

    The character development of the protagonist, Loralyn, is criticized for being lacking and underwhelming, failing to engage players or provide a compelling growth arc.

    • “The protagonist, Loralyn, unfortunately, falls flat in terms of character development.”
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60%Critics’ scoreBased on 1 critic reviews
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3h Median play time
3h Average play time
1h Main story
4h Completionist
3-3h Spent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs
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Frequently Asked Questions

Night Book is a simulation game with horror theme.

Night Book is available on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Steam Deck and others.

The main story can be completed in around 1 hours, while the entire game is estimated to take about 4 hours to finish. On average players spend around 3 hours playing Night Book.

Night Book was released on July 27, 2021.

Night Book was developed by Wales Interactive.

Night Book has received neutral reviews from players and neutral reviews from critics. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its gameplay.

Night Book is a single player game.

Similar games include The Complex, Late Shift, Erica, The Bunker, She Sees Red and others.