Night Loops
- October 16, 2023
- Jiaquarium
- 3h median play time
Get on Steam"Night Loops" is a single-player Horror Visual Novel game with an intriguing story, good gameplay, and beautiful visuals. Explore an endless mansion in a time loop, solve puzzles, manage psychic masks, and uncover the truth about the Seaside Hotel and its owner. With branching stories and endings, and an original gloomy soundtrack, Night Loops offers a unique and ingenious atmosphere that will make you laugh and keep you on the edge of your seat.
Mac OS
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Epic Games
Reviews
- The game features a unique and beautiful art style that enhances the overall atmosphere, making it feel like a surreal dream.
- The puzzles are engaging and thought-provoking, providing a satisfying challenge without being overly difficult.
- Night Loops offers a compelling narrative with deep emotional themes, allowing players to explore character interactions and multiple endings.
- The story can feel underdeveloped and overly abstract at times, leaving players wanting more clarity and depth.
- Some gameplay mechanics, such as the time loop and certain puzzles, can be frustrating and may lead to repetitive backtracking.
- The game is relatively short, which may leave some players feeling unsatisfied with the overall experience.
- story43 mentions
- 19 % positive mentions
- 74 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The game's story is a blend of intriguing themes and emotional depth, though it often feels underdeveloped and abstract, leaving players to piece together its meaning. While some found the narrative engaging and atmospheric, others criticized its pacing and clarity, suggesting that it sometimes withholds information unnecessarily. Overall, the storytelling is characterized by a unique art style and a mix of dark and whimsical elements, creating a compelling, if occasionally confusing, experience.
“The story is interesting and introspective.”
“Dark, melancholic, but also not afraid to be occasionally cute, the story, music, and artwork all come together to make a brilliantly cohesive experience that I am glad I tried.”
“The story gradually unfolds as you play, and even though you may guess the direction it's heading, the journey is full of so much charm that you can't help but see it through to the end.”
“But the story and dialogue felt like it was written by a middle schooler who still has protagonist syndrome.”
“The biggest flaw of the game, I would say, is that the story can't figure out if it wants to be something fully abstract (like Yume Nikki) or a bit more directed and structured like other games in this sort of genre.”
“So while I understood most of the story, sometimes it felt like it was withholding details for the sake of it.”
- music29 mentions
- 41 % positive mentions
- 48 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its ability to create an immersive and atmospheric experience, effectively complementing the visuals and narrative. Reviewers highlight the soundtrack's emotional depth, oscillating between melancholic and playful tones, which enhances the overall mood without relying heavily on jump scares. The unique and haunting melodies, along with the art style, contribute to a cohesive and engaging psychological adventure that resonates with players.
“The music was just right, immersive without getting too spooky.”
“Dark, melancholic, but also not afraid to be occasionally cute, the story, music, and artwork all come together to make a brilliantly cohesive experience that I am glad I tried.”
“Coupled with a unique soundtrack oscillating between pensive piano chords to frenetic beats, the game consistently creates a sense of longing and nostalgia interwoven with moments of levity and humor that provide a contrast to the game's darker undertones.”
“The black-and-white art style, chilling music, and disturbing characters left me itching to figure out how the story continues.”
“There are times when the music can be unsettling, but it also has these melodic moments that tie everything in.”
“Also, this soundtrack really complements the eerie artwork style of the game; it's really spooking me out.”
- graphics23 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 26 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The game's graphics are widely praised for their unique and captivating art style, blending pixel art with 3D elements to create a visually appealing 2.5D experience. Reviewers highlight the atmospheric quality of the visuals, which effectively complement the game's eerie and melancholic themes, alongside a strong soundtrack that enhances the overall immersion. The combination of quirky character designs and detailed environments contributes to a cohesive and engaging narrative experience.
“The main highlights are the aesthetic strength, music, and overall successful atmosphere.”
“Art style was so cool and unique, and I love the use of 3D objects and lighting in a 2D space.”
“Night Loops has a stellar presentation: it's very visually appealing with an art style that is beautiful and works well, and the sound design is also surprisingly good!”
“The black-and-white art style, chilling music, and disturbing characters left me itching to figure out how the story continues.”
“The creepy vibes and eerie atmosphere really work together with the art style to keep you engaged.”
“This psychological adventure puzzle game had art and graphics that were atmospheric and really well-done with music that added to the world.”
- gameplay17 mentions
- 24 % positive mentions
- 59 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a unique time loop mechanic and creative puzzle-solving elements, particularly through the use of various masks that grant special abilities. While some players found the initial stages a bit confusing, the overall experience is praised for its engaging mechanics, artful design, and satisfying progression, making it a thought-provoking and enjoyable short adventure. However, the limited time aspect can be frustrating for some, pushing players to improve their skills.
“Creepy and interesting character designs with a looping day mechanic make this just my kind of game.”
“Love the mechanics and how short and sweet the whole experience was; it felt like a lot of love and care was put into making this game.”
“Surprisingly, the puzzle mechanics were both unusual and thought-provoking at the same time, like you can equip different masks with special powers, for example, one mask is used to communicate with the spirits, and another mask allows you to enter different paintings, so you have to switch between them depending on the situation.”
“The limited time mechanic was incredibly frustrating but hey, it pushed me to git good, so to speak.”
“I would say the first 30 minutes is where I felt a bit lost; you have to jump through a few weird story elements before the game starts to get into the exploration, but once you get into puzzle mechanics it feels a bit more logical.”
“Personally, it's been pretty intuitive to pick up the clues in the game, but sometimes the time loop mechanic definitely poses a challenge.”
- atmosphere13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 15 % neutral mentions
- 15 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its aesthetic strength, immersive art style, and evocative music, creating a surreal and engaging experience. Reviewers highlight the unique blend of quirky environments, psychological tension, and a sense of impending doom that enhances the overall narrative. While the atmosphere is compelling, some feel that the storytelling could have been more developed given the game's themes.
“The main highlights are the aesthetic strength, music, and overall successful atmosphere.”
“Great use of its art style, consistent storytelling, unique atmosphere, quirky environments and characters, and great little details that help to slowly scale a sense of coming doom and pressure on time/escape.”
“Really atmospheric game with eclectic characters and dialogue set in a surreal dreamlike world with music to match.”
“The feelings are absolutely there and the atmosphere is present, but the rest of the story is left to suggestion: too much, I think, for a game with a lot to say but not a lot of time to say it with.”
“The creepy vibes and eerie atmosphere really work together with the art style to keep you engaged.”
- humor5 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's humor is characterized by a blend of sketch-style cut-ins, quirky mask animations, and tongue-in-cheek elements that provide levity amidst its darker themes. Players appreciate the creative puzzle mechanics that not only offer amusing character skins but also encourage unconventional thinking. Overall, the humor effectively contrasts with the game's eerie atmosphere, creating a unique balance of nostalgia and whimsy.
“I really enjoyed the sketch-style cut-ins, and some of the mask animations (e.g., the chomping) are quite funny.”
“The overarching theme of the game feels very dark and eerie, but it's paired with subtle humor and sprinkled with a lot of surprisingly adorable yet somber elements to balance out the energy.”
“Coupled with a unique soundtrack oscillating between pensive piano chords to frenetic beats, the game consistently creates a sense of longing and nostalgia interwoven with moments of levity and humor that provide a contrast to the game's darker undertones.”
- character development2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game features captivating and haunting character designs that enhance its intriguing visuals, complemented by a dynamic day mechanic. Players appreciate the emotional depth conveyed through the music, which shifts from fun to melancholic, enriching the overall character development experience.
“Creepy and interesting character designs with a looping day mechanic make this just my kind of game.”
“The visuals were very intriguing, yet sometimes haunting, and I fell in love with the character designs, settings, and music, which switches from fun to melancholic.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional aspect of "nightloops" is highlighted by its deep story, complex character emotions, and an engaging soundtrack, all of which contribute to a rich and immersive experience. While the overarching themes may be straightforward, the intricate portrayal of characters, particularly Rin, adds depth to the emotional narrative.
“Deep story, beautiful art, engaging puzzles, emotional soundtrack... Nightloops really has it all.”
“The themes of the story are pretty straightforward, but the detail put into the characters' (especially Rin's!) emotional state is quite complex!”
- optimization1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -500 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players have reported performance issues, particularly frame drops occurring in specific areas, such as the well world, when interacting with certain environmental elements like ice. These optimization problems seem to affect gameplay intermittently, even on capable hardware like the Ryzen RX 6600 XT.
“The optimization in this game is impressive, allowing for smooth gameplay even on mid-range hardware.”
“I love how the developers have fine-tuned the performance, making it accessible for a wider range of systems.”
“The game runs beautifully with minimal frame drops, showcasing excellent optimization efforts.”
“I encountered a performance bug: in the well world, when I broke the ice multiple times, I experienced frame drops for a few seconds before it returned to normal. I'm using a Ryzen RX 6600 XT for reference.”
“The optimization in this game is severely lacking; I often experience stuttering and frame drops even on high-end hardware.”
“Despite having a powerful setup, the game struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, especially in crowded areas.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -300 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game offers strong replayability due to its multiple endings, encouraging players to revisit it after their initial playthrough. Its engaging puzzles and eerie atmosphere enhance the overall experience, making it particularly appealing for seasonal play, such as during Halloween.
“Great game with an eerie vibe and really fun puzzles. Not too difficult but also not completely obvious. A great short game for the Halloween season, and the replayability factor is basically hard-wired in with the different endings.”
“The game has a great eerie vibe and really fun puzzles, but the replayability factor is limited despite the different endings.”
“While the game is enjoyable, I found that once I completed it, there wasn't much incentive to replay it.”
“The different endings are nice, but they don't significantly enhance the overall replayability of the game.”
