Game of the Year 2017: Rebekah’s picks

Rebekah’s Game of the Year #5 – Night in the Woods

My only gaming regret of 2017 was not playing Night in the Woods until the very end, thereby missing the bus on praising its excellence on release. Stagnating small towns, disaffected millennials, and the strains of long-term friendships? Yeah, I can definitely relate to this game. Looking back, the game’s earliest hours are fairly slow-paced, but there’s a charm and vitality in that as you get to know the world of Possum Springs and the struggles of its residents. The town may be full of anthropomorphic animals, but it should look very, very familiar to many.

Night in the Woods reckons with the above issues, mental illness, and religion in an honest way that’s nonetheless peppered with humor and mischief. Though these aspects don’t serve to keep things light, they add a certain endearing humanity that eases some of the game’s darker moments without blunting them. It’s weird to say that one of the best portraits of everyday human life and struggle this year came from a bunch of goofy animals “doing crimes,” but I’m happy to recommend Night in the Woods as just that, with yet another great soundtrack, to boot.