Osome Studios are debuting the games market with their classic survival horror game. Solve puzzles set in an old mansion, use light and dark to uncover the truth of the past and escape the nightmare alive.
White Night is quite different from other recent games, with its black and white film noir setting not unlike traditional comics and very fitting music and sound effects. There’s very few game options to choose from, such as no difficulty setting, and you’ll be introduced to different actions as the game goes on. To get the best effect though, turn off the lights, sit close to your screen, put your headphones on and turn up the volume.
Set in Boston in 1930s the main objective is to survive! The view is set as 3rd person and there’s no health bar, so keep your wits about you as you traverse the dark rooms with nothing but your box of matches. Keeping in the light will help keep you alive, but it’s not guaranteed! With a limited number of matches lying around the house, first you need to solve a few mysteries in the mansion to get out alive.
A feature to keep in mind is there’s no autosave. Saving is only accomplished by finding armchairs with a sun symbol, and these can only be used whilst in the light, so plan your moves carefully. As you move around you’ll come across books and diaries to read, these will add to the backstory and bring understanding to the history of the mansion.
I found the music and sound effects chilling and really enjoyable. The developers have done a good job getting this right and helped me immerse into the game. There are times when you have to listen closely and not just see what’s on screen to help you get around.
The style of the game is fantastic even though it’s mostly black and white. After a while I forgot about colours until there was some, albeit very faint. Not used to indicate something to interact with, but mainly to draw your attention to something on scene or of importance.
I did notice a issues with the graphics, sometimes along the straight white edges blocks of white would dance around when the camera moves. This typically happens during close up scenes which also gives you a chance to see how angular characters are. This may be a deliberate visual effect to keep the notion of a moving comic perhaps, or it may be the fact that it’s been created for all platforms, but I found it off-putting at times. As with all other 3rd person, static camera games I’ve played, I also struggled with the changes in camera angle too. Whilst moving from one side of the room to the other and the angle changes, I end up spinning round and facing the way that I came.
I wasn’t expecting to like this game, but niggles aside, I actually really enjoy it. Well done Osome Studios on your first release.
Summary
In short, this is a niche game that I think players will either love or hate. The style of the game is unique and I believe the developers have put together everything really well, the music and aesthetics are not out of place and may have captured a wanting desire is us which we didn’t know was there. If Osome Studios release another like this, I’ll be grabbing it.
What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments!