Night Poetry

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Night Poetry Review

Pew Pew Pew!

So, I recently dived into Night Poetry, a story-driven rogue-lite RPG that throws you into the deep end of an existential crisis in an ancient, mysterious city. Imagine a game that mixes pixel art nostalgia with a fast-paced, twin-stick shooter, and you’ve got this little gem. If you’re a fan of the 16-bit era and love a game that makes you ponder life’s uncertainties while dodging waves of enemies, then buckle up – this one’s for you!

About This Game

Storyline

Let’s start with the narrative. Night Poetry is as existential as it gets. You’re exploring a city with a past as foggy as your morning brain before coffee. The story is subjective, meaning you might spend a good chunk of your time wondering what the heck is going on – in a good way. You’re unravelling the consequences of an uncertain past, and every corner turned and note read adds a layer to the mystery. The story is deep, and if you love piecing things together, you’re in for a treat. Multiple endings are up for grabs, adding to the replay value and making each playthrough a unique journey.

Gameplay Mechanics

This game’s gameplay mechanics are straightforward but satisfying. It’s a rogue-lite with level progression reminiscent of Touhou and Cave Story. Here’s what you can expect:

• Twin-stick shooter action: You’ll be firing bullets in all directions, and a gamepad is your best friend here.
• Wave after wave of enemies: Each stage is linear, so no branching paths, but the waves get progressively tougher.
• Experience points and power-ups: Enemies drop XP, health, and coins. Levelling up boosts your shooting speed and damage – you can become a bullet-spraying machine pretty quickly.
• Strategic gameplay: Or the lack thereof. You might find yourself running in circles and shooting at everything in sight. The game could use a bit more balance because enemies spawn a bit too close for comfort at times.

Visuals and Audios

Nostalgia alert! The pixel art in Night Poetry is a beautiful homage to the 16-bit classics. Each scene is crafted with love, giving the game a unique, charming vibe. The soundtrack is equally delightful, perfectly complementing the eerie, mysterious atmosphere of the game. It’s one of those soundtracks that sticks with you, humming in your head long after you’ve put the controller down.

Pros

• The existential, subjective narrative keeps you hooked.
• Gorgeous pixel art and an evocative soundtrack.
• Twin-stick shooter mechanics are fun and addictive.
• Multiple endings add replay value and variety.

Cons

• Enemies spawn too close, making it easy to lose a level.
• Gameplay can feel repetitive and a bit too straightforward.
• You have to remember to save manually, which can be a hassle.

Conclusion

Overall, Night Poetry is a charming, if slightly flawed, rogue-lite RPG. The blend of fast-paced action and deep, existential storytelling is intriguing, and the nostalgic pixel art and soundtrack are definite highlights. While it could use a bit more balance and strategic depth, the game’s unique narrative and multiple endings provide a solid reason to dive back in. If you’re up for a game that makes you think while you shoot, and you don’t mind a few quirks along the way, give Night Poetry a shot. You might just find yourself lost in its mysterious, ancient city, pondering life’s big questions.

Rating: 9/10
Pixel Perfection

Short twin-shooter where you decide the fate of the world.

This is a simple game with straightforward gameplay. After exploring a few screens and reading a few notes, you gain the power to fire bullets. The gameplay take the twin-shooter approach, therefore using a gamepad is more preferable.

You will have to beat three stages that you access from the crossroads. Progress is linear so you don't get to choose. Each stage contains a few waves with a limited number of enemies. Destroyed enemies drop experience points, health, and occasionally coins. When you collect enough experience points to fill the bar at the top of the screen, you will level up, increasing your shooting speed and damage.

You can become pretty powerful quickly, but the game lacks balance and strategy. All you have to do is run in circles around the arena and shoot in the center. Unfortunately, you can also lose a level when bumping into an enemy. This feature is not great because enemies sometimes spawn right next to you or on the path you’re walking.

Aside from faster shots, you also get bullets flying out of you at regular intervals. While health can be a concern because it can only be replenished by collecting health drops or loading a game, the overall difficulty is low and should not take long to complete. However, if you lose everything, the game is over. There is no autosave, so you need to remember to save at the lone save spot near the crossroads.

Because a stage can be replayed as many times as you wish, you can earn coins and level up until you feel ready to proceed to the next stage. Rare coins can be used to buy instant level-up, increased damage, and healing. Damage is the only right choice.

When entering the last section, it is recommended that you reach the level with the fastest shooting speed. There, you will have to defeat a boss who uses light bullet-hell mechanics. After beating it, you get to pick between two endings. Both close the game to the desktop and are not really different. However, there appear to be three hidden endings that I have no idea how to reach.

Full playthrough with two endings here: https://youtu.be/lKZT0XrxscY

Honestly it's an alright game for the price I had some fun with it. I really wish the monsters didn't spawn on screen because it makes it WAY to easy to run into one as they're spawning in causing a level down. The endings were both kind of meh they seemed very similar, and because I'm not really sure what's going on in the first place I didn't feel fulfilled by either. I liked the game play with the leveling up, the type of shots changing, and the boss fight was cool.