The game is a sort of mash-up of many inspirations, and it establishes a fantastic setting that is complimented by some fairly strong puzzle design. Moments throughout the campaign can be frustrating to play and replay upon death, and there isn't any real reason to come back after completing the game once, but it's a fun new release while it lasts.
White Night casts players in the role of a detective who crashes at night and finds himself stranded at the nearby Vesper Mansion. The mansion is haunted by ghostly spirits that are connected to the dilapidated mansion and the ghoul that caused the game's protagonist to wreck his vehicle in the first place. The story is mostly told through the main character and the conversations he has with himself, but there is enough content to the narrative to give players more than enough reasons to continue playing even when a tough puzzle impedes progress.
White Night is at its best when setting a chilling atmosphere for players to explore. The creative use of the black and white color palette and selective lighting isn't entirely new to the genre, but it couples well with the 1930s noir inspired world and starring detective to put players deeply invested in the game from the get go. The game looks great, and it only helps make encounters with ghosts and other scary moments littered throughout the game even more intense.
Players will quickly find they are only safe when standing in the light. A large portion of the puzzles in White Night center around learning to carry light with the player or moving the limited light source from one location to the next in order to progress. There are some great puzzles in the game, and the complexity of the puzzles increase as players continue through the game. There are never any puzzles that feel unfair, and there is always a rewarding feeling for solving the toughest puzzles in the game.
Where White Night falters the most is in its save system. Players need to find armchairs scattered around the mansion and take a quick siesta to record progress. Since there are not a whole lot of save points scattered around the game, it can be an ordeal to stop playing to go do something else or to restart after a death. Enemies in the game are definitely frightening, but they become more frustrating to deal with than scary when multiple deaths mean numerous restarts and playing through the same sections of the game just to get back to the same encounter.
In addition to great graphical design, White Night manages to evoke a dark mood with a great jazz soundtrack that goes a long way in establishing the frightening noir theme the developers were clearly going for. The smooth piano tunes highlight the action well and pick up when enemies are around to make the stressful situations even more startling. Fans that enjoy video games based in older settings will really enjoy the atmosphere presented in White Night.
White Night has its share of problems, but the game is mechanically sound and offers a great environment to explore and fun puzzles to solve. Save points and a few unfair deaths to invincible enemies can cause players headaches to be sure, but many players will be able to overlook these flaws for all the good that White Night sets forth. White Night is creepy and beautiful simultaneously, and strong puzzle design give players something to do besides running from monsters in the dark. Puzzle fans that enjoy a good scare or two will definitely dig what White Night is putting down. White Night is out now on PlayStation Network, Xbox LIVE and Steam.
White Night is now available for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Mac and Linux and can be purchased for $14.99. White Night is rated M by the ESRB for Blood, Language, Partial Nudity, Sexual Themes & Violence. For more information on the game, check out the official White Knight website.
Game Features:
- Single Player
- Blend of Survival Horror and Light Based Puzzle Gameplay
- Black and White Noir Inspired Graphics
- Dark Jazz Soundtrack
- Trophy/Achievement Support
Game Information:
Developer: OSome Studio
Publisher: Activision
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One (reviewed), PC, Mac & Linux
Release Date: March 3, 2015