Nighthawks Review
Welcome to the Night Shift!
- (Code provided for review)
I got into True Blood late. It was something like late-2010 when I first saw an episode, but it was just so WEIRD and the music so good that it turned into a guilty pleasure, even when storylines got so-so. Honestly, I hadn’t though much about the show until recently, until Nighthawks dropped into my inbox.
Vampires exist, and the world knows it. That’s basically what True Blood and Nighthawks have in common, no matter what Steam might think.
Six months ago, you died. But not really, because you’re a vampire. You’ve arrived in a city that’s opened its doors to the undead, but you’re on a mission. This isn’t the small-town, homey Bon Temps, Louisiana, either. It’s dark, gritty, and you’re a baby vamp at the bottom of totem pole. Not only are you out for blood, you’ve got a whole thing going on because if you thought mid-life crises were something, this is a second-life crisis.
You can’t get far right away. You’re broke and don’t have a lot of friends. Slowly though, you get to know people, some with fangs and some without, do jobs for some folks who may not be on the up-and-up, and every so often, practice your hunting skills on the unsuspecting living. I made choices that I’m sure won’t come back to haunt me later. (Famous last words?)
I spent an alarming amount of time just wandering and getting distracted by NPCs, leading into my next point.
There’s A LOT to Discover in Nighthawks
Built in inkle’s ink scripting language, it boasts a script of over 800,000 words to tell your story over two years. It’s fantastic writing, too, colorful language that paints a picture just as well as the great art behind everything.
The writing also leads to freedom on your part. There’s no one way to play your vampire. You pick a basic backstory in the beginning, but from there, the world is your oyster. There are even differences in how you meet certain characters depending on traits and histories you decide for your character. I have a character going where I’m playing her as brash and cocky as I can, and another where I’m very demure and know my place, so to speak.
Nighthawks gets major points for that in my view; there are so many different directions things can go, and almost nothing feels like a boring retread.
(Does that also mean I have a small filing system so I can keep track of my vampire lives? Yes, yes it does. THIS IS FINE.)
The World is Wildly Robust
The city doesn’t feel like just a setting, it feels like another character. Yes, there’s a myriad of folks that inhabit it, but the buildings even have stories. NPCs have their own issues, but you’re the newcomer here and as the newbie, you’re part of the mix now, too.
And because of the quality of writing in the game, those moments matter. The kindness you showed someone in keeping a secret, for example? That pays off.
The voice acting is exceptional, too. Sometimes, in text-heavy games like this, I can have a tendency to click through just because I can read so much quicker. (Please don’t hate me.) This is one of those games where I actively wanted to hear characters talk because the performances are so enthralling, bringing the fantastic writing to life.
There’s a lot of camp and a surprising amount of heart to everything.
Art That Comes Alive
For a game featuring a cast of (mostly) undead folk, the art direction is a huge part of what makes Nighthawks work. The best way I can describe it is theatrical, in a way?
Dark shadows and creepy alleys abound, but at the same time the shadows, coupled with the bright neon of various places and mad scientist like NPCs make it feel like it has a home among noir comics and campy vampire novels.
The character art, in particular, does a great job of making everything come alive. I love looking at it all, which isn’t the most revolutionary thought I’ve had about a video game, but sometimes, y’all, that’s okay.
Sometimes, a game just looks good and you should be allowed to say LOOK AT THIS AWESOME THING!
It Can Be A Lot
I thought hard about putting this into the ‘con’ column, but decided to keep it as more of a warning. If you’re looking for something straightforward that you can finish in a night, this isn’t it.
The game can feel overwhelming, but it’s a side effect of the story you can tell. The Curiosity Engine isn’t telling you to tell the story of a vampire character they created. Instead, they’re giving players the tools needed to create their own stories, and in the coming days and weeks, I can’t wait to see how others play this game.
And I’ll figure it out too. Eventually.
Wink
A Perfect Fit for the Story-Loving Crowd
Whether you’ve stumbled upon this review because you’re a fan of campy vampire novels or narrative-driven video games, I think you’ll both equally enjoy what Nighthawks has to offer. It’s written by Richard Cobbett (Sunless Sea and Sunless Skies), with art from Ben Chandler, music from Thomas Regin. It’s being published by Wadjet Eye Games, the same folks behind Old Skies and The Excavation of Hob’s Barrow.
And that’s a heck of a pedigree. When you see Wadjet Eye Games, you’re guaranteed a few things. Strange people, strange worlds, and great writing where you care about characters, even if things get weird.
Nighthawks fits right into that family, and if you’ve played and loved Wadjet Eye’s games, I suspect you’ll feel right at home here.
And if you haven’t?
Well, it’s a far better vampire story than Twilight, that’s for sure.
5/5 Coffee mugs just for the sheer amount of freedom the game gives you, as well as stellar art and voice performances.
Thanks for reading! If you’d like to help out around the Cafe, I’ve started a Ko-Fi that I’ve been reasonably ‘okay’ with updating. It’s simple. You can donate however much you feel once, or monthly. Head over to https://ko-fi.com/theindiegamecafe to check it out! (And hey, I’m always open to ideas of different ways to make it better -Amanda