0 
0 Creators at Moonlight Games and publishers DANGEN Entertainment have created a beautiful 2-D pixel Gothic-styled game. That mixes fast gameplay with a dark fantasy world filled with danger and mystery. If you love the Castlevania aesthetic with a dash of Bloodborne. Then players should check out Hunt The Night when it drops on April 13th of this year from Steam.
The night calls out.
What pulled me in with Hunt The Night was the boss designs in the screenshots, they are stunning, and I’m hoping this is consistent throughout the game. I’m a sucker for dark fantasy worlds, especially when going against huge monstrosities created for twisted rituals or unlocking forbidden knowledge.
Gameplay
Players will explore Medhram as Vesper, a young, quiet girl raised in a group known as The Stalkers. They have harnessed the power of the night that allows them to manipulate darkness and fight against the creatures of the night. Vesper is determined to make up for her father’s sins. Venture forth to find five fragments that belong to an ancient relic called the Seal of The Night. Hoping it will push back the creatures that lurk in shadows by creating a permanent day cycle and save what remains of humanity.
Weapons, powers, and items.
Chests scattered around Medhram will have various items (mainly the currency Noctilium) that hold melee weapons that Vesper can use for different fighting styles. Daggers will give faster strikes but at the cost of damage, while a giant sword is slow but hits harder. The same weapon found may have one of the two status effects in the game, Hemokinesis serving as a life steal or Plagum, which acts as a poison. Weapons are missable, so make sure to keep a lookout. Players will start with a pistol called Nighthowl but can find additional ranged weapons later, like a shotgun. A bullet chamber in the top left shows how many rounds remain. All guns share the same ammo, but the shotgun will use two bullets instead of one. Landing three hits with a melee weapon will restore one round.
Vesper has the ability, like her fellow Stalkers, to control the power of darkness, that have different effects. Using the Balanced power will give players more damage for five seconds, whilst Devastation will make Vesper blast purple flames. Only one ability can be equipped at a time and will go on cooldown after use. Healing items in the game come in the form of roses. They will heal up to three blood drops (Vesper’s Health) but can later get upgraded. Three grenades are at the players’ disposal but aren’t upgradeable or provide any effects apart from poison.
The folk at Ravenford.
Once the player has finished the prologue of Hunt The Night, they will get to meet the various NPC around Ravenford. The tavern has a wanted list of several monsters that can be found and slain in the world. Hunting the monsters listed will reward Vesper with a sanguine vial that increases her health by one blood drop. Going to the Apothoceries, players will meet two characters dressed in traditional plague doctor’s garbs. One is red and the other blue. Speaking to the gentlemen in red known as Zylax and the leader of the Apothoceries will ask players to assist him in his research of Plagum. Talk to the fellow in blue called Isaac, who will upgrade the ranged weapons in the game.
In the courtyard, players will meet a gardener who goes by the name of Dalia. She will increase the number of healing roses players can use, and if players bring her a bag of special seeds, she will increase the potency of the healing effects. The rose will change colour after upgrading the potency.
Areas & bosses
As players explore in Hunt The Night, they will come across dungeon areas that they will fight through or solve a puzzle in. Puzzles come in various forms, and I never really came across the same one twice. The answer is usually found in nearby rooms or from picking up glowing crow feathers (these also provide most of the game’s lore). There isn’t a lot in terms of enemy variety, but what they lack in variants, they make up for in challenge. Some enemies can be very aggressive when attacking, for example, the fire cultist who will bombard Vesper with various ranged attacks that keep her at a distance whilst being able to take a lot of hits.
The bosses in the game offer a fair challenge in the game. I never really felt as if a boss was needlessly difficult or cheating. Ashdown Manor had one of my favourite bosses to fight. Defeating it took me several attempts, but when I finally managed to beat it, it felt satisfying to overcome the obstacle. All bosses have a unique way of fighting, and thanks to this, I was consistently changing my equipment to better counter the boss, like using the salamander outfit that helps by nullifying fire damage. Learning to dodge and strike was fun when going up against the Krysalis, as she would make the arena purple and have players rush to safe zones to avoid getting hit.
Graphics & Audio
The visuals are an absolute treat for the eyes with the charming pixel art style, gothic aesthetic, and the occasional glowing bright colours (such as cyan blue moonlight) in certain areas. There was hardly a place I didn’t love the look of. Each area felt very distinct and felt created with care. One of my favourite visuals in the game was a giant white snake wrapped around a tower in Ipharis. The entire scene was a treat. The starry sky and electric purple moon with splashes of orange lava. And the beautiful (and dare I say cute) design of the giant snake and its gold markings. I could go on for ages about how visually stunning this game is.
The music was so alive, and it was nice to hear different music for different areas, bosses and situations. During one boss fight, the bells and hurried orchestra accompanied by a deep choir fit the gothic vibe of the game, reminiscent of the music you hear in the Dark Souls franchise. In contrast was the calming, sombre piano of the start menu, which reminded me of the music in the game To The Moon. Hunt The Night’s beautiful soundtrack comes to life with the collaboration of Hiroki Kikuta, who composed the music for Secret Of Mana. If the music in Secret Of Mana sounds as good as Hunt The Night’s, I feel compelled to check it out.
Longevity
I sunk just under fifteen hours into this game. And I wish I could’ve finished it. But unfortunately, I had a game-breaking glitch that prevented me from completing it. Once done with the story, players can challenge the bosses again in the Prime Hunt option from the main menu.
Final Thoughts
I thoroughly enjoyed my time playing Hunt The Night and highly recommend players check it out. When the game suggested playing with earphones and a controller, they weren’t kidding. The controls felt tight and accurate to use. I’ve already said my thoughts about the music. I will be doing another play-through to find any secrets I may have missed, that’s for sure. I’m eagerly looking forward to seeing what Moonlight Games comes up with next time.
I give Hunt The Night the Thumb Cultures Platinum Award
Disclaimer: A code was received in order to write this review.
YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Discord | Podcast
About Author
