One Night Stand Review

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adventure, casual, Choices Matter, indie, Kinmoku, One Night Stand, One Night Stand Review, PS4, PS4 Review, Ratalaika Games, Rating 7/10, simulation, Visual Novel

Tired of awkward one-night stands in real life? Then why not delve into an awkward virtual One Night Stand. Developed by Kinmoku studios, One Night Stand is described as a visual novel, and acts as a choice-based simulator, with various endings and outcomes. So, is this game worth picking up? Let’s dissect it and find out.

Whilst this game may not have the most complex of narratives, it does hold some entertainment value, and if anything, you’ll find yourself returning to it, in order to see the different outcomes. You take control of a man who wakes up in a mysterious girl’s flat, and slowly but surely you’ll have to piece together the story of the night before, by interacting with said girl and the various objects in her bedroom. Sounds simple enough right? Well it is, and for the most part it’s enjoyable, however I did find myself having to speed up the text (which is highly recommended during your repeated playthroughs) because that text is SLOW! Additionally, I did have to come back to it at various points throughout the week, I wouldn’t necessarily view this as a ‘bingeworthy’ game.

adventure, casual, Choices Matter, indie, Kinmoku, One Night Stand, One Night Stand Review, PS4, PS4 Review, Ratalaika Games, Rating 7/10, simulation, Visual Novel

I was highly impressed by the amount of choices you can make in this game, and how even the slightest variation could prompt a different kind of ending. Will you root through this girls Vinyl collection and gush to her about her taste in music? Will you question her about the pills on her nightstand? Or will you go the seedy route and steal her underwear? All of these massively impact your playthrough, right down to the optional dialogue, so hats off to Kinmoku for that one!  Additionally, the endings vary in length and tone, and on my first playthrough I didn’t even know the game was ending if I’m honest, I naturally assumed it would continue further – so a word of advice, once you leave the room that will be the ending you get for that playthrough. Some endings are happy, in which you will be able to form a friendship and bond with the girl, whereas others will involve her furiously kicking you out. Or alternatively, you can just quickly flee from her room before she even wakes up.

The pacing of the game is also a little jarring, which is of no fault in the development but mainly because the dialogue and how it is affected by the choices you make in the game. Should you wish to unravel more about the night before, the pacing will become slow, as you tediously extract every last detail, which can be frustrating upon multiple playthroughs, as you’ll be treading familiar territory, but it is a minor inconvenience and a nit-pick on my behalf. In comparison, should you choose to play through the game as a rude and dismissive player, then the pacing will obviously be snappy and will end in a similar vane. I do wish that the pacing for each was somewhere in the middle, again maybe I am just nit-picking here, but I just found some playthroughs rather boring in a ‘get to the point’ way and others in a ‘oh… its over already?’ way.

With all this being said, perhaps the greatest aspect of One Night Stand (in my humble opinion) is the art design, simply put, this game is BEAUTIFUL. Whilst we live in an age of computer 3D animation, I am a sucker for 2D, I just think it’s so much warmer and more welcoming, like a shot of nostalgia right into the arm. Okay, maybe that previous line was too fluffy, but I stand by it! Everything, from the design of the girl to her bedroom, to the brief glimpses of the reflection you can catch in the mirror, everything is drawn with so much artistic talent, that from looking at screenshots alone you can see how much love, attention and effort went into the process of making this game.

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If I were to critique the game in any major way, I would say that at times it took itself rather seriously. Every outcome felt like this big, earth shattering moment, that love was escaping your grasp once you ended the game in an unsavoury fashion. I am not particularly familiar with visual novels, so I don’t know if this is a recurring theme, but I just felt it cringeworthy at moments. Sometimes a one-night stand is just that, a one-night stand, sometimes it doesn’t have to be this chance to find your soulmate.

So, is this game worth playing? Yes, if you are someone who enjoys a good character study and aren’t afraid of a few awkward moments here and there, this is the game for you! Currently retailed at £4.00 on the PlayStation Store, which is a fair trade for the game you’ll receive, if anything pay the £4.00 just for the design alone, because its just so great and so beautiful. So good luck, happy playing and remember, choose wisely, after all you don’t want to get thrown out in your underwear.

REVIEW CODE: A complimentary Nintendo Switch code was provided to Bonus Stage for this review. Please send all review code enquiries to press@4gn.co.uk.

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One Night Stand Review
  • Gameplay - 7/10
    7/10
  • Graphics - 7/10
    7/10
  • Sound - 7/10
    7/10
  • Replay Value - 7/10
    7/10
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User Review
0/10 (0 votes)
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Comments Rating 0/10 (0 reviews)
Overall
7/10

Summary

Remember choose wisely, don’t get thrown out in your underwear.


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