By Eu
Developer: Kinmoku
Publisher: Ratalaika Games
Platforms: PC, PS4, Xbox, Nintendo Switch
Category: Slice of life
Guide used: https://www.trueachievements.com/game/One-Night-Stand/walkthrough/3
From Nintendo Site:
You’ve just woken up next to a stranger. What do you do?
In One Night Stand, explore the stranger’s bedroom and seek out clues to identify who she is and what brought you both together.
You may resort to some unusual methods to find the answers you’re looking for, but try not to prod and pry too much – a nosy guest quickly becomes an unwanted one!
Will you stay and explore your relationship with this stranger, or will you escape when the opportunity presents itself? With 12 unique endings to discover, can you keep up the act long enough to find out what really happened?
You know, One Night Stand is the kind of game that I wouldn’t normally play. I’d probably judged the title, but still secretly dying to know what it is about. The first time I’ve seen this game was during a Nintendo Eshop sale sometime late last year. The title is, as you might have noticed, is eye-catching and intriguing. My first thought was, “wtf is this game? Why would they name it like that?”
Luckily, a friend gave me a free code because as it turned out, One Night Stand is indeed an engrossing game.
✭Verdict✭
Interesting take on a single life event
Recommended for: Everyone
Because why not? It is short and cheap, and the story and gameplay are good. It is a win-win for all.
Continue reading below to find out why you should or should not play One Night Stand.
Story
Positive ♡(｡- ω -)
The premise is simple as the story focuses on one event — you guessed it, the morning after a one night stand. Your character is a guy who wakes up in an unknown room with a massive hangover and a naked girl beside him. He has no recollection of what happened the night before, so it is up to the player to connect the dots and have a clearer picture of what happened.
What interests me is how the devs arrived at more than ten different endings for just a single life event. The outcome of this one night stand depends on the choices you make. I always look forward to the type of ending that I will get after my playthrough. Obviously, my favorite ends are the ones where he treats her right. Though I can understand the skepticism he feels in some routes.
The downside is, after going through a couple of endings, I already felt bored. But! The best thing is that it is only a short game. It’s best to take a break and come back to it without worrying about breaking the immersion.
There’s a certain twist at the end though, so be sure to get all the endings. 😉
Characters
Positive ♡(｡- ω -)
There are only three characters in the game – two main characters and a side character. You will play the role of the male character trying to understand how to proceed best in a situation like this. I love how, even with the same guy, you have the choice to make him a nice guy, the skeptic, or the downright jerk.
The female lead (FL) whose name I wouldn’t say because you have to discover that on your own is awesome. 😉 I thought she would be the stereotypical FL in fiction who freaks out when she finds a naked man beside her. But she’s actually pretty laid back and cool. Though a part of me suspected her at first because she’s so chill with things, it’s fishy lol.
Gameplay
Neutral (¯ . ¯٥)
One Night Stand uses a point-and-click system that is incredibly useful during the investigation parts. You poke around the room in an attempt to gain your memory. You can do that with the use of the joycon or touch the item directly on the screen. I prefer the former though because I’m always afraid that I might click the wrong item with my fat fingers lol.
But that is not the reason why I have a pretty so-so impression about it. I played this game using the handheld mode. Now, I’m a pretty fast clicker and reader so I can get through the dialogue quickly. Thing is, the cursor is on top of a choice. Instead of pausing when choices appear, I immediately clicked an answer I’m not intending to choose. And it makes me frustrated every time I had to reload a save (or worse, start all over again!). It was pretty inconvenient, but a good thing is that the skip function is fast.
For the Switch version, the game makes use of the sensor of the joycons. But since I didn’t play using TV or tabletop mode, I was not able to use that.
Art
Neutral (¯ . ¯٥)
The art for this game is far different from the usual detailed and colored styles I’m used to. It’s not that it’s bad, I’m just not a fan. It’s pretty decent, especially since it’s partly animated. Though I’m not sure if it’s because my Switch has low memory or the game itself, but the transition on some parts is not smooth, and there are a couple of seconds lag.
All in all, the art is not a deal-breaker. It’s just a matter of personal preference on my part.
Enjoyment (✯◡✯)
While the constant repetition of scenes in my quest to get all the endings is tedious at times, I love the idea and the execution. It may be a short game, but it is worth every buck you pay.