Game Review: A Night On The Farm

By Al

Players: 1
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, XBox, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, PC

Retro-inspired horror games, especially those featuring visuals reminiscent of the early 3D era, have been taking over the scene lately, and we're going to be looking at a new one today. Coming to just about all major platforms by way of publisher EastAsiaSoft is A Night on the Farm, a first-person horror experience that defies standard genre labeling. Though it's out on just about everything, we're going to be taking a look at the Nintendo Switch version here. This is going to be a weird one, so let's dive right in!

A Night on the Farm opens with your car breaking down, and you moving towards a nearby farmhouse for help. It's late night, there are creepy noises all around you, and things feel more than a little creepy. Those spooky vibes only increase when you enter the house and find it to be completely empty. Not only that, but it's devoid of power, full of weird cryptic notes and audio logs, and you get the feeling that you're being watched. The story of what went down at this farmhouse starts to reveal itself as you go through said notes and audio logs, but it's a tale that I won't reveal much more of in the hopes of avoiding spoilers. Suffice it to say that nothing is what it seems, and that includes the very farmhouse itself. Though I didn't detail much here, the story is one of the best I've seen in this type of game, even though I personally didn't find it to be particularly scary. There is something to be said for horror that is more atmospheric and unsettling, rather than being in-your-face and full of jump scares, but I'm sure that there are some people who will still prefer the latter. You might not be geeing FNAF-style reactions here, but that doesn't mean that the game is any lesser because of that fact.

I went into A Night on the Farm thinking that it would have a bit of action in it, as in something you'd find in the original Resident Evil, but it's actually more of a point-and-click adventure game than a survival horror one. You'll spend much of your time exploring the titular farm and finding your way further into its many sub-areas. There are several items to find that help to expand the story, and several that are simply collectables. While some of the inventory items are optional, your main goal is to find keys, keycards, or keypad codes to unlock further progression. The first two are rather self-explanatory, with the latter being most often revealed via notes. Speaking of which, most notes and audio logs also serve as guides regarding where to go next, or where to find the next plot-important item. There are no characters to interact with, but this take on atmospheric storytelling is executed perfectly. As long as you're thorough in your exploration, you'll never really have to worry about where you're going to go next. That said, the gameplay is rather simplistic when compared to most other first-person horror games. There isn't much in the way of inventory management, and puzzles are so light that I hesitate to refer to them as such. There are times where I considered referring to this game as a walking simulator with a few interactive elements. I ultimately didn't go that route, but even if I did, it's still a great game despite its lack of fast-paced action. Not every game needs to have you gunning down zombies or running from monsters. Some can be good even without those gameplay elements.

Graphically A Night on the Farm looks a lot like a PSOne era horror game. Resident Evil, Silent Hill, and other similar titles come to mind right away. There has been something of a renaissance of horror-themed games that use this aesthetic, and A Night on the Farm pulls off the look great. The graphics are still clear even in the mostly dark environments, and the often-repeated sprites somehow don't come off as lazy since the level design feels so well thought out. Since there's no action to worry about, there is never a need to move quickly or worry about dying. You can always take your time, and maybe find a few of those weird robot toys that are hidden throughout the game. Part of me did wish that the mysterious creatures that play a central role in the story (The closest I'll get to a spoiler!) were more clearly shown, but I can understand why they weren't. It probably is no surprise that this runs perfectly on the Switch, but I thought I should mention it anyway. If I had another complaint, it would be the font used for the transcriptions of the audio logs. The text is so small that I was unable to read it even on a bigger TV. Thankfully you can simply listen to the tapes, but it might be an accessibility issue for some. Even though the graphics here won't be winning any awards, I still feel that they're one of the best parts about the overall experience.

Audio-wise there's a lot to praise too, as the soundtrack helps set the creepy vibes needed for a story like this. I don't want to give too much credit here though, as I believe the music is taken from a royalty-free library. Either way, it's a great collection of tracks that doesn't disappoint, even if it's more atmospheric than anything else. Besides music, there is also some voice acting in A Night on the Farm. It all consists of audio logs from a single character, but there's a decent amount of it considering the overall length of the game. I was surprised to find that the acting here was performed well, as these kind of games often have voice acting that's horrible. Sometimes the voice acting is even bad on purpose, which is always feels like an odd choice to me. The acting here isn't AAA quality, but it doesn't feel cringe at all. This game manages to keep its presentation surprisingly high for a very indie release.

I had a lot of fun with A Night on the Farm. It's not exactly a long game, but it doesn't waste your time either. I beat the game in about an hour, but every minute of that was great. There's even some hidden items you can find if you're a completionist. Even though the game moves along a rather straight line, there are also multiple endings to see. I found all the endings are very effective, and a couple really stuck with me after the game was over. Not only are the endings good, but everything up to that point is awesome too. There are plenty of twists and turns, and all of them are done by way of non-standard, atmospheric storytelling. It can't be easy to craft a game that delivers a plot this strong without having characters on-screen to convey its points, but A Night on the Farm pulls it off in a way I would've thought impossible. Considering that the game is available for only $4.99, picking it up is pretty much a no-brainer.

It's probably rather obvious that I give A Night on the Farm the fullest of recommendations. It's a great first-person horror experience, and its price means that you can grab it for practically nothing. Not only is a must-play for fans of the horror genre, but it's easy enough to get into that even the most casual of players are sure to find something to enjoy here. I had a lot of fun with it, and I'm sure you will too. Grab it on whatever platform you can, and thank me later. See you in the next one.

Check Out A Night on the Farm on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/a-night-on-the-farm-switch/

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Story: A
Gameplay: A
Graphics: A
Music/Sound: A
Value: A+

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A horror game that tells a story worth experiencing
+ The graphics feature a PS1-style aesthetic that is captured perfectly.
+ There are no fail states, and the atmospheric storytelling does a good job guiding players to their next objective.
+ Music is sufficiently spooky, and the voice acting is surprisingly well done.
+ At just $4.99, picking this one up is a no-brainer.

Cons:
- A rather short game that doesn't offer a lot of replayability outside of wanting to experience the story again.
- The small font for audio logs, and repeated objects throughout, do detract a small bit from the visual presentation.
- There is no action in this game, nor are there many jump scares. Both of those factors may put off some potential players.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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