May 19

May 19 Review | Dark Nights with Poe and Munro

“You always have a choice, Munro”

I’ll be honest, when Dark Nights with Poe and Munro (D’Avekki Studios) came across my desk with the question “Are you up for reviewing an FMV?” I had to Google what the acronym stood for (it’s Full Motion Video, by the way). Sure, I knew their style having watched a let’s play of Shapeshifting Detective, another FMV by D’Avekki Studios, but never quite had the intrigue to pull the trigger on one.

You may think, then, that it is a strange decision to take this review on, especially because it takes place in the same universe as the studio’s previous titles, but, in fact, I think Dark Nights works perfectly as an introduction to the genre, and D’Avekki Studios’ world.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro follows the titular characters, played by Klemens Koehring and Leah Cunard respectively, through 6 varied episodes of campy, supernatural tales in the town of August. The pair reprise their roles from Shapeshifting Detective and are radio hosts of a spooky late-night radio show. Listeners can call in to tell their tales and ask for advice, or, alternatively and very frequently, the pair play pre-recorded retellings of stories so they can flirt off the air. The plots range from supernatural beast-hunting to murder mystery whodunnits and dreamlike investigations, with the majority interesting enough to keep me engaged through their 30-45 minute runtime. This means that a single straight run-through of the game will take you around 3 hours.

That’s not to say that there’s little content to be found in Dark Nights. As D’Avekki themselves say, there is around 5 hours of camera footage to glean from the game, and it does not hesitate to remind you that your in-game choices are influencing what you’re seeing play out. Not only do characters frequently make reference to “time travelling” to see what another choice would have developed into, which immediately nudges you towards replaying the episode, but at the end of each episode, you are shown “Your Decisions”.

Though more simplistic than the choice-timeline-tree screen in Detroit: Become Human, the purpose of reminding you of your choices was clear. “Play this again, choose something else, and see what you’re missing.” I, of course, was happy to oblige. With it being connected to other players of the game, you can also see how your decisions stack up against the rest of the world. I thought I showed at least a semblance of uniqueness with my decisions, but the game quickly dashed that idea, as it turned out I frequently made the most common choice. Alas, in this locked-down world we find ourselves in at the moment, it’s oddly comforting to have a social connection with other players, knowing that not only are we all experiencing similar real-world troubles, but some of us are escaping in the same way.

As many excellent writers have already pointed out, games have been acting as a medium of solace for so many seeking escapism from this pandemic-induced quarantine over 1 billion humans find themselves in. As it was for me, Dark Nights can very easily be another game that people can find reverie within. It has other real people, not stuck talking about the all-consuming events currently ongoing, with enough pleasantly distracting, outlandish storytelling, and fun, bouncy performances from the lead actor and actress to make you forget any of this is going on.

Can we take a second to appreciate how great the names Klemens Koehring and Leah Cunard would be for a detective duo.

The game’s acting is certainly in keeping with the hokey B-Movie feel Dark Nights is, hopefully, aiming for. While often melodramatic in tone, the chemistry between Poe and Munro is undeniable, with the pair bouncing off each other with ease as they flirt their way through the episodes. The remainder of the cast, made up of both voiceover and starring roles, are welcome additions that create a more fleshed out experience.

Dark Nights is a very pared-down FMV game compared to its in-universe cousin, Shapeshifting Detective. In Dark Nights, gone are the large-scale deduction plot spanning the entirety of the game, the questioning interface (bar episode 4, which is by far my favourite episode of the game), and the large cast seen in Shapeshifting Detective...but that may not be such a bad thing for a first-time FMV player, making it a great introduction to the genre.

The episodic nature of the game makes replaying less of a daunting prospect than having to go through the entirety of a multiple hour game again. While the lack of deduction makes the game more accessible to those looking for an easygoing experience. I found the more time I spent with Poe and Munro the more I felt I knew how they would react when choosing responses. Though players that begin with Dark Nights will most likely miss the occasional reference and nod to the previous games set in August, that does not detract from the core experience.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro, then, is certainly an enjoyable experience. For fans of the FMV games, and of D’Avekki Studios in particular, there’s a lot to like here. Poe and Munro are solid protagonists to guide you through the surreal and zany story and appearances from old FMV favourites are the cherry on top, though some of the lost, more expansive mechanics may be missed. For those looking to venture into the FMV genre for the first time, the game’s easygoing gameplay, short episodic nature, as well as the aforementioned bubbly performances are well worth the price of entry.

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is available on Steam today for £9.99, with an additional launch discount of 10%. startmenu did receive a code for this review.