Indie games and their developers tend to go unnoticed in such a large gaming market. Not Tonight, developed by PanicBarn gets the spotlight for their RPG adventure and simulation.
For anyone that has ever discovered the game Papers Please, this alternate history takes the premise a step further. The plot of Not Tonight is simple if you’re focused and willing to put in the work. Not only are you the bouncer of a nightclub, but you must check all forms of ID for each patron to make sure they are upstanding members of Great Britain. Do well and some other jobs will become available in this new and glorious country. Imagine if the Brexit never happened, and things got worst. Like many dystopian games, your choice is simple. Will you obey or rebel?
Visually, Not Tonight has an 8bit vibe but does a good job with the color palettes and giving players just enough imagery to work with. When you, the bouncer, move on to other jobs such as festivals or managing guest lists, the paperwork is crisp and clear. But like most games, the challenge comes when all the expectations are hitting hard. There are times where checking many items at once will be required and this is mind boggling.
Actual game play is straightforward. Check everything! This will help you advance in the game and get upgrades. If you don’t, well, just go back where you came from. Another neat feature of the game is the ability to live a somewhat normal life. For example, you can start to customize your own apartment. This is something that other games in this type of genre didn’t have. Certain characters start to appear and you can choose to trust them or not.
For anyone that hasn’t played other games like this the confusion might be in why anyone would want to dedicate time to playing such a tedious game. There isn’t blood and gore that would come with other games so Not Tonight could seem tame by all standards. What makes it different is the ability to put yourself in a role and job that you wouldn’t normally do and be the person making the moral choices. Games such as this get very mentally stimulating. When in control of the rules and doing the right thing, you might just find yourself addicted to the experience.
9/10
Available on PC
