Night Book Reviews
Night Book is a good example of the kind of modern FMV game that Wales Interactive produce. It brings together an interesting story with some strong performances and a topical site of anxiety. At a run time of about 45 minutes for each playthrough this is perfect for a quick play with a glass of wine but may not feel like the best value. There's plenty of replayability though if you want to unlock all the endings, but many of them involve only slight variations of events you'll have seen before. Night Book is very much an FMV interactive experience rather than a game but it is undoubtedly a solid example of its kind. Just don't go into it expecting much in the way of gameplay.
Night Book is lost in the magnum sea of similar productions and you have plenty of titles to play before jumping on the unfortunate protagonist and her cursed book.
Review in Italian | Read full review
As much as I wanted Night Book to be good, not even FMV can salvage this otherwise lackluster experience. Despite solid acting performances from the entire cast, it isn't enough to elevate this paint-by-numbers slog to the next level. It's probably best to leave this tome on the shelf where it belongs.
The FMV acting is great, as are the production values but ultimately the story just doesn't hold up. There's simply too much repetition required to uncover everything Night Book has to offer.
The story is slight, and possessed Dad – Jim Carver from The Bill for the 30-somethings among you – is more amusing than scary. The constraints of filming during a pandemic are clear – no two people are ever in the same room at the same time – and in terms of production values it's more school play than Hollywood. But Julie Dray is a sympathetic lead and the run time is barely an hour and change so it never has an opportunity to outstay its welcome.
Night Book is a good interactive movie. As a horror film, I may be afraid enough or predictable, but the story works from start to finish. He knows how to hook you from the first moment. In addition, in its playable part, although it is very simple and nothing out of the world, it is effective. It does not bother, it is well integrated and the reaction times are so fair that many times we will act more by inertia than by reasonocinio.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Ironically, Night Book makes a better argument for replaying than ever starting it.
If you've got the slightest interest in the horror genre, you've already seen what Night Book has to offer. The idea of a full motion video tale with multiple endings is a noble one, but the poor acting and breakneck pace ruin its chances of ever standing out.
Night Book is a good choice for fans of interactive movies, is well played and is very playable. However, it is not scary and its story is very predictable.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
If you’ve enjoyed Wales Interactive’s FMVs in the past, then I’m fairly confident in saying you’ll find a lot to like in Night Book. Despite being created in challenging conditions, it comes together with top-notch production values, excellent acting and great storytelling. It may never be truly edge-of-your-seat stuff, but it’s gripping enough that you’ll likely want to hunt down multiple endings.
Night Book is a great example of an FMV game and makes the player believe he is actually watching a movie. Despite delivering everything it sets out to do, the simple and sometimes predictable story leaves a little to be desired and anyone who is not used to this style will probably get bored. Even so, it's far from a bad title.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Night Book is an interactive occult thriller with a very interesting set-up (interpreter gets tricked into reading ancient curse) but the mediocre acting manages to break the immersion too often.
I’ve continued to be impressed with the strides the FMV game genre has made since its more humble CD-based beginnings...
I have nothing against its acting or the fact there isn’t a lot of interactivity in here, but I was beyond annoyed with its clichéd Blumhouse-esque premise and its tiresome visuals. It’s not a very interesting story and I failed to connect with or care about any of its characters.
It takes itself far too seriously to be appreciable as a self-aware throwback to the campy origins of the FMV subgenre, but is too daft and cheaply produced to actually be taken seriously at all.
It'll take you less than an hour to finish one playthrough of Night Book, and the premise is engaging enough that I wanted to see where it was going, however, this isn't a scary game, something anyone wanting to play Night Book will be disappointed to hear.
An interesting product from an unusual time in video game history, Night Book displays how creative FMV game makers have had to be over the past 18 months. Using suspenseful music, a fun concept and some pretty ingenious if well trodden budget horror movie tricks, Night Book manages to be a good time if not a scary or shocking one. If you’re looking for a way to spend and evening alone or with a partner/friends, you could do much worse than this.