About Boys And Girls Night Out:
Narita Boy is less of a metroidvania than most linear games. It occasionally just removes upgrades you got in previous levels and does not allow for backtracking outside of briefly playing errand boy for various NPCs but this does not apply across levels. Boss design tried very hard to be unique and is thusly very rough around the edges. The story itself is nonsense but workable if stereotypical but the side story or whatever it’s supposed to be is cringeworthy and laughable and found me questioning whether this part of the game you spend maybe a half-hour of forced gameplay in a ten- I’ll keep this short and sweet. Narita boy was a sensory marvel, with some of the best character designs, illustration, animation, music, world-building, and some spectacular writing. If there are any misgivings in terms of game design, they are overshadowed by everything this game does right. A treat from beginning to end, a true reminder for how games are an art form. Best of luck to Studio Koba for the sequel, and high hopes for improved game design, and some recurring fantastic art and sound in that one! Without giving too much away, I love that this game not only invokes the usual nostalgia but makes it apart of the story. It’s a love letter to nerd culture, equal parts corny and tragic. The techno babble-infused dialogue is absolutely unabashed, unloading paragraphs worth of immaterial fluff that initially turned me off, but eventually warmed my heart. Again, it’s hard to get into the why’s and how’s without just spoiling the crux of the narrative. There’s a bit of an irreverent detail towards the end that I wasn’t a fan of, but the story is an overall winner. Visually speaking, it’s gotta be one of the most beautiful games
