Night Call

Night Call is an absorbing noir adventure with plenty of heart.

Atmosphere rules in this narrative game about a cabbie on the trail of a killer.

Haphazard gameplay and varying narrative quality put a damper on Night Call's strong mood and hints of brilliance.

So, it’s a game with two key strands that feel forced together when they don’t really work in tandem. I like both ingredients in theory, but they don’t coalesce successfully, like how a vinaigrette salad dressing will separate into oil and vinegar until you shake it up again.

All in all, Night Call sets itself up with an inspired idea and premise. The concept of a man living the simple life as a city taxi driver going through regular life while trying to catch a sinister serial killer is fascinating.

My biggest hope is that someone picks up this game and becomes just a bit more respectful and tolerant of people, or groups, that they may not have understood before. I honestly think that this is the kind of game that can do that. And who doesn’t want a world where discrimination is no more, right? I’d recommend this game to ANYONE who likes good storytelling, and compelling characters. It isn’t all doom-and-gloom either, there are a butt-load of fun, kooky, fantasy characters as well that are a blast to learn about (I’m looking at you robot-assistant and lady-from-the-future-where-the-world’s-population-has-been-ravaged-by-a-disease… SO TOPICAL AMIRITE?!) Anyway, as we should all know by now Raw Fury is amazing, they make amazing games happen. Night Call is no exception to the rule.

A stylishly presented, adult-themed adventure that explores the night life of Paris in thought-provoking but agreeably quirky detail.

I think the game would've been better if it really was just about driving around Paris getting to know these people who are living out their everyday lives. The mystery-solving is half baked, and the fact that you can't carry the stories of your passengers forward into future cases just makes me wish the mystery wasn't there at all. I really did love the conversations I had with the game's diverse cast, but in the end I was just left frustrated that I wouldn't be able to see them through to their end without slogging through a lot of stuff I'd already seen.

Night Call has few mechanics, but intriguing stories. In addition to the investigative premise itself, what really delights are the dozens of different people we deal with in Paris nights. These narratives are great and make the journey worthwhile. But, let's face it: for a game this is a big problem. Still, who wouldn't want to hear conversations in a taxi in a tense and mysterious world?

It is not often that I get excited about a game. Not that wrapped up, clock-watching excitement. Yet that is precisely what I felt from the moment I saw the trailer for Night Call. It had something about it that intrigued me. I had to play this game.