Night In The Woods' Demontower Minigame

The Palecat’s quest is my low-key Game of the Year

- Alyssa Hatmaker

Night in the Woods is a deeply human story about an anthropomorphic cat, Mae Borowski, who dropped out of college to return to her hometown of Possum Springs. It’s full of surprises and is easily one of my top games of 2017. Perhaps most surprising is that I found another favourite within it – the minigame Demontower.

Its full title, Ancient Doom Spire: Demontower Part IV – Slaughter of the Blood Thief, is a string of dark fantasy clichés. You gain access to it after Mae’s tech-savvy friend Angus does her a solid by getting rid of the embarrassing adware on her laptop. He installs the game as a bonus and promises to, “Talk Demontower sometime. It’s really cool!” He’s right.

When developers spend extra effort creating a breakaway experience, it can feel like a gift, adding variety while offering reprieve at the same time. At times, you’ll find homages to other games you hold dear. In Demontower’s case, that’s Hyper Light Drifter, an action-RPG I fell in love with last year that itself pays homage to A Link to the Past.

The Climb