Nocturnal is a beautiful side-scrolling hack n’ slash, packed with beautiful detail and strange mystery.
There’s a saying that’s been going around the internet for quite some time that many gamers would prefer games that are shorter and simpler but just as impactful as AAA releases, and Nocturnal is exactly that, with incredible storytelling that leaves you wanting more and an art style that is simple yet gorgeous.
Nocturnal is a side-scrolling hack and’ slash that is developed by none other than Sunnyside Games, a small development studio based in Switzerland. Now, many of you reading this are probably unfamiliar with Sunnyside, and you’d probably think that Nocturnal is the studio’s first major release. That’s sadly where you are wrong, as the studio has been around for well over a decade. Sunnyside Games was first founded back in 2013, and their first game was a little game known as The Firm, which was a retro-style arcade game that was also a mobile exclusive.
After The Firm, there wasn’t much else coming from Sunnyside Games, except for one notable release, Towaga: Among Shadows. This game did get a bit more attention and clearly gave the studio the boost it needed, as the studio’s latest release was Nocturnal. With Dear Villagers helping out as publishers, it would seem that Nocturnal will turn out to be quite a big release for them.
At first glance, Nocturnal doesn’t seem like much. It’s not like the game gives you much to go on. We are given an opening cinematic, which is quite visually impressive and well-animated, and that’s about it, no character intro, no explanation of where we are; we just arrive on an island and are told to head forward. We do eventually learn quite a few things; our character’s name is Ardeshir, and he has returned to their home island of Narhan, no longer a boy but now a soldier of the Enduring Flame.
However, things are not as they seem; his once beautiful island home has now been warped and changed by this strange substance known only as the Mist. The Mist seems to want to snuff out the Phoenix Flame, the same flame that your order gets its power from. We also learn that the main reason for our hero’s return is to find his sister, Arsia, who is missing.
Before we dive headfirst into the Nocturnal’s oh-so-lovely gameplay, there is one thing we need to mention first. Now, when you start your journey, you will most likely find your first note. Notes play a very important part in trying to figure things out because, unlike other games similar to it, Nocturnal doesn’t exactly tell you its story. You need to seek it out.
You do this by finding notes, books, and scrolls. These notes aren’t left in plain sight, and the best way to find them is to try to find the way off the game’s linear path, such as side rooms and hidden chambers. This does mean that if you’re the type of player who tends to speed through games, you will be left rather confused about what’s going on.
Now onto the action, the part you’ve probably been waiting for. Nocturnal is a somewhat linear game. You go from one point to another, hacking and slashing enemies along the way. Now, this isn’t a bad thing, as this is something you will notice with most games of the genre. This does, however, mean that you can’t backtrack, and if you miss something, then you’ll need to remember to get it next time, or die and respawn at a checkpoint.
Checkpoints are also a great example of one of the game’s most prominent themes: Fire. Fire is everything in Nocturnal; fire is your safety, fire is your checkpoints, fire is your guidance, and fire is your strength. Fire is also the only thing that can harm the Mist and all the creatures that lurk within it. Fire doesn’t burn forever, and you will be able to extend the duration of your flame by lighting touches and activating switches.
Mist creatures are the only enemy you will encounter, other than soldiers. Now, as stated earlier, Nocturnal doesn’t tell you anything about it or your character’s backstory. When you first encounter these soldiers, they label you a traitor or call you a deserter. Pair this with the fact that many of their bodies have also become a part of the scenery, impaled on trees and slumped against walls, and you soon find yourself trying to figure out why.
Mist creatures and soldiers don’t provide you with that much of a challenge. If you’re careless, they’ll chip away at your health, but a bit of strategy and well-timed dodges are all you need to handle most encounters. However, the same cannot be said about Nocturnal’s bosses, and these encounters require you to be extremely careful with what you are doing. Bosses do have attack patterns that you can follow, but unlike most games, these bosses come in multiple phases, each with new health and an all-new pattern for you to learn, fun!
After your first boss fight, you will get an upgrade, the Throwing Dagger, a nifty, if limited, secondary weapon you can throw. On the other hand, Phoenix Gifts play a major factor when facing off against the mist and offer you a large pool of passive upgrades and an extra ability that can either heal you or harm enemies, for a price, that is.
If you want to unlock Phoenix Gifts, you will need to pay for them with coins. Coins are pretty easy to come by, as you can find them hidden in pots. These pots can be a bit tricky to spot as they do blend into the environment. This does seem to be intentional as they make the player explore the environment more and, in turn, unlock more of the game’s story. Also, Phoenix Gifts are pretty powerful, and it wouldn’t be that fun if you could just mince all your enemies.
As stated earlier, you can’t simply backtrack in Nocturnal, and with all the game’s lore and coins being hidden throughout its environments, it is pretty clear that Nocturnal is not just meant to be a one-and-done game. You’re meant to play it multiple times until you fully piece together its story. The game does get easier with every death, but it’s not for the impatient.
Nocturnal is another great game that uses sound perfectly. The game has absolutely no voice-acted dialogue to fill the silence, and it does, however, have one completely atmospheric soundtrack. The soundtrack is what sets the tone and mood for each scene, the music changes seamlessly from scene to scene, and it almost changes according to whatever is happening on screen. Chase scenes with an angry shadowy mist will ramp up the percussion and make those wind flutes shrill. It’s an incredible feat to create a soundtrack that tells your story without any characters talking at all.
Nocturnal is a short yet phenomenal experience that needs to be played multiple times to truly be appreciated. While yes, you may be a tad bit confused at the end of your first run, but if you stray off the linear path, you may find the true embers at the heart of the game.
