Dark Nights with Poe and Munro

The writing, performances, and especially the characters are awful. The least believable part of the game is when Munro is [spoiler] challenged to not be in love [/spoiler] with Poe, who is - by far - the most insufferable creep anyone has ever put up with.

I’m a bit disappointed after playing this game. I honestly loved Dr. Dekker and The Shapeshifting Detective too, so I was excited about getting to know more about Poe’s and Monroe’s personalities and relationship. Honestly, this game just didn’t click for me. It contains 6 short episodes that don’t really connect. They all have their own mini storylines, but they feel too short to be meaningful, and in exchange they aren’t particularly funny or interesting either. I was a bit bothered by the whole cheating plot, but I tried not to focus on it because I hoped it would have a purpose. I thought that even if there wouldn’t be any moral takeaway, it might at least matter because of a twist or a bigger storyline, but it really didn’t. Afterall it was supposed to be just a 'comedic bit' and that's not my kind... There are some micro decisions where it’s mentioned, but they don’t feel meaningful. Because of this, it left a bad taste in my mouth to realize I’m supposed to feel sympathy for these two characters, knowing that he has a wife and children at home. I would be able to recommend it if at least one aspect stood out, but I personally couldn’t find anything like that. The music, visuals, and story were all quite forgettable, and there wasn’t any real twist or standout moment. The directing and acting also felt very mediocre, which I honestly don’t understand, because I really enjoyed their other works. Overall, I just can’t recommend it.

I'm sorry but the acting was so bad I had to quit the game out of second-hand embarrassment.

I wanted to like this game. I've played Contradiction, Who Pressed Mute on Uncle Marcus, and several other would-be similar titles in the past, so I had high hopes going in. I was expecting a fun FMV experience. That is not what I got. I'll corroborate what others have said first: I've seen numerous reviews stating that many choices either don't matter at all or have little impact, and I agree. The game will play itself and select specific options for you if you don't make a decision yourself. This often doesn't mean a new third option where you don't make a choice, but just turns into the game auto-choosing one option or the other. Why even have a time limit on those choices if this is the case? The actors do their best with the script they have. I do not blame them specifically for this particular criticism, as I don't know how many creative decisions they themselves made for their roles. That said, most of the characters are completely unlikable. I don't know if this was intentional, but it makes the game tedious very quickly. This is the most true of the titular characters. It's okay and sometimes even more compelling to follow/be in the head of someone who isn't a good person or doesn't always have the best intentions. However, it quickly becomes exhausting when they either lack compelling motivation to behave that way or have no redeeming qualities. For Poe and Munro, it's both. This is a game about two insufferable people making terrible decisions. That might sound fun. I didn't think so. Was there anything I liked? Getting to hear Justin McElroy voice a villain (props for having that range, Juice). [spoiler]Poe and Munro are affair partners, which doesn't paint them in a favorable light from the first episode onward. Their relationship and banter aren't charming. Poe is cheating on his wife with Munro, and Munro is aware of and therefore complicit in this. Poe tells Munro his wife knows he's having an affair, but that she doesn't know with whom. How could she not know? The two flirt almost constantly on and off the air. Munro is his only coworker. Is Poe lying? If this ever comes to a head or concludes in any meaningful way, I'm not sure. More than that, I don't care. The characters weren't sympathetic or compelling enough for me to continue beyond halfway through episode four.[/spoiler] Munro is presumptuous and willfully ignorant. Poe is self-important and leering. As a result, their banter comes across not as witty and playful, but as two people who already shouldn't be together, having no chemistry and being constantly at odds with each other. Their relationship is confusing at best, and at worst, disturbing, given some of the possible actions and the surrounding context. There are many ways this could have been done differently; one approach I frequently see. In narratives where the main characters are deeply flawed people, there are often foils: Comparatively normal side characters who will comment on how abnormal the main characters' behavior is, how unlikable they are, and call into question the efficacy of their ill-conceived plots and actions. That makes for a better story. It's more compelling because it doesn't make the audience feel like they're supposed to be rooting for these unlikable people (unless under exceptional circumstances). It doesn't make the audience feel like they're going crazy. Side characters, or even one individual who pointed out Poe and Munro's absurdity, would have done wonders. As far as I played, that doesn't happen. If it does, it takes too long. As far as I could tell, the side characters either didn't have enough screen time to make much of an impact or were insufferable, too. Poe and Munro are terrible both together and separately. A perfect example is a scene in the third episode where [spoiler]Munro presumes a stranger she just met wants her to strip and is immediately seduced and on board. When the stranger tries to clarify that she wants Munro to strip sheets off of a bed, Munro still presumes she wants her to strip on the bed, and lounges there before even further clarification. I'm not sure how else the scene can unfold, as I felt incredibly awkward as it was. Afterward, Poe asks how things went, and Munro describes the woman as "dominant; I liked her." Again, I'm not sure if the scene was meant to be funny, sexy, or charming, but it came off as exhausting. Poe pretends that the handwritten death threats in episode one aren't a serious issue, and it's even more exhausting. Make it make sense: These are pieces of paper slipped under an interior door at the studio that cannot lock. The studio has been receiving them for at least two weeks. He doesn't think Munro should be informed about them because he assumes they're from his wife, who he says knows he's having an affair, but not with whom. HUH?? Motivations swap whenever it's convenient to the narrative, but consistent character arcs are largely nonexistent. In episode one, Munro wants to call the police after a creepy caller threatens her and Poe, and Poe reveals the studio has (as stated) been getting death threats via handwritten notes slipped under the door to their recording studio. Poe doesn't want her to call. In episode three, a teenager goes missing, and shortly after, the same creepy caller, whom we thought had died in episode one, calls in again to inform Poe and Munro that they must act quickly. Straight after, yet another creepy caller informs them she has the teenager trapped somewhere and will probably kill him. Poe wants to call the police. Munro wants to play detective and figure it out as a duo. While I wouldn't put it past these two to try something this ill-conceived, it's weird to see their motivations swap with no real reason given besides 'the police are incompetent'. While I agree, especially since there are at least two ways the duo can get away with potential murder in episode one, why the sudden change?[/spoiler] The episodes I played were just long enough to be frustrating, but not long enough to answer any questions that could have led somewhere interesting. My most significant criticism by far: This game needs a content warning. When you have actors portray what appears to be the lead-up to [spoiler]violent SA[/spoiler], this game needs a content warning. It's not the only reason, but it's the biggest one for me. Additionally, there are graphic narrative descriptions of [spoiler]death and gore, as well as other very heavy topics.[/spoiler] I am well aware this game has horror elements, and I went in expecting horror. However, especially due to the format in which it's presented and the fact that horror is the chosen genre, it falls to the developers to provide these warnings. I am not suggesting games should not tackle heavy topics or content. Some of my favorite games handle these topics incredibly well. This makes the way they're included here even worse. TLDR: When cheesy acting takes a hard turn into serious situations and topics the writing isn't equipped to handle well, it's not only narrative whiplash, it puts many people off the game in its entirety. Your choices as a player are mostly irrelevant. The characters are unlikable and frustrating. The story is so hard to follow that it's often nonsensical, and the episodes are only loosely correlated. I was overly generous and tried to give the game a chance even after I wanted to quit. Although I didn't run into anything as egregious as episode two, it wasn't worth it. Some people say Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is so bad it's good. I disagree. I expected better from this studio. I wish I'd refunded it when I still had the chance.

I found it all very boring.

I freaking LOVE IT. What voices, what beautiful people! Simply amazing, watching them chew the scenery with their presence. Best idea I had in a long time, to give this one a try.

If you've played The Shapeshifting Detective, then you're definitely going to enjoy this game! Love Poe and Munro's chemistry!!! Hoping for a sequel or another game related to their story :)

One of the most baffling game experiences I've ever had. I recommend it not because it's a good game but because it's fun to theorize about the decisions that went into each step of this. Update: after playing Episode 3 and being stuck in what I can only describe as yap purgatory I can't recommend playing this even as a goof.

j'ai adoré passer du temps avec poe et munro . dans les parametres on peut augmenter la taille des soustitres francais en cas de besoin.