One Night Stand

One Night Stand is something that people would like if they fancy a quick fix. Now I know what you're thinking, I don't mean it like that. If you haven't seen the subtitle and video and scrolled straight to the text, or are feeling dizzy from the aftermath of whatever, then let me enlighten you. Sorry, I couldn't resist a lame joke or two.

One Night Stand is a visual novel developped by Kinmoku. It's got a very strong British feel to the game. It's got British slang and thrown in here and there and the music and the art style just gives me that feeling that this is something that could happen somewhere in my town or across the street from where I live.

You take the role as a male character who is hungover and wakes up next to a naked lady. No idea what's happened or how he got there. Then he gets a text from his friend Gary, who is not very happy because he's apparently ditched his date to see the protagonist only to be left out again. We don't know the details so we can't judge. But the phone dies, and throughout the game we try look around the room for any clues and then we eventually start talking to the girl and replying to questions.

The game is honestly a lot better than it sounds. It's a short game with only a few characters and plots, but it is so well done. I think it's quite a cool game and it makes me think of a lot of the short stories and flash fiction that I've been reading recently. Just a very quick pick me up and go sort of thing.

The objective of the game is down to the player. You can either try and find out what happened that night, or you can try and get the hell out of there as fast as you can. You could try and aim for something more out of the relationship, but there's no real romance. Well, it's to be expected, it was a one night stand. But you can be friends with her in the end, which of course can lead into a future relationship, but that's more for the sequel.

It's one of those games where choices truly matter. If you try to take a naughty picture or try on her knickers, then she's bound to get pissed. I think the female character, Robin is very cool and very realistic. I can relate to her and I like how which each item you have a look at, you get know more about her. She loves to read, loves music, loves her family and those traits are also things you see in a lot of girls in real life too, me included.

So you feel as if you know Robin and feel warped into the game. And this is a sign of a good visual novel. Even when the game has ended, it's left me wanting more. I've managed to unlock all the achievements and endings, including the ones on Steam. I did it all in one day, so if I can do it, I'm sure you can too.

I have to say that the best thing about the game is the graphics. The graphics are just so warm and beautiful. The artwork in the game reminds me a lot of Hotel Dusk with how sketchy it is. I like how it all looks hand drawn and how the art lines move. In fact, it wouldn't surprise me if the artwork and sprites actually were hand drawn and coloured digitally. The natural tone is very good. I think it's a really nice and refreshing change. The music's also really nice and soothing. If you choose to investigate the guitar, you'll find that it has a special meaning for Robin.

I like how it uses dialogue instead of gameplay to tell the story. It's something that I feel has been inspired by the Ace Attorney games. I also like the really subtle mysterious and detective tones. Everything just comes together and for the price I paid, I felt as if I got good value for money. I think I would play it again, and I would recommend the game to anyone who wants a gaming quick fix. The average play through of the game can last between five minutes to about half an hour depending on your choices.

Overall it's a very good game. Whilst it is a short game, the characters felt authentic and real and feel like somebody you have met on the street and it's very rare to have that in video games in my opinion. So if you see this game online, get it!

• Steam
• Itch.io
• Wiki Page