Oxenfree is one of the most prominent horror indie games on the market, while The Last of Us and its sequel are some of the most beloved AAA horror games. The latter games were successful largely because of the complex relationship of protagonists Joel and Ellie, a young girl he's forced to look after in the first installment.
Oxenfree, on the other hand, is more light-hearted, following a group of teens as they explore and escape a haunted island but delve into their tumultuous relationships during their journey. For fans of both games, The Night is Grey is something of a cross between the two.
The Night is Grey vs. The Last of Us and Oxenfree
In The Night is Grey, the protagonist, a middle-aged man, is wandering around in the woods, away from a danger when he happens upon a lonely house. Inside the house is a young girl named Hannah brandishing a shotgun and threatens to shoot if he steps any closer. She only trusts him once he fixes the generator down the hill, which requires finding certain items around the property, getting creative with inventions, and solving brief puzzles.
The player gets the sense that something bad happened to Graham, the protagonist, just seconds before the game begins when he rushes out of the forest. After investigating, players can return to that area of the map to find the path is blocked by wolves. However, The Night is Grey might be haunted by more than just regular wolves. Werewolves may play a part in the story somehow, as shown in the game's trailer, or it could be something even more horrifying. Perhaps Graham himself is a werewolf or Hannah's mom, who has mysteriously disappeared, has been killed by the wolves.
Oxenfree's point-click adventure is largely narrative-driven, and choices matter. Currently, it's unclear whether or not decisions matter when it comes to Graham's story, but players can still navigate the terrifying tale through the use of clicks and no combat. And in addition to exploring a creepy island like Oxenfree's, The Night is Grey features a pseudo-father-daughter relationship similar to The Last of Us' Ellie and Joel. Like the iconic pair from the zombie series, some of Graham's tasks require the help of the little girl. Much smaller, than Ellie, Graham usually carries her around on piggyback, so many tasks are so far limited to reaching objects and borrowing her crayon.
Luckily, for gamers looking for a father-daughter team like Ellie and Joel's or Lee and Clementine's from The Walking Dead but are faint of heart, The Night is Grey probably won't be as spooky, stressful, or heart-wrenching. However, while there won't be any major violence in The Night is Grey, there will be instances or mention of psychological trauma, probably relating to Graham's troubling past that he references occasionally throughout the demo, not unlike Joel and his backstory.
For fans of Oxenfree's art style, The Night is Grey might also be of interest. Developer Whalestork uses hand-drawn animated characters against painted but fully-animated panoramic backdrops.
Though it's unclear when The Night is Grey may release, it's scheduled to come out sometime this year. For players looking for a taste of the game, a demo is out and excellently displays the type of gameplay they can expect with a small tease of its story.
The Night is Grey is set to come out in 2021 for PC and later for the Switch.