The videogame-movie-mix ‘Night Book’ brings promise for the future of interactive media as it introduces a story where the viewer has power over the outcome.
‘Night Book’, a cinematic visual novel directed by Alex Lightman, is a combination of film and videogame, where the player can change the direction of the story by making choices for the main character. Released on July 27 by the developer Wales Interactive, ‘Night Book’ is available on iOS, PC and Xbox, and Playstation consoles. The horror tale features Julie Dray, starring as Loralyn, an interpreter who is tricked into summoning evil to her house.
Having been filmed during the Covid-19 pandemic, this found-footage horror tale was filmed while observing social-distancing regulations. It, therefore, features a popular element on-screen today- the FaceTime, video-call format. The main character sits facing the screen, and we, the audience, watch the story unravel from the perspective of the computer itself. The story offers 15 possible endings, and depending on the players’ choices, the characters could survive the events of the story, or meet a gory end.
‘Night Book’ has received mixed reactions, as it has been criticized for a lack of interactive choices. However, Julie Dray has astonished with a convincing performance as a woman experiencing what appears to be a haunting. The French actress has delivered a range of performances both on TV and video games, acting in the 2020 sci-fi comedy ‘Avenue 5’ as well as providing the voice of ‘V’ in the French version of the 2020 video game ‘Cyberpunk 2077’. ‘Night Book’ also stars Colin Salmon as Mr. Vito.
A free demo of ‘Night Book’ is available on Steam and the full game is on Steam for £9.99.
