Developer: PanicBarn
Steam Deck Compatibility?: Verified
Rrp: £15.49 (Steam) and £15.99 (Epic)
Even though the original Not Tonight didn’t feature in my ‘Best games of 2020’ list I’m so glad that a sequel was made. This time though the game isn’t set in Britain and instead is based in the good old United States of America. Of course, in typical Not Tonight fashion the country isn’t looking so United, being split in half. It’s actually funny that this game was released during the first year of Joe Biden being in power after Trump and now I’m playing it and Trump has regained it. The depiction of the USA being split in half feels even more apt now than when it was first released.
The game itself is about three friends having to work their way individually across the USA to try and rescue their friend Edwardo after he had been abducted. Each of them takes on jobs as bouncers in the different cities they pass through to earn enough to not only afford to get from Seattle to Miami (where Edwardo is being held) but also track down the various documents they need to release him. As they travel they’ll encounter some… colourful personalities and strange events they’ll need to navigate around.
As with the first game the job starts fairly simple, check that the person trying to get in has a real ID and is the appropriate age. But quickly that starts to change, from the addition of guest lists and passwords through to having to shoot down wizards and time music to a beat.
I have to say for the most part I really enjoyed the increasing difficulty of the tasks being demanded of me, but there was one task that really frustrated me that I must mention. When in Las Vegas you’re handed a playing card as well as an ID. When you get this playing card you’re supposed to guess if the value of the card you pull is higher or lower. If you get the answer right they get to enter the casino. Problem is this is pure luck, sure you’re given five free peaks but you’ll be trying to process twelve or more people, if you get the answer wrong then that person doesn’t come in and you get punished for it. This specific task was the most frustrating one in the entire game for me as the rest relied on your speed and reading comprehension, not just simply luck.
Here’s the thing other than that one blip this game has actually been a hell of a lot of fun. I enjoyed all three of the job trips and all the strange twists and turns that it took. If you enjoyed Papers Please or even the first Not Tonight I think this game is worth your while.
