Published by Eastasiasoft Limited and developed by Frozen Flame Interactive, A Night on the Farm is a retro-themed indie horror game. It takes inspiration from old 3D horror games from the 90s and is now available on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PlayStation 4|5, Nintendo Switch, and PC.

Players take control of an unnamed protagonist, beginning by waking up inside a car after crashing somewhere in the countryside. Not much context is given on how or why you ended up here, but after following the fence line and finding a farm at night, more of the story is revealed through exploration.

Unlike most horror games, there is no combat involved, instead, players will need to explore and find clues, various items, keys, codes, and more. The objective is never explicitly stated, but the likely implication would be to find someone to help get you back on the road.

The game is played entirely in the first person, so the story is told from the player’s perspective as they uncover the mystery of this farm. It’s hard to go into more detail about the story without spoiling it, but it gets more interesting and unnerving as players progress.

By looking around this creepy and deserted farm, players will find useful items, mainly the important torch, but also notes and cassette tapes that give more context about this place and clues on where to find some keys and codes to access certain areas. There are also collectibles to discover which don’t affect the overall game but are a nice incentive for exploration.

The main feature of this game is the low poly 3D graphics, reminiscent of classic horror games in the 90s such as the original Resident Evil and Silent Hill games. This graphics style may feel outdated, but it adds to the dark and creepy atmosphere, making players feel more tense about what they might find around the corner. Horror games have come a long way, but many players do miss the old style of horror games, and they will get it here.

Occasionally the graphics can be a detriment, making it difficult to see where you’re going, especially in what looks to be a straw field or corn field set out like a maze and everything appears the same, but can be managed after some practice.

There’s no soundtrack other than in the main menu and end credits, but the sound effects more than make up for it. There’s always something that can be heard, whether it’s a machine running, lights flickering, light bulbs popping, and more to give you that unnerving feeling. The cassette tapes all have a woman speaking voiced by Gina Espinosa. I couldn’t find much information about this voice actress, but she puts in an excellent performance feeling natural to the story and surroundings.

A Night on the Farm can be completed in about one to two hours, or even quicker if you remember all the codes and know where to look since everything is the same each time you play. There are multiple endings, giving you an incentive to play more than once. The story gets more interesting and unnerving if players are willing to spend A Night on the Farm.

Written by: Sammy Hanson