If given its proper due, German developer Daedalic Entertainment’s point-and-click adventure game The Night of the Rabbit is an utterly enchanting experience. With beautiful hand-drawn graphics and story elements inspired by Doctor Who and Winnie the Pooh, Night of the Rabbit sees players interacting with anthropomorphic animals while solve puzzles in a world of fantasy and magic.
Players assume the role of Jeremiah Hazelnut, an all-around wholesome lad with an active imagination that fuels his sense of exploration. After a fateful day of foraging in the forest, Jerry unknowingly summons Marquis de Hoto- a magical half man/half rabbit entity that looks like an elegant Donnie Darko fever dream. Marquis serves as our guide into the world of Treewalkers, magical beings that use trees as portals to travel through time and space, and takes on Jerry as a padawan of sorts to learn the tricks of the trade.
While venturing through Mousewood, a town beyond the trees, players will collect items and use them in interesting ways to help the animal townsfolk they meet. Things get progressively intriguing as various spirits and tricksters start stirring up trouble, one in particular that resembles a lanky palette-swapped version of the Skull Kid from The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask. Other visions you’ll run into include a sneaky lizard-like creature straight out of Monsters, Inc. and a wisp that looks like Abraham Lincoln sans stovepipe hat walking a pug dog. Things get really weird really quick, but like Deponia and Edna & Harvey before it, this Daedalic developed title has its own fully realized world that you can’t help but fall in love with.
Adding yet another element to the title is an in-game card game that can be played with Mousewood’s animal inhabitants. While fun, this card game unfortunately only serves as a distraction in a title that might already feel too calmly paced to retain the attention of select audiences.
In this age of fast-paced action titles, the most challenging aspect of The Night of the Rabbit is its inaccessibility to the average adrenaline junkie. I rather enjoyed going further down the rabbit hole and MacGyver-ing items together for intriguing effects, but not everyone will have the patience to forego instant gratification in lieu of a slower paced engrossing narrative. The Night of the Rabbit is akin to old-school graphic adventure games like The Secret of Monkey Island and Sam & Max; approaching with other ambitions will likely leave a sour taste in your mouth.
The Night of the Rabbit is a beautifully built world filled with magic and mystery, but this adventure might not meet the modern ADD needs of a generation subjected to the works of Michael Bay. If approached with the same care as an excellent storybook, The Night of the Rabbit can provide many hours of fantasy-filled fun.
The Night of the Rabbit is available now on Steam.
Night of the Rabbit Official Trailer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IBcDJgYc-7Q