DANGEN Entertainment and Moonlight Games today announced that Hunt the Night will be released on all major PC platforms on April 13, 2023, with Nintendo Switch, PlayStation and Xbox versions coming at a later date.
A brand new trailer showing never-before-seen gameplay and enemies has been released to coincide with the announcement.
Hunt the Night is a retro-style action-RPG that combines fast, skilled gameplay with dark fantasy lore, 2D exploration and intense boss battles. Players control Vesper Blackbone, a member of the ‘Stalkers’ in charge of finding the key to reclaiming a perpetual daytime cycle, a move that will banish the horrors of The Night that have been annihilating humanity over and over. Throughout the world of Medhram, Vesper must explore ruins and horrors, go through dungeons full of traps, enemies and puzzles, and successfully complete ‘Hunt’ missions against terrifying monstrosities.
The story of this condemned and decadent world is given through characters, the world design and collectibles. Discover all kinds of locations, from ancient cathedrals and libraries of knowledge to lost kingdoms and devastated floating cities. Vesper is joined by her dark counterpart, Umbra, who not only grants a teleportation skill that grants access to new areas, but also becomes a driving point in the story and narrative in Hunt the Night.
While exploring Medhram, Vesper can dash through enemies and perform combos with a variety of melee weapons that have different attributes, including swords, spears, claws and more. Players use the right stick to aim Vesper’s firearm to shoot enemies from afar, or blast them up close with a shotgun for major damage. Unleash Vesper’s dark powers in a pinch to get the edge in battle, or use a healing rose at a safe distance to rally once more.
Hunt the Night features intense boss battles where Vesper must overcome the ancient horrors of the Night. Players must learn their weak points, attack patterns and survive through challenging patterns that can become more extreme. In addition to boss battles, Vesper can accept ‘Hunts’ at the ‘Crow’s Nest’ base, track down the dark beast, and hunt the most powerful creatures of the Night for rewards. Players will discover protective equipment and Moonstones to customize their approach, with upgrades available via NPCs at the hub.
Hunt the Night’s combination of gothic pixel art, traditional sprite animation and dark orchestral soundtrack give it a strong personality in the action-RPG genre. The main theme is written by the renowned Japanese composer of Secret of Mana, Hiroki Kikuta.
“Our goal is to offer indie games that have personality and something to say. We wanted to develop a unique and original lore, not only to bring an emotional effect on the player, but to provide a background directly related to the plot of Hunt the Night. Developing the narrative through the environment is very important for us,” says developer Moonlight Games. “I wanted to bring something different – like a mixture of classic gems such as The Legend of Zelda, Secret of Mana or Terranigma with dark fantasy hardcore games like Bloodborne or Dark Souls, adding a bit of Silent Hill on the narrative puzzles.”