Some say love at first sight doesn’t exist, but I think that means they’ve never sat down and played If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers. Available to download for free on Steam, If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is one of the most striking and well-polished adventure games I’ve played in recent memory – even if it’s only two hours long.
It’s not easy to talk about If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers without touching on the story, but when a game is entirely focused on it, touching on the story in any way would be a disservice. So without going into specifics, just know that the game is told as four independent stories, which are eventually woven together to create a mystery filled to the brim with existential horror.
One of the aspects that drew me into the game was the soundtrack. I’ve gotten used to playing games while Netflix or YouTube is playing on my second monitor, but from the moment the first haunting notes reached my ears, I knew that wouldn’t be happening with this game. If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is a complete package, from the art to the stories and the music, everything is so intertwined not one can exist without the other, so if you’re planning on jumping in, make sure to put your headphones on, turn the volume up and enjoy.
While I’m never one to complain about a big, heavy game that will take hundreds of hours to complete, there is something to be said for the power short experiences hold. Sure, at 150 hours, I’d expect you to be able to draw me into your world and get me invested in your characters. Still, when a game can leave me with the same level of buy-in in under two hours, there is something magic about it.
Within mere minutes of gameplay, If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers was able to create a thick and foreboding atmosphere that only became elevated by its dark and chilling stories.
If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is something extraordinary and the biggest flaw in the entire set-up is that the game is given away for free on Steam. It’s all too often that I play a game and somewhere at the back of my mind find myself silently calculating, figuring out if the money I spent to play the title was worth it. More often than not, the answer is a disappointing one. If On a Winter’s Night, Four Travelers is a game that deserves a price tag if only to support the creation of more games in this genre.
