LifeisXbox’s Dark Nights with Poe and Munro review | Developer D’Avekki’s third interactive movie is something really special. It is a mix between Netflix’s Black Mirror: Bandersnatch or You vs. Wild and typical decision making gameplay from Telltale games. I adored the acting and the absurd episode stories, especially Leah Cunard as Munro. So if you didn’t get the memo, this genre is all about pre-recorded scenes with real-life actors and you guide the story of six different episodes. Which is enough for around three hours of watching and decision-making fun. Would this be a better fit for Netflix or any other streaming service? Yeah, maybe… but that doesn’t mean Xbox gamers should ignore it. Far from, this is one of the most unique and fascinating (story) games you can play and I sincerely hope that many console gamers will give this one a chance!
This is a short review, our usual the good, mixed and the bad was difficult because of the nature of this game. We played Dark Nights with Poe and Munro for 4 hours on Xbox Series X.
I’m using the screenshot above for a particular reason, Munro (Leah Cunard) totally convinced me with her acting skill here. It went above and beyond expectations and she completely nailed it. Without giving story spoilers this wasn’t an easy task so all credits are due. Munro is a radio host together with Poe (Klemens Koehring) in the town of August, where all sorts of weird and supernatural things happen with the talkative duo. While I expressed my adoration for Leah’s Munro performance Klemens does a great job with Poe too, bringing this sometimes creepy character to life. There’s just something between these two actors that work and that benefits the game and story immensely.
I find it a bit hard to write a review for this title as so many of the good moments are part of the story and the unclear relationship between the two radio hosts. I’m aware other review sources might give away parts of the story but we don’t work like that with LifeisXbox. Things we can talk about is how talented developer D’Avekki is with filming the performances and scripting choices and dialogue. I was very surprised to see the high-quality filming, for example, camera angles and lighting. Another nice touch happens at the end of each of the six episodes, you’ll see how your choices do against other players.
Intelligent funny dialogue completely steals the show here. Unexpected puns, hilarious misinterpretations and strong ‘edge of your seat’ moments make it a memorable experience. The unpredictability of it is worth mentioning too, from the very first moments it is clear that very talented writers worked on it. They found the perfect balance between believable and what the actual fuck moments.
I always try to be myself in choice-making games like Dark Nights with Poe and Munro, I guess you all know the Telltale games by now, right? Well, I always pick the answer that suits me personally. That’s why I never replay these kinds of games because a lot of the magic is gone with a second playthrough. This was different in this case though, as I was really interested in how the story would branch out with different selections. I was glad to see that it does make a difference! So you have lots of replay value after finishing the six episodes.
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