Night Watch – PC – Review

How do you rate a game based up a
movie or book you’ve never seen or read? Actually, what happens if you’ve never
even heard of the movie or book?  Well this is the task I’m challenged with when
it comes to Night Watch for PC. Apparently Night Watch was the highest grossing
movie in Russian cinema history.  It was based upon a trilogy of novels written
by Sergy Lookyanenko (Night Watch; Day Watch and Gloom Watch). Now the movie has
been given a limited release in the United States and with the movie’s release
we’re treated to a game crossover. But no matter how good (or bad) a movie is
the game can succeed or fail based on its own merits. A good game is a good game
no matter the source material, subject matter, story line or movie tie-in.

The premise of Night Watch revolves
around the Others: human beings with extraordinary powers. The Others are gifted
with a wide assortment of special abilities and powers that enable them change
shapes, use magic and enter the “Gloom.” The Gloom is a special parallel world
that exists in tandem with the human world but is invisible to humans. With the
special powers of the Others soon two groups were formed, the Dark Others and
Light Others. The Dark Others are (of course) the evil darker adversaries of the
Light Others. The two sides were engulfed in a battle that lasted for countless
years that would have resulted in the destruction of humankind. With the
destruction of mankind the powers of the Others would not exist. A treaty was
signed by both sides ending the conflict, called the Great Armistice Treaty.
Both sides created a police force to monitor each other. Night Watch monitors
the Dark Others while Day Watch monitors the Light Others.

In the game you play the role of
Stas who starts off the game in an attempt to assassinate a girl to earn some
money. Soon the plot unfolds with members of both Day Watch and Night Watch
getting involved to stop the attempt on the girl’s life. Now I’m going to
mention a spoiler in the game but I think it’s key to how the game plays out.
Stas discovers that he is an Other and joins the Light Others. Now I know you
might be saying “Gee Thanks for ruining it for me” but let me explain why you
need to know this plot development. Stas discovers he’s an Other almost at the
beginning of the game but soon starts bragging about his powers and even
offering to train a new Other. Now I’m not a professional writer nor have I
written science-fiction stories turned into movies but isn’t there a little
thing called character development?

Here we are just finding about the
main character in the game, how he’s gifted with the powers of the Others but
yet there isn’t any internal conflict within Stas? This is just my opinion but
wouldn’t it have been more interesting to watch Stas develop during the game by
questioning himself and his ability as an Other? The sudden twist in Stas’
development left me disappointed because it made the whole beginning of the game
pointless. The game shouldn’t even have mentioned that Stas was an Other in the
beginning and the story would have made more sense.  Enough about the plot
development, let’s talk about the game.

The game is a turn-based strategy
game set with a modern-day Russian backdrop. The game is usually broken up into
three different parts. The first is the story of the game that is told through
in-game cutscenes. Most of the story revolves around the missions that Stas and
the rest of the Night Watch must complete. The second part of the game is a
free-roaming section (called Real-Time Mode) where you can move around and
search the area you’re assigned to explore. The next part of the game is the
combat portion where you spend the majority of the game. Oh, be prepared to have
this cycle repeated over and over again. All of the combat is turned based which
makes it easy to pick and play. You simply click on a button in the game to
attack, cast a spell or perform an action. No muss no fuss, right? But the
interface makes the ease of the controls a little difficult.

What I noticed happening was the
game getting stuck on one character even though I was trying to select another
character in my party. I would cast a spell with one character and then try to
issue a command with another character only to find that the game was still
locked on to the first character. The game limits you to certain number of
Action Points, which determines how many attacks you can perform, how many steps
you can take or other actions you can initiate. Well, if the computer is locked
on to the wrong character that still has some action points left then you might
end up moving the wrong character or issuing a command that you never wanted to
issue. It’s the same with your magic points, which are called Energy Points.
Having to point on a character several times before they were actually selected
brings down the functionality (and fun) of the interface and game.

Even with the lackluster plot and
interface the game does offer some good qualities. The Gloom feature of the game
offers a nice alternative to just a typical turn-based strategy game. By
entering the Gloom you actually enter another playing field within the same
stage. When you’re in the Gloom you can attack characters within or outside the
Gloom. But you can only see other characters that are in the Gloom if you are in
the Gloom. While in the Gloom your powers are intensified but with a cost to
pay. It costs Energy Points at the end of each round to remain in the Gloom. If
you run out of Energy Points while in the Gloom then the game starts taking life
points away from you. Another drawback is if you happen to leave the Gloom and
then run out of Energy Points. You won’t be able to return to the Gloom.

The graphics, in my opinion, are
another solid point of Night Watch. While the game won’t win any awards for the
graphics, the overall look of the game helps in establishing the atmosphere of
the game. The background for each stage includes a ton of detail such as
footsteps in the snow, run-down buildings, broken-down cars, etc. During regular
combat the characters and the special effects (such as the magic spells and
particularly the Gloom) were nicely done. But when you get to the in-game
cutscenes the characters look like something from years ago. Don’t expect Doom 3
or Half-Life 2 character models in this game.

At the end of the day it’s all about
sitting down at your computer and having fun with the game you’ve purchased.
Night Watch does offer some entertainment value, just don’t expect a huge bang
for your buck. The plot does not start off on a good note and doesn’t get much
better as you move through the game. The combat in the game is hampered by
problems with the interface. When you get past your initial missions you soon
start to realize that all of the missions are exactly the same. Another point is
to save and save often. You don’t want to have to restart a really long mission
from the very beginning, trust me. But the Gloom feature and graphics were
nicely done but it just wasn’t enough to make this stand out. I would say for
anyone that has read the books or seen the movie that you’ve probably already
made up your mind about this game. For those that check out the movie or books,
and like what they see and read then, maybe Night Watch will redeem itself to a
broader audience.

Gameplay: 6.0
It’s a turn-based strategy game that anyone should be able to understand.
Unfortunately the interface problem slows down the ease and flow of the gameplay.

Graphics: 7.0
The graphics did a good job of setting the tone and atmosphere of the game. The
close up of the characters models do not match the overall look of the game. The
Gloom effect looked great.

Sound: 6.0
The voice acting in the game was good half of the time and nerve wrenching the
other half. The music in the game was a mixture of orchestra music and
instrumental rock tracks.

Difficulty: Easy/Medium
Fans of turn-based strategy games shouldn’t have any problems moving through the
game. The game does present you with some challenges that at first seem
daunting. But usually after playing a mission for a second time an easier route
opens up, which helps with the difficulty.

Concept: 6.0
Actually when I think of turn-based strategy games I usually think of a military
game. Night Watch is definitely not a military game. But in the end it’s still a
turn-based strategy game with what feels like endless missions you have to
complete.

Overall: 6.25
If you’re a big fan of the books or the movie then I’m sure you haven’t even
made it this far into the review. As I mentioned earlier fans have probably
already made up their mind about this game. For the rest of you I would say that
Night Watch isn’t really a bad game, it just includes some parts that need
improvement. Or one might say parts that can be overlooked. If you overlook a
few key areas you might find a game that offers something a little different
than the standard turn-based strategy game.