Before The Night

Before The Night is a horror action-adventure that twists the cute-talking-animal-village fable into something much darker. You play Lisa, a pet human in a world where animals keep humans as pets, on a mission to steal the village's sacred Flowers of Life and resurrect her master.

The village is occupied by adorable rabbits with elaborate trap systems protecting the flowers. You navigate this through two methods: bartering (rabbits go rabid for fresh carrots, which you trade for keys and weapons) and brute force (the hammer is very effective at "convincing" locals to cooperate).

The horror twist arrives when you pick a Flower of Life. Nightfall hits the village instantly, and the previously sweet animal residents transform into monsters infested by darkness, hunting you across the same areas where they were friendly an hour ago. You hide in bushes, lure monsters with food, and try to survive the chase.

The tonal collision is the point. Daytime is heartwarming animal-village conversations; nighttime is genuine slasher-horror running. The art style is cute throughout, which makes the violence — and there is violence — more unsettling. A small indie release that knows exactly what it wants to do with that whiplash.