Magic And Whimsy With A Bunny

Very rarely do games get released with an air of enchantment and charm. However, sometimes one will simply cross your path and transport you to a world you'll never wish to escape. Brace yourselves for a spectacular adventure that will seduce you with wit, simplicity and a fantasy realm that may as well rival Lewis Caroll's imagination. I courteously ask you to follow along as we hop through the looking glass that is The Night of the Rabbit.

I am overjoyed to get a chance to write even a slither about The Night of the Rabbit. This point and click adventure is a first for me. Never have I ever found myself enticed by the genre as much as I was with this game. Upon viewing several screenshots, you may find yourself swept away by the colorful and creative artwork used in this 2D realm. The colors alone will leap out from your screen and bind you to your seat, unable to gaze away. Simply put, the game is a work of art.

The plot delivers with a hint of nostalgia when games aimed to be simple and yet peppers itself with quite a few layers. At first glance, The Night of the Rabbit seems too simple be about a young boy named Jeremy Hazelnut who strikes out into the world in hopes of being a magician. He then comes across Marquis De Hoto, an anthropomorphic white rabbit who just so happens to be a magician. Your whimsical tale then begins as you shrink down and complete chores for the woodland villagers of Mousewood. It proves to be a pretty straightforward trek into the woods. However, it is quickly revealed that there are some seriously dark undertones that seep through your fantastic journey. Mysterious masked figures begin to appear in and around Mousewood. These unveiled shadows preach some encroaching darkness. They're not pleasant at the very least and will send a shiver down your spine filled with nothing but distrust. The fairytale world that has enveloped you with a carefree sense of playfulness has suddenly beckoned your aid in defending it from would-be antagonists. It's a wonderful sense of purpose that is jolted within you and truly drives you to continue through the narrative.

Additionally, the voice acting compliments the artistic style superbly. All the natives of the vast (yet actually mouse sized) world deliver their lines with top-notch quality and an appropriate array of emotions. The creepy folk sound deluded and sinister, while the happier denizens have you reminisce of the days you watched Arthur on PBS. The selling point is the characterization of the cast. Jeremy is a curious young lad and charming enough that you won't mind playing a twelve year-old. The star however is Marquis De Hoto. He is an excellent character, be it because of aesthetic design, voice casting or his role as a mentor. I find myself anxiously awaiting my next encounter with him when I had just finished the previous one. Kudos to the designer(s) of this beautifully realized character.

The game is solid gold in terms of appearance and the gameplay is what you would expect from a member of the point and click genre. I must say that some of the puzzles are pretty taxing. Perhaps it's the fact that this is my first venture into a game of this nature but I definitely had to pull out a walkthrough here and there. There's a plethora of items in the game to find and combine and some of these combinations are far from obvious. This all adds to the enjoyment of course. There's nothing that will truly impede your journey as you become the greatest magician that ever lived.

The only statement I could possibly add is that you should simply spend the couple bucks to get The Night of the Rabbit and allow yourself to get lost in its lore. It's a beautiful, enchanting experience that will take your breath away at times and, have you seek the layers of dark secrets at any other given moment. This game was brought to my attention by a dear friend and now I pass that gift on to you. Do not miss out on this wonderful little gem.