Dark Nights With Poe and Munro

Dark Nights With Poe and Munro was reviewed on a PS4

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro lets go of the silent protagonist and the supernatural elements of D’avekki studios’ previous games. Instead, it relies on the charming, relatable and humorous relationship between the titular radio hosts, John Poe and Ellis Munro.

The buddy cop trope of two colleagues with opposite personalities is always entertaining to watch. We’ve seen it perfected in almost every iteration of Sherlock Holmes, and in Detroit Become Human’s Connor and Hank. Poe and Munro’s camaraderie is just as good and at times, even better. The further you get into the game, the more you uncover about their relationship.

And what a charming relationship it is.

What is Dark Nights with Poe and Munro?

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is an episodic FMV game that’s set in the same universe as The Shapeshifting Detective and The Infectious Madness of Doctor Dekker. There aren’t any murder cases to solve here or weirdos to psychoanalyze. Instead, you’ll be tagging along with Poe and Munro on their eerie adventures.

Dreams and Nightmares with Poe and Munro

Their on-screen chemistry is pure magic to say the least. Poe’s real name is John Pope, but he goes as Poe as a tribute to Edgar Allan Poe. He definitely earns the alias thanks to Klemens Koehring’s delivery of each of his well-written lines. The expressions and phrases used by Poe are dark and melancholic, egotistical and self-centered, which helps establish him as a sinister and unnerving character. There’s always the lingering feeling that he’s one step away from going full on psycho, which really speaks volumes to Koehring’s mastery of the character.

Munro is the polar opposite of Poe, and as such, she can be a bit naïve and childish at times. Unlike the other characters, she speaks with an American accent, her outfits are vibrant, colorful and she wears a bright red lipstick. Munro’s character is brought to life thanks to Leah Cunard’s excellent performance. Cunard also showcases her acting range by taking on another role during the game that’s the complete opposite of Munro, and she pulls it off flawlessly.

Munro looks as if she walked straight out of a noir movie. This makes her character stick out in the game’s town of August like a sore thumb. The reason for that is explained in one of the later episodes, an episode that I hated at first, but then grew to love after I understood its implications.

Their relationship is wonderful to watch. They constantly exchange quips, secrets, advices and even share some of their dreams with each other. Their dialogues with one another felt real and impactful, even if they were a bit overshadowed by the bizarre events they go through.

The way that Poe interacts with Munro is truly heartfelt and touching. Their exchanges will leave you with quite a bit of quotable lines actually, as most of the game’s humor and charm stems from their conversations.

Make The Right Choice

After the intoxicating title sequence and theme song, the first episode starts with Poe letting Munro know that her choices are meaningless. That whatever they’re going to broadcast next on their radio show, it’s already on the schedule. I thought this was a Meta way for the developers to let us know that whatever choices we make, the ending would be the same. I soon found out that I was very wrong.

With the first two episodes, I encountered an unsatisfying ending and I assumed that the episodes were meant to end this way. However, during my consequent playthroughs, I noticed that each choice mattered, and some of my decisions took the sequence of events in a few unexpected directions.

The episodes are all shrouded in mystery and ambiguity. Even the duo’s relationship isn’t clear at first. Depending on the choices you make, you’ll unearth more details regarding their relationship bit by bit. It’s one of the main motivations for replaying the episodes; getting to learn more about them through the expository dialogue. There’s a lot of character development for both of them during the game’s six episodes, and they quickly became one of my favorite FMV characters ever.

A few technical issues

Technically, there are a few issues. The UI’s text is too tiny. At times, pausing the game would just break it, as it would stutter and sometimes the screen is stuck until you restart the game. The control scheme is a bit weird as well.

For example, you can pull the triggers to switch between each choice, or use the Left Stick. The game also requires you to button mash the X button at times, without letting you know that you’re supposed to do that. There’s also two pause buttons, one that pauses the screen, and another that brings you back to the menu, which is a strange design choice.

Twilight zone-esque vibes

As previously mentioned, the game’s plotline is ambiguous and mysterious. Unfortunately, this ambiguity extends to the choices you have to make during your playthrough. The game uses hotspots that indicate which item will be used next, but it doesn’t describe what each action actually does.

The same thing happens when you’re given the choice between choosing Poe or Munro, you never know what they might do or they might say. This can be frustrating to some, but it does allow you to experiment with your choices and makes the second playthrough as good as the first.

The different choices and outcomes go great with the game’s focus on Dreams and Nightmares. The replayability grants a surreal and often magical feeling to Poe and Munro’s escapades. Episode 2 in particular was a great episode from start to finish and a favorite of mine.

Overall,

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro is one of the best FMV games that money can buy. Its script is excellent, the acting is top notch and the relationship between Poe and Munro is delightful. I have to admit though that the game was a bit short. Six episodes were not enough; especially that one of them was too similar to Doctor Dekker. I was thirsty for more adventures, and I really hope that a sequel might be in the works already.

I’d go as far as to recommend this game even if you weren’t a fan of FMV games. It’s simply an entertaining good time, and for its low price, it has more than enough value. It’s just that it’s so good that you’d be begging for more once you reach the credits. Since the choices do drastically change things, you’ll also be replaying each episode more than once.

To say that I absolutely fell in love with Dark Nights with Poe and Munro would be an understatement.

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Special thanks go to D’Avekki Studios for providing us with a review code.

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You should play Dark Nights With Poe and Munro if you

• Loved The Shapeshifting Detective and Doctor Dekker
• Don’t mind the ambiguity of the choices
• Love the episodic nature
• Are a fan of FMV games
• Don’t mind the few technical issues
• Love a good mystery

Dark Nights With Poe and Munro’s Score

9/10