Dark Nights with Poe and Munro | PS4 Review

May 4, 2021 Alyssa White

FMV games are slowly making a resurgence in the video game industry. Their spotty history may have put some gamers off of playing these titles previously, due to their typically campy nature and technology that wasn’t quite up to par to pull off what they were trying to achieve. Games have advanced incredibly just over the last few years, though, and the storytelling has become comparable to television and films. D’Avekki Studios’ latest foray into the field of FMV, Dark Nights with Poe and Munro, is easily one of the best titles in this genre that I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing, and I highly recommend you give this a chance. You may just find yourself sucked into this mysterious world.

Bumps in the Night

Dark Nights with Poe and Munro follows the titular characters, Ellis Munro (portrayed by Leah Cunard) and John “Poe” Pope (Klemens Koehring), as they host their radio show Radio August. Each of the six episodes this is comprised of sees the couple either investigating or experiencing spooky, paranormal, or unusual events. You control the choices they make, whether it’s as simple as picking an apple over an orange or as complicated as whether Poe would choose Munro over the ratings of their show. Each choice affects the outcome of your playthrough, no matter how subtle it may seem. Every split-second decision I made felt like it held weight and had me questioning if I made the right call. The action of choosing is simple in itself; just use the left joystick to select your desired option and then press or tap the X button to execute it.

A Brilliant Deduction

The chemistry between Poe and Munro is palpable and reallys helps to propel the story forward. Cunard and Koehring are excellent, and the supporting cast also give fantastic performances. I had absolutely no hiccups with the audio or video, which really made me feel like I was watching a TV show in the vein of The Twilight Zone or an investigative paranormal series. I couldn’t put my controller down and was heavily invested in the fates of the characters.

The short episode lengths (approximately thirty minutes each) and ability to stop after the end of every one kept the experience from feeling drawn out, and provides the chance to relax without the worry of missing any important prompts. My only complaint I had with this game was the fact that the orange background of the button prompts sometimes made them hard to see if they were placed in front of an orange object, but this didn’t happen often.

The Season Finale

I fell head over heels for Dark Nights with Poe and Munro and am itching for more. There is potential for a sequel or spinoff, and I would be delighted to dive back into this world. If you’re looking for an excellent FMV game and/or a thrillingly creepy adventure to dive into, this is what you’re looking for. What a deliciously dark, fun story this is.

This review is based on a PlayStation 4 copy of Dark Nights with Poe and Munro provided by D’Avekki Studios for coverage purposes. It is also available on Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Linux, macOS, and Xbox One