Grab your jacket and flash that ID, because it’s time for a road trip across a not-so-dystopian America to save your best friend’s life. Earn cash as a bouncer to fund your travel and make time-sensitive decisions to improve your health and morale. Whether it’s an angry anti-masker, a knight of Camelot, or even a steroid-infused chicken, they’re going to have to get through you and your quick decision-making skills if they want to get in.
While Not Tonight 2 certainly starts with a dark and frankly ominous tone, with Eduardo Suarez being bundled into a van following a protest and carted off to the Miami Gulag, this seriousness certainly doesn’t last for too long. The promotional material for Not Tonight 2 focuses on its political slant, yet it’s important not to go into the experience expecting a jaw-droppingly deep take on modern America – this game isn’t going to be sparking the torches of revolution any time soon.
What this title does do well with, however, are its jabs at current-day consumerism and conspiracy culture through its ridiculous characters and comical corporations. This is a world where fast food companies have taken over entire states, a deadly plague threatens the landmass and New York is now the new Atlantis. It’s reality taken to the extreme, yet this doesn’t make the points any less important. The farcical world of Not Tonight 2 doesn’t take itself too seriously, allowing the player to have a bit of a laugh even when the stakes are high. This is a game at the end of the day, not a political campaign, and it can still be enjoyed without having to delve too deeply into the social messaging.
But what about the gameplay? Deeply inspired by the popular title Papers Please, Not Tonight 2 does a great job building on this formula and adding its own unique elements. Play as three unique characters and deem who is fit to pass inspection. It introduces you to each mechanic slowly but surely, starting simply with basic ID checks and VIP lists, leading to more complicated processes like rhythm-based musical sequences and rotating puzzle pieces. While it can be a little stressful at times balancing each new addition to your bouncing duties, it’s never too much information to handle. Sometimes the best thing to do is to take a deep breath and sort through each piece of detail one by one. By the end of the experience, you’ll be whizzing through IDs and vanquishing virtual robots without even having to think.
While I was on the fence about the gameplay loop at the beginning of the experience, at some point during my journey, everything just clicked and most of the new additions were a welcome challenge. Not Tonight 2 does a great job at making you feel like you’re an expert at your job, as you manage multiple tasks at once and turn people away automatically, (I’ll never miss another expiry date or fake flag again!). I can understand why this sort of memory-management style of gameplay isn’t for everyone, but there’s a certain charm to it that makes it very satisfying to perfect.
Where the game really shines, is with the beautifully gritty and characterful pixel art style. Every new bouncer location is a treat to the eyes, featuring tons of little easter eggs and so much detail. I found myself staring at the 2-D backdrops for a good while before the beginning of each gig, just taking it all in. Battered old factories, flaming wicker men and giant mechanical skulls stand in the background painting a wild and depressing portent of things to come. In addition, character portraits and an expansive world map add a lot of flavor to the experience making that journey taste all the more sweet, (or bitter… we are trying to save our friend after all.) What I appreciated is that you’re not forced to stay in each location for too long, you always feel like you’re on the move. If you don’t like the aesthetic or the new mechanic, well you’ll probably only be there for two days so don’t worry about it.
This isn’t to say that Not Tonight 2 is a perfect experience, it certainly has its fair share of flaws. There are moments when you’re not doing a gig when you have to choose between dialogue options and moments of action. You’re pressured by a timer ticking down and the outcome often feels pretty random and somewhat needlessly punishing. Your choices definitely do matter here, but it doesn’t necessarily feel great when you pick the wrong option with not a whole lot of context, (Good luck getting those A-Grades…). Also, I was hoping that the money that I earned would tie in more with the experience, but mostly it’s just for little cosmetics that don’t add much to the gameplay. This, coupled with the re-used minigames that crop up more than once (I’m looking at you, musical tickets, and flying NPCs) and the lack of ability to save at will can add an unfortunate element of tedium to the experience.
But in the general scheme of things, these factors don’t impinge upon the formula too much. The game moves fast enough that while you may have a doubt at some point, by the time you’ve mastered the next mechanic, you’ve probably forgotten about the previous issue. For me, Not Tonight 2 is a great bouncer simulator with a sprinkle of political issues that adds a little spice to the stew. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then give it a go, but don’t dive in expecting challenging politics. It’s witty, satirical, charming and maybe just a little food for thought.
