Propnight was an online asymmetric multiplayer survival horror game with Prop Hunt-style mechanics[1] developed by Fntastic and published by Mytona. In the game, four players have the ability to turn into objects in order to evade the fifth player, a killer who is taken to catch and prevent their escape. An open beta period on Steam lasted between October 15 and October 18, 2021, before the game's full release on December 1, 2021. The game was shut down on January 22, 2024.
| Propnight | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Fntastic |
| Publisher(s) | Mytona |
| Platform(s) | Microsoft Windows |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Survival horror |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
Story
editThe game's plot is left deliberately mysterious, with the only detail given outside of the game being that "In a small provincial town, teenagers continue to disappear mysteriously."[2] In an interview, Anna Vasilieva, the communication director of Fntastic, explained that Propnight "has its own mysterious lore, and we happily thought of a lot of little things that can be noticed while playing the game. I would not want to take away from the players the pleasure of building theories and guessing about everything for themselves."[3]
Gameplay
editPropnight was a four-versus-one asymmetrical horror game.[4] Four players played as Survivors, with the fifth player playing as the Killer. Survivors could transform into nearby props in the environment such as chairs, pots, and more in order to hide from the killer.[5] The Survivors' objective was for at least one Survivor to escape the map. To do so, the Survivors needed to repair 5 of the 7 machines placed across the map, which in turn opened the map's exit.[6] The Killer's objective was either to kill all 4 survivors, or prevent their escape. To catch a Survivor, the killer had to knock them down, then place them on a chair, where they would die if not rescued by another Survivor. Each survivor could only be rescued in this way twice; the survivor would die instantly if the survivor was placed on the chair a third time.[7]
Development
editPropnight was developed using the Unreal game engine.[8] After an open beta period which ran between October 15 and October 18, 2021,[9] the game was released through Steam on November 30, 2021.[citation needed] On December 22, 2023, Fntastic ceased operations and announced that Propnight's servers would shut down on January 22, 2024.[10]
It has support for 15 languages, including English, French, Italian, German, Spanish (Spain), Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Latin America), Polish, Russian, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Japanese for the interface and subtitles.
Reception
editAron Poter of NME[13] wrote that while Propnight's premise "takes a while to get used to", he described it as "a fun spin on the established concept that knows how to make the action tense, challenging, and never without several hysterical moments thanks to the core prop copying mechanic[14]
Some reviewers also criticised the game's various technical issues at launch. Rhett Roxl of Sirius Gaming in particular criticised the game's "very poor" implementation of motion blur and its inconsistent framerate, which according to him, "worsens immensely during intense moments."[15]
See also
edit- The Day Before, Fntastic's most recent game
- Radiant One, Fntastic's third game
- Dead by Daylight, a 2016 asymmetrical horror game with similar mechanics
References
edit- ^ Allen, Joseph (2022-02-11). "Major Propnight Update Adds Building And More Next Week". TechRaptor. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
- ^ "Propnight on Steam". store.steampowered.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
- ^ ""We Hit the People's Hearts" - Exclusive Interview with the Propnight Developers - Technosteria". technosteria.com. 2021-11-18. Archived from the original on 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- ^ Tack, Daniel. "Games You May Have Missed In 2021: Propnight". Game Informer. Archived from the original on December 28, 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ Zak, Robert (2021-12-04). "Propnight is like Dead by Daylight but you can disguise yourself as a pumpkin". PC Gamer. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
- ^ Purslow, Matt (15 October 2021). "Propnight Is a New Multiplayer Horror That Crosses Dead By Daylight With Goosebumps". IGN. Archived from the original on 27 November 2021. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ MacGregor, India (11 December 2021). "All Characters in Propnight horror survivor game". Pro Game Guides. Archived from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "Propnight Public Test (App 1743770) - SteamDB". SteamDB. 2022-02-10. Archived from the original on 2022-10-09. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
- ^ Purslow, Matt (2021-10-16). "Propnight Is a New Multiplayer Horror That Crosses Dead By Daylight With Goosebumps". IGN. Archived from the original on 2021-11-27. Retrieved 2022-02-20.
- ^ playpropnight. "Propnight announcement". pbs.twimg.com. Archived from the original on 2023-12-30.
- ^ "Propnight Review - Copycat Killer Cuts Its Own Path". MMOGames.com. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-04-13.
- ^ "'Propnight' review: A ludicrous yet effective spin on asymmetrical horror". NME. 10 December 2021. Archived from the original on 7 March 2023. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ^ "NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News". NME. Archived from the original on 2007-06-05. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- ^ "'Propnight' review: A ludicrous yet effective spin on asymmetrical horror". NME. 2021-12-10. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2022-03-30.
- ^ Roxl, Rhett (22 December 2021). "Propnight - Review". Sirius Gaming. Archived from the original on 30 March 2023. Retrieved 16 June 2022.