At Sundown: Shots in the Dark Review (Nintendo Switch)

When thinking of something fun to play in a group setting, many tend to float towards the obvious choices of Super Smash Bros, Mario Party, and Mario Kart. But what about something different? Mild Beast Games set out to create the answer to this question with their recent title, At Sundown: Shots in the Dark. It’s a unique stealth shooter with a top-down view which can be enjoyed by up to four people either online or locally. It’s a fun and interesting concept but is it able to go toe-to-toe with others in the genre?

Fun Concept

This top-down stealth shooter is such an interesting and refreshing spin on the party game formula. Players can take control of one of four optional characters along with a choice of different weapons. A nicely compacted map allows users to run, hide, and pick off others in a stealthy fashion. The way in which you’ll remain stealthy is with almost complete invisibility. In unlit areas of the map, characters are practically invisible unless they run, pop off a couple shots, or press B on the controller. It’s incredibly fun but takes a bit of getting used to. Since you can’t see yourself, you won’t be able to know where you’re aiming shots at or where you’re going. Thankfully, the joy-cons rumble whenever you bump into a wall and a training mode exists.

A lot of variety is present in At Sundown: Shots in the Dark, as well. There may be six different maps but each contains three separate zones, bringing the final number to 18. In addition to these totals, they all have their own unique feel to them. Different lighting schemes, like neon or dim oranges, and music overlays mix together for a warming aesthetic. The soundtrack, in particular, was perfect in setting a mood and is good enough to warrant playing with the sound on. Plus, it also helps that the game’s art style and graphics are great to look at. All of the variety within these helped the game to shine in terms of replayability. On top of this, multiple modes can be selected but are mostly the standard ones found in other games, such as Deathmatch, Free-For-All, Capture the Flag, King of the Hill, etc. There isn’t much variety in what the modes offer but help give more, in terms of content.

Unlockable Content

Weapons are one aspect of the game in which players can experiment with their preferred play styles. There are 11 different weapons of choice that are able to be selected, yet they don’t come right away. Through multiple matches played, players, earn XP to level up, which then earns either a new mode, map, and, of course, weapons. Each one has varying fire rates and an alternate fire mode, which can be either a bomb, scattershot, flare, etc. It does take a bit to get to higher levels in order to get to the stronger and cooler looking weapons, so prepare to spend some time if you want that final rocket launcher.

With all these weapons, it can become a bit overwhelming to know which one is best to use. Fortunately, a Training Mode is available for players to understand the mechanics of each one. It isn’t just a standard target practice arena, no, it’s more along the lines of a Challenge Mode. Every weapon has two levels, a basic and advanced section. Reaching the end in a certain time limit will warrant either a gold, silver, or bronze medal. It was really fun to dash through sections hoping to get the next medal then restarting if that wasn’t achieved, but there are only so many weapons. Because of this, it’s a pretty short single-player section and can be completed much too quickly. The skills learned in this aspect of the game do carry over to local and online play, so it is highly recommended to go through these first.

Better with Friends

At Sundown: Shots in the Dark is geared as more of a party game, so make sure you go in expecting to play with others. Starting up a match solo is possible, thanks to the use of bots, yet they felt a bit unfair at times. The computer more than likely knows exactly where you are, especially if set on its high difficulty setting. It’s not the same as playing with real people, which takes away from the experience at hand. Online was hard to get into matches, though. I sat staring at the screen for nearly ten minutes hoping to queue with anyone but eventually gave up. Local play is definitely the superior way to experience the game. Although, the owner of the game is sure to be at an unfair advantage since they most likely have completed the training portions of the game.

Going into this title blind can cause frustration and confusion. It isn’t exactly a Mario Kart type of game where it can be booted up and understood from the get-go. This requires an understanding of how to control your player without seeing it, finding others in the dark, and knowing which weapon works best. It’s simple to learn once the controls are read through but in a larger gathering, this can easily become tedious and cumbersome. Not only this but with such little variability in modes, the game can grow a bit stale in long sittings. I found that playing in shorter sessions made for a greater experience which made me want to keep coming back for more. If you do happen to have other friends who own the game, then you’re able to team up and tackle each other online which replicates much of the same experience as it does locally.

Mild Beast Games and Versus Evil have crafted a fresh take on the party game genre with At Sundown: Shots in the Dark. Using light to avoid detection and unlocking various maps/weapons make for a great time. A weak online and short solo section of the game contribute to this being a much better experience with friends, although it may take some time for them to get used to the controls. Overall, this is a fun game to play on the Nintendo Switch, which is also helped by a suiting soundtrack and a really nice art style. It’s not exactly Smash Ultimate but it’s memorable enough to be considered when looking for a co-op title to play with others.