(*Light spoilers lay ahead about themes and characters, in short buy and play the game. It's an experience that I haven't seen been done as well as it has here in the format of a video game.*)

This game has changed my life and is such a big part of me. I originally played NITW back in 2017 when it was released. I had been mourning the loss of a loved one who was my caregiver for most of my childhood which was very difficult for me. My family isn't so mindful of mental health so I was left alone to find ways to cope. I found this game on YouTube and played it myself, which soon after in one of my lowest moments, helped me. Made me laugh, cry and realize things that helped me move on from this low point.

Its colorful and cozy atmosphere in a small quiet town littered with the orange leaves from the passing of fall was so pretty and the small moving community is so endearing. But the thing that resigned me the most would be the characters and the themes that this game has to offer. While this game looks cheerful and whimsical, which it is for the most part, it's still very down to earth. Characters have their day-to-day problems as well as their own baggage from past troubles that are very real, and they show it at times with moments of self-doubt, anxiety, anger, and just sadness of all forms. When I first played this game back then, characters such as Bea and Angus stood out to me for their views on life and the meaning of the universe, and their place in it, which I still believe in and follow today. A quote that I found to be very comforting in my time of grieving: "When my friends leave, when I have to let go, when this entire town is wiped off the map, I want it to hurt. Bad. I want to lose. I want to get beaten up. I want to hold on until I'm thrown off and everything ends."

As of this writing, I am 19, turning 20 in July. A Lot has happened since the first time that I played this game. Now I'm transitioning into adulthood and done with school. I recently bought and played this game again on steam and like Mae coming back to her hometown I felt the same sense of nostalgia for this game. And even if it's been almost 6 years since I first experienced the story, I picked up on things that I now understand and find more relatable. Being considered an adult by the people around you but still feeling no different than you were not too long ago is the biggest one as well as the dread of working a 9 to 5, worrying about money, letting go of friends, and moving out into the world.

This game reminds me that feeling scared about becoming an adult is okay. It's a big change for any person, but it's going to be alright in the end, which I needed to hear when I replayed this. I've taken almost everything this game has to offer to heart and have been living by it since my first time. From the shoe-gaze/dream pop band and indie coming-to-age aesthetic the game has to quite literally model myself as Angus. I have to thank NITW for changing my life, I've met many cool people because of it which include my best friends (love you guys). I still don't know exactly what I want to do with my life, but I'm alright with it. Because as long as I don't lose myself and keep what I find important close, I'll be alright.

So, to sum it up. Buy and play this game, it's worth it. The story is amazing, the characters/dialogue are funny, the gameplay is fun, and touches on dark/difficult subject matters. Who knows. Might be just what you need to have in your life just like how I needed it. Thanks for reading. <3