We’ve all been there before. You desperately want to be the perfect partner. Nothing you’ve done in the past has been bad partner behaviour, you just want to get a nice and sweet little gift for your significant other. Ah, damn! It’s night time. Not much is open except for that late hours convenience store. Hopefully they’ll have something? Dépanneur Nocturne, a gorgeous and sweet indie walking sim / exploration game, simulates just this. Go ahead, find your perfect (or imperfect) little gift. It’s the thought that counts.
Dépanneur Nocturne was announced among other great and charming games in the recent Wholesome Direct and I was bewitched with its premise. Jumping into the game was no exception. The street I’m on is empty and closed off due to roadwork, nothing can be heard except for the sound of rain pitter-pattering at my feet. It’s sometime late at night and the outside world is illuminated in a blue hue. My objective and refuge from the rain is in sight: the Dépanneur Nocturne (translated in English to mean Nighttime Convenience Store). Suddenly, I’m flooded with memories of being an impressionable teen, going on late night walks to my local convenience store. The vibes for the game are established early and by god are they cozy.
Dépanneur Nocturne is a brief, weird, heartfelt and fun little exploration game
Inside the shop, you’re greeted by a lonely shopkeep just doing inventory. She’s an anthropomorphised lizard dressed ever so stylish. They’re happy to see you, they haven’t seen many customers with the street foreclosure. Getting to peruse the store on ideas for items to buy is a delight. There’s the shopkeep’s cat that you can pat. Turn away from them and look back and they’ll have moved location. Eugénie the shopkeep notes this, calling her sneaky. There are so many wonders and curious items to interact with, and even consider purchasing as a gift. A cursed(?) turnip hidden away in a freezer, some type of mushroom milk and a rom-com DVD are just some of the gifts you can choose from. Will your significant other love them or hate them? Time will tell!
Other adventures in Dépanneur Nocturne will see you uncovering secrets, tasting some questionable soft drinks, getting your picture taken and venturing deep underground through winding tunnels, just to find a bathroom to pee in. Hell, you can even pour yourself a cup of Joe. It’s quite a charming game, and since its less than an hour in length, it’ll be over before you know it. That just makes your time with the game all the more sweeter.
At the end, I was quite happy with the gifts I gave my partner. As was she! A jacket, mysteriously large egg, the aforementioned rom-com DVD, mushroom milk and turnip all filled out my catalogue. Not all of those are gifts I’d personally be stoked on but oh well! The things you do for love.
Dépanneur Nocturne is available now on Steam. For the cheap price tag, it’s well worth checking out if you’re a lover of cute, cozy and wholesome games.
About the Author
Charlie Kelly
She/Her, They/Them
Charlie loves her video games as much as she loves dumb, charming JRPG protagonists: probably way too much. You can often catch her spending too much time being emotional over LGBT stories in games. She also thinks Yakuza 6 is the best one.
