A properly implemented day and night cycle can work wonders when it comes to creating immersive video games. Sometimes a bittersweet scene is made all the more symbolic with a setting sun in the background, or maybe it feels nice to get away from it all, sit with your character and watch the sun rise.
Shifting skylines are undoubtedly beautiful, but there are some games that use day and night cycles not only to enhance the atmosphere, but also to make the mechanics of the games much more meaningful. The best day and night cycles can completely transform a video game, as evidenced by the following titles.
10 Minecraft
The first game that comes to mind for many gamers when they think of day and night cycles is Minecraft. Those who played Survival mode for the first time were probably a bit shocked when Creepers started spawning, shaking any expectation of a peaceful world.
While a simple concept, an extra level of difficulty at night changes the optimal playstyle and forces players to strategically plan their crafting, collecting and building. Unless, of course, you’d rather forego any night terrors and switch to creative mode instead.
9 Terrariums
While Terrariums may look like a 2D clone of Minecraft at first glance, the game differs not only in style, but also in how it handles day and night. In addition to monsters that spawn at night, events like the terrifying Blood Moon and Solar Eclipse have a chance to spawn, making the passage of time much less predictable.
Given that underground tunnels in Terrariums plays such a prominent role at the core of the gameplay loop, day and night may seem insignificant. However, those who want to feel the changes in the air wherever they travel can use the Time Hair Dye from the Stylist for 5 Gold Coins for an always at hand indicator.
8 don’t starve
Day and night is expected in survival games, but don’t starve makes the mechanic all the more brutal as eyesight is greatly affected and sanity quickly drops for both the character and the player. Fortunately, torches only take 2 mowed grass and 2 twigs to craft who will keep the Night Monster at bay.
However, players should not get too cozy, as seasons and ruins can upset the typical balance of day and night. However, those who are discouraged don’t have to survive alone as the multiplayer game sequel Don’t starve together allows players to suffer along with their friends.
7 Animal Crossing: New Horizons
While many titles set their days and nights to just minutes, the Animal Crossing series is distinguished by having the in-game time card on time in the real world. Or at least on the internal time of someone’s game console.
Watching the sunset in Animal Crossing: New Horizons at the same time, real life can be fun in itself, but the time of day also affects different events and mechanics. In addition to insects and fish that only spawn at certain times, you have to wait until nighttime to catch Wisp’s Spirit Pieces or stargazing with Celeste.
6 Extinguishing light
What does it take for a calm and peaceful night and what makes it terrifying? Zombies. Extinguishing light is one of several zombie survival titles in which Sunset fills players with existential dread. If a player’s safehouse is heavily fortified, a nap until the morning might not feel so bad…unless a storm comes and the power goes out.
For those less keen on rough realism, there’s also: Project Zombie, although the cute graphics don’t make it any less terrifying. After a few scares while running through the woods under the cover of night, hijacking a vehicle and driving nervously until dawn may be the superior option.
5 The Witcher 3
Geralt of Rivia’s job as a monster slayer is made possible by his job skills, as well as his combat prowess. Investigating the footsteps and lairs of the terrifying monsters found by the witcher series is all part of the Witcher profession, even if the villagers never seem to understand. The time of day is as much a clue as the howling wind.
The Witcher 3 isn’t the only game where the time of day plays a key role in monster hunting. pokemonfans who want to catch them all should also keep the position of the sun in mind to fill their Pokedex completely.
Stealth action game and fifth entry in the Metal Gear Solid series, The Phantom Pain took the survival aspects of snake eater and increased them tenfold. While it’s hard not to miss the joys of eating hapless reptiles in the middle of a jungle, The Phantom Pain offers players a lot of resistance in the form of nighttime sandstorms and other unfortunate weather patterns.
Konami’s decision to shift gears with the series to create Metal Gear Survives may have been short-sighted when they already had their hands on a unique stealth/survival hybrid. The nights got all the more enticing with Naked Snakes’ endless combos of comedic ways to take out enemies.
3 warcraft 3
Anyone who has ever been the victim of a Photon Cannon Rush knows how important visibility is in RTS games. warcraft 3 added an extra layer to this concern with the introduction of a day and night cycle. The time a player chooses to launch their siege is just as important as the resources available.
Factions receive bonuses depending on the time of day. Humans and Orcs can regenerate during the day and Night Elves are gods that shadow under the cover of night. Why wait for the passage of time? Immediately Ancient of Wonders and enough Moonstones time is really just a construct.
2 The Dogma of the Dragons
if The Dogma of the Dragons wasn’t such a gloomy setting in itself, the night makes it all the more disturbing. Beasts nearby and all the more eager to attack, but those who chose the Assassin class are only encouraged to take revenge.
Magic: The Gathering players are probably familiar with the concept of spells and skills at the mercy of the sun and moon. Still, it feels nice to feel those effects, albeit to a lesser extent, in an action RPG. Of course, that’s not to say that the wizard’s Hoge Maelstrom ability needs anything to make it more overpowered.
1 V rises
A game with vampires undoubtedly has meaningful day and night systems, right? Well, many pass up the opportunity and opt to play the game completely overnight. Happy, V rises doesn’t shy away from such mechanics, giving players an extra challenge once the sun comes up. Sometimes it’s the little things that matter, like fleeing back to your base as the sun rises to get stuck in a PVP for everyone.
See as V rises A relatively new game at the time of writing, fans of the genre are hoping that future titles will find ways to make day and night more meaningful. The concept is far from fully explored, and with the constant push for more immersive games, it’s only a matter of time before night and day are seen as more than just a pretty skyline change.
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