Bite Night

Release Date: June 13, 2024

Developer: MyGrandfather Games

Publisher: MyGrandfather Games

Price: $3.49

my playtime: 2.4 hours

A videogame version of Clerks set in the Underworld universe would be a playful way of describing Bite Night, a charming effort by a single dev MyGrandfather Games. This game has comedy, liminal spaces, convenient store vibes, minimum wage work, a classic Dracula-esque vampire, a less classic werewolf hobo, lots of bizarre late night customers, and one of the coolest fight scenes I’ve ever seen, clearly inspired by John Woo films and the Matrix.

I love this game and it has reinvigorated my video game experience. To see what an individual can put out, the near PSX style graphics that hit my nostalgia button. I enjoy the jank, may my gaming hours be messy and filled with personality. An end to focus groups and market testing, for a moment there are the most people ever living on earth at the same time. Make what you love, be weird and do what you want as long as it doesn’t hurt others. There is probably a niche, or even not-so-pocket sized community that will appreciate it.

I look forward to seeing what else this developer puts out and have no hesitation playing an individual creator to encourage more artful, thoughtful, crass, stupid, wonderful, janky, unique and weird worlds to explore. I have already replayed this game multiple times and it is the 2nd game, along with Sludge Life, that made me want to talk about games.

9/10

CM 3/30/25

Links:

https://www.patreon.com/MyGrandfatherGames

When I was younger I worked at the local six screen theatre in my hometown. I worked there for roughly five years, age sixteen to twenty. Those years contain some of my fondest memories (outside of time spent with my wife). I made friends with everyone at that theatre and when I turned eighteen they made me a manager and I hired several friends from school into the work family.

I would work as much as I could and often hang out at the theatre when not working, if the people on shift were cool. And I often worked close, which meant staying well past the rest of the staff to ensure all the movies finished out ok and all patrons left the facility. What that means is I’ve spent a lot of time alone in a movie theatre, turning off all the lights and walking out in either pitch black or with a small flashlight. Experiencing liminal spaces before that term blew up into the popularity we see today.

Leaving the theatre at 2 or 3am (thanks Avatar) I would drive to the empty bank next to project housing, drop the theatre’s cash earnings for the day into the night drop box (fortunately I was never robbed), then drive to the local gas station before heading to my friend’s house. I had a friend who worked at that gas station and so, as friends do, I would loiter, talking to the regulars: the late night snackers, the lottery scratchers, hearing second hand renditions of Kevin Hart’s “say it with your chest”. Bite Night took me back to those times.

CM 4/12/25