Sponsored
Nightsoil is a modest top-down narrative adventure that follows a Victorian waste collector on his final nocturnal rounds in 1854 London amid the cholera outbreak. The game leans into a quiet, melancholic mood but punctuates it with moments of grim levity that can catch you off guard.
  • Setting and role: You play a historical waste collector working after dark in mid-19th century London, a time and place shaped by disease and social stigma.
  • Tone and storytelling: The experience is largely melancholic and reflective, focused on memories and the weight of a life spent in a thankless trade.
  • Gameplay loop: Top-down, small-scale tasks and interactions create a routine of collection and care, with the night hours used to keep the work out of sight of polite society.
  • Dark humour: Despite its sombre base, the game delivers unexpectedly comic beats—most notably a scene involving the protagonist’s cart horse that prompted laughter amid the gloom.
  • Who it’s for: Nightsoil will appeal to players who appreciate narrative-driven indie titles that mix historical texture with quiet, sometimes uncomfortable humor rather than fast-paced action.
Source: Rock Paper Shotgun (https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/i-cant-say-i-enjoy-this-19th-century-turd-collecting-game-but-it-did-make-me-laugh-when-i-patted-my-horse-to-death)