Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy
Windows - 1998
Description of Nightlong: Union City Conspiracy
Nightlong is an atmospheric and fun cyberpunk adventure game from Trecision. Although it suffers from extreme pixel-hunt syndrome in places and a very slow pace for the first 1/4th of the game, Nightlong still remains a above-average game that will occupy adventure fans for hours with an interesting plot and plenty of puzzles.
You play Joshua Reev, a 32-year old retired lieutenant and now a private eye, trying to make ends meet in Union City, a metropolis in the far future. When the game begins, you learn that several of the city's major industrial installations that are controlled by a mega corporation called Genesis have been under attack from an unknown terrorist group. To repay past debt, you must accept the mission to find out what happened to Simon Ruby, a secret agent sent to infiltrate the terrorist group who disappeared without a trace - well, almost without a trace: a magnetic pen and a key found in his abandoned car provide the first two clues for your quest.
In true Trecision fashion, most puzzles in the game require you to use the right items from your inventory at the right time. All puzzles are quite logical, although they are unfortunately quite a bit easier than Ark of Time, Trecision's previous game. As a result, Nightlong is a good game for adventure newbies who want to breeze through the game and focus more on the atmosphere and plot. A few puzzles are a bit harder than the rest, especially if you are not so mathematically-inclined - but there is nothing in this game anyone who finished Sierra's RAMA would find challenging.
Compared to Ark of Time, Nightlong has a better plot and character development. Trecision clearly took great pains this time around to present a coherent graphical style, so you will no longer see cartoony characters pasted against photo-realistic backdrops. The voice acting is below average, however, but fortunately you can turn the speech off. Unfortunately, there are some very frustrating pixel-hunting sequences in the game, and the game is shorter than average: I was able to finish Nightlong in less than 15 hours, and much of that time is spent pixel-hunting for necessary items.
So in summary, Nightlong is a better-than-average cyberpunk adventure that should entertain you for a while - just not as much as veritable classics like Beneath a Steel Sky or Blade Runner. Recommended, but only at budget/bargain bin price.
Review By HOTUD
External links
Captures and Snapshots
Comments and reviews
Dimwit Flathead 2025-02-03 0 point
The documentation is in the Zomb's Lair version found in the links above.
Dimwit Flathead 2025-02-03 0 point
There's a bug in ScummVM 2.9.0 that won't let you read the notice at the beginning of the game. The game is also more responsive in Windows than ScummVM.
Jimmy 2023-06-13 2 points
This game is what got me sucked into video games as a kid. I saw it in a game bargain bin and bought for $5 with my pocket money. Every afternoon I’d finish school and my dad and I would spend hours playing. I remember they had a phone number to call if you got stuck and needed a walkthrough.
blask aka blsk 2023-05-04 1 point
BTW, playing with ScummVM also fixes the Sphinx problem, no additional fix needed.
blask aka blsk 2023-04-26 3 points
The rip version runs ok, but it lacks speech and videos. However there is a workaround.
This game works with ScummVM - this makes it compatible with modern Windows and no need for nocd files or mounted iso during play.
This is how to do it:
1. Download the rip version and unzip it in an empty folder.
2. Download the iso and unzip it ( NOT in the folder where you have unziped the rip version)
3. Mount CD1 with the cue file with some kind of mounting software (I am using Daemon tools lite free)
4. From CD1 copy DATA and FMV folders to the folder where the rip version is. Windows will ask you if you want to merge these folders with the ones that already exists in the rip folder and if you want to overwrite the existing files. Choose yes.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with CD2 and CD3 (copy DATA and FMV folders from both disks to the rip folder)
6. Search Google for ScummVM and download the last version from the official site. You can choose between installer and portable zip version. I prefer portable.
7. If you have downloaded ScummVM installer - start it and install. If you have downloaded portable zip version - unzip it in an empty folder. Do not unzip/install ScummVM in the same folder where Nightlong rip game is!
8. Start ScummVM, click on Add Game, navigate to the Nightlong rip game folder and confirm adding the game to ScummVM.
9. That's it. You should have Nightlong listed in ScummVM main window. Start the game by clicking on it's title. No need for mounted cd during play, no need for special nocd file.
kingsley 2022-12-05 0 point
After unzipping the rip version and running nl.exe, it shows blurry/messy image on the upper half screen.
Tried replacing nl.exe with either patch provided here; both times error message pops, saying "not properly installed; reinstall from cd". Guess the patch doesn't work with the rip.
Monroe 2021-08-06 4 points
I never finished this and couldn't remember the name for many years; just stumbled upon it right now and I can't wait to play it again! Wish the devs knew how much people like it and would release it on GOG and Steam.
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Windows Version
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