Thanks for giving it a go!
There are three stones out in the darkness. If you find them, pick them up and place them in your bonfire. Once you’ve collected all three the curse of eternal night will be lifted, i.e. victory.
As a bonus, you can try and save the little woodland creatures along the way. They will follow you back to the fire if you coax them.
Like your faithful dog, these woodland creatures can detect monsters in the dark. If you see an exclamation point (!) above their head, monsters are close.
At the start of the game there are no monsters. As the game progresses they will emerge out of their eggs scattered around the map. If you find an egg, smash it. Doing so will make your life considerably easier.
Word of caution, when you hear a crackling sound a monster is about to hatch. If you’re smashing an egg, it might be the one that’s hatching. Also, even if you smash all the eggs keep your guard up, they will re-spawn a few minutes later in a random location.
The monsters can’t see very well, but they can hear just fine. Be careful when you’re chopping wood, smashing eggs or running in the dark. Be ready to make a beeline back to your fire if you see a monster. You will hear a distinct howl when they have discovered you.
One strategy is to run around the map right off the start smashing any egg that you find and taking note of the locations of stones and animals. Another is to cut down as much wood as possible before you hear the first egg crack, leaving the chopped wood by the tree. There are a bunch of other fun strategies that are required to win at the “Hard” and “Good Luck” levels of difficulty.