The Midnight Walk is a narrative-driven horror game developed by Moonhood. The Swedish studio was founded a couple of years ago by the creatives behind Lost in Random and Fe, and after playing its debut title, I can safely say the emphasis on creative vision is clear.
I used this same comparison in my preview, but it remains apt; The Midnight Walk's aesthetic is reminiscent of The Nightmare Before Christmas. Moonhood handcrafted several creatures, characters and everything in between out of clay, and then scanned these creations into the game. The result is a cavalcade of delightfully terrifying enemies that move erratically, a claymation horror in motion.
The narrative is equally engrossing. You play as The Burnt One, a messianic figure destined to bring fire back to the Worktable. You're aided by Potboy, a diminutive creature that sets things ablaze at your command. The eponymous Midnight Walk is a path through the Worktable and acts as a sort of respite between the respective terrors of each new chapter. Oh, and you have a walking house named Housy, isn't that fun?
Off Down The Midnight Walk
The ostensible goal of the Midnight Walk is to reach Moon Mountain. This journey is separated into chapters, with each one taking the gang off the beaten path, normally because they need to clear a blockage to keep on progressing. The relief I felt getting back on the Midnight Walk after escaping a chapter full of chittering creatures and existential dread was unmatched. It's quite a neat touch from Moonhood, creating a "safe area" that acts as a cooldown between bouts of spine-tingling stealth.
Speaking of, stealth is the primary means of progression in the Midnight Walk. You can't "fight" any of the creatures you encounter, and getting close to them usually results in The Burnt One being devoured. However, unlike games such as Alien: Isolation, you'll always find safety by hiding in a wardrobe or some other nook and cranny; the creatures don't pull you out and maul you if they see you going in like a certain xenomorph.
Interestingly, the stealth and puzzle sections aren't necessarily the highlights. It's strange to say because these make up the bulk of the game's core loops, but really, I found they were just obstacles I had to overcome to advance the narrative.
There are very few mechanics: lighting fires, hiding, closing your eyes, and running. It certainly succeeds in making you feel powerless, and having an eldritch beast rush you spikes the heart rate, but it also means you don't necessarily need to be creative when solving puzzles.
The Midnight Walk has a mechanic where you can close your eyes to listen for the location of something using spatial audio. It's used in all of the terrifying ways you can probably guess.
Narrative Brilliance
Progression tends to be accomplished through some combination of learning an enemy's patrol patterns, distracting foes or simply running past them and diving into safety. There are set-pieces that 'change the rules' of encounters, but they’re few and far between and tend to only be small variations on the core formula.
And yet, relatively rudimentary puzzles seldom detract from the overall experience. Moonhood hasn’t tried to craft a mind-bending puzzle game, but rather tell a meaningful story. In other words, the narrative vision and complementary aesthetic are what make playing The Midnight Walk meaningful.
I didn't play in VR, but some sections will likely be elevated by the medium. For me, a stroll around an enemy's patrol route was simple, but in VR, I can imagine the experience being far more nerve-wracking.
I experienced several moments of creative inspiration while playing The Midnight Walk. One such moment occurred when I first met an enigmatic wanderer, who imparted some sage wisdom upon me before each chapter. He knows more about this strange world than he lets on, but prefers you draw your own conclusions. There's also a two-headed woman who does the same thing, but more prophetically, charting the journey of the player through the Worktable.
Each quirky character you meet during the game helps elevate the experience. There are no superfluous interactions; each one either provides more context about the strange world, or highlights a core theme at play. The abstract storytelling is masterfully executed, allowing you to piece together your own interpretation of the Worktable, rather than giving needless exposition.
One of the early chapters has you trying to stop a creature called the Molgrim from attacking a village of bodiless heads called Nobodyville. The citizens of Nobodyville are magnificently curmudgeon, highlighting the disgusting nature of your appendages and generally grumbling about your presence. A Somebody shouldn't be in Nobodyville, after all.
I'll spare you the contextual spoilers, but after the events of the chapter, the heads consider reuniting with their bodies. Then, while strolling down the Midnight Walk afterwards, you pass a group of headless bodies walking opposite you, reminiscent of the Last March of the Ents. It's a wonderful touch, and The Midnight Walk is crammed with such lovely details.
You can tell Moonhood prioritises creative vision above all else. There's the monumental feat of clay-sculpting an entire cast of characters and creatures, but there are also other artistic influences, like an entire silent film that plays throughout one of the chapters. Moonhood even scanned an old projector into the game to use for this sequence.
The Midnight Walk is by no means a long game. A dedicated player could finish the game in a couple of sessions.
The Midnight Walk is a story of redemption, of how one fiery spark can reignite old passions or heal a broken heart. Founding members of Moonhood once told me they thought about quitting game development altogether, before eventually founding the studio and finding a reason to keep going with this project. I can't help but feel The Midnight Walk is an allegory for that rekindled passion; sometimes a great game only needs a spark.
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Adventure Horror Fantasy Systems 4.0/5 10.0/10 OpenCritic Reviews Top Critic Avg: 80/100 Critics Rec: 85% Released May 8, 2025 ESRB Teen // Violence Developer(s) MoonHood Publisher(s) Fast Travel Games Number of Players Single-playerWHERE TO PLAY
DIGITALEmbark upon The Midnight Walk in this reverent dark fantasy adventure built in clay, from the minds behind Lost in Random and Fe.
Become The Burnt One, befriend a lost lantern creature named Potboy, and use his flame to light your way through a conflicting world of wonder and horror. Survive and outsmart the many monsters eager to devour your little friend’s flame as you experience five tales of fire and darkness, featuring an incredible cast of odd characters.
Marvel at every disturbing detail in a landscape painstakingly handcrafted with real life clay and animated in a stop motion style. Fully playable in both flatscreen and with a VR headset.
AN UNFORGETTABLE JOURNEY OF LIGHT AND DARK
Journey with Potboy along the twisted trail of The Midnight Walk. Work with your companion to outsmart monsters, using his flame to distract while you hide from and evade the many threats of The Dark Itself. Encounter new friends and experience awe-inspiring sights as you navigate a path fraught with both peril and affirmation.
A GRIM AND BEAUTIFUL HANDCRAFTED WORLD
Everything you see in The Midnight Walk, from the drooling snarl of monsters to the bristling tree tops that line the journey was first sculpted in clay and then 3D scanned to a meticulous level of detail. The result is a uniquely layered fantasy world with an artistic imprint, all realized in breathtaking stop motion. Grab a gamepad and jump into the unknown, or step into the endless night in VR.
- Clay-sculpted characters and creatures are fantastic.
- Wonderfully abstract storytelling and thematically sharp.
- Full of quirky characters that are a delight to interact with.
- Artistically driven and with a clear, well-executed vision.
- Rudimentary puzzles and stealth mechanics.
