The Midnight Walk - One of the Most Unique Games Ever Made

• DEVELOPER: MoonHood
• PUBLISHER: Fast Travel Games
• PLATFORMS: PC, PlayStation 5, PS VR2
• GENRE: Horror / Adventure
• RELEASE DATE: May 8, 2025
• STARTING PRICE: 39,99€
• REVIEWED VERSION: PC

The moment I saw the trailer for The Midnight Walk during Sony’s State of Play last year, I was completely hooked. Imagine this: a dark fantasy adventure, but every single bit of it is made out of clay, giving it that classic stop-motion feel. It screamed “Tim Burton meets Little Nightmares” to me, and right then, I just knew it was going to be something special.

Since the game launched on May 8th for PS5, PS VR2, and PC, I’ve had the chance to play through its wonderfully haunting world. And I’m calling it: The Midnight Walk is one of the most unique games ever created. This horror title from MoonHood Studio and published by Fast Travel Games is incredible. Its art is just breathtaking, the storytelling is emotional, and it’s one of those journeys that stays with you long after you’ve finished playing.

A Tale of Fire, Loss, and Redemption

Your journey takes you to Moon Mountain, guiding Potboy’s flickering flame through a dark, twisted land where all sorts of monsters are eager to snuff him out. The story unfolds across five distinct tales of fire and darkness, each one introducing different characters, like a village of disembodied heads or a creature consumed by grief. It really digs into heavy themes like loss, hope, and finding redemption.

Every single monster, every tree, every broken-down ruin feels like it was sculpted by hand in clay, then scanned into the game, and animated with unique stop-motion tremor. And the music? The soundtrack, with its clarinet and saxophone melodies, just evokes heartfelt emotion that really gets to you, especially when Potboy lights up a forgotten flame at the end of each chapter.

Gameplay in The Midnight Walk keeps things pretty simple, but it’s really clever. You use Potboy’s flame to light candles, solve puzzles, or even distract the scary monsters. You’ve also got a little gun that flings matches, and a special button to shut your character’s eyes, which actually does interesting things like turning chasing monsters into stone statues.

Now, some players, including me, felt that the sneaking parts could be a bit clunky, trying to get past those Crawlers sometimes had me fumbling around. But honestly, the game is really generous with its checkpoints, so it wasn’t a big problem. The puzzles were great too; whether it was using a wardrobe to teleport or just staring down glowing eyes to clear a path, they kept me engaged without ever getting frustrating. This game isn’t really about complicated mechanics; it’s all about soaking in the amazing atmosphere and the powerful story.

“Every single monster, every tree, every broken-down ruin feels like it was sculpted by hand in clay.”

It’s not perfect, but offers a unique experience

Sure, The Midnight Walk isn’t perfect. That 39.99 € price tag definitely raised some eyebrows on Steam, and I’ve seen people complain about the game being so short. And I get it, forty euros for a five to six hour experience can sting if you’re not totally won over by the unique art style. The story can also be a bit vague at times, which might leave some players scratching their heads, but for me, that ambiguity actually added to the dreamy, almost surreal vibe.

Compared to some of the other big games that already came out out this year, like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 or Blue Prince, The Midnight Walk doesn’t offer the deep role-playing or endless replayability of a roguelike. But, it doesn’t need to. The team at MoonHood, some of whom were apparently on the verge of quitting game development altogether before this project, truly poured their hearts and souls into The Midnight Walk.

Honestly, you can absolutely feel that passion in every single moment of the game. It’s a powerful reminder of why I absolutely love indie titles, they take the creative risks that big, “AAA” games rarely dare to.

“The Midnight Walk is a passion project made out of love for art and gaming.”

Review copy provided by the publisher

4.3