Just a few minutes into my initial experience with The Midnight Walk, I caught myself thinking, “Is this really the game I’m seeing, not just a cutscene?” What flashed before me seemed like an exquisite stop-motion animated film, yet I soon realized it was actual game footage crafted by the talented folks at MoonHood Studios.
The visuals in The Midnight Walk bear such a striking resemblance to the stop-motion allure of works like Phil Tippett’s Mad God or those classic Tool music videos. This resemblance is largely due to the game’s unique development process. According to MoonHood’s Klaus Lyngeled, the team meticulously sculpted around 700 different objects, scanned them in 3D, and transformed them into detailed polygon models. The characters’ animations feature a charming stop-motion jitter, and the camera cleverly uses a shallow depth of field to enrich the visual style.
Creators Lyngeled and writer Olov Redmalm describe this first-person, narrative-driven puzzle game as a “cozy horror adventure,” populated with a host of quirky characters and friendly, if not slightly bizarre, monsters. The story unfolds across several fairy tale-inspired chapters, weaving themes of warmth and contrast, focusing on bringing light back into a world enveloped in darkness.
In the game’s opening moments, we meet the protagonist, named the Burnt One, who emerges from a grave and begins the task of patching up their body. The adventure along the Midnight Walk—a mysterious highway—kicks off here, accompanied by a delightful little creature called Potboy. With a small brazier perched on its head, Potboy helps players light torches and fend off foes by using its flame and matches, casting light onto the shadowy path.
Throughout The Midnight Walk, players will find a mix of puzzle-solving and stealth elements, along with a unique feature that lets you close your eyes to just listen—perfect for the game’s binaural audio experience, best enjoyed with headphones. There’s also some unconventional “gunplay.” I watched the Burnt One obtain a weapon that fires lit matches, adding range to both combat engagements and puzzle-solving opportunities.
Despite its endearing cozy vibe, primarily thanks to Potboy, The Midnight Walk doesn’t shy away from eerie and intense elements. The monsters you encounter are particularly unsettling—a parade of nightmarish creations from cyclopean mutants to arachnid horrors, and some with grotesque, sewn-shut features, including angry slug-like beings that could give anyone the creeps.
The game’s diverse inspirations—ranging from Over the Garden Wall and The Nightmare Before Christmas to David Lynch and Half-Life 2—are clearly visible in my preview. However, the unique blend of influences and the sheer craftsmanship of The Midnight Walk allows it to stand apart from its predecessors. To say I’m eager for MoonHood’s latest offering is an understatement, especially for something that slipped under my radar until now.
Fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long. The Midnight Walk is set to release on May 8 for the PlayStation 5, complete with PlayStation VR2 support, and for Windows PC via Steam.
