The Midnight Walk, A Tiny Burtonesque Game

Sometimes, I wish there were more ways to access video games. Let's compare with movies; for example, you can watch them in the cinema, rent them online, watch them as part of a subscription, catch them on TV, see them at film festivals or themed screenings, buy them on Disc, etc. With video games, those options are significantly more limited. For example, The Midnight Walk, the game we're reviewing today, can be bought… or someone else can buy it and share it with you, but only in digital form.

Alternatively, you can hope that it will appear as part of a subscription. This is a problem because The Midnight Walk isn't exactly cheap for what it offers—translated, five hours of gameplay for 40 euros. It's a shame because it's an interesting game into which the developers poured a lot of passion.

If you want to play an entirely different game, check out our Roadcraft review!

The Story Of The Midnight Walk

The Midnight Walk is a first-person puzzle adventure with mild horror elements. You wake up as "the scorched one" in a dark world where someone has stolen the sun and its light. Soon, you come across Potboy, a charming creature with one of the rare sources of fire on his head. At first, Potboy is scared of you, but once you bond, you become his protector and begin your journey to the top of the mountain—a kind of pilgrimage called The Midnight Walk.

At first, it's not entirely clear why Potboy must go to the mountain—it's just the way it is, say the other inhabitants of the dark world. Besides, it's not like he has a better option, as the world is teeming with monsters eager to devour the flame of little Potboy.

The Midnight Walk functions as a layered story on multiple levels. The first level is simply the journey and understanding of Potboy's role in the world. The second level is unravelling the enigma of what happened to that world. And in that second segment, the game is at its strongest. Of the six total chapters, three are short stories about the fates of the local inhabitants. 

Through them, you learn how human nature can trigger tragic scenarios. You see how greed, envy, and selfishness destroy communities and how fear of the dark can lead to an uncontrolled obsession with fire.

The Melancholy Of Humanity

All of these stories are told in a short format, lasting 30–40 minutes maximum. This keeps the narrative dynamic and gives the player engaging material to reflect on. The Midnight Walk shares quite a bit of wisdom through its proverbs, and I thoroughly enjoyed listening to everything the game had to say. One sentence stuck with me in particular: "Anger kept us warm, but only for a short time," said the people who killed the thief of fire in the name of justice, only to freeze with remorse. "Sweet justice didn't warm us," they conclude.

The Midnight Walk is a very gloomy and melancholic game, but not to the point of infecting you with depression. Understanding the world and its tragedies at the end of each chapter still leaves hope for a better future you're walking toward. After all, the symbolic part of the story is that you carry the flame through the darkness—not just for yourself but for others, too. And in that darkness, you realize that the monsters aren't evil creatures by nature, but each has its backstory explaining why they are the way they are.

The Characters Of The Midnight Walk

The characters in The Midnight Walk are wonderfully realized through their mystique and excellent voice acting. They're placed in a beautifully bizarre clay-like world resembling Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas. There are walking houses, a matchstick rifle, wardrobes that are secret portals… The Midnight Walk is simply a narrative delight for all the senses.

However, the game isn't perfect in this regard. The world's backstory is revealed through film reels you collect during gameplay. And these reels can sometimes be missed, with no way to go back and collect them—only during replays. At least the developers were fair enough to offer a chapter selection option, so you don't have to start from scratch if you want to complete the backstory puzzle.

Another thing that doesn't quite work narratively is the relationship with Little Potboy. Your task in the game is to escort Potboy to the mountain and protect him on the way. However, he's never really in danger—everyone attacks you anyway. And when he is in danger, it's a scripted part of the story. So, the gameplay doesn't support the narrative idea that you're Potboy's protector.

The Gameplay

Almost everything in The Midnight Walk revolves around you, and Potboy is just there when you need to light a fire. Enemies don't react to him, and nothing can happen to him. There's an option to feed him charcoal, but it holds no significance beyond the first instance in the game.

Gameplay generally revolves around solving spatial puzzles and hiding from enemies. Both are executed satisfactorily, and a somewhat original eye-closing mechanic runs throughout it. In multiple situations, the game requires you to close your character's eyes, after which you see nothing but hear a sound that can guide you toward the objective. Later, this blinking mechanic is used innovatively to freeze enemies in place and then unfreeze them by blinking again.

It's a mechanic designed for the VR version of the game, specifically for PlayStation VR2. In that version, the game tracks your eyes through the headset, so when you blink in real life, your character blinks in-game, too, which is a neat feature. However, in the PC VR version, you close your character's eyes using the right trigger button. If nothing else, at least your hands are simulated in VR mode, though this doesn't make a concrete difference in gameplay compared to standard play.

Is The Midnight Walk Fun?

The Midnight Walk isn't fun, but it's noticeable that the developers didn't have enough budget to realize all their ideas. It leaves the impression that the game had even more interesting ideas that ultimately weren't fully realized. At one point, it starts raining, and you think you'll have to guide Potboy under shelters to prevent his flame from going out. But then—nothing happens. The rain stops before it has any actual impact on the gameplay.

Add a five-hour runtime, possibly even shorter if you're in a hurry. There are two different endings, but you don't need to replay the whole game, as you choose the ending in the final playable moment. And then the 40-euro price tag. I don't like to calculate value mathematically when it comes to artistically oriented games—and this one truly is through its design, strong voice acting, and very moving music.

In Conclusion

I'm bringing up the price because, for 10 euros more, you can get Clair Obscur, which offers roughly eight times the longevity. Add another 20 euros, and you've got Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2, a game that provides twenty times more long-lasting entertainment. Of course, the ideal would be to get both, but the reality is, unfortunately, that most of us choose games carefully and calculate these kinds of expenses.

The Midnight Walk has an atmosphere that will enchant you and deserves a recommendation based on its artistic qualities. It's fun as a game, too, but due to its short length and untapped potential, it doesn't quite reach the must-play category. If you're not afraid of that, it might be at its best as a VR experience. The game isn't violent and doesn't punish you harshly for making mistakes, although certain enemies might give you a chill.

All in all, it's worth overcoming your fears for the message The Midnight Walk ultimately delivers—but not at just any price.

Game Rating: 7.8/10

Reason: The Midnight Walk is a visually striking, thematically rich experience with a unique atmosphere and layered narrative. However, its underdeveloped mechanics and lack of impactful player agency, especially in key character dynamics, keep it from reaching its full potential.

Recommended Age: 12+

Why: The game contains mature themes like regret, fear, justice, and human flaws, all told through metaphors and poetic storytelling. While not graphically intense, the tone and complexity of the narrative are better suited for preteens and teenagers who can reflect on deeper meanings.