Midnight Walk: A ‘Cozy Horror’ Game with a Stop-Motion Film Aesthetic

When I first laid eyes on The Midnight Walk, I couldn’t help but do a double-take. “Hold on,” I thought, “this can’t be the actual gameplay, right?” It was like watching a beautifully crafted stop-motion film at first. But to my amazement, I soon understood that the clever folks at MoonHood Studios were indeed showing off real-time game footage.

The game’s visual style is incredibly reminiscent of a stop-motion movie, bringing to mind works like Phil Tippett’s Mad God or even some of those classic Tool music videos. The magic behind this visual treat is the fact that MoonHood’s team sculpted around 700 objects, 3D-scanned them, and then turned them into polygonal models. The characters move with that delightful stop-motion jitter, and the camera work adds a cinematic feel with its shallow depth of field, pulling you right into the narrative.

Talking to Klaus Lyngeled and writer Olov Redmalm, they described their brainchild as a “cozy horror adventure.” It’s an intriguing mix that features quaint oddballs and amiable monsters. As you play through each fairy tale-like chapter, you’ll notice recurring themes of warmth, contrasts, and the pursuit of bringing light into darkness.

In the game, you start by playing as the Burnt One, who kicks things off by clawing their way out of a grave and piecing themselves back together. As they tread along the Midnight Walk, a whimsical highway, they are joined by a quirky little companion named Potboy. With its brazier-topped head, Potboy helps you guide light through the journey using flames and matches, illuminating paths and confronting foes.

As you might expect, the game is peppered with puzzles and stealth elements. There’s even a neat feature where you can close your eyes to just listen, leveraging binaural audio for an immersive experience—definitely best played with headphones. And for those wondering about action, yes, there’s some impromptu “gunplay.” You’ll find a peculiar weapon that launches lit matches, expanding your arsenal against enemies while solving conundrums.

Despite its ‘cozy’ moniker—largely thanks to the lovable Potboy—the game doesn’t shy away from its eerie side. Prepare to encounter bizarre creatures that are anything but ordinary: think Cyclopean mutants with a penchant for scurrying, massive spider-like horrors, and unsettling leathery figures with their eyes sewn shut, not to mention some rather intense looking slug beings.

The creative influences behind the game are a fascinating mix. With nods to Over the Garden Wall, The Nightmare Before Christmas, David Lynch, and Half-Life 2, these elements blend into something uniquely its own. The fresh take and the craftsmanship on display in The Midnight Walk make it stand out from the inspirations that shaped it. Honestly, I hadn’t marked this for my must-play list until recently, but now it’s definitely caught my attention.

And here’s the best part: you won’t have to wait too long to dive into this intriguing world. The Midnight Walk is set to launch on PlayStation 5—complete with PlayStation VR2 support—and Windows PC via Steam on May 8.