The Midnight Stroll is an ideal reminder of why stop-motion and claymation nonetheless maintain such a timeless appeal, though animators in these kinds have had a tough few years. You barely see these strategies in use anymore, regardless of their increase within the early 2000s because of Aardman’s efforts. It’s unsurprising, I suppose, that they’ve fallen out of favor given the a lot greater monetary and time prices, however when executed effectively, they’re magical. Simply have a look at Rooster Run and The Nightmare Earlier than Christmas. This fashion has even made its mark in gaming with titles like Clayfighters and The Neverhood.
The Midnight Stroll is the newest recreation to undertake this distinctive aesthetic fashion, with the developer MoonHood utilizing a mixture of clay modelling, 3D scanning and stop-motion strategies to construct a fantastically bleak world oozing with character. From the outset it’s apparent that there was a transparent artistic imaginative and prescient within the growth of the title, with the graphical design, music, voice appearing and gameplay parts all coalescing into one thing larger than the sum of its components.
Strolling down the remoted and surreal pathways of The Midnight Stroll jogs my memory closely of Tim Burton’s work, with the visuals mixing the lovable and the grotesque collectively each in design and animation. It isn’t outright horrifying, merely unnerving and alien, however builds the suspense up in a manner few different kinds can.
By means of instance, early on you encounter some big anonymous palms, every with a watch within the centre, merely watching you. They serve no goal however to look at as your character – “The Burnt One” – passes, however nonetheless they stand tall, mild and curious, surrounded by the awful rocky panorama. It’s unsettling, and it’s moments like this scattered all through The Midnight Stroll which construct an oppressive but whimsical environment.
The primary enemies you encounter aren’t nice to have a look at, don’t get me unsuitable, but it surely’s not their twisted figures which fill you with panic, however their jerky, grotesque actions and the sounds which accompany their skittering. Even the voice appearing is concurrently surreal and candy; merely each aspect of the visible and sound design is completely executed.
Gameplay-wise the identical could be stated. The Midnight Stroll is billed as an atmospheric horror title, and while there are some trappings of horror in there – a couple of scary stealth sections and many others – I really feel it could possibly be higher described as a first-person puzzle journey with horror parts. You might have a couple of methods of interacting with the world, however primarily you might be tasked with utilizing the objects you discover round you to progress; typically by utilizing matches and different gadgets to maneuver fires round.
This reliance on mild and hearth suits extremely effectively with the title’s general theming and supplies a stark distinction towards different characters within the setting who exist solely within the darkness, while additionally offering a strong focus for the gameplay to revolve round. You even have the choice to shut your eyes, permitting your character to “see” the issues the eyes can’t see. While I perceive that this function – and the reliance on sound-based cues – is anchored within the VR-focus of the title, it nonetheless works exterior of this context; once more reinforcing and complementing the general atmospheric intention.
While I wasn’t a fan of the stealth sections, I see why they have been carried out and I loved them way over I’ve executed in different related titles, so on the very least they get a passing grade, and fortunately The Midnight Stroll’s beneficiant checkpointing prevented them from getting too irritating. My solely gameplay criticism can be that it doesn’t actually evolve previous that, and might really feel somewhat repetitive in direction of the tip when a few of these methods nonetheless had room to be expanded upon.
My greatest concern with this short-but-sweet journey is the over-arching plot itself, which I felt was under-written and left me feeling un-fulfilled.
You’re tasked with escorting a flame to the highest of Moon Mountain and bringing mild again to a world engulfed by darkness. Carrying stated flame is the ridiculously cute “Potboy,” your enigmatic and smiley companion towards the horrific beings attempting to devour it. You’re additionally joined by your own home, which walks together with you for some cause – actually, it has legs. The connection fashioned between the trio could be very charming, and I loved seeing them journey collectively to their eventual purpose.
The title is cut up into 5 smaller sections, every introducing a brand new space and quick story concerning the world’s inhabitants – once more, these have been beautiful, with some stunning characterisation and attention-grabbing takes on the assorted themes within the title proven inside every mini-arc. I notably beloved the design of the world’s inhabitants throughout these sections – once more, very Burtonesque however in one of the simplest ways.
By the tip nevertheless, it felt like our crew had merely gone via the motions with out a lot progress or actual company. This could possibly be intentional, however a part of me appears like there was a variety of potential right here for a bigger, extra deeply defined story round these unlikely heroes which merely wasn’t achieved. There’s a good selection in direction of the finale which I do know makes an attempt to deliver an emotional payoff, however once more, it didn’t actually really feel all that significant for the world at giant and fell considerably flat, a minimum of to me.
No matter this, I nonetheless assume The Midnight Stroll is value your time. It might not ship as robust a story as I’d have preferred, however the world itself and the excellent environment is well worth the value of admission alone, and I can extremely suggest giving it a go.
The Midnight Stroll Launch Trailer
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