The Midnight Walk | From Clay to Life

Growing up, I was always drawn to Claymation films, The Nightmare Before Christmas quickly became one of my all-time favourites. Even now, I still find myself revisiting classics like Wallace and Gromit. While we've seen a few games embrace that same handmade charm, The Midnight Walk pushes the style to an entirely new level. It doesn’t just rely on creativity; it elevates imagination itself. Delivering what feels like the first true Claymation horror-inspired adventure game. And honestly, I was all in from the moment it began.

The Midnight Walk, created by MoonHood, plunges you into a mysterious and haunting world where you take on the role of The Burnt One. Along your journey through the shadows, you’ll meet Pot Boy, a small, endearing creature carrying a precious flame. But in a land consumed by darkness, danger lurks at every turn, and Pot Boy’s light makes him a target. The shadowy creatures that roam this world are drawn to his flame, desperate to extinguish it. Protecting him becomes more than a mission, it becomes a bond forged in the dark.

When I first saw the trailer for The Midnight Walk, I saw elements that drew me in from the start, Claymation took me back to my childhood, the creativity of this style also gave me nightmares. You can blame “The Simpsons You’re Next! Couch Gag” video for that. If you know, you know.

But I also saw elements of Tim Burton and his style, the part that gave me the excitement was finding out this entire game was both flat screen and VR! SOLD! I needed to play this game, the trailer showed pure magic of what a studio like MoonHood could do, and when it came to the release, I was far from disappointed!

Story & Setting

The Midnight Walk plunges players into a world consumed by darkness. Where light once kept the shadows at bay has long since been extinguished. With the darkness now free to corrupt and destroy, hope seems lost… until you, The Burnt One, awaken from a long slumber. This moment instantly gave me MediEvil vibes, reminiscent of Sir Daniel Fortesque’s return to the land of the living.

Sir Daniel Fortesque

Tasked with guiding a fragile yet determined creature named Pot Boy, your mission is to escort him to the peak of Moon Mountain. Navigating a treacherous path across five expansive chapters. Each chapter peels back more of the world, revealing new dangers, secrets, and stunning handcrafted environments.

What truly sets The Midnight Walk apart, though, is its cast. Every character you meet, whether friend or foe, brings a unique story and perspective. Some are brash or unwelcoming, others kind and insightful, but none feel out of place or forgettable.

Each encounter enriches the narrative, offering glimpses into what the world was like before the darkness took hold. To fully explain the depth of effort poured into these characters would take a novel, but rest assured, there’s never a dull moment, and every meeting adds something meaningful to your journey.

In The Midnight Walk, the protagonist feels less like a traditional hero and more like a guardian, part protector, part reluctant babysitter. Without him, Pot Boy wouldn’t stand a chance of reaching the mysterious Moon Mountain. Though neither The Burnt One nor Pot Boy speak a single word, their bond grows naturally through shared struggles and quiet moments.

What begins as a simple partnership gradually evolves into something unexpectedly heartfelt, making their journey together even more powerful. Together this mission becomes more than just an escort but soon blossoms into a deeply emotional journey. One rooted in healing, self-discovery, and quiet redemption.

Guiding Pot Boy to Moon Mountain becomes more than a task; it’s a catalyst for change in a world scarred by darkness. Along the way, each encounter reveals fractured lives and forgotten stories. Offering moments to mend the past, rekindle lost hope, and breathe light back into a world, and its people, that have long been left in the shadows.

Hello, Pot Boy

Gameplay

The Midnight Walk introduces a range of immersive mechanics that adapt depending on how you play, enhancing the connection between player and world in some truly clever ways. At the start of your journey, you awaken without sight or hearing, stripped of your senses. As you progress down the path, these are gradually gifted to you by otherworldly beings. Unlocking new layers of gameplay and interaction.

See no evil.

One of the most impressive features, especially in VR, is the ability to physically close your eyes. On PSVR2, doing this in real life causes your in-game eyes to shut as well. This mechanic is more than a gimmick, it’s essential. Closing your eyes can reveal hidden doorways, uncover secret paths, solve puzzles, and even disable or freeze certain enemies. It becomes a powerful tool that reshapes how you engage with the environment. For flat screen players, this function is accessible via the controller’s triggers, ensuring the mechanic is still fully integrated regardless of platform.

What’s even more fascinating is how the game plays with your senses. With your eyes closed, your sense of hearing intensifies. It may sound odd at first, but this becomes a crucial part of the gameplay, allowing you to track down lost keys or hidden creatures by sound alone. This dual-sense design, like a haunting twist on “see no evil, hear no evil”, is not only unique, but adds a whole new dimension to exploration, tension, and discovery. It genuinely blew me away.

In this game you are offered two ways to play: a traditional flat screen mode for those without a VR headset or who may experience motion sickness. Or a fully immersive VR mode that truly brings the world to life.

While the flat screen version is a thoughtful inclusion, especially for accessibility, it's the VR experience that truly stands out. Stepping into the shoes of The Burnt One in VR is nothing short of remarkable, a level of immersion that’s hard to put into words. After testing both, I found that switching from VR to flat screen significantly diminished the impact. My advice? If you have access to a VR headset, this is absolutely the way to play.

Of course, puzzles play a major role in The Midnight Walk, and there will be plenty of moments where you simply don’t have the abilities needed to progress. Whether it’s squeezing through tight pipes, launching across wide gaps, or firing a flame to trigger distant switches. That’s where Pot Boy truly shines.

Equipped with unique skills that complement your own, Pot Boy often becomes the key to solving puzzles and navigating tricky terrain. Also being able to light your way through the darkness helps entirely!

But sometimes you may need something different say a match? Across the game you will come across large matchboxes that help with lighting candles or being useful in other aspects that you unlock later in the game, no spoilers! But they become a vital part of survival. And if you are ever feeling generous you can give Pot Boy a treat which makes him a joyful little pot for all his hard work!

Light it up!

The Midnight Walk features no traditional combat system, instead, it leans heavily into stealth and evasion. Your survival depends on your ability to hide, sneak, and stay silent. The creatures that stalk this world, for example “The Crawlers” are grotesque multi-limbed monsters that roam and feed on fire.

These entities are neither blind nor slow. They actively hunt you down, so staying quiet and out of sight is crucial. If you’re spotted, it’s not just a chase, you’re in for some intense jump scares that can catch you completely off guard. They caught me a few times. Even the sleeping ones tend to wake up. There are also multiple creatures on top of these including bosses, which really show the kind of imagination and creativity the developers at MoonHood have. To put it plainly “The stuff of nightmares”!

This jump scare was terrifying!

The difficulty of The Midnight Walk isn’t designed to be punishing, instead, it focuses on delivering a linear, narrative-driven adventure. “A cosy horror adventure”. While puzzles are part of the experience, they tend to be straightforward and easy to solve. There are moments that can feel a bit more tense, such as searching for items while being pursued by boss-like enemies, but that’s where stealth and careful timing becomes essential. The game aims to offer an enjoyable, immersive experience without overwhelming frustration. That said, who can resist the thrill of hiding from a monster that’s desperately trying to dig its way to get to you?

As you explore, you’ll come across cupboards tucked away in the environment, these serve as hidden caches for collectibles. Inside, you can find Clay Figures of the game’s characters and creatures, celebrating the handcrafted charm of the world. You’ll also uncover Gramophone Discs that unlock music tracks, which you can later listen to with Housey (more on him shortly). Additionally, there are “Story of Murkle” recordings you must find throughout the world these are narrated by Housey, offering intriguing insights into a key part of the game’s lore. Lastly, Shellphones scattered throughout provide further pieces of the world’s lore and backstory, this opened more to the outside characters and how they felt.

You’ve got a unique companion in The Midnight Walk; one that’s a bit larger than Pot Boy. Ever seen a house that moves? Meet Housey, the Doctor Who of houses. It may look small on the outside, but inside it's much bigger than you'd expect. Housey acts as your safe haven. Your dream home that follows you through the journey and helps in key moments, such as crossing a river. It’s the perfect place to relax, admire the collectibles you’ve gathered, and listen to The Story of Murkle, thoughtfully narrated by Housey himself.

The Doctor Who of Houses

Graphics & Visuals

The Midnight Walk brings its eerie world to life through the art of Claymation. A technique where clay models are meticulously moved frame by frame, with each subtle change captured in a series of photos to create the illusion of motion. The team had to use over 700 clay models that was then 3-D scanned into the game.

Seeing this traditional, time-consuming method used to craft an entire video game is nothing short of incredible. This results in a world that feels both handcrafted and hauntingly alive, making the experience more captivating. The game also utilises cardboard and real-life objects such as the burning stars that can be seen hanging from thread, again to create something this big, and using stop motion shows how much work was put into this game.

I love how much work went into The Midnight Walk

Everything you see is handmade, which unlike other games adds a more photo realistic look to it, especially after the recent update that adds improvements to the elements such as the fires and polishes up the aesthetics of both the environments and characters. This is dream, brought to life!

Creativity in the flesh!

Sound & Music

MoonHood not only brought creative talent through stop motion but the soundtrack too. The very talented genius Joel Bille, who has worked on other soundtracks such as Fe, Steam World Heist 2, and Stick it to the Man. Bringing the true magic of music. Joel and Bortre Rymden was able to create unique masterpieces which truly complements the theme and world of The Midnight Walk.

The main piece I really enjoyed is the main theme for the game called The Night Seemed Endless and Fraught With Peril. This piece has a dark gloomy tone, but it is also so powerful you just know you’re in for a treat. Using a Piano, a Violin, and a Clarinet these are used to create melodic threads, which Agnes Högberg and Adrian Åsling Sellius helped with. To create the deeper acoustic Viktor Turegård uses both a Tuba, and a Double Bass but my god I could listen to this theme over, and over and never get tired. Powerful is the key word here and a masterpiece!

The Midnight Walk also boasts an incredibly talented cast of voice actors who breathe life into every character. Each performance adds depth and personality, making the world feel even more real and emotionally engaging.

User Interface and Accessibility

The interface is designed with immersion at its core, stripping away anything that might break the atmosphere. There’s no HUD, no health bars, and no intrusive on-screen elements, just you, the world, and the journey ahead. It’s a clean, minimalist everything you need to keep players always immersed.

Accessibility has clearly been a priority in The Midnight Walk, offering thoughtful options to support a wide range of players. Vibration feedback can be adjusted or disabled entirely to suit personal comfort, and head bobbing, often a trigger for motion sensitivity.

This can be toggled on or off. For players with hearing impairments, a clever visual aid highlights object locations when closing your eyes, ensuring key gameplay elements remain accessible. It’s a well-considered approach that ensures more players can fully enjoy the experience.

Moon Mountain inbound.

Innovation and Comparisons

I absolutely love when a game introduces a truly unique feature, and The Midnight Walk delivers just that with its eye-closing mechanic. This clever system allows you to physically close your eyes in real life, especially in VR, and have your character do the same in-game. It’s a small detail, but it adds a huge layer of immersion and creativity, making the experience feel even more personal and interactive.

I must be honest, having played several Claymation-inspired games like Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit and Lost in Random, I thought I had seen it all. But The Midnight Walk is on an entirely different level. Developed by MoonHood, a team made up of former Zoink developers who also worked on Lost in Random. This game is the gift that keeps on giving. Every inch of it is crafted with passion and care, and it shows. From the smallest visual details to the emotional depth of the journey, this is pure magic brought to life.

Run Pot Boy!

Final Thoughts

The Midnight Walk was like a game I never expected. It took me by storm and showed me a new world full of mystery, darkness, and light. I came into the world PSVR2 on and gobsmacked with how graphically impressive it was, like being a kid on Christmas morning, waiting for that gift you know about and finding more than you expected.

That was what this game did for me, it took my heart and dragged me into the world, it felt like part of me, I was generally emotionally engaged with this game and adding the VR made it an impossible way to let go. I will have to admit, The Midnight Walk just may have my VR game of the year award!

So, to the team at MoonHood, I want to personally thank you for allowing me to explore this clayed beauty and I cannot wait to see what your guys do next! To the readers, if you are looking for an adventure like no other, than get your hiking boots on, because it’s a beautiful night for a Midnight Walk.

A huge thank you to everyone who took the time to read this review – your support truly means the world to me and is always appreciated!

On behalf of all of us here, thank you once again! I’m Lewis, and this has been another XPN Gaming review. Oh, and before you leave, don’t forget to… KEEP GAMING!

(Thank you to Andreas and both of teams at Fast Travel Games, and MoonHood for providing the code for this review)

XPN Rating: FIVE (Out of FIVE) Platinum