Summary
The Midnight Walkis an adventure horror game made usinga mix of claymation and digital artthat makes it an incredibly unique title with amazing visuals. The dark atmosphere and tone combined with interactive stories within make it difficult to put the controller down before the end of your long walk.
The main focus of these stories told in each chapter are the characters you’re able to learn about, talk to, and uncover along the way. While there are many small roles for individual characters, some have a strong focus and tell memorable stories that blend together to create a final message about relationships and sacrifice.
10The Soothsayers
One of the more mysterious and enigmatic characters you meet along The Midnight Walk, the soothsayers have two heads and speak in one voice, giving vague clues as to your role in the story. Their design is also incredible and captures your attention the second you meet them.
Also, being one of the last characters you speak to near the end of the game, they foreshadow a choice you have to make at the top of Moon Mountain. Because of their role in the game and their dialogue, they appear more as omniscient narrators than individuals within the world.
9Auntie Murkle
Foreshadowed through a conch speaker before you meet her, Auntie Murkle is one of the more optimistic characters you meet. When you first see her, she is comforting a distraught Potboy at a campfire, speaking of her friendship with a monster of the forest.
After Potboy leaves, Auntie Murkle shares some valuable words of wisdom as you both gaze at the starlight. Her last line is an important reminder for the player that can influence their final decision, “Is this enough?”
While there is no wrong ending, the story you may watch inside Housy featuring Murkle gives you hints as to what you might lose or gain through the final decision.
8The Headmistress
In an effort to offer levity in an otherwise dark and terrifying experience, the heads of Nobodyville are bumbling and cranky, literally brought low by their decision to remove themselves from their bodies. At the center of town, the Headmaster sets you on the task of dealing with a local beast.
After his speech, the Molgrim appears and immediately eats him, to which the head sitting next to him takes his place with a droll resignation and gives you the same task. She is also the character that offers you the match gun, which unlocksnew gameplay mechanicsused during the rest of the game.
7The Craftsman
The largest character you meet, the Craftsman is introduced by stealing your wandering home from you, putting you on the path to retrieving it. His design is both grand and remarkably consistent, showing a crown of buildings on his massive head which point to his duties as a leader and builder.
During the various films you watch throughout Craftman’s level, you learn how tragic of a character he really is, desperate for his daughter’s love but unable to accept her as an individual. This character is also one of the few you directly influence, convincing him to repair his relationship and change his values.
You pass the Craftsman’s daughter as she walks past you before you reach his chapter, secretly foreshadowing her story.
6The Soulfisher
Like the Soothsayers, you meet the Soulfisher at many points along the Midnight Walk to Moon Mountain, often finding him snoring at unlit campfires. He is both charming and has a soothing voice, offering nuggets of wisdom that make him feel timeless and well-traveled.
One of the conch speakers you can find also provides hints as to his origin, perhaps being older than any other creature, with knowledge of places far beyond Moon Mountain. His dialogue also helps tie the game’s mechanicswith its message, impressing the importance of kinship and listening to what the world offers.
5The Moonbird
A character that appears at a handful of crucial moments in the story, the Moonbird has an eery and maniacal charm as he is seemingly more powerful than it lets on. Obsessed with stories, the Moonbird delights in the dark twists and tragic ends, like those of Nobodyville and the Craftsman.
More of a passive observer, the Moonbird takes special interest in your journey, almost taunting you as you dare hope to have any optimism about the end of your journey. A nice foil to other characters such as the SOulfisher, the Moonbird offers a unique perspective that adds to the dreary gloom of the game.
4The Thief
Perhaps the most tragic tale in any chapter of The Midnight Walk, the thief was a child of Coalhaven, obsessed by the flame given off by lit matches. By stealing so many, she deprived the town of a way to light a massive furnace, effectively killing everyone in town.
As a result, the people turned on her and eventually killed her, which didn’t restore the furnace as they still died off. The Thief’s tale is also one of redemption, as you restore her body and offer her one last match, showing her the compassion she needed all along.
3The Molgrim
A unique twist that subverts your expectations of the fire-obsessed monsters you are introduced to early on, the Molgrim is unique in that it isn’t really a monster at all. After setting off into its swamp and retrieving the cauldron pieces, you discover the Molgrim is a victim of the people of Nobodyville.
There is even a conch speaker where the Molgrim speaks, discussing its people’s unique relationship to fire and their importance in maintaining a natural order. The final part of the level, where you return the Molgrim’s fire and watch the stars it produces, is one of the most powerful moments in the game.
2Housy The House
One of the two best friends you make on your journey to Moon Mountain, Housy is a walking house resembling Baba Yaga’s chicken hut, following you and Potboy along the Midnight Walk. It also acts as a way to view your collectibles, music vinyls, and watch the story you can uncover through finding reels.
Although Housy isn’t much for conversation or expressing emotion, Housy’s role in the story is one that will have you gaining a deep appreciation for it. Even Potboy and Housy have a relationship with each other, making the three of you feel like a real trio.
1Potboy
The number one boy and true hero of The Midnight Walk, Potboy is an innocent little flame that loves to chomp on coal and help you along your journey to Moon Mountain. Each time Potboy is lost, stolen, hurt, or sad is a moment that breaks your heart for him each time.
Potboy is also a key figure to the central message of the game, which tests you at the very end by giving you an important choice to make. Every step of your journey you make with Potboy, especially the first meeting between you two, is a memorable one that makes the game worthwhile.
