Midnight Murder Club has been around for months with early access, but I have to admit that its full release creeped up on me. I’m a fan of fun and unique multiplayer products that offer interesting twists on traditional formulas and things completely different.
In that sense, I really wanted to love Midnight Murder Club, but it was mixed with such a lovely blend of eccentric action and moments of hideout that are better shared with friends. There are also some unique modes and mechanics that do their best to keep things fresh and fun.
But, like most multiplayer games coming and going, I don’t know if Midnight Murder Club has the level of progress and depth to keep players in the long run.
put in danger
Midnight Murder Club is a completely multiplayer experience. So don’t rely on substantial lore about the actual storyline or why you’re doing what you’re doing. Equipped with a flashlight and a revolver, both the player and the bot will encounter the mansion in the darkness and drop it on unsuspecting players.
Most of the time, Midnight Murder Club generally plays in six modes and feels the same. There are some minor differences that highlight each of these modes. Team deathmatch mode from free is as easy as you can get, and the remaining four modes offer more meat to chew.
Night mode thieves see them trying to win a certain gold skull to run to collect a certain number of golden skulls to bid on more banks than the opposition when the round is over. Like good run and start modes, opposing teams can kill you and easily score your hard-earned booty.
Headhunter mode feels like it’s dead in the daytime as one player takes over a team of five players requires them to find and destroy three shrines on the map. It’s a standard asymmetrical fun, and usually brings out the best of your team from a clear and accurate perspective.
With a group of up to six players split into three teams, Wildcard mode undoubtedly handed out the most fun ones. Each player can then select a specific card before entering the match. This will change the rules of the game in some way. For example, players could shrink to half the gift. Use items such as Molotov cocktails. You can select a new card at the end of each round and unlock more cards as you complete each match. There are a total of 24 cards to unlock, which certainly pulls out the best midnight murder club.
Finally, there is the Graveyard Shift mode. This sees solo players and teams complete nine rituals and remove the otherworldly inhabitants of the Wormwood Mansion. Most of these rituals consist of mechanics and goals you encountered in other modes, but it is also a fast-paced, easy way to dive into the fun, and it feels fun to play solo.
This is the party
From a gameplay perspective, the Midnight Murder Club feels functional, solid, yet relatively tame in most modes. Equipped with a flashlight, a revolver and a knife for melee attacks. You can sprint and sneak up on your way, while turning off the flashlight and hiding in the dark.
The basic mechanisms generally feel the same across each mode. For example, don’t actually change these core mechanisms. You can pick up items like machine guns and the aforementioned Molotov cocktail, but I wouldn’t say that gameplay is inevitably deep in terms of its progression and gameplay.
Stealth sometimes feels like an option considering that you can turn off your flashlight and hide in the dark, but no bounty is rarely pulled away. Knifes do a decent job of filling enemies, but with unlimited ammunition it’s better to send six shots out to the enemy. Even though you are giving your position, if you have a few seconds, it’s very easy to hide again.
The close chat is always cheerful and there’s no difference here either. If you’re playing with random players, you can also scramble your voice, but after a while it felt a bit annoying. I found most of the matches just a few minutes later, but it’s definitely a better experience when I played with friends.
That being said, you can play against matching solos or bots, and while bots are not great, they allow you to experience each mode at least if you can’t find a match. In that sense, it may help the game last longer.
Please look at the parts
Midnight Murder Club is far from ugh, but it doesn’t show off that much either, given that most of the game is played in the dark or through the lens of a flashlight. The Wormwood Mansion is detailed and interesting enough with plenty of unique rooms and exterior areas, but it’s not crazy either.
Unfortunately, the game doesn’t help with the soundtrack as moments generally require quiet to maintain the atmosphere and tension of the game.
Thankfully, the game ran with uniform clips and did not encounter any major framerate drops or performance issues.
Final Thoughts
Overall, Midnight Murder Club is a decent multiplayer mashup and certainly good when playing with friends.
It’s far from the deepest or most engaging multiplayer experience, but the game’s budget-friendly $13.95 price range rounds up gangs and dives into a fun weekend of a week or two.
That being said, given the progression system and overall gameplay mechanics, it’s really hard to say how long this will be present in the ordeal of time.
3 stars (out of 5)
Highlights: Fun atmosphere and unique game modes. Melee chat is added to the chaos and is much better for friends. Budget-friendly price tag
Low light: Gameplay and progression are slightly shallow
Developer: Velan Studios
Publisher: PlayStation Publishing LLC, Sony Interactive Entertainment
Platform: PlayStation 5, Windows PC
Available: Now
Reviews conducted on the PlayStation 5 Pro are conducted using pre-release code provided by the publisher.
Highly popular images provided by the publisher.
