Review of The Midnight Walk VR for SteamVR & PSVR 2: An Artistic Exploration of the Grotesque

Sure thing, here’s a messy, human-like version of the article for you:

So, picture this: You’re walking right into Tim Burton’s mind. Yeah, that’s kind of what diving into The Midnight Walk feels like. Visually, it’s got this dark, beautiful vibe screaming to be seen with a headset on—though, you might wonder if it really pulls you in enough, y’know? Stick with me, we’ll see what’s up.

Anyway—uh, wait, where was I? Oh, right—details! So, it’s by Fast Travel Games and developed by MoonHood, and you can grab it on Steam or PS5 if you want that VR experience. Quest 3 through Steam Link was my weapon of choice; dropped May 8th, 2025—price tag: $40.

Talking gameplay now. Imagine wandering around in something that really is part art exhibit, part storytelling. It’s like… basic gameplay? Puzzles that aren’t brain-benders and playing hide-and-seek with freaky monsters. The art though, wow. It’s like they crafted those visuals by hand, scanned them into 3D—so there’s this strange, Burtonesque beauty. You’re this mouse-sized character, and everything is so detailed up close, it’s like being in a shadowy dream. Or maybe a nightmare. Who knows.

Let me tangent a bit here because, y’know, art and awkward animation, can they coexist? The game’s stop-motion, or part of it—I mean, sometimes it’s buttery smooth animation smacked right next to stop-motion. Jarring much? Feels like a bug, honestly.

Speaking of jarring, let’s hit up puzzles again. Never got that ‘aha!’ moment we live for, y’know? Though, those creepy little sequences, they do get a bit memorable. But VR-nativeness, it’s, uh, lacking. The whole horror angle feels watered down, lacking the scare factor. Nightmare-ish but not nightmare fuel, if that makes sense.

The game’s art is this perfect little masterpiece while everything else, well, they’re like supporting actors. The narrative tries to be poetic, cryptic perhaps, but it never managed to yank me in fully—didn’t click for me, emotionally. These unnamed narrators spin stories that left me wandering, not rushing to their resolution.

Oh! Immersion time. (Can I call that immersion time? Sounds a bit fun, right?) Look, I love that up-close, headset experience, even if it feels… detached. You grab keys, but no clunky keyhole moment; you just yank them from inventory and watch them float like magic. It’s kind of charming, but kind of not.

Quick highlight on those flying machine rides—you hang on by ‘pressing A’, not with that real touchy-feely thing you’d expect in VR. Missed opportunities echoing around, sort of clattering in the distance.

Now, let’s chat about… yeah, comfort. Movement’s slow, comfy, but those cutscenes…you’ve got this wild view-swinging, head-grabbing thing that can tilt the world just a bit dizzy for comfort. Some might squirm, others might be cool with it.

And voilà—comfort settings! Real crouch isn’t a thing, hear me? Props to languages though: English, French, German, Japanese, Korean, Chinese, Spanish—all hanging out together.

Geez, not gonna lie, this wandering through the game’s quirks feels… well, oddly satisfying. It’s like living inside someone else’s dream world and witnessing every little flaw and finesse. Fun, right?