Being the parent of a young one who loves all things horror and gaming can be a challenge. Outside of Bulb Boy, the horror related games that are fit for his young mind are few and far between, often requiring me to let him play something aimed at an older, more mature gamer. In the event I go this route, I am subject to late night visits because it was too spooky. Typically, games will either be overly scary or too tame. Cue Midnight Deluxe with its minor horror theme and brain tingling puzzles.

This is a puzzle based game that combines elements of golf with physics based gameplay similar to Angry Birds, all the while masked within a spooky, Halloween themed backdrop, complete with shrouded beings that our small, blocky protagonist can greet or use to complete his goals. What is his goal? Naturally, it’s to shoot himself from point A across all of the obstacles to point B, a well-lit area. That’s it. I know it sounds super simplistic, but after you complete a few levels, the challenge grows immensely. Eventually, you’ll have to not only hit the end point successfully, but toggle switches to open gates or evade traps, one of which is at the outskirts of the level as boundaries are non-existent later on. Sadly, the game never evolves beyond this core mechanic, leaving its presentation to carry the bulk of the game forward.

Since simplicity is the name of the game, the controls are made up of only a small number of commands. You can aim with the stick, hold down a face button to charge the shot, and then there is a handy button to restart the level at will if you find yourself boxed into a corner. This tends to become a bit of an issue around a fifth of the way through the game, as some of the levels are designed to trick you into backing yourself into an area you can’t escape.

The visuals are a special treat, with creepily themed backdrops that add the illusion of depth, containing menacing smiles here and there, reminiscent of something you’d see in Halloween Town from The Nightmare Before Christmas. I would have preferred to see some variation in the design elements like this come into play, as I have seen only a single background used in the 50 of the 100 levels that we have managed to complete as a family. The music adds to the game’s charm, adding just the right touches to make this standout as one of my son’s new favorites; however, I’ll likely remember the time spent with my son being more memorable than anything the game offers.

With a staggering 100 levels to complete, each with its own ranking of one to three stars upon completion, there is a lot of content for the ridiculously low price point, boiling down to the developer pushing out quantity over quality. If you’re looking for a simple yet effective puzzle game that isn’t overly taxing, Midnight Deluxe hits the mark, but will likely overstay its welcome.

6 out of 10

Pros

• Charming, Spooky Visuals
• Accessible Controls
• Beautiful BGM
• Tons of Levels

Cons

• Quantity Over Quality
• Never Evolves Past Basic Premise

Midnight Deluxe was developed by Petite Games and published by Ratalaika Games. It is currently available for NS, PS4, PS Vita and X1. The game was provided to us for review on X1. For more on Midnight Deluxe, check out its official site.

 

Here at GBG we use a rating method that you are more than likely familiar with – a scale of 1 to 10. For clarification, we intend on using the entire scale: 1-4 is something you should probably avoid paying for; 5-7 is something that is worth playing, but probably not at full price; 8-10 is a great title that you can feel confident about buying. If you have any questions or comments about how we rate a game, please let us know.

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