The Midnight Walk: A Claymated Nightmare You Won’t Want to Miss

Remember Lost In Random? I reviewed it a while back and praised its eerie, Burton-esque world and story, though it did fall into the trap of repetitive combat. Well, the creators behind that strange gem—Moonhood Studios—are back at it again with their newest title, The Midnight Walk, which made its creepy debut at last night’s PlayStation State of Play. If you're a fan of the dark and twisted, this one’s definitely for you.

Meet Potboy: Your Hideous Ceramic Companion

The Midnight Walk puts you in the shoes of The Burnt One, a protagonist tasked with guiding Potboy—a grotesque, flame-bearing ceramic lad—through a bizarre, claymation world. Potboy’s flame is your key to survival, lighting up the twisted universe around you, which is crawling with all manner of creepy, wrinkly creatures that seem all too eager to snuff out your light. One ominous line from the trailer, "Who took the sun away?" hints at the overarching darkness that's swallowed this world—definitely giving off Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree vibes with its lost sun and lurking horrors.

A World Sculpted in Clay and Darkness

The art direction is where The Midnight Walk really shines—or rather, flickers. Everything in the game has been painstakingly sculpted from clay and scanned into the game, giving the environment a unique, tactile quality. It doesn’t stop there—the animation is also done in stop motion, so the world has that unsettling, clunky vibe that’s perfectly in tune with the grim, claymation aesthetic. It’s like being dropped into a Tim Burton nightmare, only now everything is cold, drippy clay.

Five Tales of Fire and Darkness

The story promises to be split into "five tales of fire and darkness," and from the glimpses we’ve seen, you’ll meet a whole cast of weirdos on your journey. There’s a house on legs (because, of course), a guy with a huge hat, and some umbrella-wielding oddball. Beyond that, the gameplay teases some cool mechanics, like wielding a matchstick as if it’s a shotgun (don’t ask me how that works) and having Potboy spark up pathways with flames shooting out of his ceramic head.

Eye-Tracking and VR Madness

The game is slated for release in 2025, and it’s not just coming to Steam—it’s also set to launch on Steam VR. The VR version sounds especially intriguing, with eye-tracking tech that lets you manipulate the world by closing your eyes. Yeah, you read that right. You’ll be able to “focus on sounds and manipulate the world” just by blinking. I have no idea how that’s going to play out, but I’m both fascinated and mildly terrified to find out.

We don’t know much more about The Midnight Walk at this point, but from what we’ve seen, it’s shaping up to be another dive into the weird and wonderful from the team at Moonhood Studios. I’m cautiously optimistic—if they can nail the atmosphere and unique mechanics, this could be a bizarre yet unforgettable journey. Just make sure you keep Potboy’s flame lit, or you might find yourself lost in the dark.