Out With A Flash

            After a long day, sometimes the best game to play is a relaxing one that is calming in one manner or another. Petite Games set off to create Midnight to be a relaxing and fun 2D physics game of sorts, but does this atmosphere and light gameplay work well together, or is it below par?


           The idea behind Midnight is simple enough; touch the screen on your Wii U GamePad in the direction you want to propel Midnight (a white fairy in the shape of a square) to a small glowing hole, somewhat like golfing. After a little bit, you’ll get used to the physics of the game, but even then Midnight requires an astronomical amount of precision at some points. While it’s only there for completionists, you can obtain stars by completing a level in the least number of moves. Three is perfect, two is a few off, and one isn’t very good, but this doesn’t affect anything, so you don’t have to feel bad if you don’t get three stars on the first go. And you probably won’t get every star on the first go with the level of precision required for some shots to lands where you want them to. Luckily, a handy retry button is always on screen and quickly reloads the stage. Overall, this gameplay is very easy to pick up even if it is hard to master and somewhat helps set the mood for the game.


           Other than the simplistic gameplay, the atmosphere is one of the biggest parts of this game. Petite Games had created a wonderful, calming, and beautiful environment to see and listen to while playing Midnight. There’s beautiful picture in the background that’s aesthetically pleasing, and there is a light snow falling, which is a nice touch. In the background is a soft piano tune that only helps build this calming mood. The only thing we felt was a drawback about the atmosphere is the variety; there is none. While this is a great atmosphere for this game, it never changed once in the 28 levels of the game, which was unfortunate but not too major. The biggest drawback to the game is simply its brevity. The 28 levels in the game last only a few minutes each, and we beat the game in half an hour. Getting every star takes a bit longer, but even then the game only lasts one or two hours at most. Expanding upon the existing levels would’ve been fantastic, as the concept for this game could’ve gone much further than it did, but the 28 levels that are in the game are still dazzling by themselves.


           Midnight does what it sets off to do, and it does it incredibly well for the short time it’ll be played for. The gameplay can get tricky, but it’s still easy to understand and fun to play. The atmosphere is spot-on for the mood Petite Games is trying to convey. For $1.99, fans of atmospheric games will love Midnight until they’ve gotten every last star, but it might not be as much of a deal to others. Midnight is a wonderful little game that has a relaxing atmosphere and simple gameplay that’s sure to please those looking for a slower game off the Wii U eShop.

7.5/10

Review copy provided by: Petite Games