Midnight Heist Preview | A Surprising Treat for Halloween

When talking about the ghost-hunting genre in the video game ecosystem, you might think that the games focus on making you investigate the ghosts’ origin and type, or simply have you try escaping the ghosts by utilizing many tools and devices to accomplish that objective. However, there is a new game that just released for this Halloween season that employs new twists while keeping the iconic parts of the ghost-hunting genre, blending them perfectly in a way that I’ve rarely seen before: Midnight Heist.

This game’s intention is not to pit you directly against the ghost; no, rather, your main task is to simply gather enough data by hacking various laptops and PCs that are scattered within the map. The Entity’s objective is to give the players a sense of ‘clock is ticking’, thus you can’t simply brute force your way through by hacking every device you see, but the players must employ careful tactics and be ready for anything to have a chance to win in Midnight Heist.

With that in mind, this Midnight Heist preview will delve deeper into many aspects of the game, ranging from its story, and the gameplay mechanics that rely on calmness and steady hands, to the graphical and sound design that accompany you hacking through the devices while looking out for the Entity. Let’s begin.

Midnight Heist is available on Steam for $5.99.

Story | Mysterious City

In Midnight Heist, we are playing as a newbie hacker and heister who can do odd jobs and tasks for notorious organizations in Midnight City. These organizations are Black Hats, Satoshi, and Shadow, each with a distinct modus operandi that, while interesting, does not affect the gameplay or the contracts we the players can accept.

In addition to that, there is only one company that we can rob in Midnight City, though I believe more targets will be available as the Early Access development goes on. There are no adequate explanations as to why we’re targeting this particular company, why the shady organizations want their data, or why there is an Entity lurking around the offices, but in a horror-heist game like Midnight Heist, there is more to peel off after you take a quick look to its story, however, as per this writing, the game does not yet delve deeper into its story.

One thing I wish from the developers is to flesh out Midnight Heist‘s story and make it easier to access and notice, as I believe sprinkling the backstory on more documents or hackable devices, which usually only yield data for our missions, are two main parts where I think they can provide insight into Midnight City’s organizations and companies.

Breaking Into Cemax South Agency.

Gameplay | Battle Against the Unknown

Now that we have seen Midnight Heist‘s backstory, it’s time to take a look at its gameplay, which I think makes this game one of the better iterations in the ghost-hunting genre. 

Midnight Heist

Just like the title, our main objectives happen during the night, when we must break into companies and try to hack and steal their data. To help our endeavor, the game provides us with two devices: A Smartphone and a Tablet, both of which are your best friends during the majority of the gameplay. Oh, and let’s not forget the trusty Flashlight, which will help you identify a danger that lurks around you, ready to pounce whenever it can.

Smartphone

Let’s start with the Smartphone. This device has two purposes: hacking and taking photos. For most of the game, it requires you to hack any laptops or PCs that you can find to gather enough data for your employer. This is where the Smartphone comes in. To hack a device, simply approach them until you see a green outline and press the E key while holding the Smartphone to begin hacking. In addition to laptops and PCs, you can hack the cameras in the building to gain visibility to rooms to allow a better understanding of the map’s layout… And to keep an eye out for the Entity.

The other function of the Smartphone is the ability to take photos. To do this, simply equip the Smartphone, then press the F key to switch its function from hacking to photos. This tool is useful whenever you see illicit activity within the company’s building, such as money printing machines and drugs.

Hacking a Laptop.

Tablet

Moving on to the second device, we have the Tablet, a trusty tool that can help you keep a lookout by browsing through the cameras that you’ve hacked, as well as providing information about the game’s core mechanics. 

To utilize this device, you can scroll through the inventory, equip the Tablet, and keep pressing the F key to use it. Otherwise, you can’t take a closer look at the cameras or guides without doing so, which is understandable, as this gives a sense of risk whenever you use the Tablet because you won’t be able to see your surroundings or equip your flashlight to help you battle the darkness.

Watching the Cameras Through the Tablet.

Flashlight

And the last tool in Midnight Heist is the good old Flashlight. There are two options that you can have here: Regular flash, or UV light. Regular flash will help you sift through the building more easily as you will be able to see the hallways and rooms better.

Meanwhile, the UV light helps you keep track of the Entity, as it allows you to see the Entity’s fresh tracks in a certain room that it’s currently in, helping you decide on whether you should keep hacking devices in that room or make your way to another room before it’s all too late.

The Entity

Now that we know all the tools that will help us during our heists, we will move on to the primary danger that lurks inside the target buildings: The Entity.

The Entity is a powerful yet mysterious being that lurks around the buildings that you’re trying to rob and hack. Although it is unknown as to why the Entity exists within those buildings, one thing is for certain: you will meet certain death if you are unable to escape from it.

From the gameplay standpoint, the Entity is a peculiar challenge that players must overcome. If you have played or are familiar with Phasmophobia, then you should already have a grasp of what the Entity does: lurks around the map, doing small things to spook the players (whispers, audible steps, or smashing lightbulbs), and if the parameters are fulfilled, it will enter a hunting state.

All in all, the Entity in Midnight Heist follows the same rulebook as other ghosts in many other games, though there are some things that I find quite obscure, and I hope that the developers will improve upon them. The major thing is that we can’t see and monitor our sanity levels, thus forcing us to ‘feel’ the timing of when the Entity will enter its hunting state.

Another problem is that the Entity itself moves around the map a bit too fast, giving us a minimal window of time to react and find a haven within that map, resulting in at least one death in a co-op playthrough. If these major issues are ironed out, then the Entity can retain its horrifying presence while still giving the players a chance to escape and survive multiple encounters against it.

Graphics and Sound | Fit for a Heister

After taking a look at what’s inside Midnight Heist‘s gameplay, we will move on to the last part of this preview, its graphics and sound design.

Personally, for an Early Access game, Midnight Heist is one of the better ghost-hunting games in terms of its graphics. The lighting is on-point, the environmental props are detailed and nice looking, and there are no buggy graphics all around.

However, I do have a slight complaint about the locker animation. It’s janky. Very, very janky. While the prompt is easier than other games, in which you only need to press the E key to open the door, the body collision with the locker can sometimes be unreliable, making me die at the hands of the Entity if it’s hunting. Moreover, during a co-op playthrough, one of my teammates died because the body collisions between players were inconsistent; he was unable to enter the locker because my player’s body blocked him from doing so. If the developers can fix or improve this, then the graphical side of the game will be further elevated into something great.

In terms of sound design, I have no issues with Midnight Heist‘s choice of music and sound. Most items have a sound that reflects their real-world counterparts, and the music is very chilly and enhances the spooky atmosphere during the gameplay. Overall, the sound design is a strong point of this game, and it’s an absolute feast for the ears.

This Midnight Heist preview is possible thanks to MediaTale Games for providing a preview code to us.