Midnight Murder Club Review

Midnight Murder Club is the latest online multiplayer game by Velan Studios, most known for their work on Knockout City and Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. First released in Early Access earlier this year, Midnight Murder Club’s full release hit digital stores last week, and after several hours with it with a bunch of mates, I was left mostly underwhelmed.

Midnight Murder Club is an online multiplayer first-person shooter set in the large and mysterious Wormwood Manor, where players must survive the night equipped only with a flashlight and revolver. The game has six different modes, including Free-For-All, Team Deathmatch, Thief in the Night, Headhunters, and the highlights, Wildcards mode and Graveyard Shift.

In Wildcards mode, each of the six players chooses a Wildcard from their collection, which influences the match ahead. For instance, a card can be selected that turns the game into a 3v3 match rather than the default 2v2v2, another one can fill the mansion with bear traps, while others can make you randomly fart to give away your position in the pitch black mansion. After every Wildcard match, each player can choose a new card to add to their collection, giving some incentive to continue playing this mode. 

Wildcards was by far the most fun I had with Midnight Murder Club, with it being the only mode offering a level of progression. As you collect more cards, the matches and Wildcards applied to them make for some unique (and ridiculous, at times) matches.

Graveyard shift is a solo or co-op mode you can play with one other person, set over nine rounds, which increase in difficulty as you progress. The Hunters, enemy AI, are sprawling across the mansion looking for you and your partner as you complete specific objectives like finding specific Golden Relics, destroying skulls or defeating demons. After each round, both you and the Hunters gain a new perk that will definitely spice up the remaining rounds. 

The other four modes were not very fun to play. The mansion felt far too large for a six-player lobby, and without the gimmicks of Wildcards, it felt very bland. I don’t know who would be selecting those modes instead of Wildcards or Graveyard Shift. 

Midnight Murder Club lacks what any online multiplayer needs: something to work towards. The only incentive to keep playing is to obtain additional Wildcards, but even then, the servers are empty. It’s a week after the release of the full game, and I am not finding any full online matches on PlayStation 5, which means if I wanted to play again, I’d have to round up five friends. Thankfully, there is a guest pass edition available, which allows the owner of the game to invite five friends to play for free.

Ultimately, this game still feels like it’s in Early Access with only two actually enjoyable modes and no progression system to encourage playing the game. Midnight Murder Club will bring you a good night or two with your friends online, but don’t expect it to make its way into your regular party game rotation.