I may be in the minority, but I think it’s a travesty that relative newcomer Velan Studios is not more well-known throughout the gaming landscape. Granted, the few titles under their belt haven’t made as big a splash as one would’ve hoped, but it’s hard to deny the team’s creative abilities. Their debut game took the form of a mixed-reality Mario Kart spin-off, and they followed that up with the stellar Knockout City, a multiplayer dodgeball game that received a rare 10 out of 10 from our former editor-in-chief.

Velan’s latest release, Midnight Murder Club, is also looking to deliver a never-before-seen experience, albeit on a smaller scale. At first glance, this online multiplayer shooter is more old-school than new; players all use the same gun, there’s no aiming down sights, and in most circumstances, any shot you land on your opponent will result in an instant kill. GoldenEye 007 fans are bound to be delighted.

But then there are all the things that Midnight Murder Club does differently. It’s not a free-to-play shooter; there’s nothing in the way of battle passes and endless cosmetics to chase, and it’s best enjoyed when playing with other friends over voice chat. This might seem like blasphemy to some, but as a millennial, these design decisions are music to my aging ears. Oh, and of course, every single match is pitch black.

Some might be quick to label it as a gimmick or novelty, but after playing several hours across its handful of game modes, I’d call it clever. Every single match takes place across a sprawling, two-story mansion (complete with an outdoor courtyard), but unlike most other shooters you’ve played, there’s nothing in the way of a lantern or ceiling lights, let alone a natural source of sunshine. Instead, matches play out at night in complete darkness, with each player armed with a trusty revolver and flashlight. You can use your flashlight to navigate around the Clue-esque mansion, but of course, using your flashlight will also give away your position to any enemies nearby.

On paper, this sort of change might seem minor, but in practice, it completely alters the way you approach any given match. Sprinting from room to room is rarely a viable option (unless you want to be gunned down in record time), and it’s clear that Velan has used Midnight Murder Club’s early access period to fine-tune and balance the overall experience. Many rooms are separated by doors that can be open or closed (cutting off long lines of sight), your minimap disappears if you turn off your flashlight, and there’s virtually no upside to spraying and praying, thanks to lengthy reload times and bullet tracers. One decidedly modern design inclusion is the ability to revive downed teammates, which lends the game a more competitive feel.

Midnight Murder Club certainly demands that you rethink your playstyle, but once you settle into a groove, it makes for a great time, especially if you can bring some friends along for the ride (which is made easy with the game’s Guest Passes, which function the same way as It Takes Two or Split Fiction). That being said, queueing into matchmaking on your own is very hit or miss, and I often found myself playing with others who would only turn on their mics to drop a few F-bombs or yell for no inexplicable reason (is this really the state of online gaming in 2025?)

That unevenness also extends to Midnight Murder Club’s multiplayer modes. Team Deathmatch shines when you find a good squad to roll with, though Free for All can often feel a bit too hectic since it removes the need for planning, strategizing, and reviving downed teammates. Thankfully, Headhunters (which has one team seeking out and destroying totems while the other works to defend them) and Thief in the Night (which tasks players with finding and depositing treasures strewn throughout the map) help to pick up the slack.

Wildcards is arguably the most popular mode right now, and it’s not hard to see why. It’s essentially a spruced-up Deathmatch, but with modifier cards chosen by each player that can drastically alter the way a match plays out. One card makes it so players who stand still will die after a few seconds, another removes all doors from the mansion, and the most chaotic (that I’ve seen so far) shrinks players down to a fraction of their original size if they’re shot, allowing them to exact revenge in miniature form. There’s also the newly added PvE Graveyard Shift mode, but it’s a bit of a dud. It can be played solo or with one other player, but pitting you against AI-controlled enemies while you knock out a list of humdrum tasks gets boring rather quickly.

Midnight Murder Club (PS5) Review: Final Verdict

Still, even with its limited modes and maps (or rather, map, singular), Midnight Murder Club makes for a wildly good time if you can sign up a few friends. It might lack the flash and panache seen in modern live-service titles, but if you’ve been yearning for an online shooter that emphasizes gameplay and good times over all else, look no further.

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