Midnight Murder Club, developed by Velan Studios and published by PlayStation Publishing, is a very different kind of first-person shooter. Instead of open arenas or military battlefields, it places players inside a huge pitch-black mansion armed only with a revolver and a flashlight. Described as a “horror party game,” the setup is simple but effective: you either reveal yourself with the light to see your surroundings, or plunge into the dark where one wrong step could be your last. With one-hit kills—whether from a gunshot or a quick knife slash—every encounter is tense, funny, and often unpredictable.
The game recently launched on PS5 and PC after a period in early access. It costs just $9.99 / £8.99, but its standout feature is the Guest Pass system. Only one person in a group needs to buy it, and up to five friends can join for free, with full access to all content. That makes it one of the most affordable ways to gather friends for a multiplayer session, and it’s immediately clear that this is where the game shines.
Gameplay in the Dark
The core experience revolves around navigating the mansion with limited vision. Turning on your flashlight helps you see, but also exposes your position to enemies. Keeping it off makes you harder to detect but risks blundering into an ambush. Because every player can be eliminated in a single hit, whether by a bullet or a melee strike, the stakes in each encounter are high. Vendors scattered throughout the mansion add some variety, selling healing potions, weapons, and other upgrades that can shift the balance of a match.
Modes and Variations
At its heart, Midnight Murder Club features a Free for All mode that works with strangers but is best with friends. Proximity voice chat is one of its strongest features, letting players spook each other or strategize in creative ways. For those who prefer privacy, there’s also an option to scramble non-party voices.
Other modes expand the formula: Team Deathmatch offers the standard squad-versus-squad shootouts, Thief in the Night tasks teams with collecting and banking valuables, and Headhunters pits attackers against defenders protecting cursed totems. The most popular option, though, is Wildcards. Here, players unlock and use modifiers that dramatically change the rules—shrinking everyone to toy size, enlarging flashlight beams, or even letting bullets travel through walls.
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These twists make Wildcards the most chaotic and entertaining mode, but in public matchmaking, players don’t choose modes directly. Instead, lobbies vote, and Wildcards almost always wins. While fun, this voting system makes it harder to enjoy the other modes unless you’re with a private group.
A cooperative option called Graveyard Shift adds PvE content. Up to two players complete rituals such as returning items to an altar or destroying enemy totems while waves of AI opponents attack. Unfortunately, it highlights the game’s weaknesses: with only one oversized mansion map, the pacing feels sluggish, and the repetitive objectives wear thin quickly, especially when playing solo.
Playing With Friends vs. Strangers
Midnight Murder Club is a game defined by who you play it with. In a group of friends, it’s tense, hilarious, and packed with memorable moments. With strangers, the cracks show—frequent leavers upset team balance, the large map leads to long stretches without action, and the lack of bots in most modes makes matchmaking unreliable.
Only Wildcards and Graveyard Shift are somewhat playable alone, but the rest need real players. Oddly, the game allows you to start other modes solo and still earn trophies, even by simply waiting out the timer, which is more amusing than useful.
The Guest Pass system remains one of the most impressive aspects of the game. With one purchase covering up to six players, it’s a cost-effective way to gather a full party, and it helps the game succeed as a social experience.
Verdict
Midnight Murder Club is not the deepest multiplayer shooter, but its unique “pitch-black FPS” concept offers something fresh. With the right group, it can be hilarious, tense, and addictive. Without that group, the limitations—one large map, shallow progression, and a weak PvE mode—become more obvious.
Final Score: 8/10 – A fun and creative party shooter best enjoyed with friends. Solo players and those relying on random matchmaking may want to look elsewhere.
