3 Minutes to Midnight - A Comedy Graphic Adventure
- August 22, 2024
- Scarecrow Studio
- 20h median play time
Get on SteamIn "3 Minutes to Midnight," play as Betty Anderson and Eliza Barret to unravel the mystery of a town where danger lurks around every corner. Encounter quirky characters, from a power-hungry mayor to a vengeful potbelly pig, as you uncover a doomsday plot. This classic point-and-click adventure game features HD cartoon art and humorous dialogue.
Reviews
- The game features great voice acting and a witty script filled with pop culture references, making it entertaining and engaging.
- The art design is dynamic and visually appealing, providing a refreshing change from typical pixel art styles in other games.
- 3 Minutes to Midnight offers multiple ways to solve puzzles, enhancing replayability and allowing for creative problem-solving.
- The pacing is inconsistent, with long-winded dialogues and unnecessary comedic asides that can detract from the overall experience.
- Some characters and plot points feel underdeveloped, leading to a lack of resolution and engagement with the story.
- The game suffers from performance issues, including long pauses between dialogues that can make it feel tedious to play.
- humor61 mentions
- 97 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highly subjective, with some players finding it delightfully absurd and reminiscent of classic titles like Sam & Max and Monkey Island, while others criticize it as cringy and overdone, filled with unskippable dialogue and forced gags. Many appreciate the blend of light-hearted and dark humor, though opinions vary on its effectiveness, with some enjoying the witty banter and clever writing, while others feel it falls flat or becomes annoying. Overall, the game's humor is a mixed bag, appealing to fans of quirky, tongue-in-cheek comedy but potentially alienating those who prefer more straightforward humor.
“The humor is just the right mix of absurd and light-hearted.”
“It’s packed with witty, tongue-in-cheek moments that kept me smiling and chuckling all the way through.”
“The dialogue is sharp, filled with witty banter and the kind of humor that made games like The Secret of Monkey Island timeless.”
“Your enjoyment of this title will depend greatly on your tolerance for jokes that are really overdone and just fall flat, along with way too much pointless, unfunny, unskippable dialogue.”
“The constant (and mostly unfunny) wisecracking in almost every other line of dialogue is exhausting. Believe me, the jokes are terrible - and not in an 'amusingly terrible' way; they are just unfunny, and they keep on coming.”
- story49 mentions
- 47 % positive mentions
- 47 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its intriguing premise, rich character development, and engaging plot twists, while others criticize it for being nonsensical and filled with filler content. Despite its flaws, many find the narrative enjoyable and reminiscent of classic adventure games, with a blend of humor and suspense that keeps players invested. Overall, the story is seen as a key element that enhances the gameplay experience, though opinions on its execution vary widely.
“The story is rich, original, and surprisingly good, keeping you hooked from beginning to end.”
“The story line is intriguing, the characters are well developed, and the voice actors are phenomenal.”
“The mix of deep storytelling, humorous dialogues, and interesting characters makes it stand out.”
“It feels like a game that went through development hell over a long period of time, had multiple plot drafts, and then instead of discarding anything, they just threw it all in and called it a day.”
“The story is also completely nonsensical and not in a good way.”
“The game is just full of filler content - conversations or items that aren't relevant to the story in any way and are just there because the devs thought they'd be funny.”
- graphics27 mentions
- 70 % positive mentions
- 19 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming art style, vibrant colors, and impressive detail, reminiscent of classic adventure games. Many reviewers highlight the stunning visuals and animations, which enhance the overall experience, while the voice acting and soundtrack also receive commendations. However, some players feel that the graphics alone cannot compensate for lengthy and tedious dialogue, impacting their overall enjoyment.
“The visuals are amazing, especially the insane level of detail in many animations.”
“The gameplay is smooth and engaging, the visuals are stunning, and the story had me hooked from start to finish.”
“It's a point-and-click graphic adventure, but that's where the similarities end.”
“Graphics and sound:”
“The hand-drawn art style is vibrant and packed with detail, reminiscent of the richly animated worlds of LucasArts games.”
- music13 mentions
- 69 % positive mentions
- 23 % neutral mentions
- 8 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its quality and variety, with many tracks that enhance the overall experience and fit the mood of each scene perfectly. While some reviewers found certain pieces to be forgettable, the majority highlighted the soundtrack as a standout feature, contributing to the polished feel of the game alongside its strong plot and engaging voice acting. Overall, the music is considered a significant asset, adding depth and enjoyment to the gameplay.
“Everything feels polished—the script, the backgrounds, the voice acting, the music...”
“It's good, and there's way more music than is necessary; it feels like for every space there's a new track, and it's good stuff.”
“The sound design is equally impressive, with a soundtrack that captures the mood of each scene perfectly and voice acting that brings the quirky cast to life.”
“Voice acting is decent enough, although the music is relatively forgettable.”
- gameplay12 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The gameplay in "3 Minutes to Midnight" is generally well-received, characterized by smooth mechanics and engaging puzzles that evoke nostalgia for classic point-and-click adventures. While some players criticize the pacing and writing, the overall experience is enhanced by quality voice acting, detailed animations, and a compelling story, offering over 20 hours of varied gameplay and multiple endings that justify its price.
“However, this is a small complaint, as the gameplay itself is delightful.”
“Given the number of chapters, and how well the game has kept up its quality bar with the great voice acting, detailed gameplay, animations, and humor, I'm definitely satisfied and hope for this game to see a bit more attention.”
“The gameplay is smooth and engaging, the visuals are stunning, and the story had me hooked from start to finish.”
“3 Minutes to Midnight is easily one of the worst point-and-clicks I've ever played, not necessarily because of the gameplay itself (which is surprisingly well-planned) but because of the absolutely godawful pacing and writing.”
“This can leave the player waiting impatiently to get back to the gameplay.”
“During the last hour of gameplay, I found one simple task; all the rest is just dialogue.”
- optimization4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews; while some players report smooth performance on platforms like the Steam Deck and no bugs during extensive playtime, others have experienced significant performance issues, including long pauses between dialogue that disrupt the flow of the game. Overall, the voice acting, particularly by Maayan Voss de Bettancourt, has been highlighted as a standout feature despite these technical concerns.
“Runs smoothly with no fiddling on the Steam Deck.”
“Lots of performance issues, with long and consistent pauses between dialogue that make it appear as if the game has locked up.”
“Performance issues aside, not a single bug encountered during my 24-hour playtime.”
- replayability4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The game is highly praised for its replayability, with players noting that multiple solutions to puzzles lead to varied outcomes, enhancing the overall experience. Many reviewers find this aspect refreshing, contributing to a compelling reason to revisit the game after initial playthroughs.
“This makes the game extremely replayable.”
“I was about 8-9 hours in when I learned one of the crowning achievements of this game: replay value.”
“A lot of the puzzles can be solved in more than one way, which results in different outcomes and adds to the replay value.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Character development in the game is praised for its balance with world-building, featuring strong voice acting and character design. However, some users feel that the depth of the story and character arcs is lacking, suggesting that the overall narrative could be more engaging.
“Great balance of character development and world building.”
“Good voice acting is married to strong character design, and the environments are a delight to explore.”
“The depth of story and character development is impressive.”
“The depth of story and character development is severely lacking.”
“Character development feels shallow and uninspired.”
“There is a noticeable absence of meaningful character growth throughout the game.”
- grinding3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game particularly frustrating, especially due to unskippable cut scenes in the final puzzles that disrupt the flow and create a tedious experience. While the game showcases a strong narrative, certain chapters, like Chapter 3, significantly slow down the pacing, leading to feelings of irritation and monotony.
“Worst of all, the very last puzzles have unskippable cut scenes that, when combined with a limited time window to try solutions, rapidly become extremely tedious and then outright infuriating.”
“It's clearly a labor of love from a very small team, but that doesn't prevent it from being a tedious slog of by-the-numbers adventuring.”
“Chapter 3 brings the otherwise great flow of the story to a grinding halt.”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is highly praised, with players noting its immersive quality and unique, quirky world reminiscent of the influence from Thimbleweed Park.
“His 2017 game, Thimbleweed Park, seems to have been a significant influence as well, particularly in terms of its atmosphere.”
“Great atmosphere, I'm totally immersed in this weird world.”
- stability1 mentions
- 300 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game demonstrates strong stability, running smoothly on the Steam Deck with impressive battery life and effective controller support.
“The game runs great on the Steam Deck, offering long battery life and excellent controller support.”
“I experienced no crashes or bugs during my playthrough, which made for a smooth gaming experience.”
“The stability of the game is impressive; I can play for hours without any performance issues.”
