The Midnight Sanctuary

About

The Midnight Sanctuary is a single player action game with a horror theme. It was developed by CAVYHOUSE and was released on October 3, 2018. It received neutral reviews from critics and overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

The Midnight Sanctuary blurs the line between reality and surreal both in storytelling and visual style. Blending static 2D textures and moving 3D models creates a striking visual effect, further enhanced in VR. The Midnight Sanctuary's graphics, which incorporate a stained glass-style to create a beautiful aesthetic, provides an eerie background for the alarming events Tachibana encounters.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player

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100%

Audience ScoreBased on 17 reviews

story7 positive mentions

The Midnight Sanctuary offers a unique and surreal experience with its bizarre visuals and dreamlike atmosphere, making it stand out among visual novels.
The voice acting is excellent, bringing the characters to life and enhancing the immersive storytelling experience.
The game explores thought-provoking themes related to faith and human behavior, leaving players with a lasting impression and much to ponder.

The pacing of the story is slow, with some players feeling that it takes too long to become engaging.
The visuals can be off-putting, with rough animations and a lack of depth that may strain the eyes over time.
As a linear visual novel with no branching paths, some players may find the lack of choices limiting and the overall content too brief for the price.

story
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
44%
17%
The story is presented through a series of brief vignettes, featuring a fully voice-acted narrative that unfolds in a unique VR format, immersing players in a mysterious and charming village setting. While the pacing and character development have received criticism, many players appreciate the engaging themes of faith and modernity, as well as the distinctive art style and atmosphere. Overall, the story is described as intriguing, albeit with some drawbacks in execution, leaving players with a memorable experience.
- “The midnight sanctuary tells a fantastic, fully voice-acted story better read than read about.”
- “The story is mysterious and charming; it starts out confusing, but by the end you're invested in everything, and left with a lot to think about... the voice acting is excellent, and helps bring everything to life despite the slightly abstract visuals.”
- “Unique art direction, an excellent voice cast, and an engaging story that explores faith, salvation, life, and death.”
- “The story is drawn out a bit too much and the mystery isn't very impactful, but I dare anyone to come up with a game with the same tone and ambiance that this game delivers.”
- “The pacing is awful; the story only really gets interesting after a couple of hours, and the translation is a little weird.”
- “Characters receive little to no development, the story has poor pacing, and the art direction can be difficult to look at.”
graphics
13 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
46%
31%
23%
The game's graphics are characterized by a strikingly unique art style that combines surreal visuals with transparent textures, creating a captivating atmosphere. While the visuals are praised for their boldness and charm, some players noted minor VR comfort issues, such as difficulty in depth perception and slight dizziness due to the abstract design. Overall, the graphics contribute significantly to the game's narrative experience, despite some reservations about their execution.
- “The atmosphere, the themes, the visuals, all very unique and thought-provoking.”
- “The art style is wonderful in VR if you're a fan of how it looks from the trailer.”
- “The art style is unique; certain textures are transparent and show the patterned overlay.”
- “I'm sure many of you have reservations about giving this game a try due to its visuals.”
- “The voice acting is excellent and helps bring everything to life despite the slightly abstract visuals.”
- “The visuals are very unshaded and silhouette-based, which looks wonderful and lends itself to the game's surreal mood, but it does make it hard for your eye to resolve depth sometimes, in a way that can be a little straining after long enough.”
humor
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Users appreciate the humor in the game, particularly highlighting the amusing visual patterns that follow the player's head in VR, which adds a lighthearted and entertaining element to the experience.
- “I love the hilarious patterns that follow your head in VR.”
- “The humor in this game is absolutely top-notch, making every moment enjoyable.”
- “The witty dialogue and clever puns had me laughing out loud throughout the entire game.”
emotional
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Players appreciate the game's distinctive art style, which enhances its emotional impact, though some experience minor discomfort due to its immersive visuals. Despite initial dizziness, most users quickly adapt, allowing them to fully engage with the game's emotional depth.
- “The game's art style is stunning and creates a unique emotional experience that stays with you long after playing.”
- “The emotional depth of the characters and story truly resonated with me, making every moment feel impactful.”
- “I was genuinely moved by the narrative; it evoked a range of emotions that I didn't expect from a game.”
atmosphere
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The atmosphere of the game is praised for its uniqueness and creativity, featuring thought-provoking themes and striking visuals. Despite its small scale, it effectively immerses players in a strange yet captivating environment complemented by a compelling narrative.
- “The atmosphere, the themes, the visuals, all very unique and thought-provoking.”
- “This game is small but creative, filled with a strange atmosphere as well as a great story.”
music
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The music in the game is well-received, contributing to an immersive experience alongside its unique texture effects and engaging voice acting.
- “I played this in VR and really enjoyed the unique texture effects, voice acting, music, and story.”
gameplay
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The gameplay is described as a pleasant and enjoyable experience, enhanced by the inclusion of voice acting, which adds to its overall quality.
- “Nice and sweet gameplay experience, very good indeed with voices included.”