Yomawari: Midnight Shadows

83%
Game Brain Score Based on 185 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • graphics
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows Game Cover
Yomawari: Midnight Shadows mixes a creepy cute art style, atmospheric sound design and a heart warming story to create a comfy horror experience. A few jump scares aside, it captures the scary ambiance perfectly.
Starting at €19.99Buy now
Get on Steam

In "Yomawari: Midnight Shadows," two young girls become lost and separated from each other in a dark and foreboding town while trying to return home from a fireworks display. Players must navigate the shadows and hide from supernatural creatures, using items found in the environment to solve puzzles and progress through the game. The higher goal is to reunite the girls and uncover the haunting truth behind the town's sinister secrets, as revealed through notes and mysterious writings.

  • PC
  • Play​station 4
  • Play​station 5
  • Steam Deck
  • Windows
  • Play​Station
  • Play​station Vita
Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

83%
Audience ScoreBased on 185 reviews
story40 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • The game features a beautifully eerie atmosphere with charming art and sound design that enhances the horror experience.
  • The story is more fleshed out than its predecessor, providing emotional depth and engaging character development.
  • Gameplay improvements, such as the addition of new mechanics and a larger world to explore, make for a more enjoyable experience overall.
  • The gameplay can be repetitive and simplistic, leading to moments of frustration, especially during boss fights.
  • Some mechanics feel underutilized, and the character movement can be sluggish, making navigation tedious at times.
  • The save system can be punishing, with long walks back to bosses after dying, which detracts from the overall enjoyment.
  • story128 mentions

    The story of "Yomawari: Midnight Shadows" is generally praised for its depth and emotional engagement, featuring a darker and more complex narrative compared to its predecessor. Players appreciate the character perspectives and the atmospheric storytelling, which effectively intertwines horror elements with themes of loss and friendship. While some critiques mention plot holes and a less satisfying ending, the overall consensus highlights the game's intriguing lore and immersive experience, making it a strong recommendation for those seeking a compelling story in a horror setting.

    • “Midnight Shadows has a very strong story; the addition of being able to play multiple characters with their perspectives makes it very engaging and emotional.”
    • “The story is intriguing and much more fleshed out than its predecessor, with choices that enhance the storytelling's duality.”
    • “Yomawari: Midnight Shadows is a great addition to the survival horror genre, featuring a tense and atmospheric world coupled with a wonderful story.”
    • “Unfortunately, sometimes the story becomes hard to follow because of gameplay aspects, which I will get into more below.”
    • “However, the story is really bad; the ending was awful and didn't feel rewarding at all to go through this chore of a game.”
    • “The story is weak, and the storytelling is even weaker.”
  • gameplay68 mentions

    The gameplay has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it repetitive and overly reliant on trial and error, leading to frustration during challenging sequences. While some appreciate the improved mechanics and exploration elements, others criticize the simplicity and lack of engaging combat, particularly during boss fights. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a step down from its predecessor, despite some enhancements, making it a divisive aspect of the game.

    • “The gameplay is varied and introduces new mechanics (won't spoil).”
    • “The unique playstyle, gameplay, visuals, and especially the acoustics make this game exciting and also frightening.”
    • “The gameplay is a lot more smoothed out than the first one, without many of the frustratingly tight moments of its predecessor.”
    • “The gameplay of the game may leave you frustrated and unsatisfied since it's more about trial and error than skill or understanding the gameplay mechanics. Even by playing with the guide, there will be many sequences that will be hard to pass through without dying about three to five times.”
    • “Between sluggish movement and tedious, repetitive gameplay, I really can't recommend this one.”
    • “What makes them so bad is that there's really no fun to them at all past the first attempt, because it doesn't really even feel like gameplay, more like an extended cutscene, and you're intentionally punished by the developers for dying in the battles by having your time wasted.”
  • graphics39 mentions

    The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their enchanting and cute art style, which effectively blends with a darker atmosphere, creating a unique horror experience. While many noted that the visuals are similar to its predecessor, improvements in detail and a larger variety of environments enhance the overall aesthetic. The combination of beautiful graphics, charming character designs, and immersive sound design contributes to a captivating and sometimes chilling gameplay experience.

    • “The ambience and aesthetics of this game are top notch (headphones are recommended).”
    • “Incredibly beautiful graphics.”
    • “This game is enchanting and horrifying at the same time - the cute art style mixed with macabre visuals and atmosphere work amazingly well together!”
    • “Even if the art style and atmosphere have a special charm, I can't recommend this to anyone.”
    • “The art style is largely the same as Night Alone and many assets have been reused.”
    • “Once again the top-down view and art style help prevent the game from living up to the horror tag, so if that's what you came for, it might be a bit disappointing.”
  • atmosphere29 mentions

    The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its spooky charm, immersive sound design, and unique art style that blends cute and macabre elements. Reviewers highlight the constant horror ambiance and well-defined monster designs, creating a tense and engaging experience that enhances the storytelling. Despite some gameplay flaws, the atmospheric qualities are considered the standout feature, making it a compelling choice for fans of horror games.

    • “At first, the game was charming, with spooky monster designs, scary moments, and great atmosphere.”
    • “Really spooky and creepy game with amazing atmospheric sound design, creepy spirits, and an endearing story that'll twist your heart.”
    • “This game is enchanting and horrifying at the same time - the cute art style mixed with macabre visuals and atmosphere work amazingly well together!”
    • “Even if the art style and atmosphere have a special charm, I can't recommend this to anyone.”
    • “The best thing that can happen to you playing this 'horror' is not a scary atmosphere, not a complicated and confusing plot, good graphics, or something.”
    • “The atmosphere and ambience of the game is a repeat performance, with no actual music and just the sounds of the city and nature to keep you company.”
  • grinding8 mentions

    Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to slow character movement and the need for repetitive backtracking after deaths. While some sections are less frustrating than in the previous installment, the lack of fast travel options and the overall sluggish pace contribute to a sense of monotony in exploration and gameplay. Overall, while the game is not excessively grindy, it does require patience for those who dislike repetitive tasks.

    • “Overall, a pretty good game; it's not really difficult to beat and doesn't require excessive grinding to achieve 100% completion.”
    • “The grinding aspect is balanced, making it enjoyable rather than tedious.”
    • “I appreciate that the game allows for grinding without feeling overwhelming or repetitive.”
    • “Between sluggish movement and tedious, repetitive gameplay, I really can't recommend this one.”
    • “I would criticize the gameplay in that sometimes when you have to walk a long distance, especially over and over, it gets tedious because even running, your character is slow.”
    • “- a lot of cheap deaths that require you to do some tedious back-and-forth every time you die.”
  • emotional7 mentions

    Players have reported a deeply emotional experience with "Yomawari: Midnight Shadows," highlighting its strong narrative and character perspectives that foster genuine connections. Many expressed feelings of sadness and attachment, particularly during the impactful ending, which left them wanting more. The combination of a moody atmosphere and heartfelt storytelling contributes to a unique blend of comfort and emotional depth in the game.

    • “I got a little bit emotional after the last chapter and ending, so in the end I'm left with a positive experience rather than a negative one.”
    • “Midnight Shadows has a very strong story; the addition of being able to play multiple characters with their perspectives makes it very engaging and emotional.”
    • “Not only is it even moodier than the first, but the story is actually very engaging, with real emotional stakes thanks to the authentic bond between the two characters.”
  • music6 mentions

    The game's music is minimalistic, with a focus on creating an unnerving atmosphere through the absence of tracks, aside from a standout credit song. While the sound design effectively enhances the darker tone of the story, players find the overall soundtrack lacks memorable pieces, relying heavily on ambient sounds to set the mood. Despite this, the single theme song is praised for its quality, echoing the sentiments of the original game.

    • “A game you will loop its theme song over and over again after you finish the story.”
    • “Has bigger maps, has visually improved graphics, soundtracks, and sound effects that are far grimmer than the old one.”
    • “The game only has one song in it, but much like the first game, it is a great piece.”
    • “Mood-wise, the game's spirits this time around are quite unnerving, which is accentuated by the lack of music (except for the credits that sport a much nicer song than the previous title) and the darker tone of the story.”
    • “The music remains about on par with the original, containing a good credit song, but mainly being devoid of memorable tracks.”
    • “The atmosphere and ambience of the game is a repeat performance, with no actual music and just the sounds of the city and nature to keep you company.”
  • optimization4 mentions

    Overall, the game's performance is generally good, though some users noted minor issues that slightly detracted from the experience. The atmospheric sound design, featuring city and nature sounds, contributes positively to the immersion despite the lack of music.

    • “Actual performance was overall good.”
    • “Performance was a bit marred, but I still had fun.”
    • “The atmosphere and ambience of the game is a repeat performance, with no actual music and just the sounds of the city and nature to keep you company.”
  • replayability3 mentions

    The game has been criticized for its lack of replayability, with players noting that once completed, there is little incentive to revisit it, as missed collectibles cannot be retried without deleting save files. Many recommend waiting for a sale before purchasing due to this limitation.

    • “As far as I saw, they made sure it had no replayability whatsoever unless you delete your file, so you can't even go back to collect the rest of the 'treasures' you missed or just look around.”
    • “Like the other games NIS has been porting, it's a fun ride... but wait for a sale before purchasing due to lack of mileage and replayability.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Character development features simplistic and cute character designs, contrasting with unsettling spirit designs, which may evoke mixed feelings among players.

    • “The character designs are simplistic and cute, but the spirit designs are unsettling.”
    • “Character development feels shallow and lacks depth, making it hard to connect with the characters.”
    • “The progression of characters is predictable and uninspired, leaving little room for growth or surprise.”
Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

Critic Reviews

74% average critic score

Buy Yomawari: Midnight Shadows

Play time

5hMedian play time
5hAverage play time
5-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 1 analyzed playthroughs

Videos

Similar Games

Game News