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Digital Trends
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Digital Trends
The Midnight Walk taught me that it's okay to embrace the darkness
As I'm sure is the case with many people right now, I'm currently going through it. It's hard not to look at the state of the world right now and not spiral a little bit. Concerns about the economy and the destructive rise of AI have bled into my personal and professional anxieties, leaving me in the dark. So many times this year, it has felt like my fire has been blown out. But you are not doomed to eternal blackness once a flame goes out; with a little effort, it can be rekindled. So perhaps it was fate that I sat down to play The Midnight Walk this past weekend on a whim. After two exhausting weeks of travel that fully drained my energy, I decided to settle in for developer MoonHood's debut game. I didn't know much about it other than the fact that it's an adventure game that features a Claymation art style that's a dead ringer for Tim Burton's work. Though it can be played on a normal display, I chose to try it on PlayStation VR2 instead. I'm not sure why. Maybe I just wanted to disappear for four hours — a textbook case of escapism. Recommended Videos Thankfully, The Midnight Walk didn't let me drift away. Instead of escaping my troubles in a fantastical world, I got the wisdom I needed from a moving fable that's about both reigniting your inner fire and knowing when it's okay to embrace the darkness. Like any great fantasy, it only whisks us away to bring us back to where we started with fresh eyes. Fire in my heart Created by a new studio founded by developers who worked on Lost in Random, The Midnight Walk is a playable fable built out of clay. In it, I control a character known only as The Burnt One who sets out on a quest to bring light to a dark world. I am accompanied by a critter named Potboy, a sentient lantern whose flame is exactly what I need to navigate fire-based puzzles that have me lighting candles and heating up cauldrons to raise platforms. It's a straightforward adventure game that's entirely built around light puzzles instead of combat. Its most immediately striking quality is its stop-motion art. Like this year's South of Midnight, it does a convincing job of adapting physical animation to an interactive medium, complete with characters that are animated on twos. At first, I see an obvious parallel to Tim Burton, but The Midnight Walk has its roots in deeper animation traditions. I'd liken it more to classic European and Soviet films, sharing more in common with Yuri Norstein's Hedgehog in the Fog than The Nightmare Before Christmas. It strikes a delicate tonal balance that's somewhere between cute and creepy. It's childlike, as if pulled out of a storybook, but mature and emotional in the same breath. It's sort of a Rorschach test for players as there are a few ways you could categorize it depending on how its tone hits you. At times, it's a warm and charming adventure. Other times, it's nearly a horror game in the vein of Little Nightmares. That duality isn't a flaw, but rather a function. The Midnight Walk is very much about the tension present in its tone. The story takes place across five chapters, each of which is centered around fire as a multi-purpose symbol. In some tales, fire is a fundamental resource needed for survival. I need to bring fire back to a freezing town to keep it warm, for instance. Other tales abstract it a bit more. One chapter tells the story of a craftsman and his strained relationship with his daughter, a conflict that snuffs out his creative passion. Much of the gameplay has me resolving those issues by wielding the power of fire to solve villagers problems as I embark on a trek up the fabled Midnight Walk to restore a burnt out sun. MoonHood gets creative about how to turn its symbol into gameplay. I occasionally need to grab giant matches and strike them against a box to light torches. I can command Potboy to move around and light objects up with the press of a button, making for some clever 'one-player co-op' puzzles. One repeated sequence has the two of us running through a raging storm, stopping to hide behind rocks before a big gust of wind freezes us. In those moments, I need to huddle around his burning head to stay warm. Fire isn't just an element here, but a lifeline. It's no wonder that the residents of this world feel so lost without it; they are left wandering through the darkness. You might be tempted to boil story down to a battle of light vs. dark, a dull crutch of a theme that so many games lean on. The Midnight Walk is far more nuanced about that though, which is where its excellent VR mode comes into play. Darkness can be terrifying for The Burnt One. It hides monsters that stalk the hero, forcing me to occasionally tiptoe through stealth sequences lest I have the bejeezus scared out of me. But like fire, darkness can be a tool too. When I close my eyes (literally on PSVR2 thanks to excellent eye tracking), I develop a superpower. I can hear hidden objects like keys, allowing me to find them by tracking the sound. When I see a blue eye icon, I can close my eyes to reveal secret paths. Some enemies have that same eye and I can vanquish them by standing tall and shutting my eyes rather than turning and running away. I'm scared the first time I do that, as I can hear the sound of a charging beast approaching. But when I open my eyes, it has disintegrated. The nuance to The Midnight Walk's story is in how it sees darkness as a necessity like water. Rather than being something to escape, it's framed as a constructive force that allows us to recover when times get tough. There is room for self reflection in the seemingly infinite blackness. Stretch out as far as your body will allow to fill that void and then strike a match when you're ready to continue the long walk. That idea resonated with me by the end of the four-hour journey. The more I played, the less I dreaded the dark. The horror elements dissipated as I grew more confident. I could close my eyes without fear, beating the monsters on their home turf. I was still on a quest to rekindle a lost flame, but I found that I could navigate the twisted clay world even without it. We are not lost even when the lights go out. There's always a path forward. Close your eyes, take a deep breath, and listen. The Midnight Walk is available now on PS5, PC, and compatible VR headsets.
The Review Geek
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Review Geek
The Midnight Walk: Complete Walkthrough & Game Guide
The Midnight Walk: Game Guide Welcome to our Midnight Walk game guide! We'll dive into every part of this Gothic Claymation adventure, helping you navigate every mission, cruise past all the puzzles and snag every trophy and achievement along the way! We're currently playing this one and have everything you need to know about the game. From here, you'll find links across to each individual guide, along with FAQs and more. Do be sure to bookmark this page though as we'll be adding more articles over the coming days and weeks! Misc. Articles & Reviews The Midnight Walk Game Review (coming soon!)
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Frank Zappa's Unaired Concert Special to Be Released After More Than 50 Years
In June of 1974, Frank Zappa and his rapturous band, the Mothers of Invention, invited a small audience to the their rehearsal hall on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood, Calif. Together, they performed for over two hours while a small film crew captured the evening, and a mobile recording truck picked up on the audio. Unfortunately, the audio and video weren't synchronized. As a result, the June concert that Zappa planned to pitch to TV networks was never released — that is, until May 9, when the special dubbed 'Cheaper Than Cheep' is set to arrive via Zappa Records/UMe. More from Variety Frank Zappa's Recordings, Song Catalog and More Acquired by Universal Music Group Alex Winter on Telling the Story of 'Paradoxical' Frank Zappa in New Doc: 'It Took Us Years to Get it Right' 'Zappa' Review: Alex Winter's Documentary Hauntingly Captures the Skewed Passion of Frank Zappa, a One-of-a-Kind Rock Legend 'Ladies and gentlemen, we'd like to welcome you to the world's cheapest television special, which is being manufactured for your edification right here in the midst of our Mothers of Invention rehearsal hall at 5831 Sunset Blvd., Hollywood, California,' Zappa says in the footage. 'Can you all turn around and look at each other so everybody who's watching this can tell where we are and what the inside of this place really looks like. As you can see it's cheaper than cheap.' Directed by Ahmet Zappa and produced by Frank Zappa, Vaultmeister Joe Travers and Ahmet Zappa, 'Cheaper Than Cheep' will be released exclusively on uDiscover Music and Sound of Vinyl in a variety of formats. A Blu-ray version (with Dolby Atmos) of the 'Cheaper Than Cheap' concert film will be available for purchase as part of a deluxe box set featuring a 2CD and 3LP of the performance. The box set also comes with an extensive 12-page booklet with rare images and informative liner notes from Travers alongside a detailed and heartfelt remembrance from musician Ruth Komanoff Underwood who performed percussion that evening. The Blu-ray includes four extras – two performances, a blooper reel, and a deep excerpt from the out-of-print Claymation film, 'The Amazing Mr. Bickford.' Additional options include a Blu-ray video and a 2CD set, in addition to a standalone soundtrack on 180-gram 3LP black vinyl. Watch the 'Cheaper Than Cheep' trailer below. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week What's Coming to Disney+ in April 2025 The Best Celebrity Memoirs to Read This Year: From Chelsea Handler to Anthony Hopkins
Associated Press
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
‘Flow' wins animated feature Academy Award, delivering Latvia its first Oscar
LOS ANGELES (AP) — 'Flow,″ a wordless cat parable, won the Oscar for animated feature at Sunday's 97th Academy Awards. The win gives Latvian filmmaker Gints Zilbalodis his first Academy Award. 'Flow' was made with Blender, a free, open-source graphics software tool using computer generated animation. The result is a dreamy aesthetic paired with a peaceful, yet post-apocalyptic, fable about a black cat, dog, capybara, ring-tailed lemur and secretary bird trying to survive a catastrophic flood. The film has no dialogue and forces viewers to be mesmerized by the unlikely relationship and understanding between the species trying to escape the rising waters. 'I think you can express a lot more without words. Some of these emotions and ideas I couldn't articulate with words but with music, sound, movement and editing, I can say a lot more,' he said backstage. 'Those are my favorite kinds of films and favorite scenes and are very cinematic and transcend cultural boundaries.' It's only Zilbalodis' second animated film as a director. 'Thank you to my mom and dad. Thank you to my cats and dogs. I'm really, moved by the warm reception our film has had. I hope this will open of doors to independent animation filmmakers around the world,' said Zilbalodis. 'This is the first time a film from Latvia has ever been nominated. So it really means a lot to us. We are very inspired and we hope to be back soon.' Zilbalodis' unexpected Oscar contender — and now winner — has been welcomed with open arms this award season. The win Sunday adds to an already impressive resume for the new director, which includes a best animated feature win at the Golden Globe Awards and nominations from Critics Choice Awards, Annie Awards and British Academy Film Awards. The success of the film is shared with producers Matīss Kaža, Ron Dyens and Gregory Zalcman. The Latvian, French and Belgian co-production was also nominated for best international feature film, and is the first Latvian film to be nominated at the Academy Awards. The film beat another atmospheric story in 'The Wild Robot,' as well as 'Inside Out 2,' Disney's highest-grossing movie last year, and Claymation films 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl' and 'Memoir of a Snail.' Iranian filmmakers Shirin Sohani and Hossein Molayemi also earned their first Academy Award for animated short film for 'In the Shadow of the Cypress.' It was the second Iranian animated or live-action short film nominated at the Oscars and the first to win. 'In the Shadow of the Cypress' takes a creative approach to the relationship between a father, an old former captain who is dealing with PTSD, and his daughter. 'It's a very long story and it's not feasible to explain all of it at this moment. We are living on sanctions. Our national currency is devaluing and shrinking every day. The most important thing is the economic crisis,' Molayemi said. 'We have always been interested in making a featured animated movie,' Sohani said on what the pair is working on next. ___
The Independent
03-03-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Oscars photos: See reunions, props and more candid moments from the red carpet
Stars had fun on their way into the Oscars. Best supporting actress nominee Ariana Grande, dressed in a baby pink gown with a tulle skirt, and Elle Fanning, in lacy white, held hands and laughed as they arrived. The fashion moments were plenty and wide-ranging: Timothée Chalamet, nominated for best actor, walked in a butter yellow suit, holding the hand of his mother, Nicole Fender, as they approached the Dolby Theatre. Andrew Garfield opted for a chocolate brown suit. Michelle Yeoh's royal blue gown cascaded down the stairs. Grande and Yeoh's 'Wicked' castmate Bowen Yang and his 'Las Culturistas' podcast co-host Matt Rogers were all smiles, posing with lucky fans who secured seats in bleachers through lotteries. Dressed in florals, Jeff Goldblum — the Wizard of Oz himself — and his wife Emilie Livingston stopped to pose with U.S. Army members there to celebrate their 250th anniversary. It wasn't just human stars making their way through the sea of celebrities and photographers on the carpet: Filmmakers Nick Park, Richard Beek and Merlin Crossingham carried the Claymation stars of 'Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl,' nominated for best animated feature. Animation director Nicolas Keppens wore a figurine of the character Bart from his nominated short 'Beautiful Men' in a pink baby carrier on his chest. Slava Leontyev, co-director of 'Porcelain War,' held Frodo, the yorkie featured in the documentary. Diane Warren, nominated for her 16th Oscar for her song 'The Journey' from 'The Six Triple Eight' wore a jacket adorned with glittery music notes. She lifted up her collar to reveal a phrase printed on the inside: 'Make it (expletive) Happen.' (Spoiler: it didn't. El Mal' from 'Emilia Pérez' won the best original song Oscar.) ___ AP Film Writer Lindsey Bahr contributed to this report.
