The Midnight Walkers Early Access Review – Zombies Versus Humans

by

I’m really seeing a surge in extraction shooters lately – it feels a lot like when battle royales first blew up! It seems like every studio is trying to put their own spin on the formula. I recently checked out The Midnight Walkers by Oneway Ticket Studio, and it definitely delivers the thrilling PvPvE action you expect, but what really sets it apart is the horror theme. It’s a cool take on the genre!

Most extraction shooters pit you against other players in large outdoor areas. But in The Midnight Walkers, the biggest danger, besides other players, comes from hordes of zombies. Set after a zombie apocalypse, and taking place entirely within the massive Liberty Grand Center Mega-Complex, The Midnight Walkers immediately stands out. Its focus on indoor environments is different from most games in the genre, and while some titles like ARC Raiders feature non-human enemies, zombies feel like a natural addition that hasn’t been explored much in extraction shooters.

It’s clear that The Midnight Walkers is still in development as an Early Access game, having just been released. Even after playing for a few hours, it’s obvious the game isn’t fully finished. Long waits to find matches are a major issue, but it’s not the only one – the game still feels quite rough around the edges.

If you’re familiar with Dark and Darker, that’s the closest game to compare The Midnight Walkers to. It shares a similar gameplay loop: you venture out to collect loot, battling both computer-controlled enemies and other players, and then try to return to base with your rewards. While the core idea is the same, The Midnight Walkers stands out with its modern setting and focus on gunplay, making ranged combat much more effective than in Dark and Darker. Ultimately, you progress by finding better equipment and crafting it from materials gathered during your adventures.

The game features classes that let you customize how you play. For example, the Lockdown class excels at fighting from a distance with a bow, while Brick is stronger in close combat. Each class not only changes your playstyle but also unlocks a unique skill tree and determines what kind of equipment works best. The Crow benefits from light armor to stay stealthy, but Brick needs the toughest armor available.

The game most similar to The Midnight Walkers is Dark and Darker, and it takes inspiration from that game’s exciting balance between risk and reward.

The zombies in the game aren’t just simple enemies – they’re a solid base for a wide range of threats. We’ve already got different types, like slow walkers who try to overwhelm you with numbers, and more dangerous ones like spitters that attack from afar or fast runners that relentlessly chase you. Fighting them is really satisfying; the combat feels powerful, especially with melee weapons. You also have useful ranged options – bows with different arrow types, and shotguns that quickly eliminate small groups. Plus, most zombies clearly signal their attacks, making it fairly easy to defend yourself.

The most challenging aspect of this game is definitely facing off against other players. Unlike some games where you can team up with others, here you’re better off avoiding or fighting them. There’s no real advantage to cooperating with other squads, as there aren’t large bosses that require teamwork. Players have already proven to be quite competitive, making it hard for newcomers to keep their collected items when a better-equipped player spots them. Since you lose all your progress if you die during a raid, players tend to play cautiously, as risky moves are often heavily punished.

The way players leave the game creates a problem for those who prefer teamwork or playing with friends. Escape pods only hold one person, so groups need to find multiple pods or use codes to open them before escaping. This adds extra difficulty and risk, as staying in the building longer increases the chance of encountering enemy players.

The way players leave matches makes it difficult for those who prefer to team up or play with friends. It discourages cooperative gameplay and makes it harder for pre-made groups to enjoy the experience.

The graphics in The Midnight Walkers aren’t very polished. Textures often appear blurry, and the art style feels inconsistent. The game’s main location, the Liberty Grand Center, is confusing to navigate. While the initial complexity might be intentional, the lack of recognizable features or a clear sense of direction makes it hard to find your way around, even after playing for a long time. Although poisonous gas shrinks the map, offering temporary relief, it also pushes you to explore new, equally confusing floors of the Mega-Complex.

The game runs very well. On a PC with an AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D processor, 32 GB of RAM, and a Radeon RX 7800 XT graphics card, I consistently achieved high frame rates, even with the graphics settings turned up to their highest at 1440p resolution. I only experienced a few minor stutters, which seemed to be temporary as the game loaded resources, and quickly disappeared after a few minutes of gameplay. Overall, the game was technically solid and I didn’t encounter any major issues.

The audio quality is generally very good. You won’t be caught off guard by enemies because of sound problems. Zombie groans are clear enough to let you know they’re still nearby, and attacks sound impactful and realistic.

The game’s visuals are sometimes let down by blurry textures and inconsistent art style choices.

The game connects players and finds matches well overall. The biggest problem is with the extraction shooter mode – it often takes a long time to find enough players for a raid. Once you’re in a raid, though, the game runs smoothly and I haven’t experienced noticeable lag.

Currently, The Midnight Walkers can feel a little repetitive. After you get some good equipment, there isn’t much to keep you playing right now. The developers, Oneway Ticket Studio, will likely add more content later, but until then, you might enjoy exploring other similar games.

Currently, the main problem with the game is its balance. After just a few days, many players have acquired very powerful gear. This makes player interactions frustrating, as you’re likely to be quickly defeated. The game also lacks large, cooperative PvE challenges and relies too much on solo play for its extraction system. Combined with a shortage of compelling long-term objectives, these issues make The Midnight Walkers hard to recommend in its current state.

This game was reviewed on PC.

Read More

2026-02-09 21:12