RPG Maker horror 2D horror Stealth horror Short horror Horror Anime horror

In the Midnight Light

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Make sure your uncle is safe from the shadows, one midnight at a time.

Platforms: Browser, PC
Stores: itch.io
Price: Pay what you want
Rated: 4.5/5 from 204 ratings on itch.io
Length: 15 to 40 minutes (maker's estimate)
Players: 1
Controls: Keyboard: arrow keys to move, Z or Space to interact and to keep your heartbeat in time
Made by: hoshiyo

What frightens Ryo wakes on a rainy night and cannot go back to sleep until he knows his uncle is safe from the shadow spirits that lurk around the house. Sneaking through the dark rooms at midnight, he meets crowds of shadows with glowing eyes, keeps his heartbeat steady in quick-time events when they catch him, and hears them say frightening things about a past he cannot remember.
Content: frightening imagery.

In the Midnight Light is a short, free RPG Maker horror game by hoshiyo, made in 15 days for the 3rd RPG Maker Horror Game Jam. Over three rainy nights, Ryo sneaks around his house at midnight, hiding from shadow spirits and collecting memory fragments that bring back his past.

About In the Midnight Light

In the Midnight Light was hoshiyo's first game, made in 15 days for the 3rd RPG Maker Horror Game Jam hosted by Beregon. It can be played in the browser on itch.io or downloaded for Windows, which the maker recommends for the full experience, and it is name your own price.

It opens on a line about a rainy night where Ryo's memories seem to begin. He wakes in the middle of the night and cannot go back to sleep until he makes sure his uncle, Mr. Hunter, is safe from the shadow spirits that lurk around the house. How he came to be there is a blur.

You walk Ryo through the soft purple rooms of the house and out into a dark garden over three nights. Shadows gather in the rooms, dark figures with glowing eyes, and when they find you, you press a key to keep your heartbeat in time. You can hide from them or face them, and along the way they tell Ryo frightening things that bring back fragments of his past. Small objects around the house change from night to night.

Its look is soft and anime-styled, but its maker calls it a short horror game. It takes 15 to 40 minutes and has two endings. It suits players who like gentle RPG Maker horror with a sad story at its heart.

How to play In the Midnight Light

Play in the browser on itch.io, or download the zip, extract it and run Game.exe on Windows.
Walk Ryo around the house with the arrow keys and interact with Z or Space.
Avoid the shadows where you can; when they catch you, press Z or Space to keep your heartbeat in time.
Collect memory fragments around the house over the three nights.
Play again to see the other ending.

Screenshots

In the Midnight Light screenshot: Ryo in his small purple bedroom, saying he can do this and it is time to head downstairs

In the Midnight Light screenshot: Ryo surrounded by a crowd of dark shadow figures in a dim pixel-art room

In the Midnight Light screenshot: a heartbeat bar with two hearts over a dark staircase, with the prompt to press Z or Space to align your heartbeat

In the Midnight Light screenshot: Ryo standing by a small gravestone in a dark, overgrown garden at night

Tips

Download the Windows version if the browser one is slow; the maker recommends it.
Check rooms again each night; small things change.
Stay calm in the heartbeat events and press in rhythm.