Midnight Snack

About Midnight Snack

Midnight Snack is a free game by Desborde Games, released on Steam in May 2025. The store calls it short and surreal and puts its length at about 30 minutes.

Its hook is the controls. The whole interface is the face of a microwave. The bottom dial turns the camera and the top dial sets how long you will walk; once you set the time, the controls lock until the top dial has wound down. You play with the mouse alone, and you cannot stop or turn while the timer runs, so every step into the dark is a commitment.

The story is the protagonist's recurring nightmare. He wakes hungry in the middle of the night, seeing the world from a microwave's point of view, and must cross a dark and eerie place, a lamp-lit forest that turns red and long yellow corridors, before he reaches the kitchen. On the way he is attacked by dream manifestations of his guilt.

Players say the fiddly dials build real tension and stress, and that it is a strange, memorable short piece. It suits players who like experimental horror built around one idea, such as Iron Lung.

How to play Midnight Snack

1. Turn the bottom dial to point the view where you want to go.
2. Turn the top dial to set how long you will move forward.
3. Wait while the timer runs; the dials stay locked until it stops.
4. Avoid the obstacles and what attacks you on the way through the forest.
5. Reach the kitchen and open the microwave on the table.

Tips

• Set short times when you are unsure of the way; you cannot stop once the dial is turning.
• Line up the view carefully before you move, since turning takes a dial of its own.
• Use the lamps in the forest as landmarks in the dark.

Questions