Andrea Baroni’s Midway to Daybreak is unbelievably bleak for a recreation you may play from begin to end in about 10 minutes. I imply that as a praise; it’s one of the best horror expertise I’ve had on the Playdate but.
As somebody who tends to gravitate in the direction of all issues spooky, one of many issues I’ve been most considering as I discover what’s on the market for Playdate is seeing how builders will make horror work for the bizarre little handheld. Midway to Daybreak takes a blended method: within the first half, it’s a text-based narrative recreation the place you’re scavenging for assets and readying your self for the lengthy night time forward; within the second, it’s an all-out struggle to your life in opposition to an onslaught of eldritch creatures.
Midway to Daybreak wastes no time in setting a temper of desolation and impending doom, starting with dialogue from our protagonist about feeling “as lifeless as these scattered remains of humanity” in a metropolis overtaken by some unnamed terror. In the course of the narrative portion of the sport, you will need to select amongst totally different areas to go to — the mall, pharmacy, gun retailer and a home — so you may hopefully discover issues like first help kits, weapons, ammo and traps. However there’s no telling whether or not every of those journeys will likely be profitable.
You may discover a field of shotgun shells however by no means get your fingers on a shotgun to truly use them. You may even get damage whereas scavenging. There’s additionally the choice to relaxation, which is able to replenish your well being bar (whilst you’ll begin with full well being on Straightforward mode, Exhausting will begin you with two out of the six well being factors already depleted). However an hour will move after every choice, and it’s important to keep acutely aware of the time. The clock begins at 6PM, and as soon as it strikes 1AM, you’ll be pressured to exit and defend your self in opposition to the monsters till daybreak.
At this level, the sport turns into a top-down shooter — and relying on the way you fared with assets, a reasonably difficult one at that. Monsters will likely be closing in on you from all sides, a few of them more durable to take down than others, and you’ll solely replenish ammo and first help kits out of your finite provide at set breaks marking the passage of 1 hour. For those who run out earlier than then, you’ll haven’t any alternative however to attempt to struggle off the monsters with a knife, which you’ll be able to swing utilizing the crank. That’s about as efficient as you’d assume it’s.
Midway to Daybreak is a really, very quick recreation, but it surely actually had me sweating on some runs. It’s a enjoyable one to maintain coming again to, for the reason that randomness of useful resource assortment makes for a unique expertise every time. And the stress of all of it is completely rounded out by a synth-heavy soundtrack (out there on Bandcamp), which might be proper out of an ‘80s B-horror film. If creepy is your factor, that is undoubtedly a recreation to take a look at. Midway to Daybreak is on the Playdate Catalog and itch.io for $5.