Midnight Girl Review

Amongst the onslaught of big-budget releases that dominate the headlines at this time of year, you’ll always find an indie or two that is just as worthy of your time and money, often hiding in plain sight. Midnight Girl, a 2D point-and-click adventure from French developer Italic is one such game, and while it may not be for everyone, it is one that adventure game fans should check out.

Set in Paris in 1965, the story is centred around teenage thief Monique, who lives by herself after her mother passed away a few years prior and her father left when she was a child to start a winery in…Chile. Determined to see him again, Monique puts her thieving skills to use, attempting to steal a valuable artifact that she can sell to pay her way to Chile. However, Monique is caught in the act and jailed as a result. But it’s behind bars where she meets a fellow heister – The Night Owl – who helps her escape, and together they team up to steal the precious Luxembourg Diamond that will land them a big payday, and for Monique, a ticket to Chile. But, it seems that they’re not the only thieves after the diamond.

You know what they say about big vaults?

It’s a neat premise with some fairly solid writing and the odd joke that lands, but the lack of any voice acting does make it hard to fully immerse and invest yourself in Monique’s story. In saying that, I certainly cared for Monique’s journey and was rooting for her the whole time, but sometimes I did find myself skim-reading dialogue. 

The game plays out across 12 chapters plus an epilogue, with each chapter being a self-contained location that Monique must successfully navigate by solving puzzles and tricking those around her. Each level doesn’t overstay its welcome and some will appear small on the surface but have depth once you start exploring. If you’re caught by a guard, you’ll simply reload back to before you were sprung.

Aesthetically, Midnight Girl has a stylish vibe with beautiful backdrops, although some objects can be a little low-res. Locations such as Monique’s apartment with the silhouette of Paris in the skyline or the monastery with its almost diorama design are standouts. One neat touch is when Monique enters a dark area you’ll only be able to see her shadow which goes a long way to setting the scene, and credit must go to the animators because they’ve done a cracking job.

Some of the locations look fantastic

Puzzles in Midnight Girl are simple but smartly thought out, with all puzzles feeling grounded in reality. One puzzle sees Monique acquire a rubber glove from a secondhand goods salesman in order to turn the power off, so she can steal a stale croissant to give to a tradesman to steal his tools. Another puzzle had Monique filling a bucket with water to put out a fire, so she could grab the fire poker to then use to open a window and light up a room.

Given the compact design of the levels, solutions were never far away, and you’ll frequently walk past an item and get an idea of where you’ll need to use it. However, you’ll need to be near an item to know if it’s usable or not.

My only gripes were the lack of a unique in-game cursor, with the devs using the Windows cursor (minor I know). The inventory UI was a little overwhelming, taking over a fair chunk of the bottom of the screen, and the lack of an in-level save mechanic also hurts a bit.

Hiding in the shadows

Final Thoughts

If you’re looking for something to cleanse the palette after a AAA whopper, Midnight Girl is a great option. It won’t cost you too much time, clocking in at about 4–5 hours, but what you will get is an intriguing and charming story, simple-yet-clever puzzles and a gorgeous French backdrop.

Reviewed on PC // Review code supplied by publisher

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