Retro Replay Review

Gameplay

The Curse of Midnight Manor unfolds in a first-person perspective that immerses you directly into the eerie corridors of the Armand estate. Exploration is the core of the experience: you’ll navigate dimly lit hallways, examine antique furniture, and inspect every nook for clues. Inventory-based puzzles demand careful item combinations, while a handful of time-sensitive challenges test your reflexes when the shadows grow close.

Two distinct narratives—The Fate of Vandals and Done with Mirrors—structure the gameplay into bite-sized yet interconnected chapters. In the first tale, you’ll piece together the unsettling disappearance of five teenagers, while the second whisks you back to the manor’s founding tragedies. Ghostly reenactments provide a dynamic twist on conventional storytelling, as phantoms replay past horrors that you must decipher and ultimately resolve.

Adding depth to your investigation is VIC, the Voice/Imagery Communicator, which appears on the interface’s lower right corner. Through VIC you contact Kelly Bradford for hints, transmit ghostly recordings, and even receive photographs of paranormal activity for deeper analysis. This system keeps you engaged and lets you strike a balance between organic discovery and accessible support when the manor’s mysteries threaten to overwhelm you.

Graphics

Delaware St. John’s visual presentation relies on pre-rendered environments that capture the manor’s 1892 architecture in painstaking detail. Rich textures bring peeling wallpaper, dusty bookshelves, and ornamental woodwork to life, while the interplay of light and shadow amplifies the sense of dread. Flashlight beams cut through darkness, revealing hidden objects and spectral figures with startling clarity.

Pre-rendered cut-scenes in third-person view punctuate the first-person exploration, providing cinematic glimpses of Delaware St. John and the ghosts that haunt him. These sequences, though brief, heighten dramatic moments—such as a phantom’s sudden appearance or the collapse of a centuries-old staircase—adding a layer of visual storytelling that complements the in-game action.

While the character models and ghostly apparitions may appear slightly dated by modern standards, they blend effectively with the atmospheric backgrounds. Subtle animations—flickering lights, drifting cobwebs, and restless shadows—maintain a constant tension, ensuring that each room of Midnight Manor feels alive (or undead) with potential horrors.

Story

At the heart of The Curse of Midnight Manor is Delaware St. John, a paranormal investigator plagued by vivid nightmares and uncanny visions. When these premonitions lead him to Kelly Bradford’s bookstore, the duo sets off on a quest to unravel the manor’s dark past. Kelly’s background as a paranormal researcher provides essential insights, forging a partnership grounded in caution and intellectual curiosity.

The narrative unfolds through ghostly vignettes that dramatize past tragedies: the disappearance of reckless teens in The Fate of Vandals, and the sinister secrets of the manor’s original inhabitants in Done with Mirrors. Each ghostly replay enriches the backstory, revealing Bernard Armand’s ambition and the tragedies that befell his family—and by extension, the manor itself.

Emerging from these spectral echoes is the legend of The Destroyer and The Protector, a mythos that sets the stage for future installments. These two forces—one malevolent, one benevolent—hint at a broader conflict that extends beyond Midnight Manor’s walls, promising deeper lore and dramatic twists in subsequent volumes of the Delaware St. John saga.

Overall Experience

The Curse of Midnight Manor provides an engrossing blend of detective work, supernatural suspense, and puzzle-solving that will appeal to fans of classic adventure games. Its deliberate pace allows for thorough exploration without rushing, though some players may find the inventory puzzles and occasional time-based challenges require a good measure of patience and perseverance.

The audio design complements the visuals with eerie ambient sounds: distant whispers, creaking floorboards, and the occasional disembodied cry. Composer-generated music heightens tension without overwhelming the senses, guiding players through moments of dread and discovery alike. This synergy between sound and sight cements the manor’s unsettling atmosphere long after you’ve set the controller down.

In sum, Delaware St. John: Volume 1—The Curse of Midnight Manor is a strong opening act for a series that promises deeper lore and more ambitious design in future volumes. Whether you’re driven by curiosity about the Armand family’s secrets or simply seeking a well-crafted paranormal adventure, Midnight Manor delivers an experience that is both challenging and unforgettable.

Retro Replay Score

6.6/10