So, what is Midnight Saturn about?
Midnight Saturn is a sci-fi point-and-click adventure that follows private investigator Simm Gurnett as he takes on a murder case too dangerous for anyone else. What begins as the investigation of a high-profile lawyer’s death quickly spirals into a web of corruption and a wider conspiracy, hinting that the killer may not even be… human. The case is brought to him by the victim’s sister, Patricia, and soon pulls him into the lives of the lawyer’s family, including his daughter Lucy, who is desperate to find out who took her father’s life.
This is my first game from Cosmic Void Games, so I took a moment to look into how their previous games were received of their previous titles. It feels like Midnight Saturn improves on nearly every aspect, even if only in small ways: visually, narratively, and in terms of storytelling.
Cyberpunk vision of the futuristic city
The atmosphere and locations are really well crafted. The game features around ten beautifully designed areas, each built around its own color palette: purples, browns, and warm tones. Visually, it’s a huge plus. It’s genuinely a joy to look at and makes you wish there were even more places to explore! Just beautiful pixel art, which I always appreciate and respect.
Gameplay
The gameplay is pretty minimalistic. Interaction with objects and characters is simple: just point and click. You connect the dots, click the right elements, combine items, and things naturally fall into place. I didn’t run into any bugs the game runs very smoothly.
You navigate the city using your phone, which opens up a map showing all currently accessible locations. As the investigation progresses, new areas unlock, expanding where you can go. Some locations also reveal additional screens over time, adding more depth to places you’ve already visited. So it’s always worth going back and checking if newly acquired items from your inventory help you uncover more about the murder of showbiz figure named James.
The puzzle design is solid and interesting, though for many players it might feel on the easier side. Personally, there was only one puzzle that made me pause for a few minutes. Overall, I’d rate the difficulty somewhere between easy and medium, leaning more toward easy and stress-free. Never frustrating, just smooth progression. The game is clearly designed with achievement hunters in mind, making 100% completion very straightforward. That’s definitely a big plus for me :).
Characters
As for the characters.. this is where things feel a bit weaker. Our detective isn’t particularly likable, and a lot of his conversations seem to revolve around going on date with women. There’s also not quite enough dialogue or interaction to really get attached to most of the cast (maybe with the exception of Zora), BUT the voice acting is fantastic and really captures the essence of each character. Zora's voice, in particular, stood out, really intriguing and mysterious.
Worldbuilding
The narrative itself is really engaging, though I can’t help but feel the game had even more potential. You can see a lot of heart, inspiration, and care in both the visual style and the story structure. There are clear Blade Runner influences (which I love). The atmosphere is great, with strong audiovisual design and a really fitting background soundtrack. I just wish, as I mentioned, that the world and story were expanded a bit more.
Conclusions
[spoilers about story structure — no spoilers about the culprit!]
It felt like the game is structured in three acts. Act 1: introduces the case, quickly presenting multiple threads, witnesses, and conversations (which works well). Then Act 2 shifts into the investigation and conspiracy angle, revealing that something far bigger than a simple human crime is at play. (which is even better!!) After that.. Act 3 comes in very quickly, almost out of nowhere, with the case being resolved, which feels rushed and a bit overwhelming in terms of pace. What’s missing here is a stronger build-up of tension. When we finally encounter the killer, the moment feels a bit flat and underwhelming. As someone who really values narrative depth and story-driven dialogue in games, I also missed longer, more meaningful conversations. Most dialogue feels directly tied to puzzles, and while the puzzles themselves are fine (though somewhat mid-tier for me), they don’t fully carry the story’s emotional weight.
Overall, I’d call it a very sweet point-and-click adventure that is absolutely worth its price, but it doesn't go much beyond that. A solid 7/10 from me. Thanks for review key!
Midnight Saturn is out now on Steam May 5! I played Midnight Saturn on PC using a review code provided by the publisher.
