At Dead of Night
Jen's Review
At Dead of Night completely caught me off guard.
Right from the start, I'm going to tell you that this is not your typical horror game. It's a point-and-click horror experience, and if I'm being honest, that's exactly why I put off playing it for so long. Point-and-click games just aren't usually my thing.
That said... do not let that stop you from playing this game.
The first thing that stands out is how the game looks. Instead of traditional graphics, the game uses real actors and live-action footage, and it works incredibly well. Everything feels surprisingly realistic, which makes the horror hit that much harder. The presentation is fantastic, the gameplay is smooth, and despite being completely outside my usual comfort zone, I had an absolute blast with this one.
The story is where things really shine. You play as Maya, a teenager trapped in a hotel run by Jimmy Hall. Unfortunately for Maya, Jimmy is more than a little unstable. Throughout the game, you discover that Jimmy has struggled with multiple personalities for most of his life, and the hotel is filled with the ghosts of people who crossed paths with him in the worst possible way.
Your goal is to communicate with these spirits using a spirit box, uncover their stories, and piece together what happened to them. The more you learn, the more disturbing the mystery becomes.
Of course, there's one major problem: Jimmy is still wandering the hotel.
And let me tell you... Jimmy is terrifying.
He's persistent, he's fast, and when he suddenly appears around a corner, there's a very good chance he's going to scare the absolute life out of you. Even after hours of playing, I never felt completely safe walking through the hotel.
What surprised me most was how invested I became in uncovering each ghost's story. I found myself wanting to learn more, dig deeper into the mystery, and see how everything connected together. It's a rare game that can keep me hooked on both the gameplay and the story at the same time, but At Dead of Night managed to do exactly that.
Overall, I absolutely loved this game. It's creepy, unique, surprisingly tense, and tells a genuinely engaging story. In fact, I enjoyed it so much that I'm already considering playing through it again on higher difficulties—and that's not something I say very often.
If you've been putting this game off because it's point-and-click, take it from me: don't sleep on this one. It's an easy recommendation and one of the most unique horror experiences I've played in a long time.
Kayla's Review
A Game I Should've Given A Chance Sooner
When At Dead of Night released back in 2020 during the height of the COVID era, I picked it up shortly after Jason got me my very first prebuilt gaming PC in 2021. I played it for a few hours, loved what I saw, got absolutely terrified... and then promptly quit. I didn't even make it through a third of Amy's story.
The game was scary, sure, but what really got me was how difficult it felt playing completely on my own. Add in the fact that it was a point-and-click game, and I convinced myself it just wasn't for me. I associated point-and-click games with being outdated, slow, and honestly a little boring.
I could not have been more wrong. Fast forward to 2026. After seeing At Dead of Night popping up all over TikTok and watching some of my favorite horror streamers play through it, I decided it was finally time to give it another shot. And wow... what a mistake it was to wait this long.
If you're anything like me, the words point and click might immediately make you hesitate. Trust me when I say: don't let that stop you.
Despite being nearly six years old, At Dead of Night ended up being one of the biggest surprises I've experienced since I started streaming horror games. Yes, it's point and click. But it's also a fully live-action horror experience featuring real actors and a real hotel location. Everything is filmed beautifully, and the presentation feels unlike almost anything else in the horror genre. The combination of live-action footage and exploration creates an atmosphere that feels incredibly immersive and unsettling.
What sounds strange on paper somehow works perfectly in practice.
Without diving into spoiler territory, this game places you in the role of Mya, a young woman trapped inside a hotel with her friends.
Unfortunately, the hotel is also home to several restless spirits... and a psychopath named Jimmy. Jimmy. Jimmy Boy. Jimmy Jam. The Jimster. Jim Bam Joe. Call him whatever you want. He's still absolutely terrifying.
Armed with a baseball bat and an unhealthy obsession with finding you, Jimmy stalks the halls of the hotel searching room by room while you investigate the stories of the spirits trapped inside. Your goal is to uncover what happened to Amy, Dr. Bose, Rose, and the other victims while trying to stay one step ahead of your not so friendly hotel host.
The result is a tense blend of hide-and-seek, detective work, puzzle solving, and pure panic.
One of the things I ended up loving most about this game was actually the point-and-click movement itself. There's no sprint button. There's no dodge mechanic. There's no weapon. When Jimmy appears, all you can do is point, click, and pray you're fast enough to reach the next room before he catches you.
What initially felt limiting quickly became one of the game's greatest strengths. Every movement feels deliberate. Every wrong turn feels costly. Every footstep echoing down the hallway puts you on edge. More than once, I found myself panic-clicking my way through the hotel while trying not to completely lose my mind.
While the live-action visuals are impressive, the real star of the show is the sound design. The distant whistle of the wind. Jimmy's footsteps approaching from somewhere down the hall. His voice calling out while he searches for you. The sound of a closet door shutting behind you as you desperately hide. The spirit box. The mirror. Every sound feels purposeful. Every audio cue builds tension. Combined with the vintage hotel setting and realistic visuals, it creates one of the most immersive horror experiences I've ever played. This is one of those rare games where simply hearing something can be just as terrifying as actually seeing it.
I played through the entire game on Normal difficulty during my nightly streams, and my community became just as invested as I was.There were moments where I was completely lost, and chat helped guide me back on track. There were moments where Jimmy had me cornered, and chat was panicking right alongside me.
The more I played, the more I began to understand why this game has developed such a passionate fanbase over the years. I usually stream for about two and a half hours each night. I started At Dead of Night on a Monday and finished it by the end of stream on Friday. That's with plenty of chatting, distractions, and hanging out with viewers along the way. By the time the credits rolled, I didn't want it to be over.
THE BIGGEST COMPLIMENT I CAN GIVE A GAME...
I've played a lot of horror games. I've screamed through them. I've survived them. I've immediately uninstalled some of them. But very few have ever made me want to jump right back in and play again on a harder difficulty.
At Dead of Night did exactly that. As I'm writing this review on June 16, 2026, I've already started a second playthrough on Extreme difficulty with chat. That may not sound like a big deal to some people, but if you know me, you know I'm usually too much of a wimp to voluntarily make an already difficult horror game even harder.
Yet here I am.
I genuinely cannot say enough good things about this one. The storytelling is excellent. The characters are memorable. The atmosphere is unforgettable. The live-action presentation remains impressive years later, and the sound design deserves recognition as some of the best in modern horror gaming.
Most importantly, it proves that great horror isn't about having the biggest budget or the most advanced graphics. It's about creating tension, emotion, and memorable moments. At Dead of Night accomplishes all of that and then some.
So if you've been putting this game off because it's "just a point-and-click game," do yourself a favor and give it a chance. I almost missed out on one of my favorite horror gaming experiences because of that misconception. Don't make the same mistake.
Score: 9.7/10
