I never really outgrew hide-and-seek. Thankfully I have kids who give me an excuse to continue playing it. The thrill of evading detection is fun in real life, and it's probably a big part of why I love stealth games, too. In Midnight Murder Club (MMC), the upcoming game from Velan Studios (Knockout City, Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit), stealth is a huge part of the experience. But because of proximity chat, this team-based PvP first-person shooter is routinely hilarious and chaotic. I recently got to participate in the game's first alpha, which makes these my early impressions and not indicative of the final game which is maybe months away from launch. But the proof-of-concept is immediately obvious, and I'm excited to see how it progresses.

Midnight Murder Club arms everyone in its six-player rounds with a flashlight and a revolver, then sets them off to do one of a number of tasks depending on the mode. Free-for-all and team deathmatch are there of course, but so too are more uncommon modes, like a heist gametype in which players must pilfer valuables out of locked vaults, then bank them in a central hub before it locks. Another mode pits two players against four, which seems like it would spell doom for the smaller group. However, there is an advantage in being a smaller team, as you can be very hard to find in the game's huge Wormwood Manor.

Midnight Murder Club has an elegance to it. The ritzy mansion feels like you're living in a version of the Clue board game, only everyone has the murder weapon. This is a novel idea on its own, but it's made better by how the game is played in total darkness except for where flashlights are pointing. This means you must be mindful of where and when you illuminate your path ahead--you may give up your location if anyone happens to be crouched silently in a corner nearby. Even shooting comes with a similar consequence, as a red trail is briefly left behind when you fire any bullet, making its trajectory visible to enemies.