Campaign Ends: April 22nd
Platform: Windows, macOS, and Linux
If you miss going to shady goth clubs or need something to play in between World of Darkness games, I have a little something for you. Introducing Burn the Midnight Oil, a spooky and stylish visual novel by Swedish studio Foxglove Games, developers of the wholesome sibling rivalry VN Trouble Comics Twice. This time around, the devs will take players to a not-so-wholesome city filled with supernatural crime, disturbing secrets, and spicy fashion.
Enter the city of North Haven circa the neon-lit ’80s, where paranormal creatures enjoy the nightlife along with regular, boring humans. In Burn the Midnight Oil, you’ll play as one of two mysterious protagonists, each with three unique romance routes. There’s the gorgeous detective Circe, who’s both a vampire and a vampire hunter, and the fiery hellhound cop Dante, along with their very attractive sidekicks and love interests. Circe’s story centers on vampiric conspiracies (and definitely murder), while Dante’s tale (tail?) follows a magical drug deal, with each character spending time in different parts of the city and meeting different inhabitants after their initial shared route.
Follow the trail of clues and the trail of romance… just be careful you don’t end up with an early game over! Beyond dealing with various unsavory individuals, Dante and Circe have their own uncomfortable secrets, and their current cases risk bringing them to light. Will our heroes manage to last till dawn without giving in to their monstrous natures? That’ll depend on you and your choices!
The nightlife beckons, and North Haven is hardly safe and peaceful. Pleasing to the eyes and ears? A big yes. I love Burn the Midnight Oil‘s shiny anime-style art, featuring stylish character designs by lead artist Viiperfish and backgrounds by Cameron Felt, with a plethora of other artists and designers rounding out the visuals. Meanwhile, the trip-hop-infused soundtrack by Bell Kalengar will definitely put you in the mood for some nighttime urban exploration and make for great background music while reading a classic noir novel.
Burn the Midnight Oil still needs help reaching its campaign target, though there are some very enticing rewards to encourage potential backers. These include cute physical items like charms, stickers, and a beautiful set of mini prints, all of which can be added onto existing pledges. Please note that physical goods will likely be delayed to the US due to the tariff situation, unless backers are willing to pay an additional fee to help cover the higher costs!
While Burn the Midnight Oil won’t release until 2028 or 2029 (hopefully October 2028 if everything goes smoothly), you can check out a demo on Steam or itch.io right now that covers a big chunk of the protagonists’ common route. Expect demo updates and an extended version in the coming months!
A night on the town is all fun and games until you walk down the wrong alley on the way to buy snacks and get attacked by a bored vampire. Thankfully, the streets should be safer in Circe and Dante’s hands. Grab some platform boots and black lipstick, and prepare to join them on their stylish, crime-fighting adventures!
Disclaimer: While it’s possible some of us at RPGFan may be backers of the games mentioned in these articles, this does not influence our coverage or our featured game choices. We make our selections simply based on the active campaigns we feel our readers might find interesting, and we are not given special access or perks by the developers.
tl;dr: We think these games show potential and want to share them with you.
