Hi everyone,
When we opened the first demo for The Midnight Barber last year, it was only a glimpse of our unique take on a narrative rhythm mystery.
At its heart, The Midnight Barber is about doing two things at once: performing a job that has become almost second nature, while carefully navigating the conversations happening in the barber’s chair.
Since then, we’ve been hard at work building the full game, and today we’re updating the demo to give you a much better idea of what to expect from the full release.
The new demo will be available until August 30th, and it includes several features and systems that will play a crucial role in how you explore the story and progress in the game:
Haircut Progress: Every tool you use during a barbering session advances the Haircut, whether you use it on beat or not. When the Haircut is done, the session ends - regardless of how many Icebreakers you’ve covered. You’ll need to decide which topics are most important to discuss, but any Icebreakers you miss will still be available the next time that client visits.
Lines of Inquiry: You can now progress through Lines of Inquiry by asking the right questions and completing their objectives during barber sessions. They can involve your clients, the main story, or smaller stories unfolding around the city. You can follow your progress and track the Lines of Inquiry that interest you most in your Barber Diary.
Client information: The Barber Diary also contains the information Clara has written down about each client, along with a log of the Icebreakers you can use or have already discussed with them. You can even get a sneak peek at some of the clients who will appear later in the game!
Barbershop Menu: Between sessions, you’ll be able to do different actions and organize your next night. Barber sessions are not predetermined, so every night you’ll be able to choose which clients are visiting the barbershop, depending on who you want to spend time with and which stories you want to pursue.
Leads & the City Map: Your conversations can reveal things happening elsewhere in Barcelona, giving Clara Leads to investigate. Her mysterious supernatural origin gives her a strong connection to the city’s Blackbirds, which she can send out to investigate on her behalf. After a number of nights (depending on the Lead), the blackbird will return with what they’ve discovered, unlocking new Icebreakers or other rewards.
Newspaper: Between sessions, you can consult a clandestine nightly newspaper covering Barcelona's underworld. Its articles can reveal new Icebreakers and, sometimes, exclusive Lines of Inquiry.
Signature Beats: Every client will have unique types of Beats in their rhythm, providing different types of rhythm gameplay. The demo introduces Gabriel’s Signature Beat, which shifts tools when you least expect it.
We’ve been working on new characters and stories, incredible new music, more Signature Beats and additional Barcelona locations. We’ve also been developing one of our favourite, and most secret, features that will take the way The Midnight Barber combines rhythm and storytelling to an entirely new level: Inside the Mirror.
We are still not able to include any of this in the demo. But you might be able to experience these new sessions very soon in a Steam Playtest. If you want to be there when the barbershop opens again, stay tuned, spread the word and add The Midnight Barber to your Steam wishlist. In the meantime, this new version will give you a much better idea of what awaits you in The Midnight Barber.
Unlike the previous demo, this version will only be available during special events, so make sure to give it a try when you get the chance and discover it's many secrets!
There’s still plenty more to come, so stay tuned for future updates!
We hope you enjoy your next shift.
See you at Midnight.
Omaet!