How Long Does It Take To Beat Midnight Fight Express?

From publisher Humble Games comes another awesome game made almost entirely by one person. A high-octane isometric beat-em-up featuring fast-paced, free-flowing combat, "Midnight Fight Express" releases on August 23 for the PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox One, and Series X|S, with a Nintendo Switch release slated for later in 2022. Made by solo developer Jacob Dwzinel, "Midnight Fight Express" takes a cue from "Mortal Kombat" with its brutal takedowns, which are brought to life through motion capture by Eric Jacobus, the stuntman responsible for Kratos's ferocity in the 2018 "God of War."

According to Metacritic, the game has earned generally favorable reviews, being praised for its breakneck combat while getting a bit of flack for a lackluster story (via GameSpot). Still, it seems the gameplay comes highly recommended for fans of indie brawlers and 80s action movie aesthetics. However, it'll take players a bit longer to finish this game than it will to watch an action flick. Here's how long it'll take to fight your way through all 41 levels of "Midnight Fight Express."

While there's no official playtime estimate from Dwzinel himself, the reviews so far paint it as a short and sweet ride that won't take much longer than the average indie title. As mentioned above, the game has 41 levels that take anywhere between 3-10 minutes: GameSpot reports that each level rarely takes more than five minutes, while XboxEra put the average estimate at 3-4 minutes, with a few missions running up to 10 minutes due to unexpectedly difficult enemies.

With a bit of math, this would mean that a very efficient and short playthrough might take anywhere between 2-3 hours, while the upper range for less experienced players would be between 6-7 hours. The average playtime across reviewers seems to be 4-5 hours, including those of The Escapist, WellPlayed, and NoisyPixel. 

However, players who want to explore all the details of the 80s-inspired set pieces might be in for a much longer playthrough: IGN Italy claims it takes 10 hours to play through all the levels, with a second playthrough needed for a completionist run. All in all, it seems that while the playtime for "Midnight Fight Express" will largely depend on individual playstyles and skill levels, the game can be completed over the course of a few afternoons at most.