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Discover if the action-adventure game South of Midnight weaves a magic spell, or leaves you wanting more in our review.
In South of Midnight, players are transported into a world where the boundaries between reality and myth blur. Moreover, the rich, haunting landscapes of the American South serve as the perfect backdrop for a tale of suspense, mystery, and supernatural intrigue. Join Hazel as she sets out on a search for her mother, and discovers the mystical talent of weaving. Are the story and characters compelling enough to carry this game? How do the gameplay mechanics and combat action compare to similar titles? We’ll cover all of those topics and more in our in-depth review of South of Midnight.
What is South of Midnight Game About?
South of Midnight is a third-person, action-adventure game developed by Compulsion Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. Set in a fantastical version of the American Deep South, the game follows protagonist Hazel. This young woman gains magical weaving powers after a devastating hurricane strikes her hometown of Prospero. As a Weaver, Hazel confronts mythical creatures rooted in Southern folklore and learns that not everything is as it seems. Moreover, as she searches for her mother, Hazel delves into her family’s hidden past to confront tragedy and the way some people hold on to pain.
South of Midnight isn’t a large, sprawling, open-world RPG within a medieval fantasy setting and years of built-up lore behind it. It’s not part of a franchise or a major IP, and the internet ‘hype train’ appears to be giving this one a pass. This is disappointing because my experience with South of Midnight was fun and frightening, in the best kind of way. Moreover, the character and story has depth and heart to it. It engages with the pain of the past and how (or if some of us even can) heal after tragedy.
Story & Characters
The characters are the true heart of a game like South of Midnight, while good narrative and dialogue are what make them shine. There is an overarching story in South of Midnight, which is Hazel’s journey to find her mother. However, along the way, she’ll encounter individual ‘monsters’ and stigma. As she clears out cursed areas she’ll discover the tragic stories behind the pain, told in segments as you collect pieces of several patterns.
What I like most about these small stories in South of Midnight is that there is often no fairy tale ending. Even when Hazel is ultimately successful in revealing a tragic past and clearing away the stigma, that doesn’t suddenly make everything right. There is a lot of darkness and violence in some of these vignettes, and resolutions don’t always tie up every loose end. Within all the fantastical elements it’s a strong reflection of real life. Even though it sometimes upset me or made me uncomfortable, I’m glad that the developers didn’t shy away from that.
Hazel’s voice and mo-cap actress in South of Midnight, Adriyan Rae, gives a fantastic performance that elevates already good dialogue. Nothing ever feels trite or quippy, although there are plenty of light-hearted moments along the way. Hazel is grown, but still young, and that’s reflected in some of the actions she takes and the decisions she makes. Her journey is transformative and the tragedies she witnesses and seeks to heal make her a much more empathetic and stronger person.
Exploration & Movement
South of Midnight is not a sprawling open-world game, and consequently, exploration will be more limited. Progressing through the story generally means moving forward through linear paths. However, there are plenty of branches off the main track that can lead you to collectibles such as floofs. A silly-sounding word, but these are the ‘coin’ you spend to upgrade your abilities and you’ll want to gather as many as you can find.
Furthermore, there are plenty of ‘readables’ scattered around the world, as well. Each gives you a little extra insight into the world, the characters in it, or the story playing out. A nice touch is the follow-up commentary Hazel will make after reading these. This can give you a bit more context or just make it feel less like a static lore bit you automatically skip.
Finding absolutely everything won’t be easy, and a solid challenge if you’re interested in earning the relevant achievements. On the other hand, it’s also not hard to just relax and play to enjoy the hand-crafted world the developers created.
Movement in a platforming game like South of Midnight is always of concern. Thankfully, I found the movement and parkour to be some of the smoothest and most enjoyable parts of the gameplay. Sprinting, jumping, gliding, and wall running were all very intuitive. Fun both to watch and to play. You’ll get to practice all of these activities while exploring the world, while they really get to shine in particular chase scenes that keep you on the go.
Gameplay & Combat
The gameplay in South of Midnight centers around Hazel’s weaving abilities, which are utilized for combat, traversal, and solving minor puzzles. As mentioned above, I found Hazel’s movement to be very fluid and gratifying. Additionally, at a certain point in the game, you’ll be able to control a little companion character named Crouton. This little guy will be able to climb into spaces Hazel can’t go. Sometimes to find extra floofs, and sometimes to help you continue on your way. He’s a little more difficult to control, but honestly, that’s offset by all the adorable critters you get to see in their homes underground.
Combat in South of Midnight is pretty straightforward if you’re familiar with the RPG genre at any level. As you advance you’ll gradually get more abilities and spells to tackle enemies with. Your first ability is Dodge, and make sure to keybind this to an easy-to-reach button because you’ll be using it a lot. Fights against the Haint enemies can be engaging, but overall there is nothing here you likely haven’t seen in another game. The gap-closer ability, the knock-back, the stun. All are tied in an interesting way to Hazel’s weaving powers but fundamentally function in very familiar ways.
Boss battles are much more engaging and unique, with mechanics that are different and movesets you’ll need to figure out to defeat them. Moreover, their designs are fantastic, and the combat gets an energetic push from the music that crescendos as you advance.
It’s unfortunate, however, that there are only four of these major boss battles. It does fit within the stories being told that not everything has to end in an epic fight. However, if you’re someone who lives for the Souls-style games, then this title likely won’t scratch that itch.
Graphics, Visuals, & Environments
As Art Director Whitney Clayton says in the Developer Direct video, at Compulsion Games they prioritize world-building. Essentially, seeking to “treat the setting like a character of its own.” This core component comes through loud and clear in South of Midnight, where a variety of settings, colors, and tones will keep you visually delighted all the way through. Your journey through the game will take you through a range of different environments, all from the American South. Woodlands, swamps, mountains, river bottoms, and even a pig farm destroyed by a hurricane are all distinctive.
The art style of South of Midnight is very clearly based on the look of stop-motion animation. This is most apparent in the cut scenes, where the unique look of the characters, folktale creatures, and even local wildlife appear unique and distinctive.
Some earlier playtesters were bothered by the stop-motion effect during gameplay, but I experienced none of that in my playthrough. Sometimes Hazel felt like she had a little bit of a slide if you were trying to make a quick pivot. But for me ,this was less a visual problem and more of a gameplay issue. The effects from your combat abilities are satisfying and can pack a punch. Additionally, the mystical weaving strands are beautiful to watch, whether you are unraveling a stigma knot or gliding through the sky.
Music & Performance
In my experience, the music of South of Midnight was unexpectedly something of a muted experience. This was quite surprising to me because the music and its influences taken from the genres of jazz, blues, and country were advertised as incredibly integral to the game. Composer Olivier Deriviere described it in a quote “This game is singing with the player.” Players’ actions are meant to be reflected musically, which is a lofty goal, and I can only imagine very difficult to execute.
However, the music was often too quiet throughout the game. I couldn’t really hear much of this responsiveness until the jazz-inspired section at the very end. Admittedly, some of the music woven throughout the game I think was meant to be quiet and a bit haunting. Often, it can sound like you’re hearing whispers on the wind, which is great for atmosphere. However, I feel like the music during at least the big boss fights should have been louder, so you can hear the music responding to you in real-time. The audio settings are all at 100% default at the beginning of the game. So, to boost that effect yourself, you’ll need to turn everything else down some.
Significantly, each major folktale creature and boss in the game has their own song. It tells their story, expresses their feelings, and often plays either as you are progressing through the world towards them or reaching the stigma knot to unravel. These unique tunes have very evocative lyrics, though I found some more catchy and enjoyable than others.
Should You Play South of Midnight?
If you’ve been caught up in the slog of a long-running MMO or a densely-packed open-world RPG, then South of Midnight may be just the palate cleanser for you. The same may apply to players who have busy real lives with families, jobs, and activities that keep them from gaming as much as they’d like. South of Midnight is a tightly paced, emotional narrative with frequent autosaves that make it easy to pick up and put down.
Combat and mechanics won’t be anything you haven’t seen before, but the gameplay is smooth and satisfying. The real draw here is the world setting, which puts a folktale Gothic spin on the real world, where legends and myths of the American Deep South come to life.
If you want something that you can settle down, immerse yourself in the environment, and enjoy the story and strong characters, then the self-contained South of Midnight may be just for you. Overall, I think it’s absolutely worth the purchase price. Moreover, if you already have an active Game Pass subscription, then there is no reason not to give this gem a try.
Score – South of Midnight Review
I would give South of Midnight a solid 8 out of 10 score because of the strong characters and narrative, captivating folktale creatures, beautiful and varied environments, and generally smooth gameplay. As with any game, there are minor issues that bothered me from time to time. However, the overall experience was engaging and fun. The story had depth and darkness to it, too, with seriousness and scary imagery (not to mention cussing) which wouldn’t make it appropriate for children.
Regardless, the lack of a manual save may really bother people who like to be efficient and grab all collectibles the first time through. However, I would argue that South of Midnight isn’t meant for that kind of gameplay mindset. I highly recommend playing through the first time just for the story. Let yourself enjoy the experience naturally before you start checking guides for the next floof location every 30 seconds.
South of Midnight Pros
- Limited exploration that doesn’t overwhelm you
- Compelling narrative that creatively weaves in southern folktales
- Forgiving game, with easy restarts after character death
- Smooth and fun parkour
South of Midnight Cons
- Mob fights that require a lot of dodging
- Some minor story threads dropped
- Replaying previous chapters wipes old progress
- No manual saves
Looking For More?
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