South of Midnight Review – Weaving a Tapestry

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South of Midnight is an intriguing examination due to its apparent division into two distinct parts. On one side, it offers a richly developed and visually stunning setting, a captivating aesthetic, and compelling storytelling skills that successfully breathe life into its unusual world and plotline. However, in terms of gameplay, Compulsion Games’ newest offering presents a typical action-adventure format, incorporating numerous familiar components and combining them to create a solid, albeit predictable gaming experience. Consequently, the game offers a unique perspective while also delivering a straightforward, traditional gameplay experience reminiscent of linear action-adventure titles from the Xbox 360 era.

In the fictional town of Prospero, nestled in the American Deep South, you take on the role of Hazel, a young woman residing with her mother. As fate would have it, their tranquil life is disrupted by an intense hurricane. The game starts off with a calamity, and soon after, Hazel wakes up to discover she possesses a strange magic called Weaving. With this newfound ability, Hazel embarks on a mission to locate and reunite with her mother while restoring the deteriorating environment around her. From its captivating setting and narrative, South of Midnight leaves an indelible mark right from the start, and it’s these elements that continue to shine long after the initial moments.

From the outset, South of Midnight leaves a powerful impact through its captivating setting and narrative, and these elements remain among its most compelling aspects even beyond the initial stages.

One captivating aspect is how uniquely it establishes its own identity. By merging a contemporary Deep South backdrop with local legends and mythology, it spins a gothic modern-day fable that stands out distinctly among other works. From the visually stunning and intricately designed settings traversed during Hazel’s voyage to the vibrant and eccentric personalities populating the narrative, each character sparkles due to well-crafted dialogue and impressive acting; from the creatures you encounter along your journey to the storybook narrative structure the game employs – South of Midnight consistently showcases its strong points, often in a manner that sets it apart from many other narrative-driven action-adventure games.

Few games set in the Deep South that showcase its folklore, culture, and all aspects of it are hard to come by, making South of Midnight a game that stands out distinctly in this area. However, it does have some noteworthy flaws – for example, the protagonist Hazel seems to have received the message to always comment on everything around her. She talks to herself constantly and won’t stop, which can be grating at times, despite her being an otherwise entertaining character. Nonetheless, with its numerous storytelling strengths, it more than compensates for these few writing issues.

One aspect that immediately grabs attention in South of Midnight is its captivating visuals. It employs a distinctive art style, blending seamlessly with its modern fairy tale narrative and enchanted environment, which is further accentuated by a stop-motion animation technique. This unique blend makes the game a delight to watch, whether you’re traversing its beautifully designed landscapes or observing its carefully crafted cutscenes. Some might find the stop-motion animation a bit distracting during gameplay, but the game offers an option to disable this effect outside of cutscenes for those who prefer it.

The graphic style in “South of Midnight” is extremely distinctive, mirroring its contemporary fairy tale structure and fantastical atmosphere filled with folklore elements. It further distinguishes itself by employing a unique stop-motion animation technique.

As a fan who appreciates ambition and unrestrained creativity in storytelling and visuals, I must admit that when it comes to gameplay, South of Midnight follows a familiar path. If you imagine a linear, third-person action-adventure game with a blend of melee and magical combat, some light exploration, progression mechanics, and emphasis on agile parkour-style movement, you’ve got a pretty accurate mental picture of what this game offers. South of Midnight doesn’t aim to revolutionize gaming, but it delivers an experience that ranges from functional to enjoyable, and even solid in many key aspects.

At first glance, the game seems quite straightforward and simple when you start playing. However, within a few hours, it gradually layers one basic gameplay mechanic upon another, each of which is familiar from many games you’ve played before. Although these mechanics aren’t particularly innovative or unique, they are skillfully combined in South of Midnight. The game features light and heavy attacks in combat, as well as dodges, perfect dodges, and telekinetic abilities that let you manipulate enemies and objects in the environment. Despite their familiarity, the game gets these fundamentals right.

In simpler terms, even though the gameplay might not initially impress you due to its simplicity, it can turn out to be more engaging than anticipated once you’ve played beyond the first hour or so. The levels are compact and the environments aren’t excessively vast, but the exploratory aspects of South of Midnight still manage to keep things interesting. The progression is standard, and some might even say unoriginal, but it manages to pique your curiosity about what upgrades you’ll unlock next, if not beyond that point.

On several occasions lately, it’s been sad for many of us that the popular genre known as AA action-adventure games seems to have passed away. So finding a unique game like South of Midnight is encouraging.

Engaging in combat can unexpectedly be thrilling when you’re confronted with various types of foes simultaneously, combining diverse skills while launching your own attacks. The traversal is particularly enjoyable as it blends familiar aspects like climbing ledges, running along walls, and so forth, and this movement set stays entertaining throughout the game. However, combat and traversal can sometimes feel a bit unpolished due to occasional awkward movements, delayed responses, or questionable hit detection, but overall, South of Midnight offers a fun and reliable gaming experience.

In terms of its gameplay, South of Midnight stands out with its throwback style, particularly in the way it combines its design and aesthetic elements. The absence of modern gaming conventions like semi-open world maps, skill trees, multiplayer features, etc., is a refreshing change that we’ve missed in recent years, especially when considering that it’s coming from a major AAA first-party publisher. It’s not every day we get a single-player game with a compelling storyline spanning around a dozen hours without these unnecessary elements, and South of Midnight deserves praise not only for being different but for excelling at it.

In its own distinctive style, South of Midnight boasts compelling characters, vivid visuals, catchy music, and an immersive setting, setting itself apart while still adhering to established norms in terms of gameplay mechanics, progression, movement, and light exploration. The result is a fast-paced and entertaining game that leaves an indelible mark on its players. South of Midnight stands out as a triumph for the gaming medium by simply existing in its unique form.

This game was reviewed on the Xbox Series X. 

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2025-04-03 22:13