South of Midnight

From the very announcement, South of Midnight was under a barrage of criticism. It was immediately nicknamed “Forspoken 2” and “woke failure”, without even being given a chance to show itself. Additional negativity was added by rumors that Sweet Baby Inc. studio participated in the development, allegedly because of which the script had to be completely rewritten, and the race of the main character had to be changed. All this quickly discouraged interest in the game, and frankly, we did not expect anything special from it either. But after a full playthrough, we can say one thing: we were wrong. South of Midnight is not at all what they tried to make it out to be. Why you should give it a chance – we tell you in the review.

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Compulsion Games is a studio that is not afraid to be weird and tell stories in its own way. It was founded by a former Arkane Studios employee, and its first high-profile project, We Happy Few, made it clear that we were dealing with developers with an unconventional approach. The game was far from perfect — a strange structure, confusing mechanics, and sometimes secondary game design prevented us from enjoying it. But the plot, style, and atmosphere — all of this inspired genuine admiration. This is precisely the style of Compulsion: they make not so much games as worlds — visually unusual, thematically bold, sometimes fragile, but definitely unforgettable. And now — South of Midnight, a project that seems to be the spiritual successor to We Happy Few, but in a much more mature and intelligible form. This is a truly atmospheric journey that takes us to the very depths of the American South – where swamps hide ancient secrets, ghosts of the past whisper in dilapidated houses, and myths live side by side with reality.

The plot begins with a disaster. The main character, a girl named Hazel, lives in the fictional town of Prospero. This is a typical outback of the southern states, inspired by Louisiana: swamps, old mansions, abandoned plantations and viscous heat. Soon after the start of the game, the town is covered by a storm, and Hazel loses her home – and, perhaps, her mother. Desperate, she goes to her grandmother, a woman with a dark past and mysterious charisma. She promises to help, but only after the storm subsides – literally and metaphorically. From this moment on, reality changes for Hazel. She sees a dream that forever changes her perception of the world. Now the surrounding reality is not just a landscape, but a Great Tapestry, a fabric woven from the destinies of people, events and emotions. But there are holes in this tapestry. Through them, the Haints penetrate – dark entities that feed on human suffering. Hazel learns that she is a Weaver. Her purpose is to repair the fabric of reality, to heal it. To help her are huge magic hooks, with the help of which she literally weaves the world anew.

The gameplay is built around a journey through symbolic and mystical spaces. Together with Hazel, we go through swamps, forgotten villages, industrial ruins and folklore nightmares. Each episode is a separate story based on local legends. The developers were not just inspired by American folklore – they rethought it and implanted elements of gothic, psychedelia and even real-life tragedies into it. For example, in one chapter the player encounters Two-Toed Tom, a creepy creature inspired by Alabama and Florida horror stories. In another, the Lugaroo, a werewolf from Louisiana folklore, is transformed into a hybrid of an owl and a human, reflecting the theme of loss of individuality. Finally, there is Hugging Molly, a mythical creature that kidnaps children in the game, but in real legends grabbed people and screamed in their ears. These monsters are not just scary – they symbolize the vices, fears and pains of people. The approach to the game’s narrative is serial. Each chapter is like a series with a moral. The stories are short but capacious, and often leave something inside. But the main plot is not so smooth. It seems that it was reworked more than once during development. Traces of re-voice acting are visible, the plot lines do not always converge, and potentially powerful twists are ultimately abandoned. All this makes the main story ragged, unfinished, and in the finale – frankly cut short. It seems that they wanted to make the script large-scale and complex, but at some point they simply did not reach it.

Nevertheless, South of Midnight is a game that you want to remember. The atmosphere in it is not just strong – it is saturated with every location, every dialogue, every melody. The Deep South here is not just a place, but a living character. The developers showed both its magic and its pain. The game has many historical references: abandoned houses contain documents about the forced eviction of African Americans, slavery is mentioned, and economic inequality is discussed. However, these themes are not always presented organically in the game – at times they sound too straightforward, as if imposed from the outside. After a couple of hours, they lose their emotional weight, and the player focuses on the stories that the Compulsion Games team came up with – where there are emotions, and not a message for the sake of it.

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Southern Gothic is a rare guest in video games. Only Alone in the Dark once touched on this topic, and in TV series – True Detective from HBO. South of Midnight went further: it not only shows swamps, factories and Bourbon Street, but also allows you to feel the rhythm of life of local residents, a viscous atmosphere of mystery, half-forgotten fears. This is a digital guide to a region that is beautiful and disturbing at the same time. The game is far from ideal, but it is catchy. Yes, the gameplay isn’t groundbreaking. Yes, the story sometimes falters. But South of Midnight isn’t about mechanics — it’s about atmosphere, visuals, respect for culture, and love of detail. It’s a game that leaves an aftertaste. It may not make the list of the best games of the year. But for those looking for atmosphere as well as action, this is one of the most interesting stories to emerge from an Xbox exclusive in recent years.

Why South of Midnight’s Gameplay Is Mixed

From a gameplay perspective, South of Midnight is a simple but exciting adventure built on a linear scheme. There is no open world, branching structure or multi-level forks. Everything develops along a clear and predictable route: jumping, fighting, exploring, and again in a circle. Locations are straightforward, with rare branches where you can find resources – most often these are materials for improving Hazel’s skills. Despite this simplicity, the game catches you with its visual style and atmosphere. The developers turned to an unusual setting – the mythologized Deep South of the United States, which is practically not represented in games. And they made it alive: locations are full of color, richly drawn, filled with details, and in some places resemble animated illustrations from folk tales.

In terms of structure, South of Midnight sometimes refers to the classics of the adventure genre. The closest analogues are Uncharted and Alice: Madness Returns. This is noticeable in the rhythm of the presentation: alternation of platforming and action, linear presentation of the plot, short pauses for exploration. At the same time, it is clear that the game had the potential to go further, to make the world semi-open or even non-linear. With such a color as the southern states, with their swamps, witchcraft and mysterious villages, an approach in the spirit of the latest Tomb Raider or at least Control suggests itself. However, Compulsion Games clearly chose a safer path – built on a template and proven.

Instead of exhausting acrobatic puzzles, the player is offered a brisk and smooth platforming with a focus on mobility. The main character, Hazel, masters new abilities as she progresses. This is not just a pleasant gameplay bonus, but a key element of the level design. At first, you get access to double jumping and gliding in the air – something between a classic platformer and Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Then you get wall running, a mechanic that many will be familiar with from Prince of Persia. And then it gets more interesting: you learn to cling to special points, float through the air, like in Prototype, and overcome huge spaces using weaving magic. At the same time, the developers wisely do not overload the player with all the possibilities at once. Everything is presented in measured doses, with a sense of progress and novelty.

The controls themselves are another pleasant surprise. Hazel reacts to the player’s actions instantly, and unlike many modern platformers, there is almost no feeling of “too slippery” or “too sluggish”. Everything is intuitive, responsive and pleasant. During the passage, there were almost no moments when the hero did not do what was expected of him. Of course, there are misses – sometimes the camera gets in the way, sometimes the angle is unsuccessful. But overall, platforming here is not a headache, but a pleasure. The only thing is that towards the end the game slightly loses its pace: abilities are no longer updated, and old ones start to repeat in different combinations, which is why acrobatics starts to feel routine.

At this stage, Crouton enters the game – a living companion toy that adds a new dimension to the gameplay. With him, special mini-dungeons open – small tests of logic and coordination. In some places you need to throw Crouton over a trap, somewhere you need to control him separately from Hazel to get to a hard-to-reach lever or bypass dangerous enemies – for example, ants that feel vibrations. These dungeons turned out to be really interesting: each has its own style, approach, and they all add the desired variety to the game.

But the combat system, alas, turned out to be the weakest of all. The battles take place in closed arenas, according to a template: the heroine is attacked by waves of Haunts – these are sinister demonic entities that personify human fears and suffering. And although at first it seems that there are only a few types of enemies, over time new variations appear: some attack in close combat, others infect the ground, call a swarm of poisonous flies or strengthen other Haunts. But still, the feeling of “we’ve seen this before” does not leave. Everything is too… game designer neat. There are no crazy ideas, not enough freedom.

Hazel can use weaving abilities in combat: she can attract and push enemies away, stun them with “Weave”, and combine attacks. Crouton is also involved – you can throw it at an enemy, and it will temporarily start hitting enemies for you. The leveling system is elementary: you collect “cotton”, improve skills, open new techniques like an area strike or a second dash. But that’s it – no build options, no unique playstyles. This makes the fight too predictable. Yes, it is visually beautiful – strike animations, effects, finishing moves – everything is on point. But after a couple of hours, all this starts to get tiresome.

Fortunately, the bosses in South of Midnight are able to shake the player up. There are not many of them, but each one is memorable. The alligator, whose attacks you need to dodge and ring the bell in time – almost a rhythm game. Lugaru is fast and angry, requires reaction and timing. Bosses differ in style, in mechanics, and they are the ones who add variety to the combat routine. Yes, their patterns are easy to learn, and they do not present a particular challenge, but within the overall pace of the game, these are real highlights. The gameplay loop is extremely clear and repeats throughout the campaign. First platforming, then combat, then exploration, collecting diaries, a bit of lore, sometimes a chase or pursuit. And all over again. It is clear that after the ambitious but controversial We Happy Few, Compulsion Games did not want to take risks. Instead of non-standard solutions, there is a clear framework, as understandable and predictable as possible.

And this is the main paradox of South of Midnight. It has an impressive visual presentation, interesting mechanics, an atmospheric setting, a pleasant heroine. Everything is there to become an unusual, even outstanding game. But instead of breaking the mold, the developers seem to have decided to keep a low profile. South of Midnight is a quality, solid, but somewhat self-strangled game. And that’s what makes it especially annoying. Because in different hands, or with a little more courage, it could have become the new Zelda: Breath of the Wild – only with magic, southern flavor, and weaving threads instead of swords.

What makes South of Midnight stand out: unique graphics, music and atmosphere

South of Midnight is a case where a video game goes far beyond the usual idea of ​​digital entertainment. It is not just a project with interesting gameplay and a plot, but a real interactive work of art, in which visuals and sound become full-fledged storytellers. And the first thing that grabs you is the visual style. The developers from Compulsion Games deliberately abandoned the photorealistic approach that is so popular today, and instead relied on stylized, hand-drawn graphics. As a result, we have before us a seemingly animated film that evokes associations with the best examples of modern animation – from the graphic splendor of “Arkane” to the frame-by-frame, slightly ragged, but expressive aesthetics of “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”. This is not just a stylistic choice, but a manifesto: South of Midnight wants to be different from others – and it succeeds in this very well.

Each location in the game is like a living painting, created with love and attention to detail. The swampy expanses of the American South are filled with watercolor light, as if an artist had brushed a virtual canvas. Tree branches are drowning in the twilight, the sky is reflected in the water, and paths are lost among the thickets – and all this looks so lively and atmospheric that you want to stop and just look. And then you get to the stylized Bourbon Street, which, despite all the psychedelic neon, refers to the historical architecture of New Orleans. Here, every corner breathes fantasy, but at the same time remains recognizable. Thunderstorms in the game are a whole separate level of art. Instead of standard flashes of lightning, we see a visual technique, as if lightning is “scratched” on the sky. This is not just a beautiful effect – it is an atmosphere in which you want to dissolve. And so – throughout the entire game. Each scene is visually rich, it tells a story on its own, even before you hear the first line or see the first quest.

The technique of imitation of oil painting gives the project a special character. In a world where games are increasingly striving for cinematography, South of Midnight goes in the direction of art. This is noticeable even in the way the characters look. Their animation is deliberately rough, as if hand-drawn. It has something of southern impressionism, street folklore, old paintings, dusty and preserving the memory of generations. The movements of the characters are flexible, the transitions between animations are soft, without sharp jumps and “broken” angles. This creates the feeling that everything happening on the screen is part of a single whole, living and breathing. But visuals are only half the magic. The other half is created by sound. The soundtrack of South of Midnight is an independent hero, without whom the game would be completely different. It doesn’t just complement the atmosphere, it builds it, brick by brick. Each location sounds in its own way: somewhere you can hear quiet blues, evoking sadness; somewhere – gloomy jazz with a touch of mysticism; in other places you can hear bluegrass motifs, choral singing, church organ tunes or a drawn-out violin playing at the junction of pain and beauty.

The musical palette in the game is truly rich and includes:

• melancholic blues conveying melancholy and loneliness;
• dark jazz creating an oppressive, mystical atmosphere;
• folk bluegrass adding liveliness and folkloric coziness;
• choral singing and church organ emphasizing the drama;
• emotional banjo and violin parts that give you goosebumps;
• vocal compositions with lyrics adapted to specific plot moments.

The vocal compositions are also impressive – they sound not like background music, but like part of the story. The lyrics echo the plot, reveal the inner state of the characters, and emphasize the twists and turns of the story. These are not just “musical inserts”, but full-fledged emotional scenes. And what is especially nice is that everything sounds integral and organic, as if each note was manually verified for a specific moment.

It is especially important to note that such a complex artistic design does not suffer from technical problems. South of Midnight pleasantly surprises with its stability and quality of optimization. Even on systems of average power, the game confidently maintains 60 frames per second at high settings. During the entire testing period, only one episodic crash without an error message was noticed – and this, against the background of the overall technical quality, can not even be considered a minus. In other words, visual ambition did not become a burden – on the contrary, it goes hand in hand with thoughtful engineering work.

As a result, South of Midnight is a game that you do not want to play, but live. Everything is in its place: the visual style, the musical accompaniment, and the technical basis. It is a story told in the language of color, sound and movement, a story that respects the culture of the American South and the desire to create something truly new. Among hundreds of games that try to be similar to each other, South of Midnight is a breath of fresh air, inspiring, fascinating and absolutely unique.

Is South of Midnight Worth Playing: The Pros and Cons of the Project

South of Midnight is perhaps one of the most atmospheric and stylish games on Xbox. When the project was first announced, many were wary of it, but the final result was a pleasant surprise. The game offers a fresh and deep look at the folklore of the American South – perhaps no other media format has shown such elaboration and respect for the topic. The visual presentation is mesmerizing, and the soundtrack can rightfully be called one of the best in recent years. Even the secondary storylines are catchy, evoking strong emotions, and the main plot, despite the influence of Sweet Baby Inc, still retains the scale and elaboration worthy of a big-budget animated film.

But if we talk about game design, then everything is not so clear-cut here. The platform part is exciting, but quite simple, and the structure of the levels, despite all the methods of movement, remains quite linear. The battles look impressive and play nicely, but over time it becomes noticeable that they lack variety – battles are often built on the same template, and the inherent potential of the combat system is only partially revealed.

After a difficult experience with We Happy Few, the Compulsion Games team decided to play by the rules. Instead of risky decisions and unexpected experiments, they chose the path of caution – a verified, but familiar adventure, in which the emphasis is on visuals and plot. And although this approach is quite justified, it is still a little sad that the developers did not dare to do more. Because South of Midnight is already a high-level game, and if it had a little more audacity, it could have become truly great. Nevertheless, the project confidently demonstrates what the studio is capable of, and makes us wait for their next game with real interest – maybe there they will open up to their full potential.

South of Midnight System Requirements

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Imagine yourself somewhere deep in the American South — among foggy swamps, ancient tales whispered around a campfire, and magic in the air. This isn’t just a game — South of Midnight draws you into living folklore, where every encounter can change everything, and dark legends come to life before your eyes. Here, you’re not just an observer, you’re a participant in the events, with much more on your shoulders than it seems.

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