Every time I’d come face-to-face with one of the many fantastical creatures and phenomena of South of Midnight’s southern gothic setting, I gleefully jumped into the lore encyclopedia that outlined the origins of these great beasts and concepts. Diving deep into these text entries was its own little reward for progression, as there’s no game pulls from such a fresh well of compelling folktales and superstitions steeped in this under-represented part of American history. And as a result, no game comes close to having the flair South of Midnight has.
However, the rest of the game doesn’t supplement its fresh backdrop with equally compelling gameplay. Instead, playing South of Midnight feels like chomping through the necessary veggies to get to the exceptional morsels scattered throughout its gorgeous cutscenes and beautifully surreal world-building.
South of Midnight’s endless imagination and slick presentation make for a perfect weekend playthrough for Game Pass subscribers. But it doesn’t quite have the chops to make it the fun single-player action game that I had hoped for.
Southern Grimoire
South of Midnight spins the mythic tale of Hazel, a 19-year-old woman from the fictional Southern town of Prospero. Just minutes after an argument with her mom, Hazel’s home is swept away by the rushing flood water of an intense hurricane while the teen is checking up on her neighbors. Driven by guilt, regret, and a need to make things right, Hazel sets out to find her mom, uncovering a heap of revelatory family secrets, the dark histories of her hometown, and the heft of responsibility that comes with acting on empathy.
South of Midnight is a welcome oddity in gaming. It centers a Black 19-year-old who meets all sorts of characters we don’t typically see represented in video games outside of grim gunslinging epics like Red Dead Redemption. The collection of accents and archetypes you’ll hear and meet is just as varied and distinct as the game’s incredible art direction and animation. Meant to resemble the handcrafted look of stop-motion films, South of Midnight feels like nothing else, particularly when it's in motion.
Hazel is an endearing character, though the sharp-witted fire she has at the start of the game doesn’t burn as brightly toward the end. She’s lovingly brought to life by voice actor Adriyan Rae. But in the closing chapters of the game’s story, the script repeatedly paints her as a gullible protagonist who can barely piece together some of the legends unfolding in front of her until it’s spelled out for her. While it doesn’t take away from how impactful these often tragic legends of yore are, it does make Hazel feel like she’s barely paying attention to her own story.
Coming face to face with otherworldly entities like Huggin’ Molly marks some of South of Midnight’s greatest moments.
Hazel’s inconsistent writing aside, there’s still a sense of spectacle when confronting these larger-than-life legends. Being stalked by the terrifying Huggin’ Molly or coming to blows with a colossal albino alligator named Two-Toed Tom feels appropriately grandiose. And a big part of how the game pulls this off is with its brilliant soundtrack.
From the emotional murder ballads that back Hazel’s march into the uncomfortable and unknown, to the operatic children’s choir that bellows hymns chronicling the gruesome injustices of the past, South of Midnight manages to make its world more emotionally resonant than it already is through music. South of Midnight will likely win accolades and the hearts of its players through its unparalleled soundtrack.
Bob and Weave Magic
Nearly all of Hazel’s abilities are gated by story progression and a simple skill tree.
South of Midnight’s gameplay doesn’t reach the same highs as its polished presentation. It’s a platformer with third-person action combat. How Hazel navigates her environment is the better part of the game’s two halves. Her ability to double jump, glide, and wallrun all look and feel great. She’ll use her magic “weaver” abilities to push and pull objects in the environment to scale obstacles and buildings, and use her ragdoll companion Crouton (which players get to control) to explore hidden and hard-to-reach areas. During sequences where players are fleeing a pursuing threat, parkouring over rooftops and through the rubble of the Hurricane can be satisfying to pull off as the animations feel crisp and reflect Hazel’s athleticism as a former track runner.
The game’s combat, however, isn’t nearly as satisfying. South of Midnight commits the cardinal design sin of locking mechanics that flesh out an otherwise monotonous combat system behind a skill tree. In the first third of the game, combat is about as formulaic and button-mashy as action games get. Unlocking the ability to pull enemies closer or hypnotize them into temporarily fighting for you feels like powers Hazel should have had from the start of the game, then upgraded to levels beyond what their final upgrades provide.
But even when you’ve unlocked all her combat options, it doesn’t make the combat much more fun than it starts. And that’s down to a few nagging issues, the most tragic of which is how little enemies react to the player. Enemies often feel like they’re outright ignoring most of Hazel’s offense. Attacking an enemy with our hero’s basic combo feels weightless and ineffective since, at any time during the player’s flurry, enemies can just attack unimpeded.
It's especially frustrating when the screen is busy with particles, attack warnings, and other enemies, making it tougher to spot an enemy’s tell. In the back half of the game, I found myself spamming the one non-special attack that reliably staggered enemies and prevented them from knocking me back in hairy situations.
“Plain and simple, South of Midnight’s combat is begging for some additional depth.”
Many of the special abilities that make combat a bit more interesting have cooldowns that take a lot longer to recharge than they probably should, which means having to rely on the ineffectual basic combo. In order to clear an enemy from the combat arena and gain a small (and I mean small) health boost, Hazel must rip the essence from their bodies after they’ve been defeated. But when enemies are always propelled away from Hazel after the final hit, requiring you to walk a few feet to finish the job, it adds an extra step that breaks what little flow of combat does have. The inability to control the camera for a beat after the essence-breaking animation also puts players at a disadvantage in tougher battles.
It’s commendable that Compulsion Games stepped away from the Souls-like combat that has dominated the third-person action genre over the last decade. But what’s here instead isn’t up to snuff. Plain and simple, South of Midnight’s combat is begging for some additional depth. At best, I was ambivalent about combat sections. At worst, I groaned when I noticed wide-open levels narrowing, ushering me towards combat arenas. What combat could have used was an added parry mechanic, the ability to use Hazel’s powers more frequently, or even a strong attack that let players mix things up; anything that would help its encounters feel less laborious.
Hankerin’ For More
South of Midnight is a game of two halves. It's one of the year’s most imaginative experiences, one that uses its riveting source material to weave a magically grim yet hopeful tale that most players should experience. But its basic platforming and dull combat mean playing through its unique narrative comes with some tradeoffs.
After 12 hours, I retired my controller feeling deeply conflicted. While the journey was enchanting, oozing with unparalleled style and majesty, it fell just short of being as magical as I hoped. It’s sheer audaciousness makes it an easy game to recommend for those looking for something original in a sea of trend-chasing games. But its shortcomings could leave some players yearning for a fuller experience.
7/10.
South of Midnight will be released April 8, 2025 on Xbox Series X|S and PC.
INVERSE VIDEO GAME REVIEW ETHOS: Every Inverse video game review answers two questions: Is this game worth your time? Are you getting what you pay for? We have no tolerance for endless fetch quests, clunky mechanics, or bugs that dilute the experience. We care deeply about a game’s design, world-building, character arcs, and storytelling come together. Inverse will never punch down, but we aren’t afraid to punch up. We love magic and science-fiction in equal measure, and as much as we love experiencing rich stories and worlds through games, we won’t ignore the real-world context in which those games are made.
