Ever since its reveal in 2023, South of Midnight had my attention. Its painterly, stop-motion-inspired art style immediately stood out, reminding me of Arcane with a touch of Coraline’s eerie charm. More importantly, it promised a character-driven action-adventure—something that’s been a rarity on Xbox compared to Sony’s first-party catalog in recent years. Developed by Compulsion Games (We Happy Few, Contrast), South of Midnight delivers a rich, folklore-infused journey through a fictional Deep South, blending action, mystery, and emotion.
The story follows Hazel, a young woman whose world is upended when a hurricane sweeps away her home and, more importantly, her mother. In the aftermath, Hazel discovers she is a Weaver, someone who can mend the fabric of reality itself. This newfound role thrusts her into a quest to repair the Grand Tapestry, stop the corruption of the monstrous Haints, and ultimately, rescue her mother. The narrative starts off feeling like a straightforward rescue mission, but it quickly deepens, touching on themes of loss, grief, and even generational trauma.
One of the most compelling aspects of South of Midnight is its use of Southern folklore. As Hazel travels through beautifully eerie landscapes, she encounters larger-than-life figures like Two-Toed Tom and Hugging Molly—actual legends from real-world folklore, reimagined with a dark, supernatural twist. These encounters are not just visually striking but also narratively rich, often accompanied by haunting, fully voiced songs that add layers of history and emotion to the world. It wasn’t until I did some research that I realized just how deeply the game was pulling from actual myth, and that only made me appreciate it more.
From the moment the first trailers dropped, South of Midnight’s art direction stood out. The game looks like a moving painting, with deep shadows, vibrant colors, and hand-crafted textures that give the world a lived-in feel. But what really sets it apart is the animation style. Hazel and the creatures she faces move with a deliberate, almost stop-motion-like quality—similar to what Spider-Verse attempts digitally but more pronounced.
Personally, I loved the aesthetic. It gives the game a unique, dreamlike quality that fits perfectly with its folklore-inspired world. However, I recognize that the choppy, lower-framerate look might not be for everyone. Thankfully, there’s an option to smooth out animations during gameplay (though cutscenes remain in their original style). It’s a smart compromise that lets players experience the game in whatever way feels best to them.
A great adventure needs great characters, and South of Midnight delivers. Hazel is an immediately likable protagonist—brave, determined, and just the right amount of sarcastic. Her companion, a mystical catfish-like creature, adds a lot of charm to the journey. Their bond develops naturally over the course of the game, and by the end, I genuinely cared about both of them.
The supporting cast is also well-written, with a few standout characters appearing later in the game that I won’t spoil here. The voice acting is excellent across the board—grounded, believable, and never overdone. This is crucial in a story with such heavy themes, as the performances help sell the emotional weight of Hazel’s journey.
What initially seemed like a fast-paced, action-packed adventure slowly revealed itself to be something much deeper. South of Midnight doesn’t shy away from tough topics—loss, familial abuse, and the weight of grief all play major roles in the narrative. At first, I expected a straightforward story about rescuing a lost parent, but the game steadily introduced more complex, somber themes that I wasn’t prepared for.
A couple of moments in particular hit hard—without giving too much away, the game explores what it means to lose a sibling or parent in a way that feels painfully real. These themes caught me off guard, especially given how fun the gameplay is, but they ultimately made the story much more impactful.
Hazel’s Weaver powers are at the core of South of Midnight’s gameplay, influencing combat, traversal, and puzzle-solving. She gains these abilities almost immediately, and at first, I was a little underwhelmed by how suddenly they appeared. It felt like she was simply given powers without really earning them. However, as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that there’s a deeper reason behind it all—one tied to the game’s larger mysteries.
Combat is entirely melee-based, with Hazel blending her weapons and Weaver abilities to fight the Haints. Early on, it’s fairly basic—strike, dodge, repeat. But as you progress, things open up. You unlock new weaves that let you push or pull enemies, strike from afar, or even possess them using your toy-like companion, Crouton. By the end of the game, combat feels fluid and rewarding, even if it takes a while to get there.
Progression is tied to collecting Floofs, a currency found in hidden areas and rewarded after combat. These can be spent on new abilities, and I liked how the game encouraged exploration to fully upgrade Hazel’s skills. That said, if you stick strictly to the main path, you may find yourself missing out on key upgrades by the time the final battles roll around. If the guiding spirit is directing you to go one way, but you can see that there could be a side path, take the side path, you’re almost always rewarded with additional Floofs or a collectible that can be read to reveal more world lore.
While I enjoyed my time with South of Midnight, I can’t ignore that the core gameplay loop starts to feel repetitive. Most levels follow a similar structure—meet an NPC, battle through a few enemy arenas, survive a fast paced platforming sequence, then fight a boss. There are minor variations, but by the midpoint of the 12-hour campaign, the formula starts to feel predictable.
Enemy variety is also an issue, especially in the first half of the game. While later encounters introduce new and more challenging foes, the early hours rely on the same few enemy types, which makes combat feel a bit stale. This isn’t helped by the structure of fights themselves—every standard battle takes place in a closed-off arena, forcing you to clear enemies before destroying a Haint spore to move forward. By the final chapters, I found myself wishing for more dynamic encounters.
I also found that the default subtitles were difficult to read, as they would often blend in and clash with the game itself, especially in brightly lit scenes with white backdrops. It forced me to explore the game’s accessibility features to be able to tweak the subtitles themselves, add a background and a custom opacity so that I had no further issues reading them. It was unfortunate that I had to do this, but it did open my eyes to the effort that Compulsion put into their accessibility features, as there’s a lot more on offer you can utilise if the default experience isn’t suitable.
That said, the boss fights—especially two standout battles in the late game—were definite highlights. They introduced unique mechanics and showcased the game’s art direction and storytelling at their best. They also force the use of Hazel’s whole skill set in clever ways. The bosses were great and I wish there were more of them.
One of my biggest disappointments with South of Midnight is that, once the credits rolled, I felt like there was little reason to go back. The game is strictly linear, and while that makes for a focused story, it also limits replayability. There are some collectibles and lore entries to find, but I couldn’t help but wish for additional side quests or optional content that could be offered within the game to allow players to further explore the world.
Final Thoughts
South of Midnight is a unique journey through a beautifully crafted world, filled with rich folklore, striking visuals, and a surprisingly deep story. It delivers engaging melee combat, a memorable cast, and a hauntingly beautiful soundtrack that blends blues, country, and soul music seamlessly into the experience.
However, the game’s repetitive structure and limited enemy variety hold it back from true greatness. While the later sections introduce much-needed variety, the first half can feel a bit formulaic. Additionally, once the main story is finished, there’s little reason to return.
Still, for fans of story-driven adventures, South of Midnight is absolutely worth experiencing. It’s a game that lingers in your mind long after it’s over, much like the legends that inspired it.
Review code provided by Xbox for the purpose of this review
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8
- + A great story that cleverly interweaves myths and legends
- + Very unique and interesting art direction
- + Visually beautiful
- + Really fun boss encounters
- - Gameplay loop feels formulaic and repetitive by the end
- - Lack of things to do once the story is complete
- - Standard combat encounters are too one note in design
