Initially, you might peg South of Midnight as your standard action-adventure game with its mix of a reluctant heroine, mystical weapons, and skill trees. But once you delve into it for a few minutes, that first impression fades dramatically. What unveils itself is a gaming universe that truly stands apart. As you journey through the third chapter, revelations hit you repeatedly; the ambiance, the narrative, the unique concepts, and the transformative music—all of it is refreshingly original. This entire experience is layered over a fabric of challenging combat and captivating exploration.
The preview kicks off with Hazel, our protagonist, already in pursuit of her missing mother, swept away by a disastrous flood. Before she’s laced up her sneakers, she learns she’s a Weaver, granting her the extraordinary ability to manipulate a primal magic, manipulating the threads of reality itself. Yet, the world around her appears to twist and blur unpredictably. Set against the backdrop of a Deep South-inspired landscape, Hazel navigates a countryside she barely recognizes, where the environment sometimes feels outright antagonistic.
While trailers have given us glimpses of South of Midnight’s expansive world and tale, it isn’t until you interact with it firsthand that its tightly-woven, action-centric gameplay reveals itself. As you venture across this strange world, you’ll encounter shimmering energy spheres—akin to oil slicks on water. Delving into one leads you to battle Haints, mythical creatures spawned from genuine Southern folklore. These foes vary widely—some charge at you with flurrying melee attacks, others retreat to assail you from a distance, while still others spawn grotesque insects to hinder your progress. It rapidly becomes strategic, urging you to decide which Haint to confront first under varying circumstances.
South of Midnight is far from forgiving. The combat demands skill, frequently pitting Hazel against numerous Haints, all of which can significantly dent your health bar with a single blow. In these moments, the game morphs into a swift, agile action experience—you’ll dart around the luminescent battle arenas, adjusting attack strategies on the fly. While melee combos allow you to eliminate enemies swiftly, they also leave you vulnerable. And let’s not forget the spells at your disposal; opponents can be pushed, pulled, or even catapulted around, or ensnared with mystical strands.
As you advance, upgrades provide further specialization—I opted for an ability enhancing damage dealt to ensnared foes, allowing me to neutralize substantial threats rapidly. Aggression is crucial here; even evading perfectly can trigger an attack, as weaving magic explodes where you stood. It’s a striking introduction, revealing deeper mechanics beneath the surface than one might anticipate initially.
None of this mentions the game’s animation. Each character is painstakingly designed to replicate the style of handcrafted stop-motion figures. In cinematic moments, their movement is both compelling and slightly surreal, reminiscent of classic animations. When you assume control, the gameplay is fluid and responsive, ensuring the action’s immediacy never diminishes. Compulsion Games has perfected the art of fluid transition between these elements.
Exploring this world introduces you to vivid landscapes—mangrove swamps interspersed with islands, derelict shacks, and crumbling boardwalks, each surrendering to nature’s relentless grip. Dense thorns obstruct your route, and enormous, decaying peaches float serenely in the water. Ascend to higher ground, and you’ll discover that, despite the cleverly-designed, compact levels, the world extends far beyond, offering an illusion of vast scale to your undertakings. This unfamiliar terrain, wrapped in breathtaking lighting, sees the setting sun drenching the twisted treeline in beams of light while fog swirls around you.
Navigating this environment requires mastery of your Weaving abilities (the same magic used in combat serves for exploration too)—conjuring specters of the past to aid in platforming, gliding across inundated lands, and reshaping the world to reveal hidden paths. A defined path lies ahead (made visible with a nudge of the right stick), but curious nooks hide materials to boost your skills and deliver narrative-expanding insights. Understanding and exploiting your powers, lured by environmental clues, ensures you’ll spend ample time exploring off the main path.
Once you steer onto the designed path, you encounter Catfish, the game’s enigmatic narrator-companion figure, currently ensnared within a humanoid tree. The mission at hand unfolds with a dream-like logic—free Catfish by obtaining a magic bottle from a bottle tree (visible in the game logo) to absorb the psychic anguish warping the tree and its surroundings.
This quest may initially seem whimsical, but its trauma is swiftly exposed—without giving away too much, you unearth the story of how this realm turned a once-ordinary man into a towering, tormented tree through a lifetime of suffering.
Another standout feature of South of Midnight is how its story feels incredibly new—just like the combat, it doesn’t shy away. Hazel isn’t afraid to let out a curse now and then (let’s be honest, you probably would too under similar circumstances), and the stories she gathers are miles away from traditional fairy tales. Labelled by Compulsion Games as a ‘Southern Gothic’ tale, this is self-evident; the stories are unyieldingly grim, enhancing the formidable menace permeating this world. As a Weaver, Hazel’s mission is to heal what’s been shattered—and repair this world, which undoubtedly is.
Yet, South of Midnight continues to surprise. Just when you begin to grasp the rhythm of combat and exploration, the preview shifts gears—what was once tranquil platforming turns into a frantic escape from an unapproachable force. In this high-stakes sequence, your gentle leaps, glides, and wall runs become means of survival, demanding precise execution to return to safety. South of Midnight pivots swiftly, altering the nature of the gameplay beneath you.
The most electrifying sequence in the preview redefines expectations once again. It was clear that a Mythical Creature awaits in every significant area, monolithic challenges sourced from folklore, obstructing Hazel’s progress. Yet, not every encounter leads to a conventional boss fight. As a healer rather than a destroyer, you find that the gigantic tree you seek to mend is not a nemesis—it’s merely in pain. At the climax, you ascend its heights, revealing sprawling vistas of your journey, not to destroy but to heal its affliction.
As you tackle this platforming climax, the soundtrack amplifies your ascent. Throughout the level, sporadic songs drift like an ethereal presence in the soundscape, yet as you climb, the melody unravels the story you’ve pieced together, enhancing understanding with every step. It’s a beautiful blend of gameplay, narrative, and music in one synchronized moment—truly unparalleled.
This insight applies more broadly—every level in South of Midnight showcases Compulsion Games’ commitment to innovation. So early into the game, it teases the innumerable enthralling mysteries waiting to be uncovered.
South of Midnight launches on April 8, 2025, across Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam, and the cloud, joining the Game Pass lineup from day one. Eager to step into its gothic universe a bit sooner? The Premium Edition offers early access up to five days ahead of release, plus digital extras to saddle-up with Hazel’s journey even before the world plunges fully into midnight’s embrace.
