For a publisher with as vast a catalog of titles as Xbox, the upcoming South of Midnight sticks out, but in a good way. From one of the company’s newest acquisitions, Compulsion Games, the title has already proven itself as unique with its southern setting, stop-motion inspired cutscenes, and striking visual color palette. With a stellar display of its assets in January’s Xbox Developer Direct, many, myself included, couldn’t wait to see more. Now, I’ve had the chance to play through some of South of Midnight and it is truly something special.
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As mentioned, South of Midnight comes from Compulsion Games, the same team behind 2013’s Contrast and 2018’s We Happy Few. If you played any of those titles, you know that Compulsion has a distinct style and tonality that changes with each game. Despite that, South of Midnight already feels like the company’s most striking and visually impressive game. In many ways, it feels like it was ripped straight out of a fairy tale and brought to life with its inspired stop-motion feel, reminiscent of films like Coraline, James and the Giant Peach, and Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio.
The demo for South of Midnight starts at the beginning of Hazel’s adventure, already deep into the hurricane-riddled Prospero, where Southern folktales have come to life. She’s a touch experienced with her Weaver powers, which let her fight against deadly Haints and traverse the broken landscapes, but she still has a lot to learn. Even so, she’s on a quest to reunite with her mother, no matter what. In the chapter, which in-game is Chapter 3, Hazel is tasked with rescuing a talking Southern catfish named, well, Catfish, from a semi-sentient tree. Along the way, she learns about the tree, how it came to be, and what became of the swampy town she’s in.
Right out of the gate, it looks and feels like something new, which is great to see in today’s industry. Even if some transitions from cutscene to gameplay feel noticeable, the style is fantastic and exudes charm. It does help that the Southern-centric backdrop, in this case, the bayou, is done up beautifully. As you make your way from place to place, the cacophony of crickets, cicadas, and waterbugs ruminates with the light strumming of the banjo, crafting a nostalgic yet authentic ambiance.
I entered combat quite quickly after playing and, while it did take a bit of getting used to, it felt quite satisfying. With the absence of a block button, at least in the preview, you’re forced to rely a lot on dodging, which can be a bit hard when the battlefield is rather small and enemies are coming in every direction. Still, your Weaver abilities, though small, help even the playing field a touch, as do the many ways to earn health like unraveling enemies. The effects of the attacks and Hazel’s movement were also cool, as they felt ingrained with the knitting aesthetic.
A bit into the demo, I got to meet some characters outside of Hazel like the charismatic Catfish and the troubled Rhubarb. Hazel herself is a pretty fun character, as her sarcastic yet caring personality shines a ton in what time I had with South of Midnight. Some of her dialogue does feel a bit exposition-heavy or predictable, but Hazel’s voice actress, Adriyan Rae, does an excellent job with her approach to the protagonist. In that regard, the script is pretty solid, despite some of it being too on the nose or explanation-centric. It takes itself semi-seriously, tackling heavy subjects, in this case, bullying, while keeping some light-hearted banter, mostly from Catfish. It can struggle a bit to maintain that balance, but it does center itself by the end.
Though brief, there were some highlights of my time with South of Midnight. One in particular was that, once you acquire the glider, double jump, and wall-running abilities, traversal becomes a ton of fun. It encourages you to explore and, even more so, rewards you for doing so with Fluffs, which can be exchanged for upgrades and moves. The world is also gorgeous to look at, so it’s easy to get lost in. Still, one section of the preview had Hazel escaping an unknown foggy presence, as she had to wall-run and platform her way to safety. It all felt very intuitive and thrilling, even if I couldn’t see what was chasing me.
Another highlight was the incredible music, done by the amazing Olivier Deriviere. In fact, it may be one of his best, which is saying something as he previously wrote both A Plague Tale soundtracks. The bluegrass/blues hybrid songs that play in the background are addicting and match the scenery and tone perfectly. Slowly over the course of the level, the vocals of the choir start to become clearer and clearer until the end, when it becomes a full-on ballad that I am not ashamed to say is stuck in my head, even as I write. Those small details really put the love and passion of the studio at the forefront to create something unique and different, which Xbox would do great to have.
Of course, since it was a preview build, there were some slight hiccups with the frame rate and texture loading. Still, some of the lighting in certain gameplay sections, especially those in the fog, felt a bit awkward and unnatural-looking. A few more polishes to the lighting and such will really make South of Midnight sing, much like the gospel choir in the background.
Overall, I finished the preview for South of Midnight with a much more positive outlook than I thought I would. I was a bit skeptical about the story and integration of its themes, which I still am for its full release. Yet, I can’t help but already root for this title to succeed. As someone who has been a long-time Xbox user, South of Midnight is shaping up to be one Xbox fans are going to want to check out.
South of Midnight weaves its way on PC and Xbox Series X|S on April 8th, 2025. The title will also launch Day One on Xbox Game Pass.
