Gorgeous South of Midnight: Lovely Aesthetics, Lackluster Gameplay

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The game titled “South of Midnight” has garnered considerable attention since its unveiling, mainly due to its unique art style that resembles traditional stop-motion animation. Upon completing the game and gathering nearly all the hidden items along the way, I can confirm that “South of Midnight” is visually stunning, and there are many other appealing aspects to it as well. However, in the critical area of gameplay, it seems to miss the mark.

In other genres, the game “South of Midnight” delivers exceptional performances that are award-worthy. The unique stop-motion style used for its characters stands out beautifully against the game’s visually stunning landscapes, with remarkable lighting effects that create awe-inspiring vistas. Players of “South of Midnight” will often pause just to appreciate the scenery and marvel at the intricate details put into crafting the game world, from the sunlight streaming through caves to the reflections on puddles. The graphics in “South of Midnight” are truly majestic and richly deserve all the acclaim they receive.

In the same vein, praise can be extended towards the audio design and music in the game “South of Midnight”. The game’s bayou environment resonates with the sounds of buzzing insects and chirping birds, while the melodious, rhythmic folk tunes significantly enhance the impact of crucial scenes. The audio matches flawlessly with “South of Midnight”‘s Deep South ambiance, harmonizing with the art style to evoke the precise atmosphere one would anticipate from such a game.

In “South of Midnight,” the narrative revolves around the rich Southern folklore, where main character Hazel Flood encounters awe-inspiring mythical beings while delving into hollers, marshy swamps, and towering mountains. Post a hurricane that devastates her hometown, Hazel uncovers her unique role as a weaver, enabling her to navigate this enchanting universe filled with magical creatures. As the game progresses, Hazel’s repertoire of magical abilities expands, equipping her to conquer the diverse platforming and combat obstacles she faces during her journey.

The plot of “South of Midnight” isn’t particularly surprising, yet it stands out due to strong performances and an engaging character named Hazel. Her responses to the unusual events around her are natural and often humorous, while also tugging at your heartstrings at times. Adriyan Rae delivers a noteworthy performance as Hazel, and each character in the game is intriguing in their individual ways. The main storyline of “South of Midnight” is enhanced by smaller stories that revolve around specific folktales, which can be unsettling at times but are always entertaining.

South of Midnight’s Bland Gameplay Holds It Back

In terms of characters, visuals, and music, South of Midnight delivers spot-on, but its gameplay could use improvement. At times, the platforming can be enjoyable as Hazel navigates walls, edges, and eventually soars from one vantage point to another. However, it fails to reach its full potential. The frequent chase sequences should have provided a chance for more intricate platforming levels, but they fall short. While the mechanics work fine, they lack the punch needed for South of Midnight to truly stand out.

Unfortunately, even the battles in “South of Midnight” share this issue. In the game, Hazel confronts Haints within isolated arenas that seem disjointed from the overall game world. These Haints are uninteresting blobs with repetitive attack patterns. Hazel’s moveset is primarily based on button-mashing, supplemented by a few unique skills unlocked as the story progresses, but they don’t add enough variety to make combat engaging. Additionally, there isn’t a wide range of enemies, resulting in battles that play out quite similarly – mostly button mashing, using skills when they’re available, and occasionally dodging.

In a different wording: The attacks offered by Hazel’s skill tree might have made battles more thrilling if they were more varied or powerful. However, as currently designed, they seem quite fundamental. These upgrades do provide an advantage in combat, but since the Haints are not particularly tough after the initial few fights, this extra edge isn’t always necessary. Floofs, which is the main collectible item in South of Midnight, can be found easily, often hidden slightly off the main path. The game follows a super-linear design, making finding Floofs mostly straightforward.

In the game “South of Midnight“, the battles only get truly thrilling during the boss encounters. Regrettably, these encounters are relatively scarce, and even when they occur, they don’t quite live up to their potential. The bosses in “South of Midnight” appear spectacular, and they offer an enjoyable initial experience, but they drag on a bit too long. Over time, the battles become repetitive and share similar issues with the general combat system.

The gameplay in South of Midnight primarily focuses on intense combat and platforming, with occasional light puzzle elements incorporated as well. However, these puzzles are functional rather than exceptional, providing no significant challenge to the player. The majority of the puzzles involve using Hazel’s weaving powers to stabilize a ghostly object and then moving it to allow her access to the next area. Unfortunately, these puzzles lack depth and don’t offer much in terms of engagement.

In essence, the main issue that seals the entertainment value of the game “South of Midnight” is its absence of substantial replay potential. Although there are items to discover scattered throughout the game, unfortunately, there’s no option to choose specific chapters, forcing players to go through the entire game again if they wish to retrieve these hidden treasures. Given the straightforward and rudimentary nature of the game, this repetition becomes less enticing, even with its relatively brief 10-hour duration.

To the south of midnight lies a captivating tale, divided into fourteen engaging chapters. The journey through this game required approximately ten hours on my part, though I took the time to delve deeply into each stage and uncover nearly all the Floofs and other hidden treasures along the way.

South of Midnight shines in several crucial aspects, however, its gameplay leaves much to be desired, making it difficult to fully acknowledge its strengths. Players who are enjoying South of Midnight through Xbox Game Pass might be more lenient towards its flaws, and given that it’s a budget title, this could be a factor. Regrettably, the game does not reach its full potential.

The game titled “South of Midnight” will be released on April 8, available for both PC and Xbox Series X. For this review, we at Game Rant were given an Xbox Series X code to play the game.

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2025-04-03 19:06