South of Midnight plays like a Disney movie; visually stunning, with impressive animations and a soundtrack that plays an essential and unforgettable role in the storytelling. Despite dealing with some heavy themes, the game from developer Compulsion Games maintains a light-hearted tone throughout. But the big question is: does it also reach the same heights as the best Disney films? With this spoiler-free South of Midnight review, I hope to provide the answer.
This third-person action-adventure game follows teenager Hazel, who lives with her mother in Prospero, a fictional town set in the American Deep South. When a hurricane tears through their home, sweeping it away with Hazel’s mother still inside, it’s up to you to find her, in a world where reality blends seamlessly with folklore.
Weaving the Pain Away
During this adventure, Hazel learns about The Grand Tapestry. The Grand Tapestry forms the fabric of reality, separating the physical world from the spiritual. It symbolizes both the emotional and spiritual damage people endure, as well as the journey of healing from that trauma.
As a Weaver, Hazel is gifted with the rare ability to feel and interact with this Tapestry. She can see the rifts that form when people’s emotions are fractured or broken, and with her unique powers, she can repair these tears by “weaving” the fabric back together.
By “weaving” things back together, Hazel restores balance, helping both people and mythical creatures to come to terms with their trauma and see their emotional wounds in a new light.
A Feast for the Eyes and Ears
From start to finish, I was consistently impressed by the game’s art style. It constantly feels like a living painting, with nearly every frame making for a perfect screenshot, so I found myself repeatedly smashing the button to capture yet another shot.
The characters and mythical beings, drawn from folklore, are also stunning. The stop-motion cutscenes add even more of a unique flair to the game.
As mentioned, the game begins with a hurricane, and the effects of this raging weather are presented in a truly striking way. The environments in South of Midnight are beautiful, and the animations that guide Hazel through them are equally impressive.
“It took me a moment to connect the lyrics to the story, as I hadn’t expected it. But the moment I realized the song was about that tragic event, it was an absolute “wow” moment.”
However, it’s your ears that are even more spoiled than your eyes, as the soundtrack is, in my opinion, the standout feature of the game. Based on the trailers, I already had high expectations, but early on, I found myself wondering, “Where’s that great soundtrack?” But then, in Chapter 3, a moment occurred that I won’t soon forget.
The different chapters give you glimpses into past pain and tragic circumstances. After learning about a dramatic event, I had to climb towards my destination, hoping to heal that pain. During this climb, a track started playing that perfectly encapsulated the drama. It took me a moment to connect the lyrics to the story, as I hadn’t expected it. But the moment I realized the song was about that tragic event, it was an absolute “wow” moment.
Each time I got closer to uncovering another piece of old trauma, a similar moment would occur, making me eager to finish each personal story. You could say the soundtrack was one of my main driving forces to complete the game. That says a lot about how powerful the music is, but it also says something about the gameplay.
The Gameplay Is Fairly Generic and Lacks Anything Particularly Special
The gameplay loop in South of Midnight generally consists of undemanding platforming, repetitive combat, and brief, somewhat more engaging platforming sections. None of these elements left me feeling exhilarated. In fact, the gameplay itself became something I just wanted to rush through quickly so I could get to the parts of the game where it truly shines: the story developments and that fantastic soundtrack.
Combat, in particular, became something I dreaded as time went on. The first few fights were fine, but before long, I found myself mentally (and possibly physically) rolling my eyes every time I got thrown into another battle. At one point, Hazel even says something along the lines of “I’m getting real tired of this,” and I couldn’t help but think, I feel you, girl.
The combat is quite simple; you’re attacked from different directions by creatures known as “Haints.” These Haints engage in melee attacks up close, while others shoot at you from a distance. As the game progresses, new enemy types are introduced, each with their own unique attacks.
“At one point, Hazel even says something along the lines of “I’m getting real tired of this,” and I couldn’t help but think, I feel you, girl.”
You can’t block, so you mainly alternate between melee strikes and dodging. Fortunately, most enemies can be dealt with fairly quickly, meaning combat sections rarely last longer than a few minutes.
By collecting hidden “floofs” throughout the world, you can unlock and improve Hazel’s skills. These abilities allow you to pull enemies towards you, push them away, or even “weave” them, rendering them immobile and more vulnerable to your attacks.
Each time you enter combat, there’s a healing item nearby, which on the “Normal” difficulty was more than enough to handle the encounters with ease. I can’t speak for the higher difficulties, but since combat wasn’t particularly challenging, I had little motivation to unlock and improve skills, which in turn affected my exploration phase. Since I didn’t derive much enjoyment from the combat, upping the difficulty wasn’t really an option for me either.
My Hands Hurt From All the Hand Holding
In games, and especially in exploration, the enjoyment mostly comes from the rewards you uncover along the way. Searching through your surroundings feels like a worthwhile activity when you uncover powerful new equipment, unlock skills, or discover interesting lore.
Aside from the equipment, since that’s not manageable, South of Midnight generally delivers on this. When you deviate from the main path toward your next objective, you encounter floofs, opportunities to upgrade your health, or additional lore. Since I wasn’t particularly invested in the combat, finding these floofs and health upgrades didn’t hold much appeal, though. The fact that the game gives you full access to all your skills early on also didn’t help.
When the rewards for such exploration don’t have the desired impact, it could be compensated by making the journey itself as enjoyable as possible. In this regard, the game could have benefited from more playfulness and challenge. You often come across floofs simply by veering off the main path, dodging a few prickly plants and exploding mushrooms along the way.
“I also would have liked to see Compulsion Games loosen the reins a bit more.“
I also would have liked to see Compulsion Games loosen the reins a bit more. At one point, you gain the ability to summon a small companion and control them as they navigate tight spaces Hazel can’t reach. But each time this opportunity arises, the game (or Hazel) instructs you to summon this companion. This gives the impression that you’re just following orders, rather than figuring it out on your own, which would have felt more rewarding.
I did appreciate that the last few chapters made an effort to introduce more originality in exploration and navigation. There was more interaction with the environment, which required you to time your jumps and actions more carefully. I would have liked to see this kind of approach earlier on and in greater abundance.
Finding notes or objects that Hazel reflects on was more engaging than finding floofs. These moments sometimes added more depth to the story Hazel is trying to unravel and occasionally gave us insight into her own history and emotions. The game shines when it delves into emotional storytelling and provides glimpses into the lives of the characters involved.
South of Midnight’s Short Runtime Keeps the Pace Snappy
Fortunately, all the earlier criticisms are softened by South of Midnight’s relatively short runtime. The game offers around 10–12 hours of content, and if you’re mainly in it for the emotional mystery and compelling narrative, you can breeze through the less engaging parts fairly quickly. With a single button press, the game highlights the fastest route to your next objective, making navigation easy and ensuring you’re never stuck waiting for the next story beat to kick in.
Personally, I’m always a fan of these tighter, more focused “in-between” games. Not just because it means I have something new to review, but also because it’s refreshing to fully experience a story in a shorter time frame—especially in between all of these massive releases that easily demand 50+ hours of your time.
The shorter length also made it easier to push through the less enjoyable combat segments, knowing that the next narrative development was always just around the corner. South of Midnight doesn’t waste your time with filler content just to pad out its runtime, and that’s something I really appreciated.
This game is a strong addition to Game Pass, and I’d definitely recommend checking it out there. Whether I’d spend more than €40 / $40 on it… that’s another question.
Conclusion
South of Midnight is a unique experience in terms of style and sound. Its characters and animations are beautifully crafted and brought to life with care. The soundtrack is truly outstanding, delivering emotional weight and elevating the game’s storytelling in memorable ways.
The gameplay, however, was less enjoyable for me. Combat lacks depth, and exploration could have benefitted from more challenge and playfulness. Too often, I felt like the game was holding my hand when it didn’t need to.
