South of Midnight is a 3rd‑individual motion‑journey that leans into its narrative exhausting. For these pondering of shopping for it, that’s the very first thing to contemplate, as a result of not each gamer has the identical ‘excessive cutscene-to-gameplay ratio’ of endurance. Whereas it doesn’t over-indulge, it does wish to pause occasions typically to disclose considered one of its considerable storytelling nuggets because it unravels its satisfying Deep South folktale-inspired narrative.
Taken most positively, these occasions add an honest quantity of curiosity and a few pathos to the sport’s roughly 10-hour runtime, which is split up into 14 chapters. My most unfavorable take is that I generally mused about whether or not South of Midnight would have additionally made a superb movie.
And this brings me neatly to the standard of this Change 2 port. Printed by Xbox Recreation Studios, South of Midnight got here out to constructive evaluations in 2025 – representing a hotter reception for developer Compulsion Video games after their mixed-reviewed We Blissful Few. A look on the gameplay — set inside bold storm results at occasions and dense, luscious wildflowers at others — reveals a really ‘present gen’ manufacturing that pushes the graphical limits of the Change 2’s extra highly effective rivals.
Alongside a beautiful stop-motion aesthetic, South of Midnight’s trio of presentation, worldbuilding, and ambiance have been typically highlighted as its strongest options, with many evaluations suggesting they overshadowed enjoyable however by no means deep gameplay mechanics.
It is unhappy to report, then, that the Change 2 model brings quite a lot of compromises that undermine that nice power. These are points that come and go relying on the place you’re within the recreation – a frequent slight fuzz in handheld mode, reoccurring texture pop-in each handheld and docked, and omnipresent body drops scattered all through like flies buzzing within the real-life model of the sport’s subtropical bayou locale.
Inevitably, these compromises impacted my immersion. Fairly than revelling in a real next-gen expertise, I used to be reminded of enjoying numerous Change 1 ports from virtually a decade in the past. The bar is greater now — and the Change 2 is able to spectacular work — however the compromises are there all the identical.
It’s troublesome to get the tone proper right here – I don’t wish to sound too unfavorable. South of Midnight on Change 2 remains to be very playable, nevertheless it’s honest to say that its foliage-and-fauna-dense fantastical rendition of the Deep South setting isn’t all the time as fairly as it’s elsewhere. Having mentioned that, it nonetheless has its moments. These points disappear typically sufficient, and the visuals generally shine.
Story-wise, you tackle the position of Hazel. Within the opening scene, she’s making ready for an imminent hurricane and on the cusp of fleeing her home together with her mom. The pair fall out over the mom’s tendency to prioritise different children over her daughter, a minor rift made poignant when the home and the mom are swept away within the violent storm, which works a bit like a watery model of the twister that sends Dorothy to Oz.
You’ll spend the remainder of the sport attempting to get your mom again. There are twists – Hazel discovers that she’s a ‘weaver’, able to seeing and utilizing unusual strands and threads that seem within the air, a strong pressure that imbues her with a bunch of fight abilities good for destroying the ghostly Haints that pop up continuously.
Additionally they amplify Hazel’s athleticism so she will run throughout sheer partitions, triple bounce, and lasso – to not point out one satisfying pixie-sized shock I received’t reveal.
My very own expertise with South of Midnight’s gameplay went via three distinct phases. Stage one, I sensed rapidly that the platforming, whereas enjoyable, is fairly linear. Stage two, throughout the ring-fenced battles (they happen in clearly outlined zones) I got here to benefit from the enforced endurance wanted to succeed and the way button-mashing wasn’t going to work.
Stage three, about halfway via, I turned simply a contact upset that the platforming-exploring- battling gameplay loop remained principally the identical. As I neared the sport’s climax, the rhythm turned acquainted. I traversed athletically to a brand new space, accomplished some mild environmental puzzles, cleaned up three or 4 areas of Haints, sometimes beat a boss, after which moved on to the following chapter. New concepts do seem right here and there, however this isn’t a recreation the place freedom and selection are a part of the design. General, South of Midnight is enjoyable. It is good. But it surely’s not essentially the most assorted expertise.
For those who take a look at the a number of accolades received by Compulsion Video games because the preliminary launch, you’ll see a number of awards for animation – they usually’re properly deserved, and a part of the explanation I believe South of Midnight would make such an important movie. The voice appearing can also be spectacular.
However different award wins for greatest music are much less convincing. The cinematic soundtrack is great — I beloved the temper and needed extra of it — however the lyrics in a few of the songs that pop up all through are sometimes distractingly on the nostril, expressing the themes and occasions with little or no subtlety.
Ah, however this can be a minor quibble. I loved South of Midnight lots – the journey via multi-generational, fantastical household, folk-tinged trauma has caught with me. I had a memorable journey right into a gothic Southern swampy wonderland. The Change 2 model is completely purposeful and it actually will be just right for you should you don’t have entry to one thing extra highly effective.
Conclusion
Elsewhere, on extra highly effective {hardware}, South of Midnight elevates its barely repetitive gameplay with its stellar presentation. It’s an unavoidable disappointment, then, that a few of that high quality is compromised on Change 2. Because of this, when enjoying, it creates the identical sensation as listening to an important tune punctuated by a smattering of duff notes. You’ll need to select to disregard the feel pop-in in docked mode or the slight fuzziness in handheld mode. Even then, your mind will register it on some stage and it’ll twang a thread of delicate, virtually imperceptible remorse at what may have been.
Having mentioned that, South of Midnight remains to be very playable and satisfying. There’s a lot right here to understand, however the Change 2 model received’t be the one which anybody calls definitive.
