Game review: South of Midnight (Xbox Series X)
In a world full of online shooters, annual sports games, and sequels, it's finally nice to play a new IP from time to time. This is because Xbox Game Studios has published a brand-new game from Compulsion Games called South of Midnight. South of Midnight is out now for PC and Xbox consoles.
The thing that makes South of Midnight so unique is its unorthodox style of graphics. This game utilises an art style based on stop motion animation, so it looks like you're watching a Wallace & Gromit movie.
Clay-style animation is rare to see these days, so I found the graphics in this game to be very impressive. Some people may think the game is lagging or the frame rate is dropping, but this is the style of animation that this game is aiming for and it works mostly well.
As for the game itself, South of Midnight takes place in the American Deep South where players assume the role of a young African-American girl named Hazel. Hazel and her mum are preparing to stay safe in a hurricane, but sadly things take a turn for the worse.
While Hazel is checking on her neighbours, her house is blown away by the strong winds of the hurricane and is swept away by a river. The sad part is that Hazel's mum is in the house while this happens! Hazel's journey starts when her mission is to save her mother from danger.
The hurricane isn't the only thing Hazel has to worry about, because she becomes a weaver and now has the power to defeat evil ghost-like demons named 'Haints'. She is armed with twin daggers that help her fight the 'Haints', but she can also control her childhood doll named Crouton to aid her too.
Crouton can come alive if Hazel needs him to crawl under small spaces. If something is in her way, Crouton can be summoned to destroy debris that might be blocking Hazel's way. Crouton also has a unique ability, which is that he can control Haints for a few seconds to make them fight on Hazel's side.
In terms of combat, South of Midnight has specific areas in each level where a battlefield is summoned. You'll know when a battle is to commence whenever you see a green orb because this will give Hazel some of her life back.
Speaking of the green orb, Hazel can only gain her health back once during battles if you're playing on Normal or harder. On the easier difficulty settings, Hazel can replenish her health multiple times during a battle or boss fight.
At the start of the game, Hazel only has a few abilities and skills to fight the Haints. Players will primarily press the X button to execute melee attacks with the twin daggers. As you progress, you can collect blue orbs called 'Floofs' to gain newer and more powerful abilities.
One of my favourite abilities in the entire game is where Hazel temporarily freezes enemies. This gives Hazel time to do a lot of damage while the enemy is frozen. You cannot spam abilities, however; because there is a cool down meter you have to wait for before you can use it again.
Combat isn't the only thing that you do in South of Midnight because Hazel has to traverse through lots of unique levels in her journey too. In the beginning, the only skill Hazel gains is an awkward-looking double jump, but thankfully better abilities become available when you progress further into the game.
Cooler abilities that are gained include some sort of grappling hook, a glider, and even the skill to wall ride. There are some segments in the levels that feature a ton of platform-style traversal, and they're arguably the most enjoyable aspects of the entire game.
The game also features some puzzle-solving elements, although none of them are hard or very challenging. I believe South of Midnight is a game that most players can complete without looking at a guide or walkthrough. It's a pretty easy and enjoyable experience overall.
Speaking of levels, South of Midnight is a linear style of game because there is only one path for you to take to progress. The only alternate paths you can take are if you want to find hidden 'Floofs' to upgrade Hazel's powers. Even though the game features a navigation tool to help players traverse the levels, you rarely need it because taking the right path is usually painfully obvious.
While South of Midnight is a good game, some players might think the experience is short. I managed to finish the game in less than nine hours. Not to mention I don't think there is much replay value on offer here unless you want to 100% it.
Another thing I did not like about the game is that there aren't many boss fights. This game has 14 chapters in total, but not every chapter ends in an epic boss fight. The chapter 13 "boss" was disappointing because Hazel only had to fight the same Haint baddies. Chapter 14 on the other hand had no boss, and the game ended abruptly.
While South of Midnight still has some flaws, its negatives aren't enough to fully dampen the experience. I still feel this game is a breath of fresh air because it has enjoyable combat and innovative platforming segments. This game is worth trying out if you want to experience something different for a change.
Verdict: 8.0/10
