South of Midnight review: A bayou fairy tale

I was immediately intrigued by South of Midnight when it was revealed back in the summer of 2023. A dark fantasy set in the American Deep South that utilizes a stop motion animation stylization? I needed to know more. Having now experienced the game for myself, I’m most impressed by how South of Midnight handles the stories and characters of this deeply fascinating world.

Turning the whole bayou upside down

South of Midnight immediately sets itself apart from most other action games with its setting: the American Deep South. The fictional town of Prospero is home to Hazel, a young woman, and her mother, Lacy. After her mother and home are swept away in a hurricane, Hazel embarks on a journey to save the person closest to her. While on that path, she learns more about her family history, unravels secrets about loved ones and even herself.

South of Midnight nails its opening sequence by establishing the close, yet combative, relationship that she has with her mother. In just the first few minutes of dialogue, Lacy became one of the most accurate depictions of a Black mom (particularly one from the south) that I’ve seen in a video game. There’s clearly a lot of love between them, but also years' worth of adversity that has impacted them in unique ways.

A lot of this history is tied to Hazel’s late father, who passed away when she was young. She has a strained relationship with her grandmother, and an early interaction between them is the catalyst for Hazel’s journey of self-discovery. At its core, South of Midnight is a coming of age story and Hazel is the perfect protagonist to serve as the vessel for these themes. She’s assertive and ignorant, but also charming and compassionate. By the time I was done with the game, she had quickly emerged as one of the more notable protagonists from Xbox Game Studios in recent years.

The characters and story in South of Midnight are beautifully complemented by the game’s art style. Compulsion Games uses a stop motion-style animation for the characters and creatures of Prospero. As I stated in my preview, it’s most comparable to the work done by Laika Studios. It’s stunning to look at, and fits perfectly with the peculiar, Gothic design of the game’s creatures and locations.

Prospero is clearly inspired by states like Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama, and Compulsion made great use of the region when designing this fictional world. From levels set in a corrupted bayou to a weird talking catfish, the influence of the American Deep South is all over South of Midnight.

Needle and blade

One of Hazel’s revelations is that she is a Weaver, a person who can see and interact with the Grand Tapestry, which is essentially the fabric of the universe. This power gives Weavers the ability to affect the world around them through the use of Strands. This manifests through gameplay, allowing Hazel to conjure objects, move obstacles, and pull off daring leaps through the sky. There’s a good amount of platforming and environmental puzzle-solving in South of Midnight. Typically, you’ll need to conjure an item or move one around to bridge a gap or open a new pathway. There are also ledges that can be climbed and lept between a la Assassin’s Creed. It’s standard adventure game stuff, but I liked the visual flair that comes with the spectral look of the Strands Hazel uses.

These abilities also factor into combat. South of Midnight usually has you do battle in designated areas where the Grand Tapestry has been damaged by trauma. Hazel can use the Weaver’s tools to slice and smash enemies, while also using abilities to push/pull them or give them temporary status effects. These abilities can be chained together to execute combos. As you explore Prospero, you’ll find Floofs. Often hidden off the beaten path, Floofs can be used to upgrade Hazel’s abilities and unlock new ones. It’s not the most sophisticated skill tree, but I appreciated not having to spend too much time in the menus trying to decide my build.

For the most part, South of Midnight’s combat is just fine. Battles look pretty, but the actual fighting feels rather generic and gets repetitive with how often the game throws nearly identical battle sequences at you. There are some tougher bosses that really force you to think strategically, and the game’s wide array of difficulty settings can make battles extremely tough, or a walk in the park if you’re just trying to reach the next story beat. Still, I would’ve liked for combat to provide the same refreshing feeling as the narrative.

Family business

South of Midnight is an impressive narrative feat from Compulsion Games. It’s a well-paced adventure that goes big on characters and story, though combat and platforming feel a bit uniform. I hope it’s not the last we’ve seen of this world and these characters.

This review is based on an Xbox Series X code provided by Xbox Game Studios. South of Midnight launches on Xbox Series X|S and PC on April 8, 2025.

Donovan Erskine

News Editor

Donovan is a journalist from Maryland. His oldest gaming memory is playing Pajama Sam on his mom's desktop during weekends. Pokémon Emerald, Halo 2, and the original Star Wars Battlefront 2 were some of the most influential titles in awakening his love for video games. After interning for Shacknews throughout college, Donovan graduated from Bowie State University in 2020 with a major in broadcast journalism and joined the team full-time. He is a huge film fanatic and will talk with you about movies and games all day. You can follow him on twitter @Donimals_