South of Midnight is an fascinating case research, due to how very a lot it looks like a sport of two halves. On one hand, it boasts a definite and extremely well-realized setting, a stunning and memorable aesthetic, and robust storytelling chops that assist convey its distinctive world and premise to life. On the gameplay entrance, in the meantime, Compulsion Video games’ newest delivers a reasonably customary action-adventure expertise, one which weaves in plenty of acquainted components and places them collectively in what’s a stable, if considerably anticipated gameplay expertise. The tip end result, then, is a sport that manages to face out with distinctive concepts whereas additionally delivering a no-frills, easy, lean and imply gameplay expertise that anybody with a keenness for the Xbox 360 period of linear action-adventure titles will discover very acquainted.
You play as Hazel, a younger lady residing together with her mom within the American Deep South city of Prospero, which finds itself caught in the midst of a raging hurricane. Catastrophe strikes early on within the sport, and Hazel quickly awakens to a mysterious magic often called Weaving, which she should put to make use of as she embarks on a quest to rescue and reunite together with her mom, and heal the decaying land round her together with her newfound powers. South of Midnight makes a robust impression with its setting and storytelling proper off the bat, and there proceed to lie a few of its greatest strengths properly previous these early moments.
“South of Midnight makes a robust impression with its setting and storytelling proper off the bat, and there proceed to lie a few of its greatest strengths properly previous these early moments.”
Most spectacular is the extremely distinctive identification it carves out for itself. Mixing its up to date Deep South setting with native folklore and mythology, it crafts a gothic modern-day fairytale that immediately units itself other than the rest on the market. From the beautiful and extremely detailed environments that you end up on all through the course of Hazel’s journey to the splendidly eccentric and quirky solid of characters, every of whom shines due to sharply written dialogue and glorious appearing performances; from the monsters that you just cross paths with to the storybook framing gadget the sport adopts- South of Midnight retains discovering methods to spotlight its key strengths, and as a rule, does so in a means that feels very totally different from most different story-driven motion journey video games.
Video games impressed by the Deep South that spotlight its folklore, tradition, and all the things about it this always and proudly are few and much in between, which implies South of Midnight manages to face out from the group on this division. It does nonetheless have some flaws of note- Hazel, as an example, clearly acquired the “I’m an action-adventure protagonist who has to touch upon all the things in sight” memo. She’s speaking to herself always and refuses to close up, which implies she acquired on my nerves various instances, despite the fact that she is in any other case a enjoyable and charming protagonist. Even so, with its many notable storytelling strengths, it greater than makes up for its few writing-related flaws.
One other space the place South of Midnight immediately catches the attention is with its visuals. It makes use of a extremely stylized artwork type that matches completely with its fashionable fairytale framework and folklore-infused setting, and combines it with a stop-motion animation type that helps it stand out much more. Whether or not you’re shifting by means of its stunningly crafted environments or watching its lovingly directed cutscenes, South of Midnight is great to witness, each in movement and in any other case. Its stop-motion animation type would possibly show distracting to some in gameplay – personally, I didn’t thoughts it as soon as I’d gotten used to it – however the sport does provide the choice to show that impact off exterior of cutscenes.
“South of Midnight makes use of a extremely stylized artwork type that matches completely with its fashionable fairytale framework and folklore-infused setting, and combines it with a stop-motion animation type that helps it stand out much more.”
The place it exhibits ambition and unbridled creativity within the narrative and visible departments, on the gameplay entrance, South of Midnight is joyful to chart a well-trodden path. Shut your eyes and movie a linear, third-person action-adventure sport with a mixture of melee and magical fight, some mild exploration and development mechanics, and a concentrate on nimble and parkour-based traversal, and also you in all probability have already got a reasonably good thought of what you’re signing up for. South of Midnight doesn’t reinvent the wheel, however finally ends up being wherever between serviceable and forgettable to legitimately enjoyable and stable in most areas of be aware.
When the sport begins out, the gameplay feels possibly a bit bit too simplistic and easy, however over the course of its opening a few hours, it briskly introduces one easy gameplay mechanic on high of one other which can be all pretty simplistic tropes by themselves, however are utilized in mixture fairly successfully. Mild and heavy assaults in fight, dodges rolls and excellent dodges, telekinetic talents that allow you to push and pull enemies and issues within the environment- mechanics like these (and others) are the sort that you’ve seen in a large number of video games up to now, however although South of Midnight doesn’t use them in any means that feels too totally different or extraordinary, it does get the fundamentals proper.
What meaning is that gameplay, although it’s by no means breathtaking by any means, can typically be extra partaking than you would possibly anticipate if all you had performed of the sport was its first hour or so. Ranges are fairly condensed and the environments you end up in are by no means too sprawling, however South of Midnight’s mild exploration components stay pretty compelling all through. Development is fairly customary and, if I’m being blunt, unimaginative, however it does simply sufficient to make you care at the very least a bit bit in regards to the subsequent improve you’ll unlock, if not the one after that.
“Various instances lately, we’ve collectively lamented the demise of the so-called AA action-adventure sport, so to see one as distinct as South of Midnight is heartening.”
Fight may be surprisingly enjoyable if you’re taking over a number of enemies of various varieties directly, weaving collectively totally different talents whereas dispensing your individual assaults. Notably gratifying is the traversal. As soon as once more, it brings collectively acquainted components like ledge climbing, wall working, and what have you ever, and that moveset stays largely enjoyable to make use of throughout the sport’s runtime. Each fight and traversal can typically really feel a bit tough across the edges at instances as a result of occasional occasion of clunky motion, unresponsive inputs, or iffy hit detection, however by and enormous, South of Midnight is a enjoyable and well-functioning gameplay expertise.
Within the gameplay division, what stands out most about South of Midnight is how a lot it looks like a throwback sport, particularly the place its design type and sensibilities are involved. Various instances lately, we’ve collectively lamented the demise of the so-called AA action-adventure sport, so to see one as distinct as South of Midnight is heartening, to say the very least- not least as a result of it’s coming from a serious AAA first-party writer. It’s not typically that we get a dozen-hour-long single-player story-driven sport that wastes no time with semi-open world maps, ability timber, multiplayer components or what have you ever, and South of Midnight deserves recognition not only for being simply that, however being a extremely good model of that.
With sturdy writing, memorable characters, trendy visuals, nice music, and a very good setting, South of Midnight pumps itself stuffed with character and carves out a singular identification for itself, whereas with its fight mechanics, development system, traversal, and light-weight exploration, it sticks largely to the established order, even perhaps to the purpose of being unambitious. In the long run, when these two halves mix, what we get is a brisk and gratifying sport that leaves a stamp on you a method or one other. South of Midnight is the form of sport that looks like a victory for the medium just by current in precisely the shape that it does.
This sport was reviewed on the Xbox Sequence X.
