South of Midnight

South of Midnight
Developer(s)	Compulsion Games
Publisher(s)	Xbox Game Studios
Director(s)	David Sears
Artist(s)	Whitney Clayton
Writer(s)	David Sears
Composer(s)	Olivier Derivière
Engine	Unreal Engine 4
Platform(s)	Windows Xbox Series X/S
Release	April 8, 2025
Genre(s)	Action-adventure
Mode(s)	Single-player

South of Midnight is a 2025 action-adventure game developed by Compulsion Games and published by Xbox Game Studios. The game is set in a fictionalized American Deep South. It was released for Windows and Xbox Series X/S on April 8, 2025. Upon release, it received generally positive reviews from critics.

Gameplay

South of Midnight is a third-person action-adventure game. The game features an art style based on stop motion animation which was animated with the help of Clyde Henry Productions. Maquettes of clay stop motion figures were used to create the unique art style. Players take on the role of Hazel, who learns an ancient weaving power to explore the Deep South mythos and confront mysterious creatures. The gameplay is centered around Hazel’s ability to use her weaving powers for combat, traversal, and solving puzzles. The game emulates stop-motion animation for its cutscenes. The game has a dark modern folktale driven by character development, lyrical music inspired by the American South, and a narrative that delves into Southern folklore.

Plot

Premise

The game is set in a Gothic fantasy American Deep South setting. South of Midnight follows Hazel's (Adriyan Rae) journey after a hurricane devastates her hometown of Prospero. Pulled into a Southern Gothic reality where folklore creatures emerge, Hazel must become a Weaver—a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Along the way, Hazel encounters all kinds of mythical creatures based on Southern American legends. As she confronts enemy creatures known as Haints and untangles her family’s past, Hazel seeks to reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry and find a place that feels like home.

Synopsis

Hazel Flood helps her mother Lacey prepare to evacuate their house in the wake of an approaching hurricane. However, they both get into an argument when Hazel accuses her mother of caring more about random strangers than her own daughter and leaves the house. As Hazel leaves, the house is washed away by a flash flood with Lacey still inside, and Hazel desperately tries to chase it, catching sight of "Strands" along the way. Unable to catch up to the house, Hazel turns to her estranged grandmother Bunny for help. Upon hearing that Hazel can see the Strands, Bunny attempts to trap Hazel in her mansion, only for Hazel to escape and continue to search for Lacey. Hazel soon recovers several enchanted tools that allow her to manipulate the Strand and fight Haints that begin appearing to attack her. And as she proceeds further down the river, she increasingly begins to become aware of more supernatural phenomena.

Eventually, Hazel comes across and helps a giant Catfish, who agrees to help her find Lacey and well as tell her more about her powers. Catfish explains that Hazel is a Weaver, an individual who can perceive and tap into the power of the Strands which they use to battle Haints and repair the Grand Tapestry that ties all creation together. Continuing her journey, Hazel comes across several monsters that are the manifestations of human and animal spirits twisted by negative emotions, which she heals by "bottling" up their negative emotions and confronting the monsters in battle to untangle their "knots". Eventually, she is able to find the remains of her home, but there is no sign of Lacey besides red yarn. Catfish warns that the red yarn means that Lacey was likely abducted by "Huggin' Molly", another supernatural monster. He explains that Bunny is the only person who was able to fight Molly and win, rescuing Hazel's then infant father Trey from Molly's grasp.

Hazel explores Bunny's abandoned weekend cottage for clues on Molly's whereabouts Reliving the memories she finds there, Hazel discovers Trey accidentally killed his younger Cherie when he dropped her in the river, which Bunny never forgave him for. She also uncovers all of Bunny's secret research into Weavers and the supernatural creatures in the area, including Molly. Bunny confronts Hazel at the cottage and agrees to help her, explaining that Molly abducted to Trey as bait since she was Molly's real target, so Molly may be using Lacey as bait for Hazel as well. Bunny gives Hazel information on how to find Molly's lair. Catfish warns Hazel that Bunny can't be trusted, pointing out that she will resort to any means to resurrect Cherie. Ignoring Catfish's warnings, Hazel invades Molly's lair and confronts the creature. After defeating Molly, Hazel realizes too late that Lacey and Molly were actually working together to rescue children who were being abused by their parents, and Molly was attempting to heal Lacy. However, Bunny arrives and takes advantage of Molly's weakened state, killing her and stealing her heart which she plans to use to resurrect Cherie.

Bunny then shoves Hazel off of a cliff to her apparent death. Suffering a near death experience, Hazel encounters Roux, an dark spirit who informs her Lacey's soul is trapped in the realm of Kooshma, the King of Dreams and Nightmares. Upon arriving in Kooshma's realm, Hazel is able to free Lacey's soul from Kooshma with Roux's help, and Roux gives Hazel an enchanted hairbrush and instructs her to give it Bunny. He reveals that Bunny is a "False Stitcher", a person who has obtained Weaver powers through dark magic which is tearing apart the Great Tapestry. Hazel returns to the human realm where she reunites and makes amends with Lacey. She then confronts Bunny, who is distraught her ritual to revive Cherie had failed. Hazel gives her the brush and Roux appears, offering to take Bunny to Kooshma's realm so she can live in an illusion of raising Cherie. Bunny accepts the offer and leaves with Roux, and Hazel embraces her new role as a Weaver, keeping watch over her hometown for supernatural threats.

Development

South of Midnight is being developed by Compulsion Games, the creators of We Happy Few and Contrast. It marks Compulsion's first game developed under Xbox Game Studios, following their acquisition by the company in 2018. The game was originally developed under the codename "Project Midnight". Details of the game first leaked via Windows Central in 2021, where concept art was revealed. The game was officially announced at Xbox Games Showcase on June 11, 2023, during Summer Game Fest. On June 9, 2024, Compulsion Games showcased the first gameplay trailer for the game and announced that it would be released in 2025.

Reception

Reception

Aggregate scores

Aggregator	Score
Metacritic	(PC) 77/100 (XSXS) 77/100
OpenCritic	67% recommend

Review scores

Publication	Score
Destructoid	9/10
Eurogamer	3/5
Game Informer	8.5/10
GameSpot	8/10
GamesRadar+	3.5/5
Hardcore Gamer	4/5
IGN	8/10
PC Gamer (US)	83/100
PCGamesN	6/10
Shacknews	8/10
The Guardian	3/5
Video Games Chronicle	3/5

South of Midnight received "generally favorable" reviews from critics, according to review aggregator website Metacritic. OpenCritic determined that 67% recommended the game.

Kristina Ebanez from Destructoid called the game "A hallmark of excellence. There may be flaws, but they are negligible and won't cause massive damage." Eurogamer's Chris Tapsell says "It's one of the best sounding games I've played in an age, with a highly unique, artfully implemented original score woven into its sound design. And it's also extremely well acted, a cut above the vast majority of video games in emotional authenticity and heft. But goodness me can it get tiresome to play." From GameSpot, Jordan Ramée said that the game "makes up for its orthodox gameplay with a fantastic story, well-researched setting, and an incredibly catchy lyric-driven soundtrack. Jasmine Gould-Wilson from GamesRadar said that the game "is a charming (if predictable) action-adventure experience that's perfectly happy to play it safe." Hardcore Gamer's Parker Green praised the game's unique and gorgeous setting, deep and thoughtful storytelling, and dynamic stop-motion art style while criticising its underwhelming combat, some visual glitches, and art style that can be hard to interpret at times. Michael Higham from IGN said the game "is a straightforward but well-executed action-adventure game elevated by the artistry and heart of the American Southern culture that’s wrapped around it." Andrea Shearon from PC Gamer said that the game's "action may not have the strongest hook, but its poignant tale of hope and sorrow tailored to Deep South mythos keeps its head raised high." From PCGamesN, Lauren Bergin said that it "is a monotonous action-adventure game plagued by boring, repetitive fights and boss battles, with a story that loses momentum when it needs it most. Thankfully, its strong characterization, setting, and soundtrack do a lot of the heavy lifting." Shacknews Donovan Erskine praised its well-paced story, awesome protagonist, gothic fantasy and stop-motion animation while criticising the game's generic combat and progression. Chris Scullion from Video Games Chronicle said the game "is a gorgeous adventure with wonderful performances, striking visuals and solid platforming gameplay. Its combat, however, is repetitive and reductive in equal measure, letting the overall package down considerably."

External links

• Official website