South of Midnight is as special as the Gothic magic of the US South

Compulsion's games (Contrast and We Happy Few ) are stylish, have strong, polished writing and consistently inspired characters. That's why there was some anticipation for South fo Midnight available from 8 April 2025 on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox App for Windows PC, Steam and cloud, with access from day one via Game Pass. It is a third-person adventure set in the swamps of Pospero a rural town in the southern United States. The protagonist Hazel faces the aftermath of a devastating hurricane that wipes out her home and separates her and her mother. And a place of magic and darkness, the swamps are lit with the yellow that hides the supernatural. The style is inspired by Southern Gothic and the narrative also proceeds with vigour, with conscious force. Hazel discovers that she is a 'Weaver', capable of manipulating the threads of fate and cleansing the land of darkness. She will face mythical creatures like Catfish, the giant catfish who will be a mentor to Hazael, or Two-Toed a giant alligator. We are on the side of the Cohen brothers, Big Fish and all those tales suspended between two worlds. In the background the shacks half-destroyed by the hurricane, the remains of lives swept away and the mystery of the swamps. This land doesn't know it yet, but it is drowning in magic. And you are Alice in Wonderland.

The macabre and the fantastic. Because the gameplay itself offers no surprises. You run, you jump, you solve puzzles and you fight. Combat is perhaps the part of the game they have worked hardest on because, as you will realise, it is enjoyable but not very easy. Fortunately, it is possible to change the difficulty levels during the course of the game. Di fonda is a 'very human story' about a mother and daughter.

As much as the artistic component is one of the hallmarks of Compulsion's video games, I didn't understand the choice of the stop-motion effect that sometimes affects the frame rate, making what the developers wanted to achieve unclear. The characters and what lives around them look like puppets carved out of wood. But when they move (and fight) they lose some of their magic.

The game will entertain you for no more than about fifteen hours. You will fall in love with Crouton, a hideous but tender magic rag doll that adds depth to the adventure. But the real reason to try this game is the soundtrack that drags you into the atmosphere of the South. So far the best of this beginning of the gaming year.