I played "South of Midnight" in advance - and immediately fell in love with it
In a preview session, I played through a chapter of the upcoming Xbox title "South of Midnight". Despite my reservations about the combat system, I fell in love with the game.
Microsoft has just presented new impressions of "South of Midnight" at an "Xbox Developer Direct". At a preview session, I was able to get my hands on the stylish action adventure game from Compulsion Games (known for "We Happy Few") for the first time.
The unique world and the southern atmosphere captivated me for around one and a half hours of gameplay. With "South of Midnight", you can expect a special and refreshingly different game when it is released on 8 April.
What is "South of Midnight" about?
I play 19-year-old Hazel, who is searching for her mother in the south of the USA. She and her house were washed away during a hurricane. After the storm, Hazel finds herself in a magical world full of mythical creatures from the USA's southern folklore.
Hazel herself acquires magical abilities in the new world. Armed with a glowing weaving wand, she battles nasty swamp monsters, solves puzzles and manipulates the fabric of time to find ghosts from the past.
This convinces me: atmosphere, storytelling and visuals
In the preview session, I play the third chapter of the game. The events in this chapter read like a crazy fever dream after drinking too many moonshine-laced southern spirits.
My goal is to free a giant - and very talkative - catfish that is being held captive by an even bigger tree monster. The gigantic plant is one of many mythical boss enemies I will encounter in the finished game.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
In order to get the tree to let go of the fish, I first have to free it from traumatic memories with my magic tool. These have manifested themselves in the form of magical nodes around the tree and have literally frozen the monster in place. In my search for the traumas, I discover visions from the tree's past.
I learn that the tree used to be a mentally impaired person who was bullied by his peers. Benjy was his name. His brother Rhubarb always defended him. Until one day it became too much for him.
Rhubarb put his little brother in a tree stump under the pretence of a game of hide-and-seek and nailed it shut with wooden planks. Benjy died there all alone and eventually turned into the magical tree monster.
The tragic story hit me surprisingly hard and even brought a few tears to my eyes.
Source: Compulsion Games
After I have solved all the nodes around the giant tree, I have to climb the monster and put it out of its misery once and for all. A song written especially for the game plays in the background, which escalates as I climb higher and higher.
It's a real catchy tune with southern vibes and instruments. It brutally summarises the story of the brothers from Rhubarb's perspective:
«Let's play together, you go and hide // In this Cypress tree hollow it was safe and dry // He trusted me fully, I hid him inside // He felt we were playing, that was a lie»
The hook in particular has burnt itself into my brain - how can something so sad be so damn catchy?
«He was my brother, Benjy his name // He saw things different, he was my shame // I said goodbye, I said farewell // I took my hammer, my ticket to hell»
You can watch an excerpt from the song and the climbing sequence in the video below.
The cheerful song and the beautiful tree are in stark contrast to the heartbreaking lyrics and the tragic background story. I'm caught in a field of tension between joy and sadness. I love it when games put me in situations like this. When storytelling, music and the game world intertwine perfectly and something special is created.
I'm reminded of the "Mexico moment" from "Red Dead Redemption". According to the development studio, the game will offer such magical moments and other original songs for every major mythical monster in the story. Awesome!
Source: Domagoj Belancic
I also have to praise the graphic realisation of the preview build. The swampy southern setting is beautifully realised and impresses with atmospheric lighting in golden colours and many lovingly designed details in the game environment. I keep stopping to take screenshots of the landscape. The interiors of the many mouldy wooden huts also look incredibly chic.
The animations are also superbly realised. Hazel, other characters and enemies move in stop-motion. In places, this is reminiscent of the wonderful "Spider-Verse" films and sometimes of claymotion films such as "Wallace & Gromit". I am particularly impressed by the unusual look for games in the cutscenes.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
This is what worries me: combat system and variety
Hazel runs and jumps through the magical swamp world in search of the magical nodes. The controls feel good. The occasional double jumps, wall runs and uses of her magic glider are fun.
Because of the simple level design in the chapter I played, these abilities unfortunately cannot realise their full potential. For the finished game, I would like to see less linear and more open game areas that surprise me with more exciting level designs.
Source: Domagoj Belancic
The short battle sequences are also unspectacular. I am repeatedly attacked by black monsters at the magic hubs. I use Hazel's magical abilities to pull them towards me, push them away or freeze them for a short time. I beat them up with the magic weaving staff. I dodge counterattacks with jumps and dashes.
This basically works well and feels dynamic and fast. Unfortunately, I grew tired of the generic-looking black monsters after about an hour and a half of playing. It's always the same beasts attacking me, with the same patterns.
This is a shame, especially because the enemy design is in extreme contrast to the otherwise creative and exciting game world.
Source: Compulsion Games
First impression: Despite reservations, I fell in love
"South of Midnight" thrilled me in my first short preview session. The magical southern world impresses with its unique visuals and atmosphere. The tragic story of the tree monster in particular - and the catchy song that goes with it - captured my heart.
My enthusiasm is somewhat dampened by the bland flavour of the unspectacular level design and the monotonous battles. Nevertheless, I'm really looking forward to the final release of this refreshingly quirky game.
A preview version of "South of Midnight" was provided to me by Microsoft. I tested the version for Xbox Series X. The game will be available from 8 April in the Game Pass and for PC and Xbox Series X/S. A detailed test report will follow.
Header image: Compulsion Games
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Domagoj Belancic
Senior Editor
Domagoj.Belancic@digitecgalaxus.chMy love of video games was unleashed at the tender age of five by the original Gameboy. Over the years, it's grown in leaps and bounds.
