South of Midnight preview — Fixing broken strands and mending our roots

Compulsion Games, creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, have more up their virtual sleeves with a new action-adventure title set in the Deep South. In South of Midnight, you play as Hazel, a young woman on a mission to save her mama after a massive storm sweeps away her home with her mama inside. We went hands-on with a brief preview, thanks to Xbox and Compulsion Games, playing through Chapter 3, which gave us a solid look at the combat system, platforming, and other mechanics. To say that I’m excited for this game to fully release in April is an understatement. This looks like it will be a solid contender in this year’s game release lineup.

Our journey with Hazel starts as she begins making her way through the woods and the bayou, searching for her mama. After squeezing through a crevice, we find ourselves in a small clearing surrounded by trees and rocks. As we move forward, we catch a glimpse of ghostly figures in the distance who seem to be trying to find something as well. Following them around a couple curves along a path, we’re brought to another clearing, and to our first enemy encounter. Right away we are being thrown in, getting our first taste of combat.

Hazel is a Weaver, an individual who can see beyond what the normal person sees, seeing the strands of life as they intertwine, helping where they can. Weavers take on a heavy burden, helping carry others through their misfortunes. It also gives her special abilities that she can use to dispatch her foes. In front of us appears a growth of some sort that, as Hazel describes it, looks like a bug’s nest. We start taking quick swings at it with X, but a bug pops out of it that we dispatch quickly. After slashing away at the growth a few more times, it’s ready to be Unraveled, destroying it, restoring a small amount of health. There’s another of these nests that has to be destroyed, but other creatures, called Haints, appear to slow our progress.

Hitting with X is the primary melee attack with what looks like daggers, but you can also use LT to pull an enemy closer, RT to push them away, and RB to Weave them, which prevents them from moving and making them take more damage. When the enemy is weak enough you can approach them and press Y to Unravel them. Pressing B allows you to dodge an enemy attack, and, if you make a perfect dodge, you set off a Strand Blast that deals a small amount of damage to the enemy. Once the creatures and nests have been destroyed, you have to get rid of the existing Stigma that blocks the path forward by approaching the Knot in the area and Unraveling it, which also gives you some Floof, the currency used to upgrade skills and spells.

After clearing the Stigma, we continue along the path, eventually learning how to clear blocked pathways (RT), repair damaged structures (LB), double jump (A), and glide (B). We finally find ourselves in the bayou where we can see thorned roots emerging from the ground, snaking their way through the water, around trees, and off into the distance. A voice from afar beckons, and we meet our first companion, a giant catfish hanging from a tree. From here, we embark on a new adventure, navigating the heartbreaking story of two brothers before eventually bottling up the pain and putting things right, freeing Catfish in the process.

Overall, Chapter 3 takes about an hour to complete and sets a solid foundation for the rest of the story to come. There’s more Floof to collect along the way, allowing us to unlock a few more skills and spells. Combat itself feels smooth, fluid, and easy to pick up. As we see in countless other games, South of Midnight uses a targeting system so you can try to focus on one enemy at a time while avoiding others. Enemy attacks can be unforgiving, especially when there are multiple coming at you at once. If your health gets low, every combat encounter has a healing strand close by that you can use to fully restore your health, but plan wisely and stay on your toes, you only get to do it once in each encounter. The rest of the game is a combination of deep storytelling and platforming around the mission area, collecting Floof and learning more about the world.

Typical Compulsion Games game design is a mix of Guillermo Del Toro and Tim Burton, looking and feeling like you’re on some sort of trip that’s both intriguing and unnerving at times, which is literally the case in We Happy Few. Both directors have a very unique style, and the same can be said for Compulsion Games’ past works. The CG signature style returns in South of Midnight, but with a little less of the macabre and soulless expression. Fans of Contrast and We Happy Few are sure to recognize the brilliance of their creator, but should also appreciate the new realms of creativity the team has harnessed to create a game that’s visually stunning, both in the animation style and art direction.

The design of the world and its inhabitants definitely looks like something out of a trippy fantasy – where else would you find a very large, talking, multicolored catfish? It’s not easy to make a bayou beautiful, but they’ve managed it. I wish the game was more open so I could explore more of the world, but at the same time I appreciate that it was kept linear, with some nooks and crannies to peek into for hidden goodies and bits of lore. I’m excited to see what other environments and scenery we’ll get to see in the full release. I’m also a big fan of the stop-motion animation style. Combine that with the design and art direction, with sprinkles of Southern charm, South of Midnight is looking like an early contender for a handful of nominations and awards down the road.

This was just a small look, but the spark of excitement is there. We can’t wait to see the rest of the game when it releases on April 8th on Xbox Series X|S and PC, also coming day one to Xbox GamePass and PC GamePass. Be sure to stay tuned to Gamingtrend.com and our YouTube channel for more South of Midnight coverage, and a whole lot more!