South of Midnight preview: A deliciously rich storytelling feast

South of Midnight has immediately captured my attention; they do say there’s nothing quite like southern hospitality and I certainly felt right at home. If it’s a story-driven adventure you seek, an intoxicatingly unique one is seemingly what you’ll find on offer here. I’ll admit, I tire from time to time of the industry’s recycling of oft-used settings. Venturing off to space or a medieval fantasy realm can be fun, but it’s not exactly what I want to do every time I load up a game. That’s why I’ve had my eye on Compulsion Games’ upcoming action-adventure, South of Midnight, for quite some time. A Southern Gothic? Sign me up. It’s with that in mind that while my time with South of Midnight has, so far, been brief, I’m already of the firm opinion that Compulsion Games is onto a winning formula.

It’s the Deep South’s rich folklore that so wonderfully informs what South of Midnight is. This is a linear story-driven title, so you can expect your fair share of platforming and combat - more of which, later - but it’s the game’s storytelling that takes centre stage. You’ll join Hazel, a young woman in search of her mother after a hurricane rips through the duo’s small home town of Prospero. It’s an event which leaves Hazel with the acquired power of a weaver, a “magical mender of broken spirits and bonds”. Hazel’s adventure is one of unravelling family secrets and the firm realisation that there’s more to the region’s folklore than meets the eye.

In my hands-on preview, I had the opportunity to play through the game’s third chapter - a point in the story where Hazel is gaining proficiency with her newfound powers. It’s here that she meets eventual companion Catfish, based on the myth that giant catfish exist, who finds himself in somewhat of a predicament. I’m loath to delve too deep into Catfish’s plight as I fear that would dim South of Midnight’s magic, but I’ll tease that it’s one that brings a local tale to life right before Hazel’s eyes.

Take a look at South of Midnight in action below.

South of Midnight didn’t invent the ‘all the stories are true’ style of storytelling, but it does use this method so adeptly. It’s not just the unravelling of Hazel’s truth that you should expect to come to light. Compulsion Games has seemingly crafted a rich cornucopia of storytelling, with each mythical being that you help and encounter along Hazel’s journey also offering their own story. In unlocking the truths of those she encounters, Hazel inches closer to finding her own, and there’s something so genius about these weaving narratives when Hazel is, yes, a weaver. Compulsion, you’re clever.

When I reached the finale of Chapter Three, a sequence in which I finally helped the individual I’ll keep unnamed, I did so to a perfect soundtrack. All of a sudden, my platforming was accompanied by what I can only describe as a Johnny Cash-esque western blues track, charting the life story of the individual I was helping. That’s right folks, you’re getting bang for your buck because there’s top-notch lyrical storytelling here too. It was such a wonderfully crafted moment that left me bobbing my head along in joy. If this is a sign of what’s to come, then boy, am I excited.

I recognise though that it isn’t simply the game’s storytelling that matters, as much as that’s what typically sucks me into a title. South of Midnight’s gameplay left me impressed, with Hazel’s weaving abilities making for some engaging combat encounters. I came up against various forms of ‘haints’ during my preview, the game’s most common enemy - a sort of dark spirit. While you can dodge and slash, using your weaving tool for the latter, Hazel can also pull, grab, and freeze. You may want to pull an enemy in, for example, only to push it into another. I was able to upgrade my skill set later on, adding a floor slam to my move repertoire and the ability to trigger a small explosion. Playing on the mid difficulty, I enjoyed what I experienced and felt it offered the right level of challenge.

Xbox Game Studios

Each combat scenario only gives you access to one heal, a shimmering strand of green situated near to the edge of the zone you become locked into. That being said, once an enemy has been defeated, you can press Y to ‘unravel’ them which restores a small amount of health too. This is also the action via which I was able to add a small explosion to after upgrading. As such, dodging will quickly become your best friend with heals being hard to come by, but don’t let that scare you. Die during a combat encounter and you’ll simply be able to have a second stab at it, something I rapidly learnt.

I only unlocked two of Hazel’s many upgradable skills, so I’m hopeful that the combat will continue to up to ante later in the game and with that, I assume will come more adept enemies. It’s one aspect of South of Midnight that I’d like to know more about. My couple of skirmishes with the haints allowed me to hone my skills but I ended the preview wanting to test my mettle against something a tad more challenging. I didn’t encounter anything in the way of a boss fight but judging by the trailer, Hazel will eventually come up against a variety of dastardly foes.

As for the platforming, well, that too was satisfactory. There’s less to say here. Hazel can jump, double jump, wall run, and glide her way around the bayous, swamps, and forests of the Deep South. Her weaving elements allow her to form time-limited platforms, and all of the actions flow nicely, as I experienced during one chase sequence. I’m afraid I can’t tell you exactly what was chasing me, I don’t know, but there was little time to stick around and find out. Occasionally, latching onto or remaining on a platform could be a tad janky with Hazel slipping off the side, but this was a preview build so I expect to see some refinement come release.

Xbox Game Studios

A preview has one goal; it should leave you wanting more, and that’s exactly the case with South of Midnight. I’ve avidly followed along with the game’s progress ever since its initial reveal, and I’ll only do so more now that I’ve experienced a small piece of the pie. I should draw attention to that. What I experienced was a relatively short offering, so I’m keen to see how the combat and platforming fares and develops later on in the game, but solid foundations have been built. South of Midnight is a delicious treat both visually and in terms of its rich storytelling. We could easily be looking at one of this year’s standout titles if the full package delivers.

South of Midnight is due to be released on Xbox Series S (version tested), Xbox series X, and Windows PC on 8 April 2025.