South Of Midnight review Hazel is stop motion in cut scenes but not so much at other times (Xbox Game Studios)One of the few Xbox exclusives of the year is neither a sequel nor a licensed game, but a unique new action adventure set in the US Deep South.Although the purchase of Bethesda and Activision Blizzard is what has made them the biggest video game publisher in the world, Microsofts shopping spree began back in 2018, when they snapped up four developers: Ninja Theory (Hellblade), Undead Labs (State Of Decay), Playground Games (Forza Horizon), and Compulsion Games (We Happy Few).Playground Games, who are currently developing the Fable reboot, have worked out very well but if you include Double Fine Games, who were bought a year later, the majority havent yet released anything that wasnt already in development when they were bought.Canadian studio Compulsion Games was the most surprising acquisition because theyve never previously produced anything of note, just the disappointing Contrast and We Happy Few. South Of Midnight was only announced in 2023 but having now played a couple of hours, we can confidently say its the best thing theyve ever done although itll take the full review to decide whether thats a backhanded compliment or not.Our hands-on involved playing the whole of Chapter 3 of the game. That meant we missed the story set-up, but it seemed to be fairly clearly laid out in Xboxs most recent Developer Direct. You play as a young woman named Hazel whose hometown, in the Deep South of the US, is flooded following a hurricane, destroying her house and leaving her mothers fate unknown.It turns out that both she and Hazel are Weavers, who can see ghostly apparitions and use magical abilities to fight monsters and heal past traumas that are linked to the land. Chapter 3 revolves around a giant talking catfish that has been captured by a tree in the shape of a man, which you gradually discover is connected to a horrible murder some years before.Where the story is going we couldnt say the only hint at a larger plot was when youre chased by a powerful evil spirit, upon completing the main mission but the game itself seems fairly straightforward. Its a platformer, essentially, where you jump and clamber around the swamps and rundown homes (from which almost all the inhabitants have been evicted).The platforming isnt particularly complex or original theres a lot of wall running at one point but its competent enough, with the ability to glide for a short distance; make ghostly objects, like house roofs, tangible for a few seconds; and pushing and pulling objects, like crates, in order to climb up to higher areas.Chapter 3 takes place in an open world area, but its a very small one and there is no map. There are collectables hiding away in difficult to reach areas, which help you unlock new abilities on what looks like a fairly short set of skill trees, but the golden path through the level is pretty linear.We never came across anything wed call an actual puzzle and instead the memories that you have to unlock, in order to understand whats going on and remove the trauma, are unveiled simply by beating up monsters. Monsters dont roam around in the the level and instead appear when you reach a shimmering vortex, manifesting multiple times until you beat them all. The combat is okay but nothing to write home about (Xbox Game Studios)The combat is not exactly Devil May Cry but its entertaining, if rather simplistic. Its relatively difficult, compared to the very easy platforming, but your normal magic abilities can be used to freeze enemies for a few seconds, pull them towards you, or fire a weak forward blast.Unlocking extra abilities in the skill tree expands your repertoire, including a ground pound and a small area of attack move when unravelling a defeated enemy which also gives you a small health boost.In gameplay terms South Of Midnight is fine. Theres nothing original or exceptional, or even especially good, but it is certainly better than anything Compulsion has done before. The most interesting aspect by far is the American Gothic setting, with a lot of work having gone into the presentation, with a specially written Blues song to accompany the final set piece and what seems to be solid voice-acting.We say seems because the English accents in We Happy Few were pretty awful and were not equipped to say how authentic the ones in South Of Midnight are. The games other claim to fame is its unusual stop motion animation style. Although it was obvious even from the Developer Direct footage that its quite inconsistent and a lot of the time while playing you dont notice it.More TrendingFor most of the time Its not clear its happening at all but sometimes the effect is more obvious, such as during idle animations; however, its never as blatant as during cut scenes. Actual physical models were made for the characters so perhaps the cut scenes arent even computer-generated, were not sure, but it is a little odd that the games main visual calling card just isnt a factor for most of the time youre playing.We dont think South Of Midnight is going to be troubling too many end of year award ceremonies but it seems to be a competently made game with an interesting setting. Saying something is perfect for Game Pass can easily seem like an insult but in this case it seems to be precisely what the game was made for. Youre not going to sign up just to play it, but if you want to while away a few undemanding evenings this spring, then South Of Midnight should fit the bill perfectly.Formats: Xbox Series X/S (previewed) and PCPrice: 39.99*Publisher: Xbox Game StudiosDeveloper: Compulsion GamesRelease Date: 8th April 2025Age Rating: 18*available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one The giant catfish seems to be an ally (Xbox Game Studios)Emailgamecentral@metro.co.uk, leave a comment below,follow us on Twitter, andsign-up to our newsletter.To submit Inbox letters and Readers Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use ourSubmit Stuff page here.For more stories like this,check our Gaming page.GameCentralSign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy