As I’m running through one of the beautiful areas of South of Midnight, I’m struck by the silence of the world, which is then immediately cut through by disembodied whispers in my headphones. A reminder of the story the game is telling. Not the one explicitly being told of Hazel Flood and her quest to save her mother, but the story of the suffering of millions of people. Silenced and heard only in the pain they left behind. South of Midnight is not just a wonderfully crafted game. It’s an important step in confronting the traumas of the past, with the understanding of what that can do for the future.
‘SOUTH OF MIDNIGHT’ has one of the best protagonists ever
The game opens by introducing you to Hazel Flood, a track star in her hometown of Prospero. She’s packing her things to evacuate from the coming hurricane, but she’s by herself at home. Her mother, Lacey, is a social worker and is running late to help. They clearly have a strained relationship since the passing of Hazel’s father, Trey. Hazel feels like there’s something Lacey is keeping from her tied to how she feels about Trey’s family. And they butt heads. After Hazel runs outside in the coming storm, she checks on her neighbors. It’s at this point the storm rolls through and sweeps Hazel’s home away with her mother in it.
This is where South of Midnight starts in earnest, and I have to say: Hazel immediately became one of my favorite video game characters. She saw her mom get swept away and took off after her. No fear, no questioning whether or not she could do it. When she starts seeing Strands, she’s weirded out, but it doesn’t deter her. Hazel is perfectly voice-acted and written — I have friends who speak like her. You buy her vulnerability and her strength all at once. When it’s time to fight enemies, she delivers smoke readily. I loved every second of playing as Hazel.
Hazel’s track background plays out in her animations. Her running jump is very clearly a long jump, and controlling her feels fast and fluid. Nothing about her movement is clumsy. She is in full control of her actions and is very much aware of what she needs to do. Even in the most uncertain of times.
TACKLING TRAUMA
As Hazel races to save her mother, she sees Strands, trails of magic that only a Weaver can see. Weavers are people who can heal the trauma of the land with their hooks by weaving the Strands to do so. One thing leads to another, and she ends up inheriting the Objects of Station, a pair of hooks used by Prospero’s last Weaver, Mahalia. Weavers perform the task of ridding the world of Stigma, which is essentially the physical manifestation of people’s trauma. It manifests itself as enemies called Haints and overgrowth on the buildings and throughout the world.
What I didn’t expect was for South of Midnight to so blatantly address things like slavery and the mistreatment and poverty of poor people in the South. This is a game that bases a lot of its story beats around these factors and handles them delicately but pointedly. Mahalia’s ghost guides Hazel through a tutorial of her Weaver powers, running parallel to the act of helping a young Black family escape slavery. It’s a powerful reminder of the hell people endured. It also uses music to convey many of those story beats. It’s a great nod to the history of Black people using music to pass down stories or get through hard times.
Hazel can unravel pockets of Stigma after battles with Haints. Dwayne covered some of the combat mechanics in his preview, but I’ll add to it with this; South of Midnight will kick your ass. The enemies are aggressive, which makes perfect sense considering the context. But combat gives you options to fight back. Before long, I was weaving and pulling enemies around but still facing a challenge. Make no mistake, though. Even on Normal, the game will give you a fight.
A WORLD WORTH EXPLORING
The traversal in South of Midnight is so much fun. Hazel moves swiftly, and her double jump/glide combo feels incredible to use every single time. There’s also a grapple ability that Compulsion Games had the good sense to give a decent range to. It absolutely encourages exploration, and it’s a welcome addition to grapple mechanics as a whole. More long-range grapples, please.
And those traversal mechanics come in handy when exploring the world. Because there are some pretty awesome-looking environments to get around. I often spent most of my time looking for Floofs, the game’s upgrade currency. And just getting around to them in various spots was awesome. You can even use Hazel’s doll, Crouton, as a way to explore areas she can’t fit into.
Seeing the broken-down and abandoned homes, the swamplands and forests in South of Midnight, you can witness the research and love that went into crafting these areas. If you’ve ever spent extended time in the Deep South, a number of these areas will feel authentic. And you feel the authenticity in the world-building. Compulsion Games went to great lengths to portray Southern folklore, and it’s present in every major encounter. Each of the creatures you’ll run into during Hazel’s quest feels lifted from the passed-down stories of Southern elders. I will never get Huggin Molly’s design out of my head — ever. And that’s just one of the game’s many creatures. Also, Crouton has passed the ever-important “Does my daughter want a plushie of this?” test with flying colors.
‘SOUTH OF MIDNIGHT’ wears history on its sleeve
I will admit that before I got the code to review, as excited as I was to play it, I had my concerns about South of Midnight and how the story would pan out. There’s a documentary about the game on the Compulsion Games YouTube page where creative director David Sears says the game is “about learning empathy for people who aren’t like you.” He wanted to create a “love letter to the South.”
And when I heard that, it felt like one of those “Heart is in the right place, but let’s check the execution” barriers for me. Well, I’m happy to confirm that the execution in South of Midnight is excellent. Not only is this a great game, but it’s also authentic in its representation of Southern and Black culture. And that’s what stood out. Yes, there are white characters, but this experience feels Black from top to bottom. And it isn’t forced — it’s real. And it’s beautiful.
My Grandmother and Grandfather on my mom’s side are from the South — Mississippi, specifically — and I feel them throughout this game. The best compliment I can pay Compulsion Games outside of saying that South of Midnight is incredible is this: they gave a voice to a group and region of people that traditionally receive lackluster, inaccurate, and/or distasteful representation in video games. The world, the storytelling, the environments will stick in my head for years to come.
Verdict: Strongly Recommended
A code was provided by the publisher for review. South of Midnight releases on April 3rd for those who pre-ordered the Premium Edition and April 8th worldwide on Xbox Series X and Series S, and PC.
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