Compulsion Games are no strangers to bringing something fresh to the gaming landscape. With massive hits like Contract and We Happy Few bringing stylish graphics with eccentric characters and compelling storylines, it was no surprise that Microsoft snapped the studio up in 2018 and started development on South of Midnight – a stop-motion style game with puppet-like characters based on the deep south.
I will preface this by saying I am a massive fan of this animation style and the fact that a games studio is taking this into a AAA game has already filled me with a massive amount of anticipation.
The Story
This preview starts in chapter 3 of the story. A quick recap informs us that Hazel has just begun to discover her powers, she can use and manipulate the the fabric of reality, presented here as strands of illuminated twine. Hazel is on the search for her missing mother after a hurricane has devastated her hometown of Prospero in the deep south of America.
You guide Hazel through the swamps and washed-up ruins to find her mother with plenty of hidden paths with secrets and collectibles to discover. In this chapter, Hazel is helping a giant catfish break out of their entrapment spell.
Along the way, you’ll encounter hordes of enemies and a few other magical beings, one of whom is trapped inside a tree after his death, these are just some of the deep lore that is spread throughout this world that I cannot wait to explore in the full game.
Weave Your Way to Greatness
Enemies in this world are restricted to particular sections of the game. Hazel enters an area that is then contained by thorns and waves of various enemies attack through a central portal. There are four types of enemies seen in this preview, all with different moves and abilities that force you to change up your attack style to defeat them. Hazel has your standard basic attack and dodge, both of which you’ll need to rely on to survive.
There are additional magic abilities that are crucial to your survival, A strand pull, strand push, weave and a fourth move that was locked for this preview. After killing an enemy, Hazel has a small window of time to approach the body, use her weave move and get a small health boost, again this is massively helpful when you are encountering waves of enemies.
Each level does have a health regain totem that you have to use the weave move on to activate. This has to be planned carefully as sometimes you can not always get through enemies in time without being taken out. It can be initially frustrating, but the reward and sense of satisfaction are worth it.
There is a lock-on mechanic that allows you to hone in on a particular enemy. This can sometimes be frustrating with flying enemies attempting to block your path. It takes a few playthroughs and deaths to get the groove of it, but when you do, there is a rhythm to it and a flow that I enjoyed.
There is a skill tree that allows for three upgrades for each of Hazel’s abilities. In addition to this, you can unlock new moves by collecting sparking glowing objects. I was able to find enough to unlock a ground pound move that allowed nearby enemies to be pushed back and startled for a few seconds to give me a competitive edge.
Elsewhere in the menu is a collectibles area for magical items, storybooks, patterns and letters you collect on your journey. There weren’t too many in this preview to discover so I am hoping that they are more frequent in the full release. It is worth noting that everyone I found was on a side path away from the main objective.
Look The Part
The stop-motion animation style looks completely breathtaking on the Xbox Series X. The level of detail in each tree and area you walk through is truly jaw-dropping. Compulsion Games has delivered a truly beautiful-looking world that you just want to dive right into. The cut scenes are very true to this style and look almost puppet-like Labyrinth meets the Spider-Man Spider-Verse films.
You can turn the stop-motion settings off if you wish (no idea why you want to!) I did play around with this but it looks better with it on. The game targets 4K 60FPS on the Xbox Series X, during my playthrough I didn’t notice any dip or major flaws in the framerate or performance.
Thoughts So Far
There is no denying, Compulsion Games have gone above and beyond expectations for this game. They are building on their previous titles but are utilising the resources at Xbox Gaming to enhance this experience. Hazel is a compelling character with plenty of snark and personality to interpret what is happening in this spectacular world. The gameplay is tougher than expected and has no problems letting you repeatedly fail to learn how to defeat certain types of enemies.
There is so much to explore here and I cannot wait to dive into this incredibly gorgeous world. South of Midnight is looking to be a strong contender for the best game of 2025.
South of Midnight releases on Xbox Series X/S, PC and Game Pass on April 8. Stay tuned for our official review closer to release.
