It’s become pretty clear 2025 is going to be a year to remember for video games.

When games like the excellent Avowed have launched and in any other time would probably be pushing for Game of the Year, then you get something like South of Midnight and it’s only in April? Oh my…

Compulsion Games were acquired by Xbox way back in 2018 and ever since they’ve been working on their next game. This is a real example of how much leniency and time Xbox are willing to lend their studios as South of Midnight has been a long, long time coming.

Following on from We Happy Few, the studios’ previous title, South of Midnight loses the first person perspective and pits players in the Deep South for an over the shoulder, third-person action adventure.

This is a story first, linear adventure that follows Hazel, a young woman who becomes deeply entrenched in Southern folklore after her house gets taken away by a hurricane. It all sets off a fantastical chain  of events that sees Hazel meet overisized crocodiles, malicious witches, and tackle them by summoning creatures, casting weaves all to fight back against dark, nightmarish forces.

Hazel’s mother was swept away and so Hazel goes deep into the wild world of Prospero to get her back, taking her on an adventure of self identity, family discovery, all while admiring truly remarkable looking scenery and unusual beings.

South of Midnight is a fairly relaxed, evenly paced game, with puzzles that aren’t too difficult, a coherant story with fun twists and turns, and interesting characters, in a setting rarely seen and beautiful designed and curated.

The game has this stunning stop motion style to its animation and cut scenes that is a little bit Tim Burton. It’s eye-catching, unnerving, but equally compelling and feels distinctly refreshing in an industry that has become as equally obsessed with stable, steady frame rates. Again, another reason this game goes against the grain.

Even in its striking, visual presentation, bright flowers, stunning wildlife, vast, powerful weather effects and incredibly detailed mesmerising flowing water. This is a game full of little details, despite its length and linearity, you’ll find yourself stopping, staring, reflecting absorbing. This is about as beautfiully crafted world as we’ve seen in any game in recent memory.

But let’s also talk about the world built, too. This is true storybook style, a little bit Disney, Hans Christian Anderson, but also a dash of Wizard of Oz and even films like Pan’s Labyrinth and Shape of Water. All with a heavy dose of Tim Burton and Coraline. Even Grim Fandango. This is a game with many inspirations, but also one that has its own clear identity and as such, builds a memorable, lasting experience.

This is a game we’ll come back to in years gone by, people will bemoan that players have forgotten about it, that they need to experience it, that they should try it. Is it best in class in anything in particular? Not really. The combat feels a bit repetitive and linear at points, boxing you in arena settings so you fight off a cluster of enemies, then unravel the enemy when defeated. Followed by their summoning pool.

Once the wave is beaten, the grey area becomes vibrant and fresh with color again and you can move on with the story. There’s combat variety at least, letting you use your little guy to detonate remote blasts, pulling enemies in close and pushing them away, as well as immobilising them.

Bosses do offer unique challenges, both due to the forms but also the perspective changes and the asks from the player, necessitating you to use all of your skill-bases to the full.

But it’s the story and characters that drive South of Midnight, the fun exploration in a semi-open environment, the clever puzzles and the back and forth banter between Hazel and Catfish that maintains this sense of charm and flow. I vibed and got emotionally invested in everything about the game, both through the music and the voice acting that is just so wonderfully orchestrated.

The messages baked into this resonate with the world today, about discovery, wonder, healing, mystery, fantasy and the difficulty of families – finding acceptance and standing defiant.

I am so glad this game exists. In an industry obsessed with money and return on investment and high profitability, this game is the rarest of gambles. Considering the time investment, the fact it’s a new IP, the strong focus on story and single player with no live service components and how much it must have cost to get over the finish line, the fact South of Midnight exists feels like something of a miracle.

And it’s a great game. The smartest, most enjoyable take on fantasy and fairy tales since the Alice Madness series, of which this feels like it shares a lot of DNA. It’s not always perfect and there’s some elements that jar and feel a bit tedious, but South of Midnight is a game with heart, soul, and a positive energy that more than deserves its place in a stacked lineup of top 2025 releases and is worth more than a passing glance. Especially since it’s on GamePass.

Verdict

South of Midnight is a beautifully crafted, delicately designed, story filled with heart, soul and positive energy. The world is stunning, the characters and the story they drive are memorable, and there’s a lovely mix of puzzles to keep you invested. While combat is the weaker point of the game, the boss battles coupled with the player progression do help bring this back up to a level of a game that deserves your time and attention.

 

Pros

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South of Midnight is out now on PC and Xbox 

Played on Xbox Series X

Code Kindly Provided by Microsoft for review purposes