South of Midnight Review: Southern Gothic Masterpiece
This review contains spoilers.
South of Midnight weaves a hauntingly beautiful, Southern and Black tale in the deep American South through this action RPG. Developed by Compulsion Games and published by Xbox Game Studios, South of Midnight delivers the representation and storytelling that Black American Gamers have been waiting to experience. This adventure takes you through beautifully painful stories of trauma, empathy, and healing through its incorporation of deep southern grit, Black American history, spirituality, and even the combat.
Hazel, after uniting a long lost mother and son
About South of Midnight
South of Midnight takes place in a small, rural town called Prospero in the deep American South. You play as Hazel Flood, a young Black American, biracial girl who runs track and is on her way to college. Her mother is Lacey, a Black woman who works as a social worker and feels as if the system isn’t doing enough to help protect the children of her community from the evils of the world. Hazel’s father, Trey Flood, who passed away, is from a wealthy White family who made their fortune through various business ventures. His mother, Bunny, did not approve of his relationship and marriage with Lacey.
A terrible hurricane rips through Prospero, and wild, rushing waters sweep away Hazel’s home, with her mother inside. Hazel immediately sets out to catch up with her mom to save her but she’s not fast enough. So, she begrudgingly seeks assistance from her grandma, Bunny, who locks her in her room to keep her safe. During her escape, she finds a set of weaving hooks imbued with magic. Thus, her journey begins not only to save her mom, but to learn about her heritage as a Weaver, and unraveling Prospero’s very dark past.
Southern and Black Southern Culture
Voice Acting, Speech, and Dialects
One thing I greatly appreciated in South of Midnight is how the voice actors incorporated regional dialects and not just throwing a random Southern accent or even a “blaccent” onto the lead character and other non-player characters. Nor does it go out of its way to make non-Black Southerners and Cajuns sound unintelligent. The writing and voice acting was refreshing and respectful and avoided playing up the overly used stereotypes we are so used to encountering in video games. Listening to and interacting with the characters felt fluid, natural and immersive.
Juke Joints and the Vaudeville Era
One aspect of Black American Southern culture that holds incredible meaning in South of Midnight is Laurent’s Juke Joint. Laurent’s Juke Joint is situated deep in the woods and, before the storm, is only accessible by boat. Juke Joints are an important part of Black American history and culture in the deep South. Juke Joints sprouted up in rural areas in the late 19th century as informal gathering spots for Black laborers seeking refuge from white surveillance and violence. Because juke joints weren’t easily accessible—accessible only through hidden backroads and/or waterways, it’s possible the word juke came from the Gullah word, joog (meaning disorderly). Juke joints are where the dance style Jookin’ derives and birthing the Delta Blues. Spoiler: Laurent has been working at the Juke Joint since at least 1934, during Prohibition and Jim Crow. Laurent’s Juke Joint is his haven from his troubled past.
Around the same time juke joints emerged, so did the Black American Vaudeville era and the “Chitlin Circuit” flourished in both. Vaudeville was theatrical performances of comedy singing and burlesque dancing. In the early Vaudeville, Black American performers performed in minstrel shows, where they were forced to wear blackface. But when the Chitlin Circuit emerged, Black performers had more freedom and thrived in segregated, Black-owned venues like The Howard in Washington D.C. and The Lafayette in Harlem.
Cryptids of the South
South of Midnight also weaves Southern cryptids into its lore. The Haint comes from Gullah Geechee folklore. Haint are restless spirits trapped between worlds. In-game, Haint are swamp specters you encounter while uncovering pieces of The Grand Tapestry. You have to defeat or unweave these haints.
The Rougarou or Cursed Shapeshifter comes from Cajun folklore of a cursed half-human, half-werewolf, said to roam the swamp at night. In the game, however, a Rougarou can be any cursed human who transforms into a creature.
Two-toed Tom comes from Florida and Alabama folklore about a massive gator who had lost all but two of its toes to hunter’s steel traps and therefore terrorizes the swamps on Florida and Alabama Gulf Coast area.
Huggin’ Molly is a cryptid whose lore comes from Abbeville, Alabama. “She’s a 7-foot tall, ghostly woman” who chases children down, hugs them tight and screams in their ear.
Altamaha-ha cryptid predates the colonial era. Altamaha-ha or Alti is a legendary water creature whose story originated with the Lower Muskogee Creek Tribe of Georgia.
The Crossroads and The Devil is a Southern blues legend that centers on Robert Johnson who made a deal to sell his soul to the Devil at Crossroads in exchange for musical talent. Some legends say that it wasn’t a deal with the Devil, but a pact with Papa Legba, a Haitian deity. In South of Midnight, however, Roux is akin to Robert Johnson.
In Creole folklore, Kooshma is associated with dreams and nightmares. In the game, Roux feeds Kooshma the souls of the people he tricked into dreaming.
Black Spiritual Representation in South of Midnight
Black American spirituality is woven into the South of Midnight’s Southern Gothic story and art through symbolism, rituals, folklore, and music.
The Weaver
I see similarities between Weavers and Voodoo practitioners, as both are derived from the African Diaspora and derive their power from nature. Weavers, like Voodoo Priests and Priestesses, maintain balance between the realms of the living and the dead.
In South of Midnight, the land chooses a Weaver each generation to wield Strands. Weavers can see the tears in the Grand Tapestry and are chosen to use magic to fix the tears by affecting the world around them. Hazel’s journey as a Weaver begins with following the ghost of the previous Weaver, Mahalia, as she leads an enslaved Black American family to freedom. By following the ghost of Mahalia’s path, Hazel learns how to use her magic as a Weaver.
The ghost spirit of Mahalia leading Hazel out of the cave
Ancestral Spirits and The Dead
With South of Midnight’s Southern Gothic setting, we can see reverence for the ancestors, which is important to African diasporic spirituality. Not to mention, again, haints, in this game, reflect unresolved trauma. Mahalia’s ghost acts as a guide, leading Hazel out of the swamp and guiding her to light.
Music as a Spiritual Force
Throughout the game music of South of Midnight is more than just an ambient soundtrack. The music is part of the story. From telling painful stories to weaving history into the scenario, music is a spiritual guide, almost a character itself. (Benji’s song absolutely broke me!) From Laurent’s Juke Joint to Roux’s (Robert Johnson) Crossroad, The Blues is about suffering and liberation. When Mahalia’s ghost is near, Hazel hears an angelic spiritual.
Gameplay (Combat, Exploration, Mechanics)
The combat system is pretty straightforward: think hack-and-slash with magic. It can feel a bit redundant at times, but easy to maneuver, allowing players to focus more on the story and not struggle to learn new abilities. Hazel is a Weaver, so her weapons are centered around weaving: Spindles, Dual Weaving Hooks, and Distaff. Her main weapon is the dual weaving hooks, which she uses to fight haints. She uses her Spindle to cast spells. You can upgrade your spells by capturing or unweaving Floofs. Hazel’s distaff allows you interact with objects and to see past events.
It’s unfortunate that you fight the same haints throughout the game, which can definitely become boring for gamers looking for more action. Even without varied enemies, there’s plenty of action-adventure in the chases. Get ready for some old school Tomb Raider gauntlet runs.
During cutscenes, you can travel by riding creatures like Catfish. Unfortunately, it’s not an ability you can use in actual gameplay.
Graphics Art Style
The one aspect of the game I noticed immediately is the stylized Southern gothic art direction: dilapidated buildings, decaying towns, swamps, and the hardened struggles of the people of Prospero. The stop motion animation style was the perfect art form to showcase South of Midnight’s macabre setting.
The characters are drawn so strikingly and Hazel and her mama are beautiful. You can feel the heart of the characters when you look at them, before they even speak. You just know Grandma Bunny has some evil in her. And Jolene, bless her heart, I feel like I know someone or a few someones like her—heart of gold but got some demons in their past. And I suspect, Jolene’s “locks of auburn” are a nod to Dolly Parton’s “Jolene”.
Every frame is scenic and deserving of a photo op. South of Midnight definitely needs a photo mode because just the Steam screenshot capture doesn’t do it justice.
Playable Content
The main story has 14 chapters or roughly about 15-20 hours of gameplay. I completed the game in 18 hours, but I also paused a lot to write, capture images, get snacks, etc.
You can get South of Midnight on PC via Steam and PC/Xbox Microsoft Store for $39.99. Will it be on PS5 and Switch? As of now, we don’t know. Xbox does have a history of releasing their exclusive titles on PS5 at a later date, so we will be on the lookout for that.
Final Verdict
South of Midnight is a refreshing take on storytelling. It’s not a combat-centric game, but an action-adventure story. The voice acting felt natural, not over the top, but more like watching a film or musical. Speaking of music, from the Blues, Soul, and Jazz to the spirituals of the swamp, the music felt every bit a character than just a normal musical score. The narrative, the research, the execution was—wow! The entire team put their whole foot in this game, and it is evident. Compulsion Games gave us a tale of empathy and healing that you will feel in your soul as you play through.
I do wish that, with how picturesque each scene is, that there was a photo mode. While some may complain that the combat is redundant, I believe that is by design because of the story and what haints are. Still, the haints could have been a little more varied.
From its stunning and unique visual style to its rich storytelling, South of Midnight stands out as one of the best game releases of 2025 so far. I’m going to give South of Midnight 9/10. I hope to see a DLC coming soon because I want to go on another adventure with Hazel.
