South of Midnight - Reviews Thread

This high 6 to low 7 trash game is what Xbox put focus on during their big game events for the past 4 years. 4 Years, they've been trying to hype people with trailers and gameplay for this, only for it to review mid. Waste.
 
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Topher said:
I was kind of hoping it was a 5 hour game myself. I've put a few dozen hours into a just a couple of games lately. Would be nice to play something that short. But ten hours or so will do.
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There's a game for you. It's called Hellblade 2. ;)

Imo, this is a perfectly priced game for a 10-12hour single player story.

I have no idea what the fuck some people's complaints are. People are clamoring for different game trying something different. Here is a new IP, with a single player story focus, visually asthetic game, and the constant complaint is that the voice actress/character model that is cell shaded in the game looks different than the voice/mocap actress. yeesh
 
Not_A-Cop_Maybe said:
There's a game for you. It's called Hellblade 2. ;)

Imo, this is a perfectly priced game for a 10-12hour single player story.

I have no idea what the fuck some people's complaints are. People are clamoring for different game trying something different. Here is a new IP, with a single player story focus, visually asthetic game, and the constant complaint is that the voice actress/character model that is cell shaded in the game looks different than the voice/mocap actress. yeesh
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lol....I played Hellblade 2 and I'd like those hours back. South of Midnight......seems fine. Can't say anything blows me away about it, but being from the south, I am a bit intrigued. I get folks want the characters to look more like the models though. That's not a huge issue to me, but they ain't exactly doing these beautiful women justice in these games. Either way, I'll be playing it on Game Pass. Hope it is fun.
 
Topher said:
I'm saying if we are saying the problem is "uglification" then that isn't a matter of diversity. It isn't even a matter of being "woke". It is just not liking the design. Nothing wrong with that. I said the exact same thing about Star Wars Outlaws.
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Joining the conversation midway, so I might be missing context.

But I think people see the deliberate uglification of characters as a byproduct of a DEI-infested game. In this particular case, people are mad because Sweet Baby Inc. worked on South of Midnight.

The uglification - and other woke things - come as a consequence of that SBI consultancy.

lDXtCZD.jpeg
 
I see lots of people digging at a lot of GP games without ever trying them, and on top of that, and on top of that, acting like 7's and 8's are "turds" OMG. So many lol takes all over the place.
 
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Something about the gameplay of this looks off. There's no weight to any of ur attacks and it's like you're hitting enemies with a foam baseball bat. I think the graphics are great, and presentation is decent but the combat looks bad.
 
Uglification of characters lol. It's not just the MC that looks like that, it's every character in the game and the environments and the animals, too. It's called an art style. Griftees will never run out of things to whine about.
 
Heisenberg007 said:
Joining the conversation midway, so I might be missing context.

But I think people see the deliberate uglification of characters as a byproduct of a DEI-infested game. In this particular case, people are mad because Sweet Baby Inc. worked on South of Midnight.

The uglification - and other woke things - come as a consequence of that SBI consultancy.

lDXtCZD.jpeg
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I've mentioned SBI's involvement before as a concern and I think that is legit.......if it has woke narratives in the game. There needs to be more to it than a SBI reference though. We have instances like we had in Veilguard and Spider-man 2 then ok, but I gotta actually see it.
 
I wasn't surprised when MS bought Compulsion. It was that time when they aimed for developers who are interested in making niche games that are not afraid to be weird and have unconventional approach to storytelling, humour etc. And bless them for that, because Inxile, Obsidian, Double Fine are some of my favourite developers that make way more interesting (to me) games than many critically acclaimed studios. While Compulsion hasn't really proven themselves to be of the same caliber, I really like parts of their first two games and really hope this will hit all the right spots for me.
 
Heisenberg007 said:
Joining the conversation midway, so I might be missing context.

But I think people see the deliberate uglification of characters as a byproduct of a DEI-infested game. In this particular case, people are mad because Sweet Baby Inc. worked on South of Midnight.

The uglification - and other woke things - come as a consequence of that SBI consultancy.

lDXtCZD.jpeg
Click to expand...
Topher said:
I've mentioned SBI's involvement before as a concern and I think that is legit.......if it has woke narratives in the game. There needs to be more to it than a SBI reference though. We have instances like we had in Veilguard and Spider-man 2 then ok, but I gotta actually see it.
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Considering this is a game that revolves around deep south culture, it shouldn't be a surprise they went to Sweet Baby Inc. As I'm sure Compulsion Games isn't a team made up of people born and raised in deep south culture. So wanting a consultation studio makes sense. The thing is, I don't even know if there are other studios that would provide service to make sure things are "not offensive" and "accurate" to whatever cultures they want their game to be about or include. According to wiki they were hired for story development and cultural/character consultation.

I think it's safe to say the "uglification" here is just a particular art style that people don't like, I mean, it almost looks like Telltale characters, but it has this weird stop motion-like animation. Can't say much else about what I've seen as I haven't seen a whole lot to make a call. But in any situation, when a studio works with SBI, it's up to that studio to decide what works for them. So, as much as SBI sucks in most cases, the developers that do business with them are just as bad, if not worse.
 
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seems like either the Nintendo Switch 2 announcement was pure luck or well timed to kind of fart out a gamepassy game.

either way it sucked all the air out the room and probably for the best for this game, more likely now people will randomly see it on gamepass and play it rather than being in news cycles with it's 7/10s and people going after it.
 
It's a weird juxtaposition to have a progressive story against a regressive game, but that kind of contradiction feels almost perfect for South of Midnight. It is, after all, a game about how messy we are as people, and how, sometimes, it makes us so unique in the end.
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Always Sunny Reaction GIF


Now shitty game design is a philosophical statement.
 
MiguelItUp said:
Considering this is a game that revolves around deep south culture, it shouldn't be a surprise they went to Sweet Baby Inc. As I'm sure Compulsion Games isn't a team made up of people born and raised in deep south culture. So wanting a consultation studio makes sense. The thing is, I don't even know if there are other studios that would provide service to make sure things are "not offensive" and "accurate" to whatever cultures they want their game to be about or include. According to wiki they were hired for story development and cultural/character consultation.

I think it's safe to say the "uglification" here is just a particular art style that people don't like, I mean, it almost looks like Telltale characters, but it has this weird stop motion-like animation. Can't say much else about what I've seen as I haven't seen a whole lot to make a call. But in any situation, when a studio works with SBI, it's up to that studio to decide what works for them. So, as much as SBI sucks in most cases, the developers that do business with them are just as bad, if not worse.
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I don't think a Canadian consultant studio is going to help with American south culture, but I get your point. I agree on the character design here.
 
Topher said:
I don't think a Canadian consultant studio is going to help with American south culture, but I get your point. I agree on the character design here.
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Totally valid and I forget they're Canadian, lmao. But I assume they're made up of a "diverse team" considering that's their "main" focus and "expertise". Would be hilarious if that was all phone-y, lol.
 
StereoVsn said:
"about ten hours of decent fun" - if that's not a definition of "Mild Success" I don't know what is.

Phil "Mild Success" Spencer is on the job!
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One of the reviews mentioning that this is also exposition heavy game. So it's interesting how much of this 10-hour exposition heavy game is an actual game.
 
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Topher said:
What do they mean by "exposition heavy"? Lots of back story?
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I misremembered this part it's saying "story that leans too heavily on exposition". That's what was meant by it.
However, it feels like you're being tour-guided through a museum of backstory and exposition-dumping scenes that Hazel isn't actively involved in. It's like attending a funeral of someone you've never met. Everyone will likely be very sad around you, but since you don't have an attachment to the deceased, you probably won't experience it the same as everyone else.
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Woohoo, another seventy, and accounting for inflation, in 2025, that's like a 120% score. They don't even USE numbers that big, anymore. It's like having a big golden sign that says "We bumbled and chucklefucked this steaming shit out the front door without it bursting into flames!"

Reminds me of all the 7/10 mothers in my hometown.
 
Topher said:
What do they mean by "exposition heavy"? Lots of back story?
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[h4][/h4]Let me tell you about something that often sneaks its way into storytelling, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse—something called exposition heavy writing. Now, exposition, in and of itself, is a crucial element of storytelling. It's the way an author or creator conveys background information, setting details, character histories, world-building, or crucial plot mechanics to the audience. Without exposition, we'd be lost, stumbling around in a story with no sense of where we are, who these people are, or why any of it matters. But when we say something is "exposition heavy," we're talking about a very particular kind of imbalance—one where the exposition is so overwhelming, so dense, so ever-present that it bogs down the actual experience of the story.

Imagine you're watching a movie, reading a book, or playing a video game, and instead of being shown what's happening—through action, dialogue, or carefully placed details—you're being told everything in big, indigestible chunks. Perhaps the protagonist embarks on an adventure, but before they take a single step, another character launches into a five-page monologue about the history of their people, the ancient war between the kingdoms, the socioeconomic structure of their world, and the political intrigue that has been festering for centuries. Maybe, just maybe, some of that information is important. But does it need to be all delivered at once? Probably not.

Exposition-heavy storytelling can feel like sitting in a classroom rather than experiencing a living, breathing narrative. Instead of unfolding naturally, information is dumped on the audience in a way that can feel forced, sluggish, or even condescending. It's as if the writer doesn't trust the audience to pick up on details through context or discovery, so they lay it all out explicitly, removing any sense of intrigue or mystery.

Of course, there are times when a heavy dose of exposition is necessary or even enjoyable. Think about classic detective stories, where the big reveal often comes in the form of an elaborate explanation at the end. Or consider sci-fi and fantasy, where world-building is essential—sometimes, a bit of dense exposition is the price of admission. Some writers even make exposition-heavy storytelling work by integrating it seamlessly into character interactions or by making it entertaining through a unique narrative voice. But when done poorly, it can grind a story to a halt, leaving the audience feeling like they're wading through a textbook rather than engaging with a compelling piece of fiction.

So, in short (or, well, long), to say something is "exposition heavy" is to say it leans too much on telling rather than showing, relying on large, often unwieldy chunks of information that can slow down pacing, weaken immersion, and sometimes, let's be honest, bore the audience to tears.
 
ShadyAcshuns said:
I see lots of people digging at a lot of GP games without ever trying them, and on top of that, and on top of that, acting like 7's and 8's are "turds" OMG. So many lol takes all over the place.
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The problem with these 'turds' is that if game pass didn't exist. These games would all be flops commercially.

Who is buying this otherwise?
 
ChorizoPicozo said:
i meant for today.

i think this game is goign to struggle to reach 1000 players at relase
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I'm guessing it will peak at less than half what Indy did. So 6k. Somehow that still seems to be a reach. This just isn't a game that is going to generate much buzz.

Chuck Berry said:
Dunno about you, but I hear people say that around the Louisiana bayou all the time in between sipping on tea.
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lol....my man knew exactly where I was going with that.
 
bender said:
[h4][/h4]Let me tell you about something that often sneaks its way into storytelling, sometimes for better, sometimes for worse—something called exposition heavy writing. Now, exposition, in and of itself, is a crucial element of storytelling. It's the way an author or creator conveys background information, setting details, character histories, world-building, or crucial plot mechanics to the audience. Without exposition, we'd be lost, stumbling around in a story with no sense of where we are, who these people are, or why any of it matters. But when we say something is "exposition heavy," we're talking about a very particular kind of imbalance—one where the exposition is so overwhelming, so dense, so ever-present that it bogs down the actual experience of the story.

Imagine you're watching a movie, reading a book, or playing a video game, and instead of being shown what's happening—through action, dialogue, or carefully placed details—you're being told everything in big, indigestible chunks. Perhaps the protagonist embarks on an adventure, but before they take a single step, another character launches into a five-page monologue about the history of their people, the ancient war between the kingdoms, the socioeconomic structure of their world, and the political intrigue that has been festering for centuries. Maybe, just maybe, some of that information is important. But does it need to be all delivered at once? Probably not.

Exposition-heavy storytelling can feel like sitting in a classroom rather than experiencing a living, breathing narrative. Instead of unfolding naturally, information is dumped on the audience in a way that can feel forced, sluggish, or even condescending. It's as if the writer doesn't trust the audience to pick up on details through context or discovery, so they lay it all out explicitly, removing any sense of intrigue or mystery.

Of course, there are times when a heavy dose of exposition is necessary or even enjoyable. Think about classic detective stories, where the big reveal often comes in the form of an elaborate explanation at the end. Or consider sci-fi and fantasy, where world-building is essential—sometimes, a bit of dense exposition is the price of admission. Some writers even make exposition-heavy storytelling work by integrating it seamlessly into character interactions or by making it entertaining through a unique narrative voice. But when done poorly, it can grind a story to a halt, leaving the audience feeling like they're wading through a textbook rather than engaging with a compelling piece of fiction.

So, in short (or, well, long), to say something is "exposition heavy" is to say it leans too much on telling rather than showing, relying on large, often unwieldy chunks of information that can slow down pacing, weaken immersion, and sometimes, let's be honest, bore the audience to tears.
Click to expand...

Hmmm. This combined with SBI involvement makes me think I'm gonna get lectured. Maybe not?
 
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