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Game Information

Game Title: South of Midnight

Platforms:

• Xbox Series X/S (Apr 8, 2025)
• PC (Apr 8, 2025)

Trailer:

• Weaving Hazel's Journey - A South of Midnight Documentary
• South of Midnight - Gameplay Reveal - Xbox Games Showcase 2024

Developer: Compulsion Games

Publisher: Xbox Games Studios

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 82 average - 57% recommended
Metacritic - 74 average - 11 Reviews

Critic Reviews


A Gaming Network - Marcel Dee - 8 / 10

A Love Letter to the Deep South. South of Midnight is an evocative and beautifully crafted experience that blends folklore, storytelling, and action into a mesmerizing package. Despite some gameplay shortcomings, its breathtaking presentation, compelling narrative, and rich world-building make it a standout title.
The game may not be for everyone—especially those looking for fast-paced action or deep RPG mechanics—but for players who appreciate a well-told story wrapped in a visually unique and culturally rich setting, South of Midnight is a journey worth taking.

Atarita - Atakan Gümrükçüoğlu - Turkish - 81 / 100

Inspired by Deep South folklore, South of Midnight offers us an intriguing story and stands out with its atmosphere and narrative. Even though it has a great soundtrack and entertaining sequences, it can be a bit sad that it gets repetitive after a while.

But Why Tho? - Kate Sanchez - 9 / 10

Ultimately, Compulsion Games has created a love letter to the South, to its beauty and its stories. The dark fairytale we see in South of Midnight is narratively one of the heaviest hitters I've played, and that's something special.

Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - 8 / 10

South of Midnight has a lot to love, from the incredible use of stop-motion to the sweeping score and accompanying blues music to the personal story of Hazel and the American South setting.

Digitale Anime - Raouf Belhamra - Arabic - 8 / 10

"A unique adventure with a distinctive artistic direction"
While South of Midnight doesn't offer revolutionary gameplay mechanics, it stands out for its unique artistic direction and emotional narrative inspired by Southern folklore. Its weaknesses in combat and platforming diminish the challenge, but it makes up for this with its enchanting world and distinctive sound design. A worthwhile experience for fans of narrative adventures and mysterious atmospheres.

Digitec Magazine - Domagoj Belancic - German - 3 / 5

The playable fairy tale “South of Midnight” impresses above all with its audiovisual presentation. The southern atmosphere is perfectly captured with a detailed art style and interactive soundtrack. Narratively, the game works particularly well in the small story vignettes about the various mythical creatures from southern folklore. In terms of gameplay, however, the game disappoints with its conservative level design and monotonous battles. These stand in stark contrast to the otherwise loving and creative execution.

GRYOnline.pl - Anna Garas - Polish - 7.5 / 10

When South of Midnight fully commits to its unique ideas and inspirations, carried by Olivier Deriviere's outstanding score, it is great. But when it is afraid to step out of the line, we get a standard, solid action-adventure with and oldschool vibe. If only the gameplay designers would inject more creative juice into their work, it would be a fantastic game. As it is, it’s simply good.

Gamepressure - Michał Grygorcewicz - Unscored

South of Midnight is a pure mid-budget game that doesn't even try to challenge the biggest launches of the first half of the year, but has enough character and charm to provide about ten hours of decent fun. [Review in progress]

Kakuchopurei - Lewis Larcombe - 70 / 100

[...] South of Midnight is a visually stunning, atmospheric game with a great concept, but falls short in execution. The story and setting? Brilliant. The mechanics? Solid but underdeveloped. The boss fights? Repetitive. The length? Shorter than expected.

It’s one of those games that could’ve been truly special with just a bit more depth and variety. But as it stands, it’s a good game—just not a great one.

KonsoliFIN - Risto Karinkanta - Finnish - 3 / 5

South of Midnight is a melancholic action-adventure set in the American South, where Hazel embarks on a journey through a sorrowful magical world filled with monsters and dark family secrets. The game blends platforming and combat, but both feel unrefined—movement is stiff, fights are repetitive, and level design lacks depth. While the narrative and Southern folklore elements are compelling, the gameplay struggles to keep up, making it a title best experienced through Game Pass rather than a full-price purchase.

MondoXbox - Giuseppe Genga - Italian - 8 / 10

South of Midnight is a fascinating journey into the magic of the Deep South, among beautiful scenery, strange characters and game mechanics that, while not inventing anything, are fun and engaging. The art department, both visual and audio, is phenomenal, while something could have been done to improve combat and the story pace, but it's nonetheless a game that all lovers of the action-adventure genre should try.

SIFTER - Adam Christou - Liked-a-lot

Compulsion Games’ brand new action platformer for Xbox brings together tight platforming, brilliant art direction and a compelling cast for a memorable romp through a fantasy American Deep South. What will stay with me most is how South Of Midnight explores its themes of trauma and forgiveness. Those who have been hurt most are offered respite. This damage can’t be reversed, but Hazel can help people move on.

The Beta Network - Anthony Culinas - 6 / 10

South of Midnight is a visually distinctive action-platformer with tight platforming mechanics and a unique stop-motion aesthetic, but it suffers from excessive hand-holding, lackluster combat, and a story that leans too heavily on exposition. While its momentum-driven traversal can be satisfying, the rigid level design, repetitive encounters and underdeveloped narrative threads prevent it from reaching its full potential.

Toisto - Joonatan Itkonen - 3 / 5

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.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Pretty good. Looking forward to it after work today!

 

[HRK69]

Another banger huh?

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

I expect around a 70. Outperforming so far.

 

[R3TRO]

Good enough for me.

 

[Lokaum D+]

67% of critics recommend.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Looks to be a solid 8/10 game. Not bad, IMO.

 

[Blitzkrieg!]

It’s a tragedy what they did to this game. They really had something cool with the Southern mythical folklore vibe and had the right artstyle… then they throw it all away by making the protagonist a jive talking cringelord with nasty piercings everywhere.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Sorry but Mario is here to take all your money before you can buy this or get GamePass. Better luck next time!

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

Just the 7/10 “good enough for Gamepass” kind of game I was craving.

 

[Hollowpoint5557]

It deserves even lower than what it's at.

 

[DanielG165]

Looks like a really fun time, just like I was hoping for once the initial trailer and gameplay came out. The world and story are what I’m super interested in, personally.

It’s a tragedy what they did to this game. They really had something cool with the Southern mythical folklore vibe and had the right artstyle… then they throw it all away by making the protagonist a jive talking cringelord with nasty piercings everywhere.

Most of your takes today have just been so... Hm.

 

[adamsapple]

It deserves even lower than what it's at.

Must resist urge to quote tag.

 

[Humdinger]

Average is 75 now at Metacritic, based on 19 reviews.

 

[Baemono]

I mean Game Pass is definitly consistent in the scores of their day one games

 

[RetroGamingUK]

philspencer7.gif

 

[Humdinger]

I mean Game Pass is definitly consistent in the scores of their day one games

Consistently mediocre. (Well, except for Indy)

 

[kpopSuperstar]

I'll give it a shot, I expect the score to drop, but it's always great with AA games trying their best to produce something new.

 

[Jinzo Prime]

South of Midnight is a pure mid-budget game that doesn't even try to challenge the biggest launches of the first half of the year, but has enough character and charm to provide about ten hours of decent fun. [Review in progress]

When a review is like: "meh," it hurts more than just outright hating a game. This sounds like a game I should wait to pay $5 for.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

Consistently mediocre. (Well, except for Indy)

Indy was just a really pretty mediocre game imo.

 

[indigoSociety]

67% of critics recommend.

Happy to see you have your own brain

 

[DarkstarRising13]

Ignore. DEI Detected by Kabrutus due to Sweet Baby Inc.’s involvement in the games development.

 

[Pey.]

My review 8.3/10 with 4K screenshots and videos > https://www.pcmrace.com/2025/04/03/south-of-midnight-analisis-review-pc/

 

[adamsapple]

My review 8.3/10 with 4K screenshots and videos > https://www.pcmrace.com/2025/04/03/south-of-midnight-analisis-review-pc/

The game's visual identity has always looked strong since its announcement.

 

[Thief1987]

You could have predicted these scores since the day of the game's reveal

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Gamepassable, I guess.

Still don't know why MS invested in Compulsion.

 

[DonkeyPunchJr]

When a review is like: "meh," it hurts more than just outright hating a game. This sounds like a game I should wait to pay $5 for.

lol seriously, talk about damming with faint praise. “You can extract a few hours of mild enjoyment from it as long as your expectations are low” nah I’m good

 

[Certinty]

Great visually. Interesting concept. Game Pass. 70+ score. 12 hours.

I'm in.

 

[DarkstarRising13]

Great visually. Interesting concept. Game Pass. 70+ score. 12 hours.

I'm in.

Then enjoy Kim Blackmail’s self-insertion as the main character.

 

[MiguelItUp]

Decent scores for a game that had a pretty niche aesthetic and vibe, albeit a unique and uncommon one. Though the gameplay itself didn't look like anything too exciting. But hey, more decent games is better than more complete bombs.

 

[AmuroChan]

Gamepassable, I guess.

Still don't know why MS invested in Compulsion.

In some ways I think they're the perfect fit for GP. They make smaller scale games that don't cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Thematically and visually their games are pretty distinct so it helps add diversity to the game catalog.

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

In some ways I think they're the perfect fit for GP. They make smaller scale games that don't cost hundreds of millions of dollars. Thematically and visually their games are pretty distinct so it helps add diversity to the game catalog.

It took them 8 (ok, 6 if we count 1.0 for We Happy Few) years to release a 12 hour AA with quiestionable choices and Yellow Seal of Quality. Dunno, man.

 

[Evil Calvin]

Since when is a 7/10 or 8/10 is a shit game......'gamepass game'.......'pass' ......'I'll wait for $5'
WTF?
Currently 76 Metacritic

On par with Rise of the Ronin, Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Eternal Strands, Atomfall....... and these are good games

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

It's hard for me to take Xbox reviews seriously, somehow always above the average, skewing the average . . .

Xbox Achievements 90
Pure Xbox 90
XboxEra 85
MondoXbox 80
Windows Central 80

 

[Magic Carpet]

Gamepass will be nicknamed That 70's Show if it hasn't already.

 

[mrMUR_96]

Nice, we need more AA games, nice to have some fresh games. Hope this comes to PS5, my PC isn't really up to scratch anymore.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

So,

So,

Halo Infinite
Starfield
Hellblade 2
Indiana Jones
Avowed
Doom The Dark Ages

What's next?
South of Midnight?

Xbox truly has become the poster-child of mediocrity.

South of Midnight

What's next?
Fable?

The upside is that there is more and more pressure on Xbox to release all their games on Playstation and Switch 2 ASAP.

 

[rkofan87]

When a review is like: "meh," it hurts more than just outright hating a game. This sounds like a game I should wait to pay $5 for.

do you not have gp??

 

[Gonzito]

The game always looked mediocre to me. I am not surprised by these reviews

 

[ShaiKhulud1989]

Since when is a 7/10 or 8/10 is a shit game......'gamepass game'.......'pass' ......'I'll wait for $5'
WTF?
Currently 76 Metacritic

On par with Rise of the Ronin, Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Eternal Strands, Atomfall....... and these are good games

Avowed is 80 on OC. Helped a lot, eh?

To me, both Atomfall and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 are actual GamePass wins here.

 

[graywolf323]

It's hard for me to take Xbox reviews seriously, somehow always above the average, skewing the average . . .

Xbox Achievements 90
Pure Xbox 90
XboxEra 85
MondoXbox 80
Windows Central 80

Steve Wright from Stevivor gave it a 8.5, second highest rated game in 2025 from them so far (highest is Monster Hunter with a 9 though that was a different reviewer)

 

[Darsxx82]

Since when is a 7/10 or 8/10 is a shit game......'gamepass game'.......'pass' ......'I'll wait for $5'
WTF?
Currently 76 Metacritic

On par with Rise of the Ronin, Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Eternal Strands, Atomfall....... and these are good games

(The shabby comments of the usual suspects...)

I want to be able to play it because of the visual aspect and the story. The fact that it's a short game also makes me happy because lately I've been enjoying games that I can finish in a few days.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

Pretty much like Hellblade. Great looks but little substance.

 

[Gamer_By_Proxy]

eneba has PC Game Pass for $7.33 and GamePass Ultimate for $13.02

 

[OmegaSupreme]

It's hard for me to take Xbox reviews seriously, somehow always above the average, skewing the average . . .

Xbox Achievements 90
Pure Xbox 90
XboxEra 85
MondoXbox 80
Windows Central 80

Another banger huh?

When fanboys run the outlet its what you get. You get people rating a 7/10 game as a nine or calling them "bangers"

 

[coachmcguirk91]

I doubt Compulsiom Games exists 3 months from now. South of Midnight doesn't seem terrible, but it is 100% going to bomb commercially. It is way too niche of a game

 

[Spitfire098]

Mid studio under mid publisher puts out a mid game...more news at 11.

 

[Bumblebeetuna]

Since when is a 7/10 or 8/10 is a shit game......'gamepass game'.......'pass' ......'I'll wait for $5'
WTF?
Currently 76 Metacritic

On par with Rise of the Ronin, Black Myth Wukong, Star Wars Outlaws, Eternal Strands, Atomfall....... and these are good games

 

[adamsapple]

So,

South of Midnight

What's next?
Fable?

The upside is that there is more and more pressure on Xbox to release all their games on Playstation and Switch 2 ASAP.

I think OverHeat summed it up best.

You got no taste in games confirmed

 

[damidu]

so, another direct-to-gamepiss shovelware