A whimsical adventure with a giant catfish: South of Midnight review on PlayStation 5

South of Midnight is an atmospheric third-person adventure game by Compulsion Games. It takes players to a magical but storm-torn corner of the American South, where grief, folklore, and family secrets intertwine. Add to this a stop-motion visual, charismatic characters, and a world steeped in the blues, swamps, and restless spirits, and we have a project that is not perfect, but quite distinctive. And when the game finally arrived on PlayStation 5 (and Switch 2), gg couldn't pass up the opportunity to dive into this journey and check out how this modern gothic tale is perceived on Sony's console.

4 reasons to buy South of Midnight

• A story with myths that are completely different from Greek or Scandinavian ones
• You are tired of games that take 50+ hours to complete
• The most important thing for you is the story and exploration
• A giant catfish will talk to you for half the game

1 reason not to buy South of Midnight

• You need the most diverse gameplay possible, and it's a bit tight here

Quick transition:

• Plot: searching for your mother in the mystical US South
• Gameplay: greetings from the past
• The technical side of the South
• How South of Midnight will be remembered
• Five things you need to know about South of Midnight

Plot: searching for your mother in the mystical US South

The story revolves around Hazel Flood. She is a girl from the storm-ravaged town of Prospero whose life was turned upside down when a devastating hurricane demolished her house and left her mother, Lacey, inside. Driven by guilt, grief and a determination to make things right, Hazel chases the wreckage downriver and stumbles upon a hidden Southern Gothic reality that overlaps with the familiar world. Folklore becomes reality, spirits roam, and the past refuses to stay buried. When Hazel begins to see mysterious "threads" of magic that no one else can perceive, she receives an inheritance she never asked for and a world that needs someone who is willing to repair what has been destroyed.

Hazel becomes a Weaver, a kind of wound healer and restorer of connections, whose task is to unravel the traumas that permeate the land and the people who live on it. Along the way, she also encounters various creatures drawn from US Southern folklore, from monstrous alligators and restless spirits to giant figures such as the charismatic catfish. And on top of that is a family drama about secrets, resentment and the cost of trying to rewrite the past.

In general, the plot of South of Midnight turned out to be quite good. The combination of drama in the southern mythology of the United States is a rather atypical combination, which makes the story interesting. The characters are quite charismatic, it is interesting to understand the events, and even reading the notes was not boring. The only thing is that the pace slows down in some places and I would like some of the events to happen faster, but otherwise I have no questions about the story.

Gameplay: greetings from the past

South of Midnight combines third-person combat and world exploration into a coherent adventure action structure. To fight enemies, Hazel has melee weapons and various magical abilities. She can stun the enemy, draw them to her, or throw them away. And the first half of the game is pretty good, but later on, the battles become too repetitive and have nothing new to offer. So this element is the weakest in South of Midnight. During battles, it feels like a game from 2010. The authors should have made more enemies, variations of arenas, and opportunities for elimination. The only thing that saves the situation is that it takes about 10 hours to complete. A slightly longer timing and the gameplay would have already started to make you sleepy.

The study is structured around a journey through a series of interconnected locations in the South, from flooded streets and ruined neighbourhoods to swampy bays and healthy farms. Each location hides alternative paths, secrets, and story fragments woven into the environment that expand the game's scope. You can also find special fragments that allow you to level up your health and abilities in battles to become stronger. The exploration element is implemented quite well. Thanks to the good construction of locations, you want to turn off the main route and look for secrets. And if you're tired of open worlds that are bigger than your country, you don't even pay as much attention to the worst battles.

However, South of Midnight's "trump cards" are the story and atmosphere, and if you've played more than 10 games in your life, it will be hard for the authors to impress you gameplay-wise, especially after the first half of the game. Luckily, the gameplay is not annoying, but rather emotional: "well, it's okay".

The technical side of the South

On the basic PlayStaton 5, the game runs very well. There were no bugs or crashes. Almost all the time, we had stable 60 fps and the game only dropped once during a battle with one of the bosses.

Visuals with a touch of stop-motion

South of Midnight uses a picturesque style inspired by stop-motion techniques, making each frame resemble a moving picture of the US Southern folklore. The world is immersed in rich, atmospheric colours - the hazy blues of flooded streets, the warm orange of streetlights and the deep green of swamps - and character designs feature exaggerated silhouettes and expressive animation. The weather, lighting and subtle magical effects complement this concept, creating a fairytale interpretation of the South that seems both mysterious and beautiful.

If anything, I never got bored of looking at the world. Illustrations: Gagadget

Audio that makes the adventure better

The soundtrack combines blues and folk with atmospheric, sometimes distorted instrumentation, creating a mood that can range from melancholic to tense within a single scene. Ambient sounds play an equally important role in the story: cicadas buzz in the distance, wooden floors creak, water gurgles in the flooded streets, and ghostly whispers make it clear that we are not alone. The voice acting is based on regional accents and pronunciation, so everyone is very interesting to listen to. All this enhances the atmosphere.

How South of Midnight will be remembered

South of Midnight will be remembered as an enjoyable adventure because its flaws never overshadow what it does extremely well: tell a good story in the very unusual world of Southern folklore. The incredible atmosphere, featuring swamps, storm-ravaged streets, and myth-soaked corners of the Deep South, combines with stylised graphics to give the game a strong identity. Although the combat system is undoubtedly the weakest part of the game, it doesn't stop me from enjoying it and recommending it.

Five things you need to know about South of Midnight

• The game is set in the fictional American Deep South
• You are searching for your mother after a devastating hurricane hits the city
• The game is built around folklore, where there are legendary creatures that look like overgrown predators like a house-sized alligator
• Visually, the game has a stylised artistic design inspired by stop-motion techniques
• The game was developed by Compulsion Games, which created Contrast and We Happy Few

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