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South of Midnight Review: A glorious testament to video game storytelling excellence Amid a flood of open-world game releases, South of Midnight arrived just in time, rescuing me from the weariness of endless exploration. While vast universes can be captivating, there are moments when I crave a more intimate scope, whether in linear gameplay or world-building. Thankfully, South of Midnight delivers, presenting an action adventure deeply rooted in an enthralling narrative. During my preview , I was quickly mesmerized—perhaps woven is the better word—by the stop-motion universe of South of Midnight . But now that I've fully indulged in a complete playthrough, its unique charm is abundantly clear. This sense of distinctiveness comes as no surprise, given the idiosyncratic nature of Compulsion Games' previous titles, such as We Ha ppy Few and Contrast . Image via Compulsion Games South of Midnight (PC, Xbox Series X|S [reviewed]) Developer: Compulsion Games Publisher: Xbox Game Studios Released: Apr 8, 2025 MSRP: $49.99 Meet Hazel, girl wonder In South of Midnight , we meet Hazel, a young woman on the fast track to college. But just as she was about to leave, a devastating flood carried her home away, with her helpless mother still inside. As she races to save her mom, Hazel discovers the magic within herself as a Weaver, a mystical mender capable of untangling and healing the fractured threads of an individual's suffering. It'll also lend a hand with combat, where one's suffering transforms into demonic enemies known as Haints. Additionally, she possesses the power to bottle this pain, a concept drawn from Southern folklore. Hazel's reactions to her newfound power and the supernatural world are among the many reasons I grew to love her. She keeps it real, often questioning the reality of it all with a string of colorful expletives. It's fascinating to hear such profanity in a world like this, and it comes as a refreshing surprise. I'd much rather have a protagonist who questions it than one who accepts everything immediately and moves on without a second thought. It feels far more believable and relatable that way. Image via Compulsion Games Despite her reluctance to embrace her Weaver abilities, Hazel understands they are her only hope to save her mother. She will need them to heal the tortured souls and characters she encounters on her journey, bringing her ever closer to her ultimate goal. Every character she comes across draws her into their poignant stories, revealing memories that will undoubtedly tug at your heartstrings. The story structure reminds me a lot of What Remains of Edith Finch as you unravel the weight of traumatic pasts, piece by piece. However, South of Midnight adds a mystical twist woven through Hazel's Weaver powers. A Weaver's might Hazel's role as a Weaver manifests in three distinct forms: combat, traversing, and her aptitude to mend what's broken. For combat, Hazel primarily utilizes her trusty Hooks, allowing her to create magical strands that can push, pull, weave, and control enemies. I appreciate the diversity in her powers, which gave me many more options to work with in terms of strategy. Due to the Balanced difficulty I had chosen, battles offered a nice blend of intense challenges and triumphs. The sheer number of enemies on the field can sometimes feel overwhelming. The boss battles can be even more brutal in light of their extensive area of effect with attacks. Yet, being naturally drawn to a challenge, it only fueled my desire to keep playing—and it certainly didn't hurt that there were a few healing items available with each showdown. In general, South of Midnight's combat is an exhilarating experience, where Hazel's swift dodges and diverse array of robust abilities make you feel truly powerful. Though, I will say every once in a while, it gets tedious, especially when you have to fight over and over again. On the bright side, this feeling usually doesn't last long once you discover a new enemy type that has the potential to switch up your strategies. Image via Compulsion Games In addition to the sheer destructive power of Hazel's abilities, Weaving proves invaluable when traversing the enchanting map inspired by the American Deep South. With maneuvers like double jumps, wall runs, and my personal favorite—gliding—the exploration becomes as enjoyable as the combat. It seamlessly offers all my favorite gaming movements into one, crafting the ultimate traversal experience. Moreover, the world around you is nothing short of breathtaking, from its sweeping forests to the meticulous details in every room you explore. I've never encountered such a lively, vibrant world in a game before, and I applaud the developers for bringing this beauty to life. While some stop-motion animations may occasionally give the impression of stuttering, these moments are rare and hardly detract from the overall experience. Exploration also shines through two other delightful highlights: the ever-helpful Strand guide and her charming companion, Crouton. The Strands showcase a beam that directs you to where you need to go. Sure, it's a little bit hand-holding, but it beats the confusion of wandering around aimlessly. Then, there's Crouton, the true MVP of South of Midnight . Not only can this companion get you through tight spaces, but it also takes over enemies to give you some extra cover. On top of all these features, Hazel's Hooks conjure objects that are no longer of this world, including bridges and wagons. You'll employ them to traverse to various points of interest. Story games are back and better than ever At its core, South of Midnight revolves around the Weaving power's true essence: the ability to heal broken souls. Here, the game's storytelling takes center stage as Hazel unravels the tangled threads of each individual's heartache. I won't spoil the details of their stories, so you can experience them firsthand. Suffice it to say, while each character's narrative is brief, they are impactful, featuring realistic portrayals of struggle and compelling life lessons that even made me reflect on my own journey. Hazel's relationship with her mother, in particular, resonated deeply with me. It prompted me to look at the bond I share with my own mother and how I, too, would go to any lengths for her, even attempting to outrun a flood. The deep connection I experienced with South of Midnight made me shed a few tears every time I got to the roots of each character's journey. I don't think I've cried at a game since Red Dead Redemption 2 , making this a truly rare occurrence. Image via Compulsion Games The voice cast also excels in portraying emotions, embodying both the pain and joy their characters experience. The soundtrack complements this perfectly, filling the air with classic Southern tunes with themes of heartache and hope. Each song tells its own story through its riveting lyrics and melodies that deepen the emotional impact. Overall, South of Midnight is the very game I've been seeking—a rich narrative without the burden of overly lengthy gameplay. Oh, how I've missed linear games that can be completed in a day, and fortunately, Compulsion Games has fulfilled that need. It'll take you roughly 10 to 12 hours to complete, give or take a few more hours if you navigate the many side paths. South of Midnight stands as one of the best story-driven games I've experienced in a long time, one that invites deep exploration of its lore and reflection on each character's journey. Beyond its compelling narrative, the game is simply a joy to play, thanks to its versatile combat and traversal mechanics. For those seeking an immersive story, South of Midnight is the perfect remedy. And with Xbox Game Pass, it's readily available at your fingertips upon release . The post South of Midnight Review: A glorious testament to video game storytelling excellence appeared first on Destructoid .

Reviews Archive – DestructoidApr 3

South Of Midnight Review - A Love Letter To The American Deep SouthSouth of Midnight is a remarkable celebration of the myths, sounds, culture, and language of the American Deep South, using the framework of a 3D action-platformer to spin a yarn about contending with pain and the strength necessary to rise above it. Developed by Compulsion Games--the team behind Contrast and We Happy Few --South of Midnight builds on the Canadian studio's strengths: intriguing narrative concepts, perturbing atmosphere, and memorable characters. Much like Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight's gameplay pales in comparison to its narrative elements, but Compulsion Games' latest effort is its strongest game by far, delving into a setting and lore rarely seen in major video games to tell an incredible story. In South of Midnight, you play as Hazel, a teenage track star who lives in Prospero, a town in the American Deep South. After a hurricane sweeps her home away with her mother inside, Hazel vows to track down and save her. However, she soon discovers that the storm has not only transformed the rural town and surrounding swampland into a dangerous jungle gym but also knocked loose a lot of lingering dark magic, making this journey all the more perilous. Hazel quickly learns that she is a weaver, a person born with the innate ability to see the underlying strands that tie the world together and can also knot into terrifying monstrosities in places where powerful negative emotions like grief, rage, and fear gather. Armed with surprisingly sharp textile-spinning tools, Hazel's search for her mom sees her stumble across numerous legendary spirits inspired by real-world myths, which she can help by uncovering the trauma that created them and doing her best to capture those feelings in magical bottles so that they can be taken away. To whom or where? That's just another mystery to solve. Huggin' Molly's theme is my favorite song in the entire game. It's a strong story that dips into Southern Gothic themes and cultivates a sense of dread that you cannot fully dismiss, for each of its tales exists in that unnerving middle ground of clearly being fantastical whilst pulling from real-world terrors like bigotry and child abuse. And when confronted with absurd displays of evil cruelty or agonizing tragedy in these stories, you can't easily discern where exactly reality ends and the myth begins--the pain in these gothic tales cling to you, much as they do to Hazel, and keep South of Midnight emotionally compelling all the way through. Continue Reading at GameSpot

GameSpot - Game ReviewsApr 3

South of Midnight ReviewA straightforward but well-executed action-adventure game that's elevated by artistry and heart.

IGN PC ReviewsApr 3

Review: Disney Villains Cursed Cafe Lets Bad Guys Ham It UpIt won’t be the most challenging game you’ll play, but Disney Villains Cursed Cafe will delight fans of the stories and baddies in it.

Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraApr 2

Atomfall Review - Nuclear Friction Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC Publisher: Rebellion Developments Developer: Rebellion Atomfall is committed to creating friction. It's an open-world survival shooter that wants you to struggle to make success feel sweeter, but it does so with varying levels of effectiveness. When tuned correctly, it's a blast. The survival elements, exploration, and quest structure are positive examples, but poor skill progression and a thin plot hold it back from the greatness it strives for. The streets of Wyndham, Atomfall's main village. Atomfall's lore intrigued me, but its narrative failed to hold my attention. In the years following the Second World War, the UK stumbled upon a mysterious discovery that it hoped could turn the Cold War in its favor. However, once it became clear that the discovery was uniquely dangerous, the government walled off the whole zone and quarantined thousands of people inside. This concept is ripe with opportunity, and while I enjoyed exploring the hostile pseudo-apocalypse, the premise is largely underutilized. The location is a great opportunity to explore the humanity of people pushed to extreme circumstances, which seems to be a larger theme of the game, but the main factions are cookie-cutter examples from the genre. A familiar military organization, a group of pagan druids, and a loose camp of anarchistic outlaws all exist, but none of them are explored past the surface level. Atomfall's general approach to narrative left me feeling like more of an observer of the world than an active participant. The protagonist wakes up within the walls with no connection to any of the people there, but they also have no memory of their life before, so character motivation is absent, leaving nothing left to pull the player along. Because of this, when characters ask you to do things, whether rescuing someone from prison, killing a group of people, or even just escaping the quarantine, you do them out of a broad sense of curiosity rather than any investment in the plot. The main quest-giver, who you encounter regardless of your narrative decisions, is a disembodied voice on a telephone, and the game's ending doesn't provide a satisfying answer about the voice's owner. You also fight some giant robots. It doesn't help that most NPCs outside of quest-givers can't talk to you. When running around the streets of Wyndham trying to get a sense of the area's vibe, I'm met with cold stares and blank expressions from the people walking about, and my only option for interaction is to knock them out like I would a guard. When you're not in a safe zone, enemies of all factions shoot on sight if you get too close. Most engagement with the world is through old scraps of paper scavenged off dead bodies, and it's hard to feel connected to that. Atomfall's strengths lie in its gameplay, particularly when exploring a new area. The game is split into a few sectioned-off open areas, so it's not a true open world but a handful of open areas, which fits Atomfall's modest scope well. Quests direct you to landmarks in a general area, so even when you know where you're going, you still think critically about it, looking with your eyes in addition to the map in the menu. The mission structure has a similar approach, where objectives open up only once you piece together enough details from conversations or notes. I enjoyed how it pushes the player to really engage with the world. The game's survival elements kept me similarly invested in my surroundings. Resources are scarce, and everything you find is either taken from a corpse, crafted from ingredients, or bartered for with a small handful of traders. I can't count the number of times I desperately rummaged through a structure, hunting for just one more piece of cloth to bandage my wounds. Crafting, healing, and swapping weapons happen in the menu in real-time, meaning you can't pause to get your bearings and heal yourself. Hiding in a corner to reload frantically and fashion grenades is consistently thrilling. The metal detector, pictured here, can be used to find small hidden crates of resources. Guns feel great to fire, and I particularly enjoyed how many weapons, like the rifle and the shotgun, have to be reloaded after almost every shot. Bullets are valuable and powerful, and it's easy to push back the despair of a missed shot in pursuit of a satisfying headshot. A minimal HUD means that to check your remaining ammunition, the player character looks in the gun's chamber to see how many bullets remain. Little touches like this kept me immersed. That said, combat is particularly unforgiving. Just a few shots can kill you, potentially frustrating some players when facing off against large groups, especially early in the game. Thankfully, Atomfall includes robust options to tune difficulty to each player's needs. If you want to keep playing on a hard difficulty, stealth seems like an appealing alternate solution to combat, but Atomfall is lacking in that department. The only tool at your disposal to avoid combat is to crouch, and patches of tall grass aren't common enough to be a reliable hiding spot. Enemies also have incredibly long lines of sight, and I was often detected before I could even see my opponents. I ultimately had to go into the accessibility settings to turn on detection markers, which create floating red skulls over enemy heads, just to fight back. To make matters worse, nearly any action attracts enemy attention: even takedowns, done by sneaking up on an unsuspecting enemy, immediately alert nearby combatants. I ultimately abandoned these attempts altogether, nixing the subtle approach and opting to open encounters with a well-placed rifle shot, but it never felt like a suitable replacement. Going guns blazing into enemy camps is ill-advised, but when the alternative works zero percent of the time, I have no choice but to repeat risky maneuvers and buckle in for a handful of reloads after my inevitable chain of deaths. Stealth skills can be unlocked and upgraded, but this fact isn't clear due to the progression system. Skills can only be unlocked by finding training manuals, which add abilities to the upgrade menu that can be purchased using a rare resource called Training Stimulants. While I found it exciting to discover these booklets in the wild, not using an experience-driven approach meant missing certain trees was easy and frustrating. It doesn't help that you can't even see the categories of trees you don't have, like the stealth tree, to search for them and make the game more enjoyable. I can't imagine my experience if I hadn't found the book that allows you to upgrade weapons or carry more crafting supplies. I don't regret my time with Atomfall. It knows what it wants to be, with a reasonable scope and solid shooting mechanics. But issues with the skill system, its underbaked stealth, and an unengaging narrative are asterisks too large to ignore. Like the world it depicts, something exciting and unique lies at Atomfall's core. I just wish it wasn't walled off by my laundry list of frustrations. Score: 7 About Game Informer's review system

Game Informer ReviewsApr 1

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Reviews Articles and News - SiliconeraApr 1

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IGN PC ReviewsMar 31

MLB The Show 25 Review - Another Trip Around The Bases Reviewed on: PlayStation 5 Platform: PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Switch Publisher: PlayStation Studios, MLB Developer: Sony Interactive Entertainment San Diego Studio Rating: Everyone Sports video game series, much like real-world sports franchises, tend to ebb and flow throughout the years. A stretch of a few consecutive good campaigns can be abruptly interrupted by an unexpected downturn plagued by unforced errors or a full-on rebuilding year. As you look at the sports gaming landscape, that has been true of nearly every series, but historically, MLB The Show has remained consistent throughout much of its existence. Though this year is more about staying the course through incremental improvements rather than massive innovations, MLB The Show 25 maintains the franchise's high standard of quality and entertainment, making for one of the better sports games of the last 12 months. Stepping onto the diamond feels as good as it ever has. New elements like Ambush Hitting, which lets you guess where the pitcher is targeting for batting bonuses, and a new throw meter for fielders are good additional options, but after trying them, I reverted back to my settings from last year's game. Whether you're taking the mound, stepping into the batter's box, snagging a line drive out of the air, or timing your jump to second, I was hooked on maximizing each opportunity to either pad my player's stats or improve my team's chances in a close game. Those close games, which MLB The Show 25 masterfully engineers through its ever-calibrating Dynamic Difficulty setting, led to multiple white-knuckled affairs as I tried to maintain a minuscule lead into the late innings or battle back from the depths of defeat. Few feelings in gaming are worse than being fooled by a breaking ball in the bottom of the ninth to foil a good opportunity to take home the win, and watching my opponent's no-doubt homer soar over the fence after a poorly executed pitch instills a distinct sense of helplessness. Conversely, I lost count of the times I pumped my fist as I either drove in the winning run or my closer powered a 100 MPH fastball into the catcher's mitt to clinch the victory. Those thrills persist regardless of the mode. Short-term players can enjoy playing in exhibitions, online matches, or even the returning Retro mode that emulates the presentation and feeling of playing a '90s baseball video game, but I spent most of my time in the long-form modes. Taking control of my favorite team in hopes of capturing a championship is a highlight of any sports game for me, so I enjoyed getting into the weeds of Franchise mode. Controlling nearly every aspect of the organization from scouting and budgeting to player transactions and on-the-field action is a wannabe GM's dream come true; I particularly appreciate the new Free Agency board which lets you target specific players for negotiations. However, I continue to be drawn to March to October. This more narrative-focused mode strips away most of the management aspects and puts you on the field for impactful moments across multiple seasons. It's the best way to play through a season or two as fast as possible, and I love that you can convert your save file to the more in-depth Franchise mode in the offseason. After a World Series championship in March to October, my main attraction became Road to the Show. Here, you start a career as a young player and work your way up through the Minors en route to becoming a superstar in the Majors. This iteration continues the RPG-style progression of rewarding you for good plays and letting you unlock and upgrade situational Perks, which, in turn, lets you develop a player to your preferred play style. MLB The Show 25 offers microtransactions to boost your character, but it's nowhere near as in-your-face as the similar career modes found in NBA 2K and Madden. This year's iteration also adds a truncated college experience where you can opt to play a few games for one of eight universities. I appreciated being able to go to UCLA instead of the first team that drafted me, but the collegiate stint was so brief that it left no meaningful impact on my player's story. MLB The Show 25's most unique mode in recent years has been Storylines, which shines a light on legends from The Negro Leagues. This third season highlighting this underrepresented corner of professional baseball history doesn't feature the household names of past years, but I loved learning about the three players through what essentially amounts to an interactive museum. Complete with historical footage and commentary from the president of the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, I relished familiarizing myself with the careers and legends of players like Cool Papa Bell and Bullet Rogan. My only criticism of this mode is that I was still hungry for more by the time I completed the brief selection of missions. I was able to satiate my desire for additional historical content through Moments, which lets you relive bygone eras with iconic players, but I'm disappointed that most of the historical content and players are locked behind the card-collection mode Diamond Dynasty. I would have loved the ability to play in Exhibition as specific teams from the past, like some of the classic Yankees teams or the late-'90s Mariners, but that option is sadly absent from this package. Instead, you can acquire many of these players in Diamond Dynasty as you build your custom team to complete various challenges to earn more rewards. This year, Diamond Dynasty removes sets and seasons in favor of a year-round structure and adds a new roguelike board-game mode called Diamond Quest. Traversing and uncovering a board is a novel concept, but the same roguelike frustrations about losing progress permeate as I couldn't help but feel deflated each time my run came to an end. Cracking open packs of cards and upgrading your squad with some of history's best players has an immediately appealing hook, but I almost always chose to spend my time in the game in the more traditional modes. MLB The Show 25's presentation is often incredible, even when you factor in various broadcast suites and commentators. A few glitches in the commentary plagued the title early on, but they've been largely patched out. Now that many of my commentary and animation gripes have been patched, my biggest immersion-breaking nitpick is how the foul-territory nets blink in and out. The broadcast package also looks and sounds great, though the noticeable absence of licensed stadium mainstays, as we see in franchises like Madden, detracts from the overall package. And when the crowd explodes into a crescendo during a big moment for the home team, it sounds artificial. However, custom cheers and jeers from the audience directed at the pitcher or batter by name are a nice touch. Though it's almost expected that MLB The Show will have another solid outing, I still can't help but smile when, after my first few games, I realize that baseball is back and we once again have a terrific representation of that in video game form. Whether I was leading my team to the World Series in March to October, charting my player's career in Road to the Show, or learning about the game's history in Storylines, I continually needed to pull myself away from playing "just one more." MLB The Show 25 delivers perhaps the most well-rounded package of any of the mainstream sports video games, making for a title I first fired up during Spring Training and could very well still be playing when the World Series rolls around. Score: 8.5 About Game Informer's review system

Game Informer ReviewsMar 31

Review: Atomfall is a Fantastic Addition to the Genre, But Lacks One Important EdgeAs the secrets of the zone are unraveled, so too does Atomfall reveal a novel, engaging adventure inside a compelling world.

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