I have to be very careful with how I spend money on newly released games because there are a lot of them coming out this year, and unfortunately, I have limited resources—both financially and time-wise.
South of Midnight grabbed my attention the moment I saw its first trailer. The visuals and atmosphere were so distinct that I told myself, I’m buying and playing this game on release, no matter what the reviews say. To be fair, I’ve got a lot better at avoiding reviews and first impressions for new games—especially the ones I already know I’m interested in—so it wasn’t too difficult to dodge spoilers when South of Midnight came out a few days ago. I wanted to make that clear because I went into the game completely blind, without hearing anyone else’s opinions or impressions.
Last night, I played for about two hours and got through the first three chapters. The first chapter is essentially an introduction to the story and setting. Chapter two walks you through the tutorial and teaches you how the combat, platforming, and puzzle mechanics work. I actually quite liked how this part was handled—it gave me time to digest the story and the game’s premise before jumping into the action.
Let’s break it down one aspect at a time, starting with the story, setting, and atmosphere.
So far, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed what I’ve experienced. I think the writing is genuinely impressive—it kept me engaged and interested, even though I was half-asleep after a long day at work. Usually, it takes me a while to really get immersed in a game's story, but South of Midnight managed to hook me right away. I firmly believe that’s because the game separates the tutorial and uses the early moments to really set up the story first. That approach really worked—for me, at least.
The next thing that stood out to me is the visual style and overall presentation. I was a bit sceptical after the first trailer—I worried the choppy, stop-motion-like animation might get tiring if it carried into the gameplay. I’m happy to report that’s not the case. Gameplay is smooth, and my PC handles it well at 4K with DLSS turned on. The colour palette fits the themes and atmosphere perfectly. You can tell a lot of time, money, and care went into the presentation. The stylised animation is present, but it’s reserved for cutscenes and cinematics, which I think is a great touch—it keeps things visually fresh without interfering with gameplay.
Lastly, let’s talk about the gameplay and combat. This is the area where I’ll need more time before forming a solid opinion (honestly, that’s probably true for the other aspects too, since I’ve only spent a couple of hours with the game). So far, I’ve only encountered a handful of enemy types, and it’s been… okay? The mechanics are fairly straightforward. Combat feels smooth and satisfying, which I appreciate—but I do worry that it might not have much depth. I guess I’ll find out as I keep playing.
There are some light platforming and puzzle-solving elements as well. At the moment, they feel more like they're being used as fillers. Creating platforms to jump over obstacles feels a bit unnecessary? I’m not sure. Either way, I definitely need more time with the game before I can properly judge this side of it.
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