Mothergamer Plays South of Midnight

 Ever since I saw the first trailer for South of Midnight, I have been counting down to the release day. The day was finally here and I could not wait to dive into this Southern Gothic fantasy game. Right from the start I was impressed with the game as I tinkered with the settings because of the many accessibility options including a letterbox for the subtitles to make them easier to read. It homed in on my point that I have brought up often that accessibility should be the norm and not the exception. South of Midnight's accessibility options are excellent. I also appreciated the fact that the game does have a warning about flashing lights as well as explaining that there are themes in the game that are heavy, but ultimately the story itself is about empathy.

We are then introduced the protagonist Hazel Flood who is quickly packing up her things due to the approach of an oncoming hurricane in the fictional town of Prospero. We also get to meet Hazel's mother Lacey. Right away I liked Hazel and Lacey. These are both strong, smart, and brave women and you can sense right away the love they have for each other. Without spoilers, some intense dramatic things happen and this is where Hazel's story and adventure truly begins. Hazel discovers she has special powers as a Weaver, someone who can see the strands that connect all life and fate known as The Grand Tapestry. Weavers can repair those strands when they get tangled by pain and trauma with special tools and help to heal. 

Hazel discovers her Weaver powers. 

Hazel meets all kinds of fantastical creatures like a giant talking catfish who helps her on her journey. The combat in the game is simple, but that's not a bad thing and there are action platformer elements as well. I will say I did not like the wall run. I can't count how many times I died in the game due to a wall run fail and that got frustrating pretty quick. I got there eventually and I enjoyed South of Midnight so much I didn't mind the bits of frustration. Hazel has to use her Weaver powers to heal a blighted landscape by fighting monsters called haints. There's several different types and they're all well designed to look as creepy as possible. Hazel fights them and can unravel the knots they cause and then heal the land. I found it very satisfying to watch the land transform with pretty flowers suddenly blooming everywhere. 

Hazel fights haints.

Hazel doesn't have to do all this alone. She has an adorable little helper in the form of her doll Crouton who has come to life by Hazel's magic. Crouton is so cute and I love him. He can go into small places that Hazel can't go, if a jump is too big for Hazel to cross he can be thrown across to push switches to make bridges for her, and he can control enemies making them fight alongside Hazel. 

This is Crouton. He's just a little guy and I love him. 

What I loved most about South of Midnight was the storytelling. Not just the folklore, but Hazel's story and those of the people and creatures she meets. It's so obvious how much love and care went into every aspect of South of Midnight and Hazel is an excellent foil and guide for us to show that in such a beautiful and thoughtful way. There was one chapter in the storytelling that struck a chord with me personally as a mother and I just had to take a moment because it made me cry with how heartfelt and bittersweet it was. It was very well done and it moved me. There are many moments like that in South of Midnight, but this one in particular resonated with me. It's true that the story does focus on empathy and compassion for others. I loved how Hazel throughout all of it had her moments of impatience like so many of us, but ultimately she understood how to be kind and I appreciated seeing her kindness and empathy not just with people, but with some of the creatures. 

I also found myself stopping and just taking in the incredible fantasy landscapes throughout the game. Whether it was a giant peach in a river or glowing blue butterflies, there was always something wondrous to see in South of Midnight. 

Wow, giant peach! 

The only issue I had with the game itself were some technical glitches. There were times where sometimes wall run and jump wouldn't work or Hazel would appear to still be in combat while talking during a cutscene. Rebooting the game seemed to fix the issue, but there were a couple of times where it was a bit irritating because in a few places I had to redo fights because of it. In the long run it wasn't a big deal because I was enjoying the game so much I could deal with those few bugs here and there. 

South of Midnight is frankly, a true gem of a game. The storytelling is powerful and I really like Hazel and all the characters throughout the game. The art style is interesting and gorgeous, the music soundtrack is incredible, and the folklore is fantastic. I also appreciate the big picture of how a little empathy can go a long way and you never know who may need a bit of kindness. It's beautiful to see Hazel come into her own as she gains more and more confidence with her Weaver powers as well as seeing her learn important things about herself. South of Midnight is beautifully crafted and I had an amazing time adventuring with Hazel. The game isn't very long. I finished it in two days, but it doesn't detract from the powerful tale it told in such a lovely and thoughtful way. Don't sleep on South of Midnight. It's absolutely worth it. 

A bit more Weaver magic. 

*South of Midnight is available to play on the following platforms: Xbox Series X/S and Steam

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