Most importantly, the Game Pass exclusive feels authentic and honest about its point of view.
All of these feel fantastic when used, even if the core mechanics arent necessarily new.
However, the way it’s used to push the story keeps things moving along without getting boring.
This is done through combat sections that have players enter an arena and fight the Haints.
A lock-on system enhances targeting precision too by clicking on the left thumb stick.
Even in death, checkpoints are generous with a really silly respawn animation.
The cuddly individual serves as a companion one can control during exploration by hitting the right bumper.
Crouton can also be thrown into other areas to explore where it can be controlled directly by the player.
When fighting the Haints, Hazel can use the doll to possess enemies to attack others.
This later addition does a better job of keeping combat and traversal somewhat fresh.
The game embraces a distinctive stop-motion aesthetic, enhanced by rich art direction and clever technical choices.
This unique approach blends artistic flair with modern performance, running smoothly at a consistent 60 frames per second.
The mid-game introduction of Hazels absurdly cute enchanted crochet doll and companion named Crouton.
adds new warmth to the story while cleverly elevating gameplay.
Then theres fantastic voice acting that truly brings these characters to life.
The Southern accents can get really thick too.
South of Midnightis a rare gem that seamlessly blends imaginative storytelling, satisfying gameplay, and top-tier presentation.
Should you play South of Midnight?
Accessibility
South of Midnightoffers a robust suite of accessibility features.
This even extends to removing the animation frame skip in favor of smoother animation.
Some of these include help from in-game navigation and combat tweaks to exploration help.
The game was played on aGigabyte M32UC4K monitorwith anXbox Wireless Controller.
Sound came through FiiO FT1 Pro Open-Back Planar Headphones.
