There are plenty of upcoming Xbox Series X games to look forward to, but none as unique as South of Midnight. Set in the Deep South with a focus on authentic folklore and a stylized presentation rarely seen has put Compulsion Games’ new project up there with the likes of Perfect Dark and Fable in terms of hype. Unlike those two, we have a better idea of when this upcoming video game will launch, plus trailers to dissect and gameplay to study. Here’s the full story on everything we know about South of Midnight.
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Release date
South of Midnight launches on April 8, 2025.
Platforms
Compulsion Games is an Xbox first-party studio so South of Midnight will be launching exclusively on Xbox Series X/S and PC with no last-gen versions. However, given the likes of Indiana Jones and the Great Circle and Doom: The Dark Ages have already been announced for PS5 as well, we can never be too sure if an Xbox exclusive will stay that way.
Trailers
The Announce Trailer for South of Midnight sets the Southern tone of the game with swampy visuals and a bluesy tune. What really stood out was the stop-motion-esque animation style and almost cel-shaded art style that gives the game an almost claymation look. It introduces us to our protagonist Hazel who is on the hunt for a large beast only for it to tower over her from behind. She begins weaving a strange magic before the trailer ends.
What we know the story will revolve around thus far is Hazel’s adventures in a strange gothic land where legends and folklore have become real after a hurricane hits her hometown of Prospero. It is said to be a coming-of-age tale where Hazel will need to uncover dark secrets about her family and wrestle with her own identity. Along the way, she will learn the ways of a Weaver that can help heal the spirits she encounters.
The next time we saw South of Midnight was with its Gameplay Reveal. This gave us a small chunk of actual gameplay where Hazel and her giant talking catfish friend have struck a deal to find Hazel’s mother. They’re forced to go on a detour thanks to a giant alligator blocking the way and need to find a way to get rid of it.
Technically this isn’t a trailer, but if you’re itching to know all the deep details about the making of South of Midnight, its inspirations, and the team, this documentary is worth a watch.
The Developer Direct showed us our first cutscene between Hazel and her mom as the hurricane approaches and sweeps away her mother. We also see her meet Catfish, who will be her companion across the adventure.
With just a few weeks before release, we got another interesting glimpse at South of Midnight at the Future Games Show Spring Showcase. The gameplay and story shown were nothing new, but it did dive deep into an interesting aspect we haven’t covered much: the music. Each boss has their own track with lyrics that will be played in pieces during the leadup to that boss. That song describes who or what that boss is and their history, with the full song coming together when the final confrontation begins.
Gameplay
South of Midnight is a third-person action adventure game with platforming and puzzle elements. Hazel’s moveset all revolves around her Weaver abilities. We see her wield twin blades that she enhances with Weaver magic for melee attacks, can dash, and charge attacks. When an enemy’s health drops to zero, she can hit a button to Unravel them and finish them off. This also appears to restore her health. We have only seen one-on-one combat so far, so it isn’t clear if we will face multiple enemies at once or not.
The three primary weapons include the spindle, two hooks, and a staff. You can use regular attacks, aerial combos, charge attacks, and spells in combat. Unlocking new moves and abilities will be done through a traditional skill tree, so players will need to decide which to invest in.
We won’t be simply defeating these creatures, though. Hazel’s powers revolve around understanding what traumas they represent and finding a way to heal them through unraveling them. This will also reduce the cooldowns on your skills and abilities.
Traversing the world is done through running, jumping, double jumping, climbing, gliding, and grappling to set points. There are also gusts that allow you to glide farther and higher than normal, a bit like Spider-Man 2.
All the footage and gameplay shown have utilized that stop-motion animation style, but Compulsion Games has clarified that players will have the option to turn this feature off (except in cutscenes) if they find it unpleasant.
Preorder
South of Midnight preorders are live through the official site, but being an Xbox first-party game, you can count on it coming to PC Game Pass and Game Pass Ultimate on day one. If you want to buy it individually, here are your options:
Standard Edition – $40
- The base game
Premium Edition – $50
- The base game
- 5 days early access
- Digital artbook
- Digital comic book
- Original soundtrack
- Music video
- Hazel’s Journey documentary
