The swamps in the Deep South are murky but awfully inviting. Compulsion Games, creators of ‘We Happy Few’ and ‘Contrast’, two games I dug into myself, have created such a magical world in their newest project, ‘South Of Midnight’, and it’s pretty decent.

A tale set in the dreary bayou of a town called Perspero, this Southern-rooted but gothic adventure places you firmly into the dusty shoes of our heroine, Hazel, as she battens down the hatches due to an impending hurricane. With flood waters quickly rising, Hazel’s mother is swept away in all the chaos.

She quickly learns that life is more complicated here, and she is part of the ‘Grand Tapestry of Life’, with nasty creatures ripping its threads from manifested sorrow. Learning she is a ‘Weaver’, she can reknit the tapestry, reviving the lands and healing the people’s festering wounds.

Used to handling things alone, Hazel is off on a journey into the hurricane-ravaged bayou with her newly acquired magical hooks in hand. A Weaver, grappling with her new abilities as a guardian of bonding the worlds of magic and spirits, this is one compelling narrative.

I really enjoyed the overlapping branching of themes of loss, pain and betrayal, set whimsically. Thankfully, they flesh this out beautifully as you travel through the chapters. Hazel, too, almost feels like Alice in Wonderland in comparison, a likeable and inquisitive character that I really enjoyed playing as.

Opening with 5 levels of difficulty, there is something for everyone. The levels are very linear, though with lots of platforming components. In combat, you can conjure up objects from the past to temporarily use in the present to climb on, drag around objects, glide in the air and use skills like Weaver push, pull and stun that progressively increase in power amongst learning other skills. Although you can upgrade this with “Floof” energy, I never really felt much improved in a power-level sense.

I wasn’t completely a fan of the scripted enemies encountered. You would only come across enemies in bubbles throughout each chapter, and you could see them from a mile away, so there was no real suspense coming into fights. The ‘Haints’, as they are called, aren’t particularly interesting either; bark-like creatures of similar look but varying types. Some shoot bees, some aggressively confront you, and others lob projectiles or even crawl under the surface of the ground.

The combat is fun enough, albeit a bit loose, though, and the boss fights are excellent, but the game needs some small, minor minion-type enemies to break the events between these bigger fights, as it felt empty; beautiful, but desolate.

The spiked vines restricting exploration that were so dominant in the preview are an unfortunate recurring blockage throughout the game. They gate off the gameplay in a noticeable way since there is barely any diversion from the main path as you double jump or glide from one platform to another, which is disappointing.

The game does feel frame-y at first, but I feel this is an intentional direction to match the cutscenes, which emulate the stop-motion animation style. It does take a little time to adjust to, but after a more in-depth experience this time around, I found the initial choppiness doesn’t really affect more intricate manoeuvres as you progress.

The game is gorgeous, but it might not be for everyone. I appreciate the more vintage claymation art style and stop-motion animation inspiration. It gave me the same warmth as retro kids’ shows like ‘Gumby’ or ‘Wallace and Gromit’; it was alluring and charming, almost homely. The details are so striking, from the glistening scales on our catfish companion to the fluffy wool littering the eerie and musty den of Huggin Molly; everything might be in dark and dingy hues of greens and browns, but they sing in character and charisma.

The environments are fabulous, too, oozing with the charm of a deep southern muggy marsh. Full of reeds, snapping turtles, and mossy weeping willows, there are details to look at at every turn. The characters contrast their surroundings perfectly, making for a fabulously overstimulation of graphics.

One of my favourite elements was the sound design, dialogue and voice acting. The Catfish is a standout with his quaint Southern drawl encapsulated by the atmospheric surroundings of the croak of frogs, crickets chirping, and branches creaking, making for one captivating experience.

While the rest of the characters, in particular the boss characters, aren’t as interesting as our Catfish friend, who I wish we spent more time interacting with, might I add, the cast is enough to be enthralled in continuing through the story through their brilliant voice acting.

The music accompanying the game is also very entertaining, with the blues and folk music of banjos, guitars, and kick drums charging the whole game. The music choice is impeccable, especially the chapter-specific ballads, which set the tone of each boss fight, and the whole game, honestly. Audio Director, Chris Fox, has done such a wonderful job in creating such a deep South atmosphere.

Despite all my criticisms, this is a game that will have you swept up in the murky waters of the swamp. I was instantly wrapped up in the artistic and creative avenue it has taken, despite the combat not being the most riveting part of the gameplay. The narrative is positively encapsulating and comfy. I will resume my spot in my rocking chair on the deck, grass in my mouth, pondering what comes next for Compulsive Games.

Written by: Stacey