I’ve grown to the point where I can usually tell if I’ll enjoy a game within the first few minutes. Sure, it’s not always the case. Some games start slow, but you can still see the value. Other times, it’s the lack of a spark early on that detracts you from playing any further. I went into South of Midnight wanting to enjoy the game. Early on, I was far from impressed by its by-the-numbers combat and exploration. I was hoping the other aspects would keep me interested. Unfortunately, it did not.
Inconsistent in so many ways
On paper, and for most of its execution, the world of South of Midnight is interesting. We start the game with a hurricane approaching our main character, Hazel’s community. While checking on her neighbours, she watches as her home gets taken by the storm, with her mom still inside. She chases after but can’t keep up. In the meantime, she starts to unlock magical powers. Now, with her newfound abilities, she continues in the hopes of finding her mother. Along the way, she also learn more about her new abilities and the world around her.
Like so many stories about heroes, this has your typical roller coaster of emotions. She’s a young woman trying to grasp what she can do. It doesn’t help that she gets sidetracked by friends and foes. Yes, she’ll unlock new abilities and skills. But, as you would expect, these are gradually revealed to her at convenient moments.
I played over a third of the game, stopping just after finishing the game’s sixth chapter. The adventure is plain. You rarely need to deviate from the main path. You know exactly when you’ll get to a combat section. Heck, they repeat the same set-up for two quests in the first part of the game. Why they couldn’t mix it up is beyond me. In both situations, you need to collect four items, which then leads to a mysterious chase sequence. Yes, the sequence is different, but the setup is identical.
A predictable gameplay loop
The gameplay loop doesn’t change. Not only are quests similar, but it’s the same for combat. Sure, you do unlock new skills, but they are ineffective in the long term. You end up spamming the attack and dodge buttons in most of those fights. I was never challenged or encouraged to mix it up, even with a new ability. I only managed to experience one boss fight. Again, it’s your standard three-phase battle. The context doesn’t change, only the locations and how angry the enemy gets.
Outside of combat, the abilities you unlock are what you’d expect. You get the standard double jump, wall running, and grapple. Hazel can conjure objects, but only at specific spots. She might get to create stuff to use in combat later, but I didn’t get that far. As I stated, the game feels linear. There are very few opportunities where you need to go off the beaten path. I never felt encouraged to look around.
The only reason to leave the critical path is to find the items you need to help you upgrade your skills. These are easy to spot, so you don’t have to put in too much effort to seek them out. In most cases, I would see one in the corner of the screen, and I knew there was a detour close by. There are minor elements you can discover that go into some of the lore. Again, these don’t feel all that necessary.
High expectations that were not met
To be fair, I went into South of Midnight expecting more. Even with an interesting art style and a solid soundtrack, it can’t make up for the rest of the game. The story may get better, but it didn’t grab me early on. I wanted to like this game more.
