South of Midnight is special, heart-wrenching, and overly familiar all at once

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by fictional representations of the bayou. Whether it’s my teenage obsession with The CW’s Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals or my interest in the occult, to me, the swamp represents nature at its most powerful; if magic exists, the bayou would be its beating heart. South of Midnight, then, is outwardly perfect for me; a feeling compounded by the fact it hails from Compulsion Games, the creator of We Happy Few, one of my personal favorites. I’ve gone to bat over it many times, and while I acknowledge that it’s janky and very much not what we expected it to be, it remains a unique, mind-bending acid trip that I often return to. Despite their very different settings and genres, South of Midnight may end up being just as divisive, but its living world, strong characterization, and heart-wrenching story could still make up for its jank and familiar action. Continue reading South of Midnight is special, heart-wrenching, and overly familiar all at once MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best single-player games, Best action games, Best Game Pass games

Feb 11, 2025 - 18:51

South of Midnight is special, heart-wrenching, and overly familiar all at once

Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve been fascinated by fictional representations of the bayou. Whether it’s my teenage obsession with The CW’s Vampire Diaries spinoff The Originals or my interest in the occult, to me, the swamp represents nature at its most powerful; if magic exists, the bayou would be its beating heart. South of Midnight, then, is outwardly perfect for me; a feeling compounded by the fact it hails from Compulsion Games, the creator of We Happy Few, one of my personal favorites. I’ve gone to bat over it many times, and while I acknowledge that it’s janky and very much not what we expected it to be, it remains a unique, mind-bending acid trip that I often return to. Despite their very different settings and genres, South of Midnight may end up being just as divisive, but its living world, strong characterization, and heart-wrenching story could still make up for its jank and familiar action.

Continue reading South of Midnight is special, heart-wrenching, and overly familiar all at once

MORE FROM PCGAMESN: Best single-player games, Best action games, Best Game Pass games