When Compulsion Games first pulled back the curtain on South of Midnight, people didn’t quite know what to make of the frame rate. It looked "choppy." It looked like a mistake. But if you’ve been paying attention to the way modern animation is shifting—think Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse or Puss in Boots: The Last Wish—you’ll realize that South of Midnight gameplay is doing something incredibly intentional with its "stop-motion" aesthetic. It isn’t a performance bug. It’s a vibe.
The game is set in a magical realist version of the American Deep South. You play as Hazel, a young woman hunting literal folklore monsters in a world that feels like it’s made of clay, burlap, and weathered wood. Honestly, it’s refreshing. In an industry obsessed with 60 frames-per-second hyper-realism, Compulsion is taking a massive gamble on style.
Mastering the Weaving: How Hazel actually fights
If you’re expecting another God of War clone, stop. Hazel doesn’t carry a sword or a gun. She uses "Weaving." This is the core mechanic that defines South of Midnight gameplay, and it’s essentially the power to manipulate the life force of the universe to repair things—or tear them apart.
Hazel carries a tool that looks part-loom, part-magical-conduit. In combat, this translates to a mix of rhythmic strikes and traversal-based movement. You aren’t just mashing X. You’re looking for the "threads" of your enemies. When you fight a Haint—the game’s corrupted spirits—you’re essentially trying to untangle their trauma. It’s a heavy metaphor, but it plays out through fast-paced, vertical combat. Hazel can zip toward enemies, pull herself across arenas, and use Weaver magic to stun or bind foes.
The combat feels weightier than you’d expect. Because of that lower-frame animation style on the characters (while the camera still moves at a smooth 60fps), every hit feels like a deliberate "thud." It’s tactile. You feel the impact of the magic because the animation emphasizes the key poses of the attack. It’s jerky in a way that feels like a Ray Harryhausen film, which is exactly what the developers were going for.
Traversal isn't just for getting around
The world is flooded. Hazel spends a lot of time on the back of a giant catfish named Shady. But when she’s on foot, the gameplay shifts into a semi-open exploration style. You’ll use your Weaving powers to repair broken bridges or interact with the environment to reveal hidden paths.
One of the coolest details? The "Great Oratory." It’s not just a hub; it’s a living piece of the world where the music reacts to what you’re doing. The soundtrack is a massive part of the experience. It’s blues, it’s gospel, it’s folk. And it isn’t just background noise. The rhythm of the world often dictates the rhythm of Hazel’s movements.
Why the stop-motion style is a gameplay choice, not just an art one
There’s been a lot of chatter online about whether this style "hurts" the gameplay. If you’ve played Hi-Fi Rush, you know that unconventional animation can actually make gameplay better because it forces you to focus on the "key" frames of an action.
- Readability: In a chaotic fight, you can clearly see Hazel’s silhouette.
- Intention: You can’t spam buttons mindlessly; you have to commit to the animation.
- Atmosphere: It makes the monsters feel uncanny and "other," like they don't belong in the natural world.
The game uses a technique called "animating on twos." This means the character models update their position every other frame, creating that stuttery, cinematic look. Some players might find it jarring at first. But after about ten minutes of watching Hazel move, your brain starts to fill in the gaps. It makes the world feel handcrafted, like a puppet show come to life.
The creatures of the Bayou: Combat variety
The bosses are the real stars of the South of Midnight gameplay loop. These aren't just big health bars. They are based on specific Southern tall tales and folklore. Take the "Blind Man" or the giant alligator-like creatures you’ve seen in the trailers.
These fights are multi-stage puzzles. You might start on the ground, dodging sweeping attacks, before using your Weaving to propel yourself into the air to target a weak point on the creature’s back. The scale is often massive. Hazel is small, and the world is oppressive. The gameplay leans into this "David vs. Goliath" feel, where you have to use the environment—trees, ruins, water—to gain the upper hand.
Hazel’s progression
You won't just be doing the same three moves for twenty hours. As Hazel explores the Delta, she gathers "Inspirations." These act as your skill tree. But instead of just "plus five percent damage," these upgrades usually change how your Weaving interacts with the world. You might unlock a new way to bind enemies or a glide mechanic that lets Hazel stay in the air longer. This verticality is huge. The more you play, the less the game feels like a traditional brawler and the more it feels like a rhythmic dance.
What people get wrong about the "Open World"
Let’s be clear: this isn’t Assassin’s Creed. It isn’t a map littered with thousands of icons and busywork. South of Midnight is more of a "wide-linear" game. Think God of War (2018) or the recent Tomb Raider trilogy. You have large, open zones that you can explore at your own pace, but there is a clear narrative path.
This is a good thing. It allows the developers to hand-craft every encounter. When you find a secret area in the Bayou, it usually has a unique piece of lore or a specific combat challenge, rather than just a generic chest with some scrap metal in it. The focus is on quality over quantity. The gameplay benefits from this tighter focus because it keeps the pacing brisk. You’re never "grinding" for XP. You’re moving from one hauntingly beautiful set piece to the next.
Technical specs and expectations
Running on Unreal Engine 5, the game is a visual powerhouse, even with the stylized animation. The lighting is particularly impressive. Since the Deep South is known for its "golden hour" and thick, humid fog, Compulsion has spent a lot of time getting the atmosphere right.
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- Platforms: Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Game Pass on day one.
- Performance: Expect 60fps for the camera and UI, with the characters staying at that lower cinematic frame rate.
- Length: It’s not a 100-hour epic. It’s a focused narrative experience, likely clocking in between 12 and 18 hours depending on how much you poke around the corners of the map.
Actionable insights for players
If you’re planning to jump into South of Midnight when it drops, there are a few things you should keep in mind to get the most out of the experience. The game asks you to engage with it on its own terms, particularly regarding the visuals and the rhythm of the world.
Adjust your eyes to the frame rate early. Don't try to "fix" it in the settings; it's baked into the artistic soul of the game. If you go in expecting a standard 60fps character movement, you’ll be frustrated. If you go in expecting a playable folk-art film, you’ll be floored.
Focus on the Weaving combos. Experiment with pulling Hazel toward enemies versus pulling enemies toward Hazel. The physics of the "thread" are surprisingly deep, and using the environment to create traps is often more effective than just attacking head-on.
Listen to the music. The soundtrack provides cues for enemy attacks and environmental secrets. If the music shifts, pay attention—the world is trying to tell you something.
Explore the vertical space. Hazel is incredibly mobile. Most players forget to look up, but the best upgrades and the most interesting lore fragments are hidden in the rafters of old barns or the canopies of ancient cypress trees. Don't stay grounded; the "Weave" is meant to let you fly.
By leaning into the weirdness of the American South and the tactile nature of its "claymation" art style, South of Midnight is positioning itself as one of the most unique Xbox exclusives in years. It’s a game about trauma, healing, and folklore, wrapped in a gameplay loop that rewards curiosity and rhythm over brute force.