When Montreal-based video game studio Compulsion Games, makers of We Happy Few, released their first trailer for South of Midnight at E3 2023 (remember E3? Man, those were the days), I was both really excited and a little skeptical. 

Excited at seeing that the game was going to be rooted in the Deep American South with elements of Southern Gothic fantasy with a protagonist that looked awesome; skeptical because what the heck did a French-Canadian studio know about the Deep American South and the stories of Southern black folk? Well, about four hours into South of Midnight, I’m happy to report that Compulsion Games has, so far, delivered in creating an impressively vibrant world that oozes with atmosphere and captures the life and wonderful mythos of the Deep American South.

Experience On GeForce NOW

Seeing as most Xbox Game Studios titles come day and date to PC Game Pass on GeForce NOW, I knew right away that I wanted to play this game via Nvidia’s service and see how well it runs, particularly on the Logitech G Cloud. As you can see from the footage below, I’m playing this game at 1080p, ultra settings, with DLSS set to Native (DLAA). I could go up to 1440p, but doing so would be unnecessary as the G Cloud’s screen is only a 1080p panel. I did, however, crank up the resolution to 1440p when playing on my TV via my laptop. 

On either resolution, this game looks absolutely gorgeous and runs almost flawlessly. I didn’t have an FPS counter, but eyeballing it suggests the game is running at north of 60 frames per second, which is to be expected as this isn’t a super demanding AAA game and GFN’s Performance Tier, which is what I’m playing on, is more than capable of handling this game at those settings. Nevertheless, the art directors at Compulsion Games have outdone themselves with South of Midnight. From the environments, to the character models, to the lighting, this is a very pretty game. 

All that being said, on the performance side, there do seem to be some minor stutters here and there. Unsure if this is the game, GFN, or my internet, though. I’m playing this via Wi-Fi and have set my bitrate to 60 Mbps, which isn’t the full 75 that GFN offers, yet I’m still getting minor hitches in gameplay. It’s nothing that takes me out of the game, and I have had minor stutters in other games that were due to connection issues, so your mileage may vary, but it’s still something to note.      

Impressions After Four Hours

I’m currently on chapter six in South of Midnight, which is a little under halfway through. So far, I’m having a very good time. As mentioned, the world is incredibly vibrant and gorgeous. The characters all look distinct and are voiced with a ton of heart. Hazel, in particular, is an endearing character, and Adriyan Rae does a perfect job in capturing her essence. The story thus far has been solid as well, though I will say some of its themes and imagery aren’t for the faint of heart. Already, there have been a couple of times where my jaw dropped in shock because of a narrative beat. This game plays up the “Gothic” element of its Southern fantasy in unexpected turns that will definitely leave you feeling things. 

As for the gameplay, it’s a pretty standard third-person action-adventure affair. Compulsion Games have never been known for their gameplay, and it’s once again evident here. The combat is by no means bad, just simple. Hazel has a standard attack and a handful of Weaver abilities. The game thus far has been pleasantly challenging on the normal difficulty and pushes you to utilize all your abilities wisely. If I’m honest, though, I can’t say I’m ever looking forward to the combat. Traversing around the beautiful stages, finding little notes and upgrade materials – which the game cutely calls Floofs – is far more interesting compared to the combat, which feels a bit more like a chore to get through. 

All that said, I’m having a pretty great time with South of Midnight, and minor quirks aside, the game plays wonderfully on GeForce NOW and looks stunning. I’m looking forward to the rest of my time with this game and recommend you check it out as well.