How South of Midnight’s Animations Cement The Game’s Personality

When South of Midnight was revealed back in June 2023, a few key things immediately stood out to fans. South of Midnight‘s reverence for American Deep South folklore was one of these standout elements, and the trailer’s overall art style and presentation was the other. In South of Midnight‘s finished product, both of these elements remain core highlights of the experience.

Compulsion Games’ passion for Deep South folklore can be felt at every turn in South of Midnight, with the game’s enemy models, environmental design, and soundtrack all culminating in a cohesive aesthetic and tone that feels incredibly distinct. One pivotal element of South of Midnight‘s presentation that consistently cements the game’s tone is its character animations.

South of Midnight Exploration Simple Effective

South of Midnight’s Exploration is Simple But Effective

South of Midnight’s gameplay may not be the most groundbreaking in the industry, but its exploration is still pretty fun and effective.

How South of Midnight’s Animations Reinforce the Game’s Tone and World

Animations Reinforce Hazel’s Character Journey

At the start of South of Midnight‘s story, player-character Hazel is just a regular human woman who used to do track and field. Just a chapter into South of Midnight’s 10-12-hour runtime, Hazel learns that she’s got innate magical powers, and that she’s the latest in a long line of Weavers, a group that uses magic to heal the world from lasting trauma and pain.

Hazel’s hero journey is reinforced every step of the way through her hand-crafted character animations. For instance, Hazel’s sprint and jump animations show that she’s an experienced athlete, but when her new magical powers are introduced, a sprinkle of inexperience is added to her animations.

When Hazel activates her magical parachute and lands on the ground, she does so with a little dash of clumsiness. And when Hazel uses her shiny new magical hooks to unravel the cores of her Haint enemies, she struggles to find her footing again after the core explodes in front of her. Hazel is learning how to be a hero on the fly, and South of Midnight‘s animations highlight that gradual character journey well.

Animations Reinforce South of Midnight’s Fantasy World

Every technical element of South of Midnight‘s presentation, from its soundtrack to its cel-shaded art style, comes together to routinely cement the game’s fairy tale-like setting and dreamlike tone. Animations are a major part of this game-wide push.

The animations of Hazel’s powers don’t just highlight the character’s personality, they reinforce the magical nature of the game’s world, where ethereal spirits can be pulled and woven like threads on a tapestry. Enemy animations also do a great job of cementing South of Midnight‘s world, with Haints floating above the arena and shifting towards the player erratically, acting as a visual juxtaposition to Hazel’s methodical Weaving, and signifying that they pose a threat to the natural order of this world.

South of Midnight‘s bosses also enjoy a full suite of unique attack and movement animations that immediately define their role and standing in this magical world. Two-Toed Tom, for instance, is lumbering on land but horrifyingly quick in water, cementing his high level of threat instantly. Even South of Midnight‘s respawn animation goes out of its way to add a bit of supernatural flair to the game’s world, with it seeing Hazel dangle and leap from a magical thread with equal parts grace and clumsy.