Path: news.eternal-september.org!eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail
From: "rms" <rsquiresMOO@MOOflashMOO.net>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.ibm.pc.games.action
Subject: Re: What Have You Been Playing... IN APRIL 2025?
Date: Thu, 1 May 2025 10:13:25 -0600
Organization: A noiseless patient Spider
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In-Reply-To: <vuulld$1favs$5@dont-email.me>

>Since we're posting stuff a day early (well it's already May in some 
>countries), I might as well do this too. :P

   South of Midnight
This action-adventure is set in the swamps of an alternate-universe 
"American Deep South" -- far from the industrialized rendition and 
deportation mega-complexes of today -- that is haunted with the melancholy 
ghosts of the victims of our slavery past -- on both sides of the 'racial' 
divide -- and you play a young girl navigating this landscape and searching 
for her lost mother, while healing, in a spiritual sense, wrongs and great 
injuries from the past by combatting lingering nests of evil and regret. 
These frequent combat encounters take place in specific circular arenas 
against a small variety of enemies (with occasional bosses), the combat 
itself familiar from any number of similar titles from Beyond Good and Evil 
onwards (use a controller, mouse+keyboard is pointless here), with weapon 
upgrade mana -- and lore collectibles -- found by exploration of the 
surrounding area; this isn't an open-world game, but there are alternate 
paths and items hidden behind trees and corners.  I did make extra effort to 
find all these collectibles, several times redoing chapters to locate ones I 
missed.

Things I enjoyed about the game are playing from a young black girl's 
perspective, in an attractive environment, with lush foliage and colorful 
flowers that I often stopped to just admire and walk around in. Here's a 
screenshot I took in-game:   https://imgur.com/a/UFnYNU7
The music is interesting as well, by Olivier Deriviere -- familiar from many 
other game soundtracks -- with minimal choral lyrics often sung by children 
or single southern singers.  Not always good songs, mind you, or especially 
catchy, but that very much contribute to the overall southern atmosphere and 
are not generic by any stretch.  The tone of South of Midnight doesn't have 
any special highs or lows, and I would not call it a unique or 'must-play' 
title, but I also have no complaints and would call it very competently 
done.  A 'safe' title for teens I'd say -- right now I can't recall of any 
swear words used(!) -- though this lack of a harder edge will perhaps have 
adults dismissing it.  A solid 7/10 for me!  Free on Game Pass now, which is 
where I played it.

rms