The option to disable the stop-motion effect in settings (though, as you noted, it’s one of the game’s distinctive features)
Looking for tin panels to collect floofs for upgrading combat abilities
Exploring thoroughly to find interactive objects that only glow when you’re close by
Not needing to unravel every enemy after defeating them
Watching out for those annoying exploding mushrooms that appear starting in chapter 5
Using the R3 guiding wind feature as a reverse compass – when it points one way, explore the opposite direction first to find hidden collectibles

South of Midnight: Detailed Review

Overview

South of Midnight is a striking action platformer developed by Compulsion Games that blends Southern Gothic folklore with a unique stop-motion visual aesthetic. Released on April 8, 2025, for Xbox and PC, the game delivers an atmospheric adventure through a mystical version of the American South. After approximately 15 hours with the game, I can confidently say it offers a memorable, if somewhat flawed, experience that will appeal to fans of Psychonauts 2 and the Jak and Daxter series.

Visual Design & Atmosphere

The most immediately striking aspect of South of Midnight is its visual presentation. The stop-motion animation aesthetic creates a distinctive, almost tangible world that feels like a living diorama. Characters move with a deliberate choppiness that evokes classic stop-motion films, while environments appear handcrafted with meticulous attention to detail.

The Southern Gothic setting is masterfully realized through swampy bayous, abandoned plantations, and small-town environments shrouded in mystery. Lighting plays a crucial role in establishing the atmosphere, with moonlight filtering through cypress trees and fireflies illuminating dark paths. Though players can disable the stop-motion effect in the settings menu, doing so removes one of the game’s most unique artistic choices.

Gameplay Mechanics

The game’s platforming mechanics are solid if somewhat conventional. Your character can double jump, wall-run, and swing across gaps using a spectral tether ability. The movement feels appropriately weighty and responsive, though some precision platforming sections can occasionally frustrate due to camera angle issues.

Combat evolves nicely throughout the adventure, starting with basic attacks before introducing various supernatural abilities tied to Southern folklore. The “unraveling” mechanic, which allows you to absorb defeated enemies for health and ability cooldown recovery, adds a tactical layer to encounters. However, combat can become repetitive in later chapters, with enemy variety failing to keep pace with the increasing challenge.

Exploration & Collectibles

South of Midnight rewards exploration handsomely. The world is filled with hidden areas containing “floofs” (the currency for upgrading abilities), collectible lore items, and cosmetic unlockables. Tin panels that yield 5 floofs each are scattered liberally throughout environments, encouraging thorough exploration.

The game cleverly hides interactive elements until you’re close enough for them to glow, ensuring you can’t simply scan areas from a distance. This design choice, paired with the “guiding wind” navigation system (activated by pressing R3), creates an engaging exploration loop – often, the path less traveled leads to the most valuable discoveries.

Story & Characters

Set in a fictionalized version of the American South, the narrative weaves together local legends with personal drama. Without spoiling the plot details, the story tackles themes of family legacy, community bonds, and confronting the supernatural manifestations of collective trauma. The writing is generally strong, with dialogue that captures regional dialects without falling into caricature.

Character development is somewhat uneven – the protagonist and primary supporting cast receive substantial depth, while secondary characters often feel one-dimensional. That said, the voice acting throughout is excellent, bringing authenticity to the game’s distinct Southern atmosphere.

Technical Performance

On Xbox Series X, South of Midnight maintains a primarily stable 60fps with occasional dips during particularly chaotic combat scenarios. Load times are impressively brief, allowing for seamless transitions between areas. Some minor bugs persist post-launch, including occasional animation glitches and rare instances where interactive objects fail to register inputs.

Challenges & Frustrations

The most significant frustration comes in Chapter 5 with the introduction of exploding mushrooms – environmental hazards that damage the player and can knock them off platforms. While destroyable with ranged attacks, they respawn quickly and make exploration more tedious than challenging. Additionally, some late-game combat arenas are overwhelmed with enemy quantity rather than introducing interesting new mechanics.

Final Verdict

South of Midnight is an ambitious, visually distinctive action platformer that successfully captures the mystique and atmosphere of Southern Gothic folklore. While it doesn’t revolutionize the genre and suffers from some pacing issues and repetitive elements, its unique aesthetic, engaging exploration, and solid gameplay fundamentals make it well worth playing.

Strengths:

• Stunning and unique stop-motion visual style
• Atmospheric Southern Gothic setting
• Rewarding exploration
• Solid platforming fundamentals
• Interesting folklore-inspired abilities

Weaknesses:

• Combat becomes repetitive
• Some frustrating environmental hazards
• Uneven character development
• Occasional technical issues

Score: 8/10 – A visually distinctive and atmospheric adventure that delivers a memorable journey through a hauntingly beautiful Southern Gothic landscape.

This article discusses “Nordhold,” a newly released tower defense game with Nordic themes and roguelike elements. Here are the key points:

• Nordhold was released recently and is being praised as one of the year’s most interesting tower defense games
• The game features a hex-based grid system where players manage a Nordic village and defend it against fantasy monsters
• It incorporates roguelike mechanics, including metaprogression and customizable upgrades
• Players choose a hero at the start of each round, and gameplay evolves with relics, upgrades, and oracle encounters that offer risk/reward decisions.
• The reviewer played the demo earlier this year during Steam Next Fest and enjoyed it.
• The game has been well-received, with 447 reviews and a 91% positive rating shortly after release.
• It’s available on Steam for $20, with a 20% discount until April 8, 2025

The article highlights the game’s replayability as its standout feature, making it a notable entry in the tower defense genre for 2025.

Nordhold: In-Depth Review

Overview

Nordhold combines tower defense mechanics with roguelike elements in a Norse-themed setting. Released in late March 2025, the game puts players in charge of defending a Nordic village against waves of fantastical enemies using strategically placed defensive structures on a hex-based grid system.

Core Gameplay

Nordhold’s foundation is its tower defense mechanics, built upon a distinctive hex grid that adds tactical depth compared to traditional square-grid tower defense games. This hexagonal layout creates more complex pathing considerations and strategic placement options, as towers can cover different angles and ranges.

Each run begins with selecting a hero character, which establishes your initial capabilities and strategic direction. The hex-based battlefield becomes your canvas for placing various defensive structures, each with unique attack patterns, ranges, and special abilities.

Roguelike Elements

What truly distinguishes Nordhold from standard tower defense games is its robust implementation of roguelike features:

• Metaprogression: Between runs, players can unlock permanent upgrades that carry forward to future attempts
• Procedural Generation: Each playthrough features different enemy compositions and map layouts
• Run-specific Upgrades: During a run, players select from randomized upgrade pools to enhance their defenses
• Relics System: Special items provide economic and defensive bonuses that can dramatically alter your strategy
• The Oracle: This mysterious figure appears periodically to offer risk/reward bargains (like “face stronger enemies for greater rewards”)

Visual Design & Atmosphere

The game features a charming Nordic aesthetic with detailed, stylized graphics that evoke the frost-covered landscapes of Scandinavian mythology. Enemy designs draw from Norse folklore, creating a cohesive thematic experience backed by an atmospheric soundtrack.

Depth & Replayability

Nordhold’s greatest strength lies in its exceptional replayability. The combination of:

• Different hero starting points
• Randomized upgrade paths
• Variable relic combinations
• Oracle bargains
• Procedurally generated challenges

…ensures that no two runs feel identical, with players constantly discovering new synergies and strategies.

Difficulty & Progression

The difficulty curve is well-calibrated, starting with manageable challenges and gradually introducing more complex enemy types and wave patterns. The metaprogression system provides a sense of advancement even when runs end in failure, encouraging players to experiment with different approaches.

Minor Shortcomings

While the core experience is solid, there are occasional balance issues with certain tower combinations being noticeably more effective than others. Some late-game Oracle bargains can also create difficulty spikes that feel somewhat arbitrary rather than satisfyingly challenging.

Conclusion

Nordhold successfully innovates within the tower defense genre by incorporating roguelike elements that add substantial depth and replayability. The hex-based grid system provides a fresh tactical challenge, while the various progression systems keep players engaged across multiple sessions.

At $20 (currently discounted to $16 until April 8, 2025), Nordhold offers excellent value for strategy enthusiasts and tower defense fans. Its 91% positive rating on Steam (from 447 reviews) reflects the quality of the experience and suggests that developer StunForge has delivered one of the most compelling tower defense titles of 2025.

Elevate your gaming experience today with Maxthon, the ultimate browser for avid gamers! Specially designed to cater to your needs, Maxthon offers a seamless and optimized browsing environment that enhances your gameplay.

With its distraction-free interface, you can dive deep into the fantasy worlds of RPGs without interruptions. Say goodbye to ads and clutter; Maxthon ensures that you stay focused on what truly matters—your game!

Similar RPG-themed Games

Battle Arena: Heroes Adventure

Step into the thrilling world of Battle Arena: Heroes Adventure, developed by RED BRIX WALL and released on December 5, 2017. This competitive game is available on both browsers and mobile devices, including iOS and Android, making it accessible to everyone!

What sets Battle Arena apart is its unique blend of strategy, role-playing elements, and intense multiplayer competition. The story-driven campaign mode offers a rich narrative experience that keeps players engaged in ways many similar games do not.

As you journey through the campaign, you’ll encounter increasingly formidable opponents who challenge your skills. Each victory rewards you handsomely, fueling your ambition to progress further. New heroes. Finding that perfect hero to complement your team’s strategy creates endless possibilities. Unlocking a long-awaited hero delivers an exhilarating feeling of achievement.

One of the most exciting aspects is discovery.

With continuous goals and milestones to pursue, Battle Arena keeps gameplay fresh and engaging. Embark on this adventure today and become a master tactician on the battlefield!

Discover the excitement of Hero Wars—play now online! Developed by Nexters and released on December 23, 2016, this captivating RPG is available on iOS, Android, Facebook, and browser platforms.

Hero Wars

In Hero Wars, you step into a vibrant fantasy world where you can assemble a powerful team of heroes to combat the forces of evil. With its unique blend of strategy and real-time combat elements, every battle offers thrilling challenges that require clever tactics and hero combinations.

Engage in an immersive campaign mode where you’ll face fierce enemies and epic bosses. Take your skills to the next level in player-versus-player (PvP) arena battles or join forces with friends in exhilarating guild wars.

The game features ongoing updates that introduce new heroes, special events, and exciting challenges. Experience detailed character progression and a compelling storyline that will keep you hooked for hours. Join the vibrant community of players who share your passion for adventure!

Don’t miss out—dive into Hero Wars today and start your epic journey!

RAID: Shadow Legends

RAID: Shadow Legends is a captivating fantasy RPG that immerses players in the dark and mystical world of Teleria. Developed by Plarium and released on July 29, 2018, this game can be played across various platforms, including iOS, Android, MacOS, PC, iPadOS, and even directly in your browser.

In RAID, you assemble and train a formidable team of champions to combat the forces of darkness threatening the realm. With over **700 unique champions** at your disposal, each boasting distinct abilities and skills, there’s always something exciting to strive for.

What truly sets RAID apart is its depth of customisation. Players can tailor their champions’ builds to suit their playstyle, offering nearly limitless combinations. This freedom enhances strategy during battles against a variety of enemies and powerful bosses.

Join millions of players worldwide in this epic quest—there’s never been a better time to dive into RAID: Shadow Legends! Assemble your dream team today and show those dark forces who is the boss!

State of Survival

State of Survival
Developer: KingsGroup
Released: August 26, 2019
Available Devices: iOS, Android, PC

Dive into the thrilling world of the State of Survival, a browser-based survival RPG that immerses you in a post-apocalyptic landscape overrun by zombies. As a player, you’ll step into the shoes of a resilient leader tasked with building and managing your settlement.

What sets this game apart is its unique blend of strategy and role-playing elements. Gather resources, recruit survivors, and train them to defend against relentless zombie hordes. Your decisions will shape the fate of your community as you fend off attacks and expand your territory.

Form alliances with other players to enhance your chances of survival in this chaotic new world. With each strategic move and tactical decision, you’ll not only protect your base but also reclaim humanity’s future. Experience a refreshing take on RPG gameplay that goes beyond traditional fantasy settings—join the battle for survival today!

Maxthon Browser

Maxthon Browser is your ultimate companion for an enhanced role-playing game (RPG) experience. Designed with gamers in mind, it offers remarkable speed and efficiency, ensuring that you spend less time loading and more time immersed in your adventures.

Unleash your gaming potential with Maxthon’s powerful built-in ad blocker. Say goodbye to distracting ads that interrupt your flow, allowing you to immerse yourself in questing, levelling up, and strategising with your team. Your focus will be razor-sharp as you tackle challenges head-on.

Maxthon also features cloud syncing, ensuring that your bookmarks and game progress are always at your fingertips. Whether you’re on your desktop or mobile device, you can effortlessly pick up right where you left off without missing a beat.

Tailor your gaming experience with Maxthon’s customisable interface. Organise tabs for guides, forums, and character builds precisely how you like them. No more cluttered screens—just a clean and efficient workspace for all your gaming needs.

Elevate your gaming experience today with Maxthon, the browser designed for gamers who demand excellence! Enjoy distraction-free browsing that keeps you focused on what truly matters – your game.

Experience lightning-fast performance that enhances every aspect of gameplay. With Maxthon’s lightweight architecture, you’ll enjoy seamless access to your favourite online games without any annoying lag or delays.

Whether you’re delving into expansive open worlds or battling fierce opponents, Maxthon guarantees smooth gameplay so you can concentrate on conquering challenges.

Join an ever-growing community of passionate gamers who have made the switch to Maxthon Browser. They’re already reaping the benefits of improved performance and enhanced gaming experiences.

Don’t wait any longer! Dive into your favourite games like never before with Maxthon and feel the difference in every session!

The post South of Midnight Review appeared first on Maxthon | Privacy Private Browser.