Some controversy was involved concerning South of Midnight due to DEI being implemented. There is no way I can tell how much is changed because of that, since the story seems to be mainly aimed at black people in the Deep South. In this case, it makes sense and is not something that will stand in the way of your enjoyment. Believe me, that I would tell you if it were.
One thing you must realize that more than with most games, the story is the focus and therefore the gameplay elements are in service of that. So you won't have a big set of skills and abilities to turn to.
But the ones that are present should be more enough. Since you are a weaver, your powers are tied to that. Basically, you have two hooks you use to hack and slash and some magical powers to aid you. Quite typical to be honest but serviceable. Now, while there aren't that many skills, you can upgrade them. Apparently, it is expected of you to upgrade all of these in your first game. Silly of me, to think, that there would be a new game plus to give you the chance to do it in a second playthrough. This makes collecting items quite a pain, too. I did my best to explore and collect, but I still missed out on items. Do I feel like replaying the game and go through it again as if I were playing the game for a first time? No. Apparently, I can revisit the chapters after you finished the game and collect what you have missed. Will have to see if that is worth my time.
In essence, the gameplay consists of combat, platforming a la Prince of Persia and very light puzzle solving. For me, these were fun. I was surprised to see a return of chase scenes similar to that of Prince of Persia: Warrior Within. But they are nowhere near as difficult or stressful as in that game. These sequences did add a sense of dread and fear concerning the big baddie.
South of Midnight uses the stop-motion gimmick from the animated Spider-Verse films. If actually adds to the way the story is told. On top of that, the game is stunning. It's incredibly beautiful and makes you want to be in that world. I found the story to be compelling. But I am going to be honest, it didn't really connect with me like I think it was intended too. And I can see how this could be considered problematic for ones who know nothing about the South and the culture there. It did allow some neat and imaginative world building and lore, so I just let myself give in to the story as told and not fuzz too much about the things I didn't know.
Overall, South of Midnight is a far better game than given credit for. It's fun and that is what matters the most to me!
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