Re: What Have You Been Playing... IN APRIL 2025?

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