Compare South of Midnight vs The First Berserker: Khazan

The reviews consistently note robust accessibility support, including visual adjustments, accessibility tools, and options to bypass major gameplay demands.

Reviews note an easy mode, summon help, and an arachnophobia toggle, giving players several ways to soften the challenge.

Reviews describe abuse, kidnapping, murder, and similarly heavy material, making the game better suited to older teens and adults than younger players.

The stop-motion-inspired animation is widely praised for giving the game a distinctive, intentionally stylized look.

Enemy and combat animations are repeatedly praised as smooth, expressive, and satisfying in motion.

Reviewers repeatedly highlight the game’s strong artistic vision and highly stylized presentation as standout strengths.

The cel-shaded, hand-drawn-inspired presentation stands out as one of the game’s clearest strengths.

The Deep South setting, folklore, and haunting tone create an atmosphere reviewers found memorable and absorbing.

A bleak palette and tense environmental presentation reinforce the revenge story’s grim mood.

Bosses are generally seen as memorable and varied enough to stand out, even by reviewers who were cooler on regular combat.

Bosses are widely seen as the highlight—demanding, readable, and memorable—though a few reviews still call out frustrating mechanics.

Technical issues exist, but the reviews point to occasional bugs rather than constant problems.

Technical issues seem limited overall, with one review seeing no glitches and another reporting only a few minor bugs.

Camera issues are a real weakness, with at least one review citing camera glitches and another criticizing lock-on behavior in crowded fights.

Camera impressions are mixed: some found it solid and helpful, while others mention occasional trouble in specific situations.

Hazel’s personal growth lands well in stronger reviews, which describe her coming into her own over the course of the story.

Khazan and the broader cast are often seen as underdeveloped, with arcs and growth that do not fully capitalize on the setup.

Checkpoints placed right before bosses are a major quality-of-life win and sharply reduce runback frustration.

Combat is functional but divisive: some reviewers enjoyed the late-game flow, while many still found it shallow or merely serviceable.

Combat is the game’s defining strength, consistently praised for its speed, depth, and rewarding parry-dodge interplay.

Crouton adds a useful twist by briefly turning enemies against each other, but companion play is treated as a light supplement rather than a core pillar.

Summoned allies can help as distractions, but their AI is often described as unreliable and sometimes wasteful.

The game offers varied scenery and chapter-to-chapter folklore color, even if its structure stays linear.

Responsiveness is mixed, with some criticism of sluggishness or delay despite otherwise playable controls.

Movement and combat inputs are consistently described as smooth, responsive, and precise.

The core loop is easy to grasp but becomes repetitive, especially once combat arenas start repeating the same pattern.

The mission-to-boss structure successfully recreates a satisfying soulslike loop even when it feels familiar.

Crafting is straightforward and easier to understand than some genre peers, though its full utility opens up a bit later.

Crash stability looks solid overall, with reviews mentioning smooth runs and no widespread crash issues.

One long-play review reports a couple of crashes across roughly 60 hours, suggesting minor but real instability.

Dialogue is regularly described as natural, conversational, and believable.

Difficulty tuning is uneven: some found it fair and forgiving, while others felt combat spikes unless eased on lower settings.

The difficulty is rewarding for many, but boss balance is one of the most divisive parts of the game.

The game’s storytelling and themes hit hard emotionally, with multiple reviewers saying it stirred strong feelings.

Enemy variety is enough to create some contrast early on, but several reviews say the same enemy sets wear out their welcome.

Enemy variety is generally strong, though some later impressions say repetition can creep in over long play sessions.

Environmental detail is a major strength, with richly dressed spaces and strong place-making throughout Prospero.

Levels and locales are repeatedly described as detailed, attractive, and enjoyable to move through.

Exploration is pleasant for atmosphere and light secrets, but many reviewers found it simple and not especially rewarding.

Exploration offers worthwhile secrets and shortcuts, but several reviews still say stages are fairly linear or limited in optional discovery.

Character faces and expressions are frequently praised for helping cutscenes land emotionally.

Its story regularly deals with trauma, abuse, kidnapping, and murder, so it is not presented as family-friendly entertainment.

Returning to checkpoints or missions is convenient, and the hub structure makes travel between objectives fairly painless.

Frame-rate performance is mixed rather than disastrous, ranging from smooth reports to visible dips on some platforms.

Performance is usually steady, with little to no frame-rate trouble outside occasional rare drops.

Even with clear flaws, several reviewers still describe the overall experience as enjoyable and easy to recommend to story-minded players.

Even skeptical or genre-weary reviewers say the game is consistently exciting and hard to put down.

The mechanics are competent and readable, but most reviews frame them as familiar rather than inventive.

Visual fidelity is widely praised, especially the lighting, environments, and overall presentation quality.

Raw fidelity is seen as good rather than best-in-class, with visual appeal driven more by style than technical showmanship.

One review specifically calls the Steam Deck a perfectly fine place to play, suggesting good handheld suitability.

The one Steam Deck-focused review says the game is verified and plays very well on the device.

The game sustains a creepy, Southern Gothic unease without leaning entirely into full horror.

Combat readability suffers a bit, with cooldown information criticized for relying on visual indicators without explicit timers.

Strong regional detail and careful environmental touches help the world feel immersive and lived in.

The setting and cultural framing feel fresh, but reviewers are clear that the underlying gameplay systems are not especially groundbreaking.

Khazan adds some smart twists, but most reviews still see it as heavily derivative rather than especially original.

The learning curve is moderate, with some early friction but not much severe punishment once systems click.

Early bosses and systems can be harsh, and several reviewers say the game teaches its ideas abruptly.

Level design earns praise for comfort, clarity, and striking spaces, even from reviewers who dislike other parts of the game.

Level design trends positive overall, especially once the game opens up later, though some mission layouts can feel samey.

Loot is plentiful but generally manageable, with enough gear and sets to support build tinkering without becoming overwhelming.

The game’s folklore, notes, and chapter tales give the world satisfying lore density for a compact adventure.

Supplemental tools like the relationship map help flesh out the setting and backstory for players who want more context.

Navigation is mixed: guidance tools keep the critical path clear, but at least one reviewer disliked the lack of a map.

Mission maps and shortcut-heavy layouts are helpful, but backtracking and mission-reset behavior can be clunky.

Menus are described as straightforward and easy to understand.

Chapter-based subplots and folklore arcs give the campaign more mission-to-mission variety than its combat structure suggests.

Movement generally feels smooth and satisfying during traversal, helping the game maintain momentum between fights.

Narrative reception is mixed but positive overall, with strong praise for the main themes offset by complaints about loose connective tissue or unresolved threads.

The revenge premise and setting are engaging enough to keep players moving, but the story rarely matches the strength of the gameplay.

The onboarding is effective in some reviews thanks to strong tutorial framing, but others felt the game over-explains too much.

Tutorials help, but the opening hours and early bosses do not always showcase or teach the game cleanly.

The game’s blend of Deep South folklore and modern fairy-tale framing gives it a notably original identity.

Pacing is mostly seen as good for a short campaign, though some reviews call out a slow start or abrupt later beats.

Optimization appears generally sound, with several reviews noting stable play and few major hitches.

Across platforms, reviewers frequently describe performance as polished, stable, and well-optimized.

Platforming is approachable yet precise enough that jumps, wall-runs, and grapples usually feel reliable.

Overall polish is good but not spotless, with strong presentation covering for a handful of rough edges.

Reviews consistently present Khazan as a notably polished release with strong presentation and solid overall finish.

Progression helps later combat somewhat, but many reviews still frame it as limited rather than transformative.

Lacrima rewards, skill growth, and multiple advancement layers make repeated attempts feel productive instead of wasted.

Hazel is one of the game’s clearest strengths, regularly praised as likable, charming, and easy to follow.

Khazan’s setup is strong, but some reviewers still find him flat or emotionally distant as a lead.

Puzzle design is one of the weaker areas, with repeated criticism that solutions are too obvious or low challenge.

Replay appeal looks limited for most reviewers, who did not view combat or structure as reasons to revisit the whole campaign.

Replay value is decent thanks to NG+, weapon differences, and build experimentation, though customization limits cap long-term variety.

Autosaving appears dependable, with one reviewer specifically noting that crashes did not cost meaningful progress.

Even brief side characters leave an impression thanks to expressive writing and presentation.

Supporting characters are often described as underused or too slight to leave much of an impression.

The skill tree is consistently described as small or underwhelming, with limited build depth.

Weapon-specific trees are a major strength, offering meaningful abilities, combos, and build direction.

Sound design is excellent, with ambient effects and movement cues repeatedly highlighted as part of the game’s identity.

Weapon impacts, combat audio, and environmental sound all earn strong praise for adding weight to fights.

The soundtrack is one of the game’s biggest draws, earning repeated praise for memorable songs and strong story integration.

The soundtrack is well-liked and effective at supporting bosses and dramatic moments.

Tutorial quality is mixed: one review praises its narrative framing, while another finds the pop-ups overbearing.

The tutorials are clear, helpful, and generally unobtrusive.

Upgrades exist, but several reviews argue they do not evolve combat enough to feel essential.

Gear and character upgrades are broad and useful, though some reviewers note they come online a bit later than ideal.

The UI is praised for being clean, simple, and easy to navigate.

Reference tools like the compendium and encyclopedia make systems easier to parse and support experimentation.

At full price the value feels decent rather than outstanding, with some reviewers specifically steering buyers toward Game Pass.

Reviews that address price directly frame the game as worth buying at full cost.

Lighting, fog, and other visual flourishes regularly stand out and help scenes feel cinematic.

Combat and boss effects are repeatedly highlighted as a good match for the game’s stylized presentation.

Voice acting is a standout, with performances repeatedly singled out as authentic and emotionally effective.

Voice acting is a consistent positive, with several reviews singling it out as strong or believable.

The world-building around Prospero, its folklore, and its history is one of the game’s biggest strengths.

The DNF setting, factions, and supernatural backdrop help the world feel broader than the revenge plot alone.

Writing is one of the better-regarded parts of the package, especially in dialogue and scene construction, even if some larger story beats divide reviewers.

Writing impressions are mixed, landing between entertainingly edgy and formulaic.