Summary
While the main draw ofSouth of Midnightis its smooth platforming, its satisfying combat is also a massive part of its appeal as well. These two sides of the game are epitomized by the climactic boss battles that end each arc of the story.
Some boss encounters take the form of platforming challenges or chase sequences, while others are a more traditional one-on-one affair, but no matter what, they’re all a test of everything you’ve learned in the game up until that point. While some of the bosses aren’t too tricky, others can be a significant challenge, but which is the hardest?
8Cherie Tree
Chapter 6
Compared to the other bosses, Cherie Tree is a much more relaxed platforming challenge, and while this means that it is nowhere near as challenging as the other arc finales, it’s also the perfect representation of the chill chapter that came before it.
The story of Bunny’s daughter Cherie is the focus of South of Midnight’s sixth chapter, as you learn about her tragic passing while exploring Bunny’s holiday cottage. Instead of being a fast-paced climax, letting Cherie’s tree-bound soul finally rest is a fittingly calm process, mainly challenging your timing with a few wall runs, grapples, and a brief fight inside the heart of the tree.
7Benjy
Chapter 3
Benjy and Cherie Tree both happen to have a lot in common. Both are the spirits of those who have past bound inside a tree (strange that would come up twice), and both provide a platforming challenge that feels quite easy in comparison to the other bosses.
In spite of being earlier in the game, Benjy’s challenge feels a bit tougher thanks to how much longer it is, and also howyou’ll be less experiencedat this point in the story. Most of the aggression Hazel deals with during this fight is from the Stigma corrupting the tree, while Benjy himself seems to be quite passive, helping Hazel rid him of the Stigma.
6Kooshma’s Hunger
Chapters 3,5,6,7,9,11 And 13
As a fantastic method of foreshadowing the story developments to come, right before Hazel faces the bosses at the end of each story arc, she’ll need to escape a foggy spirit that we’ll later learn from Roux is the embodiment of Kooshma’s Hunger.
These boss chases vary in their challenge, mirroring the theming of the level that has preceded them. They tend to get harder as the story continues, but the final encounter in Chapter 13 actually feels much easier since the environment is easier to perceive, and it’s broken up with clear checkpoints.
5Ayotunde
Chapter 11
After spending Chapter 10 getting to know the charming swamp spirit Honey, Hazel will encounter the much more aggressive mermaid-like Ayotunde who shows up in the swamp in Chapter 11. While Ayotunde doesn’t fight Hazel directly, she will attack the areas around Hazel, making her investigation to work out what Ayotunde’s problem is all the more difficult.
Unlike other bosses, Ayotunde’s encounter is split through multiple platforming segments throughout the 11th chapter, and she’ll only finally calm down when you learn that Honey is the reincarnation of her lost son. The chapter ends with Ayotunde and Honey embracing in their new forms, finally reunited.
4Huggin' Molly
Chapter 9
The one boss who is built up the most throughout South of Midnight is Huggin' Molly, and it makes sense, since the giant spider-like creature is a terrifying threat who seems to be kidnapping orphaned children, and even Hazel’s mother Lacey.
After finally backing Huggin' Molly into a corner of her lair, she starts to put up a good fight. Hazel will have to dodge Molly’smassive AOE attacks, and the only way to make her vulnerable is to launch potions at her. It’s a shame that Hazel so thoroughly beats down Molly, since after the fight it’s revealed that the pair had more in common than Hazel knew.
3Two-Toed Tom
Chapter 5
As Hazel explores the flooded farms of Chapter 5, she’s consistently threatened by the hulking presence of the giant alligator Two-Toed Tom. The beast is large enough to have a whole biome formed on its back, and he’s even more imposing by the time Hazel has to face off against him directly at the end of the chapter.
Tom’s boss fight is structured similarly to Molly’s where you’ll need to avoid projectiles and AOE attacks, to finally get a chance to hit back by exploiting their weakness (for Tom being the church bell). Unlike Molly, once you defeat Tom, he’ll swallow Hazel in a last-ditch attack, and after a brief platforming challenge inside the belly of the beast, you can finally finish him off.
2Kooshma
Chapter 13
While Kooshma is a fittingly difficult final boss for South of Midnight, it’s a shame that you spend less of the fight actually attacking Kooshma itself, and more time just taking out waves of enemies.
It’s entertaining to get cheerleading from Hazel’s mother Lacey, but in essence, the fight against Kooshma is a (albeit incredibly challenging) multi-wave enemy gauntlet with some platforming in between. Finally taking down Kooshma is satisfying since it’s a tough challenge, especially on higher difficulties, but it would’ve been even better if Hazel got a more tactile victory over the violent entity.
1Rougarou Laurant
Chapter 7
Rougarou Laurant takes a different approach to all the other bosses in South of Midnight, and that makes it both more enjoyable to fight, and also more difficult too. Hazel is up against the terrifying creature in an enclosed space where both Hazel and the Rougarou can freely move around, making the fight even more intense.
The Rougarou has an aggressive moveset that will force Hazel to use all of her abilities creatively, and in between each bar of its health, you’ll have to deal with a mid-phase desperation attack where Laurant lunges out of a whirlwind at Hazel with only a moment’s notice each time. Rougarou Laurant can take Hazel down with only a couple hits, but Hazel has the plenty of options for dealing with him too, making him the most engaging encounter in the game.
