The glue that holds both the platforming and action gameplay ofSouth of Midnighttogether is Hazel’s magical Weaver spells and abilities. These spells are drip-fed throughout the first half of the game, and once you’ve unlocked all of them, it truly feels like Hazel can do anything.
These spells improve not just Hazel’s power in combat but are also used during overworld traversal and platforming. They can also be upgraded throughout the game. While some of the spells in South of Midnight are vital to the gameplay and couldn’t be replaced, others feel a little less important, but which is the best?
8Strand Push
Moment To Breathe
While most of the spells that Hazel can use in combat feel like they naturally weave into one another, the Strand Push feels like an option you won’t always be reaching to use. The simple ability creates a small-ranged push that will deal some damage to enemies, knock them back, and interrupt most attacks.
It’s useful if you’re panicking and you need some space from enemies, but aside from this, it just isn’t that useful. Since it pushes smaller enemies away, it means you can’t combo into other attacks. It doesn’t deal that much damage either, and its range isn’t long enough for it to be considered a safe option when you’re low on health.
7Wall Run
Parkour Staple
The Wall Run is an ability you’ll often find ingames that focus on platforming, and usually, it’s just an easy way to travel past an area that doesn’t have a floor, but in South of Midnight, it’s used much more creatively.
Even if it’s not as entertaining to use as Hazel’s other spells, the Wall Run in South of Midnight has a little extra depth compared to a standard wall run since it lets you freely move up and down while running forward. This means that you’re able to’t just be on autopilot while wall running, and you’ll need to keep an eye out for obstacles or even use this verticality to help reach different levels at the end of the wall.
6Echo Objects
Pulled Through Time
Even though the Echo Objects ability can’t be used in combat, it’ll be one of Hazel’s most useful spells when she is platforming. The simple ability is one of the first that Hazel learns from Mahalia’s ghost, and it’ll recreate past objects in the present for a limited time.
These objects are sometimes just a pathway that needs to be crossed, but they’re usually used in much more creative ways. At times, you’ll need to move the echo object using Strand Pull or Push to make sure it’s in the right place, and since the ability is on a timer, you need to make sure you’re perfectly paced so the floor doesn’t fall out from under you.
5Stigma Bain
All Tied Up
One of the first combat spellsthat Hazel learns in South of Midnight is Stigma Bain. This projectile doesn’t deal any damage at its first stage, but it’s arguably more useful than a simple projectile, instead inflicting the Weave status on enemies.
This means they’ll take more damage from Hazel’s standard attacks and won’t be able to move either. Early on in the game, this is pretty useful to make standard Haints go down quicker, but it’s even better later on when it can make even the most dangerous of Haints, andsome bosses too, completely vulnerable for a few moments of safety.
4Strand Pull
Get Over Here
Strand Pull is a spell you’ll find yourself using just as often outside of combat as you would in it. In combat, the spell is used to pull smaller Haints towards Hazel, and for bigger Haints, it pulls Hazel towards them. In both contexts, it can be combo-ed easily into follow-up attacks and is a great way to finish off a vulnerable Haint.
Outside of combat, you’ll use Strand Pull to grapple around the overworld, platform over massive gaps, and sometimes even fly a short distance if used alongside glide ability. There are also a few locations where the Strand Pull spell is used to throw small objects to clear obstacles in Hazel’s path.
3Cleansing Rend
Weaver’s Trusty Flash Bang
Unlike all of the other spells in South of Midnight, Cleansing Rend is the only one that is technically optional. You’ll get this spell by spending Floofs on the skill tree, and you can upgrade it to be even more powerful at the end of the upgrade list.
Cleansing Rend takes a short while to charge up, but when it is, the explosion it creates around Hazel can be devastating. As well as dealing plenty of damage, once upgraded, it will even inflict the Weave status on enemies, making them unable to move and take more damage for a limited time, the perfect way to turn the tides of battle.
2Glide
Flying Into The Horizon
Out of all the traversal abilities in the game, Glide is one of the last that you’ll learn, and when you do, it feels like all the pieces of Hazel’s kit fall together perfectly. Whether it’s after one jump or two, you can pull out Hazel’s glide to push forward a short distance and then gracefully fall back toward the ground.
It’s a humble ability that shows up in plenty of platforming titles, but it feels expertly implemented in South of Midnight thanks to how well it slides in with all of Hazel’s other platforming abilities and spells. It gets even better after Chapter 8, when Hazel learns to use the ability to fly through wind tunnels, making for some of the most enjoyable sequences in the game.
1Crouton
Adorable Hivemind
When you meet Crouton in the first chapter of South of Midnight, he seems to just be an adorable homemade plush toy that Lacey made for Hazel. However, thanks to the awakening of Hazel’s Weaver abilities, Crouton is brought to life too, and it’s a good thing since he’s one of the most powerful spells in the game.
In the overworld, Hazel can throw or place Crouton and then take control of him to explore places she can’t reach. These are some of the most charming segments of the game, getting to see animals up close that would otherwise run away from Hazel. It gets even better in combat, where Crouton can possess any enemy aside from bosses and make them vulnerable to attacks and even attack other enemies.
