I remember the first time I double-jumped over a bottomless chasm in South of Midnight, that moment when Hazel's abilities truly clicked for me. There's something magical about discovering how a game's mechanics evolve from simple tools to essential survival skills, and TreasureBowl's platforming experience captures this transformation beautifully. Having spent roughly 45 hours exploring every corner of this world, I can confidently say that while the platforming doesn't reinvent the genre, it executes familiar concepts with such polish that you can't help but appreciate the craftsmanship.
The early hours deliberately ease you into Hazel's movement toolkit - the double-jump feels responsive from the start, the dash covers just enough distance to feel useful without being overpowered, and the glide maintains perfect control even in tighter spaces. What surprised me most was how naturally these abilities integrated into both exploration and puzzle-solving. I found myself using the telekinetic push not just in combat but to clear pathways blocked by environmental debris, and the tether's pull function became my go-to traversal method long before the game formally introduced it as a grappling hook mechanic. These first 5-6 hours serve as an extended tutorial that never feels like one, gradually building your confidence until movement becomes second nature.
Around the 15-hour mark, something fascinating happens - the training wheels come off completely. Where earlier platforming sections might have featured generous checkpoints and forgiving timing windows, suddenly every jump carries consequence. I'll never forget the first time I mistimed a wall-run into a dash across floating ruins and plummeted to my death - it was genuinely startling after how gentle the game had been until that point. The difficulty spike isn't arbitrary though; it coincides perfectly with the game expecting you to master combining all your abilities in quick succession. What once felt like separate tools now become parts of an intricate dance where a single misstep means starting over.
The beauty of TreasureBowl's design philosophy reveals itself in these challenging sections. I found myself recalling earlier moments where the game had subtly taught me techniques that now became crucial - like how maintaining momentum during a glide could carry me just far enough to reach distant platforms, or how the tether could be used mid-air to correct positioning after an imperfect jump. These aren't new abilities suddenly granted to handle new challenges, but rather new applications of tools I'd possessed all along. It creates this wonderful sense that the growth isn't about Hazel gaining power, but about me as a player growing more skilled and creative with the resources I've always had.
What makes the platforming consistently engaging throughout the 30+ hour main journey is how it seamlessly blends with other gameplay elements. There were moments where I'd be navigating treacherous environmental puzzles while simultaneously managing combat encounters, using my dash both to avoid enemy attacks and to cross collapsing bridges. The game smartly avoids segregating its different systems, instead creating scenarios where your entire toolkit becomes relevant regardless of the immediate challenge. I particularly enjoyed sections that required using combat abilities for platforming - launching enemies with telekinetic push to create temporary platforms, or employing the tether to swing across gaps while simultaneously pulling enemies toward me.
If I have one criticism, it's that the transition from forgiving to demanding could have been slightly more gradual. The shift happens remarkably fast - within about 90 minutes of gameplay, the platforming goes from comfortably challenging to genuinely demanding. While this creates memorable "aha" moments when you overcome these sections, some players might find the adjustment jarring. Personally, I appreciated being pushed outside my comfort zone, but I spoke with other players who felt the game could have better prepared them for this escalation in difficulty.
The late-game platforming sequences rank among my favorite gaming moments this year. There's one particular section involving rotating towers and shifting platforms that took me nearly 25 attempts to complete, but the satisfaction of finally navigating it flawlessly using every technique I'd mastered was absolutely worth the struggle. These challenges never feel unfair because the controls remain consistently precise and responsive - when I failed, I always knew it was my timing or planning rather than the game working against me.
TreasureBowl understands that great platforming isn't about introducing endless new mechanics, but about deepening your relationship with a core set of tools. By the end of my journey, I wasn't just using Hazel's abilities - I was thinking with them, anticipating challenges before they appeared and developing personal solutions the developers might not have even intended. That's the mark of exceptional game design, and it's what makes South of Midnight's platforming so memorable long after the credits roll. The treasure isn't just what you find in the world, but what you discover about your own growing mastery over it.
