The swamp has a wonderfully frightening and mysterious ambiance. Sun is heavy in the sky, the sound of great unknown creatures echo makes a sad melody, while grief feels absorbed into the land. This hauntingly beautiful quality is the focus of South of Midnight, an upcoming action-adventure game developed by Compulsion Games, which merges Southern folklore with deeply intimate narratives.
Microsoft generously gave me three hours of playtime in the upcoming title which launches April 8 on PC and Xbox. The game combines elements of Southern Gothic fantasy and reinterprets the American Deep South through myth and legend instead of the commercialized version of New Orleans and its French Quarter. It also draws audiences to a place where reality, fantasy and powerful emotions, like grief, healing, and strength, intertwine.
A Journey into the Mystical South
While I had my time with the game, I made my way into chapter 3, one of the more developed areas of the game that provides almost 3 hours of exploration, platforming, and combat. I do not wish to go into much detail about the narrative, but this chapter contains many core mechanics and themes that will most probably be present throughout the experience.
The player controls the character of Hazel, a young girl slowly transitioning into womanhood, portrayed by Adriyan Rae. Everything changes for Hazel when a hurricane hits and obliterates everything she knows, leaving her mother, a social worker in a fictionalized Rust Belt town, missing. While searching for her mother, she comes across a peculiar world that blurs the lines between reality and fantasy. It is here that she begins to accept her calling as a Weaver, someone who can magically tend to people’s emotional scars and spiritual wounds.
The Pain and Power of Folklore
Perhaps the most surprising encounter in chapter three is when Hazel discovers a large catfish dangling by its tail from the clawed fingers of a gnarled tree. This bizarre picture is accompanied with another encounter with Rhubarb, an eccentric recluse who once operated a now-defunct swamp tour business.
His sorrow and trauma take tangible form in the Haints, shadowy beings that haunt him. He guards over a bottle tree because he believes that pain can be trapped in the glass bottles that dangle from its branches. In doing so, healing may be possible. To help him, Hazel needs to identify pain and bring it to the surface.
In essence, suffering is brought out and confronted in this game, and this idea echoes throughout the entire narrative. Hazel, just like the player, seems to be lost in these myths, yet she uncovers their real meaning as she continues her journey. To give too much away would ruin the surprise, but Rhubarb’s relationship with the bottle tree is far more complex than he initially lets on and suggests heartbreak, loss, and truths that lie in wait to be discovered.
Combat and exploration of the world — Digging through the dark
The essence of South of Midnight consists of fighting and exploring, both of which are confined to a certain action-adventure gameplay structure. Players engage in combat in designated areas where they must defeat every enemy that embodies sorrow, also referred to as Haints. These beings are broken spirits that need healing, and as a Weaver, Hazel is able to unravel them and, in turn, restore harmony to the world.
Of the combat mechanics, Hazel has a dodge system and special attacks where she can push, pull, or freeze her enemies. In contrast to most ARPGs, there is no standard experience system, but players can accumulate points to unlock new skills and increase Hazel’s abilities.
Some more combative players may worry about the lack of blocking or a combo system. Combat is slow but still has a greater unknown depth. There are plenty of details to the level design, but the constant arena battles that are set on simple, flat landscapes tends to take away from the otherwise captivating world.
A Storybook World Brought to Life
With regard to the sound and visuals, South of Midnight is a game with exceptional design. The game adopts a storybook style, and every environment feels magical yet somehow normal at the same time. Once again, there is a beauty to these places due to the magic in them, unlike the abandoned Cajun settlements, dilapidated houses, and neglected community centers which causes a sense of sadness.
In Chapter 3, one striking detail is a frightening peach orchard that features enormous peaches. Their gargantuan size is a clear sign that there is more to there is more below the surface, hinting towards the land’s long neglected past. All visuals are loaded with importance and serve to strengthen the game’s narrative of memories and emblems.
South of Midnight has also succeeded greatly in the musical aspect of the game. As is custom with American folk, the soundtrack captures the aching sounds with American folk guitar skillfully weaving in ethereal melodies and soulful compositions. Movement is almost seamlessly intertwined with music because even basic actions such as double jumping or wall running evoke soft musical embellishments. Without venturing into spoiler territory, I was moved emotionally and profoundly when I listened to a particular soulful guitar piece that profoundly and emotionally enhanced the journey throughout the chapter.
The Alluring Tales and Stop-Motion Animation Sequence of ‘South of Midnight’
One of the most captivating features of the South of Midnight series is its animation, which is inspired by stop motion. The use of animation, similar to Slow Bros. creations in their adventure title Harold Halibut, gives each character’s interactions with various objects and platforming style a somewhat crafted feel. Although the effect is not so clear during combat, it is quite pronounced in softer moments and compliments the storybook feel of the game.
Compulsion Games are known for constructing bold, engaging, and narrative experiences, even though for a lot of players the last titles like We Happy Few (2018) missed the target. With South of Midnight, the studio endeavors yet again and grapples with creating a universe filled with folklore, feeling, and eerie beauty.
It remains uncertain whether the complete game will cover these themes, but if my short experience in Chapter 3 is any clue, players will get a story that will be as much about healing as it is about pain.
On April 8, we will find out if South of Midnight is able to tell a very personal story that plays out like a melody echoing in a bayou.
