Southern monster mood looks to send chills in the upcoming game
Between space games and games with swords and sorcery and games based on simulating transportation, one game definitely stuck out at Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase. South of Midnight, from developer Compulsion Games, went all in on dark, moody stop-motion to wow us in its debut. The new project from the We Happy Few developer, and their first exclusively for Microsoft’s platforms since their acquisition, angles on telling a story set in a fictionalized Southern US. The rural setting is accentuated by the Southern Gothic theme, with elements of magic, mysticism, life and death.
The game will star lead character Hazel as she travels around a “broken” area while trying to bring it all back together. Its narrative themes will pull us along on this journey with her; we’re passengers, she’s the driver, and we’d better be ready. The mystical elements of the game are all based in local folklore, artifacts, and history, and will serve as a thread to keep Hazel (and us) on that journey, as well as providing antagonists and enemies along the way.
And that stop-motion wood carving style? That’s just DELICIOUS. That visual aesthetic nails the atmosphere and attitude and pays homage to the source material and heritage of the area. It’s a place and a history that’s rarely covered in games, and we’re all for it.
South of Midnight looks set to launch exclusively for Xbox Series, PC, and Game Pass (no date was given).
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