Summary
Compulsion Games’ currently in-development title,South of Midnight, gives players plenty to be excited about while looking forward to its release. The team behindSouth of Midnighthave clearly been hard at work on all aspects of the game, but one strength the game shows shines above the others.
South of Midnightis an action-adventure game with a focus on traversal, puzzle, and combat mechanics, and utilizes astylized stop-motion-inspired art style. Those mechanics should be at the heart of all major gameplay moments, and the art direction shows a lovely skin for players to look at, but the game’s soul comes from its narrative direction. Set in the deep south,South of Midnightwill explore elements of southern folklore that are often underrepresented in the media. By emphasizing the narrative and folklore that inspires the game,South of Midnightcan begin with a strongly rooted basis that might be its greatest strength.
South of Midnight’s Folklore Inspirations
The small glimpses ofSouth of Midnightthat have been revealed evoke the bayous of Louisiana, where mysticism and folklore are deeply interwoven. This is in large part due to the culture of the Gullah people — African Americans who held onto their African roots during their enslavement and still practice African traditions even today.
While present in much of the south throughout history, Gullah-inspired culture is most prevalent today in southern coastal cities. In particular, New Orleans has become known for a rich and distinct culture that represents a blending of Creole and Gullah elements. This real-world inspiration gives South of Midnight an impeccably strong jumping-off point for its fictionalized folklore to explore, setting it up to potentially be it among thebest games inspired by real folk tales.
One element of Gullah culture that seems to heavily influenceSouth of Midnightis their belief in haints. The game’s website states that the player will “Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints….” In Gullah folklore, haints are basically ghosts, evil spirits, or demons that are known to harm people in various ways. It’s unclear ifSouth of Midnightwill be directly lifting its haints from pre-existing lore, or if the developers are simply borrowing the word, but this does give some insight into what types of beings players might find themselves facing off against. Supernatural evils fit right into the game’srich folklore of a naturalistic worldof massive creatures and mystic arts.
The Creole roots in the game’s setting also shine through particularly well. The two trailers that have been released gave fans a taste of the type of music they can expect, andSouth of Midnightis going above and beyond in that department.Southern inspiration permeatesSouth of Midnight’s music, offering players lyrical songs beyond simple backtracks. This type of folk song, where the artist employs a mix of storytelling and traditional singing, is typical of American folk heroes like John Henry. The singer in the trailers has a creole twang to their voice, showcasing not only the tale of the song, but the unique location that the game borrows its folklore from.
How South of Midnight’s Narrative can Inform its Gameplay
Aside from the obvious inspirations, the story ofSouth of Midnighthasn’t been revealed. Compulsion has told fans that the game will follow a girl named Hazel as she tries to track down her mother after a violent hurricane. Other notes on the game’s website, as well as the gameplay trailer, indicate that Hazel is a weaver, someone who can use a mysterious weaving-based magic system.
Thegameplay trailer forSouth of Midnightshows her using this power to traverse the swamp by tethering to far-off objects and gliding with the birds. It also features a fight in which Hazel unravels the dark entity that attacks her. The idea of a weaving magic system appears to be an original concept, but it fits right in with the southern setting.
The other obvious way southern folklore shows its influence is in character and enemy design. Creatures like giant talking catfish and gators with islands on their backs feel at home in a mystic southern swamp. The character of Old Bones also shows inspirations from dark southern mythology, seeming to be half-dead and covered in plant-life, perhaps inspired by the dark real life version of thezombie mythspracticed in some parts of the deep south.
Without doubt, other creatures inspired by southern animals will appear as both friend and foe throughout the game, likely also sportingsome sort of paranormal twist. The beautiful thing about basing the setting ofSouth of Midnighton pre-existing folklore is that the world already feels lived-in, which will make players more apt to explore it.
A Potential Pitfall South of Midnight Could Face
Because of the heavy inspiration drawn from actual cultures,South of Midnightneeds to tread carefullyin its design. Many of the myths and practices that inspire this game are relatively obscure outside of these cultures, so while the development team could be an important part of helping these cultures become more well known, it needs to make sure to avoid potentially harmful stereotypes.
The Gullah people have historically been somewhat isolationist in nature, both by design and by circumstance, meaning that playing this game may be the closest some people come to ever understanding their culture. That could put a heavy burden on development, which hopefully won’t show in the final version of the game. Plenty of games take inspiration from real-world cultures, but some have done this better than others. Based on what’s been revealed,South of Midnightlooks to be a one-of-a-kind experience, and an incredibly fun one at that.
South of Midnight
WHERE TO PLAY
From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South.As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family’s shared past and -if she’s lucky - find her way to a place that feels like home.A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE: When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world where reality and fantasy are interwoven, and ancient creatures from folklore emerge. In this coming-of-age adventure, Hazel journeys forth to rescue her mother and delves into a haunting web of folklore and family secrets, untangling her own identity.CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES: Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry.
