As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the enchanting worlds of games like Kena: Bridge of Spirits and other narrative-driven titles, I must say that South of Midnight piqued my interest from the moment I heard about it. The combination of a richly detailed setting inspired by the Deep South, intriguing mythical creatures, and the exploration of complex themes like trauma resonated deeply with me.
Initially intrigued by its debut trailer, South of Midnight piqued my interest with its art style reminiscent of stop-motion animation and a narrative rooted in Southern American culture and folklore. Thus far, the creators at Compulsion Games have been tight-lipped about the specifics of gameplay for this title. As such, I was excited to get a glimpse of it when the developers offered a preview. The demonstration was relatively brief, and unfortunately, I couldn’t interact with it directly. However, based on what I observed, South of Midnight appears to resemble my experience with Kena: Bridge of Spirits, appearing as an action-adventure game reminiscent of PlayStation 2 titles—a stark contrast to Compulsion Games’ previous works, Contrast and We Happy Few.
In the game “South of Midnight,” you take on the role of Hazel, a woman whose town Prospero gets struck by a hurricane. As you discover she’s a Weaver, a unique individual with magical powers to undo corruption in a place and mend the torn relationships within the community, Hazel embarks on a journey to find her mother who was swept away during the storm. Throughout her adventure, Hazel can utilize her weaving abilities to dismantle enemies, deftly navigate platforms, and solve intricate puzzles. In each main storyline, Hazel uncovers the legend behind a being – sometimes an animal, other times a person – that has transformed into a legendary, supernatural creature due to past traumas distorting them into mythical monsters. By understanding how these creatures evolved, Hazel is assigned the mission of vanquishing them.
In a similar vein to Bridge of Spirits, Hazel’s journey involves delving into the past traumas and backgrounds of the menacing entities endangering her settlement. This investigation leads to the purification of the area, mirroring Kena’s fight against the Rot and the tormented spirits left behind. Similarly, South of Midnight draws inspiration from a culture not frequently represented in video games; unlike Bridge of Spirits, which is based on Bali (a region in Indonesia), South of Midnight is rooted in the American South.
In essence, South of Midnight appears to be a contemporary adaptation of the action-adventure genre similar to Bridge of Spirits, originating from the mid-2000s. From the demo I observed, Hazel performs combos to defeat groups of enemies, navigates between landmarks, undertakes optional tasks to uncover collectibles, and confronts a colossal boss in battle. Although I haven’t experienced the gameplay firsthand, it seems reminiscent of games I’ve enjoyed previously. What piques my interest is how the gothic-fantasy themes and Deep South setting influence the game world, as this aspect may differentiate South of Midnight from its contemporary counterparts.
According to game director Jasmin Roy, it was primarily in three areas where the South had a significant impact on the gameplay, as he shared with TopMob. These included the game’s environment, level design, and character abilities. The environment was influenced by diverse biomes found across various regions, offering unique spaces to traverse and abandoned structures like buildings. To make gameplay more engaging, it was decided that characters should be able to jump on these structures and move around freely.
Roy characterized South of Midnight as a more sequential adventure, where the player advances from one location to another. He explained that the region shaped the entire game, influencing its features, gameplay mechanics, and design. That’s why he believes it offers a distinctive journey and is structured as such. When asked if it follows the same gameplay loop, he replied that while there are variations due to its narrative-driven nature, the core gameplay often revolves around learning the creature’s story to progress. However, there are other narrative events and discoveries within the game that contribute to its progression as well.
Guillaume Provost, studio head, clarified that while some parts of the gameplay may repeat, it’s important to note this. The game involves meeting various creatures and progressing through several stages, culminating in filling your bottle – these are repeated loops within the game. However, contrary to what one might expect, you don’t fight the creatures; instead, there are various types of encounters that occur throughout the game, which highlight different aspects of the story or the problems the creatures face.
Roy mentioned that some of these beings will concentrate on moving around (traversal), while others will emphasize story development (narrative beats). He added that it’s quite diverse, with some evolving into direct conflicts, like the demonstration today. However, there are other aspects that prioritize traversal, which we have a bit of, and also those that focus on that specifically. He wants to keep these elements under wraps because he thinks they’re really exciting. Essentially, Roy explained that even though the main loop involves understanding their tale, interacting with them, and defeating them, the type of creature you encounter doesn’t necessarily mean fighting is the appropriate action. Fighting isn’t always the best choice as these creatures have unique stories about their experiences.
In essence, as a player, your role is to aid characters in overcoming their difficulties or healing from their trauma. Sometimes, this might involve a combat sequence, like when Two Twod Tom destroys your house, causing you to feel enraged. This sets up a conflict which the main character, Hazel, addresses. However, it’s important to note that Hazel isn’t just wandering around killing mythical creatures. Instead, conflicts arise for narrative purposes and are always meaningful. In other instances, problems with creatures don’t necessarily involve conflict; these issues are usually resolved through story choices, puzzles, or platform challenges that directly relate to the creature’s specific problems.
How the studio spoke about trauma was the one qualm I had about the game at the event, given how often “resolve” and “fix” were tossed around. The preview event didn’t include an example of how Hazel would do this and the developers were vague on the subject, but I’m always wary of folks talking about trauma as an easily fixable issue when it’s regularly an ongoing process. And taking into account that South of Midnight is taking inspiration from the Deep South, a place of long-lasting intergenerational trauma that rarely is just addressed and “fixed,” I’m looking at this specific part of the game with an air of caution. Admittedly, the rest of the event showcased that Compulsion has shown a tremendous amount of respect and care toward other aspects of the American South in terms of ambiance, landmarks, music, and language–South of Midnight sounds like a trip to the Deep South–so it’s just as possible that the studio has handled the themes of trauma with similar care and simply isn’t ready to showcase how those storylines play out yet.
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Whitney Clayton, the art director, explained to TopMob that South of Midnight’s mythical creatures and trauma stories are not about the present moment, but rather they are folktales with a universal appeal. In the context of the story, these legends emerge as Hazel progresses on her journey. As she encounters more, it becomes less surprising for her, which is the magic-realism aspect. Once Hazel leaves her hometown and ventures into what we call the Deep South’s focal arc, she encounters characters and communities who accept these creatures as part of their environment. These creatures’ tales are deeply connected to the land’s history, and they carry more complex allegorical messages if you understand correctly.
After getting a taste of what South of Midnight has in store, I’m largely enthusiastic – as I adored Kena: Bridge of Spirits, another game similar to that perfectly appeals to me – yet there are some story-related concerns I hope will be addressed. South of Midnight is scheduled for release on Xbox Series X|S and PC in 2025.
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2024-11-15 00:39