What you need to know
- South of Midnight, made by Compulsion Games, creators of We Happy Few, have revealed a gameplay trailer at Xbox Games Showcase 2024.
- It shows off a small snippet of boss gameplay, as well as traversal mechanics.
- It's clear the game will be heavily inspired by the lore of the Deep South of America.
During the 2023 Xbox Games Showcase event, Compulsion Games, the creators of cult indie titles We Happy Few and Contrast, unveiled their next big videogame project titled South of Midnight. Shrouded in mystery outside of this trailer, little is known about the game. We already knew that it's an action-adventure title inspired by folklore from the Deep South of America. Now, we know even more!
Finally, a gameplay trailer for South of Midnight has dropped, and it looks, I can't tell?! At first glance, I get the feeling of Fable as the character struts through the world, finally coming upon an open field where the player meets a boss. It was during the fight that I found mixed feelings.
It's definitely a first for Compulsion Games, treading into an action-style game on a scale we haven't quite seen from them before. The boss fight fell a little flat for me. While combat is inspired by the style games like Batman popularized, with slow, direct hits leading the way, the reaction of the boss left a lot to be desired. It just didn't quite "hit" for me, at least not yet. I'll obviously reserve judgment as more information comes out because there seems to be a rich world backing South of Midnight that tons of players could love.
The rich-world feeling given afterward captured me. A small snippet of traversal mechanics was teased as the player glided across a swamp, leading the player to the top of a church tower. It's here that we catch another glimpse into the lore backing the title as a giant crocodile strewn with trees emerges to attack the player. It's awesome set pieces like this, and what their potential could lead to is what's got me feeling all cool about this game!
