We're ready to explore South of Midnight in all its spooky folklore-infused glory. Officially announced during the Xbox Games Showcase 2023, the announcement trailer for Compulsion Games' upcoming adventure has given us our first little snippets of the world setting and story. If you're not sold yet, the reveal depicts a mysterious part-skeleton man playing a guitar in a swampy bayou as our heroine quizzes him on the location of a creepy critter. It's looking like a stunning Deep South action-adventure already, and that's just going off a small slice.
Said to take place in a magic realist version of the American South, the trailer does well to establish the tone, with some fantastical elements thrown in for good measure. From what we've seen so far, it's certainly shaping up to be among the most intriguing upcoming Xbox Series games to keep on your radar. We're crossing our fingers that we might yet see it among the top new games for 2024 to add to our wishlist, but for now, read on below as we take you through everything we know so far about South of Midnight.
Recent updates
This South of Midnight hub was updated on March 6, and although we don't have anything more to add right now, we'll keep you in the know as Compulsion Games reveals more about its gorgeous new project.
South of Midnight release date
As of right now, we've yet to learn of a release date or launch window from Compulsion Games for South of Midnight. As it's just been announced, it may be some time before we see it officially arrive.
South of Midnight platforms
Compulsion Games is among the developers that are a part of Xbox Game Studios. As such, South of Midnight is an Xbox exclusive set to come to Xbox Series X and PC. The new adventure will also be coming to PC via Steam and Xbox Game Pass.
South of Midnight story
The trailer introduces us to protagonist Hazel as she meets with a figure known as Shakin' Bones strumming away at a guitar. Hazel then asks about a big creature, before using magic. Following the trailer reveal, Xbox published an interview with creative director David Sears and narrative producer and creative specialist James Lewis, which shed more light on the story of South of Midnight. Hazel, who is the heroine of the adventure, is said to be on a quest to repair a broken world by putting a stop to supernatural creatures who are all based on real-life folklore.
South of Midnight protagonist
In South of Midnight, we'll be following the story of Hazel, who's said to have taken on the role of protector. Described as "outwardly confident and wisecracking", Hazel has a complex relationship with her mother and has grown up experiencing multiple failures and societal injustice.
"To tell the story of a Black woman in this setting creates another level of complexity that the team had to meet with curiosity and empathy," Lewis says in the Xbox interview. "The approach to this had to start by having just proper representation on the team, ensuring that we have Black women and women of colour on our narrative team is key for understanding and writing Hazel's voice."
For Sears, Hazel stands out because she has "many of the same issues as real people have", which is "refreshing as she's trying to learn to be a hero". As Sears adds, the story follows her as she finds her footing and heads out into the world to help make it "a better place".
South of Midnight setting
Based on American South, South of the Midnight is inspired by different genres of literature including Southern Gothic and Magic realism. With the adventure said to take place in rural areas, the world setting aims to be an honest reflection of the real-life region.
South of Midnight magic
As we saw in the trailer, South of Midnight will be an adventure involving magic and fantastical elements. Hazel, for example, is a Weaver who uses what's known as Weaving magic. Used for both combat and traversal, Weavers are said to be figures who can "see how the universe is constructed". While there's still much we've yet to discover about the magic of the world, it certainly sounds intriguing.
