Edition IGN shared the first preview of South of Midnight, an upcoming action-adventure with magic and fantasy. The reviewer didn’t see anything that wowed him from a gameplay standpoint, but the game stands out in all other aspects. It’s a unique world, stop-motion animation and a great soundtrack.
The events of South of Midnight will unfold in the South of America. This place is not just a backdrop for battles: the developers took folklore and mythical creatures from it. In addition, wild swamps, flooded settlements and pre-war sites are combined with fantasy elements.
The unusualness is emphasized by the artistic style, which imitates stop motion animation. The reviewer did not hesitate in his colorful descriptions:
“It all looks like it was ripped from the pages of a children’s fairy tale book, in which I actually found myself. This style definitely took some getting used to at first, as the untrained eye could easily mistake the jarring movements for erratic framerates, but it also adds to the otherworldly fantasy charm that South of Midnight exudes,” a writer told IGN.
The passage of South of Midnight will be accompanied by unique music. In the demonstration presented to journalists, it was necessary to track down an alligator nicknamed Two-Toed Tom, who allegedly terrorized residents of Florida and Alabama in reality.
“At first the music was slow, with smooth bass and a choir whispering “Two-Fingered Tom,” but by the time we had solved the mystery of the mythical alligator and moved on to the final confrontation, the chorus had reached a feverish chant whose words told the story of poor old Tom.” — said the author of the preview.
All of South of Midnight’s artistic components make the game stand out. However, the gameplay turned out to be not so original. The battles are a simple system with dodges, strikes and finishing moves. For example, in a fight with an alligator, you only had to dodge attacks and wait for the moment when Two-Fingered Tom was open to strike.
Compulsion Games says that while they expect the gameplay to be fun, it doesn’t receive as much attention as the story, music, and other elements that they clearly put the lion’s share of work into. Instead, they create relatively short levels for a ten-hour playthrough and put all their energy into South of Midnight’s exceptional presentation and world-building,” the reviewer explained.
This approach should not seem surprising, because developers from Compulsion Games known for unusual games: We Happy Few and Contrast. By the way, the studio dedicated an entire documentary to the creation of South of Midnight. For half an hour, viewers are told how the unique world of the game was created.
South of Midnight will be released in 2025 on PC and Xbox Series, and you will be able to play the new game immediately with a Game Pass subscription. Previously, a gameplay trailer for the game with fantastic creatures was shown.
