Kena Meets the Deep South in South of Midnight

South of Midnight- the latest game behind innovative gothic developers ‘Compulsion Games’ is set to release on April 8th this year and, by all accounts, it looks like a wildly unique ride. This fantasy action-adventure follows Hazel as she takes on the role of a magical weaver to solve puzzles, traverse the world and in combat scenarios against the denizens of deep south folklore. The premise here clearly follows in the footsteps of the studio’s previous works ‘We Happy Few’ and ‘Contrast’.

Image by Compulsion Games

Unlike their previous releases, however, ‘South of Midnight’ is comfortably a 3rd person action adventure that seems to take influence from underrated gem ‘Kena: Bridge of Spirits’ which launched back in 2021. This too sees their main character clear corruptions against otherworldly spirits in easy to learn but hard to master combat. Should South of Midnight manage to emulate Kena with its environmental design and themes, it will be well worth checking out. On top of that, the unique setting of the foggy bayous inspired by New Orleans is something rarely found in games.

The most exciting thing about what we’ve seen, however, is the game’s art style and clear gothic influences. With dark, eerie music, creepy deep south characters and an atmosphere that oozes charm, South of Midnight looks like a promising Xbox first party release. The stop motion animation in both the cutscenes and in game also set this apart from other releases and solidifies it comfortably within the realm of the uncanny valley for some of its designs.

Image by Compulsion Games

It’s been two years since South of Midnight was first revealed and it looks like the devs have put that time to good use. Themes of family, home and history are at the forefront of Compulsion Games’ efforts here. What’s better, this compact package should weigh in at a tight 10-12 hours for the main story. As a reminder, this releases on April 8thth this year and, like every other first party release, will be available via Game Pass day one.