During today’s Xbox Games Showcase, We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games offered a small glimpse into its latest game, titled South of Midnight. This new third-person action-adventure title takes place in an alternate version of the American South filled with magic and supernatural goings-on. Although the trailer lacks any kind of gameplay footage, it does an effective job of establishing the kind of style and tone the game goes for.
One aspect of the trailer that will likely catch players’ attention is its art direction. It depicts the world of South of Midnight using stop-motion, an animation style rarely seen in media, let alone video games. Combine that with the effective use of atmospheric lighting, and you have a trailer that really stands out from the others shown in the Xbox presentation.
A mysterious bayou setting
As for what happens in the trailer, it shows a man named Shakin’ Bones singing and strumming on his guitar in the middle of a bayou. A woman named Hazel floats onto the scene and mentions a favor that he owes her, at which point the camera zooms out to show a massive size disparity between the two.
She asks about a monster, which causes Shakin’ Bones to stop playing his guitar and look at her silently, revealing an empty left-eye socket. Eventually, the monster in question rises up behind Hazel as Shakin’ Bones cracks a smile. She soon takes notice and conjures up some sort of spell as Shakin’ Bones resumes his song.
Alongside the trailer came an interview with David Sears, the creative director, and James Lewis, the creative specialist and narrative producer, that discussed South of Midnight and the unique aspects that separate the game from the pack. If you wish to read through the interview and learn more about this intriguing new Xbox and PC project, you can do so here.
