At yesterday's Developer_Direct, Microsoft and Compulsion Games shared a fresh look at South of Midnight. This is an upcoming third-person action-adventure game set in America's Deep South. It's expected to be released on April 8, 2025 for Xbox Series X|S, Game Pass, and on PC via Steam. Those who pick up the Premium Edition will get five days of advance access.
At the recent Direct, South of Midnight had a big showing that featured a new story trailer. We also were treated to new gameplay footage, a look at some of the characters you will meet, and even a look at some of the mythical creatures present in the game.
The Story of South of Midnight
In our story trailer, protagonist Hazel and her mother are preparing for the impending hurricane. The storm proves massive, causing catastrophic flooding-and causing their own home to be swept down river with her mother in it. Its aftermath shows the fictional town of Prospero, located in the southern United States, eerily calm while irrevocably changed from the hurricane’s destruction. Here, Hazel undertakes a journey in search of her mother, while finding out more about herself and her family’s lineage in the process.
Hazel begins to see fantastical phenomena all over Prospero, including meeting Catfish, an enormous – and talking – creature in his own right, stuck in a tree following the hurricane’s destruction. Catfish tells Hazel she is a Weaver, someone who possesses magical powers and can see how our threads connect to form the woven tapestry of our fates.
As Hazel, players will learn with her to use her powers, overcoming obstacles such as defeating enemies and removing barriers, from ‘conjuring’ past incarnations of objects to use them to overcome traversal and puzzle challenges, to combat-based spells to take on the biggest foes. As Jasmin Roy, South of Midnight’s Game Director highlighted during Developer_Direct, “Push, Pull, and Weave are some of the spells at your disposal that give you a tactical advantage during a fight. Timing is everything. Pull distant enemies close to start melee combos, push them back to interrupt and stun their attack, then press the advantage with follow-up strikes.”
In our story trailer, protagonist Hazel and her mother are preparing for the impending hurricane. The storm proves massive, causing catastrophic flooding-and causing their own home to be swept down river with her mother in it. Its aftermath shows the fictional town of Prospero, located in the southern United States, eerily calm while irrevocably changed from the hurricane’s destruction. Here, Hazel undertakes a journey in search of her mother, while finding out more about herself and her family’s lineage in the process.
Hazel begins to see fantastical phenomena all over Prospero, including meeting Catfish, an enormous – and talking – creature in his own right, stuck in a tree following the hurricane’s destruction. Catfish tells Hazel she is a Weaver, someone who possesses magical powers and can see how our threads connect to form the woven tapestry of our fates.
As Hazel, players will learn with her to use her powers, overcoming obstacles such as defeating enemies and removing barriers, from ‘conjuring’ past incarnations of objects to use them to overcome traversal and puzzle challenges, to combat-based spells to take on the biggest foes. As Jasmin Roy, South of Midnight’s Game Director highlighted during Developer_Direct, “Push, Pull, and Weave are some of the spells at your disposal that give you a tactical advantage during a fight. Timing is everything. Pull distant enemies close to start melee combos, push them back to interrupt and stun their attack, then press the advantage with follow-up strikes.”
Compulsion Games says that South of Midnight features locations that are a "love letter to the South." The in-game town of Prospero and its surrounding locations, is inspired by a number real places in the South. These included flooded country sides, abysmal swamps, and the Appalachian mountains.
In addition to the five day advanced access, the Premium Edition will get several other bonuses. These include: Digital artbook, digital comic book, original soundtrack, a music video, and a Documentary: Director's Cut.
South of Midnight is priced starting at $39.99 for the base version and just $49.99 for the Premium Edition. Further details are below.
From the creators of Contrast and We Happy Few, South of Midnight is a spellbinding third person action-adventure game set in the American Deep South. As Hazel, you will explore the mythos and encounter creatures of Southern folklore in a macabre and fantastical world. When disaster strikes her hometown, Hazel is called to become a Weaver: a magical mender of broken bonds and spirits. Imbued with these new abilities, Hazel will confront and subdue dangerous creatures, untangle the webs of her own family's shared past and – if she's lucky – find her way to a place that feels like home. A DARK MODERN FOLKTALE When a hurricane rips through Prospero, Hazel is pulled into a Southern Gothic world of memory made real and must embark on a journey to rescue her mother and safeguard her hometown. In this folktale for modern times, Hazel will need to reconcile the weight of family, history, and legacy against her own identity. CONFRONT MYTHICAL CREATURES Wield an ancient power to restore creatures and uncover the traumas that consume them. Cast weaving magic to fight destructive Haints, explore the diverse regions of the South, and reweave the tears in the Grand Tapestry. HAUNTING BEAUTY OF THE GOTHIC SOUTH Discover the lush, decayed county of Prospero and its locals. Experience a crafted visual style, touching storytelling, and immersive music inspired by the complex and rich history of the South.
South of Midnight Artbook: Compulsion Games presents The Art of South of Midnight. Organized by the game’s story chapters, this abundant visual gallery includes never-before-seen character art, environmental art, iconography, artist commentary, and more from Compulsion’s modern Southern Gothic folktale.
Original Soundtrack: Inspired by the haunting allure of the Southern gothic Deep South, the South of Midnight original soundtrack blends traditional Southern-style music with a dark, otherworldly essence. With visionary composer Olivier Deriviere at its helm, the dynamic soundtrack features performances by Southern artists and incorporates traditional instruments to create a diegetic musical narrative that evolves in response to the player’s actions and environment. From soulful blues to lively honky-tonk, each song invokes the region’s rich cultural history, immersing players in an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere where reality and myth collide.
The Boo-Hag Digital Comic Book: Compulsion Games has teamed up with award-winning comic book artist and writer Rob Guillory to create The Boo Hag, a digital comic book set in the South of Midnight universe. Presented in full color, The Boo Hag explores protagonist Hazel’s encounter with an infamous mythical creature from Deep South mythos, giving readers the chance to dive even deeper into the game’s fantastical and folkloric world.
Music Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight: Feel the magic of South of Midnight’s lyrically driven narrative music with Songs & Tales From South of Midnight, a visual compilation featuring three selected songs from the South of Midnight OST. This field recording-style music video showcases and celebrates the diverse range of Southern musical genres that define South of Midnight’s soundtrack, all while telling a cohesive story through delightfully haunting visuals.
Documentary: Weaving Hazel’s Journey, Director’s Cut: Weaving Hazel’s Journey: A South of Midnight Documentary (Director’s Cut) offers fans an extended look at the development of Compulsion Games’ third-person action-adventure South of Midnight. This director’s cut explores in even greater detail the team’s world-building process and inspirations drawn from Deep South folktales, featuring exclusive interviews and commentary from various Compulsion Games developers across multiple disciplines, including gameplay, narrative, art, music, and more.
Original Soundtrack: Inspired by the haunting allure of the Southern gothic Deep South, the South of Midnight original soundtrack blends traditional Southern-style music with a dark, otherworldly essence. With visionary composer Olivier Deriviere at its helm, the dynamic soundtrack features performances by Southern artists and incorporates traditional instruments to create a diegetic musical narrative that evolves in response to the player’s actions and environment. From soulful blues to lively honky-tonk, each song invokes the region’s rich cultural history, immersing players in an eerie, otherworldly atmosphere where reality and myth collide.
The Boo-Hag Digital Comic Book: Compulsion Games has teamed up with award-winning comic book artist and writer Rob Guillory to create The Boo Hag, a digital comic book set in the South of Midnight universe. Presented in full color, The Boo Hag explores protagonist Hazel’s encounter with an infamous mythical creature from Deep South mythos, giving readers the chance to dive even deeper into the game’s fantastical and folkloric world.
Music Video: Songs & Tales of South of Midnight: Feel the magic of South of Midnight’s lyrically driven narrative music with Songs & Tales From South of Midnight, a visual compilation featuring three selected songs from the South of Midnight OST. This field recording-style music video showcases and celebrates the diverse range of Southern musical genres that define South of Midnight’s soundtrack, all while telling a cohesive story through delightfully haunting visuals.
Documentary: Weaving Hazel’s Journey, Director’s Cut: Weaving Hazel’s Journey: A South of Midnight Documentary (Director’s Cut) offers fans an extended look at the development of Compulsion Games’ third-person action-adventure South of Midnight. This director’s cut explores in even greater detail the team’s world-building process and inspirations drawn from Deep South folktales, featuring exclusive interviews and commentary from various Compulsion Games developers across multiple disciplines, including gameplay, narrative, art, music, and more.
