South of Midnight is a game worth hollerin’ about

Compulsion Games’ new title, South of Midnight, an upcoming action platformer video game, immediately captivates with its deep dive into Black culture and Southern traditions. The game’s authentic portrayal of these cultural nuances is striking. From subtle visual cues referencing iconic Black artwork to dialogue echoing familiar Southern vernacular, South of Midnight offers a rich and resonant experience for players seeking representation and engaging gameplay.

There’s a unique expressiveness within Black culture, characterized by vibrant expressions of joy, affection, and protest. However, profound approval is often signaled by an initial silence. Genuine amusement, for instance, might begin as a soft wheeze before erupting into boisterous laughter. Experiencing South of Midnight evoked a similar reaction. Upon noticing artwork within the protagonist Hazel’s virtual home – a clear homage to Annie Lee’s celebrated Blue Monday – I was momentarily speechless. I quietly set down my Steam Deck and paced my living room, a silent prelude to vocal enthusiasm.

South of Midnight, the latest offering from the developers at Compulsion Games, known for We Happy Few, centers on Hazel’s quest to save her mother after their home is devastated by a hurricane. This journey unveils Hazel’s latent abilities as a Weaver. Weavers are guardians capable of perceiving the Grand Tapestry, an intricate web connecting all life, and mending it when pain and trauma create disruptions.

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The game employs action platformer mechanics. Hazel navigates the world by utilizing her Weaver powers to revitalize corrupted environments and combat enemies called haints. Haints, a Southern term for ghosts or monsters, are formidable foes. Aiding Hazel is Crouton, her childhood plush toy, brought to life through potent magic. Crouton possesses the ability to inhabit enemy bodies, turning them into allies, and can access areas inaccessible to Hazel due to her size.

There is a distinct joy when media directly addresses the Black experience. Subtle visual cues and turns of phrase in television, animation, and video games often act as an insider’s language, a nod to shared cultural understanding. South of Midnight distinguishes itself by delving beyond superficial references. It incorporates nuances recognizable to those with deep roots in American Black culture, evoking familial memories. Annie Lee’s artwork, for example, was a common fixture in many Black households, including my own, with Blue Monday or Sixty Pounds prominently displayed.

This cultural acknowledgment permeates the game, evident in the vernacular and cadence of Hazel and her mother, Lacey. A dismissive murmur from Hazel prompts an immediate maternal correction: “I thought you was grown.” Catfish, the oversized, magical catfish guide, embodies the mannerisms of familiar Southern relatives. Ahmed Best, the game’s voice and motion capture director, emphasized the importance of authentic representation in every aspect, including posture and stance. This dedication to detail is apparent in Hazel’s subtle gestures, like fanning herself against the Mississippi heat with the distinctive tilt of the head common among Southern women.

These seemingly minor details accumulate, creating a profound emotional impact. Discovering chapter titles referencing Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God amplified this connection, triggering an outpouring of emotion.

The game extends its homage beyond narrative to gameplay itself. Eschewing the conventional yellow paint to indicate climbable surfaces, South of Midnight employs a specific shade of blue – “haint blue.” This color, traditionally used on porches in the South, is believed to ward off malevolent spirits. Encountering blue butterflies above a perilous cliff, I recognized this visual language. Trusting the game’s visual cues, I took a leap of faith and discovered a hidden power-up. South of Midnight communicates through ancestral symbolism, a language that resonates deeply.

While South of Midnight excels in cultural representation and evocative storytelling, its combat mechanics fall short. Encounters follow a repetitive pattern: enemies appear in an arena, players defeat them, heal a blight causing their emergence, and repeat. This formulaic approach makes combat feel perfunctory, almost like an obligatory addition. Hazel’s abilities in combat lack distinctiveness or engaging utility, suggesting that the game’s compelling narrative and light platforming could stand alone successfully.

Media focusing on Black experiences often faces a challenging duality. Widespread recognition may hinge on depicting trauma explicitly, while an overcorrection might avoid acknowledging difficult realities altogether. South of Midnight skillfully balances these extremes, offering a nuanced portrayal seldom seen in mainstream media.

South of Midnight is a deeply resonant experience. It reflects and honors the culture it depicts with remarkable care and authenticity. In a climate where systemic erasure of marginalized communities persists, the power of authentic representation, particularly within the often-unwelcoming space of video games, cannot be overstated.

This game’s arrival is timely, delivering a narrative precisely when it is most needed. South of Midnight is a poignant and celebratory tribute to its cultural roots, making sustained silence in response to its impact truly difficult.

_{South of Midnight is currently available on Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, and Windows PC.}