South of Midnight, the new game coming from We Happy Few developer Compulsion Games, made an appearance at today's Xbox Direct showcase to reveal more about its «darkly magical world» set in the Deep South of the US.
Also revealed is the release date: It's set to come out on April 8. Hazel is a Weaver, whose newly discovered powers enable her to see the supernatural world that exists just beyond ours, populated by creatures of folklore who, it turns out, actually exist.
Some are friendly and some are not, and that's a problem for Hazel, who's searching for her mother in the wake of a catastrophic hurricane: Wielding her magical powers, she must do battle with the powerful Haints, and ultimately set them free from the traumas that haunt them.
Along the way, she'll also discover more about herself, her family, and her legacy. South of Midnight's game world looks great, and while the dodge-roll-strike rhythm of the soulslike-style combat is a central part of the experience, it's the potential of the story that I find more interesting.
It gives me a bit of a Pathless vibe—which, for the record, I loved. Boss battles really aren't my thing, but I got over it for The Pathless and I'm willing to give it a shot for South of Midnight, too.