There are surprisingly quite a few video games set in the South. Population aside, the Southern culture in the US is distinct and hugely influential, and its biomes are fun to explore both virtually and in real life. It’s thanks to the South’s unique charm that even non-American gamers have a vague idea of these regions.
Most of these gamers breezed through games completely set in the South or stages in Southern-inspired areas, likeResident Evil 7and many ofLeft 4 Dead 2’s levels. And while American gamers may debate which states count as ‘the South,’ one thing they can agree on is the authentic representation of US Southern states in these titles.
South of Midnightis the upcoming game byContrastandWe Happy Fewstudio, Compulsion Games. Set in the fictional Prospero, Hazel sets out to confront ancient creatures to rescue her mother. To do so, she must weave magic, befriend creatures in the bayou, and learn more about the magical world that took her mother away.
Aside from the promise of Deep South folklore, the game features colorful, handpainted-style environments and characters animated in an almoststop motion frame rate. Haints, or evil spirits in Gullah folklore, are the main enemy, though actual legendary creatures like Two-Toed Tom are also brought up. The mysticism ofthe Gullah and underrepresented Creole cultureare apparent inspirations, in addition to the Deep South’s Southern Gothic aesthetics and folk songs.
Although a year away from release (at the time of writing),Grand Theft Auto 6’s teaser trailer showed enough to confirm that it is as Southern as Florida can be. With a landmass rumored to span a sizable portion of the Sunshine State,Grand Theft Auto’s upcoming sequel will cover all the biomes Florida has to offer.
Key among these is Vice City, the franchise’s analogue to Miami, which seems to have significantly expanded. Key West and Seven Mile Bridge were also given a loving bird’s eye view, showing off the game’s so-far impressive water engine. The Everglades and various beaches, ports, and pueblos were also shown off in the game’s version of social media.
As for Florida’s culture, the pueblos lovingly recreated in the trailer, as well asswamp and wildlifeshenanigans, beachfolk, and the meme’d but apparently real “Florida Men” and women all point towards a parodic authenticity toGTA 6.
Release Date
Norcois a 2D point-and-click love letter to Louisiana and a big middle finger to Shell. Through evocative pixel art,Norcodepicts a melancholic yet beautiful cyberpunk Norco, New Orleans, and Louisiana. Although stylized, Louisiana residents get a kick out of recognizing the familiar scenes painstakingly illustrated in the Southern Gothic mystery game.
As for its animosity toward Shell, parodied as Shield in-game, the game makes its jabs at the destructive effects of pollution on communities. It also, in no uncertain terms, rages at the surveillance imposed by the company on the people they rely on for labor yet poison and exploit. In the middle ofall this climate griefis a personal tale of a daughter working through estrangement and a once-familiar city now as chaotic as the rest of the country.
The South features heavily inThe Walking Deadgames — and the franchise in general. The firstTelltalegame follows Lee, Clementine, and their party across Georgia, where much of the TV series also took place. A grown-up Clementine ventures across North Carolina, Tennessee, and Ohio for Season 2.
Michonne’s turn as the protagonist takes her across Maryland and Virginia. Clementine returns to the series with newcomer Javi to Maryland. Lastly,The Walking Dead: The Final Seasonends Clementine’s story in West Virginia.
Mexico undoubtedly took the crown in terms of location for theCall of Juarezseries, but Southern states featured heavily in the games as well. Arkansas, Georgia, and Texas played major roles in the 1860s to 1882 titles. Meanwhile, Kansas got the rub for the last game in the series.
Culture-wise, theCall of Juarezseries draws heavily onWild West tropes. The first game draws on the gold rush and revenge tales; its prequel spins around bandits, the Civil War, and Native Americans; whileGunslingerrounds out the series with bounty hunting infamous legendary outlaws.
The District of Columbia is another hotly contested US state, with some claiming it’s more Mid-Atlantic than Southern. However, the border state whereFallout 3takes place is defined as a South Atlantic state by the US Census Bureau. Moreover, the DLCPoint Lookoutplops players in the titular Maryland seaside town.
Fallout 3’s Mason Dixon Salvage site aside, the Capital Wasteland had alot of detailsaround neighborhoods that surprised DC residents. Point Lookout, meanwhile, had its horrors in the swamp, with scares almost comparable to the Wasteland’s Dunwich horror.
Western Kentucky is rendered byKentucky Route Zeroin moody, liminal, Edward Hopper-esque low poly art and with atmospheric storytelling that attempts a Lynchian style. Forests, farmsteads, town squares, gas stations, shacks, and fixtures evoke nostalgia and mystery in this version of the South, displayed in museums as art.
Gamers who want a 1:1 depiction of Kentucky should probably steer clear.Kentucky Route Zero’s biggest sell is how it renders the Bluegrass State inservice of the storyand what it has to say about life in it. When not distracted by eccentric art school decisions, real issues like poverty, addiction, destruction of small communities, and systemic injustice float to the surface.
TheFalloutseries takes liberties when it comes to its U.S. locations, though each game’s accurate enough to earn praise.Fallout 76takes it to the next level despite having its version of West Virginia partly blown to bits. Bethesda’s take is so accurate that West Virginia’s tourism board partnered with the company to create a fictional and real-life comparison map.
Fidelity aside,Fallout 76’s depiction of West Virginia’s cultural landmarks proved educational for non-residents. Real events and sights like Fastnacht Day and a landlocked lighthouse are blended with urban legends like the Mothman and Sheepsquatch, plus strange war-related structures like military bases and a bunker in a resort.
Resident Evil 7’sauthenticity was much lauded by long-time Louisiana residents when it first came out. The Bakers’ home and surrounding buildings crawling with plantlife, harsh mud from storms, salt mines, and gators in swamps felt much like home for some virtual tourists. Perhaps the only sizable nitpicks about its locations are the basements, open pits, and hills, which are pretty much non-existent in the South.
The depiction of the Bakersand notes scatteredabout their community and surroundings were also kindly looked on. Save for Lucas, the Bakers were a pretty good approximation of Southern folk prior to Eveline’s manipulations. Notwithstanding their cussing, their speech and mannerisms were also quite familiar to Southerners.
WhenRed Dead Redemption 2came out, its crazily detailed map was one of its biggest selling points.The hyperrealistic gamewas praised for its fairly accurate mapping of the American frontier. Among the Southern states it did a fair job of depicting are Texas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Tennessee.
Although it follows Rockstar’s alternative continuity,Red Dead Redemption 2still follows the time period’s culture and historical circumstances. The Pinkertons were truly that ruthless, women’s suffrage was mostly the affair of non-working women, and racial equality was a foreign concept. Lead Arthur Morgan’s reactions to these can be typical of the period, or have him act like a man ahead of his time.
