Compulsion Games’ South of Midnight is a breath of fresh air, offering a straightforward adventure that harkens back to an era when such linear experiences were the norm. With a folklore-laden story that’s equally heartwarming and heartbreaking, as well as simple yet enjoyable gameplay, there’s an awful lot to love about this romp through the Deep South. If that sounds like your kind of thing, here are a few things to know before diving into South of Midnight.
You’re rewarded for veering off the beaten path
South of Midnight is a very linear experience, so you won’t encounter any open-world environments or large-scale level design during the campaign. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t any side paths and secret locations to uncover. As a matter of fact, you can find things hidden all across this bayou adventure’s levels—if you take the time to look around, that is.
Most notably, exploration is rewarded with health upgrades and Floofs, the latter of which is South of Midnight’s form of experience points. You’ll find tons of these all over the place, but most of them will require you to take a detour from the main path in some way. Since they’re required for leveling up your skills, you should take the time to thoroughly explore locations so you can stock up on as many as possible.
In addition to health upgrades and Floofs, you can find some of the game’s readables (collectibles) and world-building moments hidden away in unexpected places in South of Midnight, too. And if you’re aiming to fully complete the game, you’ll want to take the extra time to find these and fill out your collection.
Crouton is a huge help in fights
Hazel’s little stuffed buddy, Crouton, may not look very tough, but he’s no slouch in battle. He can be thrown into an enemy to briefly take control of them, giving you a temporary ally that can beat the hell out of your attackers for you. If you prioritize control of tougher enemies, you can take them out of the fight for a bit so you can work on the lower-tier foes. When Crouton’s control wears off, you’ll be in a much better position for tackling those big bads.
It’s a good idea to invest some skill points into Crouton Detonation and Crouton Surge as soon as they become available to further improve Crouton’s effectiveness with an AOE (Area of Effect) blast and higher overall damage, respectively. Who knew this little guy would be such a huge help?
Don’t rush; Soak in the story
Speaking of readables and world-building moments, South of Midnight is a story-driven title that also rewards you with lore and intriguing backstories if you take the time to invest in it. While the main campaign has plenty of compelling story beats on its own, taking the time to read notes and interact with items in the world can help build out the narrative, which will give you even more insight into the history and troubles of those in this fictional version of the Deep South.
South of Midnight is available on April 8, 2025 for Xbox Series X/S and Windows PCs.
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