Wielding pixelated nostalgia as fuel, Souldiers borrows from several familiar titles on the surface but attempts to charge a course of its own with labyrinthine maps and tight combat that may be too harrowing for some.
For developer Retro Forge, Souldiers is an extremely safe bet for a first game.
Studios can throw all the money in the world at a game and there will still be a large pocket of players that constantly gravitate towards any game looking like it could be played on a plastic cartridge. Since Souldiers crept its way onto my radar I’ve been intrigued at how this “retro-inspired Soulslike Metroidvania” would actually shape up.
Buzzwords are a dangerous thing. They are delicious sustenance for those trying to find games that best appeal to their nature. Do you like 16-bit visuals? Enjoy those games where the maps connect a bunch and need to be revisited with new powers? Possess a love/hate relationship with death but love the raw challenge? Souldiers fancies itself as a blend of these classic, nostalgic pieces of gaming, yet its strength isn’t in rehashing oft-treaded ground.
Retro Forge has certainly checked off numerous boxes with Souldiers. The game replicates the best that 16-bit graphics had to offer. When I’m able to boot up a game and be transported back to the mindset of Mode 7, scanlines, crunchy Genesis music, and simple platforming, you’re doing something right. But I’ll admit to the deluge of similar titles looking to act as time capsules and their increasing need to raise the stakes to garner some of the mind-share.
Souldiers is, like its inspirations, light on story. Players choose one of three classes being unceremoniously killed by a betrayal in their homeland and then resurrected by a Valkyrie and transported to the fantasy world of Terragaya to solve an unknown crisis. Despite a jovial cast of wonderfully realized and detailed characters and creatures, I found the game’s plot to be suitable to my basic needs of lighting a fire under my ass to not die. By not asking too much, players won’t be disappointed.
I’ll be honest, a game does not always need to have detailed lore and an intricate story for me to respect dedicated world building. One of Souldiers‘ sturdiest pillars is its ability to craft massive dungeons, even if they don’t necessarily conform to the standards previous Metroidvania games have set. This is one of the ways I think Souldiers–or at least its attempts to market itself–may trip up expectations. Souldiers evokes traditional map crawling like Metroid of Symphony of the Night but it is not foundational to the structure of the game. Very early on in the spider-infested caverns of the opening dungeon, players come across spiderwebs that act as a barrier to accessing a treasure. About an hour later, a flame ability is gained that burns down these webs.
There are a number of shortcuts strewn about the large sections of Souldiers‘ map but they don’t lead to revelatory “ohhhhh” moments like walking up steps into Anor Londo, flipping the playable space upside down, or bombing open a crawlspace to morph-ball to a secret upgrade. Think of Souldiers‘ world as a series of massive dungeons and levels and biomes that are often connected by smaller towns and areas. Certainly there are reasons to come back to a space–a handy teleportation mechanic makes this very painless–but it most often struck me as a way of gatekeeping a few items and allowing players to revisit old locales.
A few times during my time exploring and fighting, I did wonder if I was lost or had fallen into a higher level area on accident. While a generous map system does exist that shows what still needs to be collected, players have to find map fragments or stumble around in the unknown, filling out the map step by step. Praise must be heaped upon Retro Forge’s ability to create fantasy environments, however. From snowy peaks, to dusty temples, to bustling towns, the art team had a vision here and it truly shines. This is where the most mindful pixel art really shows its might. The amount of detail packed into the screen never ceased to impress me, even when retreading paths after constant deaths.
Souldiers is an immensely difficult game, almost from the jump. Because I am a glutton for punishment, I often play on the hardest difficulty right out of the gate. I expect to ram my head against the wall a few times, dying frequently while adjusting my skill. Souldiers‘s hardest difficulty (out of three) was crushing. Enemies took a lot of hits to kill and my character only took a few before being sent back to a hopefully merciful checkpoint.
Players select one of three classes, the Caster, the Scout, and the Archer. The Caster and Archer are primarily focused on ranged attacks and are more fragile, with the Scout being close-range and beefier. To survive in combat, players absolutely need to learn enemy attack patterns whether through patience or constant death. Additionally, Souldiers emphasizes the importance of blocking and parrying attacks and dodging out of the way.
Combat is surprisingly robust for a side-scrolling action title but there came a point when I had to shove my ego off a cliff and consider playing on an easier difficulty. The thing is, Souldiers was extremely punishing in its opening hours. I quickly acclimated myself to the smaller enemies in spider caves. But as the Caster, I could only take one or two hits from the large spider enemies and the wispy tree thing that acted as a kind of mini-boss. While I found a couple ways to cheese a few enemies by playing with their aggro, as the Caster I did too little damage early on. You see, the dodge can’t be spammed and blocking can only be used a certain amount of times before the shield is broken and has to recharge. Fighting against enemies felt more like spamming attack as many times as possible and then praying that I dodged or blocked at the right time.
Fights in Souldiers shouldn’t be ignored because they grant experience points that level up the character. With enough levels, players unlock new skills and masteries that are fun and useful in various combat scenarios. But leveling up felt like an extreme crawl. The pace of the game was definitely hindered by the difficulty level and faster progression and a more rewarding system is likely to be found if players play the game on normal. Regardless, I do think the game has a tendency to spike in its difficulty, sometimes right before a cool skill or power is earned. There were many times where poor checkpoints sent me back way too far, especially during particularly difficult sections.
While I found the opening hours of Souldiers to feel meager in their rewards, I began to acclimate to the game’s mild complexity. There are potions, shops, artifacts, and upgrade materials that all play into strengthening players. Exploration is highly encouraged because it’s the best way too ensure you will be ready for what’s next. Occasionally there are a few puzzles that require a little bit of thought but none ever stumped me. Retro Forge packed the game with engaging scenarios that benefited from the beautiful world and the ruthless combat. Sure, there are points where enemy combinations can be slightly unforgiving or a boss just won’t die. And yet I never felt like a moment wasn’t unearned or that I didn’t feel relief after a particularly salty, harrowing battle.
As I was writing this review, I received an email informing me to check out a new trailer for a game that featured pixel art and asked if I was missing Metroidvanias and Soulslikes. I couldn’t help but chuckle. But I get it, I really do. I’m a sucker for these types of game, just like many others. Yet there is a bit of irony in getting that kind of email when here I am, writing about that exact kind of game.
Souldiers is a kind of comfort food. There are players who will actively seek out a game like this, one that is inspired by the best kinds of interactive nostalgia. While developer Retro Forge is keen on piquing the interest of classic key genres, Souldiers stands surprisingly well on its own qualities. This is a beautiful game that can be absurdly difficult but it’s more than a large, interconnected map and a twist on punishing combat. The name might be a little too clever for its own good but keep in mind that Souldiers is unique in its own right.
