Soulstice: Deluxe Edition (PS5)

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Unfortunately, while Soulstice starts with a bang and does a good job of keeping you hooked in the early game, it all falls apart after the first few chapters. Soulstice review The balance of the Holy Kingdom of Keidas is compromised when powerful, feral beings known as “Wraiths” invade from the other side of the Veil. Wraiths corrupt their victims and can even possess their bodies, turning into unstoppable, vile beings that prey upon the living. The Chimera, hybrid warriors born of the union of two souls, are the only ones who can protect humankind. I’m sure there will be players out there that will master the mechanics and gameplay but that will be in spite of these issues, they’ll find methods to manage them or workarounds. It sours an experience that otherwise gets a lot of the fundamentals right. When the combat flows it feels great with a lot of options to utilise and it rewards clean play. It’s just the pacing issues and an awkward camera that stop this from mixing with the big boys.

Dialogue - Besides the main Protagonists Briar & Lute, its kinda bland with conversations. They seem flat and tone deaf, barely any emotion unless its a sequence when the Protagonists get Angry (Briar), Scared or Upset (Lute). Explore a dark world brimming with hidden mysteries, master a diverse combat system, and inhabit the dual forces of two sisters in a coming-of-age dark fantasy story with fast-paced action, vicious enemies, and spectacular boss fights. Wraiths, Corrupted and Possessed have trespassed into the world from beyond the Veil. Use Lute’s auras to weaken or expose them and adapt to a flow of battle that never feels the same.You take control of Briar, a warrior who has been sent to Ilden to seal a tear in the sky. Briar is no ordinary warrior, she is a Chimera which means the ghost of her deceased sister is with her at all times to help her fight. You’ll learn all about the nature of the Chimeras as you meet others that have also been sent and it’s an enjoyable piece of world building. The most important aspect of the game is the gameplay however, which is pretty much exclusively based around battles. Soulstice gets a lot right. The combat mechanics are fun, fluid, have a huge amount of depth to them and a high skill ceiling. Lute’s skills add to the combat and exploration as well as giving Briar someone to talk to. Less lengthy levels, with a focus on replaying them at higher difficulties, would have been more appealing to me as after one playthrough I feel burned out. A combat camera which gave the player all the information they need and enemy AI that were less likely to take advantage of those deficiencies would also elevate the experience massively. Complete walkthrough for each level showing where all collectibles are located for 100% completion.

Battle Different Enemy Classes - A vile mix of Wraiths, Corrupted and Possessed, have poured into the world from beyond the Veil. Utilize Lute’s unique auras to expose or weaken these creatures and adapt to a flow of battle that never feels the same.And you end up with Soulstice. For the best and for the worst. I completed it on the hardest available difficulty (Hard) on first playthrough. This problem only gets worse as the game goes on, since mini bosses get added into the regular spawns of enemies as you get further into the game. These enemies don’t change much from their initial encounters and normally spawn alongside another enemy of the same caliber, accompanied with a large strike force of smaller enemies to form what would be epic battles if not for the stop-and-go combat. These problems are only made worse by the occasional camera snagging on the environment during combat and the abrupt difficulty spike during the last leg of the game. These add up to create constant exasperation as you play, where combat encounters become tedious and frustrating, and platforming goes from relaxed to demanding in the span of just a few levels. Soulstice review

Performance focuses on frame rate, heavily tuning down shadow effects while cutting other persistent visuals down and offering a noticeably higher framerate that smooths out all animation hiccups for an experience that runs at 60 frames per second. Plunge into a dark story of sisterly love heightened by stylish and sleek art inspired by Japanese dark fantasy classics.Explore a City in Ruin - A Tear in the Sky has opened above the once-holy city of Ilden; As Briar and Lute fight to reach the Tear, they’ll face complex puzzles and secrets while their surroundings become more hostile and twisted Making waves for its sleek art-style and combat, Reply Game Studios’ Soulstice finally releases on September 20th for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. Despite launching in a busy month, it offers an intriguing story, deep mechanics and fun exploration to go with its fast-paced combat. I recently had the chance to play a preview build with the first 12 missions available so without further ado, let’s look at 14 things you should know before playing Soulstice.