Souldiers, the proof of a classic but solid metroidvania
Souldiers
In about a month, we will finally have the chance to try the full version of Souldiers, a new metroidvania action game developed by Retro Forge. Already, however, we were able to try a demo that allowed us to explore the basics of the game and understand how good (and how much less convincing) there is within this intriguing adventure.Here are the our impressions after Souldiers's trial.
Terragaya
The passage to the other world by Souldiers Souldiers opens with a tragedy: we and our comrades in arms, during a battle between kingdoms, we are trapped in a cave, following a mysterious collapse. A Valkyrie visits us, announcing that death is near and our only chance of salvation is to follow it to Terragaya, a mystical land on the edge of the underworld. There, our task will be to find a guardian and to direct us all together to the next world. The problem is that we are not really dead and something certainly does not add up.At the base of Souldiers there seems to be a great mystery, linked to some political intrigue and a fantasy world. Unfortunately, the demo only allows you to discover a hint of what is happening and it is difficult to understand how deep and interesting the plot will be. For the moment, the first impression is that of a world and a cast of characters that is generally generic, but in the final version there will certainly be room for us to change our mind.
The first game region does not help improve the first impression, as it is an anonymous cave overrun by spiders and other classic creatures such as slimes. There are some hints, however, to the fact that each environment has its own precise location in the game universe, thanks to (a few) notes scattered throughout the scenario, which suggest how this area was used by characters that for the moment we do not have. still met. Will there be an interesting lore, or will we have to be content with traveling from one generic fantasy place to another?
Three for one
Souldiers starts by choosing the character class If the plot didn't have large space, the same cannot be said of the gameplay. Souldiers is a classic 2D metroidvania in its structure and offers a mix of platform exploration and combat, while you go in search of treasures and secrets.Let's start from the beginning, that is, from the selection of the character. In fact, Souldiers allows you to choose a class among three available: the scout, the ranger and the magician. Each character has their own combat system and skill set. From the beginning, the differences are considerable and, also thanks to what we have seen with the trailers, the distance between the classes seems destined to grow more and more as you advance in the game.
The scout is the classic soldier with a sword and shield. In addition to having more life and good attack power, he is able to parry more hits before running out of stamina. They are the most balanced, strong and resilient class, although probably a little less versatile and less comfortable when it becomes important to keep your distance.
Souldiers' first powerful enemy The ranger has a bow with three arrows, which recharge every few seconds. The peculiarity is that he can throw the bow like a boomerang: at that moment he cannot therefore shoot, but if he inflicts damage with the launch it speeds up the reload. This pushes us to play closely, taking advantage of the ranger's unique jump dodge to keep us safe. The ranger will be able, with the right skills, to attack in multiple directions, even during jumps.
Finally, the wizard has a stirrup that, in addition to inflicting quick but weak blows, evokes a magic seeking projectile . Additionally, he can perform a fairly powerful short-range small magical blast that requires a small recharge. With skills, he becomes able to unleash powerful spells.
While it has not been possible to unlock more than a couple of skills per class, the impression is that the variety is remarkable. The most important thing is that the way to fight is actually different depending on the chosen class, which could be very tempting to play more games.
Finally, there is no shortage of items to equip to upgrade the characters and tools such as bombs to damage enemies and break down the classic fragile stone walls that hide passages and shortcuts.
First impressions
Each class of Souldiers has their own Controller skills at hand, Souldiers it works, but it's not surprising for the moment. The classes, as mentioned, seem very varied and in the final stages there may be enough attack moves to make each fight interesting, but - as far as this demo is concerned - what we are faced with is a solid but not particularly original metroidvania.You explore, jump, fight enemies that attack from near and far and from time to time you have to complete a "puzzle" section, marrying boulders to block drafts or activating a series of switches before time runs out.
There is nothing wrong with what we have tried, but at the same time it lacks that spark that makes it stand out from the long list of 2D metroidvania in recent years. Visually, too, Souldiers is crafted with care, but the pixel-art style is seen and revised.
The very first impression is that it will be a title suitable for diehards of the genre. If the story and setting are of a higher level than what is seen in the demo, then perhaps the rest of the players could also consider this adventure. The definitive response, however, we will only have it on May 19th, when Souldiers will be released on PC (Steam, Epic Games, GOG), PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X | S and Nintendo Switch.
Souldiers proposes itself as a classic metroidvania with a fantasy cut. For now, what is intriguing is the potential of the combat system and the evolution of the classes, which are significantly different from each other. The plot is barely hinted at and has everything to prove, while the setting seems too classic, but it could still hold surprises in the final version. Souldiers seems like a solid game, at first glance, but only with the final version will we be able to understand if it will be able to emerge among the masterpieces of the genre.
