Paradox Soul
- February 9, 2018
- Ritual Games
Get on Steam"Paradox Soul is a 2D action-shooter Metroidvania game featuring Dr. Alli Rose. Explore a nightmarish test facility, battle epic bosses, and unlock unique suit abilities and weapon upgrades. Discover secrets in this hand-crafted labyrinth of evil."
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Steam Deck
Windows
Xbox One
Xbox Series X|S
PlayStation
Playstation Vita
Xbox
Reviews
- The pixel art is visually appealing and fits well with the retro aesthetic.
- The game offers a unique cover-based combat system that adds a layer of strategy to gameplay.
- Exploration is encouraged, and the game features interesting level design with evolving enemy types.
- Controls are unresponsive and cannot be customized, making gameplay frustrating.
- The game lacks a coherent story and fails to provide adequate tutorials for its mechanics.
- It is extremely short and repetitive, with minimal upgrades and a lack of depth in gameplay.
- gameplay13 mentions
- 23 % positive mentions
- 54 % neutral mentions
- 23 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been criticized for being janky and unsatisfying, with unresponsive controls and poorly explained mechanics that leave players feeling lost and bored. Repetitive enemy encounters and a lack of polish detract from the overall experience, despite some potential in the game's premise and graphics. While there are enjoyable elements like gun upgrades and fun abilities, the overall execution fails to meet the expectations of experienced gamers.
“The premise is fully respected in the gameplay.”
“During my gameplay, I found this game to be very good and with much potential.”
“While the graphics are very well done, with animations that perfectly complement the gameplay.”
“It's janky and unsatisfying to play... and any experienced gamer will tell you, the handling, responsiveness, and general gameplay feel of the control scheme must be well polished for this kind of game to succeed.”
“Unfortunately, this is something the developer seems to have phoned in, with little to no apparent gameplay testing or polish done.”
“Core game mechanics are not merely unexplained, they are not even hinted at.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game feature retro pixel art that some players appreciate for its nostalgic charm and polished execution, effectively complementing the gameplay and environment. However, the lack of resolution options and modern graphical tweaks has drawn criticism, with some reviewers feeling that the overall presentation feels outdated and poorly executed.
“Old school platformer with nice graphics.”
“Classic pixel-based graphics; I think it's polished and the choice of colors fits well with the environment.”
“While the graphics are very well done, with animations that perfectly complement the gameplay, I found the music was a little grating after a while.”
“A choice was made to use obsolete, decades-old retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
“There's no option to change the resolution and no useful graphics tweaks.”
“It has a nice artwork and a good mood, but this game was poorly made.”
- music7 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 43 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting its repetitive nature, often describing it as a short, looping track that can become grating over time. While some fans of the 80's synthwave genre appreciate the style, others find it overwhelming and headache-inducing, detracting from the overall experience.
“The music is just a retro synthwave track; I must say I love this genre, so I enjoyed it very much.”
“Oh yeah, I didn't mention the music.”
“If I try to alt-tab out of the game, it will continue playing the music that is terribly repetitive.”
“The repetitive, 5-second loop of music made it almost unbearable.”
“While the graphics are very well done, with animations that perfectly complement the gameplay, I found the music was a little grating after a while.”
- story5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 40 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The game's story is widely criticized for its lack of depth, with many players noting that there is essentially no plot, character development, or world-building. The narrative is described as minimal to the point of being non-existent, often culminating in a clichéd conclusion. Overall, the storytelling aspect is considered a significant weakness of the game.
“Either way, this game doesn't have much depth in terms of story (there is basically no story whatsoever), and many who have played the game have had issues in one regard or another, whether it be the combat or lack of depth in enemy or area design.”
“There is no real story or plot, characters, or world building, or it's done so subtly as to barely exist at all except in the imaginations of its maker(s).”
“The storyline itself ended in a cliché.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has been criticized as a cash grab, with users expressing disappointment over its low quality and likening it to subpar products typically associated with the developer and publisher. The use of Gamemaker Studio is also noted as a common indicator of retro pixel shovelware, further emphasizing the perception of exploitation in its monetization approach.
“This isn't a PC game; it's a rejected PS Vita handheld game that they dumped onto Steam as a cash grab. It's fully on par with products from this developer and their shovelware-pushing publisher. It's garbage.”
“GameMaker Studio is most commonly used to make retro pixel shovelware and cash grabs.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to have a slower pacing, which can be enjoyable during progression but becomes tedious during backtracking.
“The pacing is much slower, which is fine when you're moving forward, but it makes backtracking kind of tedious.”
“Grinding feels like a never-ending chore rather than an engaging part of the game.”
“The repetitive nature of grinding takes away from the overall enjoyment and immersion.”
- atmosphere1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally seen as lacking, with users suggesting that there is significant room for improvement.
“This atmosphere could be improved upon though.”
