Soul Gambler

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In Soul Gambler, a modern adaptation of Goethe’s Faust, you play as Faust, selling your soul in installments for wish fulfillment. Your choices determine the story’s outcome through this interactive graphic novel, featuring comic book-style illustrations and environments. Will you maintain your soul or succumb to temptation?

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

Reviews

82%

Audience ScoreBased on 992 reviews

story309 positive mentions

grinding14 negative mentions

Interesting visual novel with a unique take on the Faust story.
Engaging art style and well-done comic book presentation.
Multiple endings and choices that affect the outcome of the story.

Very short gameplay, typically completed in under an hour.
Lack of a skip function for previously read dialogue makes replaying tedious.
Some grammatical errors and awkward translations detract from the overall experience.

story
765 mentions
40 % positive mentions
57 % neutral mentions
3 % negative mentions
The game's story is generally described as interesting and engaging, with a creative premise based on the Faustian theme of selling one's soul. However, many reviewers note that the narrative is quite short, often leading to a feeling of rushed storytelling and limited character development. While choices do impact the story to some extent, several players feel that the overall plot remains linear, with minimal variation in outcomes across multiple playthroughs.
- “The story depends on your choices and can go several different ways.”
- “Moreover, the choices offered genuinely affect the storyline, adding depth and immersion.”
- “The story is interesting, the basic thought of the game is something I've not seen before.”
- “The story is not that exciting at all.”
- “This is a pretty painfully done e-book, with bad, clunky writing and a high schooler tier plot related to selling your soul.”
- “The story is shallow and was obviously written in another language and then poorly translated.”
graphics
169 mentions
57 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
2 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their unique comic book art style, which many players found visually appealing and well-suited to the storytelling. While some noted limitations in customization options and occasional low-quality graphics, the overall aesthetic was described as colorful, engaging, and effectively enhancing the narrative experience. Many reviewers appreciated the artwork's ability to evoke emotions and contribute to the game's atmosphere, making it a standout feature despite its brevity.
- “I love this game, the art style, the story, the characters, everything about it. I even bought the art book, which is so amazing!”
- “The visuals are fantastic and the storyline is intriguing.”
- “The comic book-style artwork is nice and pretty unique compared to other visual novels on Steam, which are almost all anime artwork.”
- “There's no options to change the resolution for the e-book or customize the graphics settings.”
- “There's no way for gamers to try to improve the low-quality graphics.”
- “The graphics are ok, but there is no animation; it's just comic book style pictures with text on them.”
music
124 mentions
37 % positive mentions
46 % neutral mentions
17 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players noting that while it fits the atmosphere, it suffers from poor looping and repetitiveness, leading to noticeable interruptions during gameplay. Some found the soundtrack to be decent and atmospheric, but others criticized it as uninspired and annoying, with a lack of variety. Overall, while the music contributes to the game's ambiance, it is often seen as one of its weaker aspects.
- “Funky graphics, cool music, and nice story!”
- “Liked the artwork and presentation a lot, and the music was very fitting and at times atmospheric, helping to increase the sense of immersion.”
- “Great 'choose-your-own-adventure' interactive story with an awesome soundtrack and cool art style!”
- “Bewilderingly, the e-book doesn't include proper audio controls, so while you can turn off the annoying background music, you'll need to alt+tab out and stop the rest of the UI audio using the Windows sound mixer.”
- “The music is not good; beyond being simply repetitious and uninspired, it does not cleanly loop and digital clipping is audible upon said looping.”
- “One solid gripe I'll offer is my annoyance with the repetitive music, which loops itself far too quickly.”
replayability
79 mentions
35 % positive mentions
61 % neutral mentions
4 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability due to its multiple endings and meaningful choices that alter the story's flow, making it engaging for players who enjoy exploring different outcomes. While some reviews note the game's short length and repetitive nature may detract from the experience, many players appreciate the opportunity to uncover various story paths and achievements. Overall, it is considered a solid choice for those seeking a visual novel with high replay value.
- “The game is highly replayable if you want to know more about the story, the characters, yourself, the situation, or even just to see different options play out.”
- “The multiple outcomes added a lot of replay value to the game: a single run of the game lasts about one hour and you can get up to five different endings.”
- “The story is lovely and it has a lot of replayability due to the different choices you can make.”
- “There is no replay value, and I wouldn't consider ever coming back to it; just another title to hold in my game library.”
- “Yes, it's a short game and can be blitzed through with replayability non-existent since it's the same thing over and over again.”
- “I would have liked more work on the replayability, or the music, or a wider number of animations of characters and scenarios.”
gameplay
58 mentions
24 % positive mentions
71 % neutral mentions
5 % negative mentions
The gameplay of this visual novel is primarily focused on decision-making, with players clicking through dialogue and making choices that influence the story and character attributes. While some reviewers appreciated the interesting mechanics and art style, many criticized the lack of substantial gameplay elements, repetitive clicking, and poorly written dialogue, leading to a mixed reception overall. The game is described as a "choose-your-own-adventure" experience, but its limited mechanics and short playtime left some players feeling unsatisfied.
- “Shorter gameplay but fun casual game with pleasing graphics and an interesting story.”
- “The 'soul gambling' mechanic and basic RPG statistic elements that lead to different options are well implemented, and choices lead to poignant and rewarding consequences.”
- “Good story, great art comic, great gameplay although a bit short to finish this game.”
- “As a visual/interactive novel, this doesn't feature any notable gameplay; it's just a lot of clicking through badly written dialogue that would never have been accepted or published in print, which poses the question, 'how did something this badly written end up on Steam?'”
- “The choices are stupid and the mechanics are weak.”
- “Otherwise, there is very little in terms of gameplay; most of the time is spent clicking to advance the dialogue.”
humor
21 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with players appreciating its comic book art style and a blend of dark humor that addresses modern issues. Many found themselves laughing out loud at various points, enjoying the funny settings and unexpected outcomes, although some noted that the writing and character development could be improved. Overall, the game delivers a mix of intentional and unintentional humor, making it an entertaining experience for players.
- “Enjoyed the comic book art style and the story has a decent blend of humor in it.”
- “This game made me laugh, it made me smile, made me confused, sad, happy, and a whole lot in between.”
- “I was laughing out loud at multiple points in the story.”
grinding
14 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being dark, tedious, and repetitive, with many players expressing frustration over the slow dialogue progression and lack of fast-forward or skip options. Achieving all endings and completing the game often requires multiple playthroughs, which can feel laborious due to the excessive clicking and inability to revisit previous choices easily. Overall, while some players enjoyed the content, the grinding experience detracted significantly from their enjoyment.
- “The game felt tedious to me.”
- “It is dull, boring, tedious, and repetitive.”
- “Unfortunately, it hasn't been set up to allow fast forwarding or skipping in any sense, so multiple playthroughs to see all the different routes and achievements gets tedious real fast.”
atmosphere
14 mentions
79 % positive mentions
7 % neutral mentions
14 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its detailed art style, immersive backgrounds, and fitting music, which collectively enhance the overall experience. Reviewers appreciate the comic-book visual style that creates a unique, engaging ambiance, although some note that certain NPC dialogues could be more profession-appropriate. Overall, the atmosphere is considered one of the game's strongest aspects, contributing significantly to its immersive storytelling.
- “I would say the art is its strongest side, especially the backgrounds that can be very detailed and atmospheric.”
- “The background music is subtle and atmospheric.”
- “A great game with a very engrossing atmosphere.”
- “The game is drawn in a comic-book fashion with a peculiar take on the visual style that gives it a gloomy, but not too dark atmosphere.”
- “Music is okay and fits the atmosphere just fine.”
stability
4 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game's stability is marred by numerous bugs, glitches, and typos, which contribute to an amateurish feel. Despite these issues, some players still found enjoyment in the overall experience.
- “Some of the glitches seemed to be poor translations, while others appeared to be flat-out typos.”
- “Despite the spelling and grammar errors, the technical glitches, and the continuity errors, I still enjoyed this game.”
- “The work comes off as amateurish when there are glitches and typos in the game.”
emotional
4 mentions
75 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
25 % negative mentions
Reviews indicate a mixed emotional impact, with some players finding the game touching when engaging deeply with the character's choices, while others criticize the music and story for lacking emotional depth and failing to capture their interest.
- “It is a touching game if you take your time and just do what you would do by having the same choices and chances as the main character.”
- “It helps carry what is ultimately a boring story.”
character development
3 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
Character development in the game features a mix of appealing and unique designs, though opinions vary, with some players finding certain designs to be creepy. Overall, while there are standout characters, the inconsistency in design quality affects the overall impression.
- “Oh, some of the character designs are pretty good too.”
- “Some of the character designs were pretty cool.”
optimization
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
100 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The optimization of the game is generally rated positively, with users giving it a score of 7, indicating that while there may be some minor issues, the overall performance is satisfactory and runs smoothly for most players.