Soul Scathe
- February 18, 2022
- Bluelight Construct
Get on Steam"Soul Scathe" is a VR Dungeon Crawler RPG with procedurally generated dungeons and reactive melee and magic combat. As the Valiant Returner, a battlemage seeking to restore lost memories, players can fuse 14 base spells into 9 powerful spell combinations. Fight against deadly foes, avoid traps, and discover secrets as you journey through treacherous dungeons.
PC
Windows
Cloud
Reviews
- The game offers a fun and engaging dungeon-crawling experience with a satisfying upgrade system and a variety of spells.
- The atmosphere, graphics, and sound design are well-executed, creating an immersive environment for players.
- The developer is responsive to community feedback and actively updates the game, showing promise for future improvements.
- Combat feels repetitive and lacks depth, with weapons having no weight and a simplistic parry system that can lead to frustration.
- There are numerous bugs and glitches that can disrupt gameplay, including issues with enemy AI and weapon handling.
- The level design can be bland and repetitive, with limited enemy variety and a lack of engaging exploration elements.
- graphics9 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 33 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some praising the detailed dungeon environments and overall visuals, while others find them underwhelming compared to early trailers. Performance issues, such as frame rate drops on high-end hardware, were also noted, alongside a general sentiment that the graphics are merely adequate rather than impressive.
“Looks very good graphically - the dungeon environments and enemies are very nice.”
“The atmosphere and the dungeons, while bare, do feel like lost dungeons; the music plays well and the overall graphics are fairly nice.”
“Visuals and lore are impressive.”
“On my RTX 3080, I was getting dropped frame rates from 90 to 70 FPS on medium graphics.”
“The graphics are just okay and not that impressive in my opinion.”
“Voice acting and graphics are sound enough.”
- gameplay6 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 17 % neutral mentions
- 33 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable and solid, though it has notable shortcomings, particularly in combat mechanics, which lack physics-based interactions and depth. While some players appreciate the atmosphere and design, others express a desire for more engaging and impactful combat elements. Overall, the experience is mixed, with strengths in ambiance but weaknesses in gameplay mechanics.
“Overall, pretty solid, enjoyable gameplay, despite some shortcomings.”
“The gameplay is great.”
“I wish it would be more like 'Diablo 1', but for a VR game in general, it has the best atmosphere, music, dungeon design, and battle mechanics.”
“I think however the biggest drawback of the game is the gameplay. The combat is not physics-based, so your weapons have no weight. There's no damage bonus for swinging harder, and enemies don't have pressure points you can attack (for example, you can't attack their legs or arms to cripple them).”
“I wish it would be more like 'Diablo 1', but for a VR game in general. It has the best atmosphere, music, dungeon design, and battle mechanics.”
- atmosphere5 mentions
- 80 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised, with players noting its immersive hub world, satisfying details like breakable potions, and a strong sense of adrenaline during gameplay. The combination of well-designed dungeons, effective music, and appealing graphics contributes to an overall engaging experience, making it one of the best in its genre for atmosphere.
“The atmosphere is on point; I felt genuine adrenaline at times.”
“The atmosphere, the dungeons, whilst bare, do feel like lost dungeons. The music plays well and the overall graphics are fairly nice.”
“It has the best atmosphere, music, dungeon design, and battle mechanics.”
- story4 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The story in the game is minimal, with a greater emphasis on combat, which may appeal to players seeking action over narrative depth. Users have noted that their experience may vary based on their VR setup, but the visual quality, particularly in darker environments, is praised.
“Not much as far as story, from what I can tell -- but if you're wanting a lot of combat, it has that.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The music in the game is highly praised for enhancing the atmosphere and overall experience, with many reviewers noting its quality and effectiveness in complementing the dungeon design and gameplay. While some minor criticisms exist regarding specific sound elements, the general consensus is that the sound design, including music, is top-notch and contributes significantly to the immersive experience.
“The atmosphere, the dungeons, while bare, do feel like lost dungeons; the music plays well and the overall graphics are fairly nice.”
“It has the best atmosphere, music, dungeon design, and battle mechanics.”
“The sound design is excellent; I thought the music and the sounds in general were top notch.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks variety, making it hard to stay engaged during long play sessions.”
“While the sound effects are decent, the music feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere.”
“The soundtrack is forgettable and fails to enhance the overall experience, leaving it feeling flat.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's optimization is generally well-received, with initial performance being strong; however, some users have reported occasional stuttering during gameplay.
“The optimization starts out great.”
“The game runs smoothly after the latest optimization updates.”
“I appreciate how the developers continuously improve performance and stability.”
“The game suffers from noticeable stuttering, which detracts from the overall experience.”
“Performance issues are prevalent, leading to frequent frame drops during gameplay.”
“Optimization seems lacking, as I encountered several lag spikes that interrupted my immersion.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by the amusing tactic of "cheesing" bosses, where players can exploit their proximity to the enemies, often getting hilariously close or positioning themselves directly under them for an easy win.
“Funny enough, all of the bosses can be cheesed by just going really close to them to the point where you're practically inside them or directly under their legs.”
