Soul Stalker
- August 4, 2023
- Radhood Advance
- 10h median play time
Get on Steam"Soul Stalker" is a survivor roguelike game with Slay the Spire-like map and build systems, where you banish ghosts haunting town residents. Forge your own path, synergize weapons and trinkets, and unlock new items through a progression system. The game features automated attacks, Paper Mario-inspired graphics, and a soundtrack by composer Tomoki Miyoshi.
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The game features charming graphics and a cute paper art style that enhances the overall experience.
- It offers a variety of characters, weapons, and trinkets, allowing for unique builds and gameplay strategies.
- The gameplay is simple and accessible, making it a fun and light option for casual gaming sessions.
- The game is criticized for being too easy and lacking challenge, leading to a repetitive experience.
- There are significant balancing issues, with many upgrades and trinkets feeling uninspired or ineffective.
- The game currently lacks content and variety, with limited enemy types and short runs that can feel aimless.
- graphics27 mentions
- 52 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 11 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are widely praised for their charming, paper art style reminiscent of the Paper Mario series, featuring crisp character designs and vibrant colors. Players appreciate the visuals for being both cute and easy on the eyes, with smooth performance even on lighter hardware. Overall, the art style enhances the game's atmosphere and gameplay experience, making it visually appealing and engaging.
“The visuals are charming, and you can reasonably run 60 fps locked on pretty light hardware.”
“The characters and enemies have a nice paper cutout aesthetic, with sharp lines and nice colors.”
“The graphics are very cute and the overall presentation is easy on the eyes.”
“Strange castles and cemeteries, completely devoid of the paper aesthetic.”
“I don't have any kind of attachment to them and the paper art style might be messing with my idea of the hitboxes.”
- gameplay25 mentions
- 28 % positive mentions
- 60 % neutral mentions
- 12 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Soul Stalkers is generally seen as straightforward and accessible, with a simple loop of clearing stages and upgrading weapons. While the graphics and character mechanics receive praise, many players find the overall experience lacks depth and variety, leading to a sense of repetitiveness. Some reviewers express hope for future updates to enhance the gameplay and introduce more engaging mechanics.
“Great graphics, progression, and understandable gameplay and mechanics.”
“Interesting enough to not be repetitive, and not complex enough to distract from the gameplay.”
“Difficulty seems to be tuned just right to allow players to finish most runs, assuming they know how to use the mechanics to their advantage.”
“The art is great, but it's very boring mechanically.”
“Overall, my only issue is the gameplay could be more intuitive when it comes to upgrading your build for every run; it's just gotten stale for me.”
“Visually, the game is alright, but gameplay-wise, it's kind of an easy disappointment.”
- music14 mentions
- 36 % positive mentions
- 43 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players praising its catchy and dynamic nature, while others criticize it as being generic or mismatched with the game's atmosphere. While many appreciate the pleasant soundscapes that enhance the overall experience, a notable portion of users find the music annoying or poorly suited to the game's visuals. Overall, the soundtrack is seen as a highlight by some, but a significant drawback by others.
“Soundtrack is dynamic and catchy, and a whole lot of characters and open world content are hidden away to unlock.”
“The music is pleasant and not overbearing or anything.”
“Everything is super polished and I loved the music!”
“The music in this game does not match any of the scenery at all.”
“The music sounds very annoying with a happy-like monotone soundtrack that was pulled out of a Dragon Quest game or something.”
“I give it an absolutely 10/10 for visuals, 0/10 for sounds and music, and 5/10 for enemy artificial intelligence.”
- story3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Reviewers express a desire for a more engaging and meaningful story, suggesting the inclusion of text quests with impactful choices and outcomes. However, the overall experience is marred by a repetitive and irritating soundtrack that detracts from the narrative immersion.
“More meaningful map choices, such as a text quest with outcomes—both positive and negative—would enhance the story, along with secret weapon drops or passives that can be obtained with high risk on these map choices.”
“Some sort of story would be cool.”
“The story lacks depth and fails to engage the player, making it feel like a series of disconnected events rather than a cohesive narrative.”
“Character development is minimal, leaving the player with little emotional investment in their journey.”
“The plot twists are predictable and uninspired, resulting in a story that feels stale and unoriginal.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game features an ascension system similar to "Slay the Spire," enhancing replayability, especially after unlocking all characters. Players appreciate the endless modes and the ability to review upgrade options beforehand, which encourages strategic build crafting, though some feel that additional replay elements would further enhance the experience.
“Not a big issue, but it adds replay value, and more would be great.”
“The game has an ascension system like 'Slay the Spire' that adds replayability after you've unlocked all the different characters.”
“I myself am a big fan of endless modes, and being able to see all my options for upgrades in the menu prior to playing (like a guidebook) allows time to craft builds or concepts that make the game more replayable.”
- stability2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally good, with only minor glitches reported. While it is still a work in progress, players have noted that it runs smoothly on Steam.
“Runs great on Steam.”
“The game maintains a steady frame rate, providing a smooth experience.”
“I haven't encountered any crashes or bugs, which makes for a stable gameplay experience.”
“The game crashes frequently, making it nearly unplayable at times.”
“I experienced multiple bugs that disrupted my gameplay experience.”
“The stability issues are frustrating; I lost progress due to unexpected shutdowns.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is criticized for performance issues and awkward design choices, such as a lack of rewards after key milestones and insufficient information on upgrades. While the progression system is straightforward and avoids meta-progression, the short run lengths hinder meaningful build development, leaving players feeling unsatisfied.
“The game's progression is straightforward, and the purchase of new trinkets and weapons based on your performance from prior runs is a great way to add progression without introducing meta-progression.”
“Many issues remain, such as a lack of information regarding certain upgrades, performance issues, and an overall awkward and rushed feel to the game. There are many strange design choices, like having no reward after defeating the final boss of the first floor. In general, the runs are too short, which doesn't allow for a real build, and it just goes on and on.”
“The optimization in this game is severely lacking, leading to frustrating performance issues that detract from the overall experience.”
“I find the game poorly optimized, with frequent lag and stuttering that disrupts gameplay and makes it hard to enjoy.”
- character development2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
While the visuals, character design, and animation are praised for their charm and quality, the reviews do not provide specific insights into the depth or progression of character development within the game. Overall, the focus seems to be more on aesthetics rather than the evolution of characters.
“The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character.”
“The growth and evolution of the characters throughout the game is both engaging and rewarding.”
“Each character's backstory and personal journey are intricately woven into the gameplay, making every interaction meaningful.”
