Soulless: Ray of Hope
- October 18, 2016
- Meridian4
- 4h median play time
Get on Steam
Get on itch.io Store"Soulless: Ray of Hope" is a 2D pixel art metroidvania game where you play as a soul-less knight. Explore a vast interconnected world, fight challenging enemies, and discover the truth behind your existence. With no checkpoints or save points, every decision matters in this unforgiving yet rewarding adventure.
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Reviews
- The game features appealing art style and beautiful visuals that create an immersive atmosphere.
- The puzzles are thought-provoking and enjoyable, providing a nice challenge for players.
- The game has multiple endings, adding some replay value and intrigue to the story.
- The gameplay is slow and clunky, with frustrating mechanics such as sluggish climbing and movement.
- The story is poorly told and lacks depth, leaving players feeling unsatisfied with the narrative.
- The game is plagued by bugs and technical issues, including dialogue boxes not displaying and occasional game freezes.
- story21 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 57 % neutral mentions
- 14 % negative mentions
The story of the game is generally perceived as underwhelming, with many players finding it either boring or poorly executed, despite some appreciating its aesthetic and emotional elements. While there are multiple endings and intriguing puzzles, the narrative often feels incomplete or overshadowed by gameplay mechanics. Overall, the story is seen as a secondary aspect, lacking depth and engagement compared to other elements of the game.
“The story was worth the mild frustrations, and the multiple endings were a nice touch.”
“Beautiful/cute graphics, sad story, and good puzzles.”
“The story doesn't annoy and manages to end with intrigue.”
“The plot is weird and boring.”
“That’s all there is to the story and ending?!”
“It was a fun platformer, but I'm not entirely sure the story is fully developed.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 26 % positive mentions
- 58 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay is characterized by a mix of simple mechanics and occasional challenges, but many players find it lacking in innovation and excitement. While the art style and music are praised, the puzzles are often deemed trivial and the controls clunky, leading to a frustrating experience for some. Overall, the game offers a casual challenge but suffers from bugs and an unfinished feel, making it less engaging for those seeking a more dynamic platforming experience.
“Although simple, I can't even tell you how many times I've died in this game, but that's not exactly a bad thing; Soulless managed to keep me interested rather than putting me off, the gameplay offering some challenge for a casual gamer like me.”
“The art style is different and pleasant, and the gameplay is simple yet enjoyable.”
“The checkpoints are fair and the gameplay is varied.”
“The puzzles for the most part don't feel interesting; the gravity mechanic in particular was just annoying.”
“The game is very slow, and the gameplay isn't innovative.”
“Controls and overall gameplay feel pretty clunky.”
- graphics17 mentions
- 59 % positive mentions
- 24 % neutral mentions
- 18 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game receive mixed reviews, with some players praising the beautiful and appealing art style, immersive visuals, and well-designed characters. However, others find the overall aesthetic unoriginal and less engaging compared to other titles in the genre. While the visuals can be striking, they are often overshadowed by gameplay that lacks innovation.
“I just really love this game for its art style and music.”
“While Limbo was dreary greyscale from start to finish, this game effortlessly changes color palettes and showcases a beautifully immersive, artistic art style.”
“The visuals in some levels can be very pretty although they aren't anything new.”
“The art style is different and pleasant, and the gameplay is simple yet enjoyable.”
“What I truly want to point out is the incredible art style of the game.”
- music14 mentions
- 64 % positive mentions
- 14 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally praised for its beauty and atmospheric quality, enhancing the overall experience, particularly in most areas. However, it becomes annoying in the darker realms, and some players find the transitions between songs distracting. Despite these issues, the soundtrack is often described as delightful and fitting for the game's aesthetic, contributing positively to the atmosphere.
“Its a cute little game, great music too.”
“The musical score is also incredible.”
“I just really love this game for its art style and music.”
“The changing of songs when entering a new area is not fluid or seamless; it's actually kind of distracting.”
“If you lower the audio volume, it resets itself whenever a new song starts and gradually goes back to what you set it to.”
“The gameplay lacks imagination and is, for the majority of the time, boring and everything you've seen before if you've played a fair amount of puzzle-platformers.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- -50 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of [b]soulless: ray of hope[/b] is characterized by beautiful art and an atmospheric soundtrack, although some users noted inconsistencies in the music. While the game offers a pleasant ambiance, it may not measure up to other 2D side-scrolling puzzle games like Inside or Pinstripe, which are praised for their superior level design and overall atmosphere.
“Soulless: Ray of Hope is a puzzle platformer that is very light on platforming and focuses more on the puzzles, beautiful art, and an atmospheric soundtrack.”
“The music provides a good atmosphere.”
“You're probably better off playing other 2D sidecroller puzzle games like Inside or Pinstripe, of which the former has stellar level design, visuals, music, story, and atmosphere.”
“You're probably better off playing other 2D sidecroller puzzle games like 'Inside' or 'Pinstripe', of which the former has stellar level design, visuals, music, story, and atmosphere.”
“The atmosphere feels flat and uninspired, lacking the depth and immersion that I expected.”
“Despite the interesting premise, the overall atmosphere fails to engage, making it hard to stay invested in the game.”
- stability3 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from mild bugs that can disrupt gameplay, particularly in certain areas where players may need to restart checkpoints to resolve issues. While checkpoints are generally well-placed, the presence of these bugs can detract from the overall experience, especially during critical moments like boss encounters.
“Unfortunately, the game is mildly buggy.”
“Trivial puzzles and buggy gameplay.”
“Checkpoints are fairly placed, but some areas in the game are buggy if you die, forcing you to restart the last checkpoint you encountered just to get the mechanics of the game working. This was most prominent with the actual boss of Act 2.”
- replayability1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, with users noting that there isn't much incentive to play it again after the initial experience.
“There's not much replay value.”
“The game feels repetitive after the first playthrough.”
“Once you finish the story, there's little incentive to play again.”
- grinding1 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- -200 % neutral mentions
- 300 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspects of the game to be tedious, particularly during chase sections, which can detract from the overall experience.
“But still, it doesn't make the chase sections any less tedious.”
“The grinding feels endless and often becomes a chore rather than a fun challenge.”
“I find myself repeating the same tasks over and over, which really drains the enjoyment out of the game.”
