Soulstice
- September 20, 2022
- Reply Game Studios
- 28h median play time
"Soulstice" is a single-player Horror Hack and Slash game with phenomenal mechanics, graphics, and soundtrack. Uncover an intriguing story as you battle feral Wraiths invading the Holy Kingdom of Keidas, using unique skills and items from the Ashen Blade Item Pack. The Soulstice Artbook and Original Soundtrack further enhance this atmospheric, grueling experience with lots of grinding.
Reviews
- Engaging combat system that combines elements from classic hack-and-slash games like Devil May Cry and Bayonetta.
- Beautiful graphics and art style, with a dark fantasy atmosphere reminiscent of Berserk and Claymore.
- Intriguing story and character development that keeps players invested throughout the game.
- Fixed camera angles can be frustrating, making navigation and combat challenging at times.
- Some combat mechanics, such as the color-coded enemy system, can feel tedious and disrupt the flow of gameplay.
- Performance issues, including frame drops and stuttering, especially on lower-end systems.
- story308 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 49 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The story of "Soulstice" is generally well-received, with many players finding it engaging and rich in lore, often drawing comparisons to popular manga like "Claymore" and "Berserk." While some critiques mention repetitive elements and pacing issues, the character development and emotional depth, particularly the bond between the two sisters, resonate strongly with players. Overall, the narrative is seen as a compelling aspect of the game, enhancing the experience alongside its stylish combat and visuals.
“The story is surprisingly deeper than some would expect.”
“The story ramps up to some intense climax with characters you are really invested in, friend or foe, and you're left wanting for more.”
“The world, story, and characters already have me completely enthralled.”
“The story was okay... it feels like something a writer came up with when they were 16, thinking that fantasy themes where religion is evil are still edgy.”
“The story is a real snoozer and resembles 99% of other outcasted knight tales where they prove themselves by fighting the forces of evil while reuniting with lost friends, allies, or belongings.”
“The story isn't anything I could really get invested in either.”
- gameplay221 mentions
- 29 % positive mentions
- 65 % neutral mentions
- 7 % negative mentions
The gameplay of Soulstice has garnered mixed reviews, with many praising its fast-paced, hack-and-slash mechanics reminiscent of classic titles like Devil May Cry, while others criticize its janky camera, overly complex mechanics, and frustrating color-coded enemy system. Players appreciate the unique character dynamics and combat variety, but some find the gameplay tedious and lacking depth, particularly in later stages. Overall, while the core gameplay is engaging and visually appealing, it suffers from design flaws that detract from the overall experience.
“The gameplay is stylish and frenetic, the setting is great, the characters are charming, and the story is very engaging.”
“Soulstice gives you the fast-paced double-jumping hack & slash experience that brings you back to the PS2 era of gaming, while incorporating new mechanics to keep it fresh and fun.”
“The main gameplay conceit, with one character in charge of dealing damage and the other mitigating it simultaneously, feels genius and is really well polished.”
“To summarize, the story/art/setting is beautiful and compelling, but all aspects of the janky Devil May Cry-esque gameplay are just frustrating.”
“The gameplay feels like an empty DMC clone; something about it feels very weightless and just boils down to 'press this button to fight red enemies and press this other button to fight blue enemies.'”
“The more you play it, the more you hate it; mechanics actively work against each other, interrupting the flow of the game, which is one of the most important aspects of old school action games.”
- graphics119 mentions
- 61 % positive mentions
- 37 % neutral mentions
- 3 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have received widespread praise for their beauty and artistic style, with many reviewers highlighting the impressive character designs, environments, and visual effects. While some players noted performance issues and a janky camera, the overall aesthetic and attention to detail were frequently described as top-notch, making it a standout feature of the game. Despite minor criticisms regarding optimization and repetitive visuals, the game's graphics are generally regarded as a strong point, contributing to an engaging and immersive experience.
“Beautiful graphics.”
“The graphics are fantastic.”
“Visuals are good, not amazing but the art style is nice, the world is dark and grim.”
“I just don't think I'll stick around for the sequel unless they tone down its spastic autistic visuals.”
“- graphics very bad optimized (game is ugly and slow)”
“Unfortunately I can hardly play this game even on the lowest graphics settings offered, the frames rise and drop dramatically and I have a mid-range PC.”
- music61 mentions
- 57 % positive mentions
- 38 % neutral mentions
- 5 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received a mixed but generally positive reception, with many praising the soundtrack for its ability to enhance the atmosphere and complement the action. While some players appreciate the energetic and engaging combat themes, others feel that the variety is lacking and that certain tracks do not fit the game's tone. Overall, the soundtrack is described as enjoyable, with standout moments that resonate well with fans of the genre, particularly those familiar with the Devil May Cry series.
“The soundtrack is really good and sets the tone and the mood in an incredible way.”
“Kick-ass soundtrack, fast and frantic gameplay, gorgeous character designs and visuals, simple yet effective storytelling, easy to learn-hard to master combat mechanics.”
“Fantastic combat, surprisingly good story & characters, beautiful visuals and awesome music.”
“Electronic was the wrong way to go about combat music.”
“Not saying EDM-adjacent music can't match the mood of the game, but it fell short in this case.”
“A hit and miss OST with some bangers but lacks variety.”
- optimization47 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 53 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with many players reporting significant performance issues, including stuttering and poor graphics quality, particularly on lower-end systems. While some users have managed to play smoothly with high settings, others have experienced inconsistent performance and graphical glitches, especially on specific hardware configurations like older AMD cards and the Steam Deck. Overall, the consensus suggests that while there are pockets of good performance, the game requires further optimization to enhance the experience for a broader range of players.
“Very impressed with the performance now.”
“Visual and game optimization is great, almost always was 60-120+ fps on max setting 2k resolution.”
“Overall, the game is done very cleanly and neatly, performance seems fair and I haven't encountered any bugs in my playthrough.”
“Unreal Engine stuttering, very bad performance.”
“Very poor optimization, so I do not recommend anyone who has GTX 1060-1070.”
“Soulstice struggles to hit 30 fps, and when it does, it still has stuttering issues.”
- atmosphere24 mentions
- 63 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is widely praised for its dark fantasy elements, creating a lonely and apocalyptic setting that immerses players in a beautifully detailed, morbid world. Reviewers highlight the effective combination of atmospheric music, engaging visuals, and compelling storytelling, which together enhance the overall experience. Despite some minor frustrations with gameplay mechanics, the atmosphere remains a standout feature that captivates players throughout their journey.
“The dark fantasy atmosphere is just marvelous.”
“Soulstice has a delightful atmosphere that throws you into a real abyss of chaos that has opened up in a gloomy medieval city, where you will not see the light of the sun for the entire game.”
“The atmosphere, art, and presentation really unite and hold the entire package together by themselves.”
“The atmosphere truly is a dark fantasy; the voice acting is passable, the vistas are massive and beautiful... but two things are too annoying to go on.”
“The environments are pretty detailed and portray a dark, morbid atmosphere really well.”
“Atmosphere truly sells the world setting, and the game looks good visually.”
- grinding14 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious and frustrating, primarily due to the reliance on a color-coded combat system that requires constant switching between red and blue enemies. This mechanic, combined with damage sponge enemies and poor camera angles, detracts from the overall enjoyment, making combat feel more like busy work than engaging gameplay. While the game starts strong, it ultimately suffers from repetitive and cumbersome mechanics that hinder the experience.
“The enemies are damage sponges at knight difficulty; add that with blue enemies requiring blue aura stuff, and you get the most tedious fights in the game.”
“The proficiency system is also bad because a lot of the time the combat is too frantic to pull off the more advanced combos. Since enemies don't really react to your attacks much, you end up purchasing proficiency upgrades just to deal more damage per hit to specific enemies, making the combat feel tedious.”
“Things start to get tedious when you have to juggle red aura and blue aura monsters at the same time, plus avoid red and blue area denial bombs. What felt neat and fresh originally turns into light switch flicking busy work as the game progresses.”
- character development14 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 29 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The reviews highlight strong character designs and world-building, particularly praising the visual aesthetics and unique character concepts, such as the warrior sisters and their combat mechanics. However, despite the engaging story and cinematic elements, there is a consensus that character development is lacking, with little growth or depth for the characters throughout the game. Overall, while the game excels in design and atmosphere, it falls short in delivering meaningful character arcs.
“The game places a surprisingly heavy emphasis on its story and character development, aided by some great cinematics, as a pair of warrior sisters uncover a world-ending conspiracy in the sacred city of Ilden across 25 chapters.”
“The soundtrack and voice acting are competent; and the worldbuilding, dialog, character design, and pacing are all top notch.”
“There's no real character development despite what's going on around them.”
“Overall, a visually stunning piece of art, and major props to the devs for sticking to their guns and going all in on some of their character designs and moments.”
“The character design screams berserk, so if you ever wanted to play a black knight with a huge sword this may be one of your few options.”
- emotional6 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Players appreciate the emotional depth of the game's story and character relationships, which evoke strong feelings and a sense of connection. Despite some technical issues, such as camera problems, the overall experience is described as fulfilling and impactful, resonating with players on a personal level.
“The world setting and lore is honestly great and made me feel the love for the game behind it all.”
“While the camera is your enemy on occasion, the game itself is very good; it filled the hack and slash void in my life between Nier games and provided an interesting and emotional story as well.”
“It's touching to see them care about each other.”
- stability6 mentions
- 17 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 83 % negative mentions
Overall, the game's stability is generally solid, with no major glitches reported and smooth performance on high-end hardware. However, some users noted occasional frame dips and minor camera bugs reminiscent of older titles, which may affect the experience but do not lead to significant disruptions.
“Runs great on a fancy new AMD 7000X CPU and RTX 3080.”
“Optimization could have been better; there are some frame dips that you may not notice in action, but they're there and can be significant sometimes. However, I haven't experienced any stutters or freezes so far.”
“When an enemy unfreezes, they, no joke, snap back to you, finishing the move they started.”
“There are way too many low-effort indie games and definitely too many complete, absolute garbage, money-grabbing, buggy AAA games.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is generally well-received, with standout voice acting and memorable character names eliciting laughter, particularly from the main cast. While some players note a lack of emphasis on humor compared to classic titles like Devil May Cry, the comedic elements present are appreciated and contribute positively to the overall experience.
“The voice acting is great for the most part; some of the characters you see in memories are funny to listen to, but the main cast is amazing.”
“They named the most guts-looking character Donovan, and I can't stop laughing.”
- replayability3 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- -33 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game offers significant replayability with two additional difficulty levels that unlock after completing the main game, encouraging players to refine their skills in timing and resource management. Many users find the replay value satisfactory, especially considering the game's price, with the highest difficulty providing a challenging experience for those seeking more.
“Really good game with a decent amount of replayability given the price.”
“That being said, I had a lot of fun with Soulstice, and it took me roughly 17 hours to beat the game on Knight difficulty, which is the highest difficulty available when you start a new game. For those looking for more challenge and replay value, there are 2 unlockable difficulties (one for beating the game on Knight and one for beating it on the difficulty that unlocks after).”
“With not one, but two difficulties locked behind completion barriers, there's plenty of replayability and opportunity to push your limits on getting timing and resource management right.”
“That being said, I had a lot of fun with Soulstice and it took me roughly 17 hours to beat the game on Knight difficulty, which is the highest difficulty available when you start a new game. But for those looking for more challenge and replay value, there are 2 unlockable difficulties (one for beating the game on Knight and one for beating it on the difficulty that unlocks after).”