Stray Souls

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Enter a world of nightmares in this third person, action-horror, inspired by the classics of the genre. Fight terrifying creatures, solve mind-bending puzzles, and unravel a horrid family secret to expose the chilling truth behind your existence.Unlock the secrets hidden within the haunted town of Aspen Falls, featuring gruesome enemy encounters, epic bosses, cunning puzzles, and a deep story wher…

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

Reviews

31%

Audience ScoreBased on 96 reviews

music7 positive mentions

story10 negative mentions

The puzzles are enjoyable and provide a fun challenge.
The game has a unique and interesting storyline with multiple endings.
The graphics and sound design are impressive, creating a decent atmosphere.

The game is riddled with bugs and glitches that significantly hinder gameplay.
The combat mechanics are clunky and unrefined, making encounters frustrating.
The story is poorly executed, with confusing dialogue and character actions that break immersion.

story
51 mentions
18 % positive mentions
63 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The game's story is characterized by an intriguing premise and multiple endings, but it suffers from poor execution, confusing plot points, and inconsistent character behavior. While some players appreciate its unique approach to horror and puzzle elements, many criticize the storytelling as clunky, unfinished, and lacking depth, often leaving them feeling disengaged or frustrated. Overall, the narrative has potential but is marred by bugs and a lack of clarity, making it difficult for players to fully invest in the experience.
- “The storyline of 'Stray Souls' is a masterclass in psychological intrigue.”
- “The writing is sharp and compelling, a testament to the studio's commitment to storytelling.”
- “In conclusion, 'Stray Souls' marks an impressive debut for the studio, showcasing their prowess in storytelling and ambition in puzzle design.”
- “This game has potential, but there are too many bugs and the story is nonsensical, making it feel like an unfinished product.”
- “The story is poorly shown or written; the obvious negative part is the gameplay and infinite bugs. In this condition, the game shouldn't have been presented.”
- “The story is unfortunately not great and all over the place; the puzzles are confusing and made for developers, not for players.”
gameplay
19 mentions
16 % positive mentions
68 % neutral mentions
16 % negative mentions
The gameplay has been widely criticized for its numerous technical issues, including glitchy mechanics, unintuitive puzzle controls, and poor enemy AI, which detract from the overall experience. While the atmosphere draws inspiration from classic horror games, many players feel it fails to deliver on the survival horror elements, making the combat and puzzles frustrating rather than engaging. Overall, the gameplay is seen as a significant drawback, with hopes for future improvements through patches.
- “The sense of atmosphere gives the fear of Silent Hill with not knowing what is ahead, the mechanics of Resident Evil, the audio of Slender Man, and the memories of all the classic horror games the horror community comes to love.”
- “The best shining light about the entire game is the gameplay.”
- “I hope that this game gets patched and fixed or maybe added some more mechanics; until then, it's hardly recommended.”
- “The gameplay has several faults like unintuitive puzzle controls, poor enemy pathing, and lackluster boss battles.”
- “Way too glitchy, couldn't even fight the first boss without having trouble with broken game mechanics.”
- “The gameplay misses the point of survival horror completely.”
music
17 mentions
41 % positive mentions
41 % neutral mentions
18 % negative mentions
The music in the game, composed by Akira Yamaoka, has received mixed reviews; while some players praise it as a standout feature that enhances the atmosphere, others feel it lacks memorability and prominence throughout the gameplay. Despite its quality, many reviewers suggest that the music alone may not be enough to elevate the overall experience, with some recommending the game primarily for its soundtrack. Overall, the music is appreciated but viewed as a highlight in an otherwise flawed game.
- “The music, creature designs, and the overall visuals of the game were great.”
- “For a brief moment, I was given hope that the game would be good as some banging music by Akira Yamaoka started to play.”
- “On the other hand, I think the music was pretty good and added value to the atmosphere of the game.”
- “Disappointingly, the music wasn’t really prominent and I can’t think of any song other than the credits song that was even the faintest bit memorable — I even thought that the electric guitar in the opening scene might’ve been a bit dominant and heavy-handed.”
- “So, it’s a budget game, grab it when on discount, listen to the music, and hopefully the gameplay is fixed so the game is more tolerable.”
- “But the music..... wow....”
graphics
15 mentions
47 % positive mentions
33 % neutral mentions
20 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game are generally praised, showcasing impressive visuals powered by Unreal Engine 5, with well-designed environmental assets, character models, and a fitting aesthetic that enhances the horror experience. While some reviews note that the graphics are the standout feature of the game, others suggest they are not groundbreaking or next-gen, but still visually appealing for a low-budget title. Overall, the visuals contribute significantly to the game's atmosphere and immersion.
- “Visuals are great as expected from Unreal Engine 5.”
- “The game’s environmental assets are its best asset — the game looks good and the models (both character and enemy) are appropriate and fitting with the horrific aesthetic.”
- “The graphics look amazing as well, at least for the scenery.”
- “From the chosen aesthetic alone, you can see all the games that Stray Souls wants to be - all the games that you should be playing instead.”
- “The only positive things I can say about this game are the visuals.”
- “Early on, it almost threatens to be a good game: what with its above average UE5 powered visuals.”
stability
11 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from numerous stability issues, including frequent glitches and bugs that significantly impact gameplay, such as problems with aiming during critical moments. While some players find humor in the glitches, they often detract from the overall experience, making it difficult to engage with the game's intended atmosphere. Overall, the stability concerns are a major downside, overshadowing the game's potential enjoyment.
- “There are a lot of bugs and glitches (for example not being able to aim in the first boss fight).”
- “It's almost impossible to feel scared due to the number of glitches that trivialize anything spooky into something ridiculous.”
- “Took me 8 hours to beat and just like the demo it is buggy and the camera angles were giving me a headache.”
humor
11 mentions
100 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is largely described as unintentional, with players finding it amusing despite—or perhaps because of—its attempts at being scary. Many reviewers noted that the game's awkward moments, glitches, and character reactions contributed to a comedic experience that was not originally intended, leading to a mixed perception of whether this humor is "good bad" or simply bad. Overall, while the game may not achieve its intended tone, it provides a surprisingly funny experience for players.
- “On the plus side, the environments and models look great, the leading voice actors did a great job and the sound effects are strong, and lastly the game is unintentionally very funny.”
- “Lastly, and this is unfortunate because I really don’t think this is what the game was going for — but the game was a pretty funny experience.”
- “This game is funny in ways that it could never be if it was trying to be funny.”
atmosphere
11 mentions
55 % positive mentions
18 % neutral mentions
27 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is a blend of classic horror influences, evoking feelings of dread and mystery reminiscent of titles like Silent Hill and Resident Evil, enhanced by effective sound design. While many players appreciate the immersive and chilling environment, some express disappointment, feeling that the overall experience leans too heavily on jump scares and lacks the depth expected from a survival horror game. Overall, the visuals and music contribute positively to the intended atmosphere, though opinions on its execution vary.
- “The sense of atmosphere gives the fear of Silent Hill with not knowing what is ahead, the mechanics of Resident Evil, the audio of Slender Man, and the memories of all the classic horror games the horror community comes to love.”
- “The horror atmosphere and sound design is superb.”
- “The levels do carry this dreadful and mysterious atmosphere, and that’s successfully conveyed through its presentation.”
- “Horror and dread can be a delicate atmosphere that can be difficult to maintain.”
- “While I may be treading on the fringes of speculation, the game's atmosphere and narrative complexity only fueled my suspicions.”
optimization
5 mentions
20 % positive mentions
20 % neutral mentions
60 % negative mentions
The game's optimization has received mixed reviews, with some players noting significant performance issues, including frame rate drops and a lack of custom key mapping, which detracts from the overall experience. While some aspects of performance are acceptable, the general consensus leans towards it being poorly optimized and feeling stiff.
- “Overall game performance was good; there were a couple of areas where my frame rate dropped a little, but nothing unplayable.”
- “Poorly optimized and no custom key mapping is an instant return for me as I play on a custom keyboard.”
- “It feels poorly optimized and stiff; in addition, there are many triggers that feel quite scripted.”
- “Performance and bugs (2/5):”
grinding
2 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
Players often find the grinding aspect of the game tedious, particularly in relation to puzzles that require extensive wandering and can lead to frustration, prompting some to seek external help to progress.
- “I found a lot of the puzzles to be tedious, leading me to wander for ages and eventually breaking down and looking up someone else's video to figure out what I needed to do.”
- “The two forest levels were a bit annoying and tedious.”
replayability
1 mentions
0 % positive mentions
0 % neutral mentions
100 % negative mentions
The game has been criticized for its low replayability, with users rating it just 1 out of 5, indicating that once completed, there is little incentive to play again due to a lack of varied content or engaging mechanics.