Taken Soul | Đoạt Mệnh
- March 6, 2024
- SOGA Std
Get on Steam"Taken Soul is a survival horror game set in the dreamy yet eerie city of Da Lat, Vietnam. As Trung, you'll navigate dangerous situations and fight dark forces to investigate the disappearance of your mother and sister. The game authentically recreates Da Lat's distinctive architecture and chilling supernatural tales, providing an immersive and tense experience."
PC
Windows
Reviews
- The gameplay is engaging and satisfying, particularly the mechanic of using butterflies to reveal invisible enemies.
- The atmosphere and sound design are well-executed, creating a creepy and immersive experience.
- The game features beautiful environments and interesting cinematic segments that enhance the overall experience.
- The game is plagued by numerous bugs and glitches, making it difficult to progress and enjoy.
- The storyline is weak and leaves many plot points unresolved, leading to a disappointing conclusion.
- Navigation can be confusing, with a lack of direction that often results in players wandering aimlessly.
- story30 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 77 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The game's story, while engaging and featuring a captivating plot involving murder and corruption, suffers from a lack of depth and clarity, particularly in its resolution, which feels rushed and leaves some family-related plot points unresolved. The original voice acting and localization are praised, but some players find the storyline to be unoriginal and the execution lacking, with moments of confusion and weak character motivations. Overall, the attention to detail in missions is noted, but the narrative's inconsistencies detract from the overall experience.
“While looking for your sister (because of whatever happened to your mom), you uncover a plot of murder, corruption, and cover-up to put spirits to rest.”
“The storyline, while not entirely original, is quite captivating.”
“The attention to detail is mind-boggling; the missions, from the smallest to all the main missions, are worthy of Oscars.”
“However, the storyline isn't very strong.”
“Luckily the 'taken soul' plot gets resolved, but your family plot is left with a few holes from what I felt was a rushed ending.”
“The voice lines are cringe, the story is weird, and the puzzles are nonsensical.”
- gameplay24 mentions
- 42 % positive mentions
- 46 % neutral mentions
- 13 % negative mentions
The gameplay is highly praised for its innovative mechanics, such as using butterflies to manifest spirits and engaging combat against unique half-zombie, half-ghost creatures. Players find the character movement smooth and the shooting mechanics realistic, while humorous elements like the duck race add to the overall enjoyment. The variety of gameplay elements, including puzzles and unique movement mechanics, keeps the experience fresh and entertaining.
“The gameplay is amazing; killing half zombie, half ghost-type creatures is so satisfying.”
“Once you get this mechanic down, combat is smooth and fun.”
“Utilizing butterflies to manifest spirits, with the option to shoot during cooldown, adds a thrilling yet engaging aspect to the gameplay.”
“Maybe I am crazy, but the whole hospital setup and how you leave the hospital (I am trying to keep this vague as not to spoil things) seems to show some mechanics that are rarely used later on, if at all.”
“Fortunately, it did not affect the gameplay, but still looks very weird towards the end.”
“Gameplay has many new elements like duck racing, night butterflies, and cable car rides, rather than just running back and forth to solve puzzles and collect items.”
- stability12 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, including numerous bugs and glitches that hinder gameplay, particularly during critical sequences like the first chase scene. Many players find it unplayable due to these problems, which are compounded by poor optimization and user interface issues. While some appreciate the game's unique concept, the overall experience is marred by its instability.
“Even after, the first chase scene is buggy; the game is unplayable.”
“Unfortunately for me, it was too buggy to get beyond the first chase sequence.”
“Turns out, the game is buggy, badly optimized, and there's also lots of issues with UI/UX.”
- graphics8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The graphics received mixed reviews, with some players noting that they were solid and clean, while others criticized them as bad and filled with glitches. Overall, the visuals seem to fall short compared to other indie games at similar price points.
“The graphics were solid and clean.”
“Game lore on crack, makes no sense, lots of bugs, bad graphics; tons of indie games with the same or lower price are 100 times better.”
“No big deal, graphical glitches happen.”
“---{ graphics }---”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -25 % neutral mentions
- 75 % negative mentions
The atmosphere is consistently praised for its cool and creepy qualities, creating an engaging and immersive experience for players.
“The atmosphere is really cool.”
“Creepy atmosphere.”
“The game has a creepy atmosphere that keeps you on edge.”
“The overall atmosphere is unsettling and eerie.”
“The creepy atmosphere really enhances the horror elements of the game.”
- music4 mentions
- 75 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The music and sound effects in the game are highly praised, with particular acclaim for the soundtrack of the final stage, which many find energizing and motivational. Overall, the audio design significantly enhances the gaming experience.
“The sound effects and music are really well done.”
“The soundtrack for the last stage is amazing, and I could listen to that to pump me up before doing anything.”
“The soundtrack for the last stage is amazing, and I could listen to that to pump me up before doing anything.”
- humor2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is primarily highlighted through the entertaining and amusing duck race mechanic, which adds a lighthearted and fun element to the gameplay.
“The duck race mechanic is quite entertaining and humorous.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization is noted to be inadequate in certain scenes, leading to performance issues.
“The game optimization is lacking in some scenes.”
“The game optimization is lacking in some scenes.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
Players express that the grinding in the game is excessively time-consuming, often requiring a significant investment of time akin to having a "second life" to keep up with the demands.
“You'll need a second life for grinding.”
