Wayward Souls

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 234 reviews
  • story
  • gameplay
  • music
Wayward Souls Game Cover
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Wayward Souls is a challenging, pixel art styled roguelike game with tactical combat. You explore randomly generated dungeons as one of six unique characters, each with their own abilities and playstyles. Permadeath adds a layer of intensity to every run, as you fight to reach the end and uncover the story.

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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 234 reviews
story18 positive mentions
grinding14 negative mentions
  • The game features good art, engaging music, and a compelling story that enhances the overall experience.
  • There is a great variety of playable characters, each with unique styles and abilities, which adds depth to gameplay.
  • The combat system encourages strategic play and learning enemy patterns, making it rewarding for skilled players.
  • The game suffers from a steep difficulty curve, especially from the third dungeon onwards, which can lead to frustration and a lack of progress.
  • There are significant gameplay issues, such as the inability to attack diagonally and unbalanced enemy encounters that can feel unfair.
  • The upgrade system is criticized for being slow and grindy, with many upgrades feeling like side-grades rather than meaningful improvements.
  • story98 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the engaging character arcs and unique storytelling approach, while others criticize it for being poorly paced and filled with generic fantasy tropes. While the lore and world-building elements are praised for their depth, many feel that the fixed narrative structure detracts from the overall experience, especially when compared to more dynamic storytelling found in other roguelikes. Overall, the story is seen as decent but inconsistent, with some players enjoying the effort put into it, while others find it lacking in execution.

    • “The artwork is charming, the music is engaging, and clearly a lot of effort was put in to tell the story.”
    • “The lore is also fantastic, and gradually builds up multiple pieces of information for you to cobble together into the true story of what happened at Amaranth Keep.”
    • “Each character goes through the chapters and explores their own story inside the game, with all stories eventually leading to a similar conclusion.”
    • “The story is generic and poorly told, but there's no strong gameplay to dig into to make sitting through the pointless stock dialogue and backstories worth it.”
    • “This is another one of those games that dumps massive amounts of backstory and world building onto the player with no warning, acting like you already know this entire world so making references to all kinds of specific things will completely make sense to you.”
    • “Inconsequential spammy combat and poorly paced story with stock fantasy writing.”
  • gameplay70 mentions

    Gameplay reviews highlight a mix of enjoyment and frustration, with many praising the game's challenging mechanics, character variety, and replayability, while others criticize issues like poor procedural generation, frustrating enemy designs, and a lack of depth in combat. The game is noted for its nostalgic aesthetic and solid core mechanics, but some players feel that it suffers from pacing problems and a lack of complexity, particularly on PC. Overall, while the gameplay can be fun and engaging, it is marred by certain design flaws that detract from the experience.

    • “Fun rogue-like with a repeatable grind, interesting story, and easy-to-follow mechanics with a high skill ceiling and customizability.”
    • “The mystery, exploration, class variety, and progression mechanics steep this wonderful roguelite with atmosphere and near-endless replayability, wrapped in its nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, will keep fans coming back for more.”
    • “Boss battles are tense and exciting, the soundtrack is amazing, and the gameplay is that of a polished game.”
    • “Let's talk about the gameplay: the gold dungeon is where things go downhill.”
    • “All of these problems of inelegantly designed double bosses and unfair enemy groupings are exacerbated by this game's permanent death mechanic.”
    • “Additionally, once you've played enough hours, the game's predictable and poorly-written procedural generation starts to really stick out as a problem, instead of providing for the sort of fresh gameplay that its genre advertises.”
  • music52 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its engaging and atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Composed by the same team behind the "Death Road to Canada" soundtrack, it features a diverse range of tracks that effectively match the game's various levels, although some players noted inconsistencies in the music between stages. Overall, the soundtrack is considered a standout element, contributing significantly to the game's charm and immersion.

    • “The artwork is charming, the music is engaging, and clearly a lot of effort was put in to tell the story.”
    • “The soundtrack really brings the game together.”
    • “The music is fantastic with lovely melodies - sort of a Death Cab vibe without the vocals.”
    • “The game, as far as I have seen through playing and watching others play, has no road trip adventure vibes, no witty humor, barely any resource management, no co-op or party system, no character creator, no exhilarating background music, and no alternative game modes available out of the gate.”
    • “Music was fine until you go between stages (between each stage is where you'll learn about 1/2 the story for each character).”
    • “Music between levels: 1/5”
  • graphics36 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming 16-bit aesthetic that draws inspiration from classic titles like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana, offering a nostalgic appeal. While many players appreciate the art style and polished visuals, some critique the lack of thematic depth and variety, noting that the graphics can become repetitive over time. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, though they may not fully align with its serious narrative ambitions.

    • “The artwork is charming, the music is engaging, and clearly a lot of effort was put in to tell the story.”
    • “Probably one of the best roguelikes there is, this game has amazing graphics, fun gameplay, several different characters all with different attacks, upgrades, abilities, and story as to who they are and what they are doing.”
    • “There are so many good things about this game, such as the solid controls, amazing soundtrack, and charming pixel graphics.”
    • “The graphics don't look bad but they're not very thematic.”
    • “Graphic variety: 1/5”
    • “Also the graphics settings don't work.”
  • atmosphere20 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its combination of nostalgic 16-bit aesthetics, atmospheric lighting, and somber music, creating a mysterious and foreboding environment that enhances the overall experience. Players appreciate how the atmosphere complements the gameplay, with each level's soundtrack effectively matching its mood, although some randomized levels may not align as well. Overall, the atmosphere contributes significantly to the game's replayability and enjoyment, making it a standout feature.

    • “Love the mysterious and foreboding atmosphere, and the game is very fun overall.”
    • “It's a beauty that doesn't just reside in its gorgeous 16-bit pixel art from the golden SNES era, but also in its atmospheric lighting, somber music, and creative enemy design.”
    • “The mystery, exploration, class variety, and progression mechanics steep this wonderful roguelite with atmosphere and near-endless replayability, wrapped in its nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, will keep fans coming back for more.”
    • “Each song matches the atmosphere of the level, except maybe at the labyrinth and endless, due to their randomized nature.”
    • “It also has a darker theme and atmosphere than 16-bit SNES Zelda.”
    • “The gameplay, as well as atmosphere, story, and soundtrack, makes this game a quite great experience.”
  • replayability16 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is highly praised, particularly for its mystery, exploration, and class variety, which contribute to an immersive experience that encourages players to return. However, some reviews note that certain aspects, like stage replayability, may feel limited or quickly exhausted, suggesting a mixed experience depending on player expectations. The upgrade system and character experimentation are highlighted as key elements that enhance replay value, making it appealing for those who enjoy mastering different techniques.

    • “The mystery, exploration, class variety, and progression mechanics steep this wonderful roguelite with atmosphere and near-endless replayability, wrapped in its nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, will keep fans coming back for more.”
    • “For its price on PC, there are a lot of games that offer more, but there is a lot of replayability in this game for you to learn techniques, try out different characters, and remember enemy mechanics.”
    • “Replay value is infinite.”
    • “Game has some replayability by setting up a few unique rooms you can encounter, but you'll exhaust them quickly.”
    • “For its price on PC, there are a lot of games that offer more, but there is a lot of replayability in this game for you to learn techniques, trying out different characters and enemy mechanics to remember.”
    • “Stage replayability: 1-2/5”
  • grinding14 mentions

    The grinding aspect of the game is widely criticized for being excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly in the dungeon "Tha Last Crusade," which many players find unfair and a significant time sink. While some players appreciate the challenge and skill-based gameplay that encourages learning enemy patterns, the repetitive nature of grinding can lead to boredom and dissatisfaction, ultimately affecting the game's overall enjoyment. Those who are less averse to grinding may still find value in the game, but it may not appeal to everyone.

    • “The last crusade is a jarringly unfair, grindy, and frustrating dungeon that's a massive time sink and isn't even half as fair as Cyril's labyrinth run.”
    • “I don't normally mind a little grinding, as long as it's fun, but once you've been through all the set pieces a level has to offer for the 20th time, it starts getting dull.”
    • “Personally, this annoys me enough to give the game a negative score, though if you do not mind grinding, then by all means buy this game.”
  • humor8 mentions

    The humor in the game has received mixed reviews, with some players noting a lack of the witty and engaging humor found in its predecessor, "Death Road to Canada." While a few appreciate the game's unique storytelling and sense of humor, many feel it falls short in delivering the lighthearted, road trip adventure vibes they expected. Overall, the humor aspect seems to be a significant point of disappointment for players familiar with the developer's previous work.

    • “The game gets so much right, including visuals, simple controls, music, its sense of humor, and its unique form of storytelling.”
    • “Check out the devs' other game 'Death Road to Canada' if you want similar humor and challenge without the frustrating features.”
  • stability4 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by technical glitches, such as charge attacks failing to execute while moving downwards, which can lead to confusion and unfair difficulty during battles, especially against overwhelming enemy numbers. While players must carefully manage health and resources, the occasional damage from these glitches is not game-breaking but can detract from the overall experience.

    • “Surviving through each of the dungeons, including the labyrinth, is a careful balance of conserving health or resources. The maximum amount of health recovered from upgrading each class's health recovery up to 12 is low enough to require engagement and good play, but high enough to compensate for the occasional damage from technical glitches, such as charge attacks not releasing when walking downwards, or a slightly unfair number of enemies that leads to inevitable yet not game-ending damage.”
    • “Certain glitches, such as the charge attack hold while walking downwards, lead to confusion mid-battle. This is particularly deadly when the last crusade throws significantly more enemies at you, with stronger types in a manner that isn't challenging but rather unfairly hard.”
    • “Certain glitches, such as the aforementioned charge attack hold while walking downwards, lead to confusion mid-battle, which is particularly deadly when the last crusade throws significantly more enemies at you, with stronger types in a manner that isn't challenging but rather unfairly hard.”
  • character development2 mentions

    The character development in the game is highlighted by appealing sprite designs and well-crafted drawn character visuals, which enhance the overall aesthetic despite the game's 16-bit graphics.

Positive mentions (%)Positive
Neutral mentions (%)Neutral
Negative mentions (%)Negative

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Play time

4hMedian play time
4hAverage play time
2-5hSpent by most gamers
*Based on 4 analyzed playthroughs

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