Wayward Souls

74%
Game Brain Score Based on 117 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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  • iPhone
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  • Windows
  • Android
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Genres & TagsPlay Modes

Reviews

74%
Audience ScoreBased on 117 reviews
story9 positive mentions
grinding7 negative mentions
  • The game features good art, engaging music, and a well-told story that enhances the overall experience.
  • Combat is slow and deliberate, requiring players to learn enemy patterns and manage multiple foes, which adds depth to the gameplay.
  • There is a great variety of playable characters, each with unique styles and abilities, providing a diverse gameplay experience.
  • The game suffers from a steep difficulty spike, particularly in later dungeons, which can lead to frustration and a sense of unfairness.
  • Controls can feel limiting, as attacks are restricted to cardinal directions, making combat awkward against enemies that can attack diagonally.
  • The upgrade system is criticized for being grindy and unbalanced, with many upgrades feeling ineffective or not worth the effort.
  • story49 mentions

    The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players praising its engaging character arcs and unique storytelling approach, while others criticize it for being poorly paced and filled with generic fantasy tropes. Many appreciate the effort put into world-building and lore, though some feel that the narrative is often overshadowed by gameplay mechanics or presented in a convoluted manner. Overall, the story can be enjoyable for those who delve into it, but it may not resonate with everyone due to its execution and pacing issues.

    • “The artwork is charming, the music is engaging, and clearly a lot of effort was put in to tell the story.”
    • “Or its story that is carefully fed to you in digestible bits instead of force-fed exposition dumps, memorable rare encounters that add more dimension to side characters, and world-building elements that allow players to piece it together themselves.”
    • “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.”
    • “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.”
  • gameplay35 mentions

    Gameplay reviews are mixed, highlighting both enjoyable elements and significant flaws. While many players appreciate the game's challenging mechanics, character variety, and replayability, others criticize issues such as poor pacing, frustrating enemy designs, and a lack of depth in combat. Overall, the gameplay offers a blend of fun and frustration, with some praising its polish and atmosphere, while others find it lacking in complexity and engagement.

    • “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.”
    • “I like this port as well, I really do, but there are some glaring and frustrating gameplay issues.”
    • “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.”
    • “The combat feels inconsequential and unsatisfying, but there's no good story or other mechanics to latch onto to make the combat slog feel worth it.”
  • music26 mentions

    The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its engaging and atmospheric qualities that enhance the overall experience. The soundtrack features a diverse range of tracks that effectively match the game's various levels, contributing to the immersive storytelling and gameplay. While some noted inconsistencies in music quality between stages, the overall sentiment highlights the soundtrack as a standout element, elevating the game's charm and emotional depth.

    • “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.”
    • “Dark lighting, as well as creepy music at later stages, sets the tone that you are basically trapped in a dungeon with only wit and some basic items.”
    • “Music was fine until you go between stages (between each stage is where you'll learn about 1/2 the story for each character).”
  • graphics18 mentions

    The graphics of the game are characterized by a charming 16-bit aesthetic that evokes nostalgia, drawing inspiration from classic titles like Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. While many players appreciate the retro visuals and polished art style, some feel that the graphics lack thematic depth and can become repetitive over time. Overall, the visuals contribute positively to the game's atmosphere, though opinions vary on their immersive quality.

    • “The mystery, exploration, class variety, and progression mechanics steep this wonderful roguelite with atmosphere and near-endless replayability, and wrapped in its nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, will keep fans coming back for more.”
    • “There are so many good things about this game, such as the solid controls, amazing soundtrack, and charming pixel graphics.”
    • “The art style for this game is amazing.”
    • “The graphics don't look bad, but they're not very thematic.”
    • “Graphic variety: 1/5”
    • “Also, the graphics settings don't work.”
  • atmosphere10 mentions

    The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its relaxing yet mysterious tone, enhanced by a nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic, atmospheric lighting, and a fitting soundtrack. Reviewers note that the combination of exploration, class variety, and engaging action creates a captivating experience, with a darker theme that sets it apart from similar titles. Overall, the atmosphere significantly contributes to the game's replayability and enjoyment.

    • “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 features atmospheric lighting, somber music, and creative enemy design.”
    • “The mystery, exploration, class variety, and progression mechanics steep this wonderful roguelite in 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 in the labyrinth and endless modes, due to their randomized nature.”
    • “It also has a darker theme and atmosphere than 16-bit SNES Zelda.”
    • “The gameplay, as well as the atmosphere, story, and soundtrack, makes this game a quite great experience.”
  • replayability8 mentions

    Overall, the game's replayability is highly variable; while some players praise its near-endless replayability due to its engaging mechanics, class variety, and nostalgic aesthetic, others find it limited with quickly exhausting content. The upgrade system and opportunities for exploration contribute positively to replay value, but some feel that certain aspects remain underdeveloped, affecting long-term engagement.

    • “The mystery, exploration, class variety, and progression mechanics steep this wonderful roguelite with atmosphere and near-endless replayability, and 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.”
    • “The upgrade system gives it great replayability.”
    • “Stage replayability: 1-2/5(?)”
    • “The 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, try out different characters, and remember enemy mechanics.”
  • grinding7 mentions

    Players find the grinding in the game to be excessive and often frustrating, particularly in challenging dungeons like Tha Last Crusade, which can feel unfair and time-consuming. While some appreciate the skill-based gameplay that encourages learning enemy patterns, many feel that the repetitive nature of grinding detracts from the overall enjoyment, leading to a mixed reception regarding this aspect.

    • “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.”
    • “The levels themselves you'll get sick of during grinding.”
  • humor4 mentions

    Reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding the game's humor; while some players appreciate its unique storytelling and humor, others feel it lacks the witty charm and comedic elements found in its predecessor, "Death Road to Canada." Overall, the humor is seen as inconsistent, with some players expressing disappointment in its absence.

    • “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.”
  • stability2 mentions

    The game's stability is marred by technical glitches, such as charge attacks failing to execute properly when moving downwards, which can lead to confusion and unfair difficulty spikes during battles. While players must carefully manage health and resources, the occasional damage from these glitches does not completely undermine the gameplay experience. Overall, the stability issues contribute to a challenging environment that requires skillful play to navigate.

    • “Surviving through each of the dungeons, including the labyrinth, is a careful balance of conserving health and resources. The maximum amount of health recovered from upgrading each class's health recovery up to 12 is low enough to require skillful play, but high enough to compensate for occasional damage from technical glitches, such as charge attacks not releasing when walking downwards, or the 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.”
  • character development1 mentions

    Reviewers appreciate the character designs in the game, noting that even with its 16-bit graphics, the sprites are visually appealing and the drawn character designs stand out positively.

    • “Despite being a 16-bit game, the sprites still look appealing, and the drawn character designs are especially nice.”
    • “The character development is incredibly rich, allowing players to form deep connections with each character's unique backstory.”
    • “I love how the characters evolve throughout the game, with their personalities and relationships changing based on player choices.”
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 2 analyzed playthroughs

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