Wayward Souls

About

Wayward Souls is a replayable action-adventure game with procedurally generated levels and six unique characters. Combat encounters challenge players' tactics, positioning, and timing, while equipment combinations and unlockable areas offer diverse gameplay. With no IAP, no grind-based victories, and free content updates, it boasts unprecedented scope and variety for players.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

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

86%

Audience ScoreBased on 148 reviews

story12 positive mentions

grinding10 negative mentions

The game offers a challenging yet compelling experience, with a strong emphasis on learning enemy patterns and combat strategies.
The variety of playable characters, each with unique abilities and playstyles, adds depth and replayability to the game.
The retro SNES aesthetic, combined with a great soundtrack and engaging lore, creates an immersive atmosphere that keeps players invested.

The difficulty spikes significantly in later dungeons, which can lead to frustration and a sense of unfairness, especially with enemy combinations.
The grinding for upgrades can feel tedious, with high costs for character enhancements that may not provide significant benefits.
Technical issues, such as visual glitches and awkward controls, detract from the overall experience, making it less accessible for casual gamers.

story
74 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
16%
77%
7%
The game's story is a mixed bag, with some players appreciating the unique character arcs and world-building elements that unfold through gameplay, while others criticize it for being poorly paced, generic, or overly reliant on backstory dumps. Many highlight the charm of individual character narratives and the overarching plot, but some feel that the storytelling is hindered by repetitive gameplay and lack of engaging mechanics. Overall, while the effort to weave a narrative into the roguelike format is noted, execution varies significantly among players.
- “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.”
- “Each character features his/her own story, and so the game has a lot of replay value in trying to find out how to achieve character mastery with each and to reveal their background stories.”
- “It's unfortunate that most people will not be able to access that story as it's hidden behind the crippling difficulty.”
- “The game features no proper level design or game/story flow/plot, as they opted to try to use samey repetitive procedural generation algorithms as a substitute for adding such content to the game.”
- “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.”
gameplay
53 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
25%
57%
19%
The gameplay of the game is a mixed bag, with some players praising its fast-paced, hack-and-slash mechanics and class variety that offers a fun and challenging experience, while others criticize it for being clunky, repetitive, and suffering from poor design choices, particularly in later levels. The game features a nostalgic 16-bit aesthetic and procedural generation, but many feel that it lacks depth and can become stale over time. Overall, while there are enjoyable moments and a high skill ceiling, significant gameplay issues detract from the overall experience.
- “The gameplay is fun and keeps you coming back.”
- “The gameplay is challenging and rewards you for figuring out how to best fight an enemy rather than grinding up to have better gear.”
- “Great time killer, well designed gameplay and progression system.”
- “I like this port as well, I really do, but there are some glaring and frustrating gameplay issues.”
- “The gameplay started to grow stale in the tutorial, let alone my first attempt in a run that I intentionally gave up on so I didn't have to bear witness to this combat one second more.”
- “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.”
graphics
36 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
31%
61%
8%
The graphics of the game are characterized by a nostalgic 16-bit pixel art style reminiscent of SNES classics, which many players find charming and engaging. However, opinions are mixed; while some appreciate the retro aesthetic and its immersive qualities, others criticize the graphics for being unthematic and lacking variety, with some even likening them to low-effort RPG Maker assets. Overall, the visuals evoke a sense of nostalgia but may not meet the expectations of players seeking contemporary graphical fidelity.
- “The artwork is charming, the music is engaging, and clearly a lot of effort was put in to tell the story.”
- “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.”
- “Wayward Souls is a hack-n-slash roguelite that features retro-style pixel graphics, multiple character classes to choose from, fast-paced action, and procedurally generated dungeons.”
- “A choice was made to use obsolete retro pixel art as a substitute for contemporary PC graphics.”
- “Resolution and controls are locked, and can't be changed or customized to improve the visuals or the control experience.”
- “The graphics are so bad I thought this was another RPG Maker asset flip when I first saw it.”
music
33 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
48%
42%
9%
The music in the game has received widespread acclaim, with many reviewers praising its engaging and atmospheric quality that enhances 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. Overall, the music is described as a standout element, with some even comparing it favorably to other well-known soundtracks in the gaming industry.
- “The artwork is charming, the music is engaging, and clearly a lot of effort was put in to tell the story.”
- “Insanely good soundtrack.”
- “While the rest of Wayward Souls may take notes from the pages of retrogaming, the soundtrack has a nice variety of old and new that keeps it unique and interesting.”
- “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).”
atmosphere
12 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
58%
17%
25%
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its blend of nostalgic 16-bit aesthetics, atmospheric lighting, and a compelling soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the mysterious and foreboding elements, alongside a relaxing ambiance that complements the action and exploration. The combination of somber music and creative enemy design contributes to a captivating environment that keeps players engaged and returning for more.
- “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, atmospheric lighting, somber music, and creative enemy design.”
- “Chilling atmospherics and melodic ambient tones hum ominously in underground caves, whereas uplifting battle hymns supplied by heavy and almost tribal-sounding instrumentation play as you reach climactic battles.”
- “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.”
- “Perfectly emulating the golden era of action RPG titles like 'Secret of Mana's' look and feel and the underground-descending dank atmosphere of way-making dungeon crawlers like 'A Link to the Past.'”
grinding
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
91%
Players have mixed feelings about the grinding in the game; while some find it manageable and rewarding once they learn enemy patterns, others view it as excessively tedious and frustrating, particularly in certain dungeons. The grind is often criticized for being a time sink, especially with high upgrade requirements and achievement goals that can feel repetitive and dull. Overall, the experience of grinding can significantly impact enjoyment, leading to polarized opinions on the game's value.
- “The game is not too grindy once you learn the patterns.”
- “Grinding becomes enjoyable as you uncover new strategies and techniques.”
- “The sense of progression during grinding keeps me motivated to continue playing.”
- “The grinding is a bit of a chore.”
- “Tha 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.”
- “This is exacerbated by the grinding aspects built into the game - the insane coin upgrade requirements, and achievements such as obtaining 200 hats or getting to the 100th floor of endless mode.”
replayability
11 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
45%
27%
Overall, the game offers a mix of high replayability through its diverse character stories, exploration, and progression mechanics, particularly appealing to fans of roguelites. While some players note limitations in stage replayability and a sense of exhaustion with unique room encounters, the upgrade system and character mastery provide significant incentives for repeated play. Many reviewers emphasize the game's value for money, highlighting its immersive experience and nostalgic aesthetic as key factors that encourage players to return.
- “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.”
- “Each character features his/her own story, and so the game has a lot of replay value in trying to find out how to achieve character mastery with each and to reveal their background stories.”
- “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.”
humor
5 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviews indicate a mixed reception regarding the game's humor. While some players appreciate its unique storytelling and occasional humorous notes, others feel it lacks the witty charm and comedic elements found in its predecessor, "Death Road to Canada." Overall, the humor is present but not as prominent or effective as in previous titles.
- “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.”
- “Some written notes are also spread throughout, with a lot of humor and lore mixed in.”
monetization
3 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The monetization of Wayward Souls has been criticized as a blatant cash grab, with users highlighting its poor quality and lack of substantial RPG mechanics. The developers are accused of unethical practices by charging $20 for an abandoned early access product while promoting a new game, leading to claims of scamming early buyers.
- “Wayward Souls is a mobile app that's been dumped on Steam as a lazy cash grab by greedy mobile app developers. It's a 2D retro pixel top-down 'roguelike' 'action' 'RPG', but really it features very little in the way of RPG mechanics and is more of a Zelda ripoff, only dumbed down for mobile players.”
- “This is a very poor quality mobile app, and it's obvious this is a cash grab.”
- “It appears that the developers are behaving unethically as they have a product in abandoned early access (that they are still charging $20 USD for), at the same time they're advertising a new game... meaning they've intentionally scammed people who bought their early access game.”
stability
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The game's stability is marked by occasional technical glitches, such as charge attacks failing to execute properly, which can lead to confusion and unfair difficulty spikes during battles. While players must carefully manage health and resources, these issues do not render the game unplayable, though they can detract from the overall experience.
- “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 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.”
character development
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
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.
optimization
1 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The optimization of the game has received mixed reviews, with some users praising its smooth performance and minimal lag, while others report issues such as frame drops and long loading times. Overall, the game's optimization appears to vary significantly across different hardware configurations.