Soulstice: Deluxe Edition (PS5)

Product Information

The more successful attacks, combos, and counters you do, the closer Briar and Lute become until their portraits are combined. You know how more annoying it would have been if Grace and Glory encounters were with a bunch of other enemies (or if you have to battle two sets at the same time)?

Soulstice has some pacing issues and a dodgy camera but the combat is smooth, challenging and requires skill to master.

Consenting to these technologies will allow us to process data such as browsing behavior or unique IDs on this site. I mean, the trailers look great, but will it scratch that hack and slash itch that I’ve wanted for so long now? Enemies like the Wraiths and Possessed, or enemies that are blue and red, will require you to bring out the corresponding field to even do damage as well. It gets a lot closer to the big franchises than you’d think and the ending leaves things open for a sequel which will hopefully be more Devil May Cry 3 then Devil May Cry 2.

Despite the flaws, it does an excellent job setting up a sequel and I do expect that one to improve on combat and enemy variety. The cutscenes are also very nicely directed and animated, with plenty of good close-ups and interesting angles. Soulstice is a solid, albeit unnecessarily dragged out, hack-and-slash action role playing game that features a great cast of characters and an engaging narrative. The game does introduce new mechanics whilst exploring and new enemies pop up throughout but it does start to drag around the middle section. There’s no way you could possibly visually distinguish between High Town or the Docks or anywhere else otherwise.The simplistic plot isn’t enough to hold your attention for the whole playtime, even with two very compelling lead characters. You also have to be careful not to leave the aura up for too long, as there’s a meter garnering its usage. Apart from the dinginess, and the dark soulless fortress, another area that really isn’t strong visually is the enemy design. Feels a little bit like a PS2 game in some regards (not really a knock on it, its just if you played back in those days, games had great ideas and settings but couldn't overcome certain technical challenges). Breaking through armour, or red crystal, then a full health bar that seems to tank as much as it depletes, then on larger enemies having to switch to blue field and lock-on to knock down some wraiths is very demanding when you also have a dozen other enemies clamouring to lay some smackdown of their own.

If it fills up, Lute will dissipate for a short while, leaving Briar unable to defend or attack properly. Battle Different Enemy Classes - A vile mix of Wraiths, Corrupted and Possessed, have poured into the world from beyond the Veil. The "Chimeras", hybrid warriors born of the union of two souls, are the only ones who can protect humankind.A few tweaks would make this a fantastic game but even as it is fans of the character action games should definitely give it a chance.

Briar and Lute aren’t the only Chimera in the world, and the comparison between them and the other clandestine duos makes them stand out, as they seem to be the only body and soul duo that actually like each other. Reply Game Studios' goal has been hit: Soulstice is a respectable stylish action that deserves a place next to the "holy monsters" major exponents of the genre. Gets boring in the middle where the scenery and enemies are very repetitive with the game having you fight in the same town from start to finish. However, if you are missing more battles in your videoludic day to day, its proposal will give you the dopamine demanded through its best confrontations.It takes some getting used to as you’ll need to be concentrating on the entire screen but you’ll be stringing together combos and hitting the button in between to block an attack coming in before continuing your assault.