Do you like fantasy settings? What about like Metroidvanias? Or even tight, gripping, almost Souls-like combat? Then have I got the adventure for you. Welcome to the world of Souldiers.
Souldiers takes place at the beginning of a war between the Dadelm army and Zarga. The War Council is being led by the King of Zarga, who announces the positioning of the troops determined by General Brigard. During this, the king’s advisor and sorcerer Arkzel, suggests a change of strategy to lead the troops to the edge of a cave. As the troops arrive at the cave, they are soon met with a devastating earthquake and find themselves trapped in the darkness.
A luminous silhouette appears before them and invites them to accompany her. This silhouette turns out to be a Valkyrie, whose role is to find the deceased so that their existence continues beyond the world. Informing them that their circumstances are unnatural, the Valkyrie transports the soldiers to the world of Terryaga, where they are instructed to seek out the “Guardian“. And so, you take your first steps into the lands unknown of Terryaga.
Souldiers‘ gameplay is almost exactly what you would expect from a Metroidvania. Unmapped sprawling zones to explore and delve into, with areas and certain intractable objects being unusable until specific abilities or items are found later in your adventure. These will enable you to return to these areas and finish your exploration of the previously untouchable zones and areas.
There are three classes to pick from when you start Souldiers: knight, archer and mage.
Each of these classes plays in entirely different ways, with the knight being (surprisingly) melee-focused along with a shield for parrying and blocking enemies’ attacks. The archer is naturally ranged-based, but with an interesting twist; you start with three arrows that regenerate over time. However, by using your bow as a boomerang, you can inflict damage as well as speed up arrow recovery. Mage is very similar to the archer in the sense that you have a melee attack as well as a ranged attack, where after using the range attack, you need to wait and/or strike opponents with the melee to build the charge up faster.
Despite the three classes playing differently, the rest of their abilities and items all work in the same way, things such as wall jumps and double jumps, as well as usable items very similar to what you would find in a Zelda game. For example, there are bombs to blow up walls or roaming bombs that can go into small spaces or along walls to trigger switches.
The power-ups don’t stop there either; not only do you get a skill tree that you can choose where to put your hard-earned skill points, but there are also elemental powers that you will be obtaining throughout the game. These augment your attacks to allow elemental damage and build into your ability to solve environmental puzzles, such as being imbued with a flame to allow you to light torches or burn away spider webs.
I’m sure most of you know that a Metroidvania map is always full of secrets and backtracking, and that is no different here. However, one big difference between Souldiers and other Metroidvania games is the sheer scope of the game there is to explore. There are so many areas in the realm. Thankfully, they aren’t too mean, as there is fast travel at every spawn point and this ability is unlocked right out of the gate.
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The second main dungeon, which is set inside an ancient pyramid, took me around 4-5 hours to explore and complete the story, with some time taken for secret hunting (with more left to still be uncovered). The map for the pyramid could easily be its own mini Metroidvania game, and this is just one of the main areas of “dungeons”, as it were.
Souldiers also contains side quests and hunts for strong boss-style monsters, which upon defeat will reward you with equipable charms and a hefty money reward. These items are vital for harder difficulties and offer various buffs and boons. I am playing the game on a harder difficulty, and with that comes a harsh but fair challenge. Occasionally, it feels a little stacked against you, yet with the controls being punchy and responsive to your inputs, it feels more like a matter of learning patterns and going in for damage when you can (or adhering to the mechanics of the specific boss encounter).
Souldiers follows the typical use of pixel art often found within Metroidvanias, with a high use of fairytale aesthetics as well as a touch of steampunk here and there. It’s all blended to make this world with a peculiar mishmash feel even more fantasy-filled.
The art used for all aspects is extremely polished and crisp. From the bosses to the colourful cast you will meet on your journey, to the strange and fantastical beasts, it all feels unique and easily identifiable. Bright colours are used even in the darkest pits of the dungeons and caves. Each character’s model for when they’re speaking is highly detailed, as are the backdrops for each area you explore, making the world feel more alive and allowing you to get lost in the beauty of the art.
The sound design perfectly complements the art with bouncy and jaunty melodies aplenty during the brighter and slightly less dangerous parts of the world, and more boding and adventurous melodies for the dungeons and boss encounters you will face. And that’s just for the musical score. The general sound design from enemies’ screeches and growls to the sound of your weapons or abilities unleashing havoc upon them, all combine in a beautiful symphony of magic, mystery and danger.
I have enjoyed every moment I have spent with Souldiers and no doubt will continue to, as I do wish to play through all three characters to the end. However, this is no small task by any means. The main story, without being distracted or going for secrets and side quests, will take you a good 18-20 hours alone.
This may seem overly long for a Metroidvania, but I enjoy the fact that I get to spend a lot of time in this lovingly crafted world that the team have created. The story does have a few moments that feel a little slow, but the gameplay and exploration more than make up for this little fact.
With the current entry price sitting between £15-16, depending on your system of choice, even at full price, Souldiers gives you a full bang for your buck. It’s a stunning indie game, and I have many more hours to lose for secrets and alternate playthroughs. A solid 9/10.
Developer: Retro Forge
Publishers: Dear Villagers, Plug In Digital
Platforms: PlayStation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, Microsoft Windows, Xbox Series X/S/One
