Soulstice Review

If you took all the grandiose concepts video games frequently bring up, ‘chaos’ has a strong chance of being ranked number one. Chaos is so nebulous, sinister sounding and conveniently explains all the wild things you’re going to be doing. Going on a mass murder spree, oh that’s just chaos. How does this flying titty monster exist? I don’t know but it reeks of chaos. Embodying the quintessential chaos that’s both eye rolling and bat shit crazy is the character-action game from Reply Game Studios, Soulstice, an outing that frantically bounces between intoxicating, silly, and somewhat frustrating, but is never not fun.

The best way to describe Soulstice’s story is that it’s an ocean wide, but a puddle deep. After what appears to be an endgame prologue, Briar and Lute arrive in the town of Ilden behind their Chimera brethren to halt the scourge of chaos flowing from a sky laser at the heart of the city. In this very lore-dense narrative, a plot of conspiracy and intrigue begins to take place as Briar and Lute uncover the origins of the calamity at hand, the truth of their creation and the mysterious motivations of their Observer, Layton.

Add to the tally of Sky Lasers

For the most part it’s a fairly run-of-the-mill story and world that mainly serves to conform to the gameplay. With some of the revelations being so obvious that I’m questioning whether they were meant to be shocking or mind-blowing at all. There’s a lot of building up the main characters’ ‘tragic’ backstories rather than exploring the more interesting ideas that are explicitly brought up like, what it means to be a tool of the State and a manipulated one at that. Unfortunately neither is given enough time to flourish and it’s all delivered with a healthy dose of edgy dialogue to either embrace or wince at. I for one am an edge enjoyer, but maybe not for the reasons the game wants. Ultimately though the story is reasonably inoffensive and just interesting enough to give a dramatic flair to the absolutely bonkers gameplay.

There’s a deft balance in gameplay that forces the player to remain organised in their approach to combat. Games like the original God of War, Nier and Dante’s Inferno come to mind as points of inspiration as combat encounters are as dense as they are intricate, forcing you to utilise your entire kit for maximum effect. A lot of the pleasure stems from stringing together combos from a wide arsenal of weapons like a whip, a bow, and a hammer, and all these can be swapped to at any time. This is all par for the course for a fast-paced action game, but the feedback is decent, the dodge is responsive and the general flow of combat is frenetic and enrapturing, but what exactly gives Soulstice its unique soul?

Well, it mostly involves the tertiary elements of combat – managing auras and counterattacks. Having to maintain concentration by toggling between two auras (evocation and banishment) so that Wraith and Possessed enemies, respectively, can be struck by your attacks is a fundamental aspect of combat. This is coupled with the fact that Lute’s main role in combat is defensive, with deflecting, slowing and disabling enemies is achieved by using a well-timed counter. It’s all these elements of managing auras, counters and combos that gives Soulstice a chaotic meticulousness that rewards clean execution and rapid reflexes. Executing a variety of unimpeded strikes brings Briar and Lute closer to the point of synchronisation, allowing you to perform devastating attacks and inducing the all expected rage mode.

Mans got mad head game

As the intense techno-chorus music thumps harder, it makes cleaning a room full of every and any enemy type untouched its own reward. However, Soulstice actively rewards you with experience and money, grading you after every fight, and it really drives you to do better. Getting a bronze feels like shit but achieving a diamond in the next fight turns you into anime-adjacent goth-girl Muhammad Ali. Mashing is always an option, but Soulstice is at its best when you take a step back, breathe, and hone your craft in bloodletting to its maximum. I would be negligent in my duty if I also didn’t mention the incredible boss fights that take everything that’s insane about the combat and elevates it further, for example by incorporating bullet hell mechanics and platforming, giving them a memorable flair.

Soulstice is at its worst though when you’re fighting with the camera and not the enemies. Outside of combat arenas the odd-feeling fixed camera angles do actually vignette areas nicely. Everything you need to know for the light puzzle solving is always kept in frame and platforming is rarely ever at odds with the camera. This makes exploration an enjoyable prospect as more often than not rooms are framed to intentionally hide loot and challenge rooms, rewarding the player for taking the time to soak in the scenery. Combat is a different beast though, particularly when using the lock-on with enemies that dash and teleport around the battlefield. In any given battle there are always ten enemies getting up to mischief off screen, and when the camera bounces around with fast moving foes, it makes the necessary readability of fights all the more difficult. Not all the fights suffer from this, but it becomes more of an issue the further the game progresses.

Aside from the hiccups with the camera and frequent texture pop-ins (which actually completely failed to load during the final cutscene making for a humorous ending more than anything), Soulstice is very polished. The accessibility options are very commendable too, especially in games like this where quick reflexes are the name of the game, but shouldn’t be a hardline barrier to someone’s enjoyment. There’s also the aforementioned battle music which I’m almost certain is what it’s like to take meth in a church run by robots, with such beautiful choruses complementing the maddest of techno. An odd but disgustingly compelling combination.

Mum walks in precisely when this scene plays

Final Thoughts

On that note, Soulstice is going to make me say it, this might be one of the few games that understands chaos. Not from a philosophic or scientific angle but rather in its affectation of chaos. The crazy combat absolutely steals the show, with such a high ceiling of skill it allows for being simply astonishing in its complexity. However, it’s also the unpredictability of the camera and the predictable nature of the plot that swing the overall experience wildly in the other direction away from astonishing. It’s this push and pull between ecstatic fun and dull annoyance that honestly drives Soulstice, but it’s nonetheless worth checking out.

Reviewed on Xbox Series X // Review code supplied by publisher

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