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SOULstice - OUT NOW for PS5 / Xbox Series X / PC


Keyser_Soze

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The balance of the Holy Kingdom of Keidas is compromised when powerful, feral creatures known as “Wraiths” invade from the other side of the Veil, threatening to consume the living. Wraiths corrupt their victims and can even possess their bodies, turning into unstoppable monsters that prey upon the common folk. The “Chimeras”, hybrid warriors born of the union of two souls, are the only ones who can protect humankind.

 

Briar and Lute are two sisters who have been reborn as a Chimera. The transformation has granted Briar superhuman strength and resilience, while Lute, who was sacrificed in order to bind her soul to her sister’s, has become a ghost with mystical powers. Voiced by Stefanie Joosten (Metal Gear Solid 5), Briar and Lute are sent on a mission to reclaim a city in ruins that has been ravaged by the Wraiths, only to discover that the Order they belong to has a far more complex plan in mind.

 

Key Features

 

Fight in synergy

Manage both characters simultaneously. Briar masters melee attacks and combos, while Lute controls the battlefield with her otherworldly abilities. Combine their strengths to unlock powerful transformations and fulfill their true potential as a Chimera.


Customize weapons and abilities

Weapons are unlocked and upgraded throughout the game and can be switched even in the middle of a combo to deal greater damage to opponents.


Explore the city of Ilden

Discover puzzles and secrets in diverse locations within a troubled city in ruins. A Tear in the Sky has opened above Ilden; as Briar and Lute get closer to it, their surroundings become more menacing and twisted.


Experience a grim world

Plunge into a dark story of sisterly love heightened by stylish and sleek art inspired by Japanese dark fantasy classics.


Combat different enemy classes

Wraiths, Corrupted and Possessed have trespassed into the world from beyond the Veil. Use Lute’s auras to weaken or expose them and adapt to a flow of battle that never feels the same.


Uncover the truth of your origin

Throughout the game, Briar and Lute will discover the truth about themselves and their power but must work together to stay true to their unbreakable bond.

 

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I mean, if the other Dark Souls clones were just Dark Souls clones they would actually be good. Instead they are shit cuz their version of combat is shit. See Code Vein, Lords of the Fallen, Surge, Mortal Shell, and more. 

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Just now, Bacon said:

I mean, if the other Dark Souls clones were just Dark Souls clones they would actually be good. Instead they are shit cuz their version of combat is shit. See Code Vein, Lords of the Fallen, Surge, Mortal Shell, and more. 

The Surge is a really great game, I'll always stick by that. I've beaten it three times by now. Never tried the sequel though, it looks lame. I'm one of the ten people on earth who loved the oppressive factory setting of the first one.

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Game Information

Game Title: Soulstice

Platforms:

  • Xbox Series X/S (Sep 20, 2022)
  • PlayStation 5 (Sep 20, 2022)
  • PC (Sep 20, 2022)


Trailer:

Publisher: Forge Reply Studios

    Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 70 average - 57% recommended

Critic Reviews

 

Spoiler

33bits - Fernando Sánchez - Spanish - 90 / 100

Soulstice has surprised us with its ability to approach a known formula and know how to leave its own identity. More polish would be appreciated but this is a medium production game with a lot of ambition. With sensations very similar to the greats of the genre and a sensational setting, Soulstice is a highly recommended title and, above all, satisfactory.


ACG - Jeremy Penter - Buy

Video Review - Quote not available


Console Creatures - Bobby Pashalidis - Recommended

If you like how tight the Bayonetta franchise, No More Heroes, Devil May Cry, Astral Chain and previous God of War games were, you'll definitely love Soulstice!


Cultured Vultures - Thorne Stone - 5.5 / 10

Soulstice is a game with some great aesthetic choices, but is completely marred by poor gameplay design that takes control away from the player during the times they'll need it the most.


Digital Trends - Tomas Franzese - 3.5 / 5

Soulstice's terrible camera holds back an otherwise ambitious and inspired action game.


FingerGuns - Toby Andersen - 7 / 10

Soulstice is a melting pot of things Devil May Cry does well and adds interesting demanding combat with two characters and situational countering. However, its predictable somber story and uninteresting world work hard to drain the fun out of things and its camera wants to be more enemy than friend.


GameGrin - Mike Crewe - 8.5 / 10

Full of style and substance, Soulstice is a joy to play, with tight, fast-paced combat and slick controls that make this an easy recommendation to anyone interested in a new hack and slash title.


GameSkinny - Hayes Madsen - 7 / 10

Soulstice's fast-paced combat is the star of the show, overshadowed by tropes and lack of variety in an experience heavily inspired by anime like Berserk.


GameSpew - Richard Seagrave - 7 / 10

All this is to say that Soulstice is enjoyable for the most part, even though it has its annoyances. Being available on next-gen consoles and PC only, it looks fantastic at times and has a great sense of scale. Its boss fights are exhilarating too, and there are some other hair-raising scenes that try to provide a little variety. Factor in multiple difficulty levels and many secret challenges to be found, and you have an action adventure game that you can really sink your teeth into.


Gamer Escape - Justin Mercer - 8 / 10

Soulstice absolutely works as a love letter to action games of the bygone PlayStation 2 era. Vitally, however, it does so without losing a clear identity of its own. Its combat system is unique in the way it asks players to actively monitor mechanics while also avoiding enemy attacks and dishing out flashy combos in true character action game fashion. Its boss battles leave quite a bit to be desired, and the level design may be a bit too narrow at points, but <em>Soulstice</em> manages to make up for these shortcomings with an emotional story and a unique brand of observation-based gameplay that ensures its status as a confident addition to the genre.


GamesRadar+ - Jon Bailes - 2 / 5

"Opening and closing fields to match the thing you're trying to kill has all the fussiness of a game of Simon Says – in that nothing you do counts unless you've remembered to hit the right button first"


Gaming Nexus - Henry Yu - 7.4 / 10

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. There's a ton of replayability and a high skill ceiling to achieve, but the lack of variety in gameplay elements and wonky camera angles keep it from being truly amazing.


GamingBolt - John Cantees - 8 / 10

While the characters and story don't do enough to push it over the top, Soulstice delivers a great action game that just about anybody can enjoy.


GamingTrend - Ben Lombardo - 85 / 100

Soulstice does an exceptional job of keeping the player engaged throughout its entirety. The amount of content just within the combat is jaw-dropping, so much so that it feels like Reply Game Studios aren't saving anything for a sequel. There's a lot to discover (and a lot to master) as you slowly trek through its massive world and uncover one of the most enjoyable detective-style stories that I've come to experience.


God is a Geek - Mick Fraser - 7 / 10

Soulstice is a competent hack and slasher with a solid core concept and an interesting world history that remains somewhat under-explored.


Hardcore Gamer - Chris Shive - 3.5 / 5

Soulstice makes no secret of what influenced it, both in aesthetics and in gameplay mechanics.


Hobby Consolas - Álvaro Alonso - Spanish - 67 / 100

A solid game with good intentions, but that falls far short of the greats of the genre. As an appetizer it's fine, but hack and slash lovers probably prefer to wait for Bayonetta 3... or back to Devil May Cry 5.


IGN Italy - Alessandra Borgonovo - Italian - 9 / 10

A great hack 'n' slash that can stand proudly near the sacred monsters of the genre.


IGN Spain - David Oña - Spanish - 5 / 10

Soulstice is a textbook hack & slash that shows a lack of risk and attachment to certain design patterns that do more good than harm. Its combat system, interesting at base, is displaced by a plot and a progression system that have more prominence than they should. 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.


MondoXbox - Mirko Rossi - Italian - 8 / 10

Soulstice combines a fascinating setting, two well-characterized protagonists, an engaging storyline and a gameplay that, albeit with a few smears, is capable of providing many hours of fun. It's not a perfect game, with the troublesome camera handling as its major flaw, but it's still a game that every lover of third-person action games should consider.


New Game Network - Alex Varankou - 63 / 100

Soulstice features decent combat with a few unique tricks, but it grows repetitive. With a dull story and lackluster presentation, it might mostly be of interest to DMC fans on a budget.


SpaceNerd.it - Cosimo Riondino - Italian - 8 / 10

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.


Although it has it's flaws in the variety of environments, quality of storytelling and depth of plot, as a whole it manages to achieve a maturity, absolute solidity and personality that make it far worthwhile and appealing to all fans of the genre.


Spaziogames - Marcello Paolillo - Italian - 7.6 / 10

Soulstice gives a good challenge to veterans of the genre and is a good choice for beginners, in a mix between Devil May Cry and Berserk.


TechRaptor - Joseph Allen - 7 / 10

Soulstice's overwritten story and repetitive second half somewhat dull the catharsis of its glorious throwback hack-and-slash combat, but it's still great fun.


The Games Machine - Stefano Calzati - Italian - 7.5 / 10

Soulstice turned out to be a good stylish action game, with a solid combat system embellished with good ideas, able to tell its excellent protagonists, Briar and Lute, both through the battle and with the cutscenes. The story of Ilden's veil torn above the sky is intriguing, with beautiful twists and a well-studied mythology, it is therefore a pity that the setting is not able to sustain this charm, despite the very good basic technique, trapped in a artistic direction that is often too generic and redundant.


WayTooManyGames - Kyle Nicol - 7 / 10

Soulstice is a love letter to the PlayStation 2 era of the action genre, with frantic fast-paced combat and its own spin on things. However, it does bring some of that baggage with it and there are some glaring issues with pacing and repetition, especially in the opening hours. Thankfully, Soulstice does recover in the end and for fans of the genre it is absolutely worth checking out.


WhatIfGaming - Rizwan Anwer - 8 / 10

If you are a fan of hack and slash games, this is just the game for you until we hear about the next Devil May Cry entry. The story is a bit of a slow burn at the start, and while you have a good journey getting there, it is still a game that throws a lot for you to learn along the way. Soulstice is a near complete package of a game, but at times it can be overwhelming when you are controlling nearly 2 characters in some very heated moments of combat.


XboxEra - Jesse Norris - 8.5 / 10

Soulstice came out of nowhere for me and it is fantastic. Its mix of brilliant combat, an intriguing plot, great music, and occasionally gorgeous graphics had me hooked instantly. This could be the beginning of a great series and one excellent title you do not want to miss.

 

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  • Keyser_Soze changed the title to SOULstice - OUT NOW for PS5 / Xbox Series X / PC

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