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Soul Land: Advent of the Gods Review—An Increasingly Notable Novel Wrapped in a Half-Hearted Package

10K View2021-12-14

Reading Time: 3 mins 3 secs

As I wrap up work for the holidays, I'd have to say it sure is delightful to kick back and relax.

There's nothing like taking the time to catch up on some good ol' series and novels (Of course, the little kitty 🐈‍⬛ who's with me today! Why don't you say hi to everyone, Rico?).

Being a massive fan of the 斗罗大陆 (Soul Land) animation series and novel, it goes without saying that I'd be more willing to get my hands on all IP adaptations available whenever possible.

Since Rico decided not to let me move from the sofa, there's no better time than this to give Soul Land: Advent of the Gods (SLAG) a whirl.

Boy, was I in for a bumpy ride...

After learning that SLAG was officially authorised by the Soul Land animation and novel creators, I guess I had pretty high expectations for the game. Yet, things never seem to go the way you want them to, and more often than not, disappointment becomes your constant companion.

For one, SLAG doesn't exactly follow much of the novel or the animation per se. What's more, its horrendous translations are such a massive turn-off for me. Well, wouldn't you agree that good game translations are so beneficial to games while bad ones just live in infamy?

Despite it being a turn-based MMORPG game, there seems to be a lack of interactivity as everything is pretty much set in an auto-mode. All in all, the only thing I have done was tapping on buttons to activate the auto-path. In the space of a few moments, my excitement for this game dissipates before you can even say the words, 'Soul Land.'Though the game may have fabulous gacha rates and generous rewards, I'm still required to farm repetitively for gears to strengthen my team, much to my chagrin. Yet, the developer, Komoe Technology, doesn't provide me with the luxury of selecting the difficulty. So, whenever you defeat a spirit beast, you're basically stuck at the next level until your team is strong enough to defeat it. God knows how long I've been stuck at this stage…>.>On a different note, the only compliments I have for this game happen to be the generous rewards Komoe Technology offers and the usage of the animation series' opening song in the game. Even so, they still aren't reason enough for me to keep my phone in my hands and not give Rico the attention he wants.

So, yes, the animation series is absolutely brilliant. The novel happens to be my all-time favourite. What does this mobile game add to the experience? Not much.

I wanted very badly to love SLAG, and for a time, I think I did, much thanks to the familiar premises and characters. However, the lack of anything exciting makes the auto-path mechanics a glaring issue in desperate need of some TLC.

So, if you're looking for a new go-to strategic game experience and happen to be fluent in Mandarin, you could do much better by joining me here as we venture away in the world of Doula Continent: Soul Master Duel (DCSMD). Otherwise, please feel free to refer to my Isla-guides for DCSMD.

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