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The beauty and potential is there, but it falls a bit short gameplay wise | Review - SOULS

3K View2023-08-23

SOULS

7.0

CozyRPGIdle

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SOULS is an auto-chess PvE battler set in an ancient continent that has been shattered and consumed by darkness. Players assume the role of a potent young girl, summoned by two desperate mages. This girl is tasked with uniting the heroes for a liberation crusade, aimed at rescuing all other heroes from the clutches of the seven malevolent lords.

🟩Pros
+Atmospheric visuals and soundtrack
+Over 60 heroes to collect and upgrade
+Sleek and accessible UI design
+Generous progression rates
🟥Cons
-Lack of depth to the strategy and combat
-Minimal story elements
-Misleading promotional images and trailers, looking like an adventure game
-Some features are still “coming soon”

Contrary to my initial impressions from browsing the Google Play Store page, SOULS is not an adventure game in the vein of titles like Journey, Abzu, and Sky: Children of the Light . Instead, it is a traditional auto-chess gacha game tailored for mobile platforms. Nonetheless, its visual appeal remains as stunning as depicted in the promotional images and trailers. The heavy use of bloom against a desert wasteland backdrop has helped a lot with how it impressively looks.

Right from the start, SOULS exudes an immersive atmosphere, boasting stylized characters and hero designs that capture attention. The music further enhances the experience, soothing and mesmerizing, while solidifying the game's misleading resemblance to a bona fide adventure game through its stunning and atmospheric overall vibe. The user interface and menus tailored for portrait orientation gameplay are thoughtfully designed, featuring sizeable buttons that enhance accessibility and are intuitively easy to navigate.

The gameplay revolves around assembling a team of five heroes, placing them strategically on a hexagonal grid map against opposing forces, and relying on their hero power to emerge victorious, with the battles automatically played out. While the game doesn't delve deeply into its backstory beyond its apocalyptic premise, it wastes no time thrusting players into action minutes after launching.

Even in this turn-based auto-chess gameplay, the camera follows our characters in third person view, immersing us into the action instead of having the usual top-down or isometric view. As players progress through the chapters level by level, they unlock rewards and gain access to a diverse array of characters and loot. The developers are boasting to have introduced over 60 heroes, each with distinct abilities, strengths, and weaknesses. These heroes can be enhanced using resources obtained from gameplay, and equipment can also be acquired and subsequently upgraded.

I found the progression to be genuinely engaging, and notably generous for the most part. I was getting all kinds of currencies just by playing normally. There are plenty of live service bonuses implemented: daily, weekly logins, challenges and milestone rewards around every move you make. It’s basically flooding players with currency that it didn’t bother my free to play experience at all. The only resource I occasionally found myself lacking was the one required to advance a character and unlock the next tier of leveling. Nevertheless, it was merely a matter of time until I acquired those resources as well.

Now, here comes my main gripe. The game lacks substantial depth, and over time, the repetitive cycle of battling enemies, upgrading heroes, and advancing through chapters isn’t enough to keep me invested. While SOULS introduces additional modes gradually to infuse variety, and there are game mechanics centered around hero collection and gear customization, it ultimately boils down to simply just gathering materials to enhance hero strength.

Additionally, gacha is yet again here for our hero collecting elements, albeit also as generous in giving out Epic heroes and materials to initiate rolls. In-game purchases are in place, which can help players carve out powerful heroes quickly.

Every hero possesses distinct designated classes, such as support, healer, and dealer, with their own attribute of strength, agility, or intelligence. However, beyond the basic tutorial that introduced me to the game's fundamental features, the intricate mechanics, skills, and abilities are poorly explained. What remains of the shallow strategic layer of the game largely falls to the player to figure out through trial and error.

While SOULS has been officially released, playable, and even visually stunning, it remains a work in progress. Several features, including guilds, crafting, and a game mode called ‘Dimensional Rift’, are still marked as "coming soon." It’s disappointing for a game to release with such missing features, but It is quite exciting to see what the developers will add next and how far this game can go.

Conclusion:

SOULS offers an initially captivating experience with its striking visuals, engaging atmosphere, and user-friendly interface. Its generous progression system and diverse heroes contribute to an enjoyable gameplay loop. However, it doesn't take long for the lack of depth to become apparent. While the game's current state holds promise, its true potential lies in how well it addresses these limitations and evolves with future content.

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SOULS

7.0

CozyRPGIdle

Get

This auto-chess game misled me into thinking that it's an adventure game | Impressions - SOULS

Contrary my initial impressions from browsing the Google Play Store page, SOULS is not an adventure game in the vein of titles like Journey, Abzu, and Sky: Children of the Light . Instead, it is a traditional auto-chess gacha game tailored for mobile platforms. Nonetheless, its visual appeal remains as stunning as depicted in the promotional images and trailers. The gameplay of SOULS instead revolves around assembling a team of five heroes, placing them strategically on a hexagonal grid map against opposing forces, and relying on their hero power to emerge victorious, with the battles automatically played out. While the game doesn't delve deeply into its backstory beyond its apocalyptic premise, it wastes no time thrusting players into action minutes after launching.

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SOULS is a bit too deceptive with it's outlook

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