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.
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 F2P 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.