Souldiers Preview

2D platformers are totally my thing, so when I saw Souldiers on the Steam Next Fest page I knew that I had to check it out! Especially when Steam says it’s similar to Infernax and Axiom Verge, both games I love.

You play as a soldier in the nation of Zarga, one of the three that rule the continent of Ascii. There is a meeting of the Royal Council members as they try to decide what to do about the imminent war. After a few hours of discussion, Arkzel (the King’s Advisor and sorcerer) proposes a new strategy. The demo doesn’t cover too much of it, but it’s not gonna be good.

We see a brigade trapped in the mountains, when the world opens up beneath them, plunging them into the darkness. Suddenly a Valkyrie appears to take them to the next life, which makes the soldiers very confused since they are sure that they are still alive and will rejoin the rest of the army when they get out. She can see in the palm of her hand that their lifeline ended when they were trapped; there is something more powerful holding them back. They have the choice between following her or turning into dust, so they decide to follow. At this point, a class must be chosen. While Scout is the only selection allowed in the demo, Archer and Caster will also be available in the full game.

Souldiers is a beautiful-looking game, the graphics remind me of some of the best games on the SNES. The platforming and combat in this demo work great; the controls are very responsive, and as you level up there are multiple skills that you can teach to your soldier.

Souldiers is a title that I have already wishlisted and am looking forward to picking up when it is released. You know it’s good when I still want the game after having to explore an area called Spider Cave. I hate spiders…