Soulstice Review Summary

Engaging and satisfying combat: The combat system is widely praised for being fun, challenging, and rewarding. Players enjoy the variety of weapons, combos, and the strategic depth it offers.

Compelling story and characters: The game features a well-developed and engaging story with unique characters. The lore and drama are well-received, making the narrative a strong point.

Impressive visuals and art style: The game is praised for its beautiful and stylish visuals, including character designs, animations, and art direction. The visual style is often described as visually appealing and well-done.

Similar to Devil May Cry: The gameplay and combat mechanics are often compared to Devil May Cry, appealing to fans of that series. The similarities include combat style, camera angles, and overall feel.

Inspired by Claymore and Berserk: The game draws inspiration from the anime/manga series Claymore and Berserk, which is reflected in its story and character designs.

Camera angles cause frustration: The fixed camera angles are widely criticized for causing inconvenience, confusion, and difficulty, especially during combat and platforming sections. Players find the camera angles problematic and poorly implemented, leading to a frustrating experience.

Repetitive and boring gameplay: The gameplay is often criticized for being repetitive, boring, and lacking polish. Players find the gameplay monotonous and uninteresting, with repetitive environments and levels that blend together.

Combat mechanics are tedious: The combat system is frequently described as repetitive, boring, and poorly designed. Players find the combat mechanics tedious, confusing, and lacking fluidity, which makes the combat experience frustrating and unenjoyable.

Platforming sections are frustrating: Platforming sections are often described as frustrating and poorly designed. The fixed camera angles and lack of camera controls make platforming sections difficult and annoying.

Enemies have excessive health: Enemies are often criticized for having too much health, making combat sections tedious and frustrating. Players find that enemies are too resilient and lack variety, leading to repetitive and boring combat.

Classic hack and slash gameplay: The game is a classic hack and slash with strategic elements, inspired by titles like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and the old God of War saga. It features deep combat mechanics and a variety of weapons and combos.

Weapon variety and switching: The combat system involves switching between multiple weapons, each with different properties and performances against enemies. This adds a layer of strategy and variety to the gameplay.

Color-coded combat mechanics: The game features combat mechanics with color-coded enemies and fields, requiring players to use specific strategies based on enemy colors.

Combo and special attack system: The game has a robust combo system with special attacks tied to the combo meter. It includes perfect parry and combo timings, as well as light and dark attacks.

Story and narrative elements: The game features a compelling story and narrative, with elements of drama and world-building. The story is inspired by series like Berserk and Claymore.

Optimization issues: There are widespread complaints about poor optimization, particularly on PC. Players note that the game could be better optimized and runs poorly even on high-end hardware.

FPS and performance drops: Many players report frequent FPS drops and performance issues, often experiencing framedrops into the 40s and general instability in frame rates.

Camera issues: Camera problems are frequently mentioned, with complaints about terrible camera angles, fixed camera angles causing issues, and camera issues during fights.

Crashes and fatal errors: Several players report crashes, including black screen crashes, crashes during cutscenes, loading chapters, and fatal errors, particularly with the UE engine.

Gameplay and technical tweaks: Players mention the need for engine.ini and startup command tweaking, shader streaming disabled, and using DX12 for better performance.

Recommended on sale: Many players suggest buying the game only when it is discounted, often specifying a significant discount. This indicates that while the game is enjoyable, it may not be worth the full price.

Recommended for hack and slash fans: The game is frequently recommended for fans of the hack and slash genre, particularly those who enjoy games like Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, and God of War. This suggests that the game appeals to a specific niche of action-combat enthusiasts.

Potential for a sequel: Many players express a desire for a sequel, often mentioning specific improvements they would like to see. This suggests that while the game is enjoyable, players believe there is room for enhancement in future installments.

Worth playing for combat and story: Players highlight the game's unique combat system, engaging story, and character designs as key reasons to play. This indicates that the game excels in these areas, providing a worthwhile experience for those interested in these aspects.

Worth playing for the price: Several players mention that the game is worth playing, especially considering its price. This indicates that the game offers good value for money, particularly when purchased at a discount.

Community fair range: $10.00 - $20.00.

Game completion: 20.0h.

Story completion: 15.0h.

Session length: 5.0h.

The game starts with fun combat but becomes tedious and repetitive around mid-game, particularly after mission 12 or 13. Unlocking more weapons and skills makes the game more engaging.

Reported time to anchor: 15h.

Friction: Repetitive mechanics; Tedious pacing; Damage sponge enemies; Camera issues; Color-coded enemy mechanics.

Classic Hack-and-Slash Enthusiast: Enjoys challenging combat and classic camera styles. Motivation: Nostalgia and appreciation for classic gameplay mechanics. Stance: buy.

Genre Appreciator: Prefers games with solid combat and story, even if not personally enjoyed. Motivation: Recognition of the game's strengths and appeal to genre fans. Stance: sale.

Critical Optimist: Enjoys games with promising elements but is critical of flaws. Motivation: Hope for improvements and recognition of potential. Stance: deep sale.

Steam Deck: The analysis of user feedback for Soulstice on Steam Deck reveals several significant issues impacting the overall experience. The most prominent problems include unresponsive and inaccurate controls, which hinder gameplay, and performance issues such as frame drops and low FPS, even on lower graphical settings. These issues require users to seek optimized settings or modifications to improve the game's performance, indicating that the game does not provide a seamless experience out of the box.

Lista de jogos Hackn Slash: Players are requesting a list of Hackn Slash games.

Ukrainian language support: There is a request for adding Ukrainian language support to the game.