Soulmask - The Golden Legend Review Summary

A fun, content-rich game with deep building and management systems and responsive devs who update often, but DLC ownership isn't recognized and the download button launches the game instead.

Fun and appealing gameplay: Reviewers describe the game as very appealing, fun, and pleasant, with very good gameplay. Many find it more enjoyable than comparable titles like Ark and Conan.

Active and responsive developers: Developers are frequently praised for listening to the community, fixing bugs quickly, and delivering frequent, useful updates with new content. Players note the hard work put into the game.

Lots of content and options: Players highlight abundant building, management, and crafting options, with dense maps and mechanics that keep them busy for months. The complexity and variety give each player their own path.

Strong NPC and management system: Reviewers consistently praise the NPC mechanics, base management, and tribe member management as standout features. Many consider it best-in-class compared to other survival games, with impressive AI and automation granularity.

Good graphics and visual detail: Graphics are widely praised as great, with attention to detail, realistic visuals, and a pretty visual mixture. The overall art direction and world design are well received.

DLC ownership not recognized: Players who own the expansion pack still receive messages requiring the DLC, with items and menus remaining greyed out or locked. This occurs even when the DLC appears in the library.

Download button launches game: Clicking download starts the game instead of downloading the content, affecting both base game and DLC downloads. This prevents users from actually obtaining the files they requested.

DLC content missing after launch: Purchased or free content such as masks, skins, and statues do not appear in the game or cannot be used despite being in the inventory. Some items are unlocked but remain inaccessible.

DLC separate from base game: Content is delivered as DLC rather than being part of the base game, with early access work released as paid DLC instead of core content. Releasing a free DLC separately during early access feels illogical.

Rough launch with bugs: The launch was rough, with bugs related to how to acquire items and two bugs that required a restart. Player feedback is ignored.

Deep building and management systems: The game combines building, furniture placement, and a management system with NPC mechanics. Players manage tribe members and assign NPCs to work, supported by automated tasks with high granularity.

Masks drive recruitment and utility: Masks are selected during character creation and used to find talented minions. A DLC mask reveals a recruit's stats, max proficiency, known and future skills, and negative skills before recruiting, though it replaces the current mask.

Map guides mask and ship hunting: The open world map shows the acquisition location for masks and marks a sunken ship icon south of the map in the black zone. Reaching the ship requires diving and sufficient lung capacity.

Survival game with solo and co-op: Players describe the game as a survival title that supports both solo play and co-op with friends. This dual-mode structure is a core part of its appeal.

Multiple modes and server options: Players can save characters at a table and run a personal persistent server with friends. Semi-PvP mode and a private PvE personal instance offer different play styles.

Game fails to launch post-update: Players report that the game does not open after an update is applied. The launch failure persists even after removing workshop mods, indicating a core issue rather than a mod conflict.

DLC download breaks game launch: Downloading the DLC causes the game to skip or fail to launch properly. This points to a specific problem introduced by the DLC content itself.

Strongly recommended overall: Players broadly recommend the game with enthusiasm, with one review calling it highly recommended. The positive sentiment is consistent across multiple reviewers.

Grab the free DLC now: Reviewers repeatedly urge players to pick up the DLC while it is free. Since it costs nothing, there is little reason to skip it.

Appeals to Conan fans: One reviewer highly recommends the game specifically to players who enjoyed Conan. This suggests the game carries similar themes or mechanics that will resonate with that audience.

Story missions worth finishing: Players consider the story missions worth playing through to the final boss. This indicates the narrative content holds up until the end.

Safe purchase, no worries: One reviewer states the game can be bought without fear, signaling confidence in its quality. This reinforces the overall positive reception.

Base-Building Systems Architect: Designs and manages tribe bases, tests prefab utility, and evaluates NPC AI. Motivation: Optimizing base construction and NPC-driven base management. Stance: buy.

Semi-PvP Raider: Semi-PvP conflict with scheduled base demolition. Motivation: Periodic semi-PvP base raiding and demolition. Stance: buy.

Solo PvE Private-Instance Player: Plays solo on a private PvE personal instance. Motivation: Relaxed solo PvE progression in a private instance. Stance: buy.

Free DLC and regular updates: Players appreciate that DLC is offered for free, even if for a limited time, and that developers regularly add new content and updates. This is seen as positive support for the game.

Favorable comparisons to Conan and Ark: Reviewers frequently compare the game to Conan Exiles and Ark, often stating it surpasses Conan in gameplay and graphics. One reviewer ranks it as their 4th top sandbox game behind Minecraft, Enshrouded, and Conan Exiles.

Some content locked behind paid expansion: Certain content, including maps and items, requires purchasing an expansion pack or DLC separately. This is noted as a gating mechanism.

Cosmetic items like masks and clothing: The game includes cosmetic items such as a free mask, a DLC mask, and Chinese-style clothing introduced via DLC. A mod (A-mirror) provides a mask-function item, and the bronze mod pairs well with the white clothing set.

Developer responsiveness to feedback: Opinions are split: some players note that developers listen to community feedback, while others report that the developer does not respond to player feedback.