Souls-likes are hard to get right. The reason games like Dark Souls and Hollow Knight are so beloved is because they are greater than the sum of their parts. Eldest Souls lacks quite a few of these parts, such as a bloodstained mechanic, interesting lore, and a varied roster of normal enemies. As such, it’s fair to say it doesn’t reach the heights of its inspiration. However, by focusing on its strengths, those being the combat and bosses, Fallen Flag Studio has managed to create a title that stands out in an overcrowded genre.

Boss rushes are nothing new, but I haven’t played one that was so consistently satisfying. Every single boss after the tutorial has unique mechanics that create beautiful, deadly dances between them and the player. I died over 300 times before reaching the credits, but I was never frustrated because my deaths were fair and I was allowed to immediately retry the fight. I cannot stress enough how much I love the immediate retries, along with being able to return to the last save point if you need a break or want to switch your loadout. These are things every video game with boss fights should include going forward.

As for the combat, it puts a few twists on traditional Souls-like combat. Attacks feel heavy like in Dark Souls, but you have a charge attack that allows you a fill a meter. When it’s full, your attacks are faster, stronger, and heal you. This only lasts for a short time, so being aggressive is important. That’s just the tip of the iceberg though. There are also runes you can equip that enhance your moveset, a slam attack that deals heavy damage at the cost of depleting the charge meter, and a stamina system that depletes only when you dodge instead of every action you take (successful dodges even refund stamina). There’s a good amount of depth to the combat once you adapt to it.

Streamlined really sums up Eldest Souls. It knows exactly what it wants to be and commits to it. One could argue that the game is too barebones as a result, but with so many Souls-likes adopting similar structures and gameplay loops, I welcome the change of pace. Bosses are often the highlight of these games, so if you’re like me and want that classic challenge of overcoming larger-than-life foes using the satisfying, weighty combat the genre is known for, Eldest Souls will deliver.

This game is currently in the Humble Choice for November 2022, this is part of my coverage of the bundle. If you are interested in the game and it's before December 6th, 2022, consider picking up the game as part of the current monthly bundle.

A Boss rush with Souls-like combat.

I don’t think Eldest Souls deserves a Souls-like comparison but the word is in the name of the game. Eldest Souls appears to be focused on exploring an interesting world and constantly running into bosses. I ended up getting stuck on the second boss but also enjoyed throwing myself at the extreme challenge that it provided. The music here is a bit loud but man, it gets you pumped as well.

The downside here is it’s not a Souls-like experience in that the only real gameplay is the bosses, so it’s more like a hard version of Shadows of The Colossus without the implied morality. The fast-paced combat is all about reading attack patterns and trying to survive long enough to see and learn the move sets of enemies.

Pick this up if you like challenging games. I enjoyed this quite a bit but the focus here reminds me of Furi, where players will have to play challenging battles over and over to beat each boss even as those bosses made me feel foolish after every loss. I spent almost fifty minutes on a single battle and still want to come back to get that win.

If you enjoyed this review or want to know what I think of other games in the bundle, check out the full review on or subscribe to my Youtube channel: https://youtu.be/sFC7gi3ZDQc

Каждый босс в этой игре загадка решаемая по-разному. Когда ты уже решишь её, то остаётся лишь отпрактиковать. Лор здесь какой-то есть но я ничего не понял почти, все подано слишком непонятно. Боссы и красивый пиксельарт самое главное и самое лучшее в этой игре (лишь в катсценах пиксельарт странный, не подходящий под стиль игры). NPC тут есть и они пиздят, им можно даже принести что-то, однако не всем можно квест выполнить и выполнение других не говорит об этом лишь интернет расскажет. Тут даже есть концовки разные однако изменения минимальны и как получить другую концовку игра не скажет. Классы тут не сбалансированы, зелёный самый слабый, синий  средний, красный просто имба лютая. NG+ тут неплохой но баланса нет между сложностю боссов.
Просто игре не хватает того, чтобы её отбалансировали.

After delving into "Eldest Souls" for a significant stretch, I find myself reflecting on the growing appeal of indie games compared to mainstream offerings. Recently, indie titles like "Eldest Souls" have sparked more enthusiasm in me than many big-budget games. This game, with its intriguing blend of 'soulslike' mechanics and crisp narrative delivery, offers a refreshing take on the genre.

"Eldest Souls" begins with a setting typical of soulslike games—a lone warrior traversing a historically rich, battle-scarred landscape. The narrative unfolds through environmental clues and item descriptions, painting a picture of ancient gods and crusader-like knights that once shaped the land. This setup is intriguing and invites players to dive deeper into the game's lore.

The gameplay in "Eldest Souls" focuses on intense, boss-rush challenges that incorporate innovative mechanics well-suited to the top-down perspective. Each boss battle is a testament to the game’s core appeal, blending recognizable 'souls' motifs with unique elements that elevate the combat experience. The use of the environment, dynamic music shifts, and phase changes in bosses make each encounter a thrilling, strategic battle. It's clear the developers have poured their passion into these engagements, crafting moments that challenge and reward in equal measure.

Graphically, the game is stunning, with beautifully rendered art and an atmospheric soundtrack that enhances the somber, immersive feel of the game. The art style pays homage to the dark fantasy genre while infusing it with originality, making every area and encounter memorable.

Gameplay customization allows for varied combat styles, from agile dodging to robust, defensive play. This flexibility encourages experimentation and adaptability, enriching the combat dynamics and replayability of the game. Each style brings something different to the battles, influencing not just how you fight but also how you navigate the game's world and interact with its characters.

Despite its strengths, "Eldest Souls" does have its drawbacks. The most notable is its length; the game feels too short, leaving a sense of wanting more just as you settle into its rhythm. While its brevity ensures that the gameplay doesn't become tedious, it also means that the experience ends all too quickly. This is somewhat mitigated by the game’s high replayability and the changes introduced in New Game+, which adjusts boss mechanics to provide fresh challenges.

The developers, a small team from Italy, deserve commendation for their work. It’s heartening to see such creativity and dedication thrive, especially given the challenging creative environment in Italy. Their success with "Eldest Souls" is a beacon of hope for aspiring game developers in similar situations.

In conclusion, "Eldest Souls" is a finely crafted gem that stands out in the sea of soulslike games. Its compelling boss fights and artistic execution make it a must-play for fans of the genre. While the game may be brief, its intensity and the mastery with which it's crafted make every moment count. It’s a testament to the potential lurking in the indie game development scene, proving that with passion and creativity, small teams can deliver experiences that resonate deeply with players.

Fiquei muito em dúvida sobre que nota dar pra esse jogo. Por um lado eu gostei muito do combate desse jogo (por mais que, pelo menos com a build q eu joguei de contra-ataque, seja meio desbalanceado e deixe o jogo bem fácil e sem precisar pensar muito), sendo um soulslike focado apenas em batalhas contra boss, por outro lado, por ser um jogo tão simples assim, onde você derrota cerca de 8 bosses e o jogo ja acaba, achei muito fraco em questão de história (entendi só o começo e o resto não me prendeu, achei bem entediante) e exploração inexistente. Por isso, acho que Eldest souls é um ótimo jogo para passar o tempo, com boas batalhas de boss, não sendo injustas e a maioria é interessante, mas não mais que isso, já que em quase 4 horas de jogo já consegui zerar, sendo um jogo muito simples.

Eldest Souls is another in a long string of Souls-like games, looking to make its own spin on the formula. Unfortunately, while there are some cool bosses and nice pixel art to be found here, the game fails to provide the polished yet difficult experience expected from the subgenre.

I'll start with the positives. The pixel art is very well done here with some nice simple animation and effects that add to its already pleasing aesthetic. The soundtrack too is great, providing plenty of epic backdrops to the game's various bosses. The lore too, while not quite as fleshed out as one would hope, paints a haunting picture of a world ravaged by war. Really the presentation was very well done.

Some of the bosses too were very cool while also being fun to fight. Particular shoutouts go to Azikel, Hyem, Aryana, and Drakmur who all provided very unique and difficult fights.

That's where the positives end though. Unfortunately, for a game that expects you to maneuver difficult boss fights that can fling a multitude of attacks at you at the same time, it doesn't consistently provide functioning tools for you to do so. The overall design is very cool. You have your basic moves, and some neat specials that you can add onto with items you get from beating each boss. Added on to this are three skill trees of differing styles that you can very easily respec and switch between as needed. This was an excellent idea as I found many of the bosses needed different strategies to beat them.

However, it goes without saying that despite their simplicity, the controls feel particularly sluggish. You'll get used to them, but it can be frustrating at first. From there, you'll start to see the even finer gaps that'll piss you off further. Aiming with the absolutely essentially charge attack can be a pain sometimes.

The dash, provided with an extra bonus if you get perfect dodges, just sometimes doesn't work at all. My most frustrating defeats were when I hit the dash button well before an attack, and my little protagonist bro just stood there like an invalid. Other times, I'd get screwed because what usually gets counted as a perfect dodge just doesn't randomly, causing me to take damage when I otherwise wouldn't. If this were just at the beginning of the game, I'd chalk it up to me not being used to the timing yet, but this was a consistent problem up until the end. It doesn't help that some of the hitboxes can be quite questionable (if you're showing a big glowy circle where damage will happen, why am I taking damage when outside the circle).

The game also has a couple glaring bugs. A couple were purely visual glitches, but I ran across a few nasty ones. One of the abilities in the Counter tree just doesn't activate sometimes when you respec to it. I had to back out to the main menu every time this happened and then it would just work. The final boss particularly had a few. Without spoiling too much, the boss has two sub enemies that charge up at certain points. You must damage them enough to cancel them, but for one of them, it just sometimes doesn't take damage when charging up. This is usually paired with a visual glitch where the sub enemy's health bar will get separated from it. My character just also randomly froze during Phase 1 one time. That's a thing that can happen from an attack in Phase 2, but not Phase 1.

The inconsistent controls, questionable hitboxes, glitches, and other small problems such as poor or weird telegraphs and times when multiple attacks just unfairly blanketed the screen all added up to an experience that had me more frustrated than exhilirated. It's a shame because there are some really cool ideas and really cool bosses in here. Had it been much more polished, it may have been one of my top games of the year.

Ci sta - IGN

Divertente, boss fight difficili ma raramente frustranti: se un giocatore dovesse accorgersi di aver adottato una build poco adatta a un certo tipo di boss fight, può riassegnare i punti talento e le abilità a propria discrezione quando gli pare. Questo permette un minimo di sperimentazione e, chi apprezza lo stile boss rush, può cimentarsi in più stili di combattimento. Purtroppo, è difficile che le boss rush in quanto tali mi piacciano più di tanto. Devo però dire che preferirei che, in questo contesto, venissero eliminate tutte le (brevi) sezioni consistenti di ostacoli (piattaforme levitanti e laser) dato che, almeno a mio parere, non aggiungono nulla al mondo di gioco e non rendono la sfida o la componente adventure più interessante. Cosa fondamentale, comunque, è che le boss fight sono ben pensate e i moveset dei boss sono fatti nel solito stile souls: bene o male, tutte le tipologie di attacco sono prevedibili in quanto anticipate, e possono corcare malamente di mazzate il giocatore poco attento o che insista con il solo attacco senza ripiegare sull'evasione (o, laddove possibile attraverso i talenti, sulla difesa). Purtroppo, una cosa molto poco gradita è l'impossibilità di annullare un qualsiasi proprio attacco (sia esso semplice o caricato) così da poter evadere un attacco avversario in caso di necessità.
In generale, tra comparto grafico e musicale non è particolarmente degno di nota.

Review completo: https://gamelodge.com.br/critica-eldest-souls-bons-combates-que-nao-contam-uma-boa-historia/

Eldest Souls entrega uma experiência sem muitas novidades, mas com competência. Enquanto o jogo conta com um combate divertido, ele peca em entregar um enredo que não desperta muito interesse, o que pode até mesmo desestimular o jogador a recomeçar no modo New Game+ por alguma razão que não seja o simples desafio, já que o jogo aumenta a dificuldade nesse modo.

Por ser um boss rush, talvez a intenção dos desenvolvedores nem tenha sido mesmo desenvolver uma história com mais complexidade. Talvez não inserir elementos de uma narrativa não-linear seria uma melhor escolha, visto que você pode acabar ficando curioso de saber até onde aquele enredo se desenrola e acaba não encontrando nada muito interessante no final.

O jogo acabou sendo uma experiência de curta duração que não me cativou o bastante a investir em finalizar várias vezes o New Game+. É um bom jogo, mas talvez por essa saturação no mercado de jogos com propostas parecidas, investir muito nele não parece ser tão vantajoso.

O estilo do jogo é voltado em apenas batalhas de chefes, possui um gráfico pixelado bem bonito e a duração de gameplay é curta (+-5h). E agora, a minha experiência com jogo foi que ele é bem mediano, é um game divertido para zerar uma vez e é isso.

Dito isso, possui chefes com dificuldade boa e com diferentes habilidades, vc pode construir build com 3 estilo diferentes e possui uma exploração bem básica de conversa com npc achar um objeto pra ele e ele recompensá-lo com outro item bem básico e ok, porém o que mais me incomodou foi na jogabilidade em que o hitbox dos boss atrapalhava mt nas lutas, ou seja, morri várias vezes pq o chefe te empurrava e prendia em um canto ou objeto do mapa e tu n conseguia fazer nda ficando preso tomando hit e outra o jogo não possui nada marcante nem os boss final ou a história (estilo dark soul se quiser saber vai ler textinho ou pesquisar na wiki) não achei initeressante.

Concluindo, é um jogo divertido, pode passar uma raiva tentando derrotar o boss mas não traz uma vontade de continuar rejogando dpois de zerar msm que tenha um ng+.

I had a shit ton of fun with this. The gameplay is so smooth and I loved learning the boss patterns. Also, thank you for the instant restart. I'm so happy I didn't have to do a long walk of shame every time. I liked the little variety between the 3 fighting styles. In the end game I definitely had to switch to the Berserk mode. The only boss that actually annoyed me was that spider lady. Oh and also, her arena was fucked. The entire left side of it would glitch for me and get me stuck. Literally couldn't escape. But other than that, everything else was great.

I will say, looking at the platinum requirements...fuck you. I ain't doing allat. Beat EVERY boss with no damage? NO.

Neat lil boss rush game with great pixel art graphics! Enjoyed the first half, cause after that it felt like the difficulty went up a couple of notches, and it got just too hard for me. The bosses seem very well designed, but they may have had a tad bit too much health for my taste. I've heard people complain that the game is unfair, but I think it's one of those games where you just have to put in the time. Whenever I died it felt like my own mistake. Interesting little world with a quest system similar to metroidvanias like Blasphemous and Hollow Knight, but way simpler. Combat felt like a roguelike with soulslike elements. I feel like calling the game Eldest Souls was a discredit to itself, because it makes it sound like a parody or a cheap ripoff. I think the game could've standed well enough of it's own without marketing it as a "Souls" game.

Um boss rush feito muito bem: o combate é sensacional e personalizado por diferentes árvores de talentos e escolhas de "runas" para alterar cada mecânica do game de acordo com seu gosto de build. O gráfico pixelart é lindo e a "exploração" estilo Titan Souls é, apesar de não tão contemplativa, eficiente. O design dos bosses se prova impecável para mim a partir do momento que em meu primeiro New Game levei 10-20 mortes em cada, enquanto no segundo New Game (sem ser NG+) derrotei todos de 1-4 tentativas (perfeito balanço de dificuldade e "get good"). A lore é simples com diferentes finais igualmente simples, mas não é necessária. Contudo, os problemas desse game começam a aparecer no New Game+, o que é relevante citar pois como o jogo só possui 9 bosses (1 de tutorial) meio que o NG+ é canon caso você goste do game, e ele é bem feito, pois altera fortemente o dano e moveset dos bosses de forma saudável, mas o problema de Eldest Souls é o seguinte: O NG+ torna o jogo extremamente difícil, o que torna o theorycrafting de builds tão importante quanto a habilidade do jogador e, sobre isso, basicamente toda parte esquerda das árvores de habilidade são infinitamente superiores a parte direita, o que torna o meta do jogo restrito. Isso se agrava a partir do momento que a build de Counter não só é extremamente defensiva, o que permite qualquer um zerar o game sem decorar movesets direito, mas também o fato de que essa build também é a que mais da dano, pois permite que você ignore ataques extremamente perigosos para as outras builds. Ou seja, o jogador que usa um estilo de combate diferente enfrentará coisa de 30+ mortes em cada boss do NG+, enquanto o pior jogador de Counter conseguirá passar dando facetank. O pior de tudo é que o CD do counter é quase nulo mesmo sem buildar "runas" ao redor disso, o que faz que você spamme isso e exploda todos bosses no NG+ super facilmente caso você seja minimamente bom. Ou seja, o meta do game é super restrito e o jogador é desencorajado a usar playstyles que não seja Counter com Warding Blades caso tenha o mínimo de lógica de theorycrafting para jogos. Infelizmente, por conta desse problema de builds a minha nota diminui de 9 para 8, pois minha preferida é a build Berseker, a qual obtive cerca de 40 mortes por boss no NG+. enquanto com a counter eu os solava com apenas 1-3 mortes. Concluindo, o problema é grave, mas muito fácil de resolver para um próximo game da empresa, a qual revelou grande potencial de game design. Ansioso pelo próximo.