With an already huge backlog and many more better games to play, as a sucker for hack n slash games, I just have to play everything in the genre that comes out, doesn't matter if it's mediocre, so that's precisely why I first gave Soulstice a try, played 5 chapters, and abandoned it, it wasn't THAT good.

That was until the game's style and unique visuals dragged me back in, and I decided to finish it.
While it had its ups and downs, I'm definitely happy I finished it after all.

I'll start with the main point, the combat.
The combat is... good? The combo and weapons system is very similar to DmC: Devil May Cry, as you can start a string with a weapon and finish it with another, the weapons are cool overall, the one that stands out the most is the last weapon you get, tonfas that also act as guns.

All the weapons also have the "synergy attacks", which you can unleash after you've maxed out the Unity meter (think of it as DMC's style system, you need to do different combos and not get damaged), these attacks are good with cool animations, later on you'll get access to the Rapture State and Berserk, which are two of the coolest aspects of the entire game, the "Devil Triggers" if you will.

Now the game isn't without issues obviously, it commits the sin of color coded enemies and some other minor things, I don't understand why they went for the color code system as it clearly didn't work in DmC: Devil May Cry, and it doesn't work very well here, although you'll unlock some upgrades in the endgame which will improve it significantly, but at that point the damage is already done and you've likely suffered enough, all that said though, it's something I'm willing to look past as I had my fair share of fun with the combat system, it has some truly great moments.


Now while I started this game because it's a hack n slash, I was surprised myself because the thing I stayed for was actually the story.
The story starts out pretty good, but it's nothing special early on, after like 8 chapters it picks up, and it's really good after that, the protagonists Briar and Lute specially as they had good character arcs and great voice acting, by the end I was totally caring for them and enjoyed their dialogues and screen time more than I thought I would.

Another strong aspect of this game are the boss fights, there are quite a number of them, and they're all great both story-wise and gameplay-wise.
All of the positives plus the unique visuals and style made me ignore all the game's flaws and have a really good time.

I recommend Soulstice to hack n slash fans, but you have to be patient and play at least 8 chapters before making your mind.

No meio de uma seca de novos jogos Hack'n Slash fui me aventurar pela internet e encontrei um trailer deste game que é feito pela Reply Game Studios, um estúdio italiano se não estou enganado.

Já de cara é nítida as inspirações, tem um pouco de tudo, mas também não que seja sem identidade. Elas vem de Devil May Cry (cenas e combate), God of War (câmera), Bayonetta (pontuação), Claymore (história similar), Berserk e talvez outras coisas mais.

A história do game pra quem conhece o mangá ou assistiu o anime Claymore vai ligar os pontos de similaridade num instante, aqui temos pessoas que são transformadas em super-soldados com uma espada gigante pra combater monstros e derivados por uma Seita Religiosa.
A história é boa, mas bem simples, tenta se aprofundar em alguns momentos, mas nada que desperte meu interesse pra conhecer mais desse universo.

A gameplay é boa, mas com ressalvas. O combate é divertido com uma boa variedade de armas, golpes e mecânicas, mas o problema aparece quando você percebe que não foi tão bem implementado.

Não tem muitas formas de cancelar animação pra poder encaixar em outro golpe. Os inimigos são jogados pra longe o tempo todo e você tem que ir lá atrás dele de novo e de novo.
Pra combar golpes legais e diferentes é impossível já que você tem que esperar a animação acabar pra iniciar outro e as vezes rola até um delay pra poder começar a dar outro golpe. Fora que uma mecânica do game te OBRIGA a utilizar um poder (vermelho ou azul) pra poder dar dano no inimigo, ISSO É UM SACO, UMA PÉSSIMA IDEIA! Já em DmC Devil May Cry isso apareceu e geral reclamou tanto que na Definitive Edition ele consertaram isso.

A fantasma que te acompanha dá hit nos inimigos automaticamente e você só tem "função" com ela quando é pra dar slow down no inimigo ou quando é pra repelir um ataque, isso é legal, mas eu gostaria de ter mais controle dos golpes dela do que ficar só nesse repelir ataque.

Outra coisa que achei meio triste no combate é a transformação, eu gostaria de poder ativa-la quando eu quiser, mas aqui eu tenho que ter um nível de combo alto pra poder ter uma "sincronização" entre as duas e aí sim poder usar a transformação que dura alguns SEGUNDOS.

Agora falando dos gráficos, eles são bons, o jogo é muito bonito com detalhes legais e uma direção de arte decente, mas tem um porém. Eu joguei no Xbox Series S e meu amigo, há vários momentos em que a textura demorava pra carregar ou simplesmente não queria. Eu passei uma missão inteira em que nenhuma textura da fase inteira, INCLUSIVE DA CENA FINAL DO GAME, carregou.

Como eu disse antes, o jogo tem bons gráficos e bons detalhes, mas o cenário infelizmente é muito cansativo e repetitivo, nessa questão o jogo se divide em três partes, a cidade, que é tudo medieval com castelos e calabouços que tomam uns 60% do jogo, o mesmo cenário só que com neve e gelo pra todo lado que toma uns 30% do jogo e por fim o último cenário que realmente tem diferenças nítidas, mas só ocupa 10% do game, logo ali no final.

Foi bem frustrante a questão das texturas, mas a maior decepção foi o desempenho que esse jogo tem, há momentos que senti o jogo bater uns 10fps. Deve estar melhor nos consoles mais potentes, mas aqui no monstrinho a situação é triste, uma péssima otimização dos devs.

A trilha sonora é bem básica e genérica, nada memorável e a trilha de combate é bem qualquer coisa.

A animações são de primeira, já que o gráfico tem um estilo cartoon as animações tem aqueles frames rápidos, mas fluidos, é bem legal e combinou muito bem com o jogo.

Nota-se que eu rasguei de reclamações sobre os problemas do game, mas ainda assim é um jogo decente, ele é divertido e vale a pena pegar ele numa promoção.

Recomendo pra quem curte jogos do gênero. Esse jogo tem identidade e eu gostaria muito de uma sequência, eu duvido que vá ter uma, mas se rolar eu com certeza não iria deixar de aproveitar.

Soulstice is the first game made by developers Reply Game Studios and for a first effort it is a very impressive Devil May Cry styled character action game that has a nostalgic feeling to it which harkens back to the 360/PS3 days.

Soulstice is a nihilistic, dark fantasy tale heavily influenced by the manga/anime of Claymore and Berserk and tells the tragic story of Briar and Lute, two sisters that have had their souls joined together in a sacred ritual to be reborn as a hybrid warrior called a 'Chimera', Chimeras are super human warriors that fight for a holy order of knights against corrupted demonic creatures called 'Wraiths' which can corrupt a human with a single touch and come from another dimension through tears in space-time itself, Briar and Lute are sent on a mission to close one of these tears in one of the 3 sacred cities and that is where our story begins. The narrative is a bit slow and mostly sees our heroines traversing through a destroyed city trying to reach the center, but as they traverse this desolate city they unveil tragic truths about themselves and mysteries about the order they serve and the world around them, building into a truly epic finale which perfectly sets up a sequel as well. I was pleasantly surprised that the narrative and world were a lot more fleshed out than I expected from a game of this type, there's even an in-game codex with a bunch of lore to read up on for those interested.

While they might not be the deepest characters, I found Briar and Lute to be very charming with well developed character arcs and I was quite endeared to them and their bond by the end of the game and I know part of that is thanks to the wonderful voice performance Stefanie Joosten gives playing both characters. There are a handful of other characters throughout the 20hr adventure which are memorable and charming in their own way like the mentor figure Donovan, the mysterious merchant Layton and a few eccentric antagonists as well, however none of these characters get as much focus as our protagonists so they don't feel nearly as fleshed out.

The combat despite being rough around the edges takes clear influence from DMC, but has its own unique flair with the player essentially controlling 2 characters at once and 1 of those characters being tied to a unique counter system making the combat have a bit of a learning curve, but once you get it down it is very satisfying, the weapon variety and how you can swap through all the various weapons on the fly reminds me of DMC 4 and all the weapons from a standard greatsword to a whip and tonfas that turn into cannons are utilized well having specific enemy types they counter. There is a very dated color coded mechanic where Lute activates blue and red forcefields and you can only damage the enemy of the corresponding color to the forcefield currently active, some might hate this, but I enjoy it and it adds an extra level of strategy to the gameplay since if you have the forcefield up for too long Lute overheats leaving you defenseless for a few seconds, timing is the key and it feels very satisfying once you get the timing of everything down. Oh yeah there's also a super power Devil Trigger type mechanic because what DMC style game would be complete without that, right?

Another thing I want to note is that Soulstice also has a fantastic sense of progression. When you first start the game you only have your basic weapon and it can certainly be challenging, but as you complete stages and unlock new weapons and skills both the player and Briar and Lute feel like they're getting stronger and that fits so perfectly with the theme of synergy that the game has going on. When you face a boss early on and Briar and Lute are like 'We're not strong enough we can't do this!' and they have to run, but then you come to that same boss later and they say 'We're strong enough we can finally do this!' I also really felt that. Just thought it was something worth mentioning.

All in all while it can be rough around the edges and dated at times Reply Game Studios' Soulstice is a very fun action game with fast paced and stylish combat that's easy to pick up, but hard to master alongside a surprisingly well written narrative and fairly detailed world and though it might not re-invent the wheel and sticks to a tried and true formula, it certainly adds a few of its own special touches while doing so and for fans of stylish action games like DMC and Bayonetta that don't mind a bit of a budgeted indie title Soulstice is one of the best games to scratch that itch in years.

It's so disappointing to have "Berserk style slapped onto DMC" be such a wet fart of a thing.

I'm not gonnae sit here and pretend to be some character action master, I'm decent at DMC/Bayo etc, but the combat is trying so hard and just not getting there. Fights feel messy. The lock-on is piss poor and will regularly have you looking at an enemy on the opposite side of the room to the one you're currently juggling. The entire UI is white, weapons cause white flashes on impact, and the prompt for a counter-attack is also white. It gets totally lost in itself. You end up trying to do combos but are expected to hit (O) every 2-3 seconds which just feels like more work.

The inconsistency of the counter-attack also fucks you up. Sometimes it blocks an enemy, other times it parries or throws a projectile to interrupt their animation, it can even freeze them mid-attack meaning they will still unfreeze a second later and continue that swing, usually hitting you with it. You have no control over which of these counters the button performs. Maybe some people like that this kinda keeps you on your toes, but I fuckin' hated it.

The story and characters are sadly about as deep as a puddle. Real generic stuff against an extremely samey backdrop. I was 7 chapters deep out of 25 and just didn't have it in me to trudge the same grey dark bridge again with burning houses nearby. I truly peaced out when it dropped me into the sewers.

Models look quite cool, and there's some sweet animations, particularly when you enter this game's equivalent of devil trigger, but some just ok combat with a clear Berserk tribute aesthetic simply isn't enough.

Well, this was rough. I honestly am so relieved I am finally done with this game because it is honestly one of the most excruciatingly tedious and drawn-out experiences I have played.

This is an action game that is inspired by the likes of DMC, Bayonetta, and the general vibe of early-mid 2000s ultra-linear pure action games. There are really only three categories of 'things' you do in this game: listen to dialogue, complete shitty platforming "puzzles" and of course combat. By far the best of these three is the first, my best and really main positive takeaway from this game was the two main characters, voice acting, the story, kind of. I didn't really 'get' the story (and didn't care enough to try to) so I can't speak exactly for what it was getting at, but for the most part it was pretty boring and even at the end I did not care for much of it except for the 'memories' that you experience, wherein you learn of the main two character's backstories, the only two really good things about the game. The voice acting honestly is quite impressive overall, I find Briar's voice actress to be wonderful and I would love to see her in future roles. The rest of the characters that appear are okay, I guess. Truly nothing special, which is a sentiment that I echo for basically everything about this game.

I'm not a big fan of Soulstice's combat overall, and I am certainly not a fan of the gameplay outside of the combat either. In-between the dreadfully repetitive combat sequences, you progress through the dreary and depressing world in the most linear way imaginable, one you rarely see from games these days. You have really no control over the camera, and instead move from room to room as the camera shifts to different angles, as if you're playing Silent Hill. This is ridiculous in a modern context and constantly leads to issues of moving the wrong way as you enter a new room. Depth-perception was my biggest issue with the static, strangely-angled camera. There are plenty of "platforming" sections of the game that are very obnoxious in their own right, but combined with the fact that you can hardly even tell how far away your jump is with no way to adjust your view, they can be downright painful.

Every single area in this game looks more or less the same, with essentially no exceptions. It is entirely acceptable graphically for a mid-level AA game, although I encountered huge amount of frame rate drops on Performance mode on the PS5, which I do not think should happen for a game of this graphical fidelity. The main issues with the visuals is that you are going to be staring at dark blue basically the entire game. Across all 25 painful chapters, EVERY single goddamn fucking area looks the same. Soulless repetition is a bit of a theme that this game carries throughout, which leads me to the combat.

I do not exactly hate the combat in a vacuum for Soulstice. Eventually, you end up with a total of seven different weapons, each with different roles that are "strong" versus different enemy types. The most glaring issue with Soulstice's combat sequences are simply how many of them there are and how excruciatingly similar one is compared to any other. During the last third or so of playing through this game I was basically begging it to stop, to the point where I lowered the difficulty—something I very rarely resort to—simply because I could not stand how bloated each enemy's health pool is on the game's Hard mode, only to find out it's basically the same on the Normal-equivalent. Apart from the most basic chapter 1 type enemies, everything in this game is an absurd health sponge. As you progress, you get more and more enemy types thrown at you, all similarly bland-looking, each with increasingly obnoxious attacks and larger health pools. The main gimmick of Soulstice's combat revolves around using Lute, Briar's (main character) sister, who is basically a ghost by her side, to project two different fields that allow you to damage certain enemies based on what their associated color, either blue for ghost-type enemies or red for crystalized, possessed enemies. The fields are only so big however, and if you keep them out too long without directly attacking an enemy associated with said field, Lute will 'overcharge' and disappear for a few seconds. Because this overcharge meter is tied to the 'parry' system of the game as well, be prepared to hear one of the five or six voice lines for Lute about to overcharge about 700 times in a full playthrough. In the second-half of the game, each combat counter generally consists of some half-assed amalgamation of strong enemies that have no interaction with each other whatsoever; it feels like at some point they gave up trying to make anything work together cohesively and decided to just throw as much bullshit at you as possible. The combat sequences are encounter-based, so you will walk for a bit, go into a closed-off area where you must defeat every enemy, get a grade on your performance, then move on. This creates some points where you go through one encounter and then 10 seconds later find another one, which is probably even worse than the last, just seconds apart. There were some glimmers where I felt like I was kind of enjoying the combat, moments where something would click and it felt alright, but these were few and far between. This game made me frustrated SO quickly. I would start another play session, get to my first combat encounter, and realize that I'm just going to be doing this for the next three hours. Dodging and 'parrying', which is really just pressing circle whenever you see the prompt (which sometimes parries but sometimes slows instead for more powerful enemies), does not really feel very intuitive, fluid, or satisfying whatsoever. There is very little about the combat that feels that intricately designed. Each weapon has its own moveset, including an attack that is supposed to launch you towards and enemy, but sometimes it just, doesn't work? Enemies also constantly are moving around and you aren't very naturally fast, and have to wait a second if you dodge three times in a row, so a lot of the combat is just running around trying to catch up to things flying around faster than you. The worst of this comes out in some of the game's bosses, which are maybe some of the worst I've ever seen in a game. Truly, apart from the final boss kind of, they are miserable. Each and every one is just awful, an amalgamation of every negative thing I've said here, all wrapped in a bow of awkwardly transitioning into a cutscene every tenth of their health.

Soulstice is not a good game. I respect the effort of the developers to put it together, and can at least say a couple nice things about the story and characters, but it is an absolute slog to get through and it is hard for me to imagine anyone not thinking so, particularly by the last third of the game. There is so much more I could complain about regarding this game, with countless many more minute details that were insanely frustrating. After completing it I feel still like there is a bad taste in my mouth that I am trying to get out by writing this.

There definitely is a group of people that would enjoy and get more out of this game than I would, and I will say that there are absolutely some redeeming qualities about it, the problem is that a lot of them are only barely such, and end up getting beaten to death from repetition by the end. I personally could not recommend anyone playing through Soulstice's 15-20 hours.

5/10