Platform(s): PC (version played), Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series, Xbox One, PS5, PS4
Genre: 2D search action title with Dark Souls-like difficulty

Even though 2022’s gaming circuit is dominated by From Software’s hardcore RPG Elden Ring, there are no short supply of games that emulate that feel and formula. While not apparent at first glance, developer Retro Forge’s new 2D search action RPG title Souldiers has that DNA inside. And looking all pretty doing it, what with its bright 16-bit style pixel artwork and animation.

Dark Soul(dier)s

The premise of Souldier sounds familiar: you play as a nameless soldier (mage, scout, or archer) who is given tasks by his army to find out what’s causing a disturbance in the fantasy world that’s caught between the living and the fallen. See, you start off (kinda) dead and had to be egged on by valkyries to get out of the hellhole you’re in. As you venture deeper, you find out that other races seem to converge in the hub you come across, and there’s a black energy of evil that’s possessing people left and right. It’s a lot of tropes meshed together, but you’re mostly here for the battles and quest rather than the narrative, as decent as it is. The world of Souldiers is a mish-mash of visuals: you have the green bits and mountains, the pyramids and deserts, the underground lab with water, and a high-tech airship to name a few. Yet somehow it comes together just fine and unique; you’ll appreciate the massive pixel work done here.

The gist of Souldier is exploring the heck out of the 2D world you’re in, collecting items and relics that let you access higher areas, get special abilities like air dashes and elemental sword slashes, solving puzzles with said elemental powers, and killing everything hostile in your way. That latter part gets really difficult especially with the bosses, and the fact that most enemies in the area you’re currently in hit you like heavy trucks. And just like any 90s 2D platformer, there will be platforming segments that will drive you up the wall over how precise and quick you have to complete them, lest they one-hit kill you.

Fortunately, you’re bestowed with smooth and responsive controls: you have your light and heavy slashes, your jumps/double jumps, evades, block and parries, and aforementioned relics and elemental powers. What sets this apart from other search action titles are a lot of Souldiers’ tweaks to the 2D action formula. For one, your dodge has a cooldown and your parry (as a Scout) has a short window. When you get the air dash, that also shares cooldown with the dodge. That means if you dodge an attack and there’s a follow-up incoming, you can’t dodge it again; instead you have to either block it or parry it. Whether you’re a Scout or a Caster who can leave a mirror image when dodging that can explode at your will, you cannot spam these moves to get away.

The developers are cunning and sadistic enough to give enemies the ability to bait dodges, as well as hunt you down if you’re trying to camp either at the top or the bottom of the arena. Some enemy attacks have hitboxes that linger on, meaning if you dodge too early, you’ll eat the full attack. Later stage enemies and bosses (especially the Dark Soldiers) can kill you in four hits if you didn’t dodget the first attack properly. The fights can get pretty unfair at times, but at least there are checkpoints so you can attempt them again and again. And with all Soulslike games, practice makes perfect.

Full Metal Jacket

There are a few gripes with this well-intentioned hard-as-heck search action game. Your counterattack to the parry is not that useful. While great when dealing with earlier enemies, the later bosses and enemies have follow-up attacks that can knock your soldier out of his counterattack. You’re better off just jumping out of trouble and dodging rather than rely your blocking and parries.

But apart from this and a few sound bugs, Souldiers is worthy of your time if you’re looking for a challenge of the indie and 2D action variant. I’m not sure who said 2022 is lacking in new games, because with this and Anno: Mutationem, as well as a few upcoming 2D indie titles, the space is ripe for a plethora of 2D action games this year. If you want the kind of game that makes you suffer and enjoy it, all the while making you a better player over time from constant deaths in a 2D world, consider enlisting Souldiers and its fantasy trappings.

Final Score: 90/100