Eldest Souls Reviews
Eldest Souls will not be a game for everyone. It will smash you and make you question if you’re any good at gaming. However, I never felt it was unfair in anyway and the sense of accomplishment after finally taking down a boss is immense. The combat has a surprising depth to it, and the gameplay flow is nonstop and pushes you to adapt.
Eldest Souls straddles the line between frustratingly difficult and overwhelmingly satisfying. I had to stop playing before bed because I'd have trouble sleeping from the nervous tension it caused. Whether that's appealing or not is up to you, but for me I eventually found my way around to really digging Eldest Souls. I was slow to warm up to it, but now welcome it amongst the others in the genre like Furi or Titan Souls. It builds up gradually but the fun is found in the depth of combat customization, and there's plenty if you're up for the challenge.
Eldest Souls incorporates two of the best traits from a Souls game: challenging boss-fights and a minimalist storytelling approach. You will die a lot, but at the same time you will never feel cheated by the game — au contraire, you will find yourself on that “one more try” loop, unable to put the controller down until you find out a nice build combination to defeat a boss. And when you do, the satisfaction is near-instant.
Eldest Souls, while derivatively named, is a ball of a time that’s catered specifically towards hardcore action game fans who want strict controls and an actual challenge.
Eldest Souls wears its inspiration on its sleeve, though in the end that counts for very little. The boss fights are often unbalanced and tedious, which only contributes to a frustration that deters you from wanting to pick the controller back up.
Despite the occasional moments of frustration the game provided, Eldest Souls is an experience no fan of the Soulslike genre will want to miss. From its unforgettable boss battles to its deceptively deep and engaging progression system, it’s the kind of game that will get its hooks deep into you and keep you coming back for more. While the game only features ten boss fights, it’ll easily take players about a dozen hours to make their way through the story. And those who do make their way to the end credits will unlock a New Game + mode, which dials up the already considerable challenge even further. If you’re eager for a challenging boss-rush with a killer aesthetic, look no further. Fallen Flag Studio’s latest offering will swallow your soul.
A demanding pixel art Souls-like beautifully rendered and artfully crafted, Eldest Souls is not without issues, but it's worth your time for its bosses, art, and world.
This is why I don't think it's really apt to say that Eldest Souls is a Souls-like game (though what defines a souls-like game is really not a debate that I'd like to get into). Rather, I think it's a boss-rush game with Souls-like aesthetics because, in terms of gameplay, the only real similarity with the Dark Souls franchise is the fact that it's a difficult game with a stamina bar, boss fights, and a focus on dodge mechanics. Consequently, it's also why I feel if you're looking for a game similar to the Soulsborne games, Eldest Souls may not be your cup of tea. But hey, if you're a fan of boss rush hack-and-slash games, why not give it a try?
Eldest Souls is so hard that most of the times it feels unfair and there are so many passive unlockable choices in the game’s skill tree that don’t really help to ease your pain in an impactful way. It feels like the game wanted to go for fast paced combat but its hero is maybe a little too weak to wield his crazy big sword properly, so if you are OK with getting punished for entertainment, this is absolutely one of the best choices in the market.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Eldest Souls carves out a niche all its own in the crowded Souls-like genre to great effect!
Eldest aims to replicate the Soulsborne experience in its own stripped down way. Don’t mistake “stripped down” to mean it’s light or superficial, though, as Fallen Flag Studio have crafted something all their own through a gush of blood and gorgeous pixels.
As lovers of the narrative aspect of Hidetaka Miyazaki's work more than the high level of challenge regardless, we struggled to fall in love with Eldest Souls. Because, while somehow attempting to mimic the fragmented writing cleared by From Software, this experiment fails to be evocative in the same way. The debut of Fallen Flag Studio speaks more the language of those who are desperately looking for challenges, but risking to leave out all those who in such a title are looking for something more than such a smugly hardcore approach.
Review in Italian | Read full review
Eldest Souls will punish you with its difficulty, but you're going to love it thanks to refreshing combat mechanics and ridiculously frantic boss fights. However, you might encounter a few issues due to visual miscues, and replayability is solely dependent on how much you wish to rerun tougher encounters.
There are some problems in Eldest Souls, though, including weird pathing to certain bosses that require trap-dodging, which just feel out of place. Additionally, the lack of a true pause means re-speccing may require a return to a previous checkpoint. These are ultimately small gripes for what is a wonderful experience overall, as Eldest Souls is a challenging but fair boss-rush with great pixel art and some smart New Game+ content. The Souls community is sure to enjoy this, but the build experimentation and shard system add an appealing sense of growth that makes Eldest Souls feel like it has even broader appeal than its niche.
Eldest Souls suffers only from a limited implementation of world navigation and a not-so-standout design. Still, the combative cycle is compelling and well-implemented through its splendid boss battles, immersive mechanics, and extraordinary audio design. If you’re yearning for a title to demand precision and aggression accompanied by thought-provoking skill progression, this game is worth your time.
Eldest Souls is not a game for the faint of heart. It is a brutal boss rush challenge that will push you to your limit. But its "one more try" hook is seriously addicting.
For me, Eldest Souls is a bit of a pleasant surprise...
Eldest Souls is a challenging boss-rush title set in a beautiful pixel-art world. It may not offer the most dynamic combat or gameplay mechanics, but it makes up for that with intense and creative boss battles.
Eldest Souls is a frantic and tough boss-rush experience that features slick combat, entertaining battles, and a beautiful yet desolate world to explore. Basically, it’s everything you’d expect from an indie Dark Souls title, which is exactly what it wants to be. It’d be a discredit to say that Eldest Souls doesn’t find its own ways to innovate though, with the Bloodthirst system and deep upgrade mechanics offering some cleverly implemented ideas that complement the gameplay. At its core though, this really is a game made for fans of Hidetaka Miyazaki’s famed series. If you enjoy that sort of melancholic world and gruelling gameplay that punishes the player, you’re in for a treat with Eldest Souls – it really is a hell of a lot of fun to play. If you prefer games that aren’t so punishing, though? You might want to play something easier.
Eldest Souls is one of the most beautiful indie games out there but the hurdle to get into it is far too high. The skill points handed out to upgrade your character do little to help while there is no room to learn the mechanics. The notorious Souls difficulty is only amplified in the boss-rush genre, which makes this a near-impossible entry-level game. For anyone who enjoys Dark Souls’ most difficult segments emphatically because of the challenge, Eldest Souls has a lot to love. But that’s just it - Eldest Souls is one for the die-hard fans and no one else.