Young Souls Reviews
Kicking butt in Young Souls is a blast and one of the rare co-op brawlers that is as enjoyable to play solo
Overall, Young Souls feels like a more mature cartoon in video game form, in a good way. It features two strong gameplay loops with satisfying elements and feedback. While there were some gameplay decisions that I wish were different, Young Souls is a solid package. Also as a note, it ran smoothly via Stadia, which was actually my first experience with the platform. All in all, Young Souls is a video game experience that is more than it first appears, and should not be overlooked.
Young Souls isn't just one of the best indie games on Stadia, it's one of the best indie games of 2021. A pitch-perfect side scroller that barely puts a foot wrong, this is one game you don't want to miss out on.
Young Souls is an easy recommendation on Game Pass. For a purchase I’d make sure to watch some gameplay footage to make sure you know exactly what you’re getting here. It’s a comprehensive and entertaining package. The story is a bit basic overall but features well-written, snappy dialogue. Combat is solid and making your ultimate gear setup never got old, and the graphics are gorgeous. Despite their flaming red hair, these twins are full of (Young) Soul(s).
With a more concerted effort to keep the experience exciting as the playthrough carries on, Young Souls could have easily been so much more. Instead, you have a game where you’ve seen the lion’s share of what it has to offer after three or so of the game’s ten hours. And yet despite the lack of variety in the encounters and the receding relevance of an initially intriguing storyline, I never wanted to put it down thanks to an abundance of heart. It’s charming, it’s a joy to look at, it’s challenging, and its accessibility options are lightyears ahead of most beat ‘em ups, but what you see is what you get in Young Souls: a demonstrably good game, but not a great one.
Those of you who were big fans of Castle Crashers or Streets of Rage 4 will find plenty to love here. Young Souls smartly mixes RPG-lite elements with a compelling story, non-linear structure, and some impressively satisfying beat 'em up combat to make for an experience that you won't want to miss. Despite some rare performance hiccups which tarnish the Switch version slightly compared to the more powerful platforms, Young Souls still proves itself to be one of the best beat 'em up titles on the system, and we'd give this one a high recommendation to anyone who enjoys a good brawler, co-op or solo.
1P2P have delivered a stylish and superb adventure with Young Souls, a dazzling hybrid of brawlers and crawlers (dungeon, that is) that's perfectly suited for all players while delivering an amazing and challenging experience, one that will have you searching every path and going over every weapon, with every trip into a level leading to some form of satisfaction in one one way or another.
Young Souls is a game with plenty of good ideas but it never really comes together to take advantage of it. While its art and tone may grip you, its tedious gameplay and lack of experimentation late-game leave me wishing for more
Young Souls is a fun side-scrolling hack-and-slash, offering deep RPG elements, great writing, and characters you'll care about.
These foul-mouthed twins had me cracking up on multiple occasions, but the software closing unexpectedly had me cursing just as often. There's definitely potential with this one, but it's probably worth exploring other platform options if you have them. Even though you can see the heart and charm that goes along with these two souls, a bit more polish would have gone a long way.
Young Souls has a beat-em-up heart and an RPG brain. And, at the end of the day, when you jump into the fray, your heart commands. The action is compelling and has a good pace, and the self-irony that reigns in each text gives the game that extra something that helps it build its own identity.
Review in Italian | Read full review
All in all, Young Souls is a charming coming-of-age story that veers much darker than I expected. It’s a world I was happy to lose myself in, even if the characters weren’t always happy themselves. I’d recommend it to any fan of beat ’em ups and modern fantasy. Those button-mashing minigames are incredibly frustrating, though.
Young Souls offers up a unique blend of side-scrolling brawler action and RPG progression, wrapped up in a sumptuous package. It’s Young Souls‘ art style and personality that really shines here; we felt a little let down by the combat, which wasn’t as enjoyable as it should be. Still, there’s a lot to like, and Jenn and Tristan’s adventure is one we’re glad we’ve been a part of.
Young Souls is a solid and lengthy RPG/beatem-up hybrid. It is held back by some mildly annoying technical issues and load times, but offers plenty of customization for the heroes and is easy on the eyes. When playing on the developer recommended difficulty, expect a pitch perfect challenge that is intense enough to hold the attention of genre veterans.
Offering fast and furious combat, with a well-balanced character switching mechanic that helps it stand out, players should make sure Young Souls doesn’t slip under the radar for a second time. Goblins may be rising up, but I’m confident anyone who likes a good beat ‘em up will have a great job putting them back down.
Young Souls, despite several blemishes, shines as one of the strongest beat-’em-up titles in recent memory, joining the likes of Streets of Rage 4 and Castle Crashers. With accessible options for difficulty, a simple but straightforward story, local co-operative play, and challenging combat that fuses concepts from multiple genres, it provides a roadmap for how the genre can and should continue to evolve for modern audiences. With any luck, we’ll see Jenn and Tristan another time in a sequel, with double the swear words included.
Young Souls is absolutely worth a visit.
Review in French | Read full review
Young Souls is a breath of fresh air for the genre, the developers have done a fantastic job at merging so many different elements into one. Jenn and Tristan are some of the most memorable characters to ever grace the genre. Although playing on the Nintendo Switch I did experience some slow loading times and a bit of dropped frames during those frantic moments, but this wasn’t enough to sully a stellar title that is sure to be a new classic.
Gorgeous and aided by satisfying combat mechanics, Young Souls is damaged by inconsistent difficulty, balance issues, bugs, and cheap boss encounters.