Young Souls Reviews
A quicker start, more gameplay variety, and better performance would push this title into the next tier. Even without these things, Young Souls is a promising start for an equally young studio with something to prove.
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.
Gorgeous and aided by satisfying combat mechanics, Young Souls is damaged by inconsistent difficulty, balance issues, bugs, and cheap boss encounters.
Young Souls is certainly no Streets of Rage 4, but it's still worthy of your time if you like more RPGing and loot-collecting in your 2D beat-em-up experience.
This stylish couch-co op beat-em-up actually plays better as a one-player game. The story’s pacing is a bit plodding, but the overall beats of the plot are solid and engaging. The combat feels much the same, in that it has the makings of greatness marred by issues with rhythm and timing. Young Souls shoots for the stars and lands somewhere in the moon’s orbit instead.
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.
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.
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 promising new side-scrolling brawler with beautiful design and addictive gameplay that manages to distract from the lack of variety and various glitches that plague the title.
Another worthy representative of the new era of beat'em ups, Young Souls is a fun title that is likely to please fans of the genre. Although its protagonists sometimes tread a dangerous path between daring and boring, and the Switch adaptation isn't the best technically speaking, here's a charismatic adventure with moments of brilliance, especially in multiplayer.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
Young Souls is an agile beat 'em up with good ideas. Combat excites with frantic confrontations and intense challenge, and good character customization options offer good strategy possibilities when fighting. Besides that, the setting impresses with its elaborate look that mixes 2D and 3D. RPG elements try to add more complexity to the journey, but the tepid execution of these concepts makes them almost irrelevant. In the end, Young Souls is fun and is a great option for those looking for a beat 'em up a little more complex.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review
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).
Young Souls is a well-designed brawler with an exciting combat system that is easy to use. The story makes an impactful impression as the wayward teens will constantly entertain you with a barrage of witty remarks while defending their sleepy town from hordes of underground monsters.
Young Souls is absolutely worth a visit.
Review in French | Read full review
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
Young Souls is a good, accessible beat-'em-up for all levels of players.
Young Souls is definitely a lot of fun, especially if you enjoy playing games like Final Fight or Streets of Rage. Finishing up at around 12 hours seems like the perfect amount of time for a game of this nature. Long enough to experiment with different weapons and load ups but not overstaying its welcome. Young Souls is an impressive success and I look forward to what the future may hold for this up and coming indie development tandem.
Overall though, Young Souls is a great new entry in the beat ’em up genre that is bolstered by its RPG elements. The RPG aspects are numerous and well-designed so as to keep you constantly engaged with new things to try out or enemies to take a swing at again. The fact that the whole game can be played in classic beat ’em up co-op or solo is an added bonus.
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.