Soulstice Reviews
Soulstice makes no secret of what influenced it, both in aesthetics and in gameplay mechanics.
Soulstice's overwritten story and repetitive second half somewhat dull the catharsis of its glorious throwback hack-and-slash combat, but it's still great fun.
It's a chaotic push and pull between ecstatic fun and dull annoyance that honestly drives Soulstice, but it's nonetheless worth checking out.
Soulstice does a good job entering the genre from a AA studio but there is some polish that is needed to make it stand out. Regardless, DMC, Bayonetta, or Nier fans can expect a fun time.
All this is to say that Soulstice is enjoyable for the most part, even though it has its annoyances. Being available on next-gen consoles and PC only, it looks fantastic at times and has a great sense of scale. Its boss fights are exhilarating too, and there are some other hair-raising scenes that try to provide a little variety. Factor in multiple difficulty levels and many secret challenges to be found, and you have an action adventure game that you can really sink your teeth into.
Soulstice's fast-paced combat is the star of the show, overshadowed by tropes and lack of variety in an experience heavily inspired by anime like Berserk.
Soulstice is an excellent first effort in what must be an enormously difficult genre. Just imagine the work that must go into crafting such big, challenging action set pieces and leave the player feeling satisfied rather than infuriated. Soulstice isn’t perfect, but I hope the development team does stick at this, because they’re on to something special.
Soulstice is a melting pot of things Devil May Cry does well and adds interesting demanding combat with two characters and situational countering. However, its predictable somber story and uninteresting world work hard to drain the fun out of things and its camera wants to be more enemy than friend.
Soulstice is a love letter to the PlayStation 2 era of the action genre, with frantic fast-paced combat and its own spin on things. However, it does bring some of that baggage with it and there are some glaring issues with pacing and repetition, especially in the opening hours. Thankfully, Soulstice does recover in the end and for fans of the genre it is absolutely worth checking out.
Although Soulstice seems to propose a trip to the hack and slash of the past, the differences introduced in the formula leave a very different sensations. Although the waiting time between battles is prolonged, they are fun, frenetic and interesting.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Soulstice is a fast-paced action adventure that has all the elements required to scratch that Bayonetta or Devil May Cry itch, but struggles to maintain its momentum due to combat design choices, dull characters, and the lack of flair that’s usually associated with games in its genre.
Soulstice is an all-around decent character action game that is weighed down by a few odd mechanics and a bit of a lack of identity. It’s fun enough to fill the hack-and-slash hole that you may have, though I’d say to wait for a sale to get the most out of it.
It may not immediately aspire to the same household-name status as some of its sources of inspiration, but fans of the [action RPG] genre would be hard-pressed to not find plenty to enjoy here.
A solid game with good intentions, but that falls far short of the greats of the genre. As an appetizer it's fine, but hack and slash lovers probably prefer to wait for Bayonetta 3... or back to Devil May Cry 5.
Review in Spanish | Read full review
Soulstice is a solid outing that I wanted to love and recommend more. It borrows heavily from games like Bayonetta and Devil May Cry without fully capturing what makes those titles so special. Still for a fairly new developer taking a stab at the genre it is filled with promise and in an era where games are supported I hope a patch can sort out of some the minor issues over time. I had fun with the game and hope they continue to improve on their craft. I am always down for character action games and if you are like me and miss the days when these were a dime a dozen, Soulstice is likely right up your alley.
I really wanted to love Soulstice. Briar and Lute have an interesting story to tell and most of the voice work is really well done here. The memory parts drag on for way too long and Briar is for some reason both huge and naked in them? I guess that’s a plus for people who have an undying desire to see drawn nipples in games, but it felt completely unnecessary.
Soulstice doesn’t really bring much to the Crazy Stylized Action games table and the many components of its combat design don’t quite gel together that combined with its ancient camera system, makes many of the action moments a chore to play.
Review in Persian | Read full review
Soulstice is competent yet uneventful. It's an admirable effort, but it doesn't stack up to its biggest influences.
Review in Slovak | Read full review
Soulstice features decent combat with a few unique tricks, but it grows repetitive. With a dull story and lackluster presentation, it might mostly be of interest to DMC fans on a budget.
Soulstice is filled with fast and furious combat that will please fans and newcomers to the genre. It doesn't really innovate the genre but the developers put a nice twist on existing mechanics. Other than a few issues with the camera, Soulstice is a solid title that maybe plays it a bit too safe.