Soul Axiom Reviews
Some souls are not worth saving.
If you were eyeing Soul Axiom, I'd say buy Master Reboot or stay clearly away. Wales Interactive has done much greater things in the past, which makes this all the more jarring. Now, I just hope their critical and commercial pinnacle isn't faded away due to a failure like this.
Ultimately, Soul Axiom, is a title of an eerily odd nature. It seems destined for greatness, but instead of pursuing it through excellence of execution, and simplicity, it strives for elaborate complexity it doesn't quite comprehend.
Soul Axiom is a relaxed, creative, puzzle-drive storyteller. It is a great addition to the world created in Master Reboot. What it lacks in visual appeal, it makes up for in soul. Avoid if you need action and play if you need a kickback-and-play title with a hearty story.
The game is rugged in some departments and a little less ambitious than I had previously thought it would be, but Soul Axiom is still a well put together and intriguing experience. It's a cool world filled with sparkly tech surroundings, a multitude of far ranging level environments and some really enjoyable puzzle solving.
In conclusion then, Soul Axiom is a slow burning game, but one that satisfies if you engage with the world and its lore. The pacing won't be to everyone's liking, as it isn't a fast paced, reaction based experience, but it is compelling more because of this than in spite of it. Add to this the numerous monkeys to be found, as well as three possible endings and the game has more longevity than the average puzzler. If you fancy having your grey matter teased, you could do a lot worse than this.
Undoubtedly, fans of abstract puzzle games will find a lot to enjoy here. But those not so inclined to stick with something a little frustrating and overtly self-insistent perhaps may prefer to wait for the next reboot of this intriguing but poorly executed experience. Where Journey uses the concept of abstract, indirect storytelling to its empowerment, Soul Axiom ends up leaning on it like a crutch when it suits, much to its detriment in terms of the overall experience. The confusing PR description of the game, which is nothing like the experience you actually get, is testament to that muddled framework. This is well worth a go, but it is not a polished gem by any stretch of the imagination.
Wales Interactive clearly has great ideas, but Soul Axiom shows that the company needs to focus a little more on execution to make sure that they unlock their true potential for the public.
It's simple, but simplicity can be handled in a classy way and I think that Soul Axiom does a great job with something pretty barebones
Here's hoping Wales Interactive are able to keep working on Soul Axiom, because these game-breaking bugs are holding back a game that's otherwise creative, intriguing, and utterly gorgeous.
With interesting ideas and settings, Soul Axiom doesn't manage to have a narrative compelling enough. The puzzles, whereas integrated with the environment, feel contrived, and parts of the universe are too disjointed to make sense. It'll make you think, though, although sometimes with pain.
There's around 20-30 hours' worth of content on offer, but the lengthy load times and boring puzzles make it feel like such a slog that after 10 or so your interest wanes
Soul Axiom has a few fantastic puzzles and some lovely environments. Sadly its also full of boring puzzles, an uninteresting story, horrid cutscenes, and some of the worst glitches I've seen in a video game.
Soul Axiom initially holds promise, but design flaws, a convoluted narrative, and constant guesswork make the puzzles feel arbitrary rather than rewarding.
Simplistic and often jarring its intended design may seem, Soul Axiom is a game that requires, as much cunningly desires, the player's warranted need to look beyond the surface that's initially presented.
Certain sections of Soul Axiom are as memorable as Wales Interactive would like them to be. Unfortunately, however, these moments are buried under a lacklustre and confusing storyline and simplistically dull puzzles.
Soul Axiom is an incredibly uneven game that feels disjointed and unpolished. Moments of beauty in its futuristic overworld are only temporary, as half of the game looks completely out of place. It's incredibly disappointing that the game isn't able to come together since some of the puzzles are delightful to figure out. Instead, gamers are left with a puzzle game that's merely okay, and one that is easily passed up when you've got incredible offerings like The Witness on the system.
Soul Axiom for Wii U is a rough port of an interesting first-person puzzler that just doesn't quite live up to its potential. The combination of frustrating controls, poor graphics that don't live up to the PC version, and intentionally slow storytelling may be too much for anyone that is not a huge fan of the first person puzzle genre.
Soul Axiom's psychedelic first-person platforming features some interesting puzzles which could be much more enjoyable, if the game's level design was more interesting and its gameplay mechanics more immersive. The lack of creativity elsewhere prevents the game's puzzles from keeping the players' interest for very long, which shows Soul Axiom could be a better game if more care had been given to it.
Review in Portuguese | Read full review