Titan Souls Reviews
Titan Souls is a throwback game from the team at Acid Nerve that plays heavily on two aspects.Nostalgia, and masochism.
Titan Souls makes great use of its detailed pixel-art style, atmospheric soundtrack and an intricate and complex gameplay mechanic to create an experience that is often a lot of fun. It does occasionally suffer from a lack of narrative to push the player along, but the battles with the Titans more than make up for the slower passages of play.
Titan Souls gives you the opportunity to feel that success first-hand, a joy forged in the crucible of failure.
Honestly, it may be demanding, although it is possible to beat those bosses. It will take a shitload of patience and practice. You just have to learn not to quit. To our lasting regret, the majority of the public won't see this as entertainment, because entertainment is usually something you can relax with. Titan Souls will not relax you after a hard day's work. It will make you work harder and harder, until you pull that one arrow out of the grayish carcass of that annoying boss who made you scream and swear like never before.
A perfect storm of elements come together to make a wonderful and challenging experience.
Titan Souls is a quietly beautiful little epic. The contrast of the boss fights with the peaceful exploration works to create a world of contrasts, broken but not dead.
A fleeting, exhilarating slice of boss rush madness
Titan Souls is an example of a game that successfully uses nostalgia as a jumping off point and not as a central reason to exist. The name and art style might make it seem too familiar, but if you can play through that you'll see it quickly establishes its own identity. It's still a bit of a novelty, but at least it fully commits to that novelty, much like you'll probably commit yourself to defeating every titan once this game sinks its hooks into you.
A challenging game with a colossal chip on its shoulder
It requires patience, a keen eye, reflexes and skill - and the ability to accept that you will die a lot. And sometimes it will seem unfair. And sometimes you will want to throw your controller at the nearest hard surface. But Titan Souls is a fantastic game; a fine example of what is possible with a simple idea, stripped-down controls and a dense atmosphere backing it all up.
95 percent of what makes up Titan Souls is boss battles, and fortunately, that's the 95 percent of the game that Acid Nerve nails. Its story is nearly non-existent, and its on the short side, but the quality of the battles against the many Titans mostly make up for Titan Souls shortcomings.
Titan Souls was a tough and a well-fought battle that I enjoyed from beginning to end. Even though it had me raging at times, the thrill of taking down the Titans one by one gave me an immense feeling of satisfaction. While it is a relatively short experience (I was able to finish the game in just over six hours), it was worth every minute.
Great soundtrack, intuitive controls and challenging boss fights make up for Titan Souls' short length and lack of narrative.
Acid Nerve's tough boss run is precise, ingenious and rewarding.
Titan Souls is one of the most interesting titles I've played this year. Some issues aside, this is a unique and memorable experience.
One hit point, one arrow and one target; Titan Souls is an exercise in simplicity. It evokes memories of classic games, as you seek the satisfaction of striking that killing blow to a Titan. Except they are waiting for you, and though I feel there are a few bosses that are particularly difficult, this is a game that deliberately provides the kind of unforgiving challenge, and trial and error gameplay, that people will either love or hate.
My normal difficulty run through, save for some exasperation at the final two titans, did make for good pacing. Death or victory come quickly because, for the most part, the titans are designed to leave you few opportunities to win. Running around and staying alive isn't an impressive feat because you're no closer to winning. The moments of opportunity are designed to put you in harms way -- surely killing you should you miss the shot -- doubling down on an intense thrill. The quickness with which these things kill you leaves you always feeling unsafe. That you often have to stare down these charging killers, like drawing an arrow against an oncoming train with a baseball-sized weak point, is exhilarating.
I still love the idea of a game with only bosses and a single weapon, and the contrast between the small protagonist and the towering bosses emphasizes the thrill of victory. It's a shame the game ends when it does, because there's potential here for an even greater product. But even with its short length, Titan Souls is a fresh and inventive indie release.
Simple, strategic combat and an assortment of unique bosses make for intense bursts of gameplay that will keep you coming back for 'just one more go'. And another. And then one more.
Titan Souls' creative fights and fluid controls make for intensely satisfying and rewarding one-hit-kill combat.