Souldiers Nintendo Switch Review: A Retro-Inspired Adventure

Hey guys! Let's dive into the Souldiers review on the Nintendo Switch. This retro-inspired action-platformer promised a lot, drawing comparisons to classics like Metroid and Castlevania. But does it live up to the hype on the Switch? Let's break it down.

What is Souldiers?

Souldiers is developed by Retro Forge and published by Dear Villagers. It's a metroidvania-style game with a heavy emphasis on combat, exploration, and character progression. You play as a warrior who, after facing death, is recruited into an army fighting for a mysterious god in a fantastical realm. The game features a sprawling world, filled with interconnected zones, hidden secrets, and challenging enemies. Graphically, it boasts a detailed pixel art style that aims to evoke the nostalgia of 16-bit classics. The game tries to blend challenging gameplay with a deep story, intriguing characters, and a world ripe for exploration, so it definitely sounds awesome! The blend of action, adventure, and RPG elements aims to provide a rich and engaging experience for players seeking a retro-style adventure with modern sensibilities.

Initial Impressions

When you first fire up Souldiers, the pixel art is striking. The world is vibrant, detailed, and oozes with retro charm. The initial gameplay, however, can feel a bit clunky. Movement feels heavy, and the combat mechanics take some getting used to. The game doesn't hold your hand, and you're thrown into the thick of things pretty quickly. This can be a good thing for seasoned players looking for a challenge, but it might be a bit overwhelming for newcomers. But don't let that get you down, it's all part of the experience!

Gameplay Mechanics

Souldiers' gameplay revolves around exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. As you navigate the interconnected world, you'll encounter various enemies, each with unique attack patterns and weaknesses. Mastering the combat system is crucial for survival. You'll need to learn to time your attacks, dodges, and blocks effectively to overcome the challenges ahead. The game also features light puzzle elements, which require you to use your wits and observation skills to solve. Additionally, Souldiers incorporates RPG elements, allowing you to level up your character, upgrade your abilities, and find new equipment to enhance your combat prowess. This blend of mechanics keeps the gameplay fresh and engaging, encouraging you to explore every nook and cranny of the game's world.

Souldiers on Nintendo Switch: The Good

Retro Aesthetic

One of the strongest aspects of Souldiers is its visual presentation. The pixel art is beautifully crafted, with detailed environments and character sprites. The game's world feels alive and immersive, thanks to the attention to detail in the artwork. If you're a fan of retro-style graphics, you'll definitely appreciate the aesthetic of Souldiers. Everything from the character designs to the background scenery is created with a passion and love that is quite evident.

Exploration

The world of Souldiers is vast and interconnected, encouraging exploration and discovery. There are plenty of hidden secrets to uncover, from hidden pathways to valuable items. The game rewards curiosity, and you'll often find yourself venturing off the beaten path to see what you can find. The sense of discovery is one of the most rewarding aspects of Souldiers. The game features a lot of backtracking as well, which is common in Metroidvanias. This can be a good thing if you enjoy exploring every corner of the map, but it can also be frustrating if you just want to progress through the story.

Challenging Combat

Souldiers is not an easy game. The combat is challenging, requiring you to master the timing of your attacks and dodges. Enemies are relentless, and you'll need to be strategic in your approach to each encounter. The difficulty can be frustrating at times, but it's also rewarding when you finally overcome a tough boss or area. Souldiers offers multiple classes, each with its own unique playstyle and abilities. This adds depth to the combat system and encourages experimentation. You can choose the class that best suits your preferences and tailor your playstyle to the challenges ahead. It makes the game very customizable, allowing people to choose their favorite way to play!

Souldiers on Nintendo Switch: The Bad

Performance Issues

Unfortunately, Souldiers on the Nintendo Switch suffers from some performance issues. The game can experience slowdowns and frame rate drops, especially in graphically intensive areas. These performance issues can be distracting and can impact the overall gameplay experience. Hopefully, the developers will address these issues in future updates, but for now, they are a noticeable drawback.

Clunky Controls

The controls in Souldiers can feel a bit clunky at times. Movement feels heavy, and the character can feel unresponsive. This can make navigating the world and engaging in combat more challenging than it should be. While you can get used to the controls over time, they never feel quite as smooth or intuitive as they could be.

Bugs and Glitches

Souldiers on the Nintendo Switch is plagued by bugs and glitches. Players have reported issues such as getting stuck in the environment, enemies disappearing, and save data corruption. These bugs can be frustrating and can sometimes require you to restart the game. While the developers have released patches to address some of these issues, there are still reports of bugs persisting in the game.

Final Verdict

Souldiers has a lot of potential. Its retro aesthetic, exploration, and challenging combat are all strong points. However, the performance issues, clunky controls, and bugs hold it back from being a truly great game on the Nintendo Switch. If you're a die-hard fan of retro-style action-platformers and can tolerate the technical issues, you might find something to enjoy in Souldiers. However, for most players, it's hard to recommend the game in its current state. It is such a cool concept and has amazing art, so it's a shame that it has these problems. Maybe in the future, it will be worth it after the bugs have been patched.

Who is this game for?

• Fans of Metroidvania games. If you love exploring interconnected worlds and uncovering hidden secrets, Souldiers might scratch that itch. The game world is vast and filled with hidden areas, encouraging you to venture off the beaten path and discover new things.
• Gamers who enjoy a challenge. Souldiers is not an easy game. The combat is challenging, and you'll need to master the timing of your attacks and dodges to survive. If you're looking for a game that will test your skills, Souldiers might be for you.
• Players who appreciate retro aesthetics. The game's pixel art style is reminiscent of 16-bit classics, and the attention to detail in the artwork is impressive. If you're a fan of retro-style graphics, you'll likely appreciate the visual presentation of Souldiers.

Who is this game not for?

• Gamers who are easily frustrated by technical issues. Souldiers on the Nintendo Switch suffers from performance issues, clunky controls, and bugs. If you're easily frustrated by these types of issues, you might want to avoid this game.
• Players who prefer smooth and responsive controls. The controls in Souldiers can feel a bit clunky at times. If you prefer games with tight and responsive controls, you might be disappointed with Souldiers.
• Gamers who are new to the Metroidvania genre. Souldiers is a challenging game that doesn't hold your hand. If you're new to the Metroidvania genre, you might find the game overwhelming. You may be better off starting with a more accessible game in the genre.

Score: 6/10

Souldiers has potential, but it needs more polish before it can be considered a truly great game on the Nintendo Switch. It's sad because I feel the game had so much potential, but it just couldn't execute its vision due to all of the bugs and glitches.