Soulstice is an upcoming character action game from publisher Modus Games and developer Reply Game Studios that sees players exploring a dark world and battling supernatural threats. After having had their souls united, protagonists Briar and Lute put their newfound power to good use, attempting to eliminate a dangerous threat from beyond the Veil.
Below, you’ll find everything we know about Soulstice, including details about its release date, story, gameplay, and more.
Soulstice Release Date
Soulstice has locked down its release date to September 20, 2022, when it is set to arrive on PC, Xbox Series X, and PS5.
Soulstice Story
Soulstice’s story sees the Holy Kingdom of Keidas invaded by Wraiths – feral creatures from beyond the Veil – who threaten the lives of its inhabitants. This dire situation leaves its cities ravaged, hybrid warriors known as Chimeras being the kingdom’s last hope.
The game’s dual protagonists – Briar and Lute – have been reborn as a Chimera through a ritual that united their souls. This transformation granted the former superhuman strength and resilience, turning her into a capable warrior. The latter is now bound to her sister, supporting her efforts as a ghost with mystical powers.
The game explores the two sisters’ relationship and how they deal with their newfound power while revealing more about the dark world in which it takes place. Initially inspired by manga such as Berserk and Claymore, the game has found a visual style of its own.
Soulstice Gameplay
Although it doesn’t lack a narrative, Soulstice’s gameplay was the developer’s main priority. Players mainly control Briar who has access to several weapons which she uses to violently dispose of the creatures blocking her path.
Lute’s AI fires her offensive skills at nearby enemies, players having to watch out for button prompts that enable her to counter enemy attacks which otherwise break Briar’s flow. In addition, you’ll also have to manually activate and deactivate her two field powers.
Over the course of the game, Briar gets access to 7 different weapons that she can freely switch between. During a press event in early June, I got to try out a two-handed sword and a whip. While the former was always used for light attacks, its heavy attacks were slower than the whip’s.
Soulstice’s combat is quick, fluid, and stylish, allowing you to chain together multiple moves and switch weapons even mid-combo.
Briar can also dash around the battlefield, evading enemies, while Lute’s counters either stop attacks from damaging her sister altogether or keep enemies in place for enough time to get out of the way.
The longer you stay in the fight without being damaged, the better the synergy between the two sisters. It grants access to powerful synergy attacks and the even stronger Raptor State, which can act as a powerful closer.
You’ll fight your fair share of rank and file enemies, ranging from standard melee warriors to archers and brutes, but will need to deal with Wraiths and Possessed, which are considerably stronger and can only be defeated by using Lute’s field abilities.
In the demo I played, the blue Evocation Field was the only way I could damage blue crystals found throughout the level – used to upgrade Lute’s abilities – and ghostly opponents.
The red Banishment Field came in handy when red crystals blocked my way or when fighting one of the stronger boss enemies, whose moveset was considerably more varied than that of the regular opponents.
These abilities extend a field around Briar, but maintaining it increases Lute’s level of Entropy. Keeping them active for too long overcharges Lute, making her vanish for a while and unable to use powers.
The two sisters also have different progression tracks, accessibly when encountering Layton, their observer and traveling merchant.
Briar requires red crystals obtained from enemies and environmental objects, focusing on unlocking combos for the different weapons in her arsenal.
Lute’s requires blue crystals that seem to be rarer and is split into 4 sections which unlock passive abilities that improve the sisters’ synergy.
Soulstice’s release date won’t bring us an open-world game, but rather one that’s divided into separate missions. Its levels blend together stretches of exploration with the occasional platforming and puzzle section that link together its fights.
At the end of each encounter, you get a rank based on how well you performed. Several difficulty levels are also confirmed.
Where can you buy Soulstice and how much does it cost?
Soulstice’s PC version is available on Steam while its console counterparts can be found on their respective stores closer to launch. The game’s standard edition costs £34.99; its deluxe edition is priced at £44.99.
Soulstice Trailer
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