Soulstice review: Wraiths May Cry

Character action games are a rarity these days, but Reply Game Studios looks to buck the trend with Soulstice.

Published by Modus Games, Soulstice is a brand new action game that sees players control a Chimera — two beings united to create a warrior that is tasked with banishing evil. It is obvious that the title takes inspiration from a very specific game series popular among the action-game community: Capcom's Devil May Cry.

However, does this "clone" adequately capture the essence of what makes its inspiration great?

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Soulstice wears its influence on its sleeve while being unique

Soulstice revolves around sisters Briar and Lute. The former is an unrelenting mercenary whom players will primarily control. The latter is a Shade — a spirit that's bound to Briar to aid her conquest.

Taking place in the fantasy world of the Holy Kingdom of Keidas, the sisters have been tasked by the Order to stop a Tear that has opened up. This magical world is separated from another, where foul beings called Wraiths reside. The only thing acting as a barrier between the two was the Veil.

Now, supernatural creatures have slipped past the Veil, thanks to the Tear, and have caused destruction at an unprecedented level. Therefore, it is up to the player to clean up the mess the old-fashioned way: by use of violence.

There's more to it than what meets the eye, but I won't go into spoilers; just that it is a surprisingly decent plotline despite familiar tropes. However, before we get to the meatier sections of the game, let's take a look at the setting itself and the denizens residing within.

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A world of chaos and ruin

Death and disaster loom everywhere (Screenshot via Soulstice)

Soulstice takes place across various chapters that are set across a variety of levels, like docks, prisons, castles, and more. It is basically a point-A-to-B affair with a few dead-end paths allowing room for minor exploration.

Players will encounter crates and crystal growths that can be broken to earn shards. These fall under two types: red and blue. The former is used to upgrade Briar's weapons and buy new moves. The latter is used to invest in new skills to improve Lute's magical offensive and support abilities in battle.

Other collectibles are more precious. This includes a permanent boost to health that players can get, thanks to Husk Fragments. There are even challenge portals that will test players' mastery of combat mechanics. However, when it comes to other people, Briar and Lute will meet various characters throughout their journey. This includes other Chimeras but also the mysterious Layton.

Also known as the Overseer, this masked fellow oversees Chimera's mission to stop the Tear from falling apart further. He provides valuable services to the player. This includes a Shop where Briar can buy consumables, such as healing, and talk with the NPC to unveil a bit of background about what's going on.

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Slay in unison

The combat is one of the better aspects of Soulstice. Briar sports a sword (the Ashen Vindicator) and a hammer (Ashen Enforcer), each assigned to an attack button. Players can execute a string of combos to defeat enemies. Melee feels fluid and impactful, which is a great thing for these kinds of games.

Lute, on the other hand, plays a more supportive role. She can interrupt and even deflect enemy attacks to allow Briar to swoop in for the kill. On that note, there are various weapons to obtain for Briar, which can be swapped on the fly.

Soulstice also takes a page from DmC: Devil May Cry with its color-coded gameplay setup. Instead of having two forms to switch between, like Ninja Theory's 2013 reboot, Lute will learn to project two barriers: the banishment field (red) and the evocation field (blue).

The game introduces new enemy types as the narrative unfolds, and many of them will be immune to Briar's standard attacks. That is until Lute uses one of the fields corresponding to the same enemy color.

Wraiths, for example, need the blue field to be made vulnerable to normal attacks. Red, meanwhile, is for possessed foes. Switching between the two is key to dispatching foes quickly, but there's a catch.

Lute can only cast one field at a time, and this also drains her energy, thereby increasing the Entropy meter to the top left of the screen. When full, this will cause an Overcharge, causing Lute to temporarily leave Briar's side.

This is bad because the sisterly spirit is the only means of countering enemy attacks. Given that the game can throw half a dozen or even more enemies at the player at once, it will be hard for Briar to avoid incoming attacks. This is especially true because she can only dodge thrice before entering a small cooldown period where she cannot move.

The combat is as flashy yet skillful (Screenshot via Soulstice)

But as a whole, I don't have any complaints about the core combat of Soulstice. Taking a page from Platinum Games' Bayonetta, combat encounters finish with a cool slow-mo transition, leading to a rankings screen as players are awarded different tiers (Bronze, Iron, Silver, Gold, Platinum, Diamond) for their performance. Determining factors include time taken to defeat foes, damage taken, and overall score.

Then there is the Unity meter. Successful attacks and not getting hit will raise the Unity meter. Combining both sisters' abilities synergetically also has the same effect. Meanwhile, getting knocked back or hit decreases it. The meter defines how well the player is battling.

Players will also be able to unleash Rapture, a state portrayed by a purple glow around the duo, which allows them to perform devastating attacks regardless of immunity.

The overall concept of two controllable characters is pretty creative, and the lore that backs it is richly presented via codexes and bestiaries. However, this brings us to some glaring flaws with the game.

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A prickling thorn on the side

I'll be honest here; the camera in Soulstice is quite poor. While players have full 360-degree control of the camera while in combat, standard exploration reverts to a fixed camera from a variety of angles, including sidescrolling.

The problem is that the camera can sit so far back that platforming becomes tedious. The often-cramped level design can also leave players wrestling with the camera during combat segments as it runs into walls.

While the world of Soulstice is intriguing, allowing players ample oppurtuniy to learn more about its inhabitants, the characters that live in these lands are not particularly interesting. Even Briar's stoic nature, for example, can come across as unlikable and edgy even.

Then there's the level design: the hodge-podge of dull hallways and platforms combines into a pretty forgettable mush, despite light puzzle-solving being thrown in. Lute's magical fields will also be used for platforming, but when paired with the annoying camera, it can be cumbersome.

At least the boss fights are fun, with uniquely designed, often larger-than-life monstrosities. However, once that's done, players still have to contend with a hit-or-miss voice delivery and dialogue that somewhat hampers the narrative effectiveness of the game.

While Lute is fine, her sister Briar sounds bored, for lack of a better word. The same could be said for the Overseer, Layton.

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Graphics, performance, and sound

The visuals of Soulstice are sharp and have a partly celshaded look, which reminds me of Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night, the 2019 Metroidvania game with thin dark outlines on characters.

It is a good-looking game from a technical standpoint, with plenty of particle effects and flashy moves. However, its dull environments take away from that artistic excellency in a big way. Throw in repeated assets amidst its lengthy levels, and it would be understandable if players wanted to take a break between chapters.

Soulstice's system requirements are somewhat modest, so you will need a semi-decent PC to run it smoothly. I had a few hiccups with the initial cutscene, seemingly due to shader compilation in the background. This is an Unreal Engine 4 game, after all. However, the game ran smoothly afterwards.

The sound side of things is alright. There is a mix of ambient sounds, ranging from fantasy-like to more upbeat and adrenaline-pumping tracks.

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In Conclusion

Soulstice is a surprisingly decent showcase for a double-A-budget game. The combat is amazing, the lore is interesting, and the upgrade system allows enough flexibility for players to seek out their own playstyles.

Although Soulstice does many things well, it still stumbles. Its shortcomings include dull voice-acting and dialog, poor camera, and forgettable level design. Don't go into this game expecting something on the level of Devil May Cry, Bayonetta, or God of War.

Having said that, Soulstice should be appreciated for what it is: a decent hack & slash with a few neat ideas that fans of the genre should try.

Final verdict (Image via Sportskeeda)

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Soulstice

Reviewed on: PC (review code provided by Modus Games)

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S

Developer(s): Reply Game Studios

Publishers(s): Modus Games

Release date: September 20, 2022