The 2D Souls

Being preoccupied with Dark Souls 3, I didn't get a chance to actually talk about this gem of a game which was released 2 weeks prior to DS3, a lot of people thought it was a good "filler" game to pass the time while waiting for DS3 to finally release, to me it was more than just a filler, it was a very enjoyable solid experience. 

I first heard about this game nearly 2 years back when it was still in development, it was last year when VaatiVidya released a gameplay video of this Souls-Like game as he puts it, the video got me intrigued and had me follow the development progress. Game was made by fellow Souls fans, a team of husband and wife that wanted to show their love for Dark Souls in their game, it is an indie game, but do not take this game lightly, as I soon as I hear the term "indie" I immediately think of a $5 game with 5 hour gameplay and retro graphics.. This is a full-on complex ARPG, this game took me over 22 hours of gameplay to reach NG+ (yes there is a NG+ surprise surprise) Value for money indeed!

As soon as you start the game, you will immediately have this grin on you face because the first thing you notice is how familiar the character customization is, it has a very similar layout to Dark Souls 1, and even the selection sound is similar, you will feel right at home from the very beginning. 

Alot of people immediately shouted Rip-Off, but I see this as a gift to every souls fan, made by a couple of souls fans, it is very much inspired, to the point that you will think you are playing a 2D DarkSouls 1, yes it is that close, fromthe clunky sounds of your heavy armour while walking, to the messaging system where you leave notes to other players online! 

This is what Dark souls 1 would have been if it was made in a Castlevania style, the level design is absolutely brilliant, complex levels of ups and downs, platforming elements, shortcuts to open only to realize that you are back to an area you were at a few hours ago! 

This game has crafting even, equipment and weapons and boss weapons that effect your gameplay style, even classes which offer replay value (and the ability to reset skill points), so you can play as strength build, dex, caster or faith, again, similar to Dark Souls. The skill tree system may seem overwhelming at first glance, but you will realize how easy it is to customize your build, if you are familiar with the grid system of FFX, it looks similar to that. 

I heard alot of people complain about the art style, the art work fits the game well, and the variety of different environments are beautifully sketched in a hand drawn style, although I do agree with the big-eyed characters, but have no fear, you will soon cover their faces with some bad-ass helmet or mask. 

I always wondered how well would a 2D Dark Souls be in terms of combat, but again, these guys knew what they were doing and created a tight combat system which feels great to play, rolling and blocking actually does help you with bosses, once you get used to the controls, my only down point is that I wish I was able to switch the controls scheme to match DS. 

If you are a Dark Souls fan it is a must play

If you are a Castlevania fan I highly recommend it.

If you are a fan of both... Well... Why are you still reading this? Go play it already!