Soulblight

Release Date: March 15, 2018

RPG, fantasy, roguelike, Polish, top-down, indie games, action RPG, soulslike, singleplayer

4.6

OpenCritic

50%

Steam

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A roguelike RPG based on incredibly complex mechanics and created by My Next Games - an independent Polish developer. The player takes on the role of an adventurer who explores both mysterious and dangerous areas of the place known as the Archives. The player either fights the enemies or sneaks pass them, gathering loot and developing their character along the way.

Videos and Screens

[1:20] Soulblight launch trailer

[0:00] Soulblight trailer #1

4.6

OpenCritic Rating

Game is Recomended by 4% of Critics. There are 12 Critic Reviews.

OpenCritic

Digitally Downloaded: 2 / 5 by Tyler Treese

Soulblight is a largely disappointing experience. Hopefully My Next Games can take what works here (namely the morality-based systems) and apply it to a future effort, but this current action game isn't enjoyable in the slightest. It doesn't bring anything new to the genre, and isn't polished enough to stand besides the better offerings already available.

Full Review

GameSpace: 6.2 / 10 by Damien Gula

If you like highly challenging rogue-like games with unique role-playing elements, Soulblight may be a game that scratches that masochistic itch that few games do. Its Taints system is different than any other roleplaying system that I have seen used before.

Full Review

GamingTrend: 60 / 100 by Codi Spence

Soulblight is a top-down action roguelike that features simple yet tough combat. The tainting mechanic and injury effects are clever and keep things interesting. Unfortunately, combat is hard to master, and you may end up dying a lot more than you're willing to accept.

Full Review

50%

STEAM Score

All Reviews: Mixed (48)

STEAM

The Shadowborn for PC is a roguelike RPG, which stands out with its relatively complex mechanics. The game is played from a top-down view and the action is set in a dark fantasy world. This is the debut of My Next Games - an independent Polish developer. The Shadowborn gained recognition on its very announcement, for it was awarded two prestigious prizes at the Digital Dragons 2015 conference (Poland). One of those was the Best Indie Game Award in the Indie Showcase contest.

Plot & Mechanics

Assuming the role of a daredevil, the player explores both dangerous and mysterious areas of the place known as the Archives. The player either fights their enemies or sneaks pass them unnoticed, gathering the loot and developing the protagonist. Character development is one of the most significant and interesting elements of The Shadowborn. Practically, every action of the player has its impact on the skills and personality of the protagonist - for instance, drinking beer regularly leads to alcohol addiction and reaching for every coin can result in falling ill with gold fever. Obviously, each of such conditions has its more or less perceptible influence on the course of the playthrough.

Also, other mechanics the game is based on display a high level of complexity. For example, wounds fall into different categories here. For each of different diseases and ailments, a different cure is needed. Medications have different forms as well. To illustrate, using the worst kind of bandages can cause an infection.

In The Shadowborn for PC, combat is unusual as well, for it combines elements of typical turn-based games with hack-and-slash mechanics. The game is a representative of the roguelike subgenere, thus high difficulty level is an important characteristic of it.