Soulblight
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Critic Reviews for Soulblight
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.
Soulblight brings some interesting action RPG elements to a roguelike game and its idea of replacing the usual experience points with personality traits is worthy of praise, as is its injuries system. Where Soulblight fares less well is on its rather frustratingly difficult combats and a somewhat repetitive nature on the short term, which adding to its unambitious art style leave the feeling that thie game could have gone further.
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I really wanted to like Soulblight, but sadly I don't think this is a game I will be coming back to.
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.
Tedious, meandering, and needlessly obtuse, Soulblight is far better conceptually than it is in execution. The prospect of uncovering the mysteries of a dying world is gripping enough, but the story is told in such a convoluted manner that forming any sort of narrative attachment is virtually impossible. Not helping matters are the title's poor technical performance on Nintendo Switch and the sheer insufferable nature of its combat. Coupled with a top-down aesthetic that frankly does the gameplay no favours, Soulblight offers little of value despite a relatively interesting premise.
A lot of hard work and sacrifice likely went into the creation of Soulblight so it's unfortunate that I can't recommend it, even as a niche. None of the mechanics were of interest and the visuals need a major overhaul. With not shortage of dungeon crawling roguelikes available on the Switch, my recommendation is to look elsewhere.
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.
If you're looking for a challenging and dark top-down roguelike on Nintendo Switch, then Soulblight is going to cover those needs. It's an addictive experience that will keep you coming back for more even when the game chews you and spits you back over and over again. The Tainting Mechanic is certainly something different that sets this one apart from other roguelikes, and it's something I'm sure you'll get to enjoy.
