Soulcaster (PC) Review

 

Soulcaster is a project of the DigiPen Institute of Technology, who regularly release games of their students for free on Steam. Soulcaster's story features a little girl, that got trapped inside of a Pyramid and has to find her way out of that maze of rooms through solving platform puzzles.

The gameplay of Soulcaster consists of a mix of Platforming and Puzzle elements (it uses a 2D side perspective). The special feature of the game is its clone gauntlet, which allows the player to create a duplicate shadow version of the protagonist. The shadow clone can be positioned via the gauntlet on any point within the view perspective of the player and he can switch positions with his clone through the gauntlet as well, as long as they keep the eye contact. The clone will move in the same direction as the player, so that he can be used for example to access a switch on the other side of the room and so on. During the later levels there are also areas, which can only be entered by the shadow version and areas, that do not permit the usage of the gauntlet at all. The levels throughout the game get progressively more challenging, but never really strain your nerves and should also be accessible to people, who are not really into puzzle games.  

Sadly the levels and the game are a bit short (every room is a level), so that one should be able to beat it in around 30 mins. Thankfully the game has a bit of replay value through its achievements, which motivate players to complete the game quicker and through less interaction with the clone (There is also a secret ending to be discovered).

I liked the gameplay and the clone mechanic and I also appreciated the scenario of being trapped inside of a pyramid and having to solve puzzles in order to find your way out. The background visuals also fitted that scenario well, even though the overall visuals were certainly nothing majorly impressive. The soundtrack consists of only 1 theme, that loops throughout the game, but it does catch the atmosphere quite well. The movement in the game was ok for a puzzle game, but would have definitely been too clunky to satisfy in a pure platforming game.

Soulcaster may only be a student project and a short game, but it is a good game nonetheless. The gauntlet works well and the gameplay is generally fun. It would have just been appreciated, if the levels were bigger and there were just a lot more of them.

6.5/10