soulstice It stands out from other action RPGs with its unique world, dual protagonists, and fast-paced combat. Briar and Lute each bring unique supernatural powers to the table, and they will all need them if they are to be successful in their battle against the Wraiths now plaguing the Sacred Kingdom of Keidas.
There’s a lot going on in soul power, both in battle and story, and it can take time to learn the proper application of the characters’ various powers, weapons, and resources. While battles can be difficult at times, soulstice isn’t the most punishing game out there, so nothing stops the player from just jumping in and seeing what happens. However, having a few tips can make it much easier and more fun for new players. Here are some top tips that every soulstice novice should know.
6 Adapt to the camera
Whether in one of the best or worst areas of the game, the camera in soulstice can take some getting used to. When exploring the world, it functions just like the camera in the old Resident Evil games: change to a different angle when the player moves outside the frame. For platform segments, meanwhile, it’s shifting to a more traditional two-dimensional view, thankfully making jumps easier to identify and time.
In battle, the camera changes again, giving the player more control over it. This makes it easier to track the action, dodge enemy attacks, and otherwise battle. While such a variation in camera mechanics sounds complicated on paper, in practice it doesn’t take long to get used to. However, it is easier if the player knows what to expect from the camera in a given situation, as abrupt changes are not so shocking.
5 Soulstice is not a souls like
Looking at the game (not to mention the name), you can easily be fooled into thinking that soulstice is a member of the ultra punishing Soulslike genre. However, that’s not the case, and understanding the differences between this game and Soulslikes goes a long way in getting the player ready for battle in soul power.
The combat here is faster, smoother and more arcade-like than most Souls-style games. The player can juggle enemies in the air, link light and heavy attack combos, air dash, and otherwise play much more mobile and reckless than usual in that genre. While the gameplay focuses on melee, Lute’s abilities can be used to disrupt enemy attacks and moments, adding a strategic element to combat.
4 Unity matters
Attacking enemies increases Unity (followed by the icon in the top right corner). Unity allows Lute to fire extra energy blasts and use Briar’s Synergy attacks. With these skills, the player can quickly defeat most enemies, so keeping the pressure on enemies and filling up Unity quickly are important parts of the battle.
Unity is not a one-way street, however, since soulstice takes a sample of other great action RPGs by adding some complexity to the mechanics. If the player is knocked back or damaged by an attack, his unit decreases. It is therefore just as important not to get hit as to land hits yourself. Most of the time the player is able to play aggressively and build up Unity quickly, but there will be times when it would be wiser to slow down and focus on defense and evasion to keep the Unity the player already has. Knowing when to attack and when to fall back is a lesson only experience can learn.
3 Know your fields
soulstice contains two types of fields: evocation and banishment. During the player’s journey, they will encounter Cobalt Veins (blue) and Crystal Overgrowths (red) that must be destroyed using Evocation and Banishment Fields to destroy. Using a field generates an energy dome of the correct color and to be destroyed, Cobalt Veins and Crystal Overgrowths must stay within the dome’s confines.
Using Fields generates Entropy, and when Entropy is full, Luite will briefly disappear. Evocation and Banishment fields are also needed when fighting blue and red enemies, because these enemies can only be damaged if they are in a field of the same color. Fields are also used in certain platform sequences, although this mechanism seems to exist mainly to change things up and give them a bit of a break from the usual routine, so understanding how the fields are used in these platform sequences isn’t that important as understanding their use in battle.
2 Trance
There’s more to winning battles in soulstice then just get the best out of your weapons. Rapture acts as a sort of Rage mechanic, allowing Briar to even damage enemies that normally need to be within an Evocation or Banishment Field to deal damage. Activating Rapture a second time triggers a flashy special ability to deal some extra damage, also treat the player to a cool movie.
However, there is one major drawback to Rapture. Triggering Rapture causes a significant decrease in Unity. Regaining Unity isn’t normally a big deal, but this drawback is one that the player should be aware of before using Rapture, as accidentally losing a large amount of Unity at the wrong time can make battles unnecessarily difficult.
1 Master The Arsenal
Briar has two weapons at her disposal at the start of the game: the Ashen Vindicator and the Ashen Enforcer. The Vindicator is the faster but weaker of the two, while the Enforcer is slower but deals more damage. Later in the game, Briar can also use the Hand of Retribution, a gauntlet that can be used to parry and defeat enemies.
Different weapons are strong against different types of enemies. The Ashen Enforcer excels at taking down flying enemies, while the Hand of Retribution is best for punching through the defenses of heavily armored enemies. Each weapon also has its own unique abilities that can make battles significantly easier once the player knows how to best use them. The Ashen Vindicator is equipped at all times, but the player can only use one of his other two weapons at a time. Fortunately, the player can switch between those weapons on the fly, so if the player uses the Hand of Retribution only to find that they need the Enforcer more, they can quickly grab what they need.
soulstice is now available for PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.
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