In certain states of mythology, twins are considered to be healers; welcomed as omens of good. Yet in other cultures they are seen as devious portents. But the main thing to note is the connection between the twins, where the souls are intertwined, that they are not just two people but one being.
Mirrored Souls plays on this concept in its story and gameplay. But the two people who are the focus aren’t in the same world, instead, souls connected across two different dimensions. This is a single-player cooperative adventure that hopes to twist your melon and test your puzzle skills to the max.
The story found in Mirrored Souls is minimal but nicely simple, working a good premise. You control both Ravi and Daru; connected souls but living in two different dimensions. There is musing in the writing, from the two beings trying to join up together, about love, the world, the universe and a devious moon. It is very well written and has an interesting side note to the action, helped with a message of hope at the end of the adventure. But the main thrust of the gameplay in Mirrored Souls is how tricky – yet rewarding – it plays.
You control both Ravi and Daru at the same time, with the screen being split so you can see both dimensions. This means that if you move Ravi to the right of the screen, then Daru will move to the left at the same time. Jump and they will both jump. Your aim in the game is to try and get both beings to the exit door, through a whole series of levels and chapters that make up the game. Achieving that goal is much thornier than it first appears.
This action puzzler is most certainly a good brain teaser; one that tests your patience and motor skills. Do you remember that game as a child when you were tasked to rub your tummy and pat your head at the same time? This describes exactly what playing Mirrored Souls is like. Some might find it way too much and a bit frustrating, but get into the rhythm of the game and see the code and you should have a lot of fun.
As you progress, Mirrored Souls does get more and more difficult, all as various elements come into play. You get huge blocks that need to be moved by both characters so they can be jumped on or utilised to trigger openings by being placed on pressure plates. And there’s a mechanic where you fall through the floor that needs a lot of thought. Gravity levels need to be accounted for too and then there is the hell of trying to deal with moving platforms.
Mirrored Souls is set over three chapters, with around 75 levels of action to deal with. How long that takes you will all depend on the length of string in your hand; suiting some more than others. I personally found moments of Mirrored Souls to be highly frustrating, but ultimately rewarding when I stumbled towards the solution.
The game employs a 2D world that feels like it has been ripped out of a beautiful mythology book based on Asian culture. There are some amazing colours in play, as well as a hand-drawn style to each level. There’s some decent attention to detail and it all comes together to create a wonderful experience and journey.
The soundtrack has some lovely original music playing throughout but it also manages to create a calming atmosphere. That is most definitely needed when all you want to do is scream and throw the controller down. Personally, I’d have liked that to be accompanied by some voice over; I feel it would have helped the two characters come alive.
If you’re a fan of a puzzler, Mirrored Souls will well suit. Should you then also be down for a challenge, this is more than capable of delivering on the promise. But there is more to it than difficulty too. There’s a gentle story about love, death and eternity; one that is like an epic poem from some time long ago.
Mirrored Souls does get frustrating at times and it will test your patience with every turn, but there is a lot to love here, helped by the fact that the pretty visuals will be a feast for your eyes. It’s probably well worth getting connected with Mirrored Souls.
