Stalking Souls in a Bullet Heaven Roguelike
Have you ever wondered what would happen if Paper Mario and Vampire Survivors were to be fused? Well, it is obviously a thought that has occurred to the guys over at Radhood and Origami Panda Studios, as their latest game, Soul Stalker, could be pitched as exactly that!
Taking the survival gameplay that we are all familiar with, and mixing it with a certain degree of artistic flair, the result is billed as a “bullet heaven roguelike”. Let’s go and stalk some souls…
Unique Papercraft Visuals and Charming Character Design
It seems like starting with the presentation would be a good place to begin and the big style decision here is the way that the characters are 2D in a kind of top-down three-quarter isometric world, and when the enemies and you change direction, you can see that they are almost the thickness of a piece of paper.
This works really well in practice, and the design of the enemies and the various characters we can control is extremely good. You’ll find everything from cute monsters to weird and wonderful heroes, ranging from a merchant to a mummy. And whilst the levels are fairly sparse, being charitable, once they fill up with enemies, you’ll be glad of the space to run around.
The sound is somewhat on the minimal side though, with the odd “oof” sound effect as you get hit, and then the odd impact sound as you hit back. In all, the soundscape is fairly muted.
Narrative may not usually be a strong point of these games, and so it proves here in Soul Stalker. We are a steward of ghosts bound to eternal life here on earth, and what this seems to entail is heading out on various missions to quell packs of unruly ghosts by smacking them. Apparently this will keep our spiritual friends safe, but it is never explained from what and why. To be fair, it doesn’t really matter.
The main aspect that should be of concern is the gameplay, and here the news is pretty good. There are a couple of ways of starting runs in Soul Stalker; a mode called Journey, as well as the job board.
Journey Mode: A Series of Challenging Stages
Taking these two modes separately, Journey is like the main mode of the game. Each run in either works as a series of stages, as we pick our way through them, choosing what path to take. From there come nodes with enemies on, which puts us into an arena with a series of enemies that spawn for a set period of time. Get to the end of the time and the stage is complete. There are also Elite enemies and bosses to fight, each slightly different, in that there is a timer in these stages that counts down; if you haven’t beaten the enemy by the time it runs out, it is you that dies, not the boss! These can be really hard work, with the boss summoning loads of minions that basically block attacks, ensuring that working to the time frame is difficult to achieve.
There are also shops of various types that can sell weapons and/or trinkets (these are items that can alter the run in your favour). But then Soul Stalker also adds in a campfire, where you have a choice of upgrading a weapon, evolving a weapon or healing yourself. Choosing the right option here can make a big difference to the run you are on, so be tactical in your choices.
Job Board: Randomized Challenges and Increased Difficulty
The job board does the same as that of Journey, but the character you use and the weapon and trinket they start with are randomised, and so this makes things a bit harder. Luckily, in both modes, as you go through a run, new weapons can be bought with the currency that the enemies drop. It depends on the character as to how many weapons they can carry – anything between three and six – and each weapon can be powered up and evolved.
The trinkets also make a big difference to your run, giving extra health or powering up attacks, and so choosing the right things to complement the weapons you have results in a more powerful build. Anything you buy during the run can then be bought in the main hub, allowing you to select them in the Journey mode.
A Fun and Addictive Roguelike with a Unique Visual Style
The grind of Soul Stalker is part of the fun, and the more options you have in terms of characters, weapons and trinkets, the more you’ll get to go delivering the pain. With the way the runs are set up, Soul Stalker is one of those games which is great for picking up and playing, just for a few minutes at a time if need be.
Yes, it isn’t as good as Vampire Survivors, but there is a lot to like here and I can recommend you give it a try if you are in the market for something different.
The Links You Need
Soul Stalker: A Bullet Heaven Roguelike with a Paper Mario Twist, Now on All Major Platforms – https://www.thexboxhub.com/soul-stalker-a-bullet-heaven-roguelike-with-a-paper-mario-twist-now-on-all-major-platforms/
Buy Soul Stalker on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/soul-stalker/9ntbbsczzzfj
