The New King of Auto-Battling Roguelites?
Back in 2024, I removed Vampire Survivors from the hard drive of my Xbox Series X. I then did the same for my Series S, my PS5, my uber powerful gaming laptop and my Steam Deck. In fact, the only ‘device’ I left it on was my car – and that is only because Elon hasn’t shown me how to uninstall it yet!
I did similar for the various Vampire Survivor clones I had acquired too; Brotato, Godsvivors and the like – none of which ever toppled the greatest of the genre, but became addictive little side notes in themselves.
But why? Well, it was about the only way I could stop myself from playing them, near constantly. The addiction had to be broken. It had to be stopped.
So here I am with Soulstone Survivors from Game Smithing and Digital Bandidos. A game that, on the face of it, is looking to muscle in on the Vampire Survivors crown; looking to topple the king once and for all.
A New Addiction: Soulstone Survivors Taking Over
Does it do so? Well, let’s just say that I don’t just have Soulstone Survivors installed on my Xbox Series X. It’s on my Xbox Series S too, and my PS5, and that uber powerful gaming laptop and my Steam Deck. The only thing it’s not on? My car. C’mon Elon, what the hell have you been up to? Busy or something?
Hordes, Levels, and Loot
Anyways, you’ll be pretty familiar with what Soulstone Survivors provides, mostly as there can’t be too many folk in the gaming world who haven’t, at some point in time, been taken in by the roguelite, auto-blasting menaces that the genre allows.
It’s similar here, leaving you to take control of one character, before being dropped into a land of hell; oncomers piling their way towards you with reckless abandon. Your goal is to beat them back, grab the minor Soulstones they drop, level up, increase your build and load out, and then continue rinsing forevermore. That’s the general gist of things, and it’s a super addictive cycle.
Overpowered Ascension
Starting off weedy, it’s not long in Soulstone Survivors before you’ll feel an overpowered being. But that’s the point of this one and rarely will you ever, until at least runs have lasted well into double figure minutes, will you feel out-numbered and out-gunned.
It’s probably one of the most rewarding of all games in the genre, with unlocks, weapon upgrades, skill upgrades and more coming at an astonishing pace. With multiple options available throughout, picking, choosing and perfecting your playstyle is super rewarding. It’s also very much key to future runs.
Fall, and you will, and you’ll be chucked back to choose from another character, as prestige levels, Rune availability, the skills of a Blacksmith and more come to the fore. With a super deep, expandable, skill tree to build out, as well as so many further unlockables that we fast lost count, Soulstone Survivors more than ticks the box needed for a game looking to take it to Vampire Survivors. Oh, and if you want longevity? You’ll find there are some 415 in-game achievements that you can work towards. You won’t be ticking those off in a night…
A Pantheon of Playable Characters
For many, it’ll be the sheer number of playable characters that provide the real draw – we’re counting them at 22 unique options. A starting Barbarian is still one of our most beloved of friends, but sitting behind further unlocks, whether that be through Soulstones, Gems, or general progression are the likes of the Elementalist, Spellblade, Arcane Weaver, Paladin and Death Knight. We think a cool early addition to the game is that of the Hound Master, completely switching things up with a more ranged attack than others, complete with some Death Hounds to boot.
A host of different weapons and skills are seemingly attached to each too, and so it will be well worth your time to experiment with Soulstone Survivors in order to make it your own.
Enemy Variety and Visual Impact
Enemy wise and there’s a bit of everything. There are obviously tens, hundreds and thousands of minor grunts that can be dismissed with the wave of a stick, but then there are also Elites and Lords of the Void too – as you may expect, it’s with those that the real test of your overpowering loadouts will come, each attacking differently as they rock up on the scene to dish out chaos.
And there are some nice varieties of foes too, seemingly attached to specific area maps. We’ll be honest, very quickly Soulstone Survivors turns into a flurry of weapons and skills, so much so that any arena details are quickly lost. But what is there, what you do notice in any nanosecond of downtime, is on point. Visually this is a game that easily trumps others, keeping it smooth, sharp and slick at all times. We’ve played this to death and have not noticed a single slowdown in the action.
Endless Modes and Lingering Longevity
There are a number of game modes too, although much of it does all boil down to the same old thing – build a character and survive as best you can. It won’t take you too long to be found 100%-ing the maps on offer in the Void Fields, but then the Unholy Cathedral, Endless, Overlord and more await, further opening up and increasing playtime. And remember, with that stacked character roster begging to be utilised, with prestige levels to play for, this is easily a game you’ll keep finding yourself dropping back into for months on end, even if it is just for ten minutes at a time.
There isn’t much to let it down either. Obviously the grind is properly real here, but that’s a gimme for the game type. Other than that, a slightly clunky menu system is all that knocks this one down a notch. And even then, you learn to just about live with it.
A New Addiction for Roguelite Fans
So, that new addiction? It’s found in Soulstone Survivors. If you’re familiar with the genre, dive right in, enjoy the depth it allows; embrace the grind for an eternity. And if you’re new, green to this new found world, good luck – you’re about to lose a whole chunk of your life.
Just consider your life choices before you go installing it everywhere…
Important Links
Ready for Unstoppable Synergies? Soulstone Survivors Launches with Endless Build Variety on Consoles & PC! – https://www.thexboxhub.com/ready-for-unstoppable-synergies-soulstone-survivors-launches-with-endless-build-variety-on-consoles-pc/
BECOMING A GOD: Exclusive Interview with Soulstone Survivors’ Game Lead Allan Smith – https://www.thexboxhub.com/becoming-a-god-exclusive-interview-with-soulstone-survivors-game-lead-allan-smith/
Buy Soulstone Survivors on Xbox – https://www.xbox.com/en-gb/games/store/soulstone-survivors/9n20zn252lhx
