Souldiers

Lore & Background

Souldiers takes place at the beginning of a war against the Dadelm army. The Royal Council of Zarga, one of three nations ruling the continent of Ascil, prepares its military plan. After a devastating earthquake traps a troop of soldiers in a cave, a Valkyrie transports them to the world of Terryaga, where they are instructed to seek out the 'Guardian.' The player character, among the soldiers, regroups with commander Brigard in the capital of Hafin and undertakes missions investigating various factions, including a parasitic race of monsters, the deceased enemy general Galath and his forces, and a mysterious legion of armored warriors.

The player eventually learns of a monster named Ratatosk attempting to destroy Terryaga by gnawing at the roots of its world tree. After defeating Ratatosk, the player obtains a cube to traverse the Valley of Silence and reach the Guardian. Clearing the valley and defeating Galath, the player encounters the legion's reborn leader, defeats and absorbs him. Ascending a mystical tower, the player meets Guardian Beigon, who is infected by a parasite. Beigon steals the player's power, but the legion empowers the player, allowing them to defeat Beigon and free him. Beigon reveals that the king's sorcerer Arkzel was possessed by a parasite and lured the army to the cave to let the parasites devour the player's homeworld. Beigon opens a portal for the player and comrades to return home.

Reader's Guide

Souldiers received 'generally favorable' reviews for Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, and 'mixed or average' reviews for Nintendo Switch, according to review aggregator Metacritic. Mitch Vogel of Nintendo Life praised the art style, abundance of collectibles, and combat system while criticizing performance problems, long load times, and difficulty spikes. The game was announced on October 20, 2021, in partnership with IGN, and featured in the MIX NEXT showcase 2021 with a commented trailer. Originally produced in Spanish, it was localized into British English, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese, with localization coordinated by Ad Ludus Game Localization. Initially scheduled for May 19, 2022, it was delayed to June 2 for additional polish. Its significance lies in its blend of metroidvania exploration with soulslike combat mechanics and a class-based skill tree system.

Did You Know?

• Souldiers was originally produced in Spanish and later localized into seven other languages.
• The game features five elements for attack infusion: Fire, Earth, Lightning, Water, and Wind.
• The player can choose from three classes: Scout, Archer, and Caster.
• The game was delayed from May 19 to June 2, 2022, for further polish.

Gameplay & Combat Design

Souldiers blends the interconnected exploration of a classic metroidvania with the deliberate, punishing rhythm of soulslike combat, creating a 2D action-adventure that rewards both strategic planning and mechanical precision. At the start of a run, players choose from three distinct classes—Scout, Archer, and Caster—each offering a unique combat identity, a dedicated skill tree, and class-specific utility abilities layered on top of shared light attacks, heavy attacks, and a dodge mechanic. As the narrative unfolds, the player gains the ability to infuse strikes with one of five elements: Fire, Earth, Lightning, Water, and Wind. This infusion introduces a risk-versus-reward layer, boosting damage against susceptible foes while simultaneously increasing vulnerability to opposing elements. Progression is gated by ability: new power-ups unlock previously inaccessible regions, and experience earned from defeated enemies feeds a level-up system that opens further nodes in each class's skill tree, ensuring that exploration and combat growth remain tightly interwoven throughout the campaign.

Narrative & World-Building

The campaign opens as the Royal Council of Zarga, one of three nations ruling the continent of Ascil, mobilizes against the Dadelm army. General Brigard finalizes troop positioning under the King of Zarga, but Arkzel, the king's sorcerer and chief advisor, pushes a strategy that sends soldiers toward a cave. An earthquake traps them in darkness, where a Valkyrie—an entity that claims the dead so their existence endures beyond the mortal world—declares their fate unnatural and transports the unit into Terryaga. Reuniting with Brigard in the capital of Hafin, the player investigates the realm's factions: parasitic monsters that possess their hosts, the resurrected general Galath, and a legion of Armored warriors exterminating their own. The story escalates toward Ratatosk, a creature gnawing at the roots of Terryaga's world tree, and culminates in a battle with the Guardian Beigon, revealed to be infected by a parasite. The ultimate twist exposes Arkzel as the true architect, possessed and deliberately luring the army to the cave so the parasites could devour the soldiers' homeworld. Beigon opens a portal for the player and their comrades to return and save their own world.

Development & Release Timeline

Souldiers was developed by Retro Forge and published by Dear Villagers, with its public debut arriving on October 20, 2021, in a partnership with IGN. The title also appeared in the MIX (Media Indie Exchange) NEXT showcase that same year, where the developers presented a commented trailer walking through the gameplay loop and the three playable classes. Notably, the game was originally produced in Spanish before being localized into British English, French, German, Russian, Portuguese, Chinese, and Japanese. Ad Ludus Game Localization coordinated the multilingual effort, and the Spanish-to-English translation was also handled directly by that same team. The release was initially slated for May 19, 2022, but the team pushed the launch back to June 2 to allow additional time for polish. On that date, Souldiers shipped simultaneously for Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S, giving players a wide range of hardware options for the metroidvania experience.

Critical Reception & Player Feedback

Upon its June 2022 launch, Souldiers earned a generally favorable reception across its primary platforms. Review aggregator Metacritic reflected this consensus, assigning "generally favorable" ratings to the Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S editions, while the Nintendo Switch version landed in the "mixed or average" bracket. Among individual critics, Mitch Vogel of Nintendo Life offered a balanced assessment that highlighted several strengths alongside notable weaknesses. He singled out the game's art style as a visual highlight, praised the sheer abundance of collectibles scattered throughout the interconnected world, and commended the combat system for its depth and responsiveness. However, his review also flagged persistent performance problems, lengthy load times that interrupted the flow of exploration, and difficulty spikes that felt unevenly calibrated. The overall critical picture suggests a title whose core design—blending metroidvania exploration with soulslike combat and elemental strategy—resonated with reviewers, even as technical rough edges, particularly on the Switch, tempered the enthusiasm of some audiences.

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