#Eldest souls physical release full

Players can respec their skills for no cost at any time, which feels unusual for a game with “souls” in its title. Defeating The Guardian awards players their first Shard, which grants a powerful ability that can be tied to the dash, fired off on its own, activated with Bloodburst, or even bound to other unlockable skills.Īfter the first few fights, players have the chance to start experimenting with the skill tree, another high point of Eldest Souls. Learning when to charge and unleash a Bloodthirst strike is key to success, as is internalizing The Guardian’s attack patterns. While during The Watchdog fight tutorial messages flash on the screen, The Guardian battle affords no such luxuries. The Guardian is a black-clad hulk of armor and swirling energy, and acts as a real test of skill. The fight immediately following The Watchdog is where the game really kicks off. Bloodthirst is massively powerful, but when faced with the scale and ferocity of Eldest Souls’ boss fights, players need every advantage they can get. Players can also tap another button during Bloodthirst to trigger Bloodburst, a powerful strike with varying effects. But more crucially, every attack during Bloodthirst heals the player character. As long as this buff is active, the player character has increased movement speed and attack power. If the attack connects, the Bloodthirst buff is activated for a brief period of time. After holding down a button to charge their attack, players can lunge forward with a swipe of their sword. This fight is meant to teach Eldest Souls‘ most useful gimmick: the Bloodthirst mechanic. The first, The Watchdog, is big and intimidating but ultimately a piece of cake. There are minor nitpicks to be had but on the whole, Eldest Souls nails what it sets out to do.Īt the very start of the game, players are pitched against two bosses that are basically meant to train them.

The way Eldest Souls manages to feel fresh over the course of back-to-back boss fights is impressive. Fortunately, what Fallen Flag has created is a robust combat system centered around a handful of genuinely brilliant design decisions. When focusing on a limited set of mechanics, a game must be confident that those mechanics are good. The Watchdog waits | Screenshot by Goomba Stomp Craftsmen, Meet Tools While this mandate might seem limiting, the game is deeply interested in ensuring that every encounter is more pulse-pounding than the last. There is really only one directive in Eldest Souls: battle to the bitter end. But the game also puts its own spin on the formula with deep skill trees that reward player flexibility. Much like Furi, Titan Souls, or Shadow of the Colossus before it, Eldest Souls does not waste any time before throwing players into epic battles of titanic proportions. It is also a boss rush game with no smaller enemies to be found. Eldest Souls is a pixelated combat-focused title with animation-locked, dodge-heavy encounters in the vein of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. The game feels laser-focused on delivering a specific experience: the full-body buzz that accompanies overcoming an exceptionally difficult challenge.

It may be too late for humanity, but whatever comes next might have a better shot.įallen Flag Studio is a small team of developers, but Eldest Souls is an incredibly impressive debut. A lone warrior, wielding a massive obsidian greatsword, is the last hope to slay the corrupted old gods. Old gods wage war on hapless humans, tearing the world asunder. A land on the brink of destruction is in the throes of final collapse. Masterfully scored by composer Sergio Ronchetti, this gorgeously animated and voiced slideshow paints a picture of a fallen fantasy world.

#Eldest souls physical release full

Image courtesy Fallen Flag Studio Small but Mightyįrom its stirring opening cutscene (told in full in this story trailer), it is abundantly clear that Eldest Souls is a passion project.