Update: Publisher Dear Villagers has shared a first look at Souldiers' gameplay in a new exclusive commentary video. Make sure to check it out above and learn more about the game in our original article below.
Original Article (Thu 21st Oct, 2021 12:00 BST): More Metroidvania fun awaits on Nintendo Switch next year as Souldiers, from publisher Dear Villagers and developer Retro Forge, hits the eShop in spring 2022.
Brought to life through an attractive, pixellated world, Souldiers has you fighting for your freedom in "a sprawling fantasy world caught between the living and the fallen". You'll be getting stuck into all of the genre's usual traits like puzzle-platforming, exploration and "Souls-like" combat, and there's an intriguing story to go with it:
"While out fighting for the glory of your kingdom, you and your fellow soldiers are whisked away to Terragaya, a mystical land on the fringes of the afterlife. Your task is to locate the Guardian and move on to the next world. The hitch? You and your compatriots never actually died.
Battle your way to the heart of the mystery: Outwit cunning enemies, solve nefarious puzzles, upgrade your character and explore every corner of a dazzling, intricate 16-bit world. Souldiers is a handcrafted retro epic for the ages."
No specific release date beyond that spring 2022 window has been announced just yet, but we do have some early details to tell us a little more about what we can expect:
- Gripping melee combat: Slash, parry and dodge your way through an ever-evolving roster of enemies, upgrading your skills and equipment to find a combat style that’s perfect for you.
- An interconnected world: Discover a sprawling handcrafted landscape filled with treasures, tough-as-nails bosses and secret pathways.
- 16-bit sensation: Terragaya comes to life with vibrant world-class pixel art packed to the brim with details.
- Smart moves: Solve environmental puzzles and leap from place to place using an ever-expanding moveset.
One to keep an eye on? Feel free to share your thoughts on the game in the comments below.
[source youtu.be, via gematsu.com]
Comments 41
Love the art style. That animation looks buttery smooth.
Definitely one to keep an eye on as far as I'm concerned.
Just finished Greak, shame it was so short, but was looking for a new platformer, definately keep my eyes on this one.
And - YEY! 16 bit instead of 8 bit
not to be that guy, but thats not 16bit style
Wow, that looks really smooth! I'll wait for the reviews, but this one is definitely on my radar now.
@Bustacap it’s mistake made often by people who never played 16bit games!
Knot shure ai kan get past that spellin.
I am almost getting Shantae vibes from the video. This game could be good.
@HamatoYoshi to be fair Ryan is only 12.
That looks really nice! I hope it plays nicely too
@Lordplops exactly! He would’nt know a 16bit game if it hit him on the head…..as this article proves.
Sorry nowhere near 16bit.
32 bit ala GBA ?
This looks fantastic, count me in!
enough, enough, too many Metroidvania's games.
@CactusMan but it’s not 16bit, show me a single SNES, Megadrive or even Neo Geo game that looked like this….there’s none
Wasn't expecting it to look this fire!!
Looks pretty solid
@CactusMan but the author of the article is talking about the graphics…..”Brought to life through a pixellated 16-bit world”
This looks fantastic! Definitely interested!
Are people still buying these generic indie pixel platformers?
It is certainly pretty, but I am not sure if it is my kind of game.
Looks like they hired the artists from Owl Boy. Looks great!
Metroidvania?
Now that’s an itch I haven’t scratched in years!
Another Metroidvania?!?!??!?! ANOTHER ONE???!! No i'm kidding, keep em coming, this looks great and i can't ever have too many solid 2d platformers with fun combat <3
For those who are really loving the pixel art, here are two of the main artists from Retro Forge:
https://mobile.twitter.com/Orkimides
https://mobile.twitter.com/ahruon
Their pixel works is incredible! I’ve been following them from before they started working on the game.
Yeah, real nice pixel art. The style reminds me a bit of Slayin 2.
@Bustacap I think it’s more portrayed that way due to the way it’s art style looks. It is very snes ish but is not 16bit at all.
Wow, looks great! I'll keep an eye on it, pretty surprising.
I'm shocked nobody has mentioned the Game of Thrones kind of music lol.
Regarding the "16-bit" thing, people tend to use that to describe sprite graphics with 16-color(15 colors + transparent) sprites. Yes, between the colors, detail, and parallax scrolling, it's more 32-bit in terms of the home consoles, but it doesn't look too far beyond what the Neo Geo or CPS2 could do, at least in terms of the visual quality. With that said, this looks well made. The visuals are quite nice.
If the developers see this, I hope the screen-shake effect can be disabled, as some other games allow. It's quite unpleasant for me and some others. It doesn't look like it's used a ton, based on the trailers — certainly not as much as other games. But it messes with my head(like the 3DS 3D effect), so I prefer to avoid it. Some old games used the effect, but it was not common and when it was used, usually it was sparingly.
Just give me Rogue Legacy 2 on Switch please.
... Wun can only hope.
Looks like a worthy fun time to me! Similarly, that Skul the Hero Slayer game that released today looked appealing, too. If only I had more time and budget to play all these worthy fun games.@_@
I'll keep an eye out for it next year.
As long as the art department wasn’t also the game design department... sugary visuals do not a good game make, as we just learned with a handful of past reviews
@Remerkin Their sprites from their fan game Card Sagas Wars are amazing. I wish they got hired for a smash demake or a 2d metroid or 2d Zelda
@shanatenay yup, I’ve checked out the roster they had for that and all the sprite work is amazing!
that looks great!!! im getting that if it's as good as it looks.
looks cool and fun!
Looks cool. Want to see it in motion. Will keep my eye out for this one. But the "16-bit" graphics lol. Looks pretty comparable to N64 2D graphics. Way more advanced than 16-bit style. But I get it, it's popular to say pixel art games are either 8-bit or 16-bit for marketing purposes cuz of nostalgia.
But is it coming to Soulja Boy's game console?
This looks really cool and has a clever name. I’ll keep it in mind. Hopefully it is good, sells well, and maybe we can get more souldiers. I’d like to see more classes represented such as ax,morningstar, pike, hammer, rifle, and tiger claws!
"Pixel art Metroidvania" - Where have I seen that before? 🤔
If it's not Roguelike or -lite I'm most probably in. Looks awesome!
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