Eldest Souls is a Boss Rush Soulslike that Promotes Calculated, Aggressive Combat
It’s no secret that we love the soulslike genre here at Forever Classic Games and it’s fun to find new spins on that foundation. Not long ago, there was a Steam Game Festival that shared several demos of upcoming titles. This gave me another chance to explore more in the dark world of Vigil: The Longest Night and play through some early segments of Haven, two games that initially intrigued me at PAX West 2019. On that list of demos though was a curiously titled game, Eldest Souls. Joe and I downloaded it on a whim and within about ten minutes of playing, I was completely blown away by the simple, crunchy combat mechanics on display. Even while spending most of my time in Doom Eternal, my interest in Eldest Souls had me staring at the now unusable listing in my Steam library, eager to learn more.
Eldest Souls is the first game from the small development group Fallen Flag Studio. According to their website, the team was put together after two university students, Jonathan Costantini and Francesco Barsotti, struck out to go into the development of Eldest Souls full-time. From there, they picked up four other members to further their capabilities and eventually they partnered with United Label who is handling the publishing side of things. From what I’ve gathered, Eldest Souls has been in development for the past few years.
The game is slated for a Steam and Switch release this summer and after that demo, I am pumped to best its challenges.
The world of Eldest Souls is one that is being drained by Old Gods, who were imprisoned long ago by humans, through a great Desolation. Many attempts to put down these Gods have failed, leaving a single Crusader and a powerful sword as the only hope for humanity. This one versus insurmountable odds is a powerful theme that’s found in a ton of media but because of my recent obsession, the character here reminds me a bit of the Slayer in Doom Eternal. The action of Eldest Souls is also based on an ebb and flow of health, knowing one’s opponent, and striking with ferocity, which are all elements of a fantastic action title.
Eldest Souls, much like what we played in Sinner: Sacrifice for Redemption, is a soulslike game that is entirely focused on taking on boss monsters. In the demo that was available for the Steam Game Festival, I made it to the second boss and there was some lore and an item or two to find in the path between it and the last encounter. I imagine much of the game’s character progression and interaction with NPCs like the Blacksmith seen in the game’s trailer will happen in between these fights. I am curious about whether the boss fights will be a linear path or if there will eventually be some choices to make on which to fight when.
The action feels kind of like if Bloodborne was given a top-down perspective. The anchor mechanics in Eldest Souls revolve around the use of a powerful sword. One can build up the sword through charge attacks that dash forward and deal more damage than a typical slash, changing the form of the blade. This is also the main way of healing because doing damage with the transformed sword drains health from the boss. Lastly, there’s a dodge that is used to avoid the many attacks of these beasts. All of these elements combined create a system that promotes calculated aggression and it’s the type of combat that makes me feel all tingly when I finally succeed.
That success comes after much practice, as Eldest Souls is quite a challenge, at least judging from the demo. Thankfully, respawning happens almost instantly, so doing another attempt feels less painful than trudging back through an area like in most Dark Souls games.
I do wish that the demo was readily available and I hope that United Label releases another trial before launch. It’s a game that one really has to feel to understand. For a lot of players though, this indie hits all the right notes for something special. Hopefully, the polish and promise of the demo carry throughout the final version of the game.
Regardless, Eldest Souls is now sitting pretty on my wishlist.
Learn more about Eldest Souls on the official website, Steam Store page, or the Nintendo Switch listing.
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