Eldest Souls is a brutally challenging pixel-art action RPG developed by Fallen Flag Studio and published by United Label Games. Drawing heavy inspiration from the Soulsborne series, especially Bloodborne, Eldest Souls focuses almost exclusively on intense, high-stakes boss battles rather than exploration or environmental puzzles.
With its fast-paced combat, gorgeous 16-bit art style, and emphasis on dodging and aggressive play, Eldest Souls will appeal most to diehard fans of FromSoftware’s punishing games. While it may lack some of the complexity and world-building that makes Dark Souls so iconic, Eldest Souls delivers where it counts – addictive, white-knuckle boss fights that will push your skills to the limit.
Key Takeaways
- Eldest Souls is a challenging “soulslike” action RPG focused on boss battles.
- Combat takes inspiration from Bloodborne with quick, aggressive gameplay.
- Features striking 16-bit pixel art environments and character designs.
- 10 grueling boss fights offer the core gameplay loop.
- Classic Soulsborne difficulty but streamlined for a pure action experience.
- Customizable builds and New Game+ add replayability.
Overview and Setting
In the world of Eldest Souls, humanity once rebelled against the cruel Old Gods and managed to imprison them inside an ancient Citadel. Years later the Old Gods have broken free, unleashing destruction across the world. You play as the last warrior standing, armed with a massive obsidian blade on a quest to slay the escaped deities and determine humanity’s fate.
The story draws clear inspiration from Dark Souls, establishing a dark medieval fantasy setting and putting you up against unfathomably powerful godlike beings. It’s fairly conventional mythic stuff, but provides enough flavor and mystery to propel you from one boss arena to the next.
Exploration takes a backseat to combat in Eldest Souls. The striking pixel-art environments of the Citadel you journey through are beautifully detailed but quite compact. There are no regular enemies to battle – the meager time between colossal bosses is spent dashing past hazards and chatting with sparse NPCs. The focus is squarely on the sprawling, ominous arenas where you’ll clash with the Old Gods.
Brutal, Bloodborne-Inspired Combat
Melee combat in Eldest Souls is fast and aggressive, taking its cues from Bloodborne rather than the more methodical Dark Souls. Quick dodges, charge attacks, and parries are essential to survive against the towering bosses. Small amounts of health can be regained by landing blows, encouraging you to stay on the offensive.
Each encounter is a frantic battle of inches, trying to balance defense and offense as you learn attack patterns and openings. Strafing and managing stamina are key – one mistimed dodge can mean an instant death. Eldest Souls demands split-second reactions and perfect timing to overcome challenges.
You’ll face off against 10 unique bosses drawn from mythology, including a massive frost knight, a grotesque insect queen, and a bull-like monstrosity. Every fight is an uphill battle, testing your mettle and reflexes. With no healing items, you have to defeat bosses in a single attempt or start again from the beginning. The punishing difficulty lives up to the Soulsborne pedigree.
Character Progression and Customization
Defeating bosses nets you currency to spend on a branching skill tree that lets you customize your stats and abilities. There are three main paths – Windslide focuses on mobility and evasion, Berserk boosts offense through critical hits, and Counter improves defense and parrying.
The skill system allows you to tailor your build to suit your playstyle, like increasing your damage below a certain health threshold or improving dash speed to better evade attacks. You can also socket Shards collected from bosses for buffs, or to alter skills. The flexibility to respec on the fly lets you experiment with different setups to overcome each encounter.
Small upgrades like increased stamina regeneration or knockback resistance go a long way during the punishing battles. Finding the right balance through the skill system keeps the action satisfyingly difficult but ultimately conquerable.
Beautifully Brutal Pixel Art
The gorgeous retro pixel-art style of Eldest Souls stands out, elevating its dark fantasy world and creature designs. Intricate animations make each towering boss feel alive, conveying size and monstrous power through fluid movement. Backgrounds are similarly lavish, with piles of rubble and floating embers creating atmosphere.
The muted color palette and moody lighting pair well with the bleak, devastated domains of the Citadel. Tiny details in each arena tell environmental stories, like the wreckage from battles with the Old Gods long past. Each new biome you progress through has its own distinct foreboding aesthetic.
It’s a visual treat for fans of old-school pixel art, easily as slick and polished as classics like Hyper Light Drifter. The 16-bit combat animations are silky smooth, though the 2D perspective causes some attacks to occasionally seem unclear compared to 3D Soulslikes. Overall it’s an artistically impressive presentation.
Streamlined Structure and Replayability
At around 15 hours to complete the first playthrough, Eldest Souls is bite-sized compared to the sprawling worlds of Dark Souls or Bloodborne. Side activities are limited in favor of delivering a tightly focused boss rush. While perhaps less compelling for players looking to get immersed and lost in a world, it provides intense action in a more condensed package.
The streamlined structure makes replaying and refining your skills more enticing. Unlockable Arena modes let you tackle bosses again with modifiers for extra rewards. New Game+ also boosts difficulty and grants access to additional upgrade materials and gear. The brevity combined with deep combat customization makes repeating runs more rewarding.
Conclusion
For Soulslike connoisseurs hungry for more extreme boss rush challenges, Eldest Souls hits the spot. Streamlining the exploration and RPG elements of its predecessors, this moody pixel-art entry focuses entirely on white-knuckle encounters with imaginatively grotesque Old Gods. Customizable abilities and quick respawns keep the difficulty addictive rather than frustrating as you power through memorizing patterns and honing reflexes.
While the sparse side content makes for a leaner experience, the hypnotic core combat loop captures the masochistic essence of the genre. Each hard-fought victory against its menagerie of beasts and gods elicits the same rush of adrenaline. For those who crave the unrelenting demands of classic stamina-focused melee in a deadly dance with vicious pixels, Eldest Souls is a must-play.
FAQ
What kind of game is Eldest Souls?
Eldest Souls is a challenging 2D action RPG similar to the Soulsborne games. It features extremely difficult boss battles and gameplay focused on timing, dodging, managing stamina, and learning attack patterns. There is a dark medieval fantasy setting and story inspired by the likes of Dark Souls.
How does the combat work?
There are brief exploration segments between major bosses, but no regular enemies to battle. The world has intricate 16-bit pixel art environments to dash through and a handful of NPCs to talk to, but the main gameplay revolves around the boss fights. It’s a tightly focused experience centered on challenging combat encounters.
What makes the game so difficult?
No healing items, finite stamina for dodging, and bosses that can kill you almost instantly combine for an extremely challenging experience. You have to defeat bosses without dying in a single attempt over and over again. Learning patterns and tells for devastating attacks requires dying repeatedly until you master each fight. Your stats are relatively low as well, so a few hits can finish you off.
How does progression work if there’s no experience points?
Beating bosses earns you currency to spend on a branching skill tree. This lets you customize your stats and abilities to suit different playstyles. Special shards collected from bosses can also be equipped to gain buffs. Small upgrades to health, stamina, and damage output make a big difference in the difficult battles.
What is the replay value?
The main story can be completed in around 15 hours, but there are incentives to keep playing. An Arena mode lets you re-fight bosses with modifiers for extra rewards. New Game+ also boosts difficulty and grants access to new gear and upgrade materials. Trying new character builds provides plenty of replayability.
