Way back when Demon’s Souls came out it was hailed as a throwback to an earlier time in gaming, full of mysteries left to the player to unravel while being bludgeoned by the game’s merciless difficulty. The gameplay was refined in Dark Souls and perfected in Bloodborne, but the heart of the new sub-genre’s standards were there in the PS3 classic. A third-person view, customizable characters earning one skill point per level, experience that can be lost unless spent at a safe zone, a willingness to jettison anything resembling “fair” in enemy encounters and traps, and all the rest of the now-familiar tropes came together to define how this new type of game would play in Demon’s Souls, but underneath these surface elements is a game that hearkened back to From Soft’s early PS1 title King’s Field.
Stripped Down To The Basics Without Losing A Thing
King’s Field, of course, was inspired by even earlier RPGs like Wizardry and Ultima, creating a clear chain of influences from the earliest dungeon crawlers all the way to the present, so it was only a matter of time before the circle was closed and a soulsborne game got the demake treatment. Void Sols released today on PC, grafting its semi-minimalist style onto the familiar gameplay, and despite the overhead viewpoint and all enemies and the player being icons its genre is instantly recognizable.
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Waking up in a dungeon, a lone triangle sees the guards take out the prisoner in the next cell before coming for it. An unexpected explosion sends everyone flying, killing the guards while giving the triangle a sword and a save point. A quick look at the pickup in the other prisoner’s cell rewards the first healing potion, at which point the adventure can properly begin. The main sword is soon backed up by a weaker throwing dagger, and there’s a short dash with a window of invulnerability because triangles would look a little weird if they tried a dodge-roll, and soon enough if you’ve ever played a soulsborne, the various gameplay elements all lock into place. The 2D overhead view doesn’t take away anything from the action, and the stylish simplicity of the character art is instantly readable in its actions and attack indicators.
If you’ve ever played a soulsborne, the various gameplay elements all lock into place.
Void Sols' starting dungeon soon opens up into forest, mountain and village areas, while the weapon and accessory options let you get to the customization in short order, especially if you keep an eye out for secrets. Tricks and traps make the going difficult, but having infinite lives means death is just another learning experience, and even the most unfair encounters can be tamed once experience has revealed a working strategy. It’s a deadly, dangerous road with no clear pointers as to the right way through, but whether you throw endless deaths at the problem or scrape by with patient caution and a sliver of health, there’s a way through every challenge Void Sols has to offer.
