Devil May Cry‘s impact on gaming cannot be understated. Its stylish combat that graded you on performance, variety, and perfection paved the way for titles such as Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance. One that may have flown under your radar in recent months is Soulstice, helmed by Reply Game Studios and published by Modus Games. So, what sets this apart from the pack, and what makes it worth playing amongst its predecessors?

In Soulstice, you take control of not one, but two, protagonists simultaneously. The steadfast Briar handles the melee fighting, whereas Lute handles enemies from a distance and lets you block/deflect attacks with some ample timing. The two are tasked with quelling hundreds upon hundreds of undead foes, which they can handle effortlessly, and with some style involved if you manage to use the bevy of combos that the game lets you unlock as you progress.

As combat is the bread and butter of this game, it’s imperative for Reply Game Studios to nail this aspect. Unfortunately, there are some issues that hinder it from being a seamless experience. The camera needs to be controlled, as it stays in place when untouched. This is a headache when you’re focusing on not only executing time-based combos but blocking attacks at the same time. Blocking in itself is troublesome, as well as switching from the light/heavy attack buttons to the block button mid-combo is not feasible, and may require you to hold the controller in a weird grip.

In moments between combat, Soulstice definitely earns some points in its world-building and dialogue. While I feel many will find Lute’s voice acting on the annoying side (think Navi from Legend of Zelda, except complaining a bunch), the bond between the sisters as the game progresses is admirable, and the dynamic really pays off in its story beats with the “us against the world” theme taking shape in the intense battles to come.

There’s a lot to the progression in Soulstice when it comes to spending experience. There’s more than a handful of different combos to unleash not only with light, but heavy attacks and switching between the two can provide some sleek takedowns when mastered. It’s a bit offputting to see entire brains fly out of undead enemies amidst the gore, though. Nevertheless, earning a diamond after a hard-fought wave of baddies is a rewarding sight to see.

Overall, Soulstice is going to be geared toward fans of Devil May Cry and not much else. I wouldn’t recommend it as an entry point to the “style action” genre of DMC/Bayonetta fame, but it’s a decent time for the initiated and even casual fans, thanks to a well-balanced difficulty system that challenges in the tougher ones and provides respite for the easier ones. Something tells me this game will hit Xbox Game Pass at some point, where it will be worth diving into, but it’s a hard sell at the current price of $40 while it misses the mark where it needs it most.

A PC review copy of Soulstice was provided by Modus Games for this review.

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Soulstice

$39.99

6.5

Score

6.5/10

Pros

• Beautiful Environments
• Deep Lore
• Nice Length

Cons

• Janky Combat
• Hit-Or-Miss Voice Acting
• Awful Camera