A puzzle platformer with a touching story
Soulless: Ray Of Hope is a premium puzzle game for PC developed by Frisky Fatal Games. In this 2D side-scrolling title, players will embark on a journey to save their childhood friend in a silhouette world filled with color and danger at every turn.
Similar to Ori and the Blind Forest, Soulless: Ray Of Hope boasts an art style that emphasizes the contrast between dark and light elements, with its bright character and colorful accents all throughout. It also features various platforming challenges that players will need to solve as they progress through its story.
A light in the darkness
Soulless: Ray of Hope takes place in a world of silhouettes. In it, you take control of a character named Elin, and it is your task to help save his childhood friend, and you will be going on a journey through a dark and mysterious forest to do so. You will also come to know his internal struggles and fears and somehow aid him in overcoming them in the process.
The gameplay revolves around overcoming platforming challenges and solving puzzles. You’ll explore various environments with dark and minimal backgrounds and accented with splashes of color to help you make sense of your surroundings. Throughout your journey, you will be confronted with physical manifestations of the seven deadly sins that will make Elin reflect and ponder on his life and its meaning.
What’s more, the game features three possible endings to unlock depending on your gameplay and actions. This is a nice touch as it helps with its long-term appeal and replayability. Some points of criticism would be that the animations feel sluggish, making the game feel slow and dragging. Also, the minimal art style can get in the way of figuring out puzzles at times.
Soulless: Ray of Hope is as much about saving your friend as it is saving yourself. The philosophical questions that the game poses are rather intriguing and will make you really think and ponder a bit. The gameplay itself could use more polish and refinement, though, as it feels somewhat slow-paced. However, it is still worth checking for its story alone. Recommended.
