Soulcaster I and II

Hey, folks! Just a side note, I was initially sent Soulcaster II for review, but upon completion decided that it would be best to play through the original as well. So, this review covers both titles. I don’t want to discount the hard work that went into the sequel by saying they’re similar, as Soulcaster II is both longer and more polished, but they are comparable enough that this method works. Everything stated here applies to both games.

I don’t play very many XNA games. Well, to be honest, Soulcaster is my first. It’s not because I’m apathetic toward these lesser known titles, or that there’s a lack of quality. I think if I spent enough time digging through the cluttered pile of ideas, I’d find a surprising amount of quality. The issue is the actual digging that needs to be done. Microsoft hasn’t done the best job of letting the public know what its community has accomplished, let alone promoting the XNA service itself. Luckily, I came into contact with MagicalTimeBean (a premier XNA developer) after stumbling over a video of their latest work. A tower defense game that requires invariable vigilance and quick thinking, Soulcaster effortlessly captures the look and feel of the most memorable classics while still incorporating modern mechanics. It’s original, it’s addicting, and it deserves your attention. With a shovel in hand, I’m on a mission to unearth a unique gem in this vast land of mediocrity, and my first find is Soulcaster.

Labeling Soulcaster as nothing more than a tower defense game wouldn’t be doing it enough justice. From the outside, it actually has a closer resemblance to a dungeon crawler in the vein of classic Zelda. Yet, there’s no sword to be swung, no boomerang to be thrown, and no fairy to bitch. The old wizard (or “Soulcaster”) whom you control has only one offensive technique – a scroll that damages all enemies on screen, but dissipates after one use. Since our hero can’t phase the hoards of creatures that crowd the screen, it’s up to the three spirits of ancient warriors that the Soulcaster can summon to do the job. There’s a ranged archer that doles out a great deal of damage with a high level of precision, a knight that’s filled to the brim with HP and can only damage enemies at close quarters, and a bomber that can lob his explosives over walls and deal area-of-effect damage.

Summoning these storied battlers is where the tower defense elements come in. After entering a new area or pressing a specific switch, a stream of enemies – from warlocks to mice – begin their assault. It’s your job to quickly and intelligently beckon the warriors to your aid. If you’re in a narrow tunnel, it’s best to use the knight as a human cork while the bomber deals death from above. If aerial foes can be spotted from a distance, there’s no better choice than a volley from the archer. The souls that can be summoned aren’t exactly original creations, but discovering the most effective placement for any situation can be highly rewarding. Making it through one of the more difficult rooms without using a single health potion not only makes the rest of your journey simpler, but it also makes you feel pretty badass.

It's pretty easy to corner yourself.

RPG elements also sneak their way into this adventure. Each kill is rewarded with a certain amount of gold and random enemies drop sacks full of coins just waiting to be plundered. This currency is spent at a shop full of upgrades for each spirit. Damage, range, and other specific stats can be advanced multiple times in any order. So, if you prefer the archer for almost every situation (as I did in the beginning), you have the option to spend money strictly on her stats and create a killing machine. You can also exclusively summon the archer and forget the other two in many instances. Just because you have the ability to summon three spirits at once doesn’t mean they have to all be different, and creating three archer clones can actually be quite useful at times. The shopkeeper also sells additional orbs that allow you to summon even more souls at once. So, if you’re in dire need of a human wall, I suppose there are always up to five knights waiting in the wings.

Sticking to a particular warrior for every situation isn’t exactly a solid plan of action, though.  Some enemies can easily dodge the archer’s arrows, or withstand the intense heat of the bomber’s explosives.  Variety is the key, but it also takes quick reflexes and a solid game plan to find success. Just standing still with three souls in front of you may work early on, but mobility is essential later on due to the steady increase in difficulty. It may require a greater deal of player involvement, but these areas later on in the game are the moments where Soulcaster truly shines. To the untrained eye, it will come off as unadulterated chaos. To me, seeing dozens of monsters spawn from every angle as I quickly position my units for a final stand is pure bliss.

The interesting blend of tower defense and dungeon crawling is Soulcaster’s biggest focus, pushing the insignificant narrative into the background. There’s a cursed land called Avericia that’s in dire need of a hero, and that’s where the courageous wizard comes into play. An evil antagonist, a small bit of dialogue, and even a twist or two are checked off the list – but it’s nothing more than a setup for the brilliant gameplay. It’s obvious the game wasn’t intended to suck you in with a memorable, heart-wrenching fairy-tale, but I really think it would have been an interesting and welcomed addition. Giving each soul a more defined personality and adding NPC’s into Avericia could only strengthen the additive nature of this adventure.

I was waiting for the shopkeeper to call me stranger and ask me what I was buying.

The length of the game may also be a slight issue for those looking for a long, sprawling adventure. For this review, I played both Soulcaster I and Soulcaster II, and my combined play time was three hours. The sequel is around twice the size of the first, but it all really depends on how many times you fall in battle and how quickly you grasp the mechanics. I had to make use of the retro password system to load my game back up a multitude of times in the beginning, but by the time I was on to the second game, I didn’t fail once. They may be short, but the games are around three dollars each and full of replayability, so this really shouldn’t be too much a letdown.

A wondrously retro soundtrack and 16-bit visuals give Soulcaster the exterior of an old classic, but the innovative gameplay make everything on the inside feel fresh.  The foundation is beyond solid, and while there’s room for elements that could make this feel like a more fleshed out package, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy every room a little more than the last. This is a strong series to have in the XNA catalogue, as well as my new found summer addiction.

Josiah Renaudin

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