14 DAY TRIAL // 
How do you deal with a burgeoning love story between robots that should not be developing this type of feeling? A male coded automaton is auto-shutting down as soon as he utters the name of the female robot, he has feelings for. She’s in a line of work where this kind of attachment is not a good idea. And, for some reason, they both believe that Unit-12, my character, should decide how they move forward.
It’s a classic science-fiction story beat but I don’t feel invested in their struggle. I really need a certain chip, so I shuttle between the two and do what I need to reach my objective. It will give me access to a restricted area of the city. There I might finally get some hints about the breach of the soul limit, who might be responsible for it, and where to find them.
But I suspect the police of Sapporo are actively hampering my investigation. All the police automatons on these rain-slicked streets do what they can to withhold information. They have also blocked access to one area of the city. But I have found a shady robot who has access to forbidden tech. I suspect he might be able to reveal new ways to make progress. But for now, Unit-12 is off to the red-light district.
Soul Tolerance: Prologue is both developed and published by Chaosmonger Studio. I played it on the PC using Steam. The title creates an interesting future world and asks players to become a capable droid-detective investigating a massive case.
In the year 2214, humanity has gone extinct, and the entire world exists in perfect balance, overseen by a massively powerful Artificial Intelligence that’s capable of new forms of cognition. Cities where people once used to live are now populated by fewer robots and droids. They are apparently playing roles formerly associated with humans, creating a kind of planet-wide immersive spectacle of this powerful A.I. without having a purpose of their own.
This A.I. is determined not to allow any other being to become fully sentient and acquire what we might call a soul. It is both omniscient and omnipresent but apparently not omnipotent. It still needs robots to play detective, which the player does when someone or something emits a signal that exceeds the soul tolerance limit in Sapporo, Hokkaido, Japan.
The developer claims inspiration from Asimov and his famous robot-centered stories. But Soul Tolerance: Prologue uses a setting influenced by more modern tech developments, especially when it comes to the power of the A.I. overseer and its ability to eliminate anyone. The game has a strong atmosphere and, as the narrative progresses, players meet a diverse cast of other robots. Some are part of the system, some try to set themselves apart, but most of them are eager to chat with Unit-12, even touching on risky subjects.
The gameplay is pretty simple: move, talk, and sometimes engage with a puzzle. Sapporo has a few neighborhoods for gamers to run around, using their special scan function to quickly locate characters and other points of interest. A slice of the city, where robots with more advanced routines reside, is closed off and the local police bots aren’t interested in opening up access. There are other areas that initially are off-limits, and gamers need to find ways to gain access.
Talking to characters will be familiar to anyone who has played an adventure or role-playing title before. Some robots have deeper trees or get new options when Unit-12 does certain things. There are objects scattered around in the city that can be picked up and then used at certain points. A sliding tile puzzle gates access to a warehouse. None of the mechanics are complex. It’s important to explore and scan the entirety of Sapporo, even the back alleys, to reveal everything that can be interacted with. Once that’s done, choose a quest, find a solution, and see what options open up.
Soul Tolerance needs to give players more to do in the city and extra ways to interact with the characters. It’s a decent science fiction setting, even if some of the details don’t seem to fit. The initial exploration phase is the best part of this adventure, especially if players are careful and explore every alley.
As the name implies, Prologue is the first in a series, which will presumably seek to further engage with the central questions about the power of Artificial Intelligence and the value of consciousness. I hope the developer finds ways to make its city more immersive and to build characters with more compelling backstories.
Soul Tolerance: Prologue is a voxel-driven experience, giving it a very distinctive look and allowing a small deal to create a pretty big space for adventure. The title’s version of future Sapporo fits extremely well into the cyberpunk space, with constant rain ricocheting off the many robot bodies and plenty of neon. The more important characters, although a little too retro for the year 2214, have detailed designs that offer hints about their personality.
The sound design is less interesting. Apparently, these future robots do not talk using any form of human language, but they do emit sound while transmitting information. Maybe their Divine Mother Artificial Intelligence should have provided them with something like the wireless we currently enjoy. The title’s music is pretty good, complementing the game’s themes, although more variety would have been a good idea.
The Good
- Interesting Sapporo setting
- Some cool robot characters
- Intriguing core mystery
The Bad
- Limited gameplay
- Some inconsistent writing
- Voxels can become grating
Conclusion
Some of the robot characters are interesting, although their backstories need more depth. My biggest issue with the game was the shallow take on the massive problem of consciousness and the difference between inner life and behavior. Soul Tolerance: Prologue has some cool ideas but its future installments need to offer more depth for both narrative and mechanics.
Review key provided by the developer.
