Young Souls Review (PC)

Jenn has bleed on her scimitar, which means I can strike, move away from enemies, see where they plan to attack and then decide which of them to engage. Tristan is swinging a big halberd, requiring more though when it comes to launching an attack but also making him better in one-on-one fights. And when a capable boss shows up, I tend to use the Tag move to slide them in and out of the battle as I figure out the opponent’s moves and how to best try to take them out. Parrying is a great way to deal with mobs of enemies while some extra mobility is an asset when facing the bigger goblins. With the boss down it’s a good time to sleep, level up, evaluate gear and upgrade it, pick up some health potions and get ready to venture out again.

Young Souls is developed by 1P2P and published by The Arcade Crew. I played it on the PC using Steam, but it is also delivered on the Xbox One, the Nintendo Switch, and the PlayStation 4. The game delivers

The main characters are Jenn and Tristan, orphaned twins who are developing their fighting skills while their absentee stepfather scientist works on a secret project. This turns out to be the Moon Gate, a portal that allows them to travel to a subterranean kingdom of goblins, who unsurprisingly are planning to take over the surface. There’s a lot of writing in the game and it manages to mostly walk the line between funny and deep (although the two kids swear a lot).

The core loop of Young Souls is classic beat-em up combat, with the twins taking on rooms filled with enemies. But there’s plenty of role-playing thrown in there, with opponents ready to drop equipment (with stats and abilities) and experience that allows the pair to level up (via a visit to their beds). The Souls part of the name comes into play when they reach one of the bosses, more capable goblins with special attacks and big health bars.

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Most normal enemy groups, even when they are large, are pretty easy to deal with (playing on the developer’s recommended difficulty). Bosses cannot be taken down via button mashing. But the game offers plenty of tools, to be carefully combined into a winning tactic.

Jenn and Tristan can parry, preferably at the moment an enemy attack, and they can jump to avoid strikes or deliver their own. And they have combos to quickly drain health. A stamina restricted directional dodge is the best tool to avoid special strikes. The best routine for a boss is to fist move out of the way as much as possible, learn patterns, then strike only when it’s safe. Move away rather than attempting that last strike that seems so tempting.

Young Souls delivers a unique mechanic with its Tag move. When playing solo, the two kids can swap with one button press. This allows the one getting out of the fight to recover health, as long as he hasn’t lost too much of it, while the sibling who rested so comes in, with another set of weapons and capabilities. In local cooperative play gamers can use both characters at the same time, which makes some encounters significantly easier for players who work well together.

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I like the combat in Young Souls and the variety it offers. Some bosses can seem unfair, especially when it comes to their parry resistance, but they do fall to other strategies. The fact that you can change difficulty at any time is a solid way to limit frustration. The mix of dungeon action and town moments is a great way to add variety.

Young Souls adopts a retro look but with no nostalgia attached. Jenn and Tristan have clear visual identities, which shift depending on equipment, and enemies have clear “tells” that the player can plan around. The underground world could have used a little less gray, but action focus means that it’s pretty easy to ignore the surroundings. The soundtrack is pretty good, designed to accentuate the fast combat and the irreverent tone of the game.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion