Everyone wants to be a soulslike, or at least that’s how it can feel at times. The big names like FromSoftware keep on hitting new heights with Elden Ring, Bloodborne, and of course the three Dark Souls games. In the background, there’s a susurration of soulslikes continually appearing, like Lords of the Fallen, Mortal Shell, Lies of P, and Thymesia. None manage to really hit the same notes as FromSoft, however, with the legendary developer showing a perpetual mastery of the genre. That might be about to change with Void Sols, a new game out now that tries something new in this space.
It doesn’t take long to work out one of the ways that Void Sols is innovating in the genre – it’s completely missing the third dimension. This 2D soulslike game works like many of its rivals, with every enemy capable of taking you down and only your wits and skill able to keep you alive. You’ll be dodging sword-wielding monsters, fighting massive bosses, and surviving by the skin of your teeth – or not. It’s classic stuff, but from a top-down perspective it adds a totally different dimension to proceedings.
For a start, it’s not afraid to keep you in the dark. Similar to titles like Teleglitch, you can’t see round corners, with everything shrouded in darkness unless you have a direct line of sight. This means that you have to be extremely careful when exploring Void Sols’ world, as rushing round a corner can quite literally mean your death.
Similar to the best soulslikes out there, Void Sols also keeps you in the dark in a different way. While it may look simple, there’s a huge amount of depth with many secrets to discover and a wide array of weapons and builds to play with. Void Sols won’t just tell you about any of this, however, leaving it up to you to discover things in your own time. In this way it’s akin to FromSoftware’s titles, which give you just enough to keep going but never quite explain things in clear terms, something imitators often seem to struggle with.
If all that sounds like it’s your thing, Void Sols is out now on Steam with a 10% discount until Tuesday November 26. Head over to the game’s store page to learn more, and maybe begin your descent into the dark.
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