Review: Soulcaster II

The main character in Soulcaster II may look like Gandalf with his pointy hat and gray beard, but instead of casting magic he casts...well, souls.

In fact, that's all he can do. He cannot attack as he wanders from map to map trying to save the world -- and himself -- from the undead horrors trying to consume it. Instead, our hero summons images of Guardians to do his bidding.

This is where things get interesting.



Aeox, for instance, is a brawler. It makes sense to summon him on the front lines to defend your archer and molotov cocktail-chucking friend from the variety of enemies who run, shuffle and slither towards you. Using the Guardians in key spots on the map to block off ghouls or attack bats over a wall is a lot of fun. The fact that the main character has no attacks aside from the rare Scroll of Ruin item makes the strategy more enjoyable, and the plight of the hero more engaging.

Strategy is key in Soulcaster 2; brute force can be used in some scenarios, but it will often times lead to a shellacking to your poor wizard and needless loss of valuable potions. It might be fun to try and set up multiple hard-hitting archers for huge damage, but they will fall after a couple swipes with no Aeox images to protect them.

Having a plan of attack is especially important when enemies impervious to certain attacks are thrown into the mix. It turns the indie title into a real thinking man's game without making it too difficult.

Players can purchase items from a merchant (the coolest merchant since Resident Evil 4's mysterious gothic salesman) to greatly improve their chances of survival against the undead. Soul Orbs (for summoning more Guardians) and upgrades for the Guardians in the forms of new (and quite creative) weapons, armor and accessories gives the game even greater depth.



The story isn't deep, but when the characters talk it's always a joy to read their little quips or bits of information. There isn't much of it, but the writing that is there is very well done and makes the adventure much more enjoyable.

Speaking of adventure, Soulcaster II -- more than most games -- gives a great sense of exploration. I couldn't help but compare it to how Frodo sets out on his quest in Lord of the Rings. Each stage is connected and it just made sense. First players will be in a forest, then a shrine, then a temple, then in a mountain and so on until the game comes to a close. 

Make sure not to sightsee too much on the adventure; if you don't keep your wits about you, you will die.  

If the game stayed on the simple path set from the onset, players would have little to no problem setting up walls of Guardians to take out the undead. However, as you progress, wall-altering traps and spikes are added to help inch you toward an untimely demise.

The game also throws players into some different scenarios where running for your life from endless amounts of enemies is the only way through, and even slaying one enemy in a certain difficult stage spells instant death.



Graphically and musically, the game seems like it forgot to come out when the NES was at its height of power -- a good thing.

There's even a neat little password save system (you don't need to write down the password) to give gamers a moment of warm nostalgia.

Unfortunately the neat save system won't be utilized very much as the game ends pretty quickly, and players don't get to take on big boss man Shadowcaster as the ending is left wide open for a third title.

The short playtime shouldn't deter gamers from taking the three Guardians and old Gandalf look-alike for a totally fun adventure. The game is wonderfully magnificent in every department, and a gem among indie games.