First Impressions of Soulslinger: Envoy of Death
I love a good first-person shooter (FPS), and I think we’re experiencing a golden age for the genre. Developers are combining various styles with traditional shooters to create some unique experiences. Roguelite shooters like Roboquest, Deadlink, and Void Bastards are among my favorites, so I’m always on the lookout for similar games. Recently, I had the chance to try out Soulslinger: Envoy of Death in early access. Here are my initial thoughts:
Death, Reimagined
In Soulslinger, you play as the main character who has died in a car accident and is now in limbo. Luckily, Death has a job vacancy that you’re perfect for. This version of Death is much more understanding and less angry than the one in Darksiders. Your main enemies are “The Cartel,” a group tampering with souls, making it harder for them to move on to the afterlife.
Thanks, Death
The story has a compelling premise and progresses well with narrative moments between runs. Although the writing can be obvious and lacks subtlety, the dialogue is fully voice-acted, bringing the characters to life. There are several cutscenes, and while the world feels overdone, I find the characters I’ve met so far interesting.
Shooting Skeletons in Empty Rooms
The gameplay is straightforward: you enter a level, shoot skeletons, pick the next level based on rewards or encounters, and proceed until you die or fight a boss. You earn currency for permanent upgrades and crafting materials for new weapons and charms. During runs, you’ll acquire different abilities that affect how you fight, move, or defend yourself.
Combat Encounters
If you’ve played a roguelite in the past five years, this will feel familiar. While it’s enjoyable, it doesn’t bring anything new to stand out. The gunplay is responsive but lacks the heft you’d expect from revolvers and shotguns.
Workshop
The skeleton enemies you face look generic and often don’t pose much of a threat. They can get stuck in the environment or fly off randomly when shot. Melee attacks are slow and lack impact. The levels feature a nice Western theme but feel empty due to how enemies spawn.
Boss Fight
There’s definitely room for improvement. Despite its shortcomings, I’m curious to see how the game evolves during its early access period. The core mechanics of gunplay and movement are solid, but the combat encounters need more variety to keep me engaged.
Presentation and Performance
Powered by Unreal Engine, the game looks decent overall. The hub world is detailed, and some areas have great lighting. However, the levels are inconsistent. They often feel like film sets rather than actual locations. Despite this being an Unreal Engine game, I was happy to see a shader compilation screen at the start, and I didn’t experience any significant stuttering during my playthrough.
Closing Thoughts
In its current state, Soulslinger: Envoy of Death is a fun but somewhat generic roguelite shooter. The roguelite mechanics provide a sense of progression with new abilities and weapons to craft. The core gameplay is decent, and the characters are interesting, but the combat encounters need improvement to keep players coming back. There’s a lot of potential here, and it’s encouraging to see the developers actively taking feedback on Steam discussions.