Souldiers Gameplay Mechanics Detailed in New Trailer

During The MIX NEXT Showcase, Dear Villagers revealed a new gameplay trailer for Souldiers, which featured commentary by Retro Forge Programmers Sergio Martín and Leo Fernández Infante (who we recently got a chance to interview about the game).

They begin by explaining that combat mechanics are a huge focus for this Metroidvania, and that you’ll have to find the best way to utilize your character’s abilities in each encounter. One of Souldiers biggest features is the class system, which is fairly unique for the genre. When you start the game, you will be able to choose between Scout, Archer, and Caster. The Scout is a melee fighter that can use their shield to counter attacks, while the Archer keeps their distance, and uses agility to dodge and counter attacks. Finally, the Caster is a high-risk/high-reward class, focusing on dealing a lot of damage, but is the most fragile of the three.

Souldiers will also be unique in that there is a leveling system, much like in a standard RPG. Every battle will give you experience, and once you get enough, you’ll level up. Each level will increase your stats, and grant a mastery point, which allows you to learn a new skill.

The final thing that they talk about in the new trailer is the terrain and puzzles. As you progress in the game, you will find orbs that will allow you to interact with the world in various ways. Retro Forge’s programmers state that these orbs can also give you an advantage in combat, though it was not specified how.

We can see some other aspects of the game throughout the trailer. There’s an area where you can talk to fellow warriors, and this will presumably be where you can pick up side quests as well. It appears that elements play a role in damage in the game: During the Archer gameplay, we can see the player opening up a menu that looks like it enhances their attacks with an element, and we can see a symbol next to the damage dealt to the enemy (like a lightning bolt and a drop of water for example).

We can see various items in the upper right corner of the UI. While we don’t see any being used, one of the items appears to be a potion, which will probably be the main source of healing in Souldiers. There is also a purple and yellow bar under the character’s health, though neither get used during the video. The purple bar is likely used for blocking and dodging, while we can see that the yellow bar regenerates over time.

Based on what they said and what we could see in the trailer, it looks like Retro Forge is working hard to make a very challenging game, that will have a rewarding progression system. The fact that you’ll to strategize against each enemy, and that each class has a unique gamplay style, means the game should stay interesting throughout. We still have to wait to get more details on the puzzles and the story itself, but it seems clear that the focus for Souldiers is on the gameplay, and giving players a Soulslike challenge.

Souldiers is set to release in Spring 2022, and will be available for the Switch and PC.