Soulless 2 (Icon 64) Physical £9.99 - £39.99
Game title: Soulless 2: The Armour of Gods
Game description: Soulless 2 is an adventure platform game that continues on from the first game of the series where King Rizek hears rumours that the evil wizard Kalen has discovered the whereabouts of the armour of gods and sets out to stop him once and for all before he gets his hands on the powerful weapon. Guide King Rizek around the first Forest level as he looks to find a weapon to use on his quest while at the same time trying to figure how to access 6 chests containing keys that will unlock access to the second level (the Temple). While exploring around the Temple looking for another set of 6 keys, you will come across the Armour of Gods that allows King Rizek to fly across the game world for the remainder of the game but make sure you pick up the Armour Weapon before moving on to the third level (the Caverns). Navigate your way through the hazardous Caverns to unlock access to the final level (Kalen's Domain) where you will be greeted by a vast collection of ghastly ghouls and spirits that are intent on preventing you from finally catching up with Kalen himself. Hidden throughout the game are 10 crowns that not only give you bonus lives but also act as a secondary objective to complete.
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Production - 93%
93%
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Fun - 80%
80%
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Depth - 85%
85%
Summary
Spanning almost 6 years in (staggered) development, Soulless 2 is a great return to form for Icon 64. While the first Soulless game stood out for its gameplay influenced by Draconius and Impossible Mission, the sequel changes things up a little by doing away with the need to search items, instead supplementing its platform adventure style with a little bit of inspiration from the Sacred Amour of Antiriad.
The production values are of a very high standard – featuring a cinematic style introduction, bright vibrant sprites with intricate hi-res backgrounds, atmospheric music soundtrack and a large game world that features over 80 minutes of game play. Fortunately, the jumping mechanism used in Soulless 2 is vastly improved over the original game, providing the player with sufficient control over their character to pull off precision jumps.
Soulless 2 contains gameplay and level design that gives a good sense of progression. The animation sequence when you transition in and out of the armour looks great. Each of the four levels have their own distinct look and play style. The game starts off with King Rizek needing to find a weapon before he can make any meaningful progress before moving the focus onto the puzzle element of the game in order to collect the six keys required to unlock the passage through to the second level. Eventually, you will come across the Armour of Gods that will allow you to dispense (for the most part) with running and jumping your way around as you fly through the game world on the hunt for the evil wizard. The puzzle elements of the game are not too difficult and navigating through the game world whether it be on foot and or flying around with the armour is quite enjoyable and is never boring due to the large amount of variation in enemy types and terrain.
If you are a fan of his genre then there is very little to be disappointed with the game. Perhaps Soulless 2 could be presented in a cartridge format to ensure a consistent game flow as action is paused in between levels as they get loaded up separately. Regardless of this minor point, you will be glad to hear that the game automatically saves between each level, allowing the game to be completed across multiple sessions.
Soulless 2 is an immersive adventure platform game across its four massive levels that will have you hooked until you complete the game. A very good modern day release for the C64 that should not be missed.
Overall
86%User Review
( votes)Pros
- Progressive gameplay
- Over 80 minutes of game
- Attractive graphics
- Great control mechanism
- Saving between levels
Cons
- Multi-load levels
Game show case link:
