The Soulslike genre, as a concept, has been explored quite thoroughly over the past 15 years. It's been done in fantasy worlds, science fiction worlds, anime worlds, and huge open worlds. Swords, guns, fistfights, lightsabers. It features 2D graphics, 3D graphics, isometric and top-down perspectives, first and third person, and there's also a Soulslike where you play as a crab. Therefore, it is quite difficult to do something new in this genre. Finite Reflections Studio's Void Sols puts a minimalist spin on the concept of dodging and backstabbing things that get in your way, removing many distractions such as 3D graphics and overly designed bosses. We are trying to innovate by adding.
I played a preview build that begins with an unassuming little triangle waking up in a prison. Perhaps the triangle is meant to represent any ardent fan of any heroic fantasy you can imagine, with a very simple goal: to get out of prison.
You quickly get a sword and quickly find a bow for long range combat. And ignite a small beacon that will act as a save point. When you die (and you will), you'll drop all your Sol, so you'll need to pick up Sol from the corpse. Being top-down means you can't see around the corner and are in the dark until you light the torches dotted around you.
Thankfully, this means enemies won't be able to spot you right away either, and will have to get a good look at you before relentlessly chasing you. For such a simple idea, combat is surprisingly smooth and challenging. There's dodge and backstep, and you can combine light and heavy attacks with the aforementioned bow. Enemies don't often swarm you, but you do have a stamina meter so you have to be careful not to dodge too many consecutive attacks.
I can't help but feel that Void Sols is lacking a bit of substance at the moment, even though there are some additional modes already available, such as the Nox Trials mode of durability. Of course, it's minimalist in design, and the combat will definitely get deeper as more weapons and abilities are unlocked. So we'll probably see a lot more of that later in the game.
That said, the highly detailed environments and oppressive darkness make it quite atmospheric. You never know what's waiting for you around every corner, but when you're stuck with a hostile shape, you don't have many options for dealing with it. Games that try to recreate the thrills and nuances of classic Souls-like combat in this format always run into obstacles like this. There's some satisfaction in the proximity feedback, but it's hard to say how deep Void Sol will be. However, given its simple aesthetic, if a steam deck is in your bag, it's an instant fit.
Anyone looking for a new type of Souls-like challenge may find Void Sol worth giving a try. The section I played depicts a dark, dirty world and simple but interesting combat that still requires someone brave enough to explore and defeat.
Void Sols is coming to Steam.