Young Souls | PS4 Review

Coming at you like a colorful 90's cartoon for adult children "Young Souls" pulls no punches in aspiring to be a multi-genre action game of proper blend. This arcadey brawler with fighting game mechanics, and RPG elements presented in a light Soulsborne fashion transcends the realm of humans and takes a deep dive into the cavernous world of goblins. Through the eyes of twins Jenn and Tristan we discover a fantastical world hidden just below the surface. A world of war torn goblin species discovered by their father-like professor. A man of educational renown who acts as a mediator between human, and goblin kind in a geo-political sense. Unsuspecting of the secretive goings on of the professor's work Jenn and Tristan stumble haphazardly upon his portal to the goblin world after realizing he'd been kidnapped from their home. Filled with teenage angst, and a devil may care attitude the pink haired duo jumps head first into an otherworldly adventure that might be more than the two of them can handle ...

Young Souls is an experience that lays it on thick from start to finish. While you might assume the game to be mostly gameplay oriented the plot, and character building through textual conversations is a majority of the mix. The game is a whopping two thirds story, and one third dungeon crawling. It has you play in either local co-op or swap in and swap out single player mode as the dynamic duo of Jenn and Tristan. Playing either way differs slightly, but basically the twins are there to kick arse and support each other. Allowing for assists, limited revives, and resting recovery as they fight hordes of goblin foes in a labyrinthine zone by zone maze of opportunity. 

Jenn and Tristan's day and night cycle within Young Souls consists of visiting four different area hubs that offer their own unique services, and looting opportunities. During the day the twins can visit town to build stats at the Happy Fit Gym, or partake of the nearby clothing vendor there for some fancy duds. The gym, which is crucial for keeping Jenn and Tristan ready for the increasingly difficult battles ahead, requires a ticket as well as a well played mini-game where staying in the moving green area by mashing buttons rapidly equals more stat boosts. The main stats that will be boosted in this particular game include STRENGTH, RESISTANCE, and STAMINA. Something that can be dually leveled up. Both through dungeon crawling combat (randomly applied), and stat specifically at the gym (by choice). The stats play heavily into the combat aspect of gameplay allowing the twins to wield heavier equipment and weapons. That, and dodge and parry more effectively. 

Below the town, and in a well, lies the second hub from which services can be obtained. For a price, namely dropped gold goblin coins, and some other premium currencies you can take advantage of the wares and services of key goblin characters that you rescued, within the Goblin Marketplace. This includes access to health and mana potions, weapons, equipment, and upgrades of varying sorts. Each useful in their own way. Returning here after a dungeon crawling adventure is the key to being ready for what comes next.

Location number three is the home at which Jenn and Tristan reside. It is here that they can rest to allot the earned XP points for random stat boosts after a dungeon outing. Initially, it is also here where you'd gain access to the goblin underworld entrance, and the rune portals that grant you access to it's further depths. When you reach a certain point though fast travel is introduced, and will allow you to select the location you wish to be at using a travel rune in the OPTIONS menu. 

Lastly, the combat section of Young Souls is a maze of sorts with branching paths divided, and blocked off by numerical rune gates, and locked doors which require a key to open. It is filled with varying zones that range from mob clearing rooms to boss rooms, and even treasure or "Goblin Booty" rooms. There's even a Yarlanda fight which will reward you with this fabled champion's weapons should you be able to best her in combat. Defeating mobs, and bosses are lucrative endeavors in and of themselves within the confines of the given dungeon. Offering up gold coins, upgrade items, and weapon/equipment drops for a job well done. Some of the rewards are locked behind key specific chests or rooms though whereas others still are simply hidden away in breakable crates, or dropped by goblin enemies. Into total there are four different dungeons of with their own lucrative pathways. Opening up to you as you beat them in order. 

When it comes to character capability weapons and equipment, in particular, play a huge role in the effectiveness of combat. Weapons come in different color coded and star rated rarities which can be upgraded further for the right goblin currency. Some of which have bonus perks, and attributes that will change the way you face the fight. Some weapons, for example, come with attached skills that use mana to activate. Others have passive abilities that do ailment damage to enemy goblins. Needless to say equipment and weapons matter a whole heck of a lot in Young Souls. Speaking of which, each character can equip a weapon, a shield, several pieces of body armor, and an accessory. That and an overlaying several piece fashion suit that can be obtained in town. Complete armor sets, if equipped, can sometimes offer bonus benefits as well.

Basic Combat ...

As Jenn and Tristan your abilities range on the fighting game side of things, and also the Soulsborne side of things. Parrying plays a huge role in combat as some goblins can be parried right away to open up big damage opportunities via a stunned state while others must have their parry gauge depleted before they can be parried. Aside from parrying the different weapon types allow for different combat styles. They inherently effect character movement and abilities according to weight, and tacked on perks. That and type. Weapons included in the game are things like swords, daggers, hammers, and scythes. 

The range and reach of each differ, accordingly. As does the speed at which an attack from said weapon is delivered. Even recovery is effected by the weapon the twins carry. Let me not forget weapon specific combos either. In the way of maneuverability you have some fighting game and soulsborne options at hand. You have a soulsborne roll/dodge that requires stamina that refills over time. You also have the ability to dash, launch enemies and follow up with air combos, as well as the ability to throw picked up objects at enemies or picked up downed enemies. In those regards combat is complex, but not overly so.

Visually, Young Souls takes inspiration heavily from 90's era cartoons. The kind that are all about characters of a simple yet colorful design which are animated in a hyper exaggerated way. The 2D sort that pops. Audibly the ongoing conversations of characters in Young Souls is done much like a silent film, and sadly so. It has the ongoing collective of conversations done up in stylish speech bubbles with textual context contained therein. In regards to combat sound is also quite minimalistic. Leaving the soundtrack to carry the bulk of the atmosphere in regards to sound design.

The Verdict ...

Young Souls is a game that, unfortunately, feels a bit unpolished. Character movement, and actions feel a bit loose, especially in combat. The lack of hard hitting combat sounds that add weight to what's going also does not help this. You'll notice a lack of impact in parrying, which of itself, is troublesome in that it makes the most crucial aspect of combat harder to perfect. I also do not think there's a good enough attack foreshadowing from most enemies for parrying sake. The Achilles heel of it all seems to be that it's a brawler-like battleground format wherein the player has to attempt to play it like a 3D soulsborne game within the confines of a few lanes. The lane by lane movement definitely cripples combat a bit. 

Story, and character-wise the game does stand out as a likeable experience. This is Young Souls' shining achievement, and part of the reason I was so interested in it. Beyond that the gameplay feels kind of grindy. If you're unlucky like me you'll also encounter some horrendous framerate drops at bosses, as well as equipment menu glitches. All of the above aside I think, in all honesty, this game needed some more time in development. It could have definitely benefitted to more attention given to the sound department, and to playtesting. I would love to hear voice overs for all the characters. I'd also love for the combat to feel/sound more impactful. As far as a verdict goes this game is decent as is, but could use some love.