Soulless: Ray of Hope (PC) Review

Being classed as an "enigmatic indie 2D puzzle platformer" pretty much hits the nail on the head. Right from the start, Soulless: Ray of Hope gives off the feel of games like Ori and the Blind Forest, Knytt Underground, or even the lesser known, yet just as engaging, Typoman. The beauty of it is that there is such depth to the adventure, rather than merely being skin deep in its appeal. From the dastardly platform leaps, to the smart puzzles preventing progress, to the oddities in terms of characters met along the way, and the high levels of detail put into the entire experience, it is all a real sight to behold.

The lead character, Elin, is the eponymous "Ray of Hope" in a very bleak world full of monstrosities, with the aim being to rescue Elin's friend by overcoming some of the deepest, darkest fears around. Get ready for dark hands chasing you down corridors, buzz saws whirring away and waiting to chop Elin down with the slightest touch, evil eyes watching your every move, and all manner of traps to stunt advancement towards the final goal of redemption.

Soulless may not be the longest platform romp around, but there are more than enough conundrums thrown in along the way to keep players satisfied, as well as numerous tortuous platform sections that thankfully have very close checkpoints available because death is something the will happen often. Not quite Super Meat Boy levels of often, but still more than would be expected given the sedate start to Ray of Hope. After all, Elin starts the game off by slowly meandering around, hopping on switch panels, and carrying a few boxes around.

Even then, getting a little further in, Elin sprouts wings that can be used once having leapt into the air, spreading wide and allowing for gliding when needing to float longer distances or to ensure some of the nasty looking spikes dotted around do not bring harm to the hero of the hour. There are even plenty of gravitational elements brought into play later on, with leaping into portals that switch Elin from ground to ceiling and back again being present, with one particular moment of needing to constantly switch mid-air to avoid the depths below and spikes above being of real note, getting those nerves a-rattling! The gravity aspect also gets used for attack bosses with falling debris, using a portable gravity-switcher to reverse the direction of projectiles. Real love and attention has gone into the crafting of Soulless, and it is felt almost every step of the way.

Soulless: Ray of Hope will delight and surprise gamers, then possibly frustrate them at times, before making them fall in love with how masterful a creation this is. Do not be fooled by the lead character's appearance - this is no softy, cutesy title, as there is plenty of bite ready and waiting in the shadows. One tougher than necessary boss long before the end credits, and a slower than sometimes ideal camera that causes a few leaps of faith are the only two drawbacks, but barely detract from the splendour on offer. Trying to unlock the different endings via replaying is a definite joy. Here's hoping this hits other platforms, with a sequel to follow.