Fractured Soul (PC) Review

Fractured Soul is a highly inventive game. As an action-platformer with a polarity-switching mechanic, Mega Man meets Ikaruga is probably the most succinct description. However, unless Ikaruga's polarity-switching includes asymmetries like reversed gravity and underwater physics for one polarity only, it's not even close to adequate. Fractured Soul learned several valuable lessons from the 2D platformers that inspired it, including how to extract a lot of content from only a little material. The result is a game that consistently delivers unthinkable platforming moments across its 25 levels, from using heavy wind in one dimension to aid the jumps in the other, to "flying" by constantly switching between dimensions with opposite gravity. Suffice it to say, it can be quite entertaining.

These mechanics are only possible because of the twist Fractured Soul puts on its polarity-switching. Namely, that they are not polarities at all, but alternate realities, both of which are visible at all times. This almost certainly worked better on the game's original home of 3DS, but the disorientation of watching two versions of the gameplay at once is worth it for the possibilities it opens up. When another game allows players to piece together ladders that are shattered across two realities, or phase-shift through an enemy and shoot it from behind without two viewpoints, Fractured Soul may become obsolete. Until then, it's a wonderfully novel experience.

The game even manages to pay homage to Ikaruga with a pair of shmup levels midway through the game that utilise the alternate reality idea quite well. They are, however, indicative of the flaws in the game's over-ambition. Both the shmup and platforming mechanics could have carried an entire game on their own, and at only two levels out of 25, the former feels very tacked on and unrealised. This extends to the game's combat, too. It feels great (being ripped out of the Mega Man textbook will do that), but it never taps into the game's core mechanic beyond switching realities to dodge projectiles.

Fractured Soul has a habit of trying to do everything at once. Thematically, it's an action-platformer, a shmup, a whirlwind of innovation, and a retro trip. It also features par times and out-of-the-way collectibles in each level, both of which award stars that unlock bonus levels. Finally, there's an attempt at storytelling between levels, identifying the protagonist as the Entity, tasked with defending an area called the Typhon Cluster from alien invaders. The narrative is conveyed entirely through static text, and all it really accomplishes is explaining how the Entity feels between levels, so most players will leave wondering why the developer even bothered.

The game is at its best when it focuses on its marvellous platforming. The high challenge level will appeal even further to Mega Man fans, while the relatively lenient checkpoint count won't repel modern gamers. Playing on the harder of the two available difficulty settings is recommended for a tighter experience, as there are situations on normal difficulty where gamers will have so much health that they can simply brute force their way past the jumping puzzles. The platform element also controls quite well; the hit detection isn't particularly accurate, but it's generally tuned in the player's favour, so it balances out.

Aesthetically, Fractured Soul is straightforward but forgettable. The bold characters and environments animate smoothly and generally leave the screen as uncluttered as possible, but their simplicity betrays their rough transition from handheld to PC. The music is surprisingly understated, so it never gets annoying, but it also never gets remembered. Sound effects, on the other hand, get annoying after the first minute. Each enemy type is given a single utterance to announce their presence, presumably so they don't catch the player off guard. After a dozen of them announce their presence, however, it just sounds ridiculous. The game's most frequently-heard sound effect - jumping - is also its most laughable, sounding like some guy grunting disinterestedly.