Usurper: Soulbound – Review

Our Score: 7/10

Usurper: Soulbound is developer Caspian Interactive’s attempt at making their own Soul-like game. They’re such massive fans of the Souls series and genre that they wanted to make their own game. A game that paid homage to the series but also brought something of its own to the table.

With a release to Steam Early Access, Usurper: Soulbound is looking to grab people and throw them into this horrifying plane of existence. This is a Rogue-lite title that is aimed at people who will put in the time into learning the game. It is hard, it is tough and it will test your resolve.

What is Usurper: Soulbound

“This is the tale of a King, whose rule was so horrifying, that his soul refused to move on and clinged to the world of the living by possessing the bodies of others by using the power of the Usurper. Heroes united in locking him away and there was once again peace in the land….Until you, my dear Hero, ruined that peace with your ignorance and greed.”

In Usurper: Soulbound you possess the bodies of enemies and even other heroes. All in an attempt to fight your way back to your physical form as you’re trapped in a haunting castle.

The game is an Action RPG title with rogue-lite elements mixed into it. The combat is quite Souls-like but it has its own flavor to it. Furthermore, to make combat stand out from its contemporaries, you have the ability to Usurp. This allows you to possess enemies and gain new abilities. Doing so can change the way you approach the game or engage with enemies.

The game also features some great stages and environments. A lot of the environment is handcrafted but there is an element of random generation. Honestly, having a random generation in a game like this will just push you to stay on your toes at all times.

But fear not because this game does allow for Jolly Co-operation. Be it in local co-op or online co-op via Steam Remote Play, you and a friend can take on the challenge together. And it’s a fun challenge thanks to the combat system which you’ll end up spending a bit of time mastering.

Look and Feel

Usurper: Soulbound has an isometric camera angle that serves the game well. The visual style is clean and has a comic book feel to it with the thick outlines and the filter that imitates the linework of a comic panel. It looks pretty neat and gives the game quite a bit of character.

The use of lighting is frankly, great. I love how the candles and torches do just enough to illuminate a scene while the other architectural elements of the room help add to it. From marble floors and walls to all the uses of gold for various decorative pieces, it looks great. The use of color to help add some contrast and flavor is top-notch as it helps bring out the other, more dull parts of the environment.

Final Verdict

Usurper: Soulbound is an interesting souls-like rogue-lite ARPG that is already looking up to be a very solid game with a promising future. The game is still in Early Access and is developed by a small team but I feel this game has only one way to go and that’s up. I look forward to seeing how this game evolves in the future.