6souls by BUG-studio is yet another Indie made platformer trying to recreate the magic that skyrocketed games like Celeste and Guacamele. The pretty generic-looking start screen made me fear the worst but luckily my first impression was wrong.
Classic blueprint
Right from the start of this review, I want to let you know 6souls won’t offer anything new to the genre of 2D platforming. This game uses the same classic blueprint many other games have used before. A pixelated world with a classic adventuring hero called Jack and his dog Butch. Jack can jump and swing a sword like many other 2D platforming heroes. From those two classic attributes, jumping is by far the most important asset Jack has. The abandoned castle Jack wants to explore happens to have the strangest interior designer ever. One who found it funny to make every room almost inaccessible for those lacking the ability of super jumps, mid-air dashes, and a lever pulling dog.
Super Jack Boy
In a way, 6souls feels like many 2D platformers I’ve played before. Particularly those 2D platformers where an evil sorcerer is involved and happens to reside in a death-trap-infested castle with an almost endless amount of rooms. 6souls is divided into 8 chapters each offering about 20-ish areas to get through. At the end of each chapter, a boss fight occurs. Defeating the bosses will grant you one soul power giving extra power. Each collected soul grants you extra dash power making it possible to change your direction mid-air with a powerful dash. Towards the end, you’ll almost dash your way through an area without touching the ground. Luckily you’ll have much practice along the way to master these moves since you’ll be needing them constantly to get through to the end.
Jack might have superpowers, he is also easily killed. In a castle filled with pits, spiked walls, deadly jumps, and plenty more of these shenanigans, you’ll die a lot. After each death, you’ll be transferred back to the start of the area to go through it once again. Short levels with instadeath lurking all around made me feel like I was playing super meat boy. Before you get your hopes up, I should add this feels more like a concept or demo version. Don’t get me wrong, 6souls does platforming very well but it’s just nothing to write home about. I enjoyed my time playing but I doubt I’ll remember this game in a few months.
Butch
The levels tend to look a bit too generic for my own taste but the challenges offered kept me going. The constant jumping, running, and dashing the same sort of areas over and over again started to drag a little. The addition of Butch the dog helped me like this game a bit more. For the most part, Butch will reside in Jack’s backpack. At certain points in the game, you’ll see an area too small to squeeze through. Luckily, Butch is much more squeezable and is also an avid jumper – even a double-jumper. These small areas within the main areas offered a little break from Jack keeping it fresh.
Conclusion
6souls does everything that a 2D platformer is supposed to do. That being said, 6souls doesn’t do anything special or original. The game is fully enjoyable but I’m sure it won’t leave behind a lasting impression. In a world full of indie-made pixelated 2D platformers, 6souls could’ve done more to stand out of the pack. As it is now, this one blends perfectly with the herd.
7/10
Tested on Xbox Series S
