First impressions count for a lot. In the case of Soul Redeemer, the new top down zombie action shooterby the Bekho Team, introductions are made with a plot-explaining narration that cracked me up... but I don't think it was supposed to. Still, whenever a game starts with a voice-over delivered by what sounds like an angry Hot Topic employee hunched over his desktop mike in a darkened room with a blanket over his head, seriously expounding on how, every couple centuries or so, constellations somehow release demonic forces to eat our souls, and the only thing standing in their way is a warrior dude in asymmetrical armor shooting crossbows... I'm going to stay around. And I'm glad I did! While Soul Redeemer is not the most original of games, it has a charm to it that fans of the genre should enjoy.
Controls are pretty standard. You control your dark action angsty guy with the [WASD] keys, and aim/fire your weapons with the mouse. In addition there are several special moves to use: [E] sets a bomb and another tap explodes it. With each enemy slain, your "rage" meter fills up and, when full, can be released with the [F] key for wide-area damage. The [spacebar] allows you to quickly roll out of the way of attacks. Slain enemies release various power-ups as well as a redeemed soul for you to collect. Collecting enough of these will allow you to purchase weapons and upgrades from the inventory screen accessed with the [V] key. Other upgrades also become unlocked when certain achievements are reached. There are six levels of intense vaguely-religious action, capped off with some reasonably epic boss battles. Now you and Yog-Sothoth play nice, y'hear?
Soul Redeemer might be solidly unremarkable, but it's also remarkably solid. As is the issue with many a topdown shooter, blasting hordes of demons, however cathartic, does get repetitive. However, Soul Reedemer does get many of the little things right: the graphics are beautiful in their horror aesthetic, the boss battles serve well to break up the monotony, and the game engine is stable (if a little laggy). Some of the levels do feel longer than they should be, but all in all, there's enough variety to keep it enjoyable all the way through. While fans of a certain Dante might find it more than a little familiar, even a devil may cry tears of joy after spending a half-hour with Soul Redeemer.
Walkthrough Guide
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Soul Redeemer Walkthrough
Tips
Watch for health bottle drops when you kill enemies.
Blue souls can be spent on improving weapons.
When an enemy drops a brown bag, it's an item. Items improve your max health, armor and other abilities.
You can dodge attacks with [space].
Bombs are free. Drop and detonate them with [e]. Use them often, just make sure you clear the blast radius.
Heaven's Fury is a rage attack that kills a certain number of enemies on the screen. Engage it using [f]. It requires the Rage bar to be full. Rage is filled by killing enemies.
Monsters
Zombie:
Slow moving direct attacker. Might stumble after bombs. Killing it can result in a crawling attack.
Skeleton:
Spread ranged attacker. Throws shards.
Bat:
Slow indirect attacker.
Ticks:
Fast direct attacker.
Slime:
Slow direct attacker. Explodes on death.
Spiders:
Fast indirect attacker. Drops cobwebs that ensnare. Alternatively tap [a] and [d] quickly to escape.
Pumpkins:
Precision and spread ranged attacker. Spits fireballs and maintains aim. Can teleport.
Ghosts:
Direct attacker. Invisible until killed or when it attacks. Can be spotted by trail of footprints.
Evil Soul:
Very fast direct attacker. Spawns randomly from a blue soul.
Horned Demon Head:
Fast direct attacker. Stands and stares at player, charging up into a burst attack. It can alter its course during the charge. Susceptible to bombs.
Items
Amulet of Haste:
Increase movement speed.
Amulet of Elven Sight:
Night Vision.
Lucky Charm Pendant:
Increases drop rate.
Amulet of Protection:
Increases armor.
Soul Summoner:
Attracts nearby souls.
Ring of Damage:
+10% damage.
Ring of Vanquishing:
+15% damage.
Ring of Protection:
Increases armor.
Ring of Fury:
Rage refills at double speed.
Ring of Ancients:
Increase max health and armor.
Shadow Dancer:
Slowly restores HP.
Belt Of Lesser Fortitude:
+10% Max HP.
Belt Of Fortitude:
+15% Max HP.
Belt Of Better Fortitide:
+20% Max HP.
Belt OF Fire:
Increases Fire Shard damage.
Soul Divider:
Doubles soul collection.
Stages
Antares
Screen
Monsters:
Zombies, Skeletons, Ticks, Bats and Slime.
Boss:
Underground Demon. Focus on the tentacles and bomb where the game indicates. Eventually the boss will attack you. Watch out for the ground changing and then shoot the head when it appears.
Screen
Zubeneschamal
Screen
Monsters:
Zombies, Skeletons, Ticks, Slime, Spiders
Boss:
Red Skeletons. Once you kill a skeleton, you must destroy its remains with a bomb.
Screen
Spica
Screen
Monsters:
Zombies, Skeletons, Ticks, Slime, Spiders, Pumpkin, Ghosts, Red Skeletons.
Boss:
Skeleton Monster. Focus all your fire on the main head. The smaller heads don't do damage when crossing paths with you. If the small heads move to the side, they will shoot sprays of fireballs. The main head will shoot spikes and occasionally uses a high-power energy beam.
Screen
Regulus
Screen
Monsters:
Zombies, Skeletons, ticks, Slime, Spiders, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Red Skeletons, Evil Souls.
Boss:
Horned Demon Head. The heads will spawn in groups and have a charge attack. Dodge, fire and use bombs strategically.
Screen
Al Tarf
Screen
Monsters:
Zombies, Skeletons, Ticks, Spiders, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Red Skeletons, Evil Souls, Horned Demon Heads.
Boss:
Oblivion Sphere. Walk up close and use Heaven's Fury to crack its shell. Then focus fire on it and dodge its fireball pattern attacks. It also spawns red slime, which explodes like regular slime. These drop souls and health like regular minions.
Screen
Polux
Screen
Monsters:
Zombies, Skeletons, Ticks, Spiders, Pumpkins, Ghosts, Red Skeletons, Evil Souls, Horned Demon Heads.
Boss:
The Gate. Focus all fire on the gate. Dodge and occasionally divert fire to take care of the spawning monsters.
Posted by: James Francis
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February 13, 2011 10:34 AM