I joined the closed beta of Soul structure and I finally got to play the long-awaited open world PRAÇA game. Now that the NDA has been lifted and I can talk about my experience playing with a group of friends, I have to say that it wasn’t very impressive for me, at least not yet. Soulframe Preludes introduces gamers to what Digital Extremes calls “Hybrid cooperative action MMORPG“in a vibrant world with interesting creatures in what is considered the next big thing in gaming.
When I entered the world of Soul structureI wasn’t sure what to expect. My group of friends and I play Exoskeleton; although we were not avid gamers and I have never attended a Tennocon, although we understood and generally enjoyed that game. That being said, I was more excited to Soul structurebecause I’m a fan of souls-like games. Even though the the developers have said outwardly that this is not athe premise of using a sword and skills in a giant open world against monstrous enemy bosses provides enough similarities to make the comparison.
Soulframe feels like a new world
Not the game you expected
New Worldthe MMORPG developed by Amazon Games, was released in 2021 and had a lot of initial excitement behind it. Having spent over 200 hours on that game, I can attest that it was definitely a bit over the top. While the cool combat system (I was a spear and musket player) broke new ground in the arguably boring WoW style, the luster eventually wore off when I got into the endgame and had to deal with the lack of content and the meandering leveling system. Gypsum.
In many ways, Soul structure felt like New World – what does it mean; it wasn’t a terrible game, but it wasn’t a notably memorable or amazing experience either. In some ways, for me, it was missing the essence of what makes an open-world MMO game so intriguing and fun, which is the desire to explore and encounter new experiences and enemies. Over time, there are flashes of brilliance and knowledge hidden in various dialogues or texts, but it often feels like a Ancient Scrolls Online or New World – something that could have a lot of potential if it weren’t trying to fight for this MMO brand.
Although the game made a great first impression on me, I ended up wandering around aimlessly, not understanding what to actually do or what I was trying to accomplish. Even though the game’s mechanics attempt to unpack the dense lore in an engaging way, it ends up feeling empty – as if you’re aimlessly tracking down the next quest marker in an attempt to continue the story without a greater understanding of the impact you’ve made. they are creating in the world and characters around them.
The narrative gets a little murky
Why am I doing this again?
Players initially wake up on a beach, in what feels reminiscent of survival games like Rust. Character customization outside of gender, at least in Preludesit’s effectively non-existent and a huge disappointment considering all my friends were exactly like me. At the moment, it looks like Preludes is instantiated – as my friends had to join my session to play, and this would end up resulting in some story blocks that would break the game and prevent us from continuing the main quest (I think?).
Also, there are no other players, at least in the starting regionso it’s a pretty lonely experience if you’re playing alone. Keep this in mind if you and your friends plan to participate in missions at different points in the story. That said, Digital Extremes is clear that this is a work in progress,”Marshwarts and all,” with a warning at the start of the game. Eventually, you’ll cross planes and discover his Nightfold tent and his amazing spirit animal. It’s a pretty decent introduction to the world and presents concepts in a fairly easy-to-understand way.
Instead of having a minimap like in traditional games, players travel to different missions and points of interest using a Guiding Sparrow, which spawns a bird that travels in the direction of the next marker. The graphics and world are beautiful and the movement is very good, so initial impressions of this game were high at first, apart from the lack of character customization.
At the beginning, players can choose weapons – choose them wisely, as I played for a few hours and apparently couldn’t change my equipment.
Eventually, I meet a strange ghost with a talking baby on his shoulder (that’s exactly what it sounds like) named Orlick, who gets into the lore, talks about some important aspects of the game, and sets me on my first official quest. This is where some of the densest and most confusing aspects of the narrative really begin. From here, it was a matter of following the bird in an attempt to uncover more of the story and discover the Deer of Torment.
I’m not sure what I should do
We need clearly named locations
Like other open world games, the Midrash region contains a variety of different areas with enemies of different levels. I found myself in the early stages, wandering around level 10 areas unknowingly, but still managed to fight my way out. Area names on the map are obscured by hieroglyphics which players can translate by completing tasks and quests, as well as taking notes. While this seems like an intriguing way to discover different points of interest, it honestly just confused me and wasn’t very fun.
Upon completing quests, you will return to your Nightfold tent, and this is essentially the game loop. Complete missions in the real world, go to the Nightfold tent and discover more stories reading logs after talking to different NPCs. With very little guidance on what to actually do, I found myself wandering through different quest markers with no idea what I was supposed to be accomplishing. I completed the same cave probably three or four times. I understood the main points – how to preserve nature and be one with animals, but I felt like details were lacking until the next scene.
There’s a solid foundation for something fun here, and it’s beautiful; I just need a more compelling story and more varied enemies and locations to draw me in even more.
Some of this may have been a result of playing multiplayer with friends at different points in the story, or some other unrelated bug that blocked main quest progress. To say that I was completely lost during much of the narrative would be an understatement. At one point I joked with my friends that this was a “bird tracking simulator“because I was so confused about why I was doing what I was doing, where I was going or what the point of it all was.
Combat should feel more challenging
There’s something here
By the end of the game, my entire Feykin Pact skill tree was completely populated and special abilities made fights a breeze. Maybe this was helped by the fact that I had friends I was playing with, but this is supposed to be an MMO so I thought part of the point was to play with other people. The combat is fun, don’t get me wrong, but it feels like it should be harder. Even on its own, it’s not too punishing, and with the use of special abilities, the game becomes incredibly easy once you reach level six or seven. Even though it’s not soul-like, enemies should scale and be tougher as abilities are unlocked.
Even though I felt lost for most of the game, I think I’ll be returning to it to investigate further. There’s a solid foundation for something fun here, and it’s beautiful; I just need a more compelling story and more varied enemies and locations to draw me in even more. I think it could have more potential than New Worldbut it will all depend on how the game continues to develop. While I liked the simplified user interface and lack of direction in some aspects, I think the game could make a better effort to elucidate the main quest line for those who want to progress and not wander.
The fact that the game is free is incredible, and Soul structure must be made available to a wide audience. This alone makes me hope that the title will be successful in the future, even if it was a bit exaggerated, at least in my opinion. Hopefully when the game is fully released it will improve in some of these key areas.
Source: Game Radar, DualShockers