Deconstruct then Reconstruct the World in Soul Axiom - Preview
by VGChartz Staff , posted on 07 December 2014 / 3,336 Views
Wales Interactive, the developers behind this year's Infinity Runner, recently released an Early Access game called Soul Axiom, a game that I was lucky enough to get a preview build for. Soul Axiom is being marketed as a sci-fi adventure game with puzzle mechanics, but after spending some time with it I feel that description is a little bit misleading.
You see, Soul Axiom is more of an interactive exploration title with puzzle mechanics than an adventure game. There's an emphasis on story, which the developers tell slowly and thoroughly, but having played about an hour or so of the game so far I have to say there are very few adventure game tropes on show. I would liken Soul Axiom more to an exploration title like Dear Esther than a traditional adventure game like TellTale's The Walking Dead, for example.
You start off falling through a skyline peppered with lightning strikes before finally landing on a flying pirate ship. The ship is weird but majestic, utilising sci-fi machinery to float through the air. It’s on this ship that you’re given an introduction to the game's controls. There are simple crates to walk over and switches to press that enable the sails of the ship. Finally, when the ship's about to set sail, you’re introduced to the main antagonist of the game, which takes the form of an angelic statue. It flies and swoops around the stage like BioShock Infinite’s Songbird, and eventually will take the generator from the ship, causing you to crash into the middle of a desert.
Whilst it may not be one of the most inventive openings in gaming, Soul Axiom's cryptic concept and intriguing locales do a good job of pushing you forwards; I eagerly wanted to explore each new area in order to learn a little bit more about this weird and wonderful world. During my time playing the game I was constantly questioning everything around me.
After solving a few more puzzles in the desert I was teleported to a new location, one which introduced me to a magic glove that allowed me to dismantle and remake some of the obstacles in the game world. It's a great gameplay mechanic, one that had a large impact on the rest of my play session.
Unfortunately it's also annoying to use at times because of its restrictions. It can only dismantle and remake specific objects that the developers deem necessary. Nonetheless, the gloves are put to good use, with the player being able to make bridges with them, or destroy obstacles detrimental to their progress through the game.
Eventually, you’ll make your way to a train where it's explained to you that you’re in a digital world. In this world you can relive any memory from your past, which is a conveniently neat mechanic for someone trying to piece together their own history. The visuals on display in this particular area were lovely, and match the futuristic sci-fi experience the developers are going for nicely.
It was also in this new area that I acquired a new glove. This one allowed me to pause objects that were moving, or speed them up. I can already envisage the implications this will have on the puzzle element of the game, and it makes me excited to delve even deeper into the game.
Whilst I wasn’t too fond of Wales Interactive’s Infinity Runner, I’m definitely loving the vibe coming from Soul Axiom. It takes the developers in a completely new direction, but one they seem much more comfortable exploring. Soul Axiom has the potential to tell an original story whilst pushing new gameplay ideas.
Soul Axiom is due to come out of Early Access sometime in 2015.
