Soulstice Demo Impressions - Devil May Cry Reimagined- In this Soulstice Demo Impressions, we will talk about the backstory behind the two main characters and the gameplay mechanics of the hack and slash RPG developed by Reply Game Studios and published by Modus Games. If you want to know what we thought of the demo before Soulstice comes out on August 25, 2025, then this article is for you! The game will be released on PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Soulstice Demo Impressions - Devil May Cry Reimagined
Soulstice Demo Impressions - Story and Setting
Soulstice is a tale of two sisters who have been reborn as a Chimera to combat the forces of evil in the Holy Kingdom of Keidas. Terrifying creatures from the Veil such as the Wraiths, Corrupted, and Possessed have invaded the world in search of beings to consume. What makes this difficult to stomach is that those who have been infected will turn into former shells of themselves. They too will attack the living, sparing no one.
Enter Briar and Lute. After being given another chance to live through an unspeakable ritual, Briar was granted specialized strength and speed and thus, acts as the frontliner between the two with the ability to fight against enemies in the physical world. Lute’s body, on the other hand, was sacrificed in order to bind their souls together. This resulted in her becoming a ghost and gaining mystical powers, allowing her to manipulate the forces of the Ethereal to combat other creatures.
You play as both sisters whose goal is to restore balance by reclaiming the crumbling City of Ilden since they are the only ones capable of defeating the savage monsters but it is not as simple as it seems. The Order who leads the Chimeras is preparing for something bigger, a grand plan that has yet to be discovered by its members, including Briar and Lute. Will you be able to successfully work together to not only fight back against these creatures of the dark but also have the courage to know who you truly are?
Soulstice’s visuals are reminiscent of art styles seen in Devil May Cry and the anime, Claymore. The hack and slashAction-Adventure RPGis grim and gritty featuring environments depicting a deteriorating city. You will immediately notice collapsed brick buildings, death and decay permeating beyond its walls, as well as structures set on fire. These are harrowing portrayals of the invasion, which has destroyed what’s left of Keidas.
Meanwhile, characters such as Briar and her enemies are cel-shaded, highlighting them quite well beyond the 3D background. This style is not so noticeable for Lute since she is an apparition who is not as detailed compared to the others. Additionally, the gameplay is presented using a fixed camera, which is nostalgic for older PlayStation titles like the original God of War and Devil May Cry.
When it comes to the audio, you will be exposed to the good sound quality of your weapons, namely the Ashen Vindicator and Tearing Penance. For instance, every swing of the Vindicator Sword sounds sharp, differentiating one action from the next. The same goes for the Ashen Enforcer, which is the hammer and therefore a heavier version between the two. Even as Briar runs, you will hear the clinking of every piece of equipment she has. It is a decent mix, especially when coupled with the exciting loud music in combat. This is made all the more impressive against the Arrowhead fight, although I am still not certain if there will be different soundtracks per chapter or boss type.
And finally, there is the voice acting, which is also commendable no matter who is speaking. I do have one minor gripe, however. This is the repeating battle-cries of Lute in combat, reminding us to be careful of incoming attacks or reprimanding us for moving too slow. Hopefully, it will not be as apparent in Soulstice’s full release, and perhaps the dialogue evolves when both sisters unlock better abilities later on.
Soulstice Demo Impressions - Gameplay Mechanics
Soulstice does not have a character creation menu, instead, you are instantly catapulted into the game as Briar and Lute. You both go on to explore the first mission in cleansing the City of Ilden of the Chaos that permeates deep within. But due to the demo’s size, which is at most an hour, we are uncertain whether the game will have chapters or if it will only feature a continuous area all throughout.
Soulstice Demo Impressions - Lute’s Evocation and Banishment Fields
One of the more interesting aspects of Soulstice is Lute’s ties to the immaterial world. As such, she has the ability to conjure Evocation and Banishment Fields. Activating the Evocation Field reveals ethereal objects such as Cobalt Veins, which Briar will need to hit to acquire Cobalt Tear Residue. Cobalt Tear Residue is the currency Lute spends to upgrade her skills. What’s important to remember is when you keep Evocation Field functional, Lute’s Entropy increases, thereby weakening her in the process.
If it overcharges, she disappears for a few seconds to recover her strength. This can be detrimental in combat, especially when you need to deflect attacks from afar so you have to be cautious of Lute’s waning Entropy in encounters. Another advantage of activating the Evocation Field is the Echo Traces you discover. These are conversations from the past that have led to the state of the corrupted city. It improves on the things we know while pushing the game’s story forward.
Next is the Banishment Field, which allows Briar to attack red crystalline growths. These formations are hindrances to exploration so triggering said field is the only way to make this manifest in the physical world. However, similar to the Evocation Field, Lute’s Entropy increases when the Banishment Field is active but it will not overcharge.
Soulstice Demo Impressions - Skills and Weapons
In terms of skill trees, Briar and Lute have separate ones. Points can be invested in them when you collect red orbs from the glowing barrels you pass by when exploring, together with the blue orbs from Cobalt Veins and Motherlodes. It is worth noting that when you perish, you will not lose any of these resources unlike inSoulslikegames. Unlocking skills can only be done upon interacting with Layton. Let us start with Lute’s progression, which is divided into four playstyles - three of which are available in the demo, particularly Offense, Fields, and Defense.
Offense involves unleashing a powerful special attack when Lute is fighting alongside Briar. Their Unity remains high when they skillfully fight together, allowing for efficient plays to be executed. However, when you both fail to defend against attacks or are knocked back, your Unity level decreases, lowering the chances of achieving synergy. It is for this reason that Lute’s offensive powers are based on maintaining a high Unity.
Next is Fields whose range increases when the sisters’ Unity is high. You can also invest in Unflinching Resolve to decrease the Entropy level of Lute every time an enemy is slayed, allowing you to improve the uptime of Evocation and Banishment Fields. And finally, there is Defense, which is especially helpful in surviving longer in combat. With Defensive Skills, Lute can deflect, counter, and slow down attacks upon pressing B at the right time if you are using an Xbox Controller.
Conversely, Briar’s skills are presented differently. Rather than dividing these per playstyle, they are arranged according to the type of weapon she wields. In the demo, you can freely switch between the Ashen Vindicator or the Sword, Ashen Enforcer or the Hammer, and Tearing Penance or the Chain for close to mid-range encounters. Each weapon has corresponding movement combinations. For instance, you can launch Ferocious Assault by continually pressing Y, letting you attack a target in quick succession whereas Thunderous Assault will allow you to beat them up with your heavy hammer. Their respective combos can be seen in the skills menu.
Soulstice’s combat features a fast and visceral style of play, which is more akin to Devil May Cry than any Soulslike title by FromSoftware. The single boss fight versus the Possessed is heart-pounding compared to the ones against normal monsters. In the Arrowhead encounter, you will be swarmed by minions that he can control as well as Wraiths he has summoned, all while you attempt to rush toward him to deal enough damage.
Because of this, your HP can plummet along the way should you get repetitively hit. It is a decent battle, although I hope that a lot of encounters in the game will be as tough, if not more challenging than this specific fight to add to the excitement of defending Ilden.
Combat is also multifaceted in that Briar is the one who excels in executing significantly offensive moves thanks to her predominantly powerful melee attacks. Between the two, she can perform aerial abilities to knock enemies upward or slam them to the ground. She is also able to rapidly charge forward or hammer her way through encounters to deal massive damage.
Meanwhile, Lute utilizes her mystical powers to pull ethereal beings like Wraiths and the Possessed into the physical world using Evocation and Banishment Fields, respectively. If it weren’t for her, Briar will not be able to effectively target and harm these creatures. She is better suited for crowd control and protecting her sister from taking way too much damage. What makes Lute shine is her ability to deflect ranged attacks even when she is beside Briar as long as the player triggers these at the right moment.
Final Thoughts
Soulstice is a hack and slash, action-adventure game that aims to reimagine older PlayStation titles to life. It features flashy and exhilarating combat with the unique mechanic of effectively synergizing the moves of Briar and Lute to unleash powerful and specialized attacks. One thing I am quite cautious about is how difficult succeeding encounters will be since I did not get to experience it as much in the demo as I would have wished.
Here’s hoping that the game’s full release is far more complex and consistently exciting when we go against the entire forces of the Wraiths, Corrupted, and Possessed. Soulstice will be available on August 18, 2025. As of the publication of this impressions article, the price has not yet been disclosed.
What are your thoughts on the demo of Soulstice? What mechanics do you want to be implemented in the full release? Let us know in the comments below! If you enjoyed thispreview, be sure to check outThe Last Case of Benedict Fox Preview – Everything We Know So FarandWarhammer 40K: Darktide Gameplay Impressions – Everything We Know So Far.
