Review: Soulcaster II

From it’s inception, there have always been RPGs and Tower Defense games in the Xbox Live Marketplace. The folks at MagicalTimeBean have yet again mashed up the two very popular genres in hopes of further improving upon the Soulcaster series. Soulcaster II is still the same RPG/tower defense game its predecessor was, but with a few welcome improvements. If the tower-rpg-defense genre takes off, it will be because Soulcaster II has laid the foundation with an incredibly entertaining game.

Fans of the tower defense genre will instantly recognize that style of gameplay in Soulcaster II. There is one huge difference though: you’re the one trying to make it through the tower, not defend it. Donning your wizard hat and robe, you become a meek sorcerer with virtually no weapons of his own. Thankfully, you carry the souls of three different defenders around with you, who, when used properly, can be both your offense and defense. The trio is composed of an alchemist, archer, and a warrior, all of whom offer different services to aid you in your quest. The trick with this group is, they have to be used strategically in order to be truly effective. This offers both a level of challenge and frustration I’ve never seen in an indie title before.

Like a fine wine complimenting a nice dinner, the old-school RPG elements of Soulcaster II compliment the tower defense mechanics quite well. There’s the standard character leveling, weapon and ability upgrading, and cheesy, albeit fun, text-based dialogue sprinkled in for good measure. The game seems to have a strange Final Fantasy feel to most of it that I can’t quite explain; surprisingly, though, it adds quite a bit of nuance to the title. To be completely honest, I actually appreciated the RPG elements of Soulcaster II more than the core tower defense mechanics.

Sticking with the old-school feel of the gameplay, Soulcaster II‘s graphics harken back to the RPG’s of my childhood. Looking at the game, you’d swear it was found in a time capsule from the late eighties/early nineties, and somehow made to function on your Xbox 360. There is nothing HD about this game and that’s OK! The lack of the “next-gen sheen” gives Soulcaster II a truly ancient look that retro gaming enthusiasts will greatly appreciate. The aspect ratio won’t even stretch to fit on a modern day HDTV; instead they opted to just display the game with a big black border around it. That right there folks is dedication to true retro graphics.

Keeping with the retro style, the music for Soulcaster II stays somewhat “behind the times” with a heavy eight-bit sound mixed with modern technology. As a metal fan, I about fell out of my chair when I heard the opening theme, which happens to be one of the coolest epic metal songs I’ve ever heard. All of the music in Soulcaster II is incredibly well crafted, and seems to always be level appropriate. I actually plan on ordering the soundtrack from the MagicalTimeBean website shortly.

Soulcaster II felt a bit short to me, and with a final boss that was brought on quite abruptly, the ending almost seemed rushed. It was as if the MagicalTimeBean team slapped an ending onto the game in hopes of making some sort of deadline. That being said, this game still gave me a few straight hours of entertaining gameplay and quite the retro bang for my buck. To be honest, the music alone is worth the 240 MSP. Soulcaster II is one of the stronger titles I’ve played and reviewed for Xbox’s “Indie Games Winter Uprising” showcase. This is a definite must play for just about anyone, and I highly recommend you pick up Soulcaster II today.

Soulcaster II
Xbox Live Arcade
	Publisher:MagicalTimeBean Developer:MagicalTimeBean Genre: Tower defense and RPG Release Date: December 14, 2010 MSRP: 240 MSP ($3)