Just shy of 200 deaths through Brazilian developer Fallen Flag Studio’s debut Eldest Souls, it's easy to be ready for 200 more. The new boss-rush indie features considerable depth and invention for its focused foray into the genre, along with some nicely detailed animated pixel art and a weighty but precise sense of control.

The Eldest Souls story follows the lone, oversized sword-wielding protagonist entering the lands housing the Citadel, a prison for the gods once defeated by mankind. Since this violent metaphysical event, the world of humans has seen desolation and rot, and this nameless warrior seeks to murder these imprisoned gods where they reside and bring calm days back to humanity.

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Anyone that has played a Souls game before knows any happy ending will surely be tinged in sadness, and this game's melancholy is no different. Narrative themes aren't the only time Eldest Souls draws inspiration from Hidetaka Miyazaki’s beloved franchise. Everything from the somber overall tone to the very sound of dialogue prompts reveals references to the Souls games, so anyone approaching Eldest Souls from that vantage will probably feel those various elements as cozy and familiar, though also a bit excessive.

Eldest Souls Review High Alchemist Rhoug

10 total bosses lie in wait, a number which seems meager at first. The lion’s share of these fights demands sharp reflexes and careful positioning, however. The basic mechanics of battle in Eldest Souls utilizes a rechargeable dash, a chargeable slash, a special Bloodburst attack, and a range of stat buffs, abilities, and more nuanced tricks which will satisfy devoted tinkerers.

That’s because almost every Eldest Souls boss provides one skill point and one boss shard upon defeat. For the former, players select certain paths through skill trees split among three fighting styles: Windslash, Berzerk Slash, and Counter, which prioritize agility/dashing, full-on attacks, and timed parries, respectively. These are interesting and present accessibility for different playstyles. The boss shards are more interesting still, with each shard equippable in slots which significantly affect every action. There’s even a special slot that opens when a skill tree is fully powered up, available to be used on the last few bosses.

Eldest Souls Review Drakmur

Combining these two systems leads to exciting experimentation, something that helps differentiate Eldest Souls from its competitors; Consider Shadow of the Colossus’ main campaign, where players can only slightly increase stamina and health but are functionally identical over each fight. In Eldest Souls, there’s always the option to completely re-spec from the ground up or just swap around shards to meddle with their effects before committing for the fight. While there aren’t alternate weapons - this would be a great pull for potential DLC, along with additional bosses - the sword’s potential shifts throughout the game at player’s whim, with the complete builds available by the endgame feeling confidently different than the first hours of play.

As for the bosses, there’s seemingly something for everyone, and no two bosses are alike. Arenas vary and are smartly incorporated into many of the fights, and most bosses evolve and enrage through battle. It takes a while to not only acclimatize, but also keep tabs on a slew of refilling bars and gauges. Luckily, there's a natural progression that sees players able to sense themselves improving and more effectively readying each blow after a few sessions.

Eldest Souls Forest Sage

Outside of the fights, since there isn’t a single enemy scrub to stomp, players can engage a few light sidequests via NPC interactions. None of these are particularly deep, but certain ones lead to nice bonuses that may help give that leg-up on a harder boss. NPC dialog is characterful and well-written, and Eldest Souls' scant item description lore comes off as the right blend of mysterious and intriguing.

There are some problems in Eldest Souls, though, including weird pathing to certain bosses that require trap-dodging, which just feel out of place. Additionally, the lack of a true pause means re-speccing may require a return to a previous checkpoint. These are ultimately small gripes for what is a wonderful experience overall, as Eldest Souls is a challenging but fair boss-rush with great pixel art and some smart New Game+ content. The Souls community is sure to enjoy this, but the build experimentation and shard system add an appealing sense of growth that makes Eldest Souls feel like it has even broader appeal than its niche.

Eldest Souls Review Eos God of Unity

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Eldest Souls releases today, July 29, 2021, for PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. A digital PC code was provided to Screen Rant for the purpose of this review.