That said, these fights are all impeccably balanced, threading a fine line between frustrating and devilishly tantalizing. But on a first playthrough, which took me about 15 hours overall, that focus on replayability means fighting some of the early bosses were slightly less enthralling without a wide array of abilities at my disposal.

The story is designed to be played through multiple times, with a New Game Plus and Arena mode for those who want it. With such interesting tricks to try, it’s a bit of a shame that Eldest Souls can be stingy with its skill points at first. reward too, like a special attack that deals extra damage but also hurts you if you’re over 50% health, but heals if you’re under 50%. Infusing boss shards into different slots can prove to be an interesting game of risk vs. While fighting the feral Deer God, who attacks with lightning-fast swipes and poisonous roots, I instead respec’d to give myself increased speed to keep up with his great strides across the arena, while flaming leaves I spawned chased him down for guaranteed chipdamage. Those swords later shattered upon a successful counter, briefly tripling damage and providing me a moment of solace in the chaos. Going up against Hyem, a frostbitten armored warrior with the power to slow my dashing, I found myself suiting up with a defensive ability that spawned swords of light with each bloodburst attack. I loved this freedom because it consistently surprised me with what combinations were viable. Mercifully, you can completely respec your character any time between fights. Equippable “shards” gained from defeated bosses can also give you extra abilities or buffs depending on how you slot them for further customization. What results is a nearly nonstop dance of dodging and exchanging desperate blows.Ī skill tree lets you specialize your combat style between three branching options as you progress: Windslide, which focuses on movement and speed, Berserk, which improves your damage output, and Counter, which buffs your defensive options. To that end, Eldest Souls very much encourages an in-your-face play style, with charged and bloodburst attacks replenishing small fragments of health, much like Bloodborne.

There are no enemies to fight outside of its 10 bosses, so you’re never more than a few hits from death. With your giant obsidian sword, you can use a basic swing, a dash, a charge attack, and a powerful “bloodburst” attack that drains your charge. Switching influences, Eldest Souls’ combat takes more inspiration from Bloodborne than it does Dark Souls, with a quicker pace and emphasis on aggression.

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