A few months ago I had the chance to take a look at the rhythmic dungeon crawler title Soundfall by Drastic Games. I absolutely loved the music gaming system and was looking forward to its release which is scheduled for spring 2022. As of today, Soundfall is only a few days out after a surprisingly quick release. I had a lot of fun improvising without skipping a bar while defeating the Discordance creatures, and there are a few things I want to comment on.
But first, let’s remember: What is Soundfall supposed to be? Well, this game is about a musical ghost that is transported to the magical kingdom of symphony. Called Melody, this spirit was summoned to aid the composers in their fight against the tyrannical and chaotic forces of Discordance that are growing ever more powerful. Soundfall challenges the player to embark on an adventure through Symphony and use the power of music to battle through the hordes of Discordance to bring Harmony back to the realm.
The story, while present, doesn’t seem to be that important, nor is it very well integrated into the game itself: as time goes on it becomes more interesting to increase the strength and power of Melody (and the other four playable characters), the Guardians of Harmony) at the expense of progressing through the levels. However, after defeating a few of the ten available worlds, you’ll quickly find that the gameplay isn’t as deep or entertaining as it might first appear.
Advertising:
I say that because the main attraction is the rhythm game system, which by the way is very well implemented. You’ll need to time your throws and jumps to the beat of the music track being played in each level, and if you happen to miss a beat you’ll find your shots do less damage or your jumps just miss. It’s a system that works, it’s fun and it’s challenging to learn how to do it right, but Soundfall is pretty much all about that. The variety of characters, weapons, and levels is fairly basic, and it feels like you’re repeating the same thing over and over in each of the levels, with slight changes in graphics, but little else.
That’s the biggest lack I see in Soundfall, because although at the moment of truth we offer hundreds of songs (and many more if we take into account the possibility of import), five playable characters and more than 500 equippable items It seems as if you would have already seen everything the game had to offer once you defeated the first three worlds. The enemies and their attacks change a bit, the levels get harder and the rewards increase, but for the most part it all has an aura of familiarity that makes each level feel a bit overwhelming and… monotonous.
Advertising:
That’s not to say Soundfall is a bad title. It plays very well, the graphics are absolutely wonderful and it has an intriguing design, but it falls short when it comes to holding the player’s attention and being just as entertaining after a few hours of gameplay. The songs are worth highlighting, and Drastic Games has done wonders in creating a playlist with tracks so varied and lively, you’ll find yourself tapping your foot to the beat as you work your way through the forces beat the Discord. It’s a shame that the challenge of these powers doesn’t evolve or evolve as we go on, and that the level design feels so repetitive that it gets tiring.
Still, Soundfall is an interesting title and I’m glad I played it and spent time with it. It didn’t leave me feeling bad, but at the same time nothing I saw surprised me either. If you consider yourself a music lover, this might be the game for you, but if not, it might not appeal to you as much.
Advertising:
