We’re getting a little spoiled in the fantasy genre right now. Shadow Legend and SoulKeeper 2.0 both look like great VR RPGs. But the newly-announced Soul Scathe is a decidedly darker take on the genre.
Developed by Blueberry Bandit, Soul Scathe is coming soon to Rift and Vive. It’s a dungeon crawler that uses procedural generation. You play as a resurrected battlemage that fends off enemies with melee weapons and magic attacks.
We haven’t played the game ourselves but the trailer above gives us a welcome Dark Souls vibe. Environments are dank and dingy and enemy design is suitably morbid. But what’s most impressive is the seeming level of interaction with the game world. At one point a player knocks out a support beam, sending barrels tumbling downstairs to knock out enemies. In another instance, an enemy helmet is knocked clean off before he can be dismembered.
Spells, meanwhile, seem to include your usual assortment of elemental attacks. Ice spells can freeze enemies or cause them to trip, thunder can rain down from above and you can turn your hands into flamethrowers.
But Blueberry says you’ll be able to combine types to conjure new abilities. Plus there’s a move that looks a lot like telekinesis that allows you to manipulate traps and objects. With these varied elements combined we’re hoping the game will have a deep and engaging battle system.
Look for Soul Scathe to launch on Steam in Q1 2019 (that’s now!) It’ll support both Rift and Vive, but an Oculus Store release will come later on.
