With the gaming industry being as competitive and hungry for marketing as it is, it’s inevitable that we get tons of tie-ins, whether we like them or not. One of the most recent examples of this involves one of the most critically acclaimed franchises in years. Tying in to the cash cow that is now Dark Souls, Bandai Namco releases Slashy Souls for Android and iOS. Fans were definitely not pleased.
The game
Simple isn’t always easy. Few games can have that saying applied to them as well as Slashy Souls. Like I said, the premise is simple. You just run over a 2D platform, killing enemies, avoiding traps, fighting bosses, and not dying. Once you’re dead, it’s game over.
Slash souls was made as a tie-in to Dark Souls, although it doesn’t fit in the game’s canon. The enemies are somewhat similar, as is the game’s theme, and the 16-bit graphics and old-timey music are reminiscent of Castlevania. I guess the most shameful thing about the game is that it keeps advertising Dark Souls III.
Disappointed fans
Created as combined effort from GameStop and Bandai Namco, the game is fairly simple in its concept. That doesn’t make is easy, and it certainly doesn’t make it good. Few mobile games have gotten such negative impressions, but since the series’ fans are mostly hardcore gamers, it’s quite understandable.
The main issue with Slashy Souls is that it’s mediocre. It’s definitely not Game of the Year material, but honestly, it’s not all that bad. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not praising the game or anything, but since a team spent time on making it and delivered it for free, it does deserve an honest impression.
As someone who played and loved to hate Dark Souls for the challenge it offered, I get it. Slashy Souls doesn’t do it justice. It’s a cheap, pointless, two-dimensional waste of time, meant only as a way to remind people to preorder Dark Souls III. But that doesn’t take away from the fact that at times it’s a FUN waste of time.
Free games
This is an issue that’s been popping up more and more lately, as more and more games are coming out, each better or just more complex than the others. Does making a game free excuse it for being poorly optimized, full of glitches, and overall bad?
The answer is obviously ‘No’, but it does excuse some elements. Making a game free means that the people working for weeks or months on it barely get paid to do their jobs. But that doesn’t excuse incompetence or lack of skill. There’s a lot more to talk about this, and this article is pretty much done.
I guess it’s going to have to be a topic for another time.
Image source: YouTube
