Games have often built upon the ideas that came before them, leading to terms like soulslike or metroidvania. Wearing one's influences on their sleeve isn't necessarily a bad thing, provided everything comes together in a way where the new idea still feels original. Soulstice is one such game where the amalgamation of influences is apparent from the start. The idea of two souls working in tandem conjures up thoughts of Beyond: Two Souls and Ender Lilies: Quietus of the Knights. The stylish fast paced combat is clearly influenced by Devil May Cry, and the overall look is influenced by mangas such as Berserk and Claymore. It's a varied mix of influences, but intriguing enough where Hardcore Gamer thought it worth taking a closer look at Soulstice. 

In Soulstice the player takes control of Briar and Lute, two soul-bound sisters who were transformed into a Chimera through ritual sacrifice. The Chimera are the ultimate human hybrid weapon of the mysterious Order of the Ashen Blade, where Briar maintains her human form but is assisted by Lute who takes on a ethereal form but is tethered to Briar's body. The two were tasked by the Order to investigate a massive tear in the sky over the city of Ilden. Upon their arrival they discover the city has befallen disaster as wraiths have invaded from beyond the Veil to occupy the flaming ruins. After traversing their way to the city they make it to the Ildenmere Bridge where they encounter a formidable opponent.

Our time with Soulstice involved portions of Mission 2: Echoes from the Past and Mission 5: Death from Above. The two sisters work in tandem in fighting against the wraiths, corrupted and possessed. Briar handles the physical and melee attacks with Lute makes use of otherworldly projectiles. The the player progresses through the ruins of Ilden they use their abilities to solve puzzles while fighting off hordes of invaders in an environment that becomes an increasingly more twisted version of itself. The enemies that they encounter are formidable foes but thanks to secondary weapons like the Ashen Enforcer hammer can chip away at the threat while the snarky Observer can education the Chimera about the situation while also upgrading their branching skill tree.

The build wasted no time getting into the thick of things. The panning opening shot sets the scope of how large the area is but there wasn't much time to enjoy the view as hostile wraiths appeared immediately. They didn't last too long since they mainly served as training fodder to understand the synergy between Briar and Lute. Briar's flashy combos that would even impress Dante are intuitive to pull off while it takes just the tap of button to have Lute provide her assistance. Additional firepower isn't the only benefit Lute provides, she can use different auras to make spiritual items become corporeal or make unbeatable foes vulnerable. The two sisters have different strengths, but making them act in tandem to realize the full potential of the Chimera is part of what makes Soulstice special. As the Chimera travels through the village they encounter more enemies, platforming challenges and epic boss battles with hints of a dark story about love and sacrifice, leading to the origins of their Chimera powers.

Soulstice seemingly has drawn from multiple influences to create something that uses the familiarity to make it accessible but still feels like it has its own identity. A full critique and opinion cannot be rendered from playing an hour or so of a work in progress build but from what we were able to experience this has become a game that I'm interested in revisiting when the final version is released. The scheduled release date is September 20 and will be available on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S with a suggested retail price of $49.99.