Souldiersis a new indie action Metroidvania. Players can choose one of three classes and start exploring an ever-expanding map. The basic goal is to escape this new world that the heroes arrive in after death. The hero is not sure how they died. All they know is that they must defeat a legendary guardian to escape.
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Souldiersis filled with the typical Metroidvania trappings such as save points that can warp players around. The general gameplay pattern has players defeat enemies, level up, and move on to the next area after acquiring new traversal powers. Can players help their hero escape this endless turmoil? TheseSouldierstipsshould make it more possible.
8There Are Three Difficulties
Players don’t need to worry aboutSouldiersbeing too hard or too easy for them. There are three choices presented at the start of the game:Explorer, Soldier, and Warrior. The best thing of all, these modes can be changed in the options at any time.
The game does warn players that if the difficulty is changed, theycan’t earn achievements. If that is something that matters to a player then they might want to start the game from scratch if they want to change the difficulty. It should be noted thatSouldiersis an RPG with a gold system, meaning that players can always grind if things get too hard.
7Testing Out Classes
Like the difficulty system, there are three classes to choose from inSouldiers. TheScoutis like a typical warrior classin an RPG. They have strong defenses, health, and good attack power. TheArcher, whouses a bow, and theCaster, who is a mage, focus on ranged attacks. Their health, attack, and defense stats are lower than the Scout, but they have the advantage of being able to fight from a distance.
For beginners, the Scout is the best option, especially on the Warrior difficulty. If players plan to check out Explorer instead then all three classes are viable options.
6Grind Levels
Souldiersis aMetroidvania at heart. Instinctively, players might want to progress at a brisk pace through the map. While that is certainly an option, it might put players at a disadvantage.
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Souldiersis an action RPG as well, which means that if players don’t level up, they may find themselves dying more often.It’s a good idea to grind at certain save points if players find an area with a good amount of enemies nearby. Saving will reset the world similar to a Soulslike experience. So, save the game, kill monsters, go back to the save point, and repeat. It’s RPG 101.
5Look Out For Secret Walls
Two types of hidden walls can be found inSouldiers. Some will be marked on the map by rubble, and these walls can be blown up once players acquire bombs after unlocking the shop. Without the map, players will eventually be able to tell an explodable wall from a solid one.
There are also hidden walls.Simply trying to walk into a wall may reveal a hidden room. There are no requirements needed. So, while exploring the layoutin this Metroidvania, make sure to hug every wall.
4Take Manual Notes
Another good ideafor any Metroidvaniais to take manual notes. Some things will be marked on the map like the aforementioned explodable walls, but other stuff may not be written down automatically.
The nice thing about playing games nowadays is that all consoles have some sort of image capturing system built within. Making a note and taking a screenshot will go a long way when players need to backtrack. This is especially useful when gaining a new power, like the fire ability, which can open up fresh pathways.
3You Can Change The Camera
Since this is a 2D game, some people might assume there is no camera control; however,if players crouch down for a few seconds, the camera will pan down. This allows players to get a better view of the potential dangers below.
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There might be spike traps, for example, asSouldiersis filled to the brim with traps in general. Alternatively, players can also press up and the camera will pan that way. The range, be it up or down, is not that big. Still, even the smallest hint at what is below or above can make all the difference.
2Use Specials Sparingly
Once players rescue the merchant and get the aforementioned bombs, they will also unlock the special meter.Bombs will be replenished when players pick up Ammo Shards. Collect enough and one bomb will be replenished in the player’s inventory. This is different thanmost other Metroidvaniasthat use ammo.Metroid: Dread, for example, has missiles that can be replenished by picking up more missiles.
This is why bombs and other specials should be used sparingly; in fact, players might want to save them for exploratory uses like for exploding walls.
1Always Have A Potion
There are three primary ways to heal inSouldiers. Firstly, there aresave pointsthat will heal all wounds. Secondly, monsters and breakable objects might dropgreen orbsthat restore a small amount of HP. Lastly, there are thepotionswhich can be found in chests or shops primarily.
Make sure to always have a potion on hand and to only use them on rare occasions like if death will set players back a great distance. Buying potions can eat up a lot of money as a standard one costs 100 gold. That’s why using them and buying them constantly is not recommended.
Souldierswas released on June 21, 2025 and is available on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X.
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