Soundfall

Genre: Top-Down Action-RPG / Music-Rhythm

Players: 1-4 Co-Op (Local / Online)

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Review:

Soundfall, released on PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2022, is a game that combines a Top-Down Action-RPG in the same vein as Diablo with a Music-Rhythm game, with some strong 2-Stick Shooter elements as well. The game takes place in a musical world where the character must fight off hordes of enemies with moves that are powered-up if they’re used in time with the beat.

The visuals in Soundfall make use of nice 3D characters and backgrounds that look decent, if a bit washed-out. However, one nice element is that elements of the backgrounds all bounce in time with the beat, giving you an extra indication when you need to time your button presses. Honestly, the best part of the visual presentation has to be the character portraits, which feature some excellent character designs, as well as occasional animations that play through the course of the game’s story.

Of course, for any Music-Rhythm game, one of the most vital elements is going to be the music itself, and Soundfall has a phenomenal soundtrack full of a wide range of about 140 songs from a variety of indie artists, with songs in genres including pop, techno, chiptune, metal, orchestral, even simple acoustic guitar solos, pretty much all with a great beat. This is an amazing soundtrack that has something for everyone, and while tastes may vary when it comes to the best tunes, come of my picks here are Run, Borrowed Time, Bioluminescence, Be My Parachute, Goddess of Destruction, and I Am Unbreakable, to name a few.

There are a few presentation elements here I do have to criticize, though. Firstly, the game’s levels all take place across just over a dozen or so “biomes”, which can get visually repetitive at times, especially in the campaign where you’ll play multiple levels one after another that look alike. This repetitive visual issue also effects the enemies – which all feature the same black-and-purple motif and just vary in their shapes and animations. Also, while I like the game’s story about an aspiring musician pulled into an alternate fantastical music-themed world, the completely silent characters and their silent text (not even a nonverbal text sound) really contrasts with the beautiful sound in the rest of the game and feels empty.

However, for the most part here, the presentation is great, and ties in perfectly with the action. Attacks are more powerful on the beat (and off-beat ranged attacks drain your weapon and will eventually require it to take a moment to recharge), dashes on the beat make you briefly invincible, and enemies attack on the beat as well, making it easier to predict their actions. What’s more, even the disparate genres of music I mentioned before play a role in the gameplay, as different genres of music provide players with different kinds of loot drops.

The actual action itself is excellent. It’s nowhere near as technical as something like Hades, nor is the loot as wildly varied as what’s in Diablo III, but I would say that this game provides a nice halfway point between those two games, all while beautifully working in the Music-Rhythm elements so well that when your timing is on-point, the gameplay feels like it’s just flowing absolutely beautifully, moving between melee and ranged attacks with occasional dodges and powered-up special attacks, all in time with the beat. At times, it can get a little repetitive, but overall this game is as much a joy to play as it is to listen to, and the 4-player co-op support means this game will be even better with friends.

Players have a fair amount of options between levels too – they can outfit their character, buy new gear from an in-game shop, and they can even opt to jump directly to any song in the game’s massive catalog to play a level specific to that song, independent of the campaign. This is useful both for grinding a specific desired type of loot, as well as if you just want to jam to a specific tune. I only wish this game allowed you to mark favorites, or had an easier way to jump to a specific song in the list (140 songs is a lot to rifle through).

Look, let me make this clear – in this review I have compared Soundfall to Hades and Diablo, two games I consider to be among the best on the Nintendo Switch, and I do not make that comparison lightly. While there are a few elements here that keep Soundfall from reaching quite that same level of excellence, overall this has been one of my most delightful surprises of 2022 so far. This is an absolutely inspired blending of Action-RPG and Music-Rhythm that offers wonderful gameplay and a killer soundtrack. If you’re a fan of these genres, you should be sure to get ahold of this game – it is a sublime experience.

tl;dr – Soundfall is a game that combines Action-RPG and Music-Rhythm elements, where players fight off hordes of enemies and hunt for loot while timing their attacks to the beat of a massive, varied, and overall excellent soundtrack. Some elements of the gameplay and presentation can get a tad repetitive, and there are a few tweaks I would have preferred, but overall this is a truly excellent game well worth playing.

Grade: A-

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2022 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best Action-RPG, Best Multiplayer, Most Underrated (73), Most Original

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