The Only Mobile Game I Really Love

Soulspark is the first game from Copenhagen Creators that shows... well soul. Thats not to say that CC isnt any good, but the developers are still growing. Soulspark appears to be the first time they shed he chains of common trends and made a game thats beautiful on its own.

Heres why: playing Soulspark the first thing I noticed was the art (heck, even before I began playing.) It has he story book quality similar to Darkest Dungeon that really speaks to the card-play and shows more polish than CC has displayed before. Further than just that aesthetic though, I quickly found Soulspark to be the most hardcore gaming experience Ive had on mobile phones.

The combat system is real time and utilizes 3 decks you create individually. Theres interactivity with dispelling effects, debuffs, and buffs, as well as trying to interrupt the longer, more devastating cards. You manage three potential action slots, six targets, three decks, and he whole thing is hectic as hell, more than Ive come to expect it of a card game. It is glorious.

Copenhagen Creators design decisions pay off in spades in one of he most intense, as well as intrinsically and extrinsically strategic games Ive found on mobile phones. It compares to an RTS in which you make split decisions, have high actions per minute, and have a clear early, mid, and endgame planed. Its intense and I couldnt love that more.

You develop decks with cards unique to characters and cards you acquire through random drops. This is a bit genius because the cards need not be balanced against each other, it even feels good to discover youve outmoded your old gear. Theres a strong sensation of growth throughout the game through new cards and characters, as well as grasping a better understanding of your characters greatest role.

The characters arent quite unique. The art couldnt be better and there are some interesting concepts utilized there, but the writing provides nothing new. Its your standard adventure story with all of the same tropes. The heavy use of animal-human races was endearing to say the least and definitely brought a charm I miss in other games. The most characterization went into NPCs which was moderate and interesting at points, but certainly didnt drive me to play. I wish I felt a better connection to my characters.

Now heres the big thing that makes or brakes all mobile games: monetization. Soulspark is Free to Play with in-game transactions; some have likened it to free to try. It is free. I beat the game in three days without spending a cent. Spending money will not give you a big edge because the most integral characters are free. Additionally the game is generous with its premium currency, gems, and I was able to afford one premium character, earning my way to the second. I still feel that I could earn the others as I continue playing.

My biggest gripe is that the gold income is certainly not enough to develop your card pool or even to unlock all of your class cards for one or two classes, never mind your whole party. Thats frustrating and I feel like Im missing out on who my characters really are because income is so slow on that front.

The character I bought, Aegolius, was integral to my combo that won me the majority of the game. If you dont buy him, it may be frustrating to win. You will not win this game just by paying though. It requires skill, tactics, and strategy. You have to be both quick on your feet and clever in the war room to beat this game and I adore that. It something mobile developers are often afraid to do or unable to do these days. Kudos to CC.

This game is Free to Play. You will not get to experience everything. You will still have fun if what youre searching for is a hardcore single player strategy card game. I would recommend it to any strategic console or PC gamer and have started doing so with my friends. It is worth your time. This game shows promise in a previously off the grid developer and we should support that.

Currently the ending is slightly bugged but it wont stop you from completing it. You will not be able to edit your premium character decks after however so be aware. Additionally, during the end, the big bad mentions the Arena, a feature which has no signs anywhere else in the game. Strange that a feature would be mentioned like that while still in development, with not notice anywhere. Hopefully its still coming. I cant get enough Soulspark. It has some replay in the beautifully crafted encounters already present and in trying to develop my class cards.

Soulspark gets a 5/5 stars.

Download it, play it, wonder, struggle, rethink, and win. Its 100% worth your time and will be one of the overlooked mobile gems of 2015.

James Lekstutis about SoulSpark- Eternal Mana Strike