Souldiers (, Xbox, Switch, PC, £15.99)

Verdict: Old made new

Rating:

At first, Souldiers is like a warm hug from Father Time.Its fantasy world is introduced with the sort of animated sequence that would have played at the start of an early-90s cartoon. Then, when it comes to the actual game, the sounds and graphics and reminiscent of that era, too; all bleeps and bloops and colourful pixels.

But soon, if you hadn’t already noticed from the name, it becomes clear that Souldiers has a more recent inspiration: 2011’s punishingly difficult Dark Souls. 

Even the simplest enemies you encounter, such as the spiders in the early caverns, demand a heightened level of concentration as you swipe, dodge, leap and counter.

This might make Souldiers sound doubly derivative, but, weirdly, there’s a freshness to its particular mix. 

The old-timey-gaming half is invigorated by the additions from Dark Souls, such as the choice given to the player of different combat styles with which to tackle the game.While the Soulslike stuff is made more charming by all the sparkle around it.

Which isn’t to say that the mix always works. There are times when the challenging gameplay of Souldiers becomes something else: unfair. 

You’ll be left cursing the 2D restrictions of its retro world after you’ve died for the 57th time to a monster born of modern, 3D sensibilities.

Still, this is the first game from its makers, an independent studio called Retro Forge, and it has more confidence and poise than many developers manage after dozens of releases.So here’s to their future — and gaming’s past.