For this gamer, there’s often a barometer to measure how challenging and distinctive a game is: The bigger the gap in size between the hero and villains, generally the more compelling it is. Limbo, Brothers and Shadow of the Colossus are all considered classics, and each one pits its relatively small heroes against gigantic, screen-filling foes. A vulnerable hero raises the stakes and the pathos.
Titan Souls, a darling of trade show events and the press over the past year, is a distinctive and uniquely challenging game. It’s comprised almost entirely of boss battles, which would be off-putting to many gamers (including this one) only the duels are carried out with great imagination.
You play a monster hunter, armed with only a bow and one arrow. The arrow can be retrieved and used again, and most of the beasts can be slain with one perfect shot. It’s a strategic top-down title, with retro, 8-bit graphics. Through lots of trial and error, you’ll discover the beast’s weakness, and then use your one weapon (and sometimes the environment) to take it down.
Isn’t it enough that you’ve figured out the enemy’s weak spot? Nope, you also need a precise aim, as well as nimble thumbs to escape its gigantic stone fists, flying slime bubbles, and other fast-moving threats. It’s a tough game, and you’ll fill your swear jar, but there is immense satisfaction when you do take down a monster.
I also love how it expands on the shape and properties of traditional cultural monsters; enemies include a heart in a dollop of slime, a brain in a moving ice cube, a disembodied skull and an eyeball in a moving stone pillar.
Despite its difficulty (or maybe because of it) I couldn’t escape from Titan Souls and put down the controller. This is a game of imagination, intelligence and originality.
