Soulscape: Shadows of The Past (Episode 1) (2024)

Soulscape: Shadows of The Past is a story focused adventure that puts me in the role of Blake Turner, a former agent who is trying to deal with the parts of his past that he would rather leave behind. The game takes place in a dystopian setting and mixes point and click exploration, puzzles, dialogue choices and some light RPG elements. I like the basic setup because it gives the story a darker mystery to work with, and the idea of playing someone whose past is slowly coming back to haunt him fits the atmosphere really well. This is also the first episode of a planned three part story, so it is clearly setting things up for something bigger. The mood system is probably the most interesting idea here for me. My choices affect Blake's emotional state, and that mood can then influence the story, character reactions and even the music. I like this because it gives the choices a little more purpose than simply picking different lines of dialogue. I am not just deciding what Blake says. I am also shaping the way he feels and how the world responds to him. It is a clever concept for a game that is mainly focused on narrative, even if I would have liked the consequences to feel more subst…

I like it.