PAX South Spotlight: Young Souls
Young Souls was at PAX South, and I had the pleasure of playing through a demo. If you haven't seen it before, Young Souls is a beat'em up mixed with RPG mechanics.
In the game you play as one of two twins. They're aware of the presence of goblins, who happen to reside in the same town as our heroes. There are good goblins and nasty ones, and you're trying to stop the nasty ones from doing their thing.
The game takes place over day and night cycles. During the day the twins get dressed, go to town, talk to folks, workout at the gym (actually impacts character leveling), and shopping. Trips to the various shops allow you to buy new weapons, armor, potions, and cosmetic items (mostly clothes).
During the night, you delve into dungeons. Defeated enemies yields gold and experience points, with experience points used to level up your character. You can only level up after sleeping, which brings you back to the day. The cycle repeats.
Combat feels good overall. You have a simple attack, block, a kick/shield bash you can use to break an opponent's guard, and a dash move. As you play you'll also unlock spells to aid you.
The twins can be given different gear, matching your desired playstyle. In my time with the demo I equipped one twin with a one-handed sword and shield, and the other with a two-handed sword, which dealt slower, more powerful, strikes.
Progressing through dungeons unlocks more friendly goblins, who can become shopkeepers, or otherwise help the twins in various ways. Diving deeper into the dungeon results in the town growing as well, as you'll see the friendly goblins around during the day cycle.
Young Souls is shaping up to be a beautiful dungeon dive. No word on a release date yet, but I'll be keeping a lookout.