Void Sols is an exciting, atmospheric, and accessible 2D soulslike.

Void Sols transcends the “minimalist soulslike” concept it presents. While the protagonist is a featureless triangle and enemies are solid-colored, mostly abstract polygonal shapes, the world they inhabit is rich, atmospheric, and mysterious. Finite Reflection Studios and Modern Wolf’s Void Sols offers a profound and exhilarating experience that goes beyond abstraction.

When I consider minimalist and abstract, I think of a purely gameplay-focused experience. Void Sols feels great to play, but it also immerses you in a setting with a mysterious atmosphere and palpable danger. The fact that the game has these immersive qualities is impressive when the perspective is purely flat, top-down 2D, and the characters are all shapes.

We don’t know much about what’s going on. Your triangle begins in a dungeon prison; after you break out, you set off to explore the dark world, lighting torches to mark your path and encountering magic and mystery on the way.

While the characters may be simple shapes, the environments in Void Souls are richly textured and atmospheric. Shadow, smoke, fire, and fog make the world feel alive. Details like dense tree canopies complement the darkness, making the mazelike world feel claustrophobic as you often need to deal with poor visibility. Things are shrouded in shadow, and the game’s excellent lighting system blocks off light when obstacles are in the way. You must light the torches and toss glowstones to see clearly; you must often break boxes and the like that block the light’s path. It forces you to explore carefully because death can (and will) be lurking around every corner. The result makes the minimal 2D world feel as dangerous as FromSoft’s genre-defining games.

Void Sols features many staples of the souls genre. It has bonfires, unforgiving combat, a mazelike level design with shortcuts to discover, easily lost experience points, and more. At the same time, the game adds some options that make the genre a bit more laid-back and accessible. Settings like complete difficulty customization and the option to keep experience on death are the more obvious ones. The bit that was more interesting is that no stat changes or upgrades are set permanently—you can respec your stats or weapon upgrades at any time at a bonfire. I also enjoyed that consumable items all refill when you rest at bonfires, just like your healing flasks, allowing you more freedom to experiment with these items without fear of limited quantities.

I also thoroughly enjoyed the game’s visually appealing user interface design. Everything is cleanly presented and easy to comprehend. The UI has been slightly curved to match the curved screen camera effect permeating the game. While this effect may initially be disorienting, it’s an integral part of the game’s visual experience, and I can’t imagine playing it without it.

Void Sols is a wonderful, comparatively bite-size soulslike experience. It’s satisfying from start to finish and is a fantastic game for souls enthusiasts looking for something to play while they wait for the upcoming Elden Ring: Nightreign.

Void Sols is available now on PC (Steam).

Overall Score: 8/10

Played on: Steam Deck