Press – Page 5 – MagicalTimeBean

First SCII Reviews from the Interwebs

Though it’s only been out a few days, some critics have already bagged and tagged Soulcaster II. Here’s what I’ve found so far:

“The game is hard, but not unfair, so you never want to throw your controller at the screen.”

– The XNA Roundup

“The soundtrack takes no prisoners.” (Google translated this one for me.) 12/12!

– Inside-360.de Indie Games (German)

“It’s a rare game that doesn’t allow me to say that it’s exactly like any other game at this point, and Soulcaster II is exactly that sort of game.”

– OMGJeremy.com

“MagicalTimeBean did well to return to the original, brush up what was lagging behind the gameplay, and present a more well-rounded and polished package in Soulcaster II. If you loved the first game, just go buy the sequel now. And if you have never played the game before, you’ll be rewarded with some of the most innovative gameplay around, with wondrous aesthetics and a great value at 240 MS points.”

– TechnologoDoom on GameSpot Player Reviews

“All of the technical aspects feel authentic and make give the impression that you’re playing an exquisitely crafted SNES game rather than a next-gen title that is trying to be retro.”

– Jonathan Maltz on pnosker.com

Recent Press for Soulcaster

Even 6+ months after its release, we’re still getting some attention from blogs dedicated to indie games.

“The first 240 point game that I’ve reviewed for this little experiment, Soulcaster is one of the best games on the entire marketplace. The game offers moderate length for the price (the game is about an hour and a half long, and has a second “hard mode”), has a fantastic style complemented by the fantasy setting, graphics, and music, and is a refreshing take on tower defense. This is one game that is well worth the 240 price tag it carries.”

– StarFoxA/GiantBomb

“Games like Soulcaster are perfect examples of why the Indie marketplace is so important as an avenue for ushering in fresh blood into the game scene.”

– Digital Download GameWorld

“Soulcaster is brilliant and will leave any player clamoring more, always the mark of excellent entertainment. ★★★★★”

– Kobun’s XBOX Indies

“I don´t know if it´s an RPG, a TowerDefense game or something new entirely – what i do know is that it´s fun! And the retro style rocks.”

– IndieNerds.com

Huge thanks to you guys for taking the time to play the game and promote it!

Planet Xbox 360 ranks Soulcaster #1!

Gerry Holt writes in Top 10 Xbox LIVE Indie Games You Have to Play:

“This has to be my favorite indie game. It is an old school styled RPG where you play as a wizard who has stumbled onto a land of monsters. It reminds me a lot of NES style graphics with the innovation in a lot of RPGs seen in the SNES era. The wizard happens upon a statue of an archer that speaks to him and offers him a soul orb. This soul orb allows him to summon the archer to fight for the defenseless wizard. Enemies spawn from random orbs on the map. Once the last enemy from that orb is killed, the orb explodes and allows passage to the next section of the dungeon. Along the way, you meet more warrior statues that join you through soul orbs; a knight with melee attacks and a thief who throw Molotov cocktails over walls. Using the extra soul orbs, you are able to summon one of each warrior or multiple images of the same one. You can recall warriors one at a time to replace them using the Y button. This system gives it a tower defense meets dungeon crawler feel. The game features a password saving system similar to Metroid. While you are at that screen just try inputting Justin Bailey, you know you want to. According to the creator this is one of 6 hidden passwords that will activate special things within the game. Soulcaster is an excellent RPG hybrid that only 240 MS points.”

Week 3 Press

Soulcaster has really exceeded my expectations in critical reception.

“This is an absolutely amazing little action / strategy game that isn’t easy to categorize. It combines the best elements of Shining Force / Final Fantasy Tactics with dungeon crawling and tower defense games, and it all comes together with great results.”

– Curious Soft/XBLARatings.com

“Soulcaster was a pleasant surprise: a mash up of an 8-bit RPG and Tower Defence, thereby ticking virtually all of the right boxes for anyone who’s ever ordered pizza for a night in with their Nintendo controller…”

– xnPlay – The Juice Report

“… excellent …”

– Tycho/Penny Arcade

“Everything from the level design, item names, graphics, sound, gameplay, and little in-jokes, Soulcaster harkens back to the day of retro-RPGS and is a great buy for anyone with the points.” (8.5/10)

– Trace Aber/411Games

“Another one I checked out was Soulcaster, which I loved. … The music’s really great.”

– Signed In Podcast

“I’ve never seen anything like this … definitely, definitely worth your time. Very different.”

– NooBTooB Podcast

Huge thanks to all the critics who took the time to play through and review the game.