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Fractured Soul (3DS) Review

 
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At a Glance...
 

Formats: 3DS
 
Genre:
 
Year:
 
Developer:
 
Final Score
8.0
8.0/ 10


User Rating
1 total rating

 

We liked?


  • Unique game mechanics
  • Well designed levels and enemies
  • Challenging without being unfair
  • Not so much?


  • Graphics aren't particularly pretty
  • Very steep learning curve


  • Final Fiendish Findings?

    Fractured Soul is a unique and genuinely interesting platform game that challenges your brain and reflexes in a way that very few in the genre do. It’s not the prettiest game out there, and if you aren’t a fan of difficult action platform games, then this won’t sway you. The price might also be a bit steep for some, but it’s worth every penny and you’ve got plenty of meat to get through here.

    0
    Posted January 17, 2013 by

     
    Full Fiendish Findings...
     
     

    Created by Australian developer Endgame Studios, Fractured Soul was originally supposed to be released as a boxed retail game.  When that was canned, Endgame brought it to the Nintendo eShop instead, and good thing too, as they’ve created a very interesting, enjoyable and challenging platforming experience.

    There are quite a few indie options out there for those who like a challenging, old school style platformer, such as Super Meat Boy and Mutant Mudds.  The first thing you have to know about Fractured Soul is it’s hard.  Very hard, in fact but, like the games previously mentioned, it’s just the right side of hard to not make you want to throw your 3DS at the nearest wall in frustration.  It’s also not a particularly pretty game, with models looking a bit jaggy, but they’re good enough to give you what you need, and there are far uglier games about, so it’s not a big deal.

    Fractured Soul is a platformer combined with a shooter.  The game is a rarity on the 3DS in that it uses both screens for the game as different environments.  The basic outline is the same, but there will be enemies, platforms and obstacles that will be in one screen but not the other.  You can only control one screen at a time, so you use the shoulder buttons to switch between which world you are actively in, while a blue shadow moves through the other world matching your movements, but you can’t shoot or walk on platforms in that world.

    Getting through the levels requires you to swtich between the screens rapidly to get through a series of platforms or energy screens that you can’t physically pass through without being damaged.  The screen switching is actually an action of the controls in the same way that jumping and shooting is.

    You’re not given much time to get used to the controls before the game starts throwing other things at you, though, such as levels where one of the screens is underwater.  In the underwater screens, you move slower but can jump further and, as before, quick switching, jumping and shooting is required to progress.  There are even side scrolling shooter levels to break up the platforming, which is a nice change.

    The game also has a lot of replayability through its use of online leaderboards, so you can check your times compared to the rest of the world.  There are also par times for each level to try and beat and secrets to reveal, with your performance rated according to how you do.  They’re tough times to beat as well, so you’ll need to be super fast on your fingers and not stop for anything.

    Final Thoughts
    Fractured Soul is a unique and genuinely interesting platform game that challenges your brain and reflexes in a way that very few in the genre do.  It’s not the prettiest game out there, and if you aren’t a fan of difficult action platform games, then this won’t sway you.  The price might also be a bit steep for some, but it’s worth every penny and you’ve got plenty of meat to get through here.


    Mike Jones

     
    Mike first started writing about video games at the age of 10 when he wrote a Sonic Chaos review for his school newspaper, and hasn't looked back since. Favourite game genres include MMOs, racing games and puzzlers, but he'll try most things once.


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