Wayward Souls

I played this game originally on mobile after playing Mage Gauntlet by the same company, Rocketcat Games. I fell in love with it then, and it still holds up today. I just finished getting the last achievement for it and wanted to write this review. The difficulty is just right, the story of all 7 Wayward Souls is unique and refreshing, more than enough so to not make it feel tedious when going through the dungeons again. Each character has distinctive playstyles and abilities and have to all be utilized differently. When I played it on mobile, the Gallus storyline had not yet released, and I can wholeheartedly say it was a fantastic and much needed addition, including both a few twists that I absolutely did not expect and a great ending that wraps up the entirety of the lore and adventure very nicely. 10/10

Its fun and solid with a major problem, you will need a ton of grinding to clear stage 3. Also the mage is the hardest pick someone else for your first play through. The other issue is you really need to know the enemies and rng and bad luck will kill your runs even on the first level. I am talking semi invisible mines and Assassins later on.

Wayward Souls is a demanding and meticulously crafted action adventure developed and published by Rocketcat Games that blends classic dungeon-crawling sensibilities with modern roguelike structure. Rooted in the spirit of 16-bit action RPGs, the game embraces precision combat, procedural design, and repetition as a means of mastery rather than mere endurance. From the outset, it establishes a clear identity: this is not a power fantasy, but a test of skill, patience, and adaptability where every mistake carries weight and every small success feels earned.
The core experience revolves around repeated expeditions into a cursed tower whose layout, enemy placements, and rewards shift with every attempt. Each run begins with limited resources and escalates quickly into tense encounters that demand careful positioning and awareness. Combat is deliberately paced and unforgiving, requiring players to read enemy patterns, time attacks precisely, and manage stamina and spacing rather than relying on button-mashing. Enemies hit hard, healing is scarce, and reckless aggression is frequently punished, reinforcing the game’s emphasis on deliberate, thoughtful play.
A major strength of Wayward Souls lies in its diverse roster of playable characters, each offering a fundamentally different approach to combat and survival. Characters such as the Warrior, Rogue, Mage, and other unlockable heroes are not simple reskins; they feature unique mechanics, strengths, weaknesses, and progression paths that meaningfully alter how the game is played. Switching characters often feels like learning a new game entirely, as positioning, attack rhythm, and risk tolerance shift dramatically depending on the chosen hero. This variety greatly enhances replay value and encourages experimentation rather than funneling players toward a single optimal playstyle.
Progression is structured around a hybrid system that balances punishment with long-term growth. While death resets a run and strips away most temporary gains, currency collected during attempts persists and can be invested in permanent upgrades tied to specific characters. These upgrades subtly but meaningfully enhance survivability and combat options, providing a sense of forward momentum even when individual runs end in failure. This design ensures that persistence is rewarded without undermining the game’s challenge, striking a careful balance that keeps difficulty intact while preventing stagnation.
Visually, Wayward Souls embraces a richly detailed pixel-art aesthetic that feels both nostalgic and refined. Environments are varied and densely designed, ranging from eerie corridors to elemental-themed chambers filled with traps and hazards. Enemy animations are clear and readable, an essential quality given the game’s reliance on reaction and timing. The presentation supports gameplay first and foremost, ensuring that visual clarity is never sacrificed for flair, while still maintaining a strong sense of atmosphere and identity.
Sound design and music further reinforce the game’s tone. Combat effects are crisp and impactful, providing immediate feedback for successful hits and dangerous situations. The soundtrack underscores both tension and exploration, enhancing the feeling of venturing deeper into a hostile, unpredictable space. Occasional lighter touches—such as cosmetic unlocks like collectible hats—add personality and humor, preventing the experience from becoming oppressively grim despite its difficulty.
Narratively, Wayward Souls takes a restrained but effective approach. Story elements are delivered through brief character moments and environmental cues rather than lengthy exposition, allowing players to remain focused on gameplay while still developing a sense of purpose and identity for each character. These narrative fragments give context to the endless dungeon runs without overwhelming the experience, aligning well with the game’s emphasis on replayability and mechanical mastery.
The game’s challenge is unapologetic and may not appeal to everyone. Its reliance on learning through failure, combined with its relatively slow and methodical combat, can feel punishing to players accustomed to faster or more forgiving action games. However, for those willing to engage with its systems on their own terms, the difficulty becomes a defining strength rather than a barrier. Mastery emerges organically as players internalize enemy behaviors, optimize movement, and refine their understanding of each character’s strengths.
Overall, Wayward Souls stands as a confident and enduring example of action roguelike design that values depth, discipline, and replayability over accessibility shortcuts. It rewards persistence with genuine improvement rather than superficial power, offering a deeply satisfying experience for players who enjoy mastering systems through repetition and skill. While its uncompromising nature limits its audience, those who connect with its design philosophy will find a game that remains engaging long after the first descent into its ever-changing tower.
Rating: 7/10

So there's something good here, but I think there's also a reason why I'm getting extremely easy to pop achievements and only 7% of players have gotten them.
Wayward Souls is a twinstick roguelike a la Enter The Gungeon. It has solid writing, nice and relaxing music, and individual plotlines for each of its characters. There's a lot of content here---you can clear each dungeon with each cast member and get a little bit more story.
However, Wayward Souls is not a twin stick *shooter*. Most of the characters are melee combatants. Those that have projectiles at all usually have them as a limited consumable. And enemy attacks are both minimally televised, somewhat difficult to read, and rip out at mach nine. Whereas your attacks are stubby and have big knockback, so you have to get in close and then keep pushing in---but not too much. It's really easy to eat a bunch of damage in a way that doesn't feel completely earned, especially with the walk speed being kind of slow.
There is one character with a projectile normal---the wizard. And she's not a bad choice to get used to the game. You can also grind progression on individual characters (and unlock cross-character synergies), although weirdly it seems to be more lucrative on the first dungeon than the second.
I do think the gamefeel here might be a problem for some people. It's not badly designed, it's just weirdly designed, and you have to get it to click for it to be fun long term.
It isn't perfectly clicking for me, so I may not play a ton of this, but I think it's a good pickup on a deep sale if you like twin stick roguelikes and indie projects. If you're on the fence, maybe look up some gameplay on youtube before fully committing to it.

Simple and charming.Great game.

I mostly played this in the mobile version.
The positives: A very atmospheric game with sad dark melancholic theme, decent combat, high difficulty, different classes to try
The negatives: Very grindy, upgrades are unsatisfying. Some encounters may be too unfair

Overall it is, like 7/10 or something. The atmosphere really sells it

so i've def put more hours into the mobile version of the game but lemme say every ounce of this game is amazing and perfect down to story telling, combat, and random rooms