Estencel

This one-dev game released in 2023, and let me tell you; at the time of writing in mid-2025, the dev is STILL proactively supporting and updating the game from the steam discussion board. That's dedication! Especially since the game has very little online documentation, aside from a handful of Let's Play videos and a barebones PC Gaming Wiki website.
A note for standard soulslike controller players: you'll have to change several buttons around to emulate typical soulslike controls, except for L3/LS, which is reserved for the map. There is an option in the menu to have the map display with 2 button presses. Lmao, read my second negative point regarding this.

+ The two weapon system; it's nice not needing a directional button press to switch weapons, AND you still have both light and heavy attacks, based upon how long you hold the button down for.
+ "Spells" are linked to stamina, and I LOVED having a "regen mana bar". I rarely use magic in general because I hate juggling mana and stamina in a bossfight, but it was enjoyable here.
+ Spell variety! And being able to have 8 of them? (4 per quickbar) Amazing. Fireball. c:
+ Souls are left outside of the boss room when you die. THANK YOU! This was something Lies of P also had, and I was so grateful to still be able to upgrade, despite being endlessly crushed by the bosses.
+ The return item is instantaneous. Great for when you're second-guessing yourself while in the boss room!
+ There is a table-looking enemy (complete with tablecloth) that double bodyslams you like you put its photo in MS Paint, cut it out with the free-form tool, and moved it up and down with your mouse twice. Idk, I just though it was hilarious. The enemy itself is actually frighteningly fast for its size.
~ There is a story, but I didn't understand exactly what was going on. I'm just here to Unga Bunga anyways, so no worries.
~ Easy mode; a good accessibility feature for people who have trouble with dodging. I used this precisely once - the final boss fight, where I found attack projection quite troubling, even after many, many normal mode attempts.
~ World map/game map; appreciated for general orientation, but several areas were just rooftops without any other map depth. The map itself felt vast, but quite empty at times, and I still got lost a lot.
~ The quickbar holds 2 items, total of 4 when using the swap key, and the Medicine defaults to 5 after you've used your surplus (10 max in your quickbar). I farmed a few times, but it wasn't too stressful, especially with the smaller healing item.
~ Healing blocking was alarming, until finding a plethora of the item to negate it made it trivial. The floor fires had much too small of a radius for me to bother running back to them.
- There are more actions than there are buttons on my controller; keyboard players will have no problem, but I love using a controller, and had to decide what I could do without. My workaround was mapping the forgotten key to 0 on a wireless numpad, and (hilariously) setting it on the floor. I called it Tic Tac Toe Tactics.
- I cannot tell you how many times I clicked L3/LS on accident (the map button). At some point, I felt like I was bad mannering the bosses I was fighting. I wish I could just rebind it to anything else (maybe in the config files?). The quickest remediation was the menu option for 2 button press for map.
- Blocking is tied to stamina while sprinting; it didn't feel great when running away to heal would also chip away at my already meager parry bar.
- Completely my fault, but I accidentally deleted my 23 hour savefile. ;-; The dev was very helpful in stating which files could be migrated, and I feel adding a confirmation screen before deletion would be helpful.
- Levelling; from the start, the game pushes you to parry. I usually play a strength build, and immediately noticed how many points you had to spend for a single stat point of STR.
- Vsync wasn't saving when I launched the game, and I would see screen-tearing. This was likely fixable in whatever config file, but I just manually set it in the in-game options every single time.
- Parrying felt nice when it worked. I still struggled with a lot of boss telegraphs, and parry timing during the endgame. There were also plenty of moments where I got stunlocked in multiple 9-hit combos (Thanks, RICHARD). Maybe I'm just getting old. :(
- I noticed some rare, but strange glitches; attacks not connecting? Rare, but annoying when you know a hit should have counted. And at some point, the map didn't load? I fell through the floor of the game, where there's a hole you're supposed to drop down through. I took screenshots to show the dev, but it happened once and then I never saw it again.
Overall, I would recommend this specifically for soulslike players who also enjoy seeing changes with the basic tried and true control scheme. I always enjoy seeing creative game mechanics in this genre, but please, no more pot men, nor 12 fireball scorpion tail guys. ;-; I bet they're in cahoots with fireball jail.

For me a game is good when I feel sad when it ends. And considering this is made by ONE dev, this achievement is truly amazing.
Kudos Rone Vine!

This game is complete trash, from design, to enemies, to environment and everything in between. Why am i giving this a positive review still? I paid a dollar for it and i got that much enjoyment. The developer tried, they really really tried and it didn't pan out. This is the Xbox live arcade souls like and the quality you would expect from the description. Its always nice to play a game in which the developer has an idea and a passion even if the end result didn't work very well.
Issues:
The dodge and parry are borderline useless due to having minimal invincibility frames
The weapons have such short range you have to cram your face into the enemies to hit them
At least in multiplayer the enemies hit like trucks and even jobbers will 2-3 tap you, this does get a bit better later
The cap on healing items restored at fireplaces means your going to go through most of the zone low HP or no HP
There is a massive run up to bosses to the point the golden scepter is required to make boss runs, there is a reason even from-soft abandoned the boss run up
Enemies jank around so hard they can often be down right impossible to read
The sheer amount of enemies between you and bosses is garbage
The game actively punishes you for fighting multiple enemies at once, this would be fine and acceptable if they didn't make almost every single encounter multi enemy
This game just pumped numbers for HP and damage and i think part of the issue is the game may scale for 8 players even if you only have 2 players
And i could keep going, its honestly nuts this game inst sitting at mostly negative but what it does right it does very right. It just doesn't do a whole lot right.
Now that im done dumping on it lets get to the positive parts because everything else is forgettable. The weapon system is down right inspired and it blows me away i haven't seen something similar. If this was narrowed down to be a borderline boss rush game it could be great, but its not and there is just so much artifice between you and the good parts. Unfortunately that's pretty much all i can praise, the weapon system is the sole reason i have even an hour in this game.
Im going to disabled comments as i know the moronic git good gang will roll in and screech like monkeys if i don't. I am not unfairly comparing this to bloodborne as some seem to be doing, i am comparing this in my head to Lies of P and code vein, both of which it majorly falls short of. For a game that's $12 at full price i never expected it to stack up. If you pick it up for less than $5 it's worth seeing the project, other than that avoid like the plague.

This game is probably a lot more enjoyable when playing it single player, so I'm going to go ahead and say recommend for the price point.
If you're looking for a co-op dark souls experience, this is gonna be a little frustrating, summoned players get no items, the map doesn't sync properly, the enemies change target and direction instantly the second they take damage, so trading aggro is not a thing. The maps a really loopy and have way too many worthless shortcuts and it's easy to miss entire areas.

Estencel, created and published by Rone Vine, is a dark fantasy action RPG that wears its inspirations proudly while attempting to carve out its own identity. Developed almost entirely by a solo creator, the game immediately establishes itself as a moody, atmospheric experience set within a decayed city consumed by mystery and monsters. From the moment you step into its labyrinthine streets and twisting alleyways, it is clear that exploration and tension are at the heart of the design. While its ambitions are lofty, especially for a single-developer project, Estencel manages to offer a substantial journey that blends challenging combat, grim aesthetics, and a sense of discovery that rewards persistence.
The combat system is one of Estencel’s defining features, and it offers a degree of flexibility that goes beyond simply hacking and slashing. Players can equip both primary and secondary weapons, mixing close-range options with ranged firearms like shotguns or specialized tools. This dual-weapon system allows experimentation with different builds and strategies, making battles feel adaptable rather than rigid. The game demands timing, precision, and situational awareness in encounters, often punishing recklessness with brutal efficiency. Boss battles in particular test the player’s patience and reflexes, though balance can be inconsistent at times, occasionally shifting from fair challenge to overwhelming difficulty without much warning.
Exploration reinforces the atmosphere as much as the combat does. The city itself is designed to be confusing yet intriguing, with shadowy corridors, hidden paths, and looming architecture creating a constant sense of unease. Like its genre peers, Estencel thrives on the feeling of being lost, pushing players to piece together routes and secrets through observation and trial. The maze-like level design is both a strength and a weakness—while it captures the oppressive mood well, it can occasionally frustrate with repetition or unclear progression. Despite that, the moments of discovery, when a hidden shortcut is found or a new area opens, are rewarding and help maintain momentum.
Visually and technically, the game reflects both the ambition of its scope and the limitations of its solo development. The aesthetic is heavily inspired by gothic horror, and while not as lavishly detailed as big-budget titles, the world carries enough personality to immerse the player in its bleak atmosphere. Animations and hit detection can be rough in places, and some environments feel a bit barren, but considering the scale of the project, the results are impressive. The game has also been updated since launch with meaningful improvements, including performance boosts, new content such as weapons and bosses, and even quality-of-life features like easier difficulty options. This continued support demonstrates a clear commitment from the developer to refine the experience.
Multiplayer functionality adds another layer of interest, with co-op modes allowing groups of players to take on the game’s challenges together. While not as seamless as in larger productions, the option to share the experience helps soften some of the difficulty spikes and creates opportunities for camaraderie. Coupled with compatibility on platforms like Steam Deck and a variety of language options, Estencel ensures a surprising degree of accessibility for an indie title.
The game is not without its shortcomings. Some players will find the difficulty uneven, while others may be put off by occasional technical hiccups, awkward camera angles, or the sometimes repetitive environments. Its narrative is minimal and often obscured, relying more on atmosphere and implied lore than explicit storytelling, which may not appeal to those looking for a clearly structured plot. Yet, for those who enjoy piecing together meaning from cryptic clues and environmental design, this open-ended storytelling approach can be compelling.
Overall, Estencel is a testament to what can be accomplished with dedication and vision, even by a single developer. It captures the essence of the souls-like formula—demanding combat, oppressive worldbuilding, and the thrill of uncovering secrets—while bringing its own variations in mechanics and style. Though it lacks the polish and refinement of its larger counterparts, its atmosphere and challenge carry it forward as a worthwhile experience for fans of the genre. Estencel is best approached with tempered expectations, but for players willing to embrace its rough edges, it provides a surprisingly rewarding and memorable journey through a dark and haunting world.
Rating: 6/10

Amazing indie game. The mechanics the game creates are amazing and the way they use them is ever better. Level design and direction (as in guiding to the next objective. I would argue bigger games such as the dark souls games kind of have a similar issue, but community guides are much more common) could be stepped up a little, but I'm not trying to detract from this accomplishment. I was surprised to just how much content this game contains.

Getting the game for a dollar was a mistake. I kinda wish I paid full price for it. There's a lot here, especially considering it's made by a single person. You see a lot of attempts at soulslikes fail and while this game is far from perfect, there's quite a bit to enjoy here. I played through the game in multiplayer, with one other person. Here's some notable stuff (in no particular order):
Pros:
- The movement is a bit clunky, but responsive. It's pretty fluid and you get good feedback for when you're properly dodging and perfect parrying.
- The combat is pretty tight, and there's a lot of variety there too. You only have four main weapons, all with varied attack speeds and combos, and then you have a dozen or so additional weapons that serve as quality of life or bonus attacks based on your playstyle. Being able to switch between two main weapons on the fly while using additional weapons during downtime sounds like something min-maxxers might enjoy dissecting. You find these additional weapons scattered all over the map, and they feel like genuine rewards whenever you complete a location.
- There's a surprising amount of interconnectedness in the level design. Some paths feel a bit redundant, but they might have been placed there for making full run-throughs a bit easier. For the most part, shortcuts were useful and fairly common.
- Enemies have good variety, but odd balance. For the most part, enemies aren't much of a problem but some can be such a pain that a full team gank feels like the only way to deal with them (ribcage lamp enemies were the bane of our existence). Some have such wide attacks that they'll just never hit you.
- The boss fights also feel balanced, for the most part. They all have a wide variety of moves and offer their own unique challenges, no real complaints there.
- The multiplayer just... works? It's buggy (a bit more on that in the Cons section) but I experienced no lag for 99% of my run. There was the rare bit of desync when an area transition didn't quite work or an enemy was in a different location for both of us, but this was rare. Only the host can level up, but this levelling up transfers to everyone in the party.
Cons:
- Dying in multiplayer feels unfairly punishing to whoever is left alive. When you die, your partner gets their health lowered so they'll die in one shot, on top of needing to wait ~5 seconds to revive whoever died. Feels like a lot to ask for.
- I have no idea how the stagger mechanics work. Sometimes enemies get staggered from one hit, sometimes it takes dozens. Neither I nor my multiplayer partner could figure this out.
- Multiplayer is fairly buggy if you aren't the host. Resetting the level will remove EVERY consumable item for the joinee, except Medicine. This means you are constantly playing without White Petals, Additional Medicine, or any other consumable you can find in the game. The map is entirely unusable and stays black throughout the run. You can still play just fine even with these issues, it just sucks being stuck with 5 heals for much of the game.
- Speaking of heals, it would be nice if you could get an increase to the amount of Medicines you could carry, or upgrade Medicines to heal more later on? By the end of the game you're spending 3-4 meds just healing from a single attack. It's not that big of a deal for the host, but other players are limited to 5 Medicines for most of the game! Having something to counteract this would be nice.
- The lighting was a mess for me. I had to run the game in DirectX 11 and no matter how much I played with the settings it was usually hard to see either because of harsh bloom-like effects or pitch-black darkness that made progression without the floating lights almost impossible.
Other:
- The story leaves a LOT up to speculation, in true souls fashion, but without the fancy lore descriptions on items you find. I thought it was worth noting as it may bother some players.
- I have no idea what most of the consumables do, due to the aforementioned multiplayer issues, so I have no clue if they're good or not.
Overall, it's clear that a lot of work went into this game, and I have nothing but respect for Rone Vine in making this happen, but there are certainly a lot of problems. Playing the game in multiplayer makes the whole run smoother, but if you get stuck, you're REALLY stuck for a while due to how punishing dying is for the surviving player.
Oh also screw the Third Guardian. That fight took us HOURS to finish, and it's the only one that gave us some real trouble throughout the run. Wah.