A Mesmerising Journey – Soul Searching

Once, Basho wrote something that summarizes the urge we all have inside. The urge of leaving the things known to us behind and look for something which will complete us out there. He said “Every day is a journey, and the journey itself is home.”

When I first heard about Soul Searching, I though that it might be something to cease the pain of staying put. And I wasn’t wrong.

Soul Searching is an indie title by Kayabros. A narative survival game about sailing away from your homeland to a world of islands. But, reaching a destination must not be your main goal if you want to enjoy this beautiful game. The most charming thing is the journey itself. When you take the first step to the world of unknown, your journey of growing up begins.

Inspired by Ursula Le Guin’s Earthsea series and movies like Life of Pi, Soul Searching is about growing up, leaving your homeland, standing on your own feet. It deals with themes like isolation, searching for meaning and direction, leading to depression and suicidal thoughts.

It shocked me when I realise that I was already in the depths of the developers mind. I was witnessing a personal journey but it became also personal for me so fast, I kept playing with a guilty pleasure.

When it comes to the gameplay, I can say that it is a rather simple game with survival elements. You can catch fish, discover dragons, customize your boat, find ghost, cast magic spells, trade with gold and try to survive. There is no tutorial yet it only takes a second to figure out how the game works.

Along with the Story Mode, Soul Searching also offers us a randomly generated mode from 1 to 4 local players. You may choose to delve into this mysterious open-world with your friends but it means you will need more food and recources and you will deal with more challenges.

Soul Searching is now out on Steam with 20% discount and if you are ready to have a great experience with a lovely soundtrack, do not hesitate.

Positive

• Mesmerising deep story which will make you question your life
• Atmospheric level designs
• Decent soundtrack
• More than relaxing

Negative

• Voice acting may get your nerves

[appbox steam 586240]

I vanish!