Titan Souls is a 2D game with 3D elements. It is described as a cross between Dark Souls and Shadow of The Colossus. It is natural to be skeptical of a game that would sell itself with a tagline of combining two previous popular games. The end product in these situations is often nowhere near the hybrid experience they promise. In the case of Titan Souls by indie developer Devolver Digital, there is no more accurate summation than what they have claimed above. Titan Souls is a game so intrinsically linked with the idea of a Boss Rush that it simply had to be covered here!
The idea of Titan Souls is simple. There are no enemies. It is just boss battles. You navigate the world finding these bosses (known as titans) and your goal is to eliminate them. To add a unique spin on this often trodden concept, your character and every titan you face will take just one hit to kill. When you borrow the ingenuity of Dark Souls and the tension building suspense of Shadow of The Colossus, you create a wonderful crossbreed. This makes for an original experience in a market largely saturated with carbon copy adventure titles. If you’re not sold just yet then please enjoy my rundown of the very first four titans you will face in Titan Souls!
THE LEFT CAVE – BOX TITAN
Text will display for each of the titans that you face in an unreadable language, thus you can expect to see lazy (albeit accurate) names that I have made for each of these first four titans. The first that you face depends on what direction you go in; I started out with the cave to the left. This box shaped titan moves on the squares of a checkerboard that fill the room. He fires a laser in your direction when his eye is exposed. To beat him, you need to hit the eye at any ample opportunity. The difficulty for this boss stems from his superior speed and the guess-work involved in predicting what side his eye will be facing with each movement. A formula that worked for me was to count the squares it takes him to fire his death beam. This gives you a general idea of when he will fire, but not in exactly what direction. The core part of this fight will involve lots of dodging on your part. Keep your distance. Take your time. Don’t panic. One precision shot at the right time is all it takes.
THE MIDDLE CAVE – BUBBLE HEART TITAN
A heart inside a bubble that plops along the ground at a slow pace. The illusion of an easy fight is plainly set up as you enter. The task with this titan is to shoot the bubble, knocking out the heart, so that it is exposed and ready to be pierced with your mighty arrow. This is less tricky than the box titan, but only if you gather what you are doing quick enough. Every time you pop a bubble, another one emerges and they get faster each time. The screen can be covered in several tiny, sporadic bubbles that can wipe you out if you are not careful. The heart itself doesn’t stay in the one spot to let you stop it from beating either. It bounces around, making a pinpoint shot an exercise in learning to be patient. Much like the first titan, the way to victory here is in the distance you keep and the steadiness of your hand. Aim true. Keep cool.
THE RIGHT CAVE – BRAINFREEZE TITAN
Much like his neighbour, this titan has a vital organ floating around inside him. A cool-headed gamer with a keen eye should spot the way to victory quickly with this one. The floor is lined with four platforms. If you walk over them, nothing happens. If the sliding ice-cube slithers onto one of them, a fire becomes illuminated in the centre. Mister Brainfreeze uses his patented charging manoeuvre as his only attack in this fight. Speed is the key to pressing onwards. Keep evading. Draw him towards a platform. Launch your arrow at the right angle so that it will go through the fire and hit the titan. Once his ice melts, the brain is a handy target. This titan in particular will make you question his choice of home. A fire pit is hardly a safe choice for a brain inside an ice-cube. I know a few realtors who could’ve gotten him a cooler place. Such a shame.
THE NORTH RUIN – PUNCHY FIST TITAN
The fourth (and most creatively named titan) is a statue titan hanging out in an old ruin. As you can surmise from the title, he tries to hit you with his fists. Each time he drops down his rocky hands to crush you, there is a moment where his chest is open for attack. Normally, this spot is covered by his two hands, but he alternates between attempting to smoosh you and protecting his chest. This one is a pure pattern-based battle. Roll to get away from his punches and time how long it takes for him to let his guard down. The red glow in the center of his chest is your indicator for his weak point. This one is not particularly challenging if you have defeated the other titans first, however, you’re not done yet! You’ve collected four souls from each of the titans and there are still plenty more to find.
Titan Souls is a wonderful blend of nostalgic gameplay and modern-day innovation. It is well worth checking out for fans of puzzle-based challenges and explorative 2D adventures. An additional note has to go to the cracking soundtrack accompanying each of the many titans that you’ll square up to. Check it out on PS4, PC or Mac if you get the chance. It’s well worth a purchase for some kick ass bosses!
