Soulash 2 - now available on Early Access

[Infinitron]

Spoiler

Coming to Early Access soon.

In a realm where gods have perished, a new era of strife has dawned. Seize power, forge legendary artifacts, conquer the world, and ascend to the divine throne in Soulash 2!

Immerse yourself in an innovative blend of traditional roguelike, roleplaying, and sandbox genres. Conquer an expansive fantasy world, embark on daring expeditions to challenge formidable beings, craft extraordinary artifacts, amass a fortune as a merchant or thief, or construct a monumental pyramid amidst the desert sands.

Conquer the World​

Each world in Soulash 2 is procedurally generated, complete with a simulated history. Generate unique settlements shaped by trade routes, character lifecycles, resource extraction, food consumption, occupations, wages, and the triumphs and tragedies of war - all before you etch your own legacy into their annals.

Forge Your Destiny​

While conquest and destruction lie at the heart of the game, your fate remains unwritten. Soulash 2's skill-based progression system empowers you to unlock new abilities and actions through diverse activities, paving the way for unique possibilities. Embrace your inner explorer, artisan, architect, pyromancer, warrior, or forge your own path by combining different skills.

Master the Art of Crafting​

Soulash 2's innovative crafting system lets you create items with your chosen resources. Recipes feature slots of different types that can be fitted with unique magical ingredients, bestowing items with unparalleled properties that amplify character customization.

Build Your Legacy​

Elevate your dominion with an array of diverse structures: construct a humble hut nestled within a verdant forest, erect a majestic temple to garner adoration, command from a mighty castle atop rolling hills, raise an ice-encrusted tower amidst the frosty tundra, or unleash your sinister influence through a foreboding black pyramid in a sun-scorched desert. Alternatively, seize existing dwellings and reshape them, effortlessly molding the world to your dark desires.

Embrace Mortality - Or Defy It​

Select from three distinct modes to suit your playstyle:

High Fantasy Mode: Suffer penalties upon death, only to resurrect in the nearest friendly location. Beware, however - time's relentless march may still claim your character.
Dark Fantasy Mode: Experience true loss as death erases your character but leaves the world and your creations intact. Continue influencing the world as a new character.
Hardcore Mode: Face the unforgiving roguelike experience with permadeath that annihilates both your character and the world - no meta progression, no mercy.

Wishlist now to get notified on release!

 

[lukaszek]

dark fantasy mode might be fun, i wonder if you will keep crafting recipes or there will be a way to gain them back

 

[thesecret1]

Will there be more to the game than genociding everything alive on the map? Because there wasn't any more to the first game

 

[Godfryd]

For anyone who might be interested, there's a sequel coming to early access in a couple of months, here's a newly released trailer:



Some of the main changes in design are related to the addition of sandbox elements:
- Procedurally generated worlds with simulated history and procedurally generated regions/settlements.
- Extended crafting to support customizable items, removing the RNG from the outcome aside from finding the materials we wish to use.
- Building custom structures, such as houses, castles, etc.
- Skill-based progression system that provides active abilities, amplifiers to enhance them, passives, actions to interact with the world, and recipes for crafting/building.
- Trading with settlements.
- No durability on items.
- Alternative playstyles to permadeath.
- Mouse-based movement and world interactions.

More on the Steam page:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/2399160/Soulash_2

Edit: Wow, I was way too slow. :D

Will there be more to the game than genociding everything alive on the map? Because there wasn't any more to the first game

There will be a little bit more, the settlements are neutral and we can trade, train, order crafting, and item upgrades there, there's building, but the game is still a traditional roguelike, so combat is a significant part of the game.

 

[lukaszek]

Will there be more to the game than genociding everything alive on the map? Because there wasn't any more to the first game

looks like there is trading with settlements, also i recall some devpost about factions fighting each other.
It does seem like upgrade over 1st, although im sceptical about building towns. Unless you can raise zombies to build black pyramid for you. Then its cool

 

[Godfryd]

Free demo was released on Steam yesterday, it will be available for a month: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2399160/Soulash_2

 

[lukaszek]

there are portraits now instead of standard sprites?
no free roaming, small-ish areas with map travel in between(fallout like?)
worst of all, no archery?

 

[Godfryd]

there are portraits now instead of standard sprites?
no free roaming, small-ish areas with map travel in between(fallout like?)
worst of all, no archery?

Yes, yes, and archery will come.

 

[luj1]

Looks like a proc gen version of KotC 2

JarlFrank maybe good?

 

[JarlFrank]

idk, I wishlisted it but these days I'm just completely worn out from proc gen, the majority of games released these days uses it and it always feels the same

 

[Haba]

Well, one of the best parts of Soulash was that the map was hand-crafted. Learning where to go and when was a part of the whole puzzle.

Not sure what to think.

 

[Strange Fellow]

Goulash 2: Second Helping

 

[oasis789]

played the demo for a couple hours, its definitely very playable right now, albeit buggy and a bit frustrating. at least there are ultima 7 like npc schedules

 

[oasis789]

 

[thesecret1]

played the demo for a couple hours, its definitely very playable right now, albeit buggy and a bit frustrating. at least there are ultima 7 like npc schedules

Can you tell us more about it? I watched the trailer and read the steam description, but it doesn't say anything about NPCs anywhere. Is the entire world hostile to you, or are there friendly NPCs that you can interact with? Can you command NPCs, give them jobs in the villages you've built, etc.? Or are you just a murderhobo like in the first one?

 

[oasis789]

There are NPCs, so many that it needed some QOL to help search/filter them. NPCs give quest rumors, craft items, trade, and raise the skill cap. The player can have a family so I presume this will have more family based interactions.

 

[Godfryd]

Some major updates since the EA release:
- New skill Agriculture
- 2 new civilizations: Reptilions & Mushmen
- Modding Tools with Steam Workshop support

And a Roadmap for things to come during EA.

The demo has been updated today including all improvements done since November, except the new Agriculture skill and Modding Tools.

 

[notpl]

I don't know that I've ever seen a developer so steadfastly opposed to the idea of fun. Soulash 1 and now 2 are some of the most aggressively boring things I've ever played.

 

[cpmartins]

I don't know that I've ever seen a developer so steadfastly opposed to the idea of fun. Soulash 1 and now 2 are some of the most aggressively boring things I've ever played.

While I agree on some aspects, the combat was fun enough. The city exploring, especially the elven and dwarven ones however, were not. And getting a skill to 50 was the most annoying thing I've seen so far in the game.
The game has a generic "Grandmaster" title to indicate the highest level trainer, but that varies between 43-47 (never seen a lv 50 GM) and roaming the world looking for those became a shore quite quickly.
And the game having no quests whatsoever is another point against it. They could have at least made one for becoming a grandmaster for skills, easing the grind and making it more interesting.

 

[Godfryd]

A milestone update v0.7.0 was released today, introducing adventuring parties with a new Leadership skill, hiring companions, building golems with custom parts, and more. Announcement with details available here:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2399160/view/4139442565093630586

 

[n0wh3r3]

This is interesting.

 

[Godfryd]

v0.7.2 has been released today, adding the Hunting skill centered around bows and crossbows, tracking, and animal taming. Details available in the announcement:
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/2399160/view/4131562530381119202

lukaszek your bows are finally here!

 

[deama]

Is this thing any good? I played the first one and was a bit iffy from my memory.

 

[cpmartins]

Is this thing any good? I played the first one and was a bit iffy from my memory.

It's a roguelike with building elements and without quests. I enjoyed the combat but the randomly generated content is, as expected, very repetitive.

 

[Infinitron]

In Soulash 2 v0.7.5 I've added multithreading to history simulation to be able to animate what's happening.

The first thing to show is a caravan trading simulation between different settlements, but eventually, I plan to show the progress of wars, battles, establishing new settlements and more events.