Grabs Your Soul
With its slow start and complex network of combat, Invictus: Lost Soul gave all the indications of a mobile app flop. But once out of tutorial mode and after 15 minutes of gameplay, the rhythm of the game began. I was hooked. Most games capture my attention for the plot. However, it was Invictus: Lost Soul’s mixed style of combat and battle prep that drew my attention. Followed closely by the intricate details of the game design and art.
Bushiroad International’s collection of released games is minimal at best. While all the games are rated fairly high on Google Play, the company has very little available for players. Maybe this is deliberate, considering the company has been around for over ten years. There is not much else to say other than that. Of all the games released by Bushiroad International, Invictus: Lost Soul might come to be the one people play the most.
Becoming Unconquered
Battle prep comes in a couple of different flavors, nuancing the variables of glorious victory or crushing defeat. Players can wield two-handed great-axes as powerhouses of damage. Or, if the battle of attrition is more the player’s style, they can go for the (relatively) lighter but rapid damage of the longsword. If the player is a devotee to the old adage “the best offense is a good defense” they can take the sword/shield combo and attempt to outlast their rival in the arena.
Combat is unique in that Invictus: Lost Soul is a mixture of card-building and PvP arena-battles. Players use cards as their combat action. Cards range from aggressive power attacks to quick and dirty strikes with some healing options thrown in for good measure. Cards are on a refresh period, and at regular intervals an active card will swap out with one of your other draw pile cards. Your draw pile grows as you complete daily quests and level up through PvE and PvP battles.
Points Lost
Invictus: Los Soul, of course, is all about the challenge. However, the level discrepancy was not lost on me in the PvP arena. Often times, I would be up against players averaging five or six levels higher than myself. Those victories never came easy, and often times felt more like luck than any finesse on my part. PvE is generally a promised success, but there is obvious contrived conflict of pitting players not within the same level that should be corrected.
Plot is everything. Right? Maybe. Pretty early into the Invictus: Lost Soul storyline, I realized I just did not care about it. The story, that is. I wanted to get to the good stuff of fighting other players, completing daily quests and earning the plethora of spoils. I did not move through the campaign because I cared about the ending. There was little there to care about. Dialogue was uninspired and plot left much to be desired.
Overall, where the game lacks in a compelling campaign it makes up for in creative combat. For some, the lack of plot and the obvious inequality of PvP scenarios might be enough to drive them away and is probably what keeps this game from having a Five-star rating on Google Play. But for this player, she will continue to attempt to David against all the Goliaths because making that killing strike is just so satisfying.
Is It Hardcore?
Absolutely
Invictus: Lost Soul is a great mixture of card building and PvP with a style that sets it apart from games of the same genre.