You always cast a shadow
Wayward Souls is an Action RPG that originally launched on April 24, 2014 on iOS. It was then ported to PC: initially as a Steam Early Access title in 2017, and then as a full release on August 28th, 2019. Published and developed by RocketCat Games, it is a Gaiden Game set in Mage Gauntlet universe. It plays similarly to games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, but with roguelike elements, such as deaths lead to restarting a dungeon.
You start the game as The Paladin, who finds his caravan to be attacked by zombies. His mission is simple: To end the curse that's surrounding the entire area around The Tower. However, as he enters tower, he finds The Baron. The paladin tries to kill the Baron, but he can't and dies as a result. His task now fell into six Wayward Souls, each with their own reasons as well as abilities to go inside the tower
Here are the following seven playable characters:
- The Warrior: Uses a greatsword, which is slow but has wide reach with a damaging power attack lunge, as well as having a shield that can block anything as well as throwing axes to deal with situations requiring ranged weapons. He also boast the 2nd highest health in the game, only outclassed by The Paladin.
- The Mage: Have a ranged attack, as well as a piercing shot as power attack, that is the most damaging out of the seven classes but requires energy to attack. Have a wind spell that can dissipate projectiles as well as flame spell that deals damage over time. However, she has the lowest health in the game.
- The Rogue: Has a dagger that normally deals low damage, but can Back Stab to deal double damage. Her power attack is a kick that stuns enemies. Instead of ability pickups, she can dash, which requires energy to use, but can otherwise can be done infinitely. The dash can pass through enemies as well as projecties, and with upgrades, it can confuse enemies.
- The Adventurer: The first unlockable class, he has a shortsword, which is faster than a greatsword but also has shorter reach. He has a lantern that removes magic surrounding him as well as dealing damage, and an amulet that can stun up two enemies. He can be unlocked by defeating the first boss.
- The Spellsword: The Spellsword has a weapon that is similar to adventurer, with the power attack replaced by a stunning lunge, but like the rogue, he has dashes, though unlike her, he can only dash through projectiles. Being a Magic Knight, he can get spells such as Fireball from boxes as well as getting more potent spells through upgrades. He can be unlocked by defeating the second boss.
- The Cultist: The last of the original six classes, she has a dagger, just like the rogue, but her power attack throws a knife with infinite range. She can become invisible, as well as blind surrounding enemies, allowing her to backstab enemies without fear of retaliation. She can be unlocked by defeating the third boss.
- The Paladin: The final class that is added from PC port, the Paladin has a greatsword similar to Warrior, but he can use a burst of light that stuns enemies and removes projectiles, as well as projectile that can pierce three enemies at once. To compensate for his strengths, he has his own campaign that is harder than the other classes. To unlock him, you need to defeat the Final Boss
Wayward Souls contains examples of:
- Aristocrats Are Evil: Baron Amaranth Subverted, the Baron is actually doing a prayer that's stopping the mask from possessing his daughter
- Awesome, yet Impractical: Spellsword power attack is a thrust that stuns enemies, but it depletes all energy, leaving him vunerable to enemies.
- Battle Butler: Humprey
- Blue-and-Orange Morality: The Shadow doesn't see their actions as evil, rather it seeks to unite all by eliminating individiduality
- Big Bad: Baron Amaranth, The Bearer
- Bittersweet Ending: The six main characters are able to return home and continue their journey, however Gallus becomes one with the shadow, waiting for the All-Shadow to return
- Bullet Hell: The Bearer mainly attacks with many, many projectiles
- Charged Attack: Each class has their own power attack that can be changed through emberforge upgrades.
- Continuing is Painful: When you die, you have to restart a whole dungeon.
- Equipment Upgrade: The emberforges allow you to upgrade your class's arsenal
- Fighter, Mage, Thief: The three starting classes are warrior, mage, and rogue. The later unlockable class are more of hybrids.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: Baron Amaranth at tutorial. You get a special cutscene if you somehow defeat him
- Living Shadow: The shadows are special enemies usually found in certain events
- Magikarp Power: The Adventurer starts of weak, with only shortsword, a latern that forces you to stand still, and a stun amulet that only deal minimal damage. However with emberforge upgrades, he can get increased healing from floors/fountain, has a lantern that deals great damage, and a fast moving powerful projectile that dissipates enemies magic.
- The Magocracy: The Arcane Commonwealth
- Mighty Glacier: The Warrior greatsword swings slow, however it has the highest reach out of all of the melee attacks. The Warrior is also equipped with a shield that blocks any damage the moment he uses it, as well as having the highest Hit Points out of the six classes
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: By killing the Baron, the mask now can possess the girl
-
Nintendo Hard: Enemies can often swarm you and kill if you just stand still and attack, forcing you to use movement to dodge attacks just to survive. - Our Goblins Are Different: Drugelings are catlike enemies that are found in level 1, characterized by attacking with Zerg Rush tactics.
- Our Orcs Are Different: Orcs are enemies found in level 1, characterized by having warriors as well as rogues that can dash through you.
- The Paladin: The playable character on the tutorial as well as the final unlockable class in the PC version
- Power Up Letdown: The warrior has many Emberforge options that are clearly worse than his defaults. The worst is the weapon Bane of Bones which makes the warrior's attacks slower and turns his power strike into a slow, hard-to-land leap.
- Powers via Possession: Svala, the cultist
- Schrödinger's Player Character: Your chosen character kills the boss without seemingly any other help by the other player characters.
- Previous Player-Character Cameo: Lexi can be found on a random event room.
- Sequel Hook: The All-Shadow, who is a major figure in Mage Gauntlet Universe.
- The Theocracy: The Imperate, which is controlled by the Imperate Church.
- "Where Are They Now?" Epilogue:
- Blythe returns to the Fenns to take contracts to hunt down necromancers. He still thinks Gultrecth is still alive so to this day he keeps vigilant.
- Renee returns to catatombs to take the jewel crown and escapes the tower. She then sees Antoine on bandages, with a sack of treasure. As he rests, she took the treasure and replace it with rocks, winning her the Marquis challenge.
- Abbie and Gracie escapes the tower, now going to the Welkin Promontory for aspiring pyromancers. With information gathered from the tower, they now seek to clear their Grandfather's and family's name.
- Cyril wants to go back to the Fenns, but his wizard friend Rebus gives him the Silver Eye tome instead. He then decides to go Sterling, the capital of the Commonwealth, to unlock the mysteries of the tome.
- Hassan fails to get the scroll, however he has other options. After hearing rumors from taverns, he decides to find magical scrolls in the magical floating islands instead. How he gets to the islands is however a mystery.
- Svala can't return to the her homeland until she tames her demon. However, after too many ambushes by the Ashen Cult, she decided to let the demon Verazal to take offer. She resigned some control to Verazal and in exchange she demands the demon to help solve her problems in her homeland.
- Aloysius report back to the Imperate, stating that he failed to return Baron Amaranth back to his family
- Gallus body still sits, while a large shadow is behind him, waiting for the All-Shadow to return
- Would Hurt a Child: The Paladin from tutorial is willing to kill Amaranth's daughter to end the curse
