Spectral Souls Review

It’s easy to be skeptical of iOS games touting hefty Full Game price tags, but every so often it can end up being worth it. Sometimes totally worth it. And it only took a few minutes of playing Spectral Souls for me to come to the conclusion that this particular strategy RPG is indeed totally worth it.

Humans and Demons are locked in an almost eternal struggle for dominance over the world. After a tentative era of peace, it’s back to business as usual as skirmishes begin to take place all over and tensions once again run high. In-between bouts of exposition, players assume control of a more typical style of bout as they take turns laying the smack down on their enemies. Different classes afford different skills – running the gamut from ranged spell casters to up-close brawlers – but enemies have access to the same abilities so it’s best not to simply run straight into the fray without a plan.

Now, I enjoy a good strategy RPG but the fairly mundane pace of the action can be a bit of a drag. Move, attack, move, attack, and so on. It can get rather dull. Spectral Souls obliterates that dullness as soon as the action starts. Along with the various attacks and special abilities that can be used, it’s also possible to string together multiple techniques into one massive attack. Combining different skills in different orders can yield hidden abilities – such as using a fireball with an attack creating a flame-strike sort of deal – that not only look flashy but can also be truly devastating. And they look flashy. Doubly so considering just how fantastic some of the sprites look.

As surprisingly great as Spectral Souls can be, it’s still got a fairly hefty price tag that might deter more than a few interested buyers. I’d consider the visuals, story, and rather awesome mechanics to be more than worth it, but everyone has their on preference. Although it should also be mentioned that while it’s definitely a great looking game, the animations for cutscenes are fairly lacking and the interface is pretty cluttered. Thankfully the cluttered interface is surprisingly functional despite its appearance. Lastly, only a paltry three combat sessions are available before the in-app purchase prompt (on "sale" for $10.99, no less) makes an appearance. But while there isn't much free game to be had, what's there is definitely awesome.

Were it not for the fairly hefty price and just as hefty storage requirements (1.2 gigs) I’d easily recommend Spectral Souls for any strategy RPG enthusiasts. I'll recommend it anyway, actually, but these are some factors that are most definitely worth weighing.