PlayStation 5’s Best New Action Game Is An Approachable Soulslike With Impeccable Style
More than just anime Dark Souls.
Dark Souls is one of the most influential games of all time, but for all it does right, I think we can agree on one big flaw that desperately needs to be addressed — not enough anime girls. Fortunately, one game has now come along to fix this grave error, while breaking the mold of its inspiration in some other surprising ways, too.
AI Limit isn’t going to win anyone over on originality. It’s a game for people who want more Soulslike combat in a familiar structure and aren’t too fussed about things like “interesting environments” or “a coherent story.” You play as a human-looking but apparently not human warrior called a Blader, fighting your way through a world infested with murderous robots and monsters to reach the last remaining human city. That’s basically all the story you get for a good long while, and no, it never gets much more interesting than that. On the surface, its biggest difference from other Soulslike games is the anime-style designs of its characters, but there’s a lot more to be excited about than that.
AI Limit is a stylish Soulslike that’s more forgiving than its inspirations.
AI Limit is by no means an easy game, but it doesn’t feel nearly as brutal as Dark Souls itself, or the many imitators that have come in its wake. You still need to move carefully through unfamiliar environments and approach fights strategically, but button-mashing isn’t punished as much as it is in other games, especially because the game doesn’t feature a stamina mechanic at all. AI Limit is also pretty forgiving in letting you make a few mistakes in combat and still bounce back. That might be a turn-off for some, but I for one am happy to see a Soulslike game that isn’t single-mindedly obsessed with difficulty.
Despite the clear comparison, AI Limit isn’t content to just copy Dark Souls’ homework, either. The game’s biggest original addition to combat is Sync Rate, a gauge that fills as you attack enemies and depletes whenever you’re hit. A high Sync Rate grants you bonus damage in combat, while a low rate weakens you, and letting the gauge empty entirely leaves you essentially defenseless for a few seconds. That all means that you can get into a doomed spiral if you take too many hits without landing one yourself, but dealing damage builds a palpable sense of momentum.
AI Limit won’t challenge you as much as Dark Souls, but it’s still plenty of fun.
You also spend a portion of your Sync Rate to cast spells, which are infrequently found throughout the game, and use a special ability that’s attached to every weapon. Choosing when to use Sync Rate on spells and abilities and when to conserve it in tough fights adds another good strategic decision to combat, and striking the perfect balance between defense, basic attacks, and special abilities to keep your Sync Rate high feels incredible when you can pull it off right.
As much as it borrows from Dark Souls, AI Limit also feels inspired by the rest of From Software’s catalog, namely Bloodborne and Sekiro. The quick cadence of fights feels much closer to the latter two games, and filling Sync Rate with attacks feels a bit like Bloodborne’s ability to regain health by attacking. Parrying is also an incredibly powerful tool here. It’s fairly easy to pull off, lets you deal massive damage, and becomes a necessity in some fights against fellow Bladers later in the game. AI Limit’s anime art style actually helps here, with silky smooth animations that make enemy attack patterns easy to read.
AI Limit’s world is nothing special, but it’s fun to explore nonetheless.
Combat is clearly the main focus of AI Limit, but it has other charms as well. Most of the world consists of sewers, ruins, and abandoned cities, none of which are visually interesting, but the levels themselves are well designed. Each area in the game looks quite small, but they’re filled with secrets and paths that loop back on each other, offering shortcuts or hidden items and optional fights. What at first looks like a linear series of corridors ends up being a surprisingly intricate maze to slash your way through.
AI Limit may not be the best choice for dedicated Soulslike fanatics looking for sheer challenge, but it’s still got a lot going for it. As someone who just doesn’t have the time or patience required to fight through ultra-difficult games these days, I appreciate the somewhat more approachable take on the subgenre presented in AI Limit. It may not break any new ground, but AI Limit is a satisfying, fast-paced Soulslike I’ve thoroughly enjoyed slashing my way through.
