''Soul Fjord'' is a hybrid

roguelike Roguelike (or rogue-like) is a subgenre of role-playing computer games traditionally characterized by a dungeon crawl through procedurally generated levels, turn-based gameplay, grid-based movement, and permanent death of the player characte ...

rhythm game Rhythm game or rhythm action is a genre of music-themed action video game that challenges a player's sense of rhythm. Games in the genre typically focus on dance or the simulated performance of musical instruments, and require players to pres ...

developed by

Airtight Games Airtight Games was an American independent video game developer based in Redmond founded in 2004 that was made up of former members of FASA Studio, Will Vinton Studios and Microsoft, as well as several other studios. The key members included pres ...

for the

Ouya The Ouya ( ), stylized as OUYA, is an Android-based microconsole developed by Ouya Inc. Julie Uhrman founded the project in 2012, bringing in designer Yves Béhar to collaborate on its design and Muffi Ghadiali as VP of Product Management to p ...

games console. The game is designed to be a mixture of

Norse mythology Norse, Nordic, or Scandinavian mythology is the body of myths belonging to the North Germanic peoples, stemming from Old Norse religion and continuing after the Christianization of Scandinavia, and into the Nordic folklore of the modern period ...

and 1970s funk, and this is reflected in the visuals and sound which blend elements of the two.

Plot

After perishing in combat, "funk warrior" Magnus Jones ascends to Club Valhalla atop the tree of life,

Yggdrasil Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmology, is an immense and central sacred tree. Around it exists all else, including the Nine Worlds. Yggdrasil is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'' compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional s ...

. Expecting a warm reception, he is taken off-guard when the bouncer takes exception to him, and knocks him down to the foot of the tree. Magnus must return to the club entrance and defeat the doorman to claim his rightful place in the afterlife.

Gameplay

The game consists of nine procedurally-generated levels that the player must clear without dying in order to complete the game. Each level is made of a series of interconnecting rooms filled with enemies, the doors to which are locked until all the enemies are defeated. Magnus may attack his enemies with light or heavy attacks, performing more damage and gaining access to weapon-specific combos by attacking in time with the music. A visual metronome beneath Magnus helps keep rhythm. Enemies and chests drop equipment in the form of new weapons and armor to replace your existing ones. Upon death, all equipment is lost, with the exception of items which are "Soul-Bound", which can be carried over an unlimited number of times. Items can be soul bound at the expense of platinum records, which are dropped by boss enemies and can also be bought as the game's main

free-to-play Free-to-play (F2P or FtP) video games are games that give players access to a significant portion of their content without paying or do not require paying to continue playing. Free-to-play is distinct from traditional commercial software, which ...

element.

Reception

''Soul Fjord'' was initially announced in early 2013, and met with high levels of anticipation as one of the first exclusives announced for the console. Upon release, the game received mixed reviews. Critics praised the visual design and originality of the game, while many felt that the combat didn't mesh well with the music.

References

{{Reflist 2014 video games Music video games Roguelike video games Ouya games Ouya-only games Video games based on Norse mythology Video games developed in the United States Video games scored by Austin Wintory Airtight Games games