BROKEN SOUL : Boss Rush (PC) (Demo)

Overview: Fight bosses in Souls-like fashion, but on a 2D grid.

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20260620:
Setup: Keyboard
Steam Game Time: 54 minutes

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First Impressions:
So the main thing I would comment on is the combat system. The combat has a cadence, which makes it feel a bit more like a rhythm game. The enemies attack roughly on a beat, and it reminds me a little of playing Crypt of the Necrodancer. However, unlike Crypt of the Necrodancer, BROKEN SOUL lacks polish. The battle feels very jagged and it feels like there's lag between input and action. Note however, part of that response feeling comes from the rhythm nature of the game. The game lets the player know that once an attack begins, it cannot be interrupted. Thus the player should imagine the game in beats, and once pressing attack, the player commits to the beat. For example, let's say every enemy action takes place at intervals of 1 second. And the player off-beat attacks at 8.5 seconds. If the attack animation lasts 0.8 seconds, then when the boss attacks at 9.0 seconds, the player cannot block it. While the player begins to adjust and intuits a beat, the animation is so choppy that the resulting battle is still unsatisfying.

With the above being said, I still tried to push through with the game despite the choppy battle. The game also had several bugs, but in spirit of the game being a demo, my primary feedback would be on the choppiness. To me there's no reason why the game should feel choppy. The animation seems rather simple (2D pictures and three to five art per action), so my guess is the game code is poorly optimized.

I can see the potential in the game concept though. So for that reason I would give a 3.2 out of 5 over a lower score like a 2.4.

On another topic, this is the first game which raised the most flags of AI usage for art generation. I plan to go back to the other demos I played and investigate/comment on AI usage as applicable.

Demo Rating: 3.2 out of 5

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[!] The Steam store page has an AI Generated Content Disclosure section. The developer(s) for this game write the following:

BROKEN SOUL : Boss Rush is a solo-developed game, and generative AI tools were used during development to assist with the creation of some visual assets and promotional materials. However, the game’s ideas, combat design, and system logic were all personally conceived and implemented, and every piece of content that appears in the final game was also directly selected, edited, and reviewed before completion. This is not a game that was made easily, but rather one that was brought to completion by making full use of every available tool and resource. If the game receives greater support in the future, there are plans to further expand and improve various elements, including the art assets, to an even higher level of quality. The game does not include any functionality that generates content with generative AI in real time during gameplay.

In the case of this game, I read the above before I played the game. There's a couple places where the artwork seemed clearly AI. I felt like this mainly resulted in the game's art feel fragmented. In addition, some of the art selected just seemed boring. For example, there are moments in the game where some story is being told and there's some generic background art or a generic feeling picture of an enemy.

I think using AI is acceptable, especially with prototyping. It makes sense to generate some stand-in art while you work on the game mechancis. And perhaps leaving certain elements as work in progress is acceptable depending on one's near-term goals, e.g., improving gameplay or spreading word. In this case, the PC version of the game is set to release 20260717 and the mobile version has already released.

With this in mind, I'm actually going to lower my rating for the game. It seems the game was further in development than I thought.

Meanwhile, I think it's one thing to disclose AI generated content, and another to feel the need to add an excuse for why it's being used. Personally, I don't care if a developer uses AI to complete a game. AI generated content is exactly what can close the gap between a single developer making a game and a team of developers making a good game. But note the keyword: "good." If a developer is going to use AI generated content and still output a bad game... well that's their choice. But I'm curious what they're expecting from the players.

AI Generated Content Disclosure Rating: 1.0 out of 5

Demo Rating: 2.6 out of 5

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BROKEN SOUL : Boss Rush (PC) (Demo)

Relevant Links:
BROKEN SOUL : Boss Rush (Steam Store Page)