Soulmask is a multiplayer survival sandbox game where you play as the chieftain of a budding tribe trying to eke out an existence among barbarians. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth playing.
Soulmask Review Overview
What is Soulmask?
Soulmask is a multiplayer survival sandbox game where you play as the chieftain of a budding tribe. Beset by barbarians and assisted by a powerful artifact, you carve out a living among the wilderness of your land and grow your tribe into your very own slice of civilization. Countless crafting recipes, base-building designs, and tribal management await you in the lush wilds of Soulmask.
Soulmask features:
⚫︎ 150+ crafting recipes to unlock and enjoy
⚫︎ A wide arsenal of upgradeable weapons and armor
⚫︎ Detailed base-building and tribe management mechanics
⚫︎ Open-world sandbox exploration and combat
⚫︎ 70-player max multiplayer servers
⚫︎ Dedicated PvP and PvE servers for all kinds of players
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about Soulmask's gameplay and story.
 Platform Store |
$29.99 |
Soulmask Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Expansive Crafting and Skill Trees Tribe System Makes Solo Games a Breeze Looks Great Without Dropping Frames |
An Absolute Time Sink Subpar Open World Clunky Combat |
Soulmask Overall Score - 70/100
Soulmask is an uncut gem among survival multiplayer games, with its rough-around-the-edges execution and unpolished finish. While you can't expect every early-access game to make a big splash, Soulmask is shaping up to be one of those rare exceptions. With some refinement, this game has the potential to shine, and I can't wait to revisit it when its full release starts making waves.
Soulmask Story - 5/10
Besides an impressive cinematic opening, Soulmask doesn’t have a story or premise to work with. It’s inoffensive and nonexistent at best, but at least it sets the scene for the game’s tribal themes and mind-control mechanics.
Soulmask Gameplay - 7/10
Soulmask's gameplay can feel a bit rough and overly ambitious, but it shows great potential as an unforgettable multiplayer survival game packed with content. With a bit of polish, this uncut gem could truly shine.
Soulmask Visuals - 8/10
I can't find much to criticize about Soulmask's graphics or visual design—in fact, I really like it. While it's not the most graphically impressive survival multiplayer game (that title goes to Enshrouded), its techno-tribal aesthetics and efficient performance on lower-end systems definitely earn my approval.
Soulmask Audio - 7/10
Like other aspects of the game, Soulmask's audio is still in its early stages. It's not a bad feature, but it doesn't stand out due to its unfinished nature. I’ll give it props for its sound effects though. They add an appropriate amount of heft with every swing and set up a semi-realistic survival atmosphere in an otherwise fantastical setting.
Soulmask Value for Money - 8/10
It's hard to justify paying $30 for an unfinished game, but Soulmask makes a compelling case with its sheer content volume. It can provide hundreds of hours of gameplay even in its current unfinished state. Imagine the potential when it's fully developed and you have a whole squad to join you!
Soulmask Review: An Uncut Gem in The Sandbox
I rarely find myself willing to bet on an early-access game, but there have been a few exceptions. Supergiant's Hades I and II both caught my interest during their early-access phases and proved to be masterpieces of game design a thousand times over.
While Soulmask isn't on the same level as Hades, nor do I think it will ever reach that standard, it does have the potential to be an outstanding survival multiplayer game. It needs some improvements across the board, but even an uncut gem has the potential to shine if you’re willing to give it some TLC.
Let’s dive right into the wilderness with this one and find out exactly what makes Soulmask tick (and what doesn’t).
Right off the bat, you’re hit with a surprisingly well-made intro cinematic to ease you into the Soulmask universe. Well, I say ease, but it’s literally human sacrifice followed by mass murder, so maybe it’s more of a punch in the face than a gentle introduction.
Whichever way you phrase it, I wouldn’t get too attached to this production value because it’s the last cinematic you’ll ever see in the game and the last you’ll hear of Soulmask’s narrative premise. There isn’t a steep drop-off in graphical quality and visual design afterward, however, so I won’t complain about it too much.
The game starts with you being mostly buck-naked in the wilderness, as most survival multiplayer games tend to. The first thing you’ll notice is that this game looks pretty good, even on low-medium to medium settings.
Your surroundings don’t look too janky, your starting rags don’t look too trashy, the animations are surprisingly fluid, and the visual design of the structures and items are consistent with what was shown during the intro cinematic; all of these convey the sheer visual quality of this game at no significant cost to your setup’s capabilities.
I will concede that the UI might be a bit too small across the board without any way to adjust its scaling, but overall, this is a strong visual start for Soulmask.
The early game is a bit rough, however, due, in no small part, to the game’s suboptimal tutorial. Survival games arguably require the most handholding, at least at the start, so Soulmask’s use of archived tips and vague tutorial missions falls a bit flat, especially if you’re new to the genre or are just playing solo.
As you’ll come to see later, the game has plenty of mechanics with a bunch of nuanced interactions attached, so a comprehensive understanding of the basics is a must.
It’s not completely unsalvagable, I’d just move some of the tutorial missions around or maybe ditch the archive for a more controlled introductory area where the player has to go through the basics without fear of dying.
Speaking of mechanics, let’s get to them. This game features a few genre staples like resource collecting, resource-specific tools, a day and night cycle, an item durability system, and a few status bars for hunger, sanity, and thirst to upkeep.
None of these features stand out well enough to be worth a second mention, although I will say that the status bars mostly feel like an afterthought unless you’re playing on the highest difficulties.
The first of Soulmask’s unique gameplay features is the titular Soulmask which, among other things, has its own unique upgrade tree. This is essentially how you gain passive and active buffs throughout your playthrough, though trust me when I say that this isn’t the last progress tree you’ll see.
Upgrading—or rather, repairing—the Soulmask is a matter of finding special items around the world and spending them as currency to unlock new abilities. I like this system because it encourages exploration without being too heavy-handed.
The buffs are mostly to EXP gain, HUD features, and utility, so most players don’t have to beeline for them and can just enjoy the game’s other features. Speaking of, let’s talk about the game’s crafting and base-building mechanics.
Quite simply, neither of the two is groundbreaking, but each one is effective enough to better the game’s survival multiplayer experience. As I alluded to earlier, crafting is usually a hands-off endeavor that’s further expedited by the game’s excellent suite of bindable shortcuts.
Once your crafting projects are queued, you can continue gathering resources and exploring while the items are crafted in real-time. Crafting in bulk, however, can be problematic, as each instance of a recipe is crafted individually, leading to long crafting times that you might want to handle by tabbing out.
Fortunately, after enduring that tedium for a bit, the game transitions smoothly into its next unique system: tribal management.
Soulmask is primarily a multiplayer game that can be played solo, but both game modes offer players a way to expand their efficiency and delegate their tasks better by recruiting new tribe members and putting them to work.
You get the first one for free after building your first bonfire, but every tribe member after that must be earned in a positively Shadow of Mordor-esque way. You essentially intimidate them into your command by bringing their health low and knocking them out.
You can put them to work afterward through a very well-thought-out work assignment system that also covers logistics, storage, item sorting, and production queues. You can do everything by yourself if you really want to, but you’re missing out on an integral aspect of the game’s charm if you do.
Finally, we come to the game's extensive crafting recipes—over 150 in total. The sheer amount of content for crafting and base-building is truly impressive. Some players have spent hundreds of hours just on the demo version. Imagine how much time you could kill with the early-access or full release, where there’s likely to be even more.
More to the game’s credit, every crafting tier feels sufficiently spaced out, demanding both creativity and effort to progress without becoming tedious. Combined with the production line shenanigans you can set up through your tribe, this is easily my favorite aspect of the core gameplay loop.
The game’s base-building isn’t as well-thought-out, but it’s serviceable. The prefabs are varied enough to allow some architectural creativity while looking good to boot. I don’t enjoy its finicky snap-on feature, but that can be fixed by a few patches down the line.
With features like these, the future looks bright for Soulmask., Unfortunately, an uncut gem isn’t without its rough edges. I’ve alluded to the game’s abysmal storytelling apart from its intro cinematic, but it wouldn’t be half as bad on that front if it had had a decent open world, which it doesn’t.
There’s far too much space between points of interest and far too little diversity in the wildlife and plant life found between. The landscape is varied, enough, I’ll give it that, but if all I wanted was a bunch of pretty biomes, I’d just boot up Subnautica.
The combat’s a bit clunky too. It has its own set of proficiencies and bonuses alongside the ones you get for gathering and processing, but the weapon swings feel weird and oddly timed. It’s a few tweaks away from being serviceable, so I hope they fix it in the future.
And that’s about it for Soulmask. As you can see, it’s not perfect, but it has proven itself worthy of my expectations. It has stable foundations to build on and I’m more than happy to give it the time it needs to achieve its final form. Until that happens, I’ll consider this game to be an uncut gem among its peers.
Pros of Soulmask
| Things Soulmask Got Right |
|---|
|
Expansive Crafting and Skill Trees Tribe System Makes Solo Games a Breeze Looks Great Without Dropping Frames |
Expansive Crafting and Skill Trees
Soulmask's extensive tree of crafting recipes and skill unlocks is common among survival multiplayer games. For instance, Myth of Empires also features a similarly comprehensive recipe tree.
What sets Soulmask's progression trees apart is their pacing, usefulness, and unlocking method. As mentioned earlier, each tier of the crafting tree is well-spaced and themed around specific materials. You begin with basic materials like thatch, wood, and leather, and eventually progress to metals.
This is the limit for early access, but it's expected to expand further with the full release. Each recipe is also well-thought-out and useful, with every unlock addressing any production dead ends and bottlenecks you may encounter.
The best part about the progression trees, however, is how you unlock them. Leveling up earns you points to unlock recipes, providing the freedom to choose what to unlock and when. Additionally, you can reset your point expenditures at any time, eliminating the pressure to make perfect choices every time. You can’t get any more tech freedom than that!
Tribe System Makes Solo Games a Breeze
A common issue with multiplayer survival crafters is their single-player modes, which often aren't balanced for solo play and turn into a grind-fest meant for multiple players.
Soulmask addresses this problem by allowing you to command an entire village of tribe members, regardless of the mode you're playing.They’re not much for conversation, of course, but they’ll get the job done when and how you want it.
Also, the game features several difficulty levels that can cut down the EXP requirements between each level and make the game a far more casual endeavor than the grind you expected.
Looks Great Without Dropping Frames
It has more to do with the game’s engine than anything else, but Soulmask managed to look stunning through fidelity and sheer visual style without sacrificing performance. Even low-end setups can run this game at medium-high to medium settings without much issue.
Cons of Soulmask
| Things That Soulmask Can Improve |
|---|
|
An Absolute Time Sink Subpar Open World Clunky Combat |
An Absolute Time Sink
It's less of a downside and more of a consequence of the genre's staple mechanics, but this game will take a considerable amount of time to complete—if such an end is even possible. Some players enjoy the grind, but not everyone has the time to invest in a game like this.
This might deter some players and give others pause, but those who already dedicate a significant amount of time to their games shouldn't be bothered.
Subpar Open World
Although Soulmask’s open world is its weakest aspect, it's also the easiest to improve. If the issue lies in the sparsity of content, just add more content! Of course, I’m aware that variety isn't everything and execution is key, but I'm confident that a few content patches are all this game needs to buff out this particular impurity.
Clunky Combat
Soulmask’s combat offers a lot, including a massive skill progression system and a wide arsenal of upgradable, distinct weapons. However, it lacks a smooth input system and a basic understanding of rhythm.
There's a noticeable delay between inputs and animations, which may not be intentional. Additionally, the game's hitboxes are inconsistent, with some targets getting hit twice by the same attack or not at all. While these issues can likely be resolved with a few patches or updates, they are significant enough to mention now.
Is Soulmask Worth It?
If You’ve Got Time to Spare, Yes
$30 might not sound like a lot, but it’s a lot to invest in a game that technically isn’t even finished yet. In Soulmask’s case, however, it’s more than worth it. You’ve potentially got a couple of hundreds of hours of gameplay ahead of you through the sheer volume of content alone, and that’s not even accounting for multiplayer.
This game demands a lot of your time, however, so steer clear if you’re looking for something more casual. Even the game’s easier modes still require a good chunk of time to get into, so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
| Platform | Price |
|---|---|
| Steam |
$29.99 |
Soulmask FAQ
Will There Be a Console Version of Soulmask?
According to the game’s developers, Soulmask’s EA release will initially be exclusive to Steam, but plans are underway to release the game on other platforms.
What Areas Will the Official Soulmask Servers Cover?
Soulmask’s official EA servers include the America Server, Europe Server, and Asia Server.
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Soulmask Product Information
 |
|
| Title | SOULMASK |
|---|---|
| Release Date | May 31, 2024 |
| Developer | CampFire Studio |
| Publisher | Qooland Games |
| Supported Platforms | PC (Steam) |
| Genre | Adventure, Indie, RPG, Simulation, Multiplayer |
| Number of Players | 1 (Offline Single Player), or up to 70 (Online Multiplayer) |
| ESRB Rating | RP |
| Official Website | Soulmask Website |
