Paradox Soul

Another day, another Metroidvania. There are so many games in this genre on the Nintendo Switch, that is can be difficult to pick the good ones from the bad ones. Not all Metroidvanias are created equal. Paradox Soul, a Metroidvania for the Switch, recently came out. Is it a good Metroidvania, an ok one, or should you be avoiding this paradox?

Paradox Soul is a very simplistic Metroidvania. Yes, like a lot of Metroidvania games you’ll find yourself backtracking a lot and exploring different places. Paradox Soul’s setting is a building, so all of its “places” are rooms that look similar to each other. All of the random enemies are basically the same zombie too. The game does have upgrades but there’s no menu to look and see what upgrades you have. There is a map of sorts for the game too but its not helpful at all.

And the game is not easy either. When fighting zombies, you better make sure to use your cover or you’ll die quickly. The same could be said for boss battles. The Paradox Soul cover mechanic is neat and different for a Metroidvania game, I’ll give the game that.

Paradox Soul isn’t a bad game. It has good controls and it can be fun and offer challenge too. However, I just think the game is a bit too simplistic. Even its graphics are not that great.

The graphics in Paradox Soul are pixel art in 2D sidescrolling mode. The figures, the main character and zombies included, are much too small. Almost every room looks the same in this game and while there is some detail to the game, its still has a dull presentation.

Paradox Soul is an alright game but we’ve seen much better Metroidvanias on the Nintendo Switch (Hollow Knight comes to mind). While I do think Paradox Soul has a neat cover mechanic for battles, that wasn’t enough to keep me interested in this game. Paradox Soul would be an ok game if you don’t have anything else to play but otherwise, I think you’d have to be a really hardcore Metroidvania fan to love this game. Overall, its not terrible, but Paradox Soul is just mediocre.

Paradox Soul gets an 6.0 out of 10.

Thanks to Ratalaika Games for providing a digital code for this review. Paradox Soul is now available on the Nintendo Switch eshop!