Stray Souls Review: A Worthy Horror Blend of Silent Hill & Resident Evil?

It seems like survival horror is having a bit of a renaissance as of late, with the likes of the Resident Evil and Silent Hill series getting remakes, along with some other interesting entries into the genre. Stray Souls is a game heavily inspired by the aforementioned franchises, which brings a somewhat familiar blend of mechanics and story ideas that can definitely scratch that tense horror itch, despite having some rough edges.

Bear in mind, that this is the first foray into the genre by new developer Jukai Studio, which, while founded by industry veterans, is a new team and project, so anticipating a double-A experience is the best way to approach Stray Souls. Despite it not having a blockbuster budget, there’s a lot of heart and soul in Stray Souls, and that has to be commended.

First and foremost, it looks the part, with the game running on Unreal Engine 5 and having a high-end presentation to the experience. Environments are detailed, character models look great, nightmarish creatures are gangly and offputting, and the spooky atmospheric elements, such as the fog and wind, make the Stray Souls game world feel very tangible. Some of the design choices in the middle of all these moments are what sometimes feel out of place, with enemies ‘popping’ upon death and some combat animations, like shooting creatures, feel a little unimpactful.

However, that’s not to say the combat isn’t enjoyable. Fighting creatures in interesting locales, whether it be in narrow hallways or more open areas in the forest does keep you on your feet, and having to land critical shots feels satisfying, although the aiming doesn’t feel snappy compared to something like The Evil Within or Resident Evil 4, for example, and is a low more ‘floaty’. There also aren’t really any tricks to how you have to beat enemies (literally just shoot them until they die), but the simplicity does work for those looking for a straightforward point-and-shoot horror game.

But, while Jukai was clearly going for the less-is-more approach (there isn’t even really a HUD or any obtrusive things on the screen), having an inventory system would’ve helped, as you could manage your ammo, health, and items, which is not necessary per se, but a staple of the genre and making you feel like you’re in charge of your chances of survival.

While we do have some critiques of the game, it’s more of a ‘would’ve been nice’ feedback list. Stray Souls itself is an enjoyable and competent game, it’s just that it could’ve been so much more given the clear passion, potential and interesting concepts that the developers have. The experience leaves the player feeling like this is a ‘lite’ version of a survival horror game, with the more intricate bits chopped off for the sake of time or technical efficiency.

Stray Souls is available on Xbox Series X/S, PS5, PS4, and PC.