{"id":1703927,"date":"2022-05-19T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-05-19T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thesixthaxis.com\/?p=396355"},"modified":"2022-05-19T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2022-05-19T15:00:00","slug":"dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping","status":"publish","type":"station","link":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/plato-data\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping\/","title":{"rendered":"Dolmen is a sci-fi souslike worth skipping"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>If <a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thesixthaxis.com\/2022\/02\/23\/elden-ring-review\/\">Elden Ring<\/a> has taught us anything, it\u2019s that the soulslike genre still has a lot more to give. However, as evidenced by countless imitators, FromSoftware seems to be the only studio able to evolve its own fabled action RPG formula.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Dolmen - Gameplay Trailer | PS5, PS4\" width=\"780\" height=\"439\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4Ukv-UndJkE?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>Dolmen tries to separate itself from the swords and sworcery of its inspirations, immersing players in a gritty sci-fi world. You arrive on Revion Prime, a world besieged by aliens as realities collide &#8211; the result of humans meddling with the game\u2019s titular radioactive crystals. Excited by how Dolmen could help revolutionise space exploration, scientists unwittingly open the door to all kinds of cosmic horrors.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s where you come in &#8211; a faceless, armoured agent tasked with collecting crystals while mowing down extraterrestrial enemies. While there are definitely some interesting elements at play, Dolmen left us frustrated with little motivation to carry on past those initial couple of hours.<\/p>\n<p>Soulsborne fans will instantly pick up on the similarities to their beloved series. In combat, you\u2019ll lock onto enemies, carefully kiting them until you see an opportunity to attack, either dodging, blocking, or parrying incoming blows. Even the most meagre of foes can kill you in just a few hits, forcing players to think carefully about each encounter, monitoring their health, stamina, and energy.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping.jpg\" data-lightbox=\"gallery\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-396354\" src=\"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping.jpg\" alt=\"dolmen review\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping.jpg 960w, https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-2.jpg 300w, https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-3.jpg 768w, https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-4.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Energy is one of the concepts Dolmen introduces. Your suit is powered by a blue gauge that drains as you perform actions such as healing or firing your ranged weapon. This can only be restored by consuming batteries which behave similarly to flasks from the Soulsborne saga, replenishing each time you reach a bonfi- err, Beacon.<\/p>\n<p>From the get go you have access to several character archetypes. These include the sword-wielding tank, dual-bladed assassin, and gun-toting sharpshooter. However, there\u2019s also the option to roll as a recruit, which gives you more initial freedom in levelling up the stats to suit your own playstyle.<\/p>\n<p>No matter your loadout, Dolmen\u2019s combat isn\u2019t much fun. You and your enemies will simply flail around, taking chunks out of each other&#8217;s health bars with no real sense of mastery, your defence options never feeling particularly useful. Not only that, Dolmen loves to douse you in status ailments, whether it\u2019s poison or slowing your movement. You\u2019ll die a lot and, in true soulslike fashion, leave a ghostly spectre where you fell. Fail to return to that point with your next life and all the experience you had accrued will be lost.<\/p>\n<p>Manage to get back to the ship, however, and you\u2019ll be free to spend it on character upgrades. Genre fans should be able to intuit what each of your agent\u2019s attributes govern, though newcomers will be left scratching their heads, unsure what to spend their experience on. Meanwhile, a crafting table will allow you to repurpose any resources and materials scavenged from Revion Prime.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-1.jpg\" data-lightbox=\"gallery\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-396353\" src=\"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-1.jpg\" alt=\"dolmen review\" width=\"960\" height=\"540\" srcset=\"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-1.jpg 960w, https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-5.jpg 300w, https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-6.jpg 768w, https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/05\/dolmen-is-a-sci-fi-souslike-worth-skipping-7.jpg 780w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Each time you beam back down to the surface, you\u2019ll continue to explore this world\u2019s labyrinthian layout. Again, this is very similar to FromSoftware\u2019s penchant for non-linear environments, giving players a false sense of freedom, often gating off areas or populating them with tough-as-nails enemies. Just minutes into Dolmen, there\u2019s a treasure cave crawling with spider-like creatures lying in wait. Not long after defeating the first boss, there\u2019s another ambush site, flashing players the middle finger.<\/p>\n<p>Of course, perseverance is key. Once you\u2019ve overcome Dolmen\u2019s learning curve, there\u2019s some satisfaction to be had from turning the tables on your enemies. However, the patience this requires may be more than you\u2019re willing to commit.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s easy to focus on the negatives and directly compare Dolmen to one of the most esteemed franchises of all time, it\u2019s a solid first attempt by game developer Massive Work Studio. It\u2019s clear to see the passion this Brazilian team has for the genre, though their debut RPG ends up being a troubled Soulsborne tribute.<\/p>\n<ul class=\"plato-article-bottom-links\">\n<li><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.coinsmart.com\/europe\/?irclickid=yCMxLCU1uxyLWzG0Rw0UrUzuUkEV0C2N%3ATwq0A0&#038;irgwc=1\" class=\"plato-coinsmart-gid\">Coinsmart. Europe&#8217;s Best Bitcoin and Crypto Exchange.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/platoblockchain.com\" class=\"plato-blockchain-gid\">Platoblockchain. Web3 Metaverse Intelligence. Knowledge Amplified. FREE ACCESS.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/app.cryptohawk.ai\/signup?via=Platodata&#038;_ga=2.197340463.1063417679.1638720459-1786082276.1633102604\" class=\"plato-cryptohawk-gid\">CryptoHawk. Altcoin Radar. Free Trial.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thesixthaxis.com\/2022\/05\/19\/dolmen-review\/\">Source: https:\/\/www.thesixthaxis.com\/2022\/05\/19\/dolmen-review\/<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1703928,"template":"","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","type":"","auto_type":false,"post":"","stream":"","stream_url":"","waveform_data":[],"duration":0,"bpm":0,"downloadable":false,"download_url":"","purchase_title":"","purchase_url":"","post-count-all":0,"like_count":0,"download_count":0,"editor_note":"","copyright":"","captions":[]},"genre":[148],"artist":[167],"mood":[],"activity":[],"station_tag":[12801,5446,5236,3620,12802,13655,3705,9352,7315,8322,12575,8710,5893,5592,13280,5593,13611,8279,5598,5979,12635,13774,5895,5930,13936,3636,5257,13389,13573,13929,6455,3638,5405,13934,7376,3810,7786,5285,3859,3880,3816,5835,13528,3748,3643,7429,11901,3646,3647,13670,5877,3719,7432,8324,3654,5840,12550,9349,13007,5226,5541,6478,3834,13653,9539,3775,3886,13418,7871,5243,5244,13346,8862,10398,5883,5575,5718,3675,9034,6029,3887,13777,9020,5272,9738,9361,5697,7440,6968,6140,12472,5576,13782,13600,13463,3690,3692,13390,10171,3732,5700,3697,3701,3764,5786,3874],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/station\/1703927"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/station"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/station"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1703928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1703927"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"genre","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/genre?post=1703927"},{"taxonomy":"artist","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/artist?post=1703927"},{"taxonomy":"mood","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/mood?post=1703927"},{"taxonomy":"activity","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/activity?post=1703927"},{"taxonomy":"station_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/platogaming.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/station_tag?post=1703927"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}