Guns N’ Souls review: Temple Run with a Gunblade

So the other day Square Enix released a teaser for their new mobile game Guns N’ Souls and I was sure it was a combination of Final Fantasy and Temple Run. After giving the game a fair play, I have to say that’s not too far off. Unfortunately though, Guns N’ Souls would have been better off if it was a bit more Temple Run and a bit less Final Fantasy.

Guns N’ Souls is something of a sequel to Song Summoner, which was released in 2008 for iOS. Like Song Summoner, you control a character named Ziggy whose sole mission in life is to find his brother and kill a man named Gold Wing. Ziggy soon meets a robot named Number 42, who desperately wants to be human. Even though Number 42 is programmed to be a killer, Ziggy takes him along on his adventure to show 42 just what it means to be human.

You can probably tell that this game is not going to win any awards for its story, but what it lacks in depth it makes up for in gameplay and design.

In Guns N’ Souls, you control Ziggy as he runs through the robot infested halls on his search for Gold Wing. Like Temple Run you do not control Ziggy’s speed, but rather where he is running. You can swipe left or right to control which side of the screen he is on, down to have him slide, and up to have Ziggy jump. Really simple controls, but as the halls become filled with traps and enemies, Guns N’ Souls becomes rather difficult.

Of course by now you are wondering, “What about the Gunblade?” Ziggy will automatically fire his Gunblade, named Guns, whenever there is an enemy in his line. As Ziggy blasts his enemies, he will charge a special attack that can be held and fired whenever you see fit.

Where the game differs from Temple Run is that there is an end. You will run until you come to that mission’s specific boss. The majority of boss battles occur in the same hall that you are running in, but some of the bigger bosses not only change the location but also the gameplay. For the bigger bosses, you will immediately be transported outside the hall to a more open area. In these fights Zippy stands still until you swipe in the direction you want him to move. The level is finished when you defeat the boss.

Your Gunblade isn’t just for shooting though, it’s also the key to summoning cards to improve your attack and HP. Before you set out on any mission you need to set up a deck of up to five cards that will add to your health and attack power in battle. Every card will display what looks to be the cross between a god and a musician, like Jimi Hendrix, that will belong to a genre and have a fixed cost. As you level up you can afford to use more powerful monsters, but until then you are stuck with the weaker ones.