Massive Work Studio with the help of Prime Matter as publisher, is entering the crowded Souls-like genre with Dolmen, a very Souls-like game that as sci-fi theme. Does it fill the bill? Is it a worthy entry in the genre so far? Thankfully, we don’t have to wait until release to know more about it, as MP1st has been invited to test the game out ourselves during a media-only session. How does it play so far? Read on.

Space Souls

If you’ve played one of the many Souls games out there, then undoubtedly Dolmen will feel like a right fit for you. In fact, Dolemen is essentially a Souls game as it builds off the same gameplay loops of dying, dodging, leveling up, and dying again that the Souls franchise is known for. And while the industry is no stranger to giving us Souls clones, at the very least Dolmen does bring some interesting ideas to the table to help set it apart in ways that may be worth keeping tabs on.

Set in a sci-fi universe, you play as a character simply known as the “Driller” who is tasked with collecting resources called Dolmen that are used for interdimensional travel. Sent off to a mysterious planet, it doesn’t take very long after arrival to realize that something has gone awry as monsters from other dimensions begin seeping in. It’s up to you to eliminate these monsters and collect the precious resources they grown attached to.

While you shouldn’t be expecting AAA quality tier development, I am left impressed by the work done by Massive Work Studio. Starting off, the performance provided from the build was generally rock solid. A big complaint that many fans of the genre are all too familiar with these lower budget-inspired Souls games.

And on a visual standpoint, I think Dolmen looks fantastic as environments are filled with details with great usage of both coloring and lighting throughout. I especially loved the general aesthetics of the first section of the preview, as it blended the man-made environments with the no overgrown nesting of the invading spider-like species.

Again this is a budget title so the expectations in terms of pushing graphical prowess should still be in check. Still, I think many will come to enjoy the variety-filled locations. But of course this being a Souls clone, the gameplay is where everything truly lies, and in this regard, Massive Work has knocked it out of the park based from the time we had with it so far.

Controls feel tight and responsive, but most of all, fun to actually use. Rolling around, dodging, and then slashing enemies in a precise manner should be all familiar with Souls fans, though Dolmen adds a focus on gunplay as well. While you can get away with running up and hacking away at a monster, the range game is pretty critical as it allows you fend against hoards of enemies efficiently. I’ve used the gun a ton during my preview as not only did it help with DPS, but provides stuns to follow up with quick attacks from my melee weapon. While some may view this as making the game “easier,” it does get managed by an energy bar, which can be completely depleted if you aren’t paying attention.

Interestingly, the gun isn’t the only mechanic to use up energy, as there is an energy mode that imbues the player in an equipped elemental state. This boosts attack power as well as gives them elemental buffs, which depending on the enemy, provides additional weakness. Stamina is also “unlimited,” though this is due to energy mode consuming energy in its place. The energy mode is a fun little way to mix up the gameplay.

A high praise feature that I didn’t get to test out but saw was the that we could respawn bosses after defeating them. This is my major gripe with any Souls game out there. If I wanted to fight a boss again to farm material, then I would be required to beat, and start a fresh run again. Dolmen solves that by allowing the use “Dolmen Fragments,” which will respawn the boss of that area. Talk about a farmer’s dream, right? I think so.

I will say the one thing I do hope the developers address (or change by release) is how players level up. At the moment, Dolmen features Beacons, (aka the game’s version of Bonfires). These are spread throughout locations and serve as resting points, which upon activation will restore all health, as well as respawn all dead enemies. However, in order to level up you must first visit these Beacons, and then use one to teleport you back to your ship, in which case the leveling up option becomes available via terminal.

It works in the same way Demon’s Souls did where you go back to the hub and visit the Maiden in Black, or how Dark Souls did it with Emerald Harold. However, it’s a mechanic that has since evolved, allowing players to level up directly from these Bonfire locations. I feel that as of current, the way it’s handled in Dolmen breaks too much of the gameplay pacing apart. While I understand the team wanting players to visit the ship for other reasons, I do feel there is a major quality of life improvement that can be addressed here by allowing players to level up from these Beacons and immediately get back into the action. Whether that does get changed, who knows, but there certainly could be worse things to complain about, so it’s not all bad.

Final Thoughts

While I don’t expect Dolmen to be pushing the Douls/roguelite genres in any new direction, for what I got to play and experience, I think there’s a lot of potential here. It’s fun and the whole space setting is always a fascinating one to tackle.

Like I said early, don’t go into Dolmen expecting a massive AAA budget. With that said, I do think Souls fans will be quite happy with what Massive Work Studio has done. Hopefully that remains true when it releases sometimes in 2022.

MP1st played Dolmen via a private, invite-only digital event hosted by the publisher.