Bumping into another player or two, teaming up to fight random objectives, then going through the entire dungeon, only to get separated and somehow feel melancholy about that 20-minute unspoken bond is probably something you can only get from a video game.

, and though I am ecstatic to see it finally released to the public, my first impression of the game had left me confused. Like all players, I spawned somewhere in Inferno, immediately thrown into a chaotic battle as Beatrice, the guide, instructed me on the basics of combat—though you won’t survive that first run.

This game is a work in progress. It may or may not change over time or release as a final product. Purchase only if you are comfortable with the current state of the unfinished game.

And while I really like the game’s massive scale and the forced cooperation, there are moments where it feels like pure luck whether you get a well-organized squad or a chaotic free-for-all. More ways to communicate, a tighter movement system, and tweaks to balance the power curve would go a long way in refining the experience.

While players have more than one wheel of emoticons, they’re still not enough to communicate effectively. Screenshot via Dot Esports

This multi-tiered approach to finishing your roguelike “run” is challenging, yet very fun to play with — even though I only managed to complete just three Torture Chambers before succumbing to the elements (aka ‘ripped apart by monsters’). As I would learn during repeated runs – it seems the number of completed Torture Chambers is retained should you die and reenter Inferno — the larger the group of fellow Souls I traveled with, the larger my chances of survival became – and you can imagine how much bigger those chances get with 32 other people on your side.

While the primary objective is to ascend from Hell and confront Lucifer, you need to upgrade your character with temporary powerups and perks to even stand a chance.

Releasing on Game 33 Immortals Gameplay Pass is a major plus for this reason, but the studio is skipping Steam for the early access launch. This has not boded well for most multiplayer games on PC.

Mass multiplayer dungeon diving being its primary strength can also be a pitfall if not enough players end up being available to sustain it in a few months’ time. Game Pass is a valuable launch platform in this regard, but not having a Steam version may hurt the game more than a little.

isn’t without its flaws. The movement system feels stiff, with attacks locking you in place and dashes on a very brief, frustrating cooldown. Early on, this makes combat feel clunky and restrictive, and while later upgrades help smooth things out, it still never reaches the fluidity you’d expect from a game that throws you into such chaotic battles.

The studio is already teasing a third gate for runs that will take place in a heavenly land, but this is slated to arrive later in 2025.

Every time I perished in a run, I was already thinking of how I could make the next better, trying not to rely on the chance-based item drops. In the beginning, I simply wanted to rush to the boss level, so it was all about using valuable resources to report to nearby Torture Chambers and finishing them as fast as possible. Once I had my soul’s ass thoroughly beat, I slowed the pace down and made sure to get some personal upgrades in between the dungeons, which meant sticking with groups that were farming enemies and world items instead of just the dungeons.

That’s all I could gather about the lore before taking my repeated trips to Hell for all that loot and boss-slaying goodness. I suspect many players will be going the same route at launch too, as listening to NPCs and reading pages of lore are probably not what most action game fans want to do when they boot up a hardcore multiplayer experience.

Freelance writer mainly focusing on the League of Legends and VALORANT esports scenes. Sometimes at events interviewing professionals of the scene, from players to the talented people working behind the curtains. You can reach out to me via Twitter. twitter