Soulmask

Soulmask is a tribal-themed survival crafting game that combines base-building, exploration, and a unique mask possession mechanic allowing players to control various tribesmen with distinct skills. The game features a large, beautifully crafted world with diverse biomes, atmospheric tension from roaming barbarian war parties, and a deep tribe management system where followers autonomously gather resources and craft items. Players praise the game's ambition, strategic depth, and engaging progression, especially the ability to automate tasks and manage a growing tribe.

However, the game is still in Early Access and shows signs of rough edges such as clunky UI, overwhelming crafting complexity, and occasional bugs. Combat and AI behaviors receive mixed reviews, with some finding them stiff or repetitive. Performance issues and limited character customization also affect the experience. Despite these flaws, the developers are responsive and the game offers a promising foundation for fans of survival and base-building genres, especially those who enjoy solo or cooperative play.

Highlights

Players especially appreciate the innovative mask possession mechanic that allows switching between tribesmen, adding variety and strategy to gameplay.

The tribe management system is highly praised for its depth and automation, letting NPCs perform crafting and gathering tasks efficiently.

The world design is noted for its beautiful, atmospheric biomes that encourage exploration and provide immersive survival challenges.

Base building offers extensive creative freedom with many structural options, and the crafting system, while complex, is robust and rewarding for dedicated players.

Criticisms

Common criticisms include the overwhelming crafting system with too many components and stations, making progression tedious.

Combat is often described as stiff, repetitive, and lacking depth, with predictable enemy AI and occasional frustrating boss fights.

Players report performance issues and bugs, including crashes and AI glitches.

The UI and menus are cluttered and unintuitive, with poor keybinding support and dense tutorials.

Some feel the game lacks a fully realized endgame and suffers from pacing problems, making mid-to-late gameplay grind-heavy and repetitive.