Farsiders, developed and published by Thai studio Gambitghost Games, is a hack-and-slash top-down RPG. Available on all platforms, this indie title was created on the Unity Engine on the back of a successful Kickstarter campaign and initially released in February 2023.

Set in 2060 in a world that has been ravaged by a devastating attack by a known terrorist cult, the Soul Syndicate, five years prior, you found yourself in the cyber-future City of Ostahl where Spectra, an elite group of warriors and the world’s first superhero crime-fighting squad, are powered by Spectek, an advanced exo-suit technology. The Soul Syndicate has taken over Black Steel Island, expelling all the civilians that lived there and allowing the outlaws to carry out their plots against humanity.

The main protagonist, Cassandra “Cassie” Ingrid, a native of Black Steel Island, has fought her way through the ranks of a tournament called “The Search” which is used to find the next Spectralon, crowning the champion as the next member of Spectra. Cassie is a finalist, and after a quick combat tutorial, Cassie is matched against the other finalist Kazuka Kai. Cassie comes out victorious and wins “The Search”, but it’s not long until she’s sent out on her first mission: a brave infiltration of Black Steel Island to gain intel on the Soul Syndicate.

Fighting through the cult’s minions, she finds herself face-to-face with the cult’s leader, S.A.D.E, opening a mysterious portal in which he escapes. Cassie and her comrade chase after S.A.D.E, only to find themselves in the mysterious world of Tellune, where Anima (magic) and legends meet scientific discoveries, and the beings of Ostahl remain an urban legend to all who live there, naming them “Farsiders”.

S.A.D.E believes that with the help of the Soul Weapons, the Soul Codex, and the Soul Staff, he can take over the world by harnessing the Soul Magic within the weapons. Cassie is tasked with finding the shards of the Moonstone and the legendary Sword of Excalibur which rival the Soul Weapons’ life-harvesting powers, thus putting an end to S.A.D.E and the Soul Syndicate.

The story of Farsiders is told through questlines and riveting dialogue cut scenes. By completing your quests, defeating bosses, and harvesting their Blood Stones, you can level up your character’s stat points and unlock spells to use throughout both worlds. There are also collectable buffs to your exo-suit that can be collected throughout the game and a skill tree that buffs your powers.

Playable on keyboard and controller, I found that using a controller was a bit more user-friendly and the tutorials throughout the game are helpful. The worlds aren’t massively interactive, other than activating Spheres found throughout the world that spawn waves of enemies which, when defeated, give you a Blood Stone for your efforts. Activating spheres throughout the world also unlock Vault Levels where you must stand certain trials to proceed through the game. Traversing through portals and gateways also meant a lot of cut scenes as the game is built-in levels.

It was a little disheartening when I found I couldn’t engage with any NPCs or civilians throughout the world to flesh it out a bit more. I would have liked to have gained an outsider’s view of what it was like to live in the City of Ostahl with its high-tech environment or the land of Tellune where Anima is the foundation of civilization. It made the experience feel a bit heartless. I’m also not sure how big the world is outside of the level system – there isn’t a map available nor a mini-map for quest tracking. It’s all done through an activable pathfinder.

There’s no looting system, no merchant system, and there’s no side quests – it’s purely a story told through combat which can end up feeling a little repetitive even when certain spells or exo-buffs are discovered. There are no pick-ups from defeating enemies other than the bloodstones when defeating bosses, and it would be appreciated if they just dropped something that could replenish your health after a big fight. This was overcome once I found a spell when equipped to one of my weapons as a passive ability, replenishing my health as I fight.

The graphics are fairly good, with the City of Ostahl being the center of a world filled with advanced technology where it’s always night, it pairs well with the synth-heavy, robotic background music you’d find in a game set in the future. In stark contrast, Tellune is a bright, nature-filled environment with flicks of magical energy and advanced technology scattered about.

Giant magic gemstones and enchanted-looking ponds and foliage whilst also showing neon signage and holograms coupled with the fantastical music and sounds make it feel especially cozy. Whenever combat is triggered, the audio becomes a bit more tense, but defeating the enemies with little to no reward becomes a bit of a drag. The game also doesn’t allow you to rotate the camera which can become a bit annoying if you get stuck on an environmental element and something is blocking the visibility.

The game is alright, but I just don’t think hack-and-slash games are really for me. I want more experiences than just fight-cutscene-fight-cutscene-repeat out of the games I play. In saying that, the story is interesting, and I love the game’s premise. Running around the different worlds was also enjoyable, but I didn’t expect there to be so little world interaction available, but if you don’t mind that and just want to set yourself up to experience a well-written story, then Farsiders is for you.

Written by: Emily France