I've played almost every major Souls-like out there: Nioh, Remnant, The Surge, Code Vein, Stellar Blade, Lies of P, you name it. While each has its own appeal, none quite capture the deep worldbuilding and lore that elevate From Software's games to another level. Most of them are preoccupied with dynamic combat and diverse character builds, leaving the narrative as an afterthought. As a result, they feel more like standard action games rather than the rich immersive journey that defines the true Souls experience.

This is why, despite some notable flaws, I found AI Limit to be among the most enjoyable Souls-like I’ve played so far. This Bloodborne-inspired, grimdark journey might not have the same polish as its higher-budget competitors, but it delivers an engaging story and a set of unique traits that make it stand out in a crowded genre.

So before I even dive into the gameplay or anything else, let's first talk about the most welcome surprise: the story and world. My hot take is that the story, against my expectations, is good—or at least interesting enough that I genuinely wanted to discover more about the world. And I’m confident this is an actual hot take, considering mixed opinions on the story from the general consensus.

The story follows Arrisa, the quiet-but-not-silent protagonist whose deadpan demeanor puts Arnie's Terminator to shame. Arrisa is a Blader, a race of female warriors mysteriously summoned to the crumbling city of Havenswell for some grand purpose. They may look like regular humans, but Bladers are actually synthetic life forms bonded to strange plant formations called Branches. Thanks to this, Bladers are immortal, and dying just triggers the nearest Branch to bring them back to life.

Having played Code Vein, stepping into the bleak city of Havenswell hit me with some serious déj�  vu. One thing that frustrates me about most Souls-like is that their levels tend to be hallway simulators with few branching paths or hidden secrets. Havenswell, in contrast, is filled with multiple routes, concealed treasures, and optional areas that I would have never discovered without following a guide. The whole city feels like one giant interconnected web, with shortcuts and later areas looping seamlessly back to the starting zones. And, true to Souls-like tradition, there's also a poison swamp and annoying platforming segments. The only downside to the urban setting is that, after a while, some areas start to feel too similar, especially the sewers and metro stations.

Now while the worldbuilding is nice and all, the true soul of this game lies in the NPCs and their questlines. AI Limit has one of those narratives where everything starts off incredibly cryptic, but as you dig into sidequests, conversations, and collectibles, the pieces start to fall into place in surprisingly deep ways. The downside? A lot of these quests are easy to miss, and some seem impossible to finish without a guide. They definitely borrowed a page from From Software’s playbook, but here, it’s even more damning because virtually all of AI Limit's history, lore, and plot are buried in these NPC quests. Skip them, and you’re basically playing a game without a real story. As for my personal favorite, it's without a doubt the story of Shirley and her tragic past, a quest spanning nearly the entire game.

The sound design is where my opinion is far less favorable. The sound effects are fine, and there’s this one somber track in the overworld that stuck with me, plus Loskid's and Ursula's boss music are nice... but that’s pretty much it. Everything else about the soundtrack fails to deliver, and the game feels eerily quiet in some areas. They’ve nailed the tone down, and all this game needs is a bit more musical flair.

Combat here emphasizes dodging and parrying, very similar to Bloodborne. There are only four main abilities, and I found myself using Counter Field most of the time since abusing the parry system makes things infinitely easier. Though it's possible to block using the Shield, there’s not much reason to when the parry window is so generous—probably the most forgiving of any Souls-like I've played.

Arrisa picks up a handful of spells throughout the story, though I was mainly relying on the trusty Railgun most of the time. It’s just so versatile that most other stuff feels meh in comparison. A big shame since the more advanced spells have some sick animations. What’s weirdly missing though is the feature to switch spells on the fly, especially since you can already do so with abilities. Having to open the menu every time is such a hassle.

The defining trait that sets AI Limit apart though is the lack of a traditional stamina bar. Instead, you've got the Sync Gauge, a nifty system that more Souls-like should adapt. The Sync Gauge rises when you attack enemies and lowers when you get hit. When it’s at 50% or higher, you can use spells or weapon skills, consuming the gauge. However, you are incentivized to wait until the gauge is near full since this will boost your next attack. This system thus encourages you to fight aggressively, rewarding offensive play while punishing sloppy movements. As an added bonus, dodging is free estate since it doesn't use up the gauge.

Now the bosses are where the game starts to show its cracks. There is a solid variety of regular mobs, but the bosses are mostly reskins of elite enemies. This stuff might slide in something like Elden Ring, but in a more compact game like AI Limit, these recycled encounters stick out like a sore thumb. But on the flip side, the few bosses that actually stand out deliver some of the most epic battles I’ve experienced in a long time. Notable mentions go to Ursula, Loskid, and Eunomia.

As for character progression, the game keeps it pretty simple with just five stats: Life, Vitality, Strength, Technique, and Spirit. With such a small pool, the potential for diverse builds feels a bit limited until you take into account the more specific substats, such as Conversion, Stability, Absorption Rate, and Retention Rate.

Weapons are kind of a mixed bag. There's a solid variety, ranging from speedy dual swords to heavy greatswords, and nearly 40 unique weapons to choose from. But the downside is that all weapons of the same type share a generic moveset. The only real differences are in stats, weapon skills, and status effects. Among several issues that hurt the game’s replayability, this one stands out as the most frustrating.

Switching to a more positive vibe, this game totally nails the balance between fanservice and slick armor designs. Armor here, other than for Fashion Souls, mostly focuses on resisting elemental damage and protecting against nasty status affects, particularly Infection and Piercing. Sure, Defense matters, but a proper Seal setup can mitigate most of the damage. And as for fashion? The Corrupted Armor set takes the crown. Evil boob window Arrisa is too tempting to pass up.

Performance-wise, the game runs smoothly on my RTX 4070 Super with hardly any frame drops. That said, older rigs might hit a snag in Haigos Patir because of the huge open spaces and all the ambient lighting. Bugs exist but are uncommon, and most of the major ones were fixed by the Day 1 Patch.

Even with plenty of bumps along the way, AI Limit is a super fun Souls-like that gives me hope for more anime-style games in this genre. The lore and true ending hint at a possible sequel, and the developers have even teased some DLC coming soon. Kudos to Sense Games as your first creation is already my favorite game of the year. Definitely looking forward to whatever they come up with next.