I’m a bit weary of Soulslikes personally, but I unironically love the look of this.

Presented in 4:3, with Vaseline smeared visuals that would make Fumito Ueda proud, PRISON OF HUSKS is an upcoming PS5 console exclusive that looks like it’s stepped straight out of the PS2 era.

Originally created as a solo project, a dramatically expanded version of the concept is coming to the PS5 on 27th January. You can try an expanded demo on the PC right now if you want to.

The press release says that this game is inspired by “earlier” Souls games; it’s more Demon’s Souls than Elden Ring, then, with its tightly designed levels packed with shortcuts and points of interest.

The story premise is pretty cool too, in a gothic fiction kinda way:

“In PRISON OF HUSKS, you awaken in Lysiane — a heavenly afterlife painted by the hand of a pure heart. Your soul has found its new vessel here, but all that is left around you is a haunting desolate landscape now crumbling beneath your feet. What put its painter to rest? Where is your love? She depends on you. Seek your beloved.”

Love it!

The blurb promises a varied arsenal ranging from “pistols to magic”. It says you must “mix and match your loadout to overcome those who will stand in your way”.

I really, really like the look of this – there’s something nostalgic about that vague, low-resolution PS2 presentation that I feel indie devs are only just beginning to scratch the surface of. (We’ve had tons of SNES and PS1-inspired titles over the years.)

Is this something you’d be willing to try? Or are you saving yourself for whatever FromSoftware has planned for the genre next? Make sense of the scrappy visuals in the comments section below.