"Possess a tribe and automate it, once the menus relent"
About
Soulmask is an open-world survival-crafting sandbox set in a vaguely Aztec-Egyptian world laced with sci-fi ruins. You wear an ancient mask that lets you possess any member of your tribe, then recruit followers and assign them proficiencies so they harvest, farm, breed animals and run crafting chains while you explore. Progression runs through tech tiers up to bronze and beyond, a Consciousness Awareness skill tree, and pyramid bosses guarding the deeper systems. It plays solo or in co-op, with separate PvE and PvP server modes, and the recent Shifting Sands map adds flying ships and bases. The draw is less about your own survival than about turning a handful of NPCs into a self-running settlement.
Verdict
Soulmask wants to be a survival game where the colony does the work, and when the tribe management clicks it earns the comparison to the genre's bigger names. Assigning specialists, chasing trait inheritance through deep scans and watching an automated supply line tick over is genuinely satisfying. The problem is everything between you and that payoff: a cluttered UI that buries core functions, a tutorial that explains too little, and NPC pathfinding that turns followers into a liability. CampFire has patched hard and communicates well, but the rough edges are structural, not cosmetic. Push past bronze tier and the loop also starts repeating itself before the late game gives you a fresh reason to keep building.
You'll like it if …
- +you enjoy turning NPC labour into an optimised production chain
- +you tinker with difficulty sliders and trait-breeding for hours
- +janky controls don't bother you if the systems underneath are deep
You'll dislike it if …
- −a buried, hotkey-starved UI kills your patience
- −you want clear onboarding instead of figuring mechanics out yourself
- −you need a story to pull you through a survival sandbox
Breakdown
- +possessing tribesmen and handing them proficiencies makes the colony feel alive
- +automation and mount handling are the systems players keep coming back to
- +harvesting and crafting flow smoothly once you know the routine
- −follower AI and NPC pathfinding break immersion and waste your time
- −combat variety is thin and the whip meta sits unbalanced in PvP
- −controls feel janky, and jumping puzzles fight a loose camera
- +NPC specialisation, trait inheritance and stock maintenance reward long-term planning
- +two distinct maps, multiple skill trees and heavy slider customisation
- +deep scan for tribesmen traits gives recruitment real weight
- −progression flattens after bronze tier, with later content feeling like more of the same
- −some systems read as underexplored or unfinished at launch
- +the Aztec-Egyptian-meets-ancient-ruins setting has a strange charm for those who dig into it
- −the story is vague and easy to ignore, with no clear motivation driving you forward
- +realistic proportions and distinct biome aesthetics give the world a solid look
- +some players run a smooth 60-plus FPS
- −stuttering, lag and menu-driven GPU spikes hit other setups
- −stiff cutscenes and goofy animations undercut the tone
- +developers patch frequently and communicate what's coming next
- −the UI is cluttered and forces constant menu-diving for want of hotkeys
- −onboarding leaves new players guessing about core mechanics
- −controller mapping was partly broken at launch, with remaps firing two buttons at once
- −loading and stability issues linger
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