Imagine this situation: your lying in a hospital bed about to die. Once you finally flatline you begin a new life...the afterlife. In this life, your soul takes a spirit form ascending from your former physical body. You know what you must do next. It's time to head to the light, but all of a sudden you begin to feel the cold shiver of fear creeping in from the darkness. Someone or something doesn't want you to reach your final destination. Will you make it to the light, or be consumed by darkness? Welcome to Soul.

Soul, from Kydos Games, is a game unlike anything you've ever experienced on Xbox Live Indie Games. Right from the beginning your thrusted into an atmosphere that is dark and creepy. While Soul is not considered to be a "horror" game, everything from the artisitc graphics to the creepy sounds helps set the dark nature that the game gives off. However the game does possess some those cheap scare tactics to get a rise out of you like you might find in your typical haunted houses (the good ones that is). Clearly this is one of those games that is best played in the dark.

Soul is basically plays out as a maze-type of game that will truly test your dexterity, composure, and even your patience. Screen by screen your presented with a challenge to make it to the other side. Some pathways are quite wide while others are very narrow and unforgiving. Remember the board game Operation which had a buzzing sound when you touched a wall? Well Soul presents the same concept as well with touching any of the solid borders meant your death.

Not only do you have to worry about the walls, but you'll also encounter the darkness itself. These beasts are roaming along the floors, ceilings, and even the air ducts ready to pop-up at you when you come in close contact with them. Some of them are small and avoidable while others are quite large and can block your path. Get to close and they will consume you leading to your death. There's even a time where a very large beast will consume you and you must escape it through it's intestines.

Soul is the kind of game that is meant to be tough and very unforgiving. There are no save points. Better yet, there is no saving your progress at all. Death will come often here, but the good news is that you have unlimited lives so finishing this game in one sitting is possible. Replay value however does come into question here due to the fact that once you finish the game there is no reason to go back unless you want to see how fast you can do it on a second playthrough, or play the game on a tougher difficulty level.

Soul is the type of game that will put your skills to the test. It's also the type of game that could get you frustrated and have you screaming at your television every time you die. Overall, the game's dark mood and atmosphere fit perfectly here even though this is not considered a "horror" game. Soul is definitely a game worth picking up not only for the challenge, but also to give you or any of your friends a cheap scare or two, or even three.