$19.99Is Stonemachia worth it?
Stonemachia is worth it if…
- you have played the big soulslikes and want a fresh take on the formula
- you like parry-focused combat where healing depends on staying aggressive
- you want a strange, dreamlike world built from Italian art and folklore
- you prefer a tight 10 to 20 hour adventure over a hundred-hour grind
- you enjoy games with a sense of humour hiding in dark places
Screenshots
A pawn that becomes a whole army
Zefiro starts as a Pawn, and that is only the beginning. As you find new armour transformations, you unlock the Bishop, the Knight, the Rook and more, each with its own speed, damage and abilities. The Rook swings slow and hits hard, the Bishop is quick but light, the Knight moves fast enough to make traversal a pleasure. You can switch pieces mid-fight without opening a menu, and even chain their special abilities together into combos. There is no gear to grind and no inventory to manage: pick the piece that fits the moment and fight.
Angels made of statues, lamps and worse
Medhelan is a land where corrupted angels have merged with the world around them: stone, architecture, everyday objects, even the ground itself. Statues and creatures drawn from Italian art and folklore stand in your way, and many of them want the same thing you do, a way back to Heaven. The result is a world that looks like nothing else, gloomy and forgotten, where every new area brings designs that make you stop and stare. Exploration is rewarded too: vinyl records, collectible cards, hidden bosses and jokes wait off the main path for anyone who checks a suspicious door or takes a leap.
Parry or bleed
This is a soulslike with a twist that keeps you on the offensive: you carry a single potion, and the only way to refill it is to parry enemies. Healing means fighting, so retreating to safety is not an option. The parry window is generous, perfect dodges give you a counter attack, and enough successful parries charge a special attack for a big chunk of damage. Combat is built on rhythm and reading enemy patterns, and it is fast, more frenetic than most games in the genre. Bosses take many attempts, death sends you back to a checkpoint, but you can bank your souls toward your next level, so dying never stings quite as much as it might.
What should you know before playing?
How long is the game?
A first playthrough runs around 10 to 20 hours depending on how thoroughly you explore. There is a New Game+ mode that raises the difficulty considerably, and collectibles like cards and vinyl records give completionists a reason to return.
Is it beginner-friendly for someone new to soulslikes?
Reasonably so. The parry window is generous, dodging is fully viable alongside parrying, and you can bank your souls toward level ups so death costs less. The first chapters ease you in gently before the difficulty climbs.
Does it have any rough edges?
It does. Animations can be stiff, hitboxes occasionally misbehave, and some late-game fights fill the screen with so many effects that it is hard to read what is coming. The strong combat, art and music make up for a lot, but go in expecting an indie game with some jank.
