Mistfall Hunter is an unusual beast, even in a gaming landscape where mixing genres has become almost routine. Developed by Bellring Games and published by Skystone Games, this PlayStation 5 release combines Soulslike combat with the risk-and-reward structure of an extraction game, throwing us into the mist-shrouded remains of a world where the gods have fallen and the Gyldenmist has corrupted almost everything in its path. As a Gyldhunter, our job is to venture into this hostile environment, collect valuable resources and equipment, fight both monsters and other players, and somehow make it back alive. It is a familiar dark-fantasy setup, complete with mysterious deities, ruined lands and an enigmatic figure guiding us towards our destiny, but the story never quite manages to rise above those familiar ingredients. The premise is effective enough to establish the mood, yet the narrative feels more like a framework for the gameplay loop than something we become genuinely invested in.
That gameplay loop is where Mistfall Hunter makes its strongest impression. We head into an expedition, complete objectives, search for materials and loot, and then have to find an extraction point before another player, a monster or the encroaching mist ends the run. Expeditions generally last around 20 to 30 minutes, which gives each outing a satisfying sense of purpose without making every failure feel like we’ve wasted an entire evening. The clever part is that death works differently depending on what kills us. When ordinary enemies take us down, we can potentially recover our body and equipment, whereas being killed by another player means losing everything we carried. That makes every encounter considerably more tense, particularly when we are carrying gear we have spent several runs acquiring. It also creates that compelling extraction-game contradiction where the sensible decision is often to leave with what we have, while the temptation to push further for better rewards is almost impossible to ignore.
The Soulslike influence is immediately apparent in combat, and this is comfortably the game’s strongest component. Attacks have satisfying weight, with light and heavy strikes requiring us to think about positioning rather than simply hammering away at an opponent. Magic and ranged attacks add some variety, while the six classes give us distinct ways to approach the battlefield. The ability to develop characters through talents, skills, equipment and gems adds another layer of progression, and there is enough buildcrafting here to make successive expeditions feel worthwhile. The problem is that the classes are not particularly inventive, largely sticking to recognizable fantasy archetypes, while some of them appear noticeably less effective than others. The magic-focused options, in particular, can struggle when confronted by aggressive melee opponents, suggesting that the balancing still needs attention. Having characters level independently also makes experimenting with the different classes more cumbersome than it needs to be.
We also have to talk about the decision to remove traditional lock-on targeting. We understand why Bellring Games has made that choice: in a PvP-heavy game, unrestricted movement and positioning can be important, and being able to control exactly where we face is useful when several opponents are involved. Even so, anyone coming to Mistfall Hunter from another Soulslike is going to notice its absence immediately. It is especially awkward for spellcasters, where keeping an opponent in view while simultaneously positioning ourselves can become unnecessarily fiddly. Movement itself can occasionally feel imprecise, and the occasional bug or moment of jank takes some of the polish away from what is otherwise a strong combat system. Enemy AI is another weak point, with opponents sometimes behaving predictably enough for us to exploit their shortcomings rather than genuinely outsmart them.
The extraction structure does, however, give the combat a purpose that a more traditional Soulslike would not. We aren’t simply moving through a world looking for the next boss; we’re constantly weighing risk against reward. There are materials to gather, better equipment to acquire and increasingly dangerous encounters to tackle, while the progression systems encourage us to keep returning after a failed expedition. The second map adds another layer of pressure by gradually forcing players towards a more concentrated final confrontation, although this mechanic is considerably less convincing when playing alone. The game is also designed very clearly around three-player squads, and while solo expeditions exist, they don’t always feel like an equally supported alternative. There is currently no dedicated duo matchmaking, and a lone player can find themselves up against a coordinated squad, turning what could have been an exciting duel into a fairly miserable ambush.
That emphasis on group play is both one of Mistfall Hunter’s greatest strengths and one of its biggest limitations. Playing with friends gives the classes and combat systems considerably more room to breathe, as different roles can complement each other and coordinated teams can take on threats that would be considerably more dangerous alone. The maps themselves support this philosophy with verticality, chokepoints, barriers and hidden areas that encourage players to think about how they approach an encounter. There is genuine tension in hearing or spotting another group while carrying a valuable haul, and the possibility that they could take everything from us makes PvP encounters much more meaningful than simply being another obstacle to defeat. Unfortunately, the same design makes the solo experience feel like a compromise rather than a fully realized alternative, particularly when the limited map selection and predictable enemy placements begin to make repeated runs feel familiar.
The progression and hub systems are similarly effective in principle but occasionally feel like they are working against the game’s best qualities. Successful runs give us better equipment, new talents and additional opportunities to develop our character, while the camp provides vendors, crafting and other services that gradually expand what we can do between expeditions. There is even an auction house that gives the game’s economy a more communal feel. These systems provide plenty of reasons to keep returning to the mist, but there is also a fair amount of busywork between runs, with numerous NPCs and activities competing for our attention. The result is that the game’s most exciting moments are often separated by stretches of management and grinding that aren’t nearly as compelling. Losing valuable equipment can be thrilling because of the risk involved, but when rebuilding after a defeat requires hours of grinding, that same mechanic can become frustrating rather than motivating.
Visually, Mistfall Hunter gets the atmosphere largely right. The dark fantasy setting draws heavily from familiar Celtic, Norse and Teutonic influences, but the combination of corrupted creatures, ruined environments and the ever-present mist creates a coherent identity of its own. The game isn’t pushing the boundaries of what the PlayStation 5 can display, but the art direction does considerably more work than raw technical spectacle. Character and monster designs fit the bleak setting, while the environments offer enough verticality and hidden spaces to make exploration worthwhile. The presentation is therefore more successful as a piece of world-building than as a technological showcase. The audio complements the dark atmosphere and combat without becoming a major distraction; the strongest impression remains the game’s overall audiovisual consistency rather than any individual musical or sound-design flourish.
There are also some technical concerns that are difficult to ignore, particularly for a game whose success depends so heavily on precise combat and online competition. Performance dips, crashes and other bugs were seen, and that is more than a cosmetic issue here because even a small amount of imprecision can make the difference between escaping with a valuable haul and losing everything. Class balance and matchmaking transparency also need further attention, while the lack of duo matchmaking limits the ways we can actually enjoy the game with friends. These aren’t problems that undermine the entire experience, but they do make Mistfall Hunter feel more like a promising foundation than a fully polished finished product.
Ultimately, Mistfall Hunter works because the two genres it combines complement each other in one crucial respect: both understand the value of making failure meaningful. The Soulslike combat gives individual encounters weight, while the extraction structure makes every piece of equipment and every successful escape feel valuable. We can absolutely see the appeal of heading back into the mist after losing everything, determined to rebuild and take another shot, and that compulsion is the game’s greatest achievement. At the same time, its generic narrative, uneven classes, awkward solo experience, lack of lock-on and technical rough edges prevent it from becoming the definitive hybrid it occasionally threatens to be. For players who have a regular squad and enjoy the anxiety of extraction gameplay, there is a surprisingly compelling game here. For those looking primarily for a traditional Soulslike or a satisfying solo adventure, however, the mist may prove considerably harder to see through.
Score: 7.0/10