Banished Souls
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About Banished Souls
Banished Souls is a strategy-based psychological horror game from Outstretched Gaming, released on October 30, 2025, for PC. Set in eerie, decaying environments, the game tasks you with hunting ghosts by analyzing their behavior and using specialized gear. Unlike jump-scare reliant titles, it focuses on deduction and resource management. You identify ghost types, trace their origins, and deploy traps to banish them. The single-player campaign leans into slow-building tension, with a mix of exploration and puzzle-solving. It’s for players who prefer methodical gameplay over action, though some may find its pacing too deliberate.
Gameplay
In Banished Souls, each session revolves around investigating haunted locations with a toolkit of sensors, cameras, and audio recorders. You spend time cataloging ghostly activity, cross-referencing data to pinpoint weaknesses. Traps require careful placement and timing, with failure often leading to respawns and resource loss. The game’s core loop, gather info, deduce patterns, execute traps, repeats across procedurally generated maps. Controls are mouse-and-keyboard focused, with a pause-based system for planning. Later levels introduce environmental hazards and overlapping ghost types, increasing complexity. The strategic depth shines in balancing gear upgrades and inventory management, though the lack of time limits can make progress feel sluggish.
What Players Think
Banished Souls holds an 82% user rating on PlayPile but only a 7.4/10 critic score. Players report an average of 12.5 hours to complete, with 42% finishing the campaign. Community moods are split: 68% find it “Creepy,” 21% “Calm,” and 11% “Frustrating.” Review snippets praise its “atmospheric deduction” but criticize “repetitive late-game loops.” The game has 32 achievements, with players unlocking 65% on average. Criticisms often cite unclear ghost behaviors and minimal tutorials, though fans highlight the satisfaction of solving puzzles. Price points at $29.99, seen as reasonable for its niche design.
PlayPile's Take
Banished Souls works best for strategy enthusiasts who enjoy slow, cerebral gameplay. Its strengths lie in environmental storytelling and puzzle design, but the lack of pacing variety may wear thin. At $29.99, it’s a low-risk purchase for horror fans seeking depth over scares. The 42% completion rate suggests some drop off during mid-to-late acts, likely due to repetitive trap mechanics. Achievements add replayability, but don’t expect a rush. If you thrive in methodical, deduction-heavy experiences, it’s worth a try. Otherwise, its deliberate pace might feel like a ghost you can’t banish.
Game Modes
Single player
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