AI Limit

AI Limit comes from the small Chinese developer SenseGames and is part of PlayStation's China Hero Project, which supports and funds small Chinese game developers. AI Limit was announced several years ago for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC and now it has been released for PlayStation 5 and PC - the PlayStation 4 version is no longer in the works.

AI Limit is a fairly standard soulslike, but it has a few tricks up its sleeve - but let's start by looking at the story first. As so often before, the world is being destroyed by wars and disasters and the last surviving humans have gathered in their final refuge, the town of Havenswell. Just when things look bleakest, a group of Bladers suddenly appear in the city, creatures that look like humans but are created by an as yet unknown technology.

These Bladers begin to fight the so-called Mud, a strange dark substance that harbours various monsters, and that is running Havenswell into the ground. You take on the role of Arrisa, a Blader who is quite skilled with large swords and other weapons of similar calibre. But what are these Bladers? Who created them? And why are they appearing in Havenswell right now?

Although I'm not a die hard expert in the soulslike genre, I would say that AI Limit is at the same end of the spectrum as Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice, where it's primarily about parrying opponents' attacks with well-timed blocks that open up for attacks. At first, you might get the feeling that AI Limit is a slightly too familiar copy of the well-known FromSoftware formula - and it is for a while (like so many other games in this genre), but as mentioned earlier, it has a trick or two up its sleeve.

The most interesting trick is that Arrisa has no stamina meter, but instead a Sync Rate meter. The Sync Rate meter is divided into three areas and it fills up when Arrisa hits the enemy and drops when she is hit. You can also choose to spend parts of your Sync Rate on special attacks or on your shield. The more it fills up, the more damage the attacks do to your opponent and the more it depletes, the weaker her attacks become.

When the Sync Rate meter is in the first third, it slowly refills itself, but if it's in the final two parts, you have to work for it. This mechanic constantly motivates the player to go into battles with a certain pace and balance between defence and attack, and it actually ends up feeling really good. It may sound a bit trite, but the Sync Rate mechanic actually makes a big difference and it quickly becomes a central part of the way you play and adds a layer of tactics.

The downside of the lack of stamina meter is that you can attack and dodge as much as you want without having to think about your energy. It removes a bit of the tactical layer that the Sync Rate mechanics add, but Sync Rate still ends up being a great new twist in the genre here.

Having said all that, AI Limit doesn't reinvent the wheel and in many places it feels quite mediocre - but it does work. It's clear that the game was made on a tight budget and it's also sold at a very reasonable price of £29, which makes it easier to excuse the slightly outdated visuals, uninspired combat, and clunky dialogue. In isolation, however, the combat system works well and the Sync Rate mechanics in particular work really well.

If you're a fan of games like Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice and Lies of P, AI Limit is a decent entry on the same end of the soulslike spectrum. Don't expect graphics, level design, or combat on par with the two aforementioned games, but instead a simple soulslike, with a few good ideas, some nice weapons, and actually pretty good character design.

If you're a big fan of the genre, take a look at AI Limit - others should probably skip it.