(Note: Titan Souls was also previously available on macOS and Android.)

In 2013, Ludum Dare 28 happened, a game jam where developers gather and create prototype games. The theme for that jam was “You Only Get One.” One such prototype was called Titan Souls. The developers behind that project continued their efforts as Acid Nerve and released a full version in 2015. As a top-down 2D action game, it’s hardly a Souls-like in genre, but it certainly invokes the difficulty implied by its name.

There is minimal story to be had here. All you are shown at the start is that your soul has been split in three, and shared amongst your body, a bow, and a single arrow. Then you are plopped into a desolate temple, ready to explore its grounds and defeat various bosses. Tap a button to dodge roll, hold it to run. A second button aims your bow, release to fire. Here the twist from Ludum Dare shows itself – you only get one arrow. After shooting it, you must retrieve it in order to fire again. This can be done by walking over it, or by holding the fire button to magically pull the arrow towards you.

It really is as simple as that. There’s no RPG mechanics, no ability unlocks, no other equipment, but Titan Souls manages to find ways to squeeze every last bit of novelty into its mechanical toolkit. As you progress through the game, every boss has a new set of tricks up its sleeve, and every boss tests you in a new way. Positioning to not get killed, positioning for a clear shot, timing your movement to be in position for a shot, at least four entirely different ways to use the arrow-pull mechanic, tracking of multiple targets, and more are demanded of the player’s skillset. Every boss has a specific gimmick to spice up the action, but the short fight durations mean that you’re done with it long before the gimmick loses its shine.

Although Titan Souls revolves around boss fights, it also provides plenty of space between fights to prevent burnout. The time spent running from one boss to the next gives you plenty of time to take in your surroundings. This use of downtime to do some world building may remind older players of Shadow of the Colossus. Free from the threat of any titans, the aesthetics of the game are able to breathe, and you start to notice all the little details. The exaggerated boss movements are exchanged for subtle pixel animations that bring life to the beautiful landscape. The building tension of boss music gives way to soothing tunes and subtle strings. The environment, previously content to cede the stage to the stars of the show, shows off a rock painting to inspire a sense of wonder.

If there are any issues with the game, it’s that it just doesn’t work on a keyboard. The arrow keys simply don’t offer enough precision with aiming or movement for the split-second reactions needed in this game, and ordinary keyboards may even struggle with some diagonal inputs. Mouse input is not supported either, so a controller is the way to go here.

To the moral issues, Titan Souls sees you killing various giant creatures and golems. Player deaths are marked by splotches of blood on the ground. Dying to lasers and fire will instead blacken the player avatar as it is burnt to a crisp, but nothing graphic is shown here. The Yeti boss has its weakpoint in its exposed buttocks, although this is no more gratuitous than seeing a baboon’s bare bottom in a zoo. Killing Titans will see their soul being forcibly ripped out of their corpses and absorbed by the player in some manner of occult ritual. One of the bosses is a mushroom, and over the course of the battle the screen will distort as if you have imbibed a hallucinogenic drug.

The names and titles bestowed upon bosses hint at a setting that draws material from the Bible. Cain, Abel, Seth, Goliath, and Elhanan are represented in the bosses with their names taken directly from the Hebrew forms, and the boss designs and environments allude to their roles in the Bible. The “ophanim” of Ezekiel 1:15-17 is also represented in the post-game boss. Artistic liberties aside, it is a story of deicide, with the God of the Bible as the final boss.

Titan Souls is incredibly short, clocking in at under a mere two hours, but don’t let that brevity fool you. It grabs you by the neck and thrusts you into all manner of intense boss fights, and milks a set of core mechanics for all its worth. Although it does take liberties with the Biblical account, this may well be the speedrun-friendly boss rush you’ve been looking for.