Summary
Serpent's Gaze is one of the more interesting indie soulslike debuts I've come across recently. The overall idea is great, but I’d like to see smoother combat and some sort of meta progression. This game is far from being ready though, so I’d keep this on a watchlist rather than jump in right away.
Developer – Feeble Minds
Publisher – Feeble Minds
Platforms – PC (Reviewed)
Review copy given by publisher
NOTE:
The following game is being reviewed in an Early Access State, the game may change after the release of this review, this review reflects the game at the time of publishing
Most indie soulslike debuts have one of two problems. They either copy FromSoftware’s formula so blatantly incorrectly that it’s hard for all the wrong reasons, or they just overcorrect it into something that loses the charm completely. Serpent’s Gaze, the first project from Swedish studio Feeble Minds, sits in a more interesting spot.
It’s a four player soulslike roguelike (so many likes…) created by a small team pulled together from Coffee Stain and Paradox. It launched into Steam Early Access on May 25, 2026, and there’s already something here worth talking about, even though it doesn’t quite get everything right.
You play as scion. Magnolia, a tree god running out of time, made you for one job, which is to kill the gods and warlords who replaced her out in the desert. A lot of context simply isn’t in the game yet, which makes judging the narrative feel premature in either direction.
Combat is the part that the game needs to get right, so does Serpent’s Gaze? Well on paper, sure. There’s stamina management, dodging, hard hitting bosses, a variety of weapons, and a handful of classes to cycle from. Unfortunately there’s no backstab, parry, or perfect dodge of any sort. And the actual gameplay itself is stiff and suffers from input delays that make the overall experience feel subpar.
Sometimes the hitbox also doesn’t line up so you’ll whiff your attack straight through enemies, but of course their attacks will still chunk 50% of your health even if they don’t reach you on screen. And your initial stamina is way too stingy, as you’ll run out in 2 to 3 dodges or hits. Blocking is absolutely useless as you still take damage and more than half your stamina is gone doing so.
I’d say the only saving grace for this game is its co-op aspect. You don’t see a lot of fully cooperative soulslikes, especially roguelikes. Up to four players can play together, but you can still play alone, even though the design has a party in mind. You can’t summon AI teammates if you are solo though, and there’s no self revive if you die.
Since this is a roguelike, you start pretty much from scratch every run and there is no meta progression at all. Across each run, you stack upgrades from three rough sources. Things Magnolia hands you, blessings from other gods you meet along the way, and a wider grab bag of relics with more situational effects. The combinations push runs in different directions so there is some variety there. I recommend looking up a guide or something because the game does a terrible job at explaining what certain mechanics mean or effects do.
The Curse system is the counterweight. Curses stack on top of each run and layer in extra rules. Invaders can show up or there can be new environmental hazards that change how you cross the desert. That being said, the level design is lacking, as they all feel empty and barren, with large open spaces filled with nothing meaningful. Shortcuts also make absolutely no sense, since gates get reset on each run anyways, so what point is there to open a gate that leads you back to an earlier area?
Feeble Minds said they expect one to two years more in Early Access, with new factions, enemies, and bosses on the way. The developers also seem to be very active on Discord, listening to player feedback, which is always a positive sign. For a game that’s $15, I’d say it’s a fair price for what the game is worth at the moment.
Final Verdict
Serpent’s Gaze is one of the more interesting indie soulslike debuts I’ve come across recently. The overall idea is great, but I’d like to see smoother combat and some sort of meta progression. This game is far from being ready though, so I’d keep this on a watchlist rather than jump in right away.
