I’ll gladly admit that though I do enjoy games that put up a challenge, there’s just something about the typical titles that touts itself as “Souls-like” that tends to sour me. Having never been able to get into the groove of actually enjoying any of the entries in the Dark Souls series (though I’ve tried multiple times with 2 of them), the situation in the indie space tends to be even more depressing. Too often it feels like titles with poor mechanics or balancing just decide to call themselves Souls-like instead of working on those issues to make a better game… but I digress.

In the case of Fountains, the label at least manages to both make sense and not be an obvious admission of covering up poor play. The fact is, though on a general level the combat tends to be pretty simple mechanically, the controls are responsive and your focus will simply need to be on understanding enemy attack patterns, and making the most of the openings those give you. I can see where some players could find that makes fighting foes can start to feel like a slog, but if you’re capable and willing to be patient, taking the openings the game gives you, it can also be quite satisfying.

What stands out most about the game, though again not everyone will likely find it to be a plus, is the pretty open-ended sense of exploration you’ll get in it. You simply aren’t given a whole lot of direction overall, so rather than be guided along by an obvious breadcrumb trail you’ll be left to follow your intuition, potentially finding gear or hidden secrets that can be helpful, or perhaps getting yourself into trouble with enemies who’ll tear you apart. The available DLC conveniently just adds another domain for you to explore, adding to the experience without doing much to change it. I do wish the map was up to the task of being your helpful companion in these efforts, but I suppose something is better than nothing. If you’re game for an experience that feels a bit less structured than usual, and that will especially challenge you with tough boss fights where the solution will pretty well never be to go in swinging and hoping for the best, this may be a good fit.