Morbid: The Seven Acolytes

Morbid: The Seven Acolytes is an isometric action RPG that plants itself firmly in the Souls-like subgenre, just viewed from a top-down angle and soaked in Cronenbergian gore. You play a Striver, the last of a warrior order, tasked with putting down seven Acolytes, each one a human host grotesquely fused with an elder god. The premise is genuinely unsettling and the world has a coherent, grimy internal logic to it. Still Running clearly has affection for the aesthetic, and the environmental storytelling through item descriptions and environmental design nods hard to FromSoftware's approach without outright copying it. Combat runs on a stamina bar, dodge rolls, and deliberate weapon swings that feel weighty most of the time. There are a solid range of melee weapons, from swords and axes to two-handed mauls, plus a ranged option if you prefer keeping distance. Perks unlock via Insight points gathered through kills and exploration, letting you nudge your Striver toward a faster, lighter build or a tanky bruiser. The build variety is serviceable through the early-to-mid game, though it starts to flatten out before the credits roll. For an RPG specialist like me, that flattening is noticeable. There are runes you can slot into gear for stat bonuses, which adds a light crafting layer, but do not go in expecting Elden Ring levels of mechanical expression. This is more "action game with RPG seasoning" than a deep character-build sandbox. The boss fights are the main event and, honestly, most of them deliver. Each Acolyte is visually distinct, mechanically specific, and narratively tied to the lore in ways that reward reading item descriptions carefully. A few of the seven land as genuinely memorable encounters. The problem is the connective tissue between them. Regular enemy variety is thin, and some of the open areas feel stretched, padding out the runtime with repetitive encounters that drain the creepy atmosphere the game works so hard to establish. Filler enemy density is my least favorite design pattern and Morbid leans on it more than it should. Narrative depth is present but shallow by CRPG standards. There is lore to unpack and a few NPCs worth talking to, but do not expect branching dialogue trees or choices that reshape the world. This is closer to Dark Souls environmental storytelling than Disco Elysium; you piece together a picture of a world gone wrong rather than actively arguing with it. For players who prefer that quieter, interpretive style of narrative, that is fine. For anyone wanting reactive writing or meaningful decisions, look elsewhere. The 73 percent mixed Steam rating feels accurate rather than harsh. Morbid is a competent isometric Souls-like with a strong horror aesthetic, decent boss design, and just enough RPG texture to keep the build tinkering interesting for twenty-odd hours. It stumbles on pacing, enemy variety, and does not quite have the narrative payoff to compensate for those gaps. If you have already played Hades, Children of Morta, and every FromSoftware title and want something meaner and weirder to fill the gap, this scratches the itch. Just go in with calibrated expectations.

Monika · Scout Team

RPGs

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