The Chosen: Well of Souls

The Chosen: Well of Souls is an action role-playing game set in a dark 19th-century fantasy world, where three heroes—Frater Simon (a mage), Elena (a thief), and Tong Wong (a warrior)—battle against the immortal sorcerer Marcus Dominus Ingens and his legions of demons. As members of the Mystery Guards Fraternities, they seek to protect God’s Envoy, a divine entity appearing every 200 years, while wielding over 200 weapons, summoning demons and golems, and fighting alongside allied NPCs against hordes of supernatural foes like zombies and werewolves.

The Chosen: Well of Souls: A Forgotten Gem or Diablo’s Dim Shadow?

Introduction

In the pantheon of action RPGs, The Chosen: Well of Souls (2006) lingers as a spectral footnote—a game that dared to tread where Diablo II had already carved a dynasty. Developed by Polish studio Rebelmind and published by Akella and Meridian4, this gothic-tinged title promised a blend of 19th-century occultism and demon-slaying bravado. Yet, does it stand as a worthy heir to the throne or a cautionary tale of imitation? This review excavates its bones, analyzing its muted legacy, flawed ambitions, and the stark realities of post-Diablo cloning.

Development History & Context

A Studio in the Shadows

Rebelmind, fresh off 2004’s Space Hack—another Diablo-esque venture—sought to refine their formula with The Chosen. Their vision fused Gothic horror with steampunk-adjacent alchemy, set against a 19th-century backdrop—a novel twist in an era dominated by medieval fantasy. However, the studio faced significant constraints: a modest budget, proprietary engine limitations (evident in stiff animations), and the towering shadow of Blizzard’s genre-defining juggernaut.

Released in December 2006, The Chosen entered a saturated market. Titan Quest had debuted earlier that year, raising the bar for loot-driven combat, while Neverwinter Nights 2 offered deeper storytelling. Rebelmind’s gamble—a budget-priced ($20), single-player-focused ARPG—relied on nostalgia for Diablo’s loot-mad loop but lacked the polish to compete.

Narrative & Thematic Deep Dive

A Gothic Opera Out of Tune

The plot centers on three “Mystery Guards” (Frater Simon the mage, Elena the thief, and Tong Wong the warrior) battling immortal sorcerer Marcus Dominus Ingens. His goal: harvest souls to destroy “God’s Envoy,” a deity appearing every 200 years. While conceptually rich—drawing from alchemical lore and Frankenstein-era dread—the execution falters.

• Characters: Protagonists lack dimensionality. Elena’s “cleavage-first” design (noted by IGN) epitomizes the game’s tonal missteps, reducing its heroes to archetypes.
• Dialogue: Voice acting veers into “bargain-bin melodrama” (Gaming Nexus), with narrators delivering lines like overcooked Shakespearean understudies.
• Themes: Despite nods to Faustian bargains and moral decay, the story never transcends its B-movie roots. Quests devolve into fetch tasks (“Kill the swamp monster” repeats ad nauseam), undermining its darker aspirations.

Gameplay Mechanics & Systems

The Click Heard ‘Round the World

The Chosen’s core loop apes Diablo’s blueprint but stumbles in execution:
– Combat: Real-time, click-to-attack battles lack visceral feedback. Enemy AI operates on “swarm and die” logic, with bosses criticized as “damage sponges” (PC Gamer).
– Character Progression: Three classes offer light customization. Skill trees—split into combat, magic, and survival—feel anemic. Allocating five stat points per level rarely impacts playstyle meaningfully.
– The Cauldron of Creation: A much-hyped crafting system lets players fuse items… at exorbitant gold costs. Critics panned it as a “noob trap” (IGN), draining resources better spent on healing potions.
– Teleportation Mechanic: The “B key” teleport to base—while innovative—shatters tension. Players flee battles freely, negating risk (Worth Playing: “repetitive and boring”).
– UI/Inventory: A grid-based inventory (96 slots) feels dated next to Diablo II’s elegance. No tooltips explain obscure stat upgrades (e.g., “Grace of Luck”).

World-Building, Art & Sound

Beauty in the Bleakness

• Visuals: Rebelmind’s art team excels in environment design. Snow-dusted Siberian wastes and misty Carpathian forests evoke moody tableaus, though low-res textures and robotic animations betray technical limits.
• Sound Design: Jarosław Siwiński’s score—a mix of pipe organ dirges and strings—earns praise for atmosphere. Yet, weak SFX (guns lack “oomph”) and laughable voice acting undercut immersion.
• Atmosphere: Day/night cycles and weather effects hint at dynamism, but monsters don’t react meaningfully—zombies shamble identically at dawn or dusk.

Reception & Legacy

A Faint Echo

Critics greeted The Chosen tepidly (62% MobyScore). Praise centered on its affordability and “Diablo II-lite” comfort food (JustPressPlay: “good enough to be the heir”). Others skewered its “generic” grind (GamesRadar) and “unforgivable” difficulty spikes (Computer Bild). Sales data remains elusive, but its absence from digital storefronts (Steam, GOG) speaks volumes.

Its legacy? A cautionary tale. While Rebelmind folded in 2010, The Chosen influenced niche ARPGs like Space Hack—proof that budget clones could carve micro-niches. Yet, without multiplayer or mod support, it faded into obscurity, overshadowed by titans (Path of Exile) and indies (Torchlight).

Conclusion

A Well Runs Dry

The Chosen: Well of Souls is neither triumph nor disaster. It is a competent clone—haunted by ambition it couldn’t afford. Its 19th-century Gothic flair intrigues, and its combat soothes like a mindless clicker. Yet, derivative design, technical stumbles, and a lifeless narrative condemn it to the footnotes. For ARPG historians, it’s a curious relic—a proof-of-concept that even hellish battles need soul. For others? Stick to the Diablo canon.

Final Verdict: A 6/10—a fleeting diversion for genre diehards, but far from chosen greatness.