# The Relic: First Guardian review deep dive: why critics are split on the Soulslike

**July 31, 2026 · Perthro**

On paper, The Relic: First Guardian is the kind of game worth clearing a weekend for: a Korean dark fantasy action RPG set in a broken world, with no traditional character levels, five weapon styles, lots of bosses, and a developer trying something big without sanding off the odd edges. The reviews are rougher.

As of July 31, Metacritic lists it at 54 on PS5 from eight critics. IGN's own review is colder still at 4/10, calling it a game with potential buried under bugs, muddy presentation and basic design problems. But this isn't simply a bad game reviewed badly. Several critics found a real action RPG in the wreckage and liked the combat, the melancholy world, the side stories and the ambition. Almost all of them hit the same wall: technical problems, uneven bosses, unclear systems, and a world that feels bigger than it is interesting.

## The Relic: First Guardian review scores

- Gamesurf: 70
- GamingBolt: 70
- PlayStation Universe: 65
- IGN Italia: 60
- RPG Fan: 45
- Gameliner: 40
- IGN: 4/10
- CGMagazine: 30
- GamingTrend: 30

The high and low reviews are often praising and criticizing the same things, with different tolerance levels.

Gamesurf gave 70 and still sounded exhausted. It calls the game "an undeniably ambitious title" with "excellent environmental design, dynamic and intuitive gameplay, and an equipment management system that integrates seamlessly with the lore," but says it tries "to do too much and doing it poorly," with hyper-aggressive enemies and too many damage-sponge bosses. Its conclusion sums up the reception: "perhaps, less should have been done."

GamingBolt, also 70, is more forgiving: "The Relic: First Guardian may never escape its technical shortcomings, but its melancholy world is well worth saving." That's the reading for players who seek out flawed cult games.

PlayStation Universe gave 65: "There are things about The Relic: First Guardian that I absolutely loved. The game's exploration also leaves something for you to find, and the game's combat is satisfying and rewarding. It's just a shame I had to suffer through major bugs that kept me from progressing or finishing quests." If you can handle major bugs, there may be a game here; if not, wait.

IGN Italia gave 60, calling it "a game of stark contrasts" where passion meets severe technical problems: "anachronistic PS3-era graphics" and early frame drops, but also a "magnetic exploration loop," surprisingly deep progression and plenty of bosses.

At the bottom, Gameliner gave 40: promising ideas on paper (Korean mythology, fast combat, varied Brutals) that rarely stand out in practice, plus fragmented storytelling, flat voice acting and combat shallower than the trailers suggested. CGMagazine gave 30: "between rough gameplay feel and mechanics, The Relic: First Guardian doesn't present itself with a bang, but with a wimper." GamingTrend, also 30: "one of the worst games to come out in 2026... an easy skip."

That's a 40-point range around a 54. The question is less whether it's good and more how much friction you'll carry for an idea you like.

![The Relic: First Guardian screenshot: combat in a broken dark fantasy world](https://perthro.io/assets/blog/3f1549522ece967c.jpg)

## What IGN found

IGN's 4/10 isn't just a pile-on. From a distance, it says, The Relic looks like a B-list action game that could punch above its weight. Up close it's "shoddy and broken throughout, barely propped up by its engaging combat."

It starts with presentation: bland character models, fuzzy low-detail faces, heavy colour filters and areas that blur together. In an action RPG that asks you to explore ruins, caves, forests and burning villages, readability is part of the design. Some filters make paths harder to see, and caves darken the screen edges enough to test your peripheral vision.

IGN does find life in the world. Exploration is "occasionally intriguing" when a cave mouth or tower pulls you off the main path, and side stories drawn from Korean folklore get real credit. One follows a grieving woman into the forest and ends with her becoming a monster. Another leads up a mountain through scraps of notes about a wife and daughter waiting for someone who never came home, ending on a quiet plateau full of pinwheels. That's why the kinder reviews exist.

The problem is everything around those moments. The game leans too hard on notes and environmental deduction, sometimes with a boss fight awkwardly wedged in at the end. Loot markers are everywhere, systems aren't explained, and the technical failures go beyond normal jank. The verdict: it has "the bones of something that could have grown to be a notable action game," but is "fundamentally broken in too many inexcusable ways." A rough game can survive bad textures and uneven voice acting. It struggles to survive progression blockers, broken quests, bad checkpoints and systems that ask for trust before earning it.

## Why it still has a hook

It's developed by Project Cloud Games and published by Perp Games. Metacritic lists July 31, 2026 on PS5, PC, Xbox Series X and Switch 2. Gematsu describes an action RPG about restoring Arsiltus after the great relic's destruction, with no character levels: you grow through runes, items, crafting, weapons and bosses. That gives it a reason to exist beyond being another gloomy Soulslike.

Critics who liked it didn't pretend it was polished; they found enough in the exploration, combat, equipment or sad fantasy mood to stay invested. Critics who disliked it saw the ambition and didn't think it excused the game's state.

If you want a clean, responsive action RPG with careful bosses and stable performance, the reviews are waving you away. If you love troubled games with strong moods, strange folklore and visible developer fingerprints, it might be worth tracking, especially after patches. Tracking, not necessarily buying today.

![The Relic: First Guardian screenshot: exploring ruins, caves and forests](https://perthro.io/assets/blog/67af5ce7fd170342.jpg)

## Should you play The Relic: First Guardian?

Ambition cuts both ways. Reviewers are patient with flawed games when they can see what they wanted to be, and less patient when the basics get in the way. The generous reviews see a melancholy action RPG with satisfying combat and a world worth saving. The harsh ones see an unstable, under-explained, uneven game that asks too much. Both can be true, which is why the score lands in the middle while the language swings so hard.

For now it's a wait-and-see game. If the premise speaks to you, add it to your backlog with a note: strong atmosphere, Korean folklore, mixed combat praise, serious bug warnings, 54 on Metacritic, reviews from 30 to 70. Check back after a few patches. If you jump in early, note in [Perthro](https://apps.apple.com/app/perthro/id6764673686) which patch you played, so you can compare later.