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AI Limit really is a hidden gem in the soulslike genre, especially because it got mostly overshadowed by the much bigger "The first berserker: Khazan", which released on the same day.
However, the game really surprised me! Despite its lower budget (you can tell that it is made by a smaller team), you can really feel the love and passion of the developers in every aspect of the game. The anime-inspired cel-shaded art style might not be the prettiest out there, even compared to Khazan or Code Vein, but it suits the game’s vibe perfectly, making it feel melancholic and abandoned. Plus, the atmospheric music and sound design add a great touch to every area, really calm and chilling at times.

Small Disclaimer before we continue: There apparently were some bugs on release date that caused a lot of negative reviews, but all got fixed in a patch the next day and so far I have not encountered a single bug, but one: The last achievement is currently not unlocking for a lot of people, but the devs are aware and said they will fix this in the next patch.
One of AI Limit’s standout features are the changes made to the traditional soulslike combat system. Instead of the classic stamina bar, the game introduces a unique sync bar. Your damage output, spell usage, and weapon arts are all linked to this bar. Spells and weapon arts deplete the bar, while your damage is proportional to the sync rate meter (for example at 80% sync you deal more damage than at 50%). And once the value drops too low, you’ll need to recharge it by landing melee hits, before being able to use spells or weapon arts again. This mechanic keeps the combat dynamic and encourages aggressive play, which feels really refreshing and allows you to apply constant pressure, without the need to back away from the fight.
Weapons are diverse, with each one having a unique stylish weapon art that makes combat feel impactful and satisfying (Some might even be too powerful, as you can sometimes spam 2 or 3 of them in a row, but it still feels fun to use them).
Boss fights are generally on the easier side compared to other soulslikes, I feel like, with most of them being down in the first or second attempt, but they have a nostalgic feel reminiscent of early Dark Souls bosses: Their moves are well-telegraphed, allowing you to react rather than just memorize patterns through trial and error. It’s a nice change from more modern, overly punishing designs, where you basically are forced to learn boss fights and fight them tons of times before even having a chance of winning. This also makes this game probably a good entry to soulslikes in general. But don't get me wrong, the game is still difficult and has some tricky level design and bosses hit hard, however it feels like all of your tools are designed to keep up with them.

For me however, I think exploration and the "mystery of the unknown" is one of AI Limit’s biggest strengths. The game world is packed with hidden paths, optional areas, and rewarding loot—often giving me the same feeling of discovering the Great Hollow in Dark Souls 1 for the first time (Without spoiling too much, there are multiple areas that are easily missable and you wouldn't even know you missed them, so finding these areas always felt great, one even rewarded me with one of the best boss fights this game has to offer.).
The level design itself consistently makes you feel curious and eager to see what’s around the next corner, while also providing some cool vistas. In terms of enemy placement, the game mostly avoids cheap enemy placements and traps that somehow got so overused in other soulslikes. There are some moments, where ranged enemies will shoot from afar, which can feel a bit cheap, but then you realize your parry allows you to reflect projectiles and with that, these passages become much more managble. In general, some areas lack a bit of identity and could have been more polished, but what's there is good enough to sell the game world to you as a "real world".
The branches, these game's equivalent of bonfires, are fairly placed, and shortcuts ensure you don’t get too frustrated if you’re stuck on a long section between those. You are also able to fast travel to each already visited branch (and even without any loading time if you stay within the same general area), making visits to prior areas very easy.
Character customization is a bit limited, as you can’t fully change your character’s appearance, but the game makes up for it with plenty of cool armor sets and even some wigs for your character. Plus, being able to respec for free anytime (once you find the item for that) is a great touch, encouraging you to experiment with different builds without consequence. There are only a handful of stats though, which makes leveling up pretty uninteresting at times.
However, there are also four main abilities you can swap on the fly—a lightning-fast dodge, a shield with an energy burst once you blocked enough damage, the aforementioned (a little too) powerful parry, and a berserker mode. All four add depth and adaptability to combat, even if the parry can feel a bit overpowered at times, which makes other options less valuable. Personally, I really liked the shield, but that is also a playstyle preference. Spells can also be just be swapped during combat (the game actually pauses while you are in the inventory) so you can just select whatever you need.
Another pleasant surprise is how useful consumable items actually are. They aren’t just an afterthought—they’re genuinely strong and worth using in a lot of different situations!
NPC questlines are also well-done, balancing cryptic storytelling with just enough guidance to keep things from feeling too vague (most of the time you will naturally meet NPCs by just looking around the area a little bit). Following their stories and see how they tie into the game’s world also feels great and offer you interesting insights into the world's lore (so far, most of the information I got about the world was done by listening to the NPCs).

For just $30, AI Limit also delivers a good amount of content. I am currently 15h in, exploring everything, and I think I still have at least ~5 hours to go. While it may not reach the heights of some bigger-budget soulslikes, it’s genuinely just pure fun from start to finish. In my first session, I almost played for 8 hours straight and completely forget time because it was just so fun. And istn't that what a game should be about?
So, to end: Enemy variety is fine (though some later areas could use a bit more unique ones), great exploration, lots of weapons and spells for different playtypes, and a consistent pace of new fair challenges, it’s well worth the money. If you purely play soulslikes for the difficulty and the brutal challenge, you might find AI limit too easy.

Final Score: 80/100