The Soul Driver

The Soul Driver Walkthrough

The Soul Driver is one of the most unique and entertaining driving games I've ever come across. From the graphics to the challenge put forth, this one is definitely unusual in the best possible way. Your goal is pretty simple - drive forty-two miles to the frontier of Mexico and make it there in one piece. Actually achieving that goal isn't nearly as simple. In fact, it can be down right difficult depending on how much experience you have with driving games. Evade police, avoid obstacles and keep your car running as you speed down the road to your destination in this intense and thoroughly enjoyable driving game.

Damage to your vehicle is really your biggest enemy in The Soul Driver. Make sure you keep a close eye on your damage gauge (the gauge at the bottom left side of the screen). Every bit of damage you take will register on this gauge. It really doesn't take much to destroy your car so knowing where you stand in the damage department is important. The great thing about this game is that it recognizes how easy it is to destroy your car and offers you a little help as you try to keep it intact. Repair shops are a huge tool you absolutely must take advantage of. As you progress in the game, you'll run into all sorts of obstacles on the road. Pedestrians, road crews and big birds that drop a special kind of bomb on your car will all cause you serious problems. That's not even getting into the cops and the new and interesting ways they find to try to bring your car to a halt. Damage is inevitable. Use the garages to their fullest advantage.

Not only do the garages in The Soul Driver allow you the chance to repair your car but they also act as check points like you would find in some of the other driving games online. When you reach a garage you'll be able to do those all important repairs but you'll also save all of the progress you've made in the game up to that point. Should you die, you'll return to your most recent garage. This is definitely a huge benefit. Some of the other driving games online require you to start over from the beginning if you die. That can be extremely frustrating if you die near the end of the game. This one recognizes that frustration and offers a way to combat it. The number of garages you pass through also limits the number of police stars you're able to accumulate. We'll talk more about police stars and what they mean in a moment, but the relation between garages and stars is worth noting at this point.

Adrenaline is a great addition to The Soul Driver and is one you won't find in most of the other driving games online. This game rewards you for not playing it safe because any stressful actions you undertake will give you a shot of adrenaline. These adrenaline shots add to your adrenaline meter (shown on the side of the damage gauge in yellow). As you fill up the meter, you'll gain access to your boosts. Boosts give you stronger acceleration and will help you cover more ground much more quickly. Adrenaline boosts are also great for helping you lose the cops that are tailing you but their biggest benefit comes from a helping you get a heavily damaged car to the garage much more quickly. If you can hit a ramp or two on the way, even better. Just remember, it is much harder to control your car when you use a boost because of the increased speed. If you're already having trouble keeping your car under control, you need to watch out for that.

On the right side of the game screen, you'll see a sheriff's badge. This is a pretty big deal in The Soul Driver and is yet another feature you won't get in most of the other driving games online. If you drive over the speed limit or hit pedestrians, the sheriff's badge will fill. Once it's been filled entirely, you'll get a new police star. It's important to remember that simply obeying the basic laws of the road won't be enough to prevent you from getting new police stars. Your badge will fill slowly over the course of the game on its own. You are running from the police after all which is not exactly legal behavior. Each new police star means a new police resource you'll need to contend with. You really want to try to avoid accumulating them as much as possible. Try to be a good, mostly law abiding motorist. You know, other than that whole running from the cops thing. If they catch you, your game is over.

As with most online driving games, upgrades are a vital part of a good strategy in The Soul Driver. To buy upgrades, you'll need Soulons. Soulons are like credits, coins or dollars in other online driving games. You can pick up piles of Soulons (stacks of gold coins) as you drive down the road between garages. Pick up as much as you can. You'll definitely need them. It's important to remember though that repairing your car will also cost Soulons. While upgrades are important, make sure you don't leave yourself short for repairs. Always try to keep a reserve of Soulons ready in case you take damage and need to repair that damage at the next garage. You have two choices for repairs at the garage; partial repair and total repair. Go for total repair as often as possible but use your best judgment. If you really haven't taken all that much damage and you're confident you can make it to the next garage with only a partial repair, just take the partial and focus the rest on upgrades.

The upgrades screen in The Soul Driver is very straightforward. You have your basic vehicle upgrades at the top left of the screen and additional vehicle upgrades immediately below them. On the right side of the screen you have your service options. At the very top of the left side of the screen, you'll see how many Soulons you have. Budget them wisely. Your basic upgrades are important. There are six categories you can choose from under the basic upgrades; top speed, acceleration, brakes, steering, tires and bumper. When you hover over the upgrade button beside each category, you'll see an explanation of what the upgrade does as well as how much it costs. Look over all of the upgrades and decide what you need the most. If you don't have enough Soulons for that upgrade and have done all your repairs, consider heading back to the highway and trying to pick up more. By the next garage you should have enough for what you need. The basic idea is simple. Focus on what you need first and worry about the rest later.

Overall, The Soul Driver offers just about everything a person could want in a driving game. It's fast paced, challenging and offers more than enough extras to hold your attention from start to finish. Getting through the game isn't easy but one hint that I've found really helps - upgrade the bumper and the tires first. Upgrading your top speed and acceleration is important, but the bumper and tire upgrades reduce the amount of damage done by the various obstacles that get increasingly difficult to avoid. This saves you money in the long run on repairs and definitely extends how far you can go before you car is destroyed. In all honestly though, if you consider yourself a fan of driving games, this is one you absolutely cannot miss out on.