SOULVARS Review (PC)

Yakumo doesn’t have a great selection of card moves to choose from so I decide to use the option that allows me to spend ten percent of his already diminished health points to get some more. It’s a good draw that allows me to combine two sword attacks with a guard, which means I execute a solid combo that deals damage to the boss but also offers some protection from his own strike.

Izuna is up next and her options are far more expansive. Using two action points she delivers a spear strike. I also spend one of her three item interactions and use a fizzy drink to get Yakumo some more health, without using the power that heals everyone in the group.

Genzo takes over delivering our final set of moves before the enemy squad gets to launch their own strikes. The two monsters don’t do much damage. It’s easy to finish them off during my next turn. Now I have to explore more of this location, traveling from screen to screen until I find the exit and, probably, a boss I have to deal with.

SOULVARS is developed by ginolabo and SUCCESS Corp, with publishing handled by Shueisha Games. I played a PC version using Steam. The game is also offered on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, and older platforms from Microsoft and Sony. The title is an old-school role-playing game with an intricate combat system.

+4more

The story’s protagonist is Yakumo, who’s something called a soul bearer. He is destined to fight a ton of supernatural enemies while investigating gates that allow Dominators to enter our world. This is a dark techno-fantasy future where pieces of a soul can be turned into data. The game doesn’t offer a lot of context at the start but more lore and details are offered as the narrative develops.

The writing’s tone is pretty light, although the threat seems pretty awful. The Dominator Disposal Organization seems to rely on one individual and his choices to rescue the city. New characters are given cinematic entrances but it’s hard to think of them as more than collections of abilities and attributes.

The core of SOULVARS is the turn-based battle system. Although Yakumo moves through the levels alone, he is joined in combat sequences by up to two partners, each featuring his own set abilities and special moves. The player’s group act one after the other, able to chain their strikes and create complex sequences using their cards and action points.

Some opponents aren’t capable enough to present much of a problem and can be eliminated by simply choosing attacks and healing the group from time to time. But to deal with the powerful bosses and the tougher mobs, gamers will have to try and execute complex combos, based on the weapons they are using and their upgrades, and act as a team.

Play Video

It is also important to test and exploit opponent weaknesses. Always pay attention to the cards shown on the action wheel at the bottom of the screen. And, between battles, do not forget to take a look at your characters.

Because each equipped weapon comes with its own set of moves, players are encouraged to experiment and find the best combinations of abilities. Apart from combos, a Burst system means it’s possible to simply cancel an opponent’s turn and deliver a lot of damage at once. During a battle, a character can use at most three items from the shared inventory.

The toughest fights will also require characters to access their special transformation power (it comes complete with full healing). I’ve lost to bosses quite a few times until I made a clear plan to exploit their weaknesses, chained as many combos as possible, and saved healing for crucial moments.

When they are not battling Dominators, the player’s group will move through levels, from screen to screen. Make sure to constantly check the map to get a clear idea of where to explore next. Mechanisms need to be activated to reach certain areas but there are no actual puzzles to solve. Some screens feature resources, shops, or short conversations with humans that are under attack. There are random enemy encounters to deal with. On the bigger city map, players can rest their characters and decide which area to head to next.

The exploration part of the game is repetitive and linear paths might have been a better choice. Only gamers who like the combat system and really want to see all it has to offer will keep playing past the first few hours. It’s the strongest part of JRPG and it will draw in anyone who played the older classics of the genre.

SOULVARS uses a retro Japanese role-playing game look that suits the theme and the gameplay well. It's classic pixel art, with a focus on interesting designs for the player-controlled characters and the many cool moves they can execute. It is nice to watch the action unfold but the variety of locations and enemies is limited. More energy has been used to create bosses and their unique moves. The interface is easy to navigate and offers plenty of information for players to process.

The game is not voiced but that’s pretty good given the very repetitive nature of the barks characters utter during combat. The soundtrack is more interesting than the battle effects. It excels at keeping the tension up and underlining the weirdness of the universe players are exploring.

+4more

The Good

The Bad

Conclusion