Soul Nomad and the World Eaters
Score: 90% ESRB: Teen Publisher: NIS America Developer: Nippon Ichi Media: DVD/1 Players: 1 Genre: RPG/ Turn-Based Strategy
Graphics & Sound: Nippon Ichi has carved out a niche for itself with its library of off-beat strategy games. While games like Disgaea have usually stood out as "odd" games - at least when compared to other games - Soul Nomad and the World Eaters goes a little further, making it one of Nippon Ichi's more unique experiences. Visually, Soul Nomad looks like any of Nippon Ichi's other games. Both the sprites and backgrounds are kept low-res; however, the art style is likeable and able to make up for any technical flaws. Menus and general navigation around battlefields is very easy and battles are full of nice special effects. Soul Nomad's personality (as well as the general feel of Nippon Ichi games) shines brighter when it comes to audio. Though background music is spotty, you probably won't care much at all once characters begin speaking. Voicework is great and the localization ranks among the company's best efforts. The real star is Gig, whose acidic tongue and foul mouth seem to almost echo the player's thoughts. The best example of this is seen in Gig's comments towards Danette, the plucky sidekick. Danette's dialogue and voicework should easily make her one of your least favorite characters and makes her a prime target for Gig's mean-spirited comments.
Gameplay: While the gameplay helps to make Soul Nomad and the World Eaters stand out, its main character, Gig, makes it a memorable and entertaining one. Without giving away too much of the plot, Gig is an evil wizard who, in a bid for world dominance, created a group of monsters called the World Eaters hundreds of years ago. Gig was eventually defeated and his soul was sealed into a sword. You play as a nameless hero (you create your own main character) who is given the job of town guardian. Not long after your promotion, you come into possession of Gig's bladed prison. Gig immediately possesses your body and begins tempting you to perform certain actions - introducing one of Soul Nomad's new twists. Throughout the game, Gig will tempt you with power; ignoring Gig's temptations could mean death, but accepting his help allows him to corrupt your soul a little more - eventually allowing him to completely take over your body. Your quest eventually leads you towards finding the three World Eaters. At first, you are joined by your best friend, Danette, though you'll eventually gain new allies who bring new abilities to the party. Although the story does dip into a few clichéd moments, it is pure Nippon Ichi style. Danette takes the role of "annoying companion" and it is not likely that she'll pick up many fans. Even Gig finds her annoying, resulting in some of Gig's best lines. Outside battles, Soul Nomad is a pretty sparse game. The main map is very simple and once you reach a destination, you either fight in a battle or visit a town. Towns aren't much to look at and, in the end, really just serve as pit stops between battles. Players who just want to fight battles won't mind this too much, though if you like exploration, Soul Nomad offers very little. Another of Soul Nomad's cool additions is Gig Edicts. These abilities let you do everything from modify troop movements to pickpocket people. Actually, you can pickpocket just about every person you come across. How you use Edicts will also alter how the game plays out; you can try and make friends with a shopkeeper for a discount, or you can attack them. If you win, you'll unlock better items.
Difficulty: Soul Nomad and the World Eaters follows the same pattern as other Strategy RPGs when it comes to difficulty. Rather than having a blanket "difficulty level," it is more about how patient and strategically-minded you are and less about how powerful you are. Even with a powerful team, it is possible to get outmatched by a small group that plays its hand just right. The hardest aspect is learning the new battle system and working with the formation limitations. Instead of just slotting a bunch of characters into a squad, you have to play within the constraints set by your chosen formation. You can recruit new units whenever you want, though more experienced ones are expensive. In the long run, it is usually better to blow your budget on more experienced units since raising your own can be mildly frustrating. Resisting Gig's tempations also provide a bit of challenge, especially when the temptation involves gaining 1000 levels within a couple of minutes.
Game Mechanics: Battles take place on a grid and rely heavily on tactics - something that shouldn't be too foreign to anyone who has played a strategy game in the last couple of years. Where Soul Nomad and the World Eaters differs is that it introduces the concept of Battle Formations. Rather than moving and attacking with single units, each unit on the tactical map is actually a small squad of units. Moving a squad to a square adjacent to an enemy opens an attack window. Once a battle is initiated, the two trade blows and reduce each other's hit points. Your goal is to defeat the squad's leader. Battles go a little deeper than simply having groups trade attacks; there is a little more depth to that. Units are placed in "rooms" and arranged in formations. As you go through the game, you can unlock new formations by purchasing more "rooms." Where you place units in a room dictates what actions they take during battles. Melee fighters are better on the front line, while magic users are better on the back line. In addition to new rooms, you can also acquire items to place in your room, granting that squad special abilities or stats. In description, the system is mildly confusing and, truth be told, it isn't something you are likely to pick up immediately. Once you do manage to get a handle on the system, it opens up a whole new level of strategy, especially when you begin to factor in special attributes (some units are better in the woods, for example) and various formations. Anyone who has spent hours trying to balance stats and army compositions in other strategy titles will lose days trying to find the right combination of units, formations and items. In a library of unique titles, Soul Nomad and the World Eaters stands out. Though it doesn't completely stray from the standard formula, it makes enough changes that it offers something just a little different. If strategy games have never been your thing, Soul Nomad will do nothing to win you over; however, strategy fans - especially fans who love stats and other mechanical aspects -- will absolutely love what the game has to offer.
-Starscream, GameVortex Communications AKA Ricky Tucker
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