SOULVARS from SHUEISHA GAMES and ginolabo is a turn-based deckbuilding pixel art RPG on Nintendo Switch. Learn more about it in our SOULVARS review!

 

SOULVARS from SHUEISHA GAMES and ginolabo is a turn-based deckbuilding pixel art RPG on Nintendo Switch. In the future, humanity faces the consequences of its drive for boosting technology beyond all thresholds, setting up the introductions of entities known as Dominators. These grotesque enemies set out to trap and digitize people’s souls, which is why it’s up to individuals known as Soulbearers – humans born with alternate Souls – to intercept, attack, and eradicate as many Dominators at possible, dispatched into action day and night.

The game’s story will follow Yakumo, a freelance Soulbearer who takes on some gigs from private military contractor known as the Dominator Disposal Organization – DDO for short. You’ll need to make the most of Yakumo’s abilities – and those of the individuals who will join the fight – so that you can put your deckbuilding skills to the test. Single actions can help to move the needle in your direction, but if you are to win each fight, you will need to see the bigger picture, as you aim at unleashing deadly combos that can destroy Dominators before they get a chance to retaliate. The game was originally released for mobile, and has now been revamped for consoles with UI improvements and other bells and whistles for a more comfortable journey on Nintendo Switch.

As you move over a 2D plane from room to room. In each spot, you’ll be using the L and R buttons to select from the available options. For example, one area could offer you from opening a briefcase or checking a vehicle that has crashed against a wall. Checking the vehicle might not reveal anything new, but it you check the briefcase, you’ll probably be rewarded with something useful. You could get a cure capsule that can be taken to heal 100 HP.

 

Each floor will have a randomly generated layout, and you can check the map on the upper left corner as you move from room to room. Press in on the left analog stick to expand the map for that floor. Reach the exit, and you’ll get to choose your next location to explore from the available options. Some floors you’ll be able to explore in full. Others will have some rooms locked behind a hazard you need to remove. Between areas, you can take a moment to rest. Resting will allow you to recover HP and SP. The longer you rest for, the more you will heal.

When in battle, you’ll use the left analog stick or the D-Pad to select your action /and confirming your choice with the A button. Abilities are tied to Soulbits. You’ll be able to select from the actions currently in your hand, which could be things such as punching an enemy for melee damage, using a slash technique to target a weakness – something that can, in turn, reward you with bonus AP for your next turn – or defending against incoming damage so that you can survive through combat. For each turn, you can select as many Soulbits as you have action points.

You also have the option of activating your ability by pressing the X button, which will require that you spend Soul Points (SP) – which you can review at the right corner of the screen along with each character’s current and overall hit points. For Yakumo, that could mean activating Yield Heat, a skill that will create and load additional heat that is turned into Soulbits that you can use to unleash mighty combination special moves known as Arts, which allow you to use more than one Soulbit at a time.

 

There will many more Arts for you to consider during you time with SOULVARS that will require you to activate specific Soulbit combos to trigger them. For example, along with Heat Chain, which deals 320% damage over 4 hits, there’s also Prominence, which will boost attack, psy, and fire by 25% for 4 turns, or Cross Edge, which will deal 300% damage over 2 hits with a Burst effect.

Sometimes you won’t have enough useful Soulbits in your hand, and will be forced to select a negative effect that will reload Soulbits at the cost of 25% of your overall health. Reloading Soulbits during some of the longer battles will be a must. But if not forced to reload, why would you want to lower your health? Because this will give you access to the Alternation skill. The Alternation skill can be activated when a character is at 39% or less HP. This will temporarily boost all stats, and it will allow you to use that character’s Ultimate Alternate Art.

Each character in you party will be able to equip different items as a weapon, sub-weapon, armor, and accessory which will, in turn, have an effect on that character’s overall values for stats such as attack, defense, psy, tech, speed, as well as potential resistance to elements – fire, cold, electricity, wind, and land. Sub-weapons will only affect Soulbits. Another thing to consider is the Souldriver equipped to each character.

 

Something to consider in combat is that your abilities can increase an enemy’s Burst rate. You will need to see if it makes more sense to use more powerful heavy attacks that deal more damage but don’t increase an enemy’s Burst, or focus on a flurry of faster attacks that will considerably increase Burst. This is important because once an enemy’s Burst reaches 100%, it will lose that turn’s actions and receive more damage.

The Souldriver will boost stats and load Soulbits into play. Depending on the Sync rate for the Souldriver, a Soul Sync bonus will be unlocked. As the Soul Driver’s Sync Rate improves, spend the Soul Fragments you’ve collected to unlock a bonus. You could get some extra HP, a boost to your attack, some extra defense, new skills, a boost to speed, and more. Be sure to keep an eye on each character’s Souldriverr so that you can use Soul Fragments as needed.

You will also collect money that can be spent at the shop to purchase useful healing drinks to recover from damage, or that can also grant an additional attack boost on top of that for a couple of turns. What else can you buy with your money? There are also items that can cure negative status effects such as poison loaded Soulbits or darkness loaded Soulbits. There are also Life Vials that can be used in combat to revive an incapacitated partner, bringing them back with 50% health. While you can find weapons while exploring each floor, you can also find arms dealers that offer a solid selection of weapons. Oh, and there are also mods that you can equip to items that have any available slots, granting you boosts to your HP, attack, speed, and more.

SOULVARS is a turn-based deckbuilding pixel art on Nintendo Switch. As you start your journey with freelance Soulbearer Yakumo, who works on some gigs here and there assigned by private military contractor Dominator Disposal Organization. More Soulbearers will join the fight along the way, as you set out to contain and eradicate all of the Dominators you run into. It’s more of a slow burner of a game for which you’ll need to learn some new elements here and there that make it different from other deckbuilders on Nintendo’s console. It’s an interesting experience, but one that won’t click with all fans of the genre. SOULVARS is out on Nintendo Switch with a $16.99 price tag.

Disclaimer
This SOULVARS review is based on a Nintendo Switch copy provided by SHUEISHA GAMES.