Grand Soul Story

Total hidden gem JRPG here. Solid pixel art, nice music, and the gritty cyberpunk atmosphere kept my interest all the way through. Elsie's personal story was also a highlight. Overall plot was surprising to me. Went places I really didn't expect and I appreciate that. The game is pretty linear and there aren't any random encounters that you can grind for levels. Early game was very punishing, but that may have been resolved in a recent patch. Some dialog that rubbed me the wrong way, bugs (patched rapidly by the dev), and questionable stealth sections (has any game ever REALLY gotten stealth right?) were not enough to deter my enjoyment of the game. Grand Soul Story isn't perfect. Nothing ever is. However, this is pretty impressive from a solo dev and I would definitely recommend it to anyone interested in old school JRPGs.

Great game, especially the first half, the second half is good but it falls off a bit. The quests are really good and the music is amazing. The battle system is great but it feels repetitive as the game goes on when you're constantly fighting the same enemy squad composition. Your companion don't get much to shine tbh except for Elsie, Santos, and maybe Sullivan. I have no idea what's Billie's deal is and DuMonde quest was bugged for me and I couldn't see it's conclusion. Daisy is uninteresting. I had a few bugs which soured my experience a bit but the developer was very responsive and put out fixes pretty fast so don't let that deter you from trying and enjoying this game. Only thing this game need is exposure so please do give it a try.

Get ready for an epic journey through the gritty streets of DuPont in this game crafted by a true gaming wizard! It's not just about escaping an uprising or reuniting with your fam; it's about the personal growth you'll experience along the way. First off, let's talk tunes! The music in this game? Mind-blowing! It sets the mood perfectly, making every moment feel like you're living in an action-packed movie. I am a big fan of the band "Moon Soul", I've seen them play live in NYC many times and they blow my mind every time! When I heard that the singer of this band (Jeremy Reineck) created his own video game, I made sure to buy my gaming socks because I knew we were all in for a ride! But here's the real kicker: the storyline. It's not your typical save-the-world gig. No, no. It's about navigating through tough choices, dealing with shady characters, and facing the consequences of your actions. You'll find yourself reflecting on stuff people actually go through in real life. So, if you're into games that challenge you to think deeper and grow as a person, this one's a no-brainer. Get ready to level up your gaming experience with DuPont!

Solid game. The characters, storyline, atmosphere, and environments are actually pretty unique as far as JRPG's go. Music is really good too. Gritty and emotional story, but also with a lot of RPG wackiness along the way so it doesn't get too heavy. There's also a lot of little secret interactions and quests and stuff if you look for them. The battle system was alright. I agree with another reviewer that it was kinda brutal at points, but the game is in early access so hopefully it'll get updated. Overall a good retro JRPG game.

I really really wanted to like this game, but I encountered a progression halting bug about 8 hours in. I entered the red temple, the game auto saves on entry, there is also a save point in the first room. You can not leave once you enter, if you try to leave you get the text "I should speak with master Samir first", if you try to talk to the master, it starts a battle sequence with Malik, if you die, its game over, load back in to red temple. If you win, you get a cut scene where Malik leaves, then the masters sprite just disappears and is replaced by Dumonds sprite, and Dumond leaves the party, but the sprite you are controlling is Dumond, so there are two Dumond sprites on screen, if you try to leave the temple after this, you get the SAME MESSAGE "I should speak with master Samir first". I am not about to restart the whole game after 8 hours of progress... Don't waste your money. There were other hints of progression stalling bugs, such as being trapped by a walking NPC that I couldn't jump over because of an NPC behind the walking NPC, and blocked by walls on either side, luckily I had an autosave that worked out, but still....

Love this game! Such a cool feel. Characters and story take me into a world reminiscent of some of the Final Fantasy games, Amazing soundtrack!

A solid RPG, designed with a realistic scope for a solo-dev. All aspects, art, story, combat, exploration, and music, are competently done and mesh together into a enjoyable game. My playtime came in around 15 hours to beat it. You get a nice amount choice during the play-through and the combat comes together after you fill out the party and get a few more levels. If you are struggling with fights I would recommend using items to fill up your Hp/AP/SP between fights, you can find plenty more as you play. I like how the story is goal focused, but leaves you to find the options to raise the money to access the next area. The characters come off as likeable while not being boring. You can run into some softlocks and sequence breaks, so I would keep multiple savefiles, but the developer has been patching them as they are discovered.

Mild spoilers ahead. Currently I'm 16 hours in and so far this game has been nothing but an absolute delight. I've been playing turn based RPGs since I was a kid and this takes me back to a time of older RPGs, yet with the kind of quality of life improvements of newer titles. This game is hard, at least harder than what you may be accustomed to with most of its contemporaries. But that's because the way the game is structured, you are almost required to utilize every possible thing to your advantage. What I mean by this is that you will probably not be hoarding mountains of healing/buff items "just in case". I was having a lot of trouble in the beginning before getting any party member, until I realized how much I could push ahead by using items. I actually love this because if I had a dollar for every one of my unused potion in other RPGs I could put myself through med school. But even beyond the gameplay, what I love most of all about this game is the world and writing. The dev has done a wonderful job at crafting a world that feels authentic: bleak and struggling, but with glimmers of hope. It feels like a world I want to see more of. The same goes for the characters. I really enjoy the way their backstories and personalities are explored bit by bit as you go through the plot, and how they will sometimes even interact with each other. I knew this game's story would win me over when, for one of the party members' stories, it briefly turned into Rehab Simulator. To the point where you are encouraged to maintain that party member's sobriety through gameplay mechanics as well. It is simply a brilliant game, especially when you consider it was a SOLE developer. Lots of potential here. Most of my issues are small and preferential, or stuff that I could easily see being ironed out with later titles from this dev and doesn't really take too much away from thr experience. If you're a big RPG buff, definitely give this game a chance.

Absolutely enjoyed this game! The soundtrack perfectly complemented the gameplay, and the art style alongside the map design truly stood out. I also enjoyed the characters as they had a nice story and background. However, the combat system and combat visuals could be more aligned with the wonderfully crafted world. Eagerly anticipating future projects from Jeremy. It scores a solid 7.9/10 on the indie scale—impressive indeed!

I'm totally digging this game, from its epic storyline to the challenging combat. What really sets it apart are the immersive environments and the incredible soundtrack. The tunes are perfectly in sync with every moment of the story. It's an RPG adventure with a unique sound experience. A must-play for RPG fans out there.