Grand Soul Story

Just completed the game and the save time is about 20h. Fully immersed myself in the experience the dev (thanks for the key, dude) tried and (mostly) managed to offer. But, here we go with the ol' pros and cons, starting from the neutral: NEUTRAL - Exploration and combat gameplay: pretty traditional RPGMaker stuff, turn based and skills only learned by leveling up - Soundtrack, nor good nor bad, it fits some moments, but it starts to be kinda repetitive mid game - Graphics: same as gameplay, RPGMaker assets and some AI generated ones, but they look good PROS - Difficulty: the game in first five or six hours (what I spent in Old City, completing almost everything) is hard, is kinda hard if you think that grinding is your thing and this is a game where gringing IS not a thing (just a couple of times I felt stuck at a certain point) and what you must prioritize is the equipment. Late game you'll be able to afford everything you want, but every time you have money to spare, buy equipment. Trust me. - Story: it's good, it's really good and almost every character has a chance to shine and you get to choose their fate by the end of the game. If you are into political stories, this is the game for you (boundaries between DAA, DRA and mob are never clear, always confusing in a good way for storytelling). There is a bit of Matrix and, I guess Xenogears and one of the ending (the TRUE ending for how it is presented) kinda wipes out everything you think about the story CONS - Difficulty: remember what I said in the "pro" section of the game? Well, the game stops being challenging after Old City. You'll find yourself with an inventory of things that you'll never use and so much money you could realistically rebuild half DuPont by yourself - Story: SPOILER HERE SPOILER HERE: two problems 1 By the end of the game you do not notice that something changed, only some NPC dialogues (like, yeah, young Derrida is in power now but...then what? You don't even get the chance to meet him after he takes the ''crown'') 2 The TRUE ending destroys everything. I didn't test the choice regarding Herana's infancy (I guess they shape what we see about Demetrix'past, slightly) but finding out that everything was just a simulation is...boring and disruptive. I get the ''God trying what being God means'', but you can do that without vanquishing the emotional attachment to the characters

***ENGLISH REVIEW*** Beta-tester here and huge lover of JRPGs! I think the number of hours I played this title suggests how much I enjoyed exploring every single pixel of "Grand Soul Story" and discover each and every secret (and bug!) it had to offer. I received a key for the game directly from the developer himself last April, therefore I installed Steam just for playing it, as I'm mainly a console gamer. He told me: "Just play it and let me know what you think." so I thought: "Sure, why not!" since I had finished a few days earlier to play another JRPG (if you're curious to know, it's "Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht", which I loved!). Back at the time, however, Jeremy's title was really unpolished and suffered of many bugs (some severe ones too!) that compromised the playthrough experience, and we all know how painful and frustrating it is playing a game like that. So I decided on my own free will to help the developer beta-testing it and report all the bugs I could find (I discovered over a hundred of them!) and I also gave him many suggestions to improve the game mechanics. Hopefully now new players will be able to enjoy it for what it has to offer. And now, let's move on to the game! - PROs: 1) The game has a really nice soundtrack: the Normal Battle and Boss Battle themes are great, as well as all the others that efficiently recreate the atmosphere of different scenarios present in Greater DuPont (the world where the events take place). 2) Non-linear story with a lot of secondary quests, that will help the player to earn money (which is an essential element to progress in the main quest) and get to know more of the lore of the world and the background of the party members. 3) Full of loot. Search everywhere, as you never know what a pot or a crack in the wall may hide! If you enjoy the exploration element in JRPGs, you'll definitely love it here! 4) Dialogues are short and go straight to the point: no looong and boring papyruses! 5) Enemies are visible on the map (no random encounters) and do not respawn: there is not compulsive grinding and the battles are challenging! 6) The "jump system" is a nice feature that allows the player to discover some hidden locations otherwise unaccessible. 7) The battle system is turn-based and strongly inspired by Octopath Traveler's, with a Boost and De-Boost commands that allow to set the power of the attacks and defense based on the needs. - CONs: 1) As a huge fan of plot-driven JRPGs like Xenogears, Breath of Fire, Lunar and Grandia series and many others, I will tell you: do not expect an incredible story from this game. The plot and character progression are not the ones you'll generally expect to see in a typical JRPGs, and I already discussed this matter with the developer. Just play the game with the awareness that this is, alas, the weakest point of the title. 2) Level design should also deserve improvement, as some areas are just too small and simple. The game has a great range of improvement though, and I'm confident it will be in the future, as Jeremy is really an awesome guy other than an incredible listener and learner. Who I recommend this title to, then? Definitely to those of you who are looking for something different than the classic stereotyped JRPGs with "the hero that saves the world from descruction" and predictable plot twist. I also recommend it to those who are looking for challenging fights, enjoy non-linear stories and want to play something chill between major titles. I wish Jeremy Reineck all the best with "Grand Soul Story" and I'll look forward to enjoy his future projects! Who knows, maybe I'll do another playthrough of this game before playing his next title! Please add the Achievements: they'll be perfect here! ***RECENSIONE IN ITALIANO*** Beta-tester e grande appassionato di JRPG! Credo che il numero di ore trascorse a giocare questo titolo sia indicativo di quanto abbia adorato esplorare ogni singolo pixel di "Grand Soul Story" e scoprirne ogni singolo segreto (e bug!) che aveva da offrire. Ricevetti il codice per riscattare il gioco direttamente dallo sviluppatore lo scorso Aprile, il che mi portò ad installare Steam giusto per giocarlo, dato che sono principalmente un console gamer. Mi disse: "Giocalo e fammi sapere cosa ne pensi." ed io pensai: "Certo, perché no!" dato che avevo finito di giocare alcuni giorni prima ad un altro JRPG (se siete curiosi di saperlo, si tratta di "Xenosaga Episode I: Der Wille zur Macht", che ho amato!). Allora, tuttavia, il titolo di Jeremy era davvero grezzo e soffriva di parecchi bug (alcuni di essi anche abbastanza gravi!) che compromettevano l'esperienza di gioco, e sappiamo tutti quanto sia doloroso e frustrante giocare ad un titolo del genere. Quindi decisi di mia spontanea volontà di aiutare lo sviluppatore a beta-testarlo e a segnalargli tutti i bug che avrei incontrato (ne ho trovati oltre un centinaio!) e gli ho fornito anche diversi suggerimenti per migliorare alcune meccaniche di gameplay. Adesso spero che i nuovi giocatori siano in grado di apprezzarlo per ciò che ha da offrire. E ora, passiamo al gioco! - PRO: 1) Il gioco ha una colonna sonora davvero carina: i temi delle battaglie normali e contro i Boss mi sono piaciuti molto, così come tutti gli altri che ricreano con efficacia le atmosfere dei diversi scenari presenti in Greater DuPont (il mondo in cui hanno luogo gli eventi). 2) Storia non-lineare con molte missioni secondarie, che aiuteranno il giocatore a guadagnare denaro (elemento indispensabile per progredire nella storia principale) come anche farci conoscere qualcosa in più sulla lore del mondo ed il trascorso dei membri della squadra. 3) Pieno di bottini. Cercate ovunque, poiché non saprete mai cosa ha da nascondere un vaso o una crepa sul muro! Se vi piace la componente esplorativa nei JRPG, di sicuro la amerete qui! 4) I dialoghi sono brevi e vanno dritto al punto: niente papiri luuunghi e noiosi! 5) I nemici sono visibili su mappa (niente incontri casuali) e non ricompaiono: non vi è grinding compulsivo e le battaglie sono impegnative! 6) Il "sistema del salto" è una feature carina che consente al giocatore di scoprire luoghi nascosti altrimenti inaccessibili. 7) Il sistema di battaglia è a turni e fortemente ispirato da quello di Octopath Traveler, con comandi di Boost e De-Boost che consentono di regolare la potenza di attacchi e difesa a seconda delle esigenze. - CONTRO: 1) Da grande fan di JRPG incentrati sulla storia come Xenogears, le serie di Breath of Fire, Lunar, Grandia e molti altri, ve lo dico chiaramente: non aspettatevi una storia incredibile da questo gioco. La trama e la progressione dei personaggi non sono quelle che vi aspettereste di trovare in un tipico JRPG, e ne ho già discusso a tal proposito con lo sviluppatore. Giocatelo con la consapevolezza, purtroppo, che questo è il punto più debole del titolo. 2) Il level design meriterebbe anch'esso di essere migliorato, poichè alcune aree sono davvero troppo piccole e semplici. Il gioco ha comunque ampi margini di miglioramento e sono certo che lo sarà in futuro, dato che Jeremy è davvero un tipo in gamba oltre che ottimo ad ascoltare e apprendere. A chi consiglio questo titolo, dunque? Di sicuro a coloro di voi che cercano qualcosa di diverso dai classici JRPG stereotipati con "l'eroe che salva il mondo dalla distruzione" e colpi di scena prevedibili. Lo consiglio anche a coloro che sono alla ricerca di combattimenti impegnativi, a cui piacciono le storie non-lineari e che vogliono giocare qualcosa di più leggero tra titoli maggiori. Auguro a Jeremy Reineck tutto il meglio con "Grand Soul Story" e non vedo l'ora di apprezzare i suoi futuri progetti! Chi lo sa, forse farò un'altra run di questo gioco prima di iniziare il suo prossimo titolo! Per favore, aggiungi i Traguardi (Achievements): saranno perfetti qui!

Pretty surprised at how awesome this game turned out to be. Interesting story, unique characters that have their own stuff going on, and satisfying difficulty (especially early on) that doesn't become tedious because of the limited encounters. Multiple endings, not sure how many, but I got 2 and enjoyed both. A few small bugs, but nothing too annoying AS LONG AS YOU KEEP MULTIPLE SAVES. I cannot stress this enough. Fortunately, I save in a different slot every time I save. If I had not, I would have had to start all over due to a particular bug. Still, as long as you keep this in mind, you shouldn't have any issues enjoying what this game has to offer. I look forward to playing this devs next title.

There is a game-breaking bug ~10 hours into the game. This bug (being stuck in the Red Temple) was flagged months ago, and the developers indicated they addressed it. However, it is still present, and it completely breaks the game. I can't recommend a broken product.

I like this throwback to JRPGs of old. The story is good overall, although too epic for the length of the game. It's possible I skipped some content but I doubt it. The larger story is told through anecdotal quests and writings encountered as you travel. Many RPGs do something similar (an Elder Scrolls constant) but I felt like the plot glossed over some of the connections between the main conflicts. They clearly are connected. Still, I like where the story goes. It provides choices and those choices do end up having some impact on the story. The world feels real in a few ways, like how people from multiple cultures are thrown together in a world of war and chaos and not always in harmony. The backdrop is a post-apocalyptic dictatorship where corruption is rampant. Some of the choices you make along the way offer allow you to imitate this corruption yourself. The combat is pretty standard turn-based JRPG stuff with its own twist. Special abilities require points in two categories to use. Those get exhausted pretty quickly so you have to heal them at least as often as hit points, if not more often. So you have hit points, action points and spell points (the last two are guesses of abilities labeled as AP and SP) that need to be replenished. That leads to strategic use of healing items that heal/regenerate the three different abilities at different rates. I played the game on easy as I saw that it describes some of the combat as punishing. I'm glad I did because even then it had some close calls. The dev is apparently just one guy. He's very responsive in the forums and fixed a bug that messed up my save the same day. If you want to support indie devs who care about their games, buy this game. It's worth the price for sure.

I had never played any JRPG games until Grand Soul Story but am greatly enjoying my time playing. The art style is beautiful and the music really sets the tone or the area you are in. The story is engaging, especially with the personal backgrounds and quests with your companions. I have found the combat particularly difficult at times, especially during the early game, so the use of items and tactics are essential however I have found this enjoyable. At one point I did come across a bug that soft locked me in an area however this was very quickly patched by the developer once I had raised it. Overall a very solid game from a solo developer, who actively engages with any feedback very quickly. Would highly recommend.

Just got an ending for this game at 16 hours, and I have to say...this game is something special. The standouts are the writing, exploration, and quest design. Quests are usually designed in ways that you can take different routes, avoid enemies, and make different decisions that lead to different outcomes. Dialogue/NPC interactions were probably the highlight, where the game just manages to write them in a way that makes you WANT to interact with whatever you can, just to see the interaction. The game taking place in a mixed setting with modern, high crime, spiritual aspects collide really lends itself well to a variety of personalities, and this game really makes it work. Humor is on point where it needs to be, and the intrigue of a certain aspect of the game was done really well. Characters have their events/story spread out throughout the game. The game doesn't make them missable really, but some of them can be easily if the player chooses to do so. Again even these (especially final character quests) come with choices to make, with no outcome negatively blindsiding you. And the exploration, for a 2D JRPG, is probably some of the best I've seen. This ties in with both the semi open nature of the game, map design, and the very simple but really well done "Jump" mechanic. Most 2D JRPGs would make the jump scripted where you do it at some specific point in the map, but this game makes it a button and allows you to jump at any time over obstacles spanning 1 tile. It's something that sounds so simple but when you actually try the game, it adds a huge dynamic to moving around the map and exploration when you can just hop a fence, avoid an enemy in a stairway by hopping across to the other side, getting an item by hopping across some roofs, etc. while giving player control so it makes them feel like they were rewarded for their ingenuity, instead of being guided or expected to do it. The only downside I would give this game how in any given area you'll encounter almost the same enemy group, making the combat dip quite a bit for me.