Mugen Souls Review | Trendy Gamers

I’ve put this off for too long. I’ve been struggling, actually struggling, to find a way to approach this review, because Mugen Souls is not simply a terrible game—it’s an offensive one as well. Having anything to do with this game makes me feel extremely uncomfortable. It made me physically ill to play certain parts of it. But this is all part of the job of being a critic; you have to sample the entire spectrum of the medium, and eventually, given the law of infinite diversity in infinite combinations, something utterly vile will cross your desk. Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Mugen Souls.

- Trendy Gamers

[ThePsychoGamer]

"It boggles my mind as to why it was even localized for North America. It took a Herculean effort by fans to get master works Xenoblade Chronicles and The Last Story to our shores, yet this … thing shows up uninvited."

Nisa is a far better publisher than Nintendo, simple as that. (BTW univated? Fans asked Nisa to localize this game)

Lazy? Ok now I have doubts that the reviewer even played the game. It may have beena lot of of things, but it most deffevently wasn't lazy, if anything the game was to ambitious.

[brish]

A lot of the responses to this review are ... interesting. Some people claim that the site unfairly criticizes a jrpg.

Here are two other reviews from trendygamers.

Xenoblade Chronicles Review (10/10)
http://trendygamers.com/201...

The Last Story Review (9.5/10)
http://trendygamers.com/201...

This site has given very good reviews of jrpgs in the past.

After reading the review for Mugen Souls I would summarize it as: "It's an awful game that sexualizes children, has an awful story, and has awful gameplay."

Here is a quote from nisa's own site:

"The Japanese version of the game contained a mini-game in which the player had to scrub/grope 2D depictions of female characters in a variety of bath scenes. The characters and surrounding audio/visual elements were extremely sexualized, and a number of the characters were depicted as potentially being pubescent or pre-pubescent. ..."

http://nisamerica.com/forum...

Child molestation as a game play mechanic?! Seriously?!

@ThePsychoGamer
"Ok now I have doubts that the reviewer even played the game."

The reviewer is completely disgusted by the sexualation of children. Did you read the review?

Quotes from the review:
"I felt dirty playing this game. I was shocked into silence at some of the shamefacedly creepy things I was seeing. The opening sequence alone all but robbed me of what little desire I had to play the game, even just to review it. The game purports to be a colourful, cutesy, child-like deconstruction of BDSM relationships. I’ll say it again, the game is one giant Bondage/Dominance/Sadomasochis m allegory—starring a seven-year-old who wears what is for all intents and purposes a Lolita nightgown."

"Upon doing further research into this ghastly abomination, I learned that games of this nature are apparently Compile Heart’s bread and butter, including an upcoming PlayStation Vita title that lets you use its touchscreen and sensor pad to, for all intents and purposes, physically molest little anime girls."

A 0/10 seems appropriate.

[Godchild1020]

I expected better from Trendygamers. A 0/10 has to be the worst score any site has ever given any game. I guess it's a new year, so anything can happen.

I don't care what anyone says, no game can be that bad to get a 0 out of 10, unless it was a blank disc. And if it was a blank disc, you would rate the company a 0, not the game. Shame one you TG, better luck next time.

[Godmars290]

I'm guessing its another case of a JRPG being judged by WRPG standards. One that fails to properly exploit the platform its on at that.

Sorry, but most PS3 JRPGs just look like better looking PS2 ones, which are really only improved PS1 style games.

The JRPG industry needs to look at things like 3 Dot Heroes, Folklore and Valkyria Chronicles, but since none of them did too well or given much of a chance devs just fell back on the safe and familiar. Which is true even of Atlus and NIS, though they will stray.

[Jreca]

Why should a JRPG be better looking than this? I though I was in a games page, and not in a graphics-whore page. Disgaea 3 is a hell of fun, and yet it retains the sprites from the first, for example.

I mind the game not the graphics. And of course, not a commercial game ever has been worth 0/10.

[Inception]

0/10? RPGfan gave this game 75/100. Is this trendygamer site really play the game or playing tricks for hits?

@Godmars
I agreed with Jreca. JRPG trademark isn't about beautiful graphic with super detailed model / background textures. But it's about fun and adictive gameplay. Well a little exception like FF that had great graphics but we all knew how FF XIII turns right? And i prefer playing old masterpiece such as Vagrant Story / FF Tactics above FF XIII.

Btw, i quite agree with the 3 games you mentioned. And i reccomend Disgaea 4, Tales of Graces f, and Ressonance of Fate to the list. Also, if you really care about graphics in JPRG, i suggest Ni no Kuni.

[Godmars290]

I'm not talking about appearance but rather performance. And performance-wise something like Tales of Graces F is little changed from a PS1 Tales game besides being in 3D, which I believe was done first on the PS2.

@Inception:
*facepalm*

Not talking about recommendations, but rather examples of game mechanics.

Think of Star Ocean title using Mass Effect's choices system. A technically open universe with competing factions where said choices effect you interact with them and how one of possibly multiple stories go. Which NPC joins you.

Of course such wasn't even really possible with ME because they were too focused on graphics.

[Slapshot82]

Wow! Really?! A 0/10 for a completely playable game?!

Great way to ruin your credibility TG!

[LOGICWINS]

The game received a 0/10 because it's so bad that TG wants to emphasize that it's not worth buying at its current price point.

Review scores are measured by whether or not(and to what degree) a game is worth buying, not how "playable" the game is. It's ASSUMED that a game is playable when the reviewer receives it.

A game shouldn't get ANY points for being playable. Thats like giving an employee a bonus every week he/she shows up to work.

[kreate]

Don't worry mr hater. no one bought the game except me at a reduced price of 25 bucks.

[Slapshot82]

No, and employee gets paid for showing up for work. This employee's pay scale adjusts according to the work they perform for their employer: under-performing employees don't get quarterly/yearly pay increases and performing employees do. But overachieving employees might even get to move up within their company - netting even better benefits and pay.

It's no different with reviewing videogames (which I do myself and have done so for years for major gaming websites). The low end of the scoring system is where the under performing games sit, where they will most likely not gain mass appeal and increased sales at retail. Performing games sit in the middle and reap average benefits, but the overachievers gain mass appeal and are rewarded (potentially) with millions in revenue.

Of course, this isn't always the case - Zumba Fitness is terrible and has made millions, but I think my point is quite clear.

Not only do I still stand by my original statements, but your rebuttal only reaffirms my questions about the credibility of the website, which I've never had any qualms with before, seeing as a former colleague of mine got his start there.

Gaming websites have a bad problem these days with doing things just as this: low/undercutting scores on games to "prove a point" or to pull in 'clicks/hits' from N4G. A 0/10 isn't for a game that's playable, it's for a completely broken game. If you would have given the game a 1/10 for all of the reasons that you fully elaborated on, I could of understood and accepted your argument. But, the 0/10 comes off as either immature or intentional - neither of which, in my opinion, equate to professional journalism.

[Remdih]

Reviewers are often idiots, simple as that... Long live Nisa!

[memots]

All the while other site seem to be giving it decent score.

Is this a ps3 exclusive? That would explain a lot.

[LOGICWINS]

Riiight.

http://trendygamers.com/201...

http://trendygamers.com/201...

http://trendygamers.com/201...

http://trendygamers.com/201...

[memots]

Nothing to do with this site in particular.

Its well known that once in a while just bash an exclusive (more often than not ps3) And youll get hit's on your site.

I am not targeting Trendygamers themselves they are doing what they must to remain in business.

And Oh yeah ..

http://trendygamers.com/201...

http://trendygamers.com/201...

http://trendygamers.com/201...

Try harder

[Gaming Boner]

lol pick and choosing review to justify your opinion while ignoring other review, Take off your fanboy glasses LogicLoser

[izumo_lee]

Before even reading this review i knew there was gonna be a complaint or bitch about the art style of this game. Low & behold my thoughts are bang on. Here we have another 'western' gaming journalist who find this style offensive & have no clue about the 'culture' that exists in Japan that love this art style.

Of course the graphics look 'cheap' cause Compile Hearts is a small developer in Japan which does not have the same resources as the big boys like Atlus or Squarenix. Most JRPGs from these smaller companies rely on gameplay rather than graphics to sell their games. I have no idea what this reviewer was playing cause they missed the point of this game entirely.

Also i find his views of the music offensive cause it is done by Tenpei Sato who is well known for his Disgaea works. His style is very noticeable & for this reviewer to not know that they weren't listening to the music very clearly.

I'm tired of these reviewers who unfairly judges these JRPGs that are not Final Fantasy so harshly just cause they have a different take on the genre. Whether they have 'moe' female characters (which for some reason western reviewers find offensive), crazy slap stick stories (which a lot of anime are like Lucky Star, K-ON, etc.), sexual inuendous, & other stuff that again for some reason these reviewers find as 'anime troupes'.

Do you know what if companies like NISA, XSEED, & other localization groups listen to these reviewers we may never get these games to the west. Now you see the reason why a lot of Japanese developers/publishers do not want to localize their games cause they will get unfairly judged by immature reviewers.

Sorry Rant over....

[Kratoscar2008]

Your posts are always a delight to read Izumo :)

Aniway i think if this game were reviewed in the time of the PS1 and PS2 era it scores would be better i feel that this generation everything is westernized and so JP devs cant create a game for the likes of people outside of JP because now people have been westernized to the point that publishers like ATLUS and NISA are seen in a different way than say SE and Namco.

I think instead of damaging the tittle itself with that score they have damaged themselves as no game no matter how much you hated it can reach 0/10.

I cry for this gen where we cant get truly japanese games witouth being nitpicked by reviewers like that guy.

[kreate]

I'm sure TrendyGamer would be offended just looking at the Asian continent on the world map becuz of its shape.

[rainslacker]

Mugen Souls was a very satirical take on the Moe style in anime. Maybe a bit over the top. What I found funny is that Lollipop chainsaw was also a satirical take on the sexualization of teenagers in culture, and it got a free pass on all it's explicit innuendo, at least by those that understood that it was satirical.

Mugen Souls is not a 0/10 by any stretch of the imagination. It had an engaging battle system, a decent story, and enough variety to keep it interesting. This reviewer made up his mind before ever playing the game, and as such, his review is worthless. When reviewing the game you point out it's good and bad points, not condemn it because of cultural bias. At most his thoughts on the way it was presented should have been a separate section warning people against what he found offensive, because I can very well see why others might.

[Nevers]

Lollipop Chainsaw comparison?!?!? Really?

My girlfriend played that and while I agree it was totally a sexploitation game... the main character WAS A SENIOR IN HS and THE GAME STARTS ON HER 18th BIRTHDAY. By all intents and purposes SHE IS AN ADULT.

I'm so happy not to be included in this game's intended audience of child porn officianados. People can call me culturally immature all they want. From the many descriptions of this game I've found online, those who would enjoy a game like this are 0/10 humans.

[rainslacker]

My point for comparison was, in LC it received a lot of criticism for it's sexual themes, but it was justified because it was satirical, like the entire game was on common tropes to the genre's it reflected in the game.

Mugen Souls was also a satirical take on many of those same tropes within certain genres of anime, yet that gets ignored and now this guy is basically calling it some kind of pedo sim. It was certainly over the top, but to believe that everyone that played this game found it tantalizing for it's innuendo is misguided. While playing it I never thought of it in that regard, and saw it for what it was, a cynical and satirical look at that style of anime. I do believe it didn't need to go as far as it did, at times, to make that point, but Compile Heart generally always goes over the top, so for me it was to be excepted.

I believe the guy has a right to not like this game because of what he saw in it, but his first impression clouded the actual review of the game. He took what he saw on the surface, and didn't look any deeper.

[Nevers]

0/10 caught my eye and is the only reason I clicked:

It got a bad score because the reviewer thinks it glamorizes the sexualization of children (aka Pedophilia). I get this same impression from several (if not all) other reviews of this game. A review is simply one person's opinion; but, if there was nothing redeemable for this person in this game, a zero is as valid as people griping about the score.

[kyon147]

This site has just posted this for the hits I think, no game not matter how bad does not deserve a 0, 1 is the lowest possible score and even then it has to be pretty much unplayable.

There are poorly made games but at least most sites try to say constructive in their criticism and back it up using facts not just slander from their point of view.

A review score is just a subjective guide from the reviewers point of view to give readers a very general opinion of a game but even the written text is just flaming on a game they clearly either have not played or do not understand the culture which Mugen Souls has been targeted towards.

[chiwoo]

Do u really think NIS worry about these type of reviews? they know where there fan base is and games like these will sell nomatter what reviews say cause the fans love them which is why I love small publishers like nis. Xseed. and atlus for bringing stuff like this over

[Hicken]

A couple of things.

1. I disagree. If the game works, there's absolutely ZERO reason why it should get 0/10. That's end of story on that one.

2. What the reviewer has a problem with... isn't really as much of a problem in Japan. I don't mean molestation of children, but "molestation" of "children." The former is, quite obviously, frowned upon. In fact, they treat it so severely that girls will rather routinely get away with things by claiming a man did something to them; the man will be suspected without a moment's hesitation.

The latter is... somewhat more accepted. And it's pretty big money, to boot. While there are plenty of people who will be interested because of who's making the game, and those who will be interested because it's a JRPG, there are those who will buy it because it's got a "loli" in it.

Well, not that it's up to me to agree or disagree with a person's tastes, so long as they don't harm anybody.

But to give the game 0/10 because part of it disagrees with you... Pretty immature. Especially over imaginary characters.