Review: Mugen Souls (darkzero)

"There is no doubt that if you want a wacky RPG experience, then the Japanese are the masters at delivering such bizarre concepts and stories for the genre. Compile Heart, who are teaming up with Nippon Ichi Software again, are no strangers to adding weirdness to the genre. Gamers might have heard of Hyperdimensional Neptunia or its sequel Hyperdimensional Neptunia MK2 (reviewed here), which had the plot revolve around characters based on game consoles and handhelds, and used the console wars as a foundation for its story. Compile Heart are back with their brand of weirdness with a new Japanese RPG (JRPG) titled Mugen Souls, but this time, problems get in the way that hamper the overall experience of this eccentric title." (darkzero)

[nrvalleytime]

Haven't seen a really positive review for this game yet - one to avoid.

[ThePsychoGamer]

Not a one?
http://n4g.com/channel/muge...

http://n4g.com/news/1101785...

Looks to me like almost all the reviews for the game have been positive.

[nrvalleytime]

I saw those reviews, but most of them seem to be overly generous to it because of the niche it falls into.

Don't get me wrong - it's a very specific RPG type, but I'm very skeptical of a game that gets such wildly varying scores and is very unique. Maybe one day.

[deletingthis34675334]

Meh, I still want to play it. I'll see what it is like for myself.

[izumo_lee]

I seem to be repeating myself when talking about these kind of games that some western media just simply do not understand.

Is the game catered to everyone? Of course not but just because it does not cater to everyone does not mean it is bad. The game is 'EXTREMELY' Japanese in its presentation & premise so some of the dialogue & themes may be confusing to 'western' audiences. However if you are a fan of slap-stick anime troupes than this game is a good addition to your library.

Am i saying there are no faults. Of course there are faults in the game like the slowdown but this is a game not here to showcase graphical prowness. It is suppose to be adorable, mindless fun. I do not see the complaints that western media give when a game is distinctly Japanese, for having 'Moe' characters, pantyshots, over the top storylines & sexual inuendoes cause all of this is normal for a majority of anime. There is NOTHING wrong with that!!

I am enjoying it a whole lot cause it does not take itself seriously. Personally it is a solid 7/10 game.

[deletingthis34675334]

Haha yeah I agree with you. I haven't played it but really want to. Sure it may not be some generic military first person shooter with a lot of polished visuals, but it still looks FUN. That is all it matters to me. A lot of my favorite games from this generation have little polish and ugly graphics. Big whoopee. Just want to have fun.

[nrvalleytime]

I agree with you man - some of my favorite RPGs have been smaller import titles. This one just seems to be dividing the RPG crowd more than usual. Almost every game receives some deviating scores, but this particular one seems to divide opinion more than usual. I'll probably play it one day, but it's not a must have from what I've seen.

[Bimkoblerutso]

It's not an Otaku sin to admit that not EVERY niche Japanese game that makes it over here is some sort of hidden gem.

Granted, our review system is screwed up, but I'm kinda finding myself annoyed by the characters and gameplay shortcomings a lot more than I usually am in these kinds of games...

[izumo_lee]

I know that not every niche game that comes out of Japan is good, cause Nisa released a game a few years back called Last Rebellion that was awful.

All i am trying to say that the game is catered to a very VERY specific audience that enjoy anime that are similar to these kinds of games. Stuff like Azumanga Daioh & Lucky Star are animes that have a similar vibe. Mindless slapstick craziness.

We both have different takes on this game, cause i have no problems with the characters. Yes i do agree that some of the gameplay elements are a tad cumbersome but it is not the end all for me personally.

I am just grateful that games like these actually make it over here cause if these Japanese game companies are mindful of these reviews they might think that nobody wants these games here in the west. Why bother localizing if that is how the media judges some of these games.