As a fan of NIS, I tend to always look into each game they release. It follows that I would have taken notice of Soul Nomad the moment it was announced. I got to play through it, and I figured I should share my thoughts.



Developer: NIS
Publisher: NISA
Genre: SRPG
Year: 2007

The story takes place through the perspective of the hero (a guy or girl, but I'll refer to it as him). You are practicing with your friend, Danette, when you are summoned by Layla, the village elder. You are each given a weapon (you get an Onyx blade). Soon, your sword starts talking, much to your surprise. You then find out that Layla was waiting for the right person to give the sword to (you), and that it contains a powerful and evil entity (who loves hotpods, by the way). You are given a task; to hunt down the newly awakened world-eaters (beings that, you guessed it, will eat the world). The cast is mostly likable, with a few really annoying characters. Each one has a quirk, and are identifiable. It is a serious story, with quite a few funny moments thrown in.


Gig has a bit more depth to his character than you might think.

The gameplay is turn based, and takes place on a grid. The difference is that each unit on the field is actually a squad. The unit displayed on the grid is merely the unit leader, and is the only one allowed to use skills (both on the map, and in battle). You can also access dual skills, depending on the units in the squad. It's important to mix units up in each squad, so as to add to the squad's effectiveness. It is also important to make use of rooms (they are what determine your squad numbers and layout). Rooms give various benefits, and are sometimes specific in what gains the bonuses. Also, units can equip items to increase their stats or get other types of bonuses. It's pretty complex, and is really rewarding once you master it. I had a lot of fun with the battle system, but it did get a little boring (as there is a lot of grinding).

Units level up like other RPGs. The cap is set to 9,999, like other NIS games, and it can take quite a while to get there. There is an option, when creating a unit, to set it's level (up to that of the main character). This is a great addition, as you cannot go back to previous levels to train. You can also level up you rooms by entering their dungeon. Doing so will unlock more spots for units and increase the bonus's effects. The dungeons themselves are just a number of floors, but they do have restrictions at times.


Dungeon maps tend to have some harsh restrictions

The graphics of the game look great. Each sprite is large, clear, and well detailed. Each of their attacks are expertly animated, with impressive effects (Hero Chacha is the one of the coolest attacks I've ever seen). The illustrations of each character look nice, and have a "soft" feel to them. The battle map has a creatine design (It looks like an actual map), but is a bit simplistic.

The audio is a bit of a mixed bag, but is mostly good. I enjoyed listening to the game's songs. I couldn't find anyt bad tunes, and most are really good. The voice acting is what tends to be a bit of a mixed bag. There quite a few good actors, but others tend to be annoying ( Pinot) or just a bit bland at times. Of course, you can switch to Japanese (each character has a completely different tone of voice).


This is where the actual fighting will play out.

In terms of extra content, there is a fair bit. You can play through the game again after beating it (retaining your level). What really adds to the replayability is the Demon Path ( you basically becoma a big, walking bastard) which is completely different story-wise. There are also multiple endings depending on which characters you used dual skills with. There are also cameo battles, which give you new units.

Soul Nomad manages to be a fun and different take on the SRPG genre. The squad based gameplay works great, and is a cool concept. I really recommend it to fans of the genre, but it's a little too hardcore for most "casual" players.

My Score:
8.5/10