Overview – developed by the team of Cocone, Idea Factory and Compile Heart, with publishing/porting handled by Eastasiasoft, Mugen Souls Z is the sequel to the universe conquering JRPG. Join up again with Lady Chou-Chou and her Peons as they embark on another adventure, with many twists, turns and new faces along the way. This title is available exclusively for Nintendo Switch, with a link to the game (both physical and digital) at the bottom of this review.
Disclaimer: before I get into the review, I would like to thank Eastasiasoft for providing the copy of Mugen Souls Z that was used for this piece. The provision of this software has not influenced the contents of this review, all thoughts and opinions contained within are my own.
Mature Content Disclaimer: Mugen Souls Z has been rated Mature, this is due to the inclusion of sexual themes, content, partial nudity and interactive intimacy scenes. If the inclusion of this type of content is something that you find offensive, or if you are under the age rating for your region, please proceed at your own discretion.
Now with the introductions out of the way, let’s get into the review, starting off with the story for Mugen Souls Z. I will be covering the core elements of the gameplay to prevent spoiling any surprises that this game has to offer, with a focus on covering the main elements of the experience. Please note, I previously covered the first Mugen Souls which you can find (HERE), there are a lot of shared elements between both titles so some details will carry over.
Story – after the events of the previous game, Lady Chou-Chou, the Undisputed God of the Universe has set her sights on the Twelve zodiac Worlds. During her adventure to conquer these new lands, Chou-Chou and her team encounter Syrma, an ultimate god who carries a mysterious coffin and is accompanied by the hero Nao. After battling with them, Chou-Chou gets carried away and after a series of unfortunate events, she loses her powers.
Reduced to a tiny version of her former self, Chou-Chou must now work together with Syrma, seeking out the other Ultimate Gods to solve the mystery of her lost powers. However, before this occurred, Chou-Chou had left her companions across the twelve worlds, meaning she must locate them during her quest to unite her front. What kind of shenanigans, new friends and enemies will Chou-Chou encounter during her quest.
Gameplay – Mugen Souls Z is an anime styled JRPG, where the player takes the role of Ultimate God Syrma, who is helping the diminutive Chou-Chou regain her power while dealing with amnesia. This adventure takes place over multiple chapters, separated into story scenes, exploration and battle. The core of the gameplay is centred around completing objectives that push the narrative forward, with the majority of them being shown as event markers.
During exploration of the different worlds and within the home base G-Castle, there will be event markers that the player can interact with. When the player activates these markers, the story scenes will play out with some having the potential to alter the story, but they aren’t the only events that can occur. At different points, there will also be tutorials for the player to learn different mechanics gradually, allowing players to advance comfortably.
The story events aren’t the only thing that can be encountered during the adventure. There are scripted battle events, random special battles that can be unlocked and enemies that roam the different landscapes of the 12 worlds. While exploring the world maps, monsters wandering the land will attack the player if they spot them, initiating battle with an advantage on their side. But if the player attacks them first, the player gains an advantage.
When a battle begins, the participants will be put in order to make their move in the turn based battles. This turn order is based on a few different factors, but the key component is the agility (AGI) stat of each combatant. In battles, there is the potential for a variety of effects to alter the way that combat will flow. This is due to the presence of crystals that can cause different effects on the player, including positive or negative status effects.
During each party members turn, the player has the ability to move their unit freely within a set range based on their movement stat. this can put them within range of enemies or even crystals to give them a bonus to attacks, defense and more. When movement has been decided upon, the player can then select an action to perform for their turn. Here is a breakdown of the core actions in battle (with their counterpart name from the first Mugen Souls);
- Captivate (Moe Kill) – This special skill can only be used by Syrma channelling the power of Lady Chou-Chou. When an enemy or crystal is within range, the player can use Captivate before their main action, performing different Fetish Poses (phrases) that will raise different levels for the target. Depending on the choices made and the form Syrma is in, a positive or negative effect may occur when using Captivate.
- Form Change – Syrma is able to change her form between multiple personalities, each with their own unique look and color scheme. The looks that can be switched to include a ditzy airhead in an orange dress, a hyper tomboy in puffy shorts and a graceful lady in a kimono style dress. This ability can be freely used outside of battle, but is limited to once per turn during combat.
- Skills – party members have access to a selection of skills they can use during battle, with the different classes having unique skills in their arsenal. These abilities use up SP, with each character excelling at the skills tied to their class. There is also a super special attack that can be unlocked, but they have their own requirements.
- Blast Off – when a skill is used, it is possible to activate an ability called Blast Off, which will launch the target in a direction that can be affected by several factors. When used, the target will bounce around the screen and damage anything that makes contact, regardless of if they are friend or foe making for a risky skill to use.
- Item – the active party member is able to use items during their turn, allowing for a host of benefits to be given to the player and allies. The effects that can be used include healing party members from damage and curing ailments like sleep/poison.
- Switch – the player is able to switch characters with sub party members, letting the player change up their active members on the fly. This can also be done when a party member is defeated, allowing for a chance to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.
- Retreat/Defend – if the player doesn’t wish to engage in battle, they can attempt to escape from that battle by selecting retreat, but failure means a turn will be lost. During a turn, if the player wants to skip a units turn but minimize damage, they can be put into a defensive position and pass.
At the end of a battle, the player will earn rewards based on the performance of their party, alongside the difficulty of the battle that was just cleared. These rewards are made up of experience for levelling up characters, with new skills unlocked at different milestones, currency to use in shops and item rewards. There are many different rewards that can be earned, with some being needed to strengthen the G-Castle and others to obtain equipment.
These are just the core mechanics of battle, but there are many more features that can be used when battling enemies. During battles, there is the chance for a skill called Fever Mode to activate when special conditions are met, along with the new Damage Carnival which can deal ridiculous amounts of damage. There is also the Ultimate Soul (Peon Ball) skill that can Syrma can use when captivating enemies, but there is a chance it can a backfire due to Overload.
While in battle, the Overload meter that will increase based on different actions, like party members getting knocked out and can pose serious risk to the outcome of a battle. If the meter gets too high the chance of overload increases with it, making for a lot of risk VS reward situations. There are a few ways to reduce the overload meter, but the most common are to successfully captivate enemies or to return to the home base.
When not in battle, there are other things that the player can do in each of the worlds, the most common extra activity that is just as important as battling are captivating Planet spots (Master Point). Throughout each of the worlds, the player will encounter different points that they need to captivate in order to gain Planet Energy (Peon Ratio). These points have a few requirements that need to be achieved, with relatively low risk but some can result in battles if the player fails.
If the player is able to captivate enough of the points for each world, they will gain rewards and depending on the point in the story, progress to the next stage. However, not all points can be captured easily, meaning the player may have to return at a later date to unlock them. This is due to several reasons but the main one is Ultimate Fusion, a special mechanic where Syrma unlocks new skills, like swimming or jumping high into the air.
Now the last main element of gameplay to cover is the G-Castle itself. This is where the player will likely spend a significant amount of time between excursions to the different worlds. The castle acts as a home base for the player, allowing them to save freely without needing to use a designated save point, recover downed team members and much more. There are also battles that can occur between G-Castle and enemy craft just like the previous title.
The different facilities of the G-Castle are vital to the success of the player, as they offer the ability to use stores for new and/or improved gear, buy valuable support items and create new party members. At the home base, the player can access the Salon, where new Peon units can be created, upgraded and even fused together, creating a flexible army to command. There is a limited selection of classes and styles to start but more can be unlocked as the game progresses.
It is also important to get the most out of the gear and resources that players have access to, as the equipment given to characters no only makes them hit harder, but can give extra bonuses. Based on the equipment given, the characters will gain more power, extra health and more to strengthen them in a more effective way. This is increased further by the ability to upgrade equipment, boosting the bonuses even more.
And finally we have the Mugen Field, a special dungeon where the player will be thrown into combat over and over again, with enemies increasing in strength each time. This alternate dimension is made up of a number of floors, which consist of battles that occur one after the other. But before the player can delve into the Mugen Field, there are requirements that need to enter one of the three routes, with the challenge of said route being a factor.
These requirements are based on the average level of all of Syrma’s forms, known as the Charm level, with the required level increasing the deeper the player gets. At set points within the Mugen field, there will be rest stops, where the player can heal, save and even battle special enemies. There will also be stores that offer very special items in exchange for points, along with an exit to return to G-Castle allowing the player to continue from that point later.
In order to gain entrance to the Mugen field, the player must offer up points to challenge the dangers of this dimension. The higher the wager the more dangerous the battles that the player will encounter, but the better the yield will be in terms of rewards. This makes the nearly infinite battle rush a valuable resource for players to grind reward. But there is still a risk present, as the player will be kicked out if they are defeated and lose their progress.
There is much more that I could cover in this segment, but there are so many things that should be experienced first-hand. That even includes the more scintillating content, such as the hot spring scenes, which were initially removed from the first release of this game. There is also the addition of every piece of DLC and expansion content included, making for the most definitive release available with all content restored.
Now with the gameplay section covered, I want to move onto the other aspects of this release, starting with the controls.
Controls – this title has a bit of an unusual feel to it, it is very comfortable to play but there are moments where there is a lack of feedback with inputs on screen. This can cause a disconnect between the game and the player, which can feel like there is no control at times. But aside from these moments, the game is otherwise responsive and plays very well regardless of controller used, either in docked or handheld gameplay modes.
Difficulty – there is a good balance to the challenge of Mugen Souls Z, which makes the game approachable and accessible to players of all skill/experience levels. But like the previous title, it is possible for spikes to occur if the player attempts to rush through, or take on challenges they are not ready for. However, if players want to give themselves a head start and smash some heads really quick, then the DLC content will boost players right from the start.
Presentation – visually, this title is very close to the first, with crisp HD models for the characters and vibrant art for the character portraits that are used throughout. The cuteness and bright MOE aesthetic that Idea Factory are known for comes back again in full force, with new character designs that bring a mix of fanservice and sweetness to a new level. This is all complimented by the new world designs, environments and a significant expansion to the cast of characters.
The sound for this release returns with all of the pomp and circumstance that the previous release held, creating a soundtrack that is exciting and vibrant throughout. That distinct mix of musical styles is back again, giving the different worlds a unique feel while making the action tense and exciting. There is also English and Japanese voice work in this title, with the English cast featuring the talents of Richard Epcar (JOJO’s Bizarre Adventure) and Cherami Leigh (Dorohedoro).
Final Thoughts – I very much enjoyed the original Mugen Souls and was very excited to know that the sequel was getting a definitive release. I am happy to say that this excitement was not misplaced, as this title takes all of highs that were established in the previous game and elevates them further. The mechanics have been refined and expanded upon, making the experience much smoother to jump straight into.
One aspect of this release that has received negative attention is how story heavy the experience can be, which I feel works in the favour of Mugen Souls Z. The narrative is engaging and has a lot of entertaining moments to it, which kept me engaged throughout my entire playtime. This made me want to see what was next with each chapter, which is something that a JRPG title should be aim to do with the narrative that it is trying to tell.
I am more than happy to recommend this title to players of the previous entry, as well as those who have never picked up the previous title either. There doesn’t need to be existing knowledge of the previous game to fully enjoy the title, which doesn’t hamper the experience. There is also a massive amount of extra content for players to enjoy, along with the restoration of all excised material in the previous English release, making this the definitive version for JRPG fans.
In the end, I give Mugen Souls Z a final score of 4.5/5. This is an excellent JRPG adventure, with a cast of characters that have that distinct Idea Factory charm, alongside a narrative that was able to keep me invested for the entire time I was playing. There have been enhancements and refinements made to the gameplay experience, which improve the foundation that was established in the first. If you want to check this out yourself, links to the game will be below.
Link to Digital Switch version (HERE)
Link to Digital double pack version (HERE)
Link to Physical release via Play-Asia (HERE)
Link to Physical collector’s edition via Play-Asia (HERE)
(Please Note, Play-Asia links are affiliate links and any purchase made helps to keep the site funded)
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