The alliteratively titled Saint Seiya: Soldiers' Soul (published by Bandai Namco, developed by Dimps) is a follow-up to the 2013 Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers. Fans of its predecessor would not want to miss out on this entry since it offers many of the same joys, but is in most ways bigger and better.

While Brave Soldiers focused on the main arcs from the manga, the main story mode in Soldiers' Soul—called “Legend of Cosmos”—takes you through the epic plot of the anime in its entirety, beginning with the 12 Palaces of the Gold Saints. The Poseidon and Hades arcs are included as expected, but so is the Asgard story. The Asgard was an anime-only arc, so fans of the manga will get to see some brand new awesome characters! While the main story mode is scrupulously faithful to the anime, the other narrative mode—Battle of Gold—gives you a chance to arrange hypothetical fights outside of the canon battles. There is also a standard versus mode that allows you to battle your friends both in online and local play.

The gameplay of this 3D fighter strikes a balance between its easy combos and moderately steep learning curve. The latter derives from the large cast, each of whom has a unique move set. Some hardcore fighting games fans might be initially put off by the fact that all the characters share inputs in common, but this is ultimately to the benefit of the game. It gives players a chance to sample the very extensive roster without having to specialize in one or two characters, which may be de rigueur for the genre, but would defeat the purpose of this particular game. A major part of the fun is in playing a variety of characters from the series.

The variety of possible match-ups, in conjunction with individualized attacks, means that the player will have to switch up strategies to stay on top. Some attacks can be dodged, for example, while others have a 360 hitbox that make it difficult to simply sidestep. Meter management is essential. Otherwise, it’s easy to find yourself in a situation where just a little extra charge to your special attack bar would make the difference between a win and a loss. There are two power bars in this game. One can be used on the fly and generally controls long distance fireball-type specials. This one should not stay full for too long, as you will be using it liberally. The other is reserved for the most powerful of the Big Bang Attacks and must be charged up fully before it can be used.

Ultimately, Soldiers' Soul is great for nostalgic fans of the classic series. The story mode is a pleasant trip down memory lane, visualized in the style of the original artist, Masami Kurumada. There are tons of unlockables like the assist phrases that boost combat and, of course, the costumes—God Cloths, Gold Cloths, Gold God Cloths, in addition to the canonical variations. Even those who are not currently fans of the series will find much to do here.

Hint: Button mash like a mad man during the mini-game after you die. This will let you start the next fight with a fully charged energy bar.

by Connie Aphrodite