This unique mechanic will really require you to think strategically with each random enemy encounter, as certain combinations will yield normal, quick or heavy attacks. Gear that you equip to your characters will come with their own deck of moves or Soulbits, which you can combine to unleash powerful attacks, charges, or defenses. Players take control of three characters that each have their own moves and skills in battle.

Of course, apart from the totally awesome music, what really lured me into the game was its deep combat system. In fact, I loved the background music so much that I sometimes felt like I wanted to linger around an area just so I could keep listening to the musical score.

What I absolutely loved about the aesthetics is the background music - the pumped-up beats made me feel totally energised with each new battle I faced. The tones and colours are all very similar, but then again, that probably contributes to the atmosphere of the narrative.

Given the theme of the game, I can understand all the gloom and doom, but it does tend to feel a little repetitive at some point - at least, visuals-wise. The game is in portrait mode, for one thing, and for another, the animations of the characters during battle and in exploration mode are fluid and lovely to look at.

The pixel-art visuals of Soulvars add to the overall retro feel of the JRPG in that it really does capture that old-school vibe but with a modern twist. While it can be a little difficult to follow exactly where the narrative is going because of translation woes, the game does do a good job of reeling you in and keeping you hooked - but does this premium title have enough appeal to stand out from a sea of pixel-art JRPGs on mobile? Table of contents: Set in a dark and futuristic world where Souls can be transformed into data, Soulvars tells the tale of a 'soul bearer' named Yakumo sent by the private organization 'DDO' on a mission to investigate variants.

SOULVARS instal the new for mac