SOULVARS

A neon-soaked future of corporate cleanup jobs and inhuman threats gives SOULVARS an energetic JRPG identity. Humanity’s technological progress has produced the grotesque Dominators, and freelance operative Yakumo is among the Soulbearers sent to eliminate them before their outbreaks spread. The result is a sharp, stylish adventure that mixes cyberpunk anxiety with the colorful momentum of a 16-bit-era role-playing game. Its tone stays urgent and flashy, but the real appeal lies in turning every battle into a carefully planned offensive puzzle.

Combat uses a deck of Soulbits, action cards that can be chained in specific ways to create Arts: powerful techniques ranging from direct attacks to defensive answers and status effects. Rather than simply playing the strongest card available, you read enemy intentions, exploit weaknesses, manage debuffs, and arrange your hand to interrupt devastating attacks at the right moment. Abilities let you manipulate the deck itself, opening up combinations and giving each character a distinct tactical role as the party grows. Missions send Yakumo through city locations to track unusual Dominators, earn equipment, and steadily refine builds around preferred strategies.

SOULVARS stands apart by making deckbuilding feel fast and dramatic instead of slow or overly abstract; pixel-art characters animate with the snap and spectacle of a traditional turn-based RPG. More than a hundred Arts give experimentation real payoff, while enemy patterns demand adaptation instead of letting one reliable deck solve every encounter. The PC version’s widescreen interface and controller support suit its quick battle rhythm particularly well, making it easier to appreciate the detail in its compact urban world. Fans of Slay the Spire-style card decisions who also miss the party-driven combat and visual flair of classic JRPGs should find a lot to like, while newcomers get a guided, approachable entry point into deeper deck tactics.