– Genre: SRPG
– Developer: Idea Factory
– Publisher: Ghostlight LTD
– Release Date: August 25, 2016
Tutturu! Put down your corner store hotdog and get ready for a game that’ll make you enjoy it rather than feel dragged around. Published onto Steam by Ghostlight LTD and developed by Idea Factory, return to making any and everything your peon in Mugen Souls Z! With an improved style of game mechanics and tutorial, this game learns from its predecessor with great vigor. Easygoing storytelling, enjoyable writing and music, and an absolutely joyful cast of characters, both new and old, make Mugen Souls Z a very non-regrettable buy.
You begin the story in Mugen Souls Z directly after the last game. Lady Chou-Chou is now the “Undisputed God” of the Seven Worlds. Her and her entourage of peons and servants from the last game quickly find out about another universe of twelve worlds that they can conquer and Chou-Chou is all for it. I won’t go too much further into the story because absolute hilarity ensues once they arrive in the new universe and meet the gods of those twelve worlds. Including a mini-version of Chou-Chou and a coffin that has tentacles inside who do Only Gods and Heroes Know What to you when inside of it, the storytelling is extremely legit. So legit that even the tutorial is integrated into the storytelling. Unlike the first game, you can also return to the tutorial at any time for a refresher in how to operate certain gameplay mechanics.
In addition to improving the tutorial and continuing the storyline seamlessly, the writing style and music make Mugen Souls Z have a power level that far exceeds 9000. With epic songs such as Great Castle Z, fast-paced songs such as Lost Violin, and the extremely feels-y song of Mirai☆Ambitious, the development team even improved on quality of musicianship very much compared to the first game. (Except for the main theme, which I found ear-grating.) I do admit that sometimes the music does feel a tad repetitive, though. The writing style also feels improved due to the comedy and transitions being much more fluid in this game. After all, if wording isn’t fluid, how do you get the spoonful of sugar to make the medicine go do- Whoops. Wrong franchise… again. Either way, the comedy in this sequel is much better than the joke I just made.
Bad jokes aside, the one thing that made me enjoy Mugen Souls Z the most is the eclectic cast of characters and how they are reintroduced in the new game. Unlike other games that may toss all the previous characters at you, expecting you to know them, this game introduces the old cast alongside the new cast 1 or 2 at a time. And not even in the same order as you meet them in the original game. You really experience their personalities once again and if you are new to the story, they are introduced in such a way that a newbie can enjoy. Overall, the different characters really add to the feel of the game.
Admittedly, there’s a few things I’m not satisfied with completely. For one, unless you buy up DLC like crazy, the game is a crazy grindfest for certain items and power-ups. The prices on some items and clothing just made me shake my head and never think about getting them. While everything is available in game and not really locked behind anything but DLC, it makes the game feel like you need all the DLC to enjoy it to the fullest. While that’s not the case, it can certainly feel that way once you start having your butt handed to you against trash mobs.
Overall, Mugen Souls Z is a vast improvement over the original game and definitely worth buying. I don’t regret getting it and definitely recommend it. It’s certainly fun and the comedy can keep you laughing for a bit. While I highly doubt that I’ll see any of the DLC, the base game definitely has a lot for you to do and can keep you coming back for more.
Pros:
- Invigorating music
- Comedy upgrade
- Keeps you entertained for hours at a time
- Unabashedly better than the first game
- Really good character introductions
- Intense battles as you progress
Cons:
- Sometimes, music feels repetitive enough to turn it off.
- Un-fun and overbearingly grindy if going for clothing or items.
For the price of $19.99 USD on Steam, I’d definitely get it as a gift to someone and actually wanna watch them play it.
Lolinia gives Mugen Souls Z a Drastik Measure 8.2 out of 10.0 (82).
