Soma Union

Hey hey, just wanted to chime in and say I finished playing this today and thought it was pretty good! I played Soma Spirits as well, and I think there is a wonderful amount of development between the two. The combat makes good use of the role switching by dividing effects that are commonly desired in turn-based RPGs (group damage and stacking statuses) so that you generally have two characters working together to get that effect, and I thought the art and music really came together well! Some of the tracks kinda reminded me of Banjo Kazooie a bit, and that was rad.

So thanks for putting this out there! ^^

SPOILERS LIE HERE. I DON'T KNOW HOW TO BLACK THEM OUT, SORRY.

i'm gonna be honest here, i liked soma union as an experience, but looking back on it... uh, that kinda soured my opinion on this game. sorry.

first off, pixel art is either functional or straight-up ugly, like reca's "slightly upset" sprite. i like the earthbound-like battlebacks, though, they're cool and don't take too much attention away. although the artstyle in this game is much more refined and polished than in soma spirits, it's... just not the same. enough about art, though.

onto the music: i'm not a huge fan of soma spirits' music, nor am i much of a fan of this one's music either, but i think soma union's music is better. i really like captain guidance's boss theme. however, there is a glaring problem i have with the soma union ost that was just as prevalent in soma spirits: overuse of leitmotifs. if it's not the overuse of leitmotifs, it's because of an even bigger problem: all the music feeling the same. seriously, the "world" leitmotif gets really, really tiring.

the story? really good, especially presentation. character dialogue? shaky. like, holy cungadero, i get it. friendship is magic. absolution not-so-good. do what you want.

the gameplay? it really only forced me to think near the end, in which the movesets actually start to get sophisticated. then again, i was playing on normal mode, not hard mode. i should start my first playthroughs on hard mode more. if i were to introduce rpg combat systems to anyone, i would definitely use this combat system, though.

overall, okay game. not something i'd recommend, but i don't believe i wasted my time.

this was a good game! while the combat was a bit shallow and had lack of choices (restrict didn't really serve much of a point until the end-game thanks to a certain DOT ability) and it didn't test my prowess too much even on hard difficulty (i'll be trying vicious though!) that's my only issue with the entire experience.

writing was serviceable, character designs were pleasing, art was solid, and the music? absolutely stellar. i'd gladly pay whoever composed the tracks here because the music was easily my favorite thing about the entire experience.

i haven't played any torch60 games prior to soma union however i'm quite stoked to see any future endeavors

Impressive game, from the lovely story, to the beautiful graphics, to the original battle mechanics. Much more engaging than I expected. I can't wait for future projects! :D

Everything about this game exudes love and creativity. The developer and his team put a lot of work into every aspect of design. If you want to play a game with a unique gameplay style that also has a gripping story, endearing characters, great pixel visuals AND a banger soundtrack, look no farther than Soma Union.

It carries on the story that Soma Spirits started, and while this game can stand on its own I highly recommend you play Soma Spirits as well. Then you will not only experience the story in its entirety but also enjoy some more references to Soma Spirits in Soma Union. As for the story itself, it is more than just your standard RPG fare. Just like in the first game, some decisions you make in Soma Union affect the development of characters in the story, and it has multiple endings for you to enjoy. This, in my opinion, not only makes for an engaging playthrough but also adds replay value.

The combat gameplay also stands out to me. Your characters never have access to all of their abilities at the same time, and choosing when to have a character in Power (attack) or Support (buff/heal) mode plays a large part of the strategy. Even in battles with regular enemies, it's important to know your opponent and strategize each time. This isn't a game where you can just keep tapping a button to win - and that goes even more so for bosses. The bosses of Soma Union are all fantastic fights, all of which have cool mechanics, and several of these I would consider unique as I've never encountered such in any other RPG. I played on Normal mode, and feel confident in saying the game is extremely well balanced - no grinding strictly necessary as long as you're paying attention to what you're doing. For those who want a bigger challenge, there's also a hard mode. And fear not - if you want to just coast along and enjoy the story and characters there are two easier modes as well!

If anyone is reading this and is trying to decide whether they want to download Soma Union, do it. It's free, so you can't go wrong - though it is absolutely worth any money you may choose to spend on it, as it is a well-polished, high quality game.