TOKYO – March 17, 2023 – SOULVARS, the stylish pixel art deck-building RPG developed by ginolabo and published by SHUEISHA GAMES, roars into GDC 2023 to premiere an exclusive hands-on experience as part of Microsoft’s Game Demo Collection, along with a chance to win a key for Xbox for those with the fastest times. This limited-time SOULVARS event and contest will be available exclusively on the Xbox from March 17th through March 31st.
SOULVARS weaves a cautionary tale about the consequences of technological progress. As humans learn to transform Souls into digital form, grotesque beings known as Dominators appear to terrorize cities. Elite units consisting of Soulbearers, next-generation humans born with alternate Souls, are dispatched day and night to intercept and counter Dominator attacks. The story follows Yakumo, a freelance Soulbearer who handles assignments from private military contractor “DDO” (Dominator Disposal Organization).
Master the map layout, min-max the characters, and perfect your combos before confronting the daunting first boss. Check your score, RPG playstyle analysis, and clear time upon defeating it. Those who tweet screenshots of their results with the #SOULVARS hashtag will be entered into the speedrun contest, with the top three fastest times receiving a key for the Xbox version. Another key will be given out randomly to one of the participants.
Inspired by beautiful pixel art Japanese RPGs of the past, SOULVARS combines turn-based combat with its innovative deck-building system to create dynamic and strategic battles. Using the “Soulbit” system, combine different abilities in your deck to pull off over 100 breathtaking moves.
Originally released as a mobile game in January 2022, SOULVARS soared in the rankings to #1 for paid RPG apps and #2 for paid game apps on both Google Play and iTunes in Japan and continues to garner wide acclaim. The new version offers an enhanced UI for wide screens, intuitive controller input, support for 12 languages, and updated localization. SOULVARS will release on Xbox Series S/X and Steam (PC) later this year.
About SHUEISHA GAMES
SHUEISHA GAMES is a new video game publisher born by crossing the boundaries between the publishing and game industries, founded by the owners of the influential and popular Jump shonen manga publications and Viz Media. SHUEISHA GAMES aims to combine the ability of a publishing company to find and nurture new talent with the power of a game company to develop and deliver titles, bringing unique games to a worldwide audience.
SHUEISHA GAMES’ first wave of titles includes Arcana of Paradise -The Tower -, Captain Velvet Meteor: The Jump+ Dimensions, SOULVARS, ONI: Road to be the Mightiest Oni, and UKIYO, with an upcoming large-scale collaborative effort in the works with NetEase Games titled, unVEIL the world, currently in production. Early recognition for their works includes awards from Japan’s premier indie showcase BitSummit and selections by Day of the Devs, THE MIX, INDIE Live Expo, and Asobu Indie Showcase.
