Hey there! I'm Yoshinori Ono, CEO at Lasengle.
Welcome to my blog and thanks for dropping by!
Spring has hit Japan! Here, April is a month where we're often saying goodbye to one chapter and welcoming in another. It's the start of the school year, and it's a month where, as a kid, your social sphere and whole environment can change.
I can remember starting a new school, still hanging out with the old gang at the arcade, but also heading to a new arcade with new friends, trying to strike that balance. I guess "arcades" are a throwback from my youth, and probably not where young people hang now, but it's still a period full of change.
Speaking of old friends, isn't it weird how with some, you've no idea how or when the friendship started, but with others you can pinpoint the exact moment. Like, what game you were playing at what arcade when they came over to chat. And even now, years later (or decades in my case!), I can still picture those games now.
And it wasn't just arcade games.
Back when I was a kid, Bandai released this state-of-the-art handheld game, "Elpit", which had (at the time) cutting-edge chip LSI technology.
I remember going over to a friend's house and seeing the device. There, in his house, right there in his living room, was that "Invaders game" I'd seen grown-ups playing in dingy cafes, for a steep 100 yen a pop. For a little boy still fascinated with action figures, it was mind blowing.
And that was also how we became friends. I say "friend's house", but in the beginning, I hardly knew him. Even now I can still vividly remember going to his house every single day just to get my chance to play with the Elpit. But that's why games are so awesome, right? They bring people together!
I know I'm not the only one--we've all got games that have helped us make special connections. And at this time of year, when the cherry blossoms are out, I get to thinking about that friend, and all the other games that have led to great friendships.
Which leads nicely to my featured game for blog #11, Young Souls.
Back when I was a young soul (all those many, many years ago.), I spent way too many hours at the arcade. Battling it out side-by-side with friends to beat every side-scrolling action game we could get our hands on. Standing on tiptoes to see over the shoulder of a pro and glimpse their screen. Strategizing with friends on boss fights. The never-ending coin debate as we looked at our leftover change: "Should we call it a night, or just survive on tap water till tomorrow?".
Yep, our dedication was real!
Young Souls is a side-scrolling action.
It's pretty standard for a side-scrolling action, but with RPG elements like leveling up, which keeps it interesting and accessible for most players.
The story revolves around orphan twins (a brother and sister) and their foster father, whose lives are pretty far removed from a typical, happy childhood. You follow the twins on a journey, triggered by a mysterious discovery, that forces them to confront their inner demons.
It's as much an emotional journey as it is an actual one for the twins, exploring their feelings of alienation, the rocky relationship with their foster father and all the emotional baggage they're dealing with. It was a real rollercoaster of a story, and I was hooked right from the start--I played through the entire thing in one sitting because I just couldn't put the controller down!
The game offers both single-player and co-op mode (online). In single-player, you can swap between the twins during battles, controlling one character on screen at a time. With co-op, you and a friend can each control one of the characters, so you can team up in real-time (this is all assuming you're playing the PC version).
I like the element of strategy in single-player mode. You need to think about when you're going to switch characters, and that'll affect how you set them up. So, you could gear-up the sister with status-effect equipment, and the brother with damage-boosting gear, and then in battle, use the sister to inflict status effect, switch to the brother to make a heavy attack, and back to the sister when new enemies appear...you get the idea! I had a lot of fun coming up with different combo combinations that played on this switching technique.
Of course, with co-op mode you don't need to switch between characters, meaning you can beat up the bad guys way more efficiently (go teamwork!)
Another thing I like about Young Souls is the RPG elements. Leveling up will boost your stats so if you're struggling to get past a certain stage, you can go away, level up the character, and try again. Which means the game is not solely dependent on your talent with the sticks, making it a bit more accessible.
You can also improve your character using the gym tokens, which can be cashed in at the town's gym, in exchange for mini-games. It's a cool mechanic that gives you some control over improving the stats that best suit your playstyle.
Young Souls also has a lot of fun with weapons and armor: what you equip will not only affect your stats, but it'll also change the way you look. Do you go for the boring-but-powerful equipment combo or do you stick with the slow-but-sharp setup? The option of choosing looks over effectiveness was a nice addition to the game and yeah, sometimes I went with cooler-looking gear over more powerful options, just to keep my character looking slick--I mean, why not?
When it comes to difficulty, Young Souls can be challenging, but it's got loads of customizable options to tweak the level. You can set the overall difficulty, but if you use the Accessibility menu, you can fine tune individual options like Auto-Block, Player Attack Speed, Enemy Attack Speed, Stamina Refill Rate, and Accessory Cooldown Speed.
I love this option because it lets me customize the game difficulty to a level that's going to be the most comfortable and enjoyable. I can make it difficult if I want a challenge, or easier if I want to focus on the story. And in co-op mode, this function makes it easier to set up the game in a way that you can both play to your strengths.
Say, for example, your co-op partner is not great at action games. Set the game mode to Relaxed, turn on Auto-Block and Block Cancels Attacks, and equip them with a Shield that has block all attacks ability. This'll make defense automatic, and they can focus on mashing the attack button. It's a small thing, but it really makes the whole experience more enjoyable for everyone. Weight does affect gameplay, so a heavy shield will slow you down. But, you can balance it out with lighter armor to get all the defense you need without sacrificing too much speed or agility.
The art in Young Souls has a mid-tone palette as its base, which works well with the characters and background designs to create a truly stunning visual. The mid-tones were great for pulling out the details in the combat scenes and the townscapes, balancing out the special effects, and highlighting the dynamic action game feel, but what really impressed me was how the palette also enhances the tale of the young heroes and pulls you right into the story.
If I were still in school, I'd be calling round my friends saying, "Hey guys! You ready to finally beat Young Souls?", or "Guys, I just came up with this cool new gear combo-we gotta try it out ASAP!" and meeting up with everyone down the arcade to blow all my cash (and my free time!).
Young Souls is the kind of game that you just want to keep playing till you clear, no matter how old you get.
That's my take on Young Souls.
Thanks for reading.
The next game is calling my name so gotta go--till next time!
Yoshinori X（Twitter）