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Purpose:
This is an RPG for those who want high levels of customization and difficulty. Be warned that the challenge level of this game is much higher than just about any commercial RPG.

Features:
-About 25 hours of gameplay
-The Soul System, kill enemies and steal their soul, equip it to gain that enemy's strength and learn their abilities.
-Finite grind, the effectiveness of JUST gaining XP is severely limited (though there are many other ways to improve your characters), as a result strategy and wits are required to topple challenging enemies, not just grinding away levels.
-Unique script additions coded by me that you won't see anywhere else. Along with completely altered battle mechanics and formulas.
-Totally revamped graphical interface, compared to the standard RMXP build, the text is a lot easier to read, graphical meters are used for various stats, and multiple windowskins are offered, as well as much better status, shop, and equip interfaces.
-The Impulse System, fill your IP meter to unleash special attacks on enemies.
-The Shard System, shatter enemy souls into shards, equip these shards to gain special effects.
-General Complexity, many more than the stock character stats have been added to this game in order to create more room for strategy and customization.

Latest Blog

ANNOUNCING SOUL SHEPHERD 2.00

This update has been a long time coming, but here it is. I've itemized what can be expected from the new version below:
-New Content! Gameplay hours increased from ~12 to ~25. New maps to explore, enemies to fight, treasure to find, and bosses to defeat!
-Introducing: The Labyrinth of Naraka, a side dungeon that can be accessed throughout the game. Enemies here are harder versions of the ones you can find outside it, along with some new faces, and lots of rewards. Warp Crystals won't let you escape from this area, and its layout and enemies will be certain to bring the pain.
-Introducing: Hyper. After defeating the game's first full boss, enemies will be able to show up in a Hyper state. Enemies in this state are much more powerful than normal, proceed against them with caution.
-Introducing: Formations. Later on in the game you will gain access to Formations, these allow you more control over distributing Threat and AoE damage to your party members. Use this strategically to your advantage to help achieve victory.
-Introducing: Soul Synthing. Accessed later in the game, use souls you find from fallen enemies to forge powerful equipment.
-Introducing: Soul beastiary. You can now see stats and skills on any soul you've had previously. Though you must have learned the skills before for them to show up here.
-Visual upgrade. The early game maps have been brought up from their modest roots to be a bit more aesthetic.
-Increased equipment variety. Generally 3-6 options per slot per upgrade.
-Massive improvements to Impulses. Don't underestimate the power of these skills in tough spots!
-Improvements to Shards. They now have a greater impact on combat and more diverse effects.
-Improvements to Rallies. Their potency and scope have both been increased, making them more valuable tools for survival.
-Lots of rebalancing, so don't be surprised to see some different numbers.
-Randomized random encounters (you heard me!) Enemy formations are now generated according to secret formula magix. The end result is that instead of a dozen or so combinations of enemies per map, you get dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of possible combinations. Between this and hyper, random battles are much more dynamic, and you may run into an encounter as tough as a boss fight when you least expect it! Keep those wits about you.

This version has been through alpha and beta testing... but you can never have too many bugs, right? If you find any, let me know! And I'll get on 'em as quickly as I can. Good luck.

IMPORTANT: If you have a save from the old version, you will have to start the game over. Much of the game has been changed from its previous incarnation, so hopefully it doesn't feel like repeating the same content. Future versions will be compatible with saves created in this version.

v2.05 update (Critical Bug Fix):
-Fixed a bug where Panic-ing non-Vespas would now bug the game. <_<

v2.04 update (Bug Fix):
-Fixed a bug where Panic-ing Vespa could crash the game.

v2.03 update (Balance):
-Starting skill limit on player characters increased by 1.
-Defeating Kerberos no longer increases skill limit by 1.

v2.02 update (Balance):
-Added Rags as starting armor for the homonculi. These give 1 PDef/MDef, but more importantly give them a healing Impulse at the start of the game.
-Confuse ailment re-worked. Confuse now wears off from any form of damage AND any form of healing. Players have a 100% base chance of wearoff from damage/healing, enemies have a 50% base chance. AoE damage/healing have 1/2 the normal wearoff chance.
-Help file updated and made more fancy. Both the one included with the game and the one on this site.

v2.01 update (CRITICAL!!!):
-Fixed a bug related to the new soul beastiary.
  • Production
  • zombero
  • LockeZ (Co-Map Maker)
  • RPG Maker XP
  • RPG
  • 11/01/2010 03:09 PM
  • 04/10/2023 01:40 PM
  • N/A
  • 239664
  • 47
  • 1251

Posts

I can't wait. Seriously, I'm looking forward to play this more than Shin Megami Tensei 4 :)
author=hima
I can't wait. Seriously, I'm looking forward to play this more than Shin Megami Tensei 4 :)

Tall praise :D SMT 4 looks like it'll be the best SMT since Nocturne and DDS, too. I will strive to live up. ;)
Hi!!
I found a bug, in the beginning,
when I try to equip a soul, the game crashes!

Thanks!!
Please download v2.01 and it should fix this issue... unless it's a new one, then please let me know.
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
It's working now. I've been recording a Let's Play video as I played, and I'll upload it when I get to a good stopping point and can get it all formatted.
Thanks!!
I am playing, and everything
seems well!

Great game!!
author=andreroberto
Thanks!!
I am playing, and everything
seems well!

Great game!!

Thanks! Have fun and good luck.
Released a new game file, v2.02

This file contains non-critical updates and is geared toward giving the player more tools to handle the difficulty at the very start of the game.

The changes are as follows:
-Added Rags as starting armor for the homonculi. These give 1 PDef/MDef, but more importantly give them a healing Impulse at the start of the game.
-Confuse ailment re-worked. Confuse now wears off from any form of damage AND any form of healing. Players have a 100% base chance of wearoff from damage/healing, enemies have a 50% base chance. AoE damage/healing have 1/2 the normal wearoff chance.
-Help file updated and made more fancy. Both the one included with the game and the one on this site.
Posted a new, non-critical update. This update increases the starting skill limit by 1 (rather than having you get this skill slot through defeating Kerberos). Skill slots were previously a bit too constrained against the game's first boss, and this extra skill slot will allow new players to experiment with the game's skills a bit more and possibly discover new setups that they like.
Posted an update. v2.04

This fixes a bug that is both minor and major... minor in that you probably won't run into it, but major in that it crashes the game. When Vespas were panic'd they could crash the game by not having a skill to use, I fixed it to default to a normal attack.

Thanks to bigtime for pointing it out.
author=zombero
Posted an update. v2.04

This fixes a bug that is both minor and major... minor in that you probably won't run into it, but major in that it crashes the game. When Vespas were panic'd they could crash the game by not having a skill to use, I fixed it to default to a normal attack.

Thanks to bigtime for pointing it out.
Thanks, Ive been enjoying playing this again with the new updates.
I don't know if this can happen with other enemies, but a panicked Cancer attacked nonstop until it naturally resulted in a game over. This happened in 2.04 and the panic effect was caused by Blitz.
Hi!!
This is an excellent game!!
I am playing and I am level 20 now,
explored rvery part, defeated harpy snd isonade,
think that now is time for cerberus, but I can´t defeat
him,
Could you send any hint?
I have to level up, or there is something missing?
Thanks!1
LockeZ
I'd really like to get rid of LockeZ. His play style is way too unpredictable. He's always like this too. If he ran a country, he'd just kill and imprison people at random until crime stopped.
5958
If you've defeated Harpy and Isonade, you should be good to go for Cerberus. It's just a matter of using the tools that are available to you in the right way. Levelling up will have very little effect.

Pay attention to what the boss says. He telegraphs some of his skills in battle before he uses them.
yeah, I am trying, but
I damaged it a lot and its don´t
go down.
I will try more,
thanks!!
If you're able to survive his first 3 breaths, you should be able to damage him down. If you aren't surviving them, you have to react to the type of breath he's about to use. If you are surviving them but still can't damage him down, then I guess you need to consider increasing the offense on some of your characters. Impulse damage is pretty important for this fight.
author=Silently
I don't know if this can happen with other enemies, but a panicked Cancer attacked nonstop until it naturally resulted in a game over. This happened in 2.04 and the panic effect was caused by Blitz.

Good catch. Ironically this bug would occur on any panic-able enemy in the game EXCEPT the one I was testing: Vespa. Guess I shoulda been more careful. I've updated the file to 2.05
Hey, just wanted say that this is a nice game you've got going here.

Question: What's the max level that any character can reach? I ask mainly due to the aims of this game involving minimizing the effects of level ups/gaining EXP outside the occasional skill acquisition. That and I feel that having a high level cap while aiming for such goals kind of seems off to me somehow.
Well, the approach there is more about making level have little impact on the game than on setting caps, so the max is currently the final game's intended max of 99. Though even at 99, a party with the game's starter souls gets roflstomped by the first boss.
Long story short, this is a really interesting game and really difficult... but it's so difficult that you have a 99.9% chance of being brutally beaten in the very first wild fight you encounter while walking around.

I have restarted the game a total of 37 times, and I still continue to die on the very first fight; most of the time I can't even escape either, so that's like... "well, nothing like being a personal punching bag."

So, it's a good game and all; but the difficulty on it is just... "not necessary". I understand the purpose of the game is to be difficult, but if you want people to play it for more than 10 minutes; it would be best you'd at least give us a chance to survive, let's say... 1000HP sounds nice, since most of the enemies do at least 200 in one hit and we only get 450 total (maybe less, I don't remember... deleted the game off of my flash drive after getting killed 37 times in a freaking row).