Soul Shepherd

Good day!

Soul Sheperd is a fantasy RPG Maker XP rpg game by zombero, but first a word of warning: this is a game for pro-players that want a serious challenge, complex customization and dungeons where what matters is your strategy in battle. And it's also a loooooong game, so be prepared!!!

The plot of Soul Sheperd is very simple: we play as a... Soul Sheperd (doh!) a man with the power to create servants and equip them with stolen souls. Unfortunately this practiced isn't liked by many and the High Templar intend to hunt all Soul Sheperds and exterminate them. So that's not really a good moment for our protagonist. The Hight Templar chases and catches our hero before sending him beyond the Black Gate, inside a labyrinth, a place they use as a sort of prison. But beyond the infamous Black Gate our hero finds a small village, the first stop before trying to exit this labyrinth...


Ok, I will try to succeed and advance. The second option does not seems so good!

Ok, this is the plot, but wait, I told you that this is an rpg, so you probably expect that I tell you of the various characters and their roles. Well there are no characters, our hero is all alone... with the souls! Exactly, being a Soul Sheperd means that for example killing a kobold awards a kobold soul that lets you use it to create a kobold. But clearly a little kobold won't be useful for a lot of time, so fighting stronger creatures to get better and stronger allies is mandatory to survive the harsh world of Soul Sheperd! But you can have up to four creatures, so it's a good idea to create a party with different beings, depending on the abilities you need.

An attacker or more are obiously needed, but also a healer can be useful, anyway you also have to take in account the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition... and also of your party members! So you can understand how planning and strategy is a really important part of this game. There is also the shard system that creates object that your creatures can equip, and you will need them since every little advantage helps!


Monster battles! It's our team against the enemy team, just like in Pokemon!

Besides the difficulty I must say that the only problem, that is also common with many rpgmaker games, is the luck factor: some enemies can paralyze or cause confusion (like in other games I played) and well, I absolutely hate that since it inhibits any kind of strategy and can mean a game over! And no, don't even think to grind, this game severely limits that, a good aspect for some players, a bad one for others, I'm sure! Ok, leveling helps a bit, that's sure, anyway the real way to progress is collecting new souls and abilities to upgrade them. Observing enemies and plan, but trust me, defeating bosses is really rewarding.

Anyway what else? Graphics are the usual you can find in RPG Maker XP games, nothing new from this point of view, anyway the game is competently mapped. But do not expect complex cutescenes or anything special, the game is mainly about battles and strategy. Anyway there are really a ton of different creatures, this looks like a fantasy version of Pokemon! Oh yes!


Guess what? The bossfight is imminent!

Final Verdict
The story and base concept of Soul Sheperd is pretty simple, but can be addictive if you like this king of challenges. Ok, from the description I made it can seem like a simple game, but it is not: there are lots of abilities, improvements, formations, a bestiary, crafting and many options are gradually added as you progress, making the game more and more complex. Oh and there are also optional (harder) battles if you hadn't had enough! Ok, this game is very difficult, but it's also a game that offers you the instruments to win, it's challenging but fair, this is not the kind of difficulty that comes from unfair situations. But yes, you must be a player that likes strategy and challenges. A lot.

Ok, so in the end if you recognize yourself as this kind of player, well that's the game for you, and that's good since there aren't many others like this one! If you are unsure, well try it at least until you reach the first boss, otherwise look for something else, especially if you are looking for a story driven adventure or something more relaxing and less challenging!