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STORY SUMMARY:

Soul Sunder is the story of Zero, a young woman whose life was shattered when she unintentionally sets in motion events in her childhood that left her village destroyed, her brother dead, and her best friend crippled for life. Nine years later, Zero receives a letter from an unknown sender calling her to the depths of Purgatory, a mysterious dungeon that had risen from the ground. Many adventurers enter it's depths, but few return. It is in this place, the letter claimed, she could confront the truth of what happened in her past. Guide Zero as she forges into the nightmarish halls of Purgatory and tries to come to terms with the past she once tried to leave behind.

Soul Sunder is a dungeon crawling RPG with a unique twist: An emphasis on survival rather than grinding. While you can fight enemies to gain experience and level up, the focus of the game is using a combination of items you find in the dungeon and different equipment loadouts to navigate through Purgatory. Health items are limited, enemies are brutal, and there is no one coming to help you. Will you uncover the truth? Or will Purgatory claim you and your companions?


Features:

- A powerful, character-driven plot.
- Survival horror-like setting.
- Decide your approach to combat by choosing from an array of skill-granting weapons and items.
- 3 difficulty modes to suit your playstyle.
- Very challenging, survival-based gameplay.
- High replay value to try out different combinations of items and equipment.
- 2 different endings NOT based on static choices.
- A simple crafting system.
- Around 5-8 hours of gameplay.


Note: The Download Now version is the RTP Independent version. If you have the VX Ace RTP, come here to get the RTP Dependent version.


Click here to go to the RMW thread:

Click here to go to the Game Jolt page.

Latest Blog

Heaven or Hell

The downloads have been updated to version 2.0 in response to feedback from the last couple of reviews. I'm really sorry it took so long to do so!

So what's new in this version? Well, the biggest addition is a new difficulty setting: Heaven or Hell Mode. This is essentially Survivor mode but with a twist:


No item shop in Haven.

Yep, your only means of survival will come from what you can find in the ground. No loading up with healing items now. You still have the Blacksmiths, so spend your money on armor instead.

Heaven or Hell mode makes your actions in the Childhood Arc a bit more meaningful. By completing optional objectives and finding secrets, you're granted a few goodies to make the Adult Arc a bit easier to get into. This version adds a small, but hopefully appreciated new one: if you can find the secret candy stash in Orias, you're given a First Aid Kit upon starting the Adult Arc. And since each First Aid Kit can be used three times, that should make the lack of an Apothecary a bit easier to get over.

Anyway, Heaven or Hell Mode is for those that have already beaten the game once and want a real challenge. It's tough, but it can be done. I want to do something cool for anyone who beats that mode, but my mind's drawing a blank. If you want, I can make a page for a list of names of anyone who wants to be immortalized for completing the game in this mode!

Outside of Heaven or Hell, there have been a few changes as well. You'll see the nitty-gritty ones by checking the Version Changes document in the game's folder, but they're mostly balance fixes. To prevent you from drowning in healing items, the prices of all restorative items in the Apothecary have jumped up a decent amount. Which means, if you want to load up on healing items, you'll probably have to sell a few more attack items or equipment. Hope you're cool with that! Hee hee hee. But, as this would be incredibly unfair to those just starting out, the Apothecary will give you a discount while you're in Haven for the first time equal to the original price of those items. The idea of the game was to be hard, but fair, and unreasonable prices before you even have a chance to buy anything just isn't fair.

Since I didn't mess with the properties of the items themselves or add/remove new ones, anyone who wants to continue their save file should be able to just transfer them over. Word of advice: Rotate your save files.

... I'm making this sound really evil. And while it's true that every once in a while I have a glass of Saint's Blood with my dinner, this update was more to address some game-breaking issues than the result of a sudden sadistic streak as well as provide a challenge for those that found the game too easy the first time. I ran through the game on Heaven or Hell mode, and I saw a LOT of things I would have done differently if I could go back and do it all again. If I wasn't already fully submerged into Prayer of the Faithless, I might have actually remade the whole thing from the ground up.

Run when you need to, don't forget to check enemy properties before using an item, and don't forget to guard when enemies charge up. If you need help, check the hints and tips tab on the game page or ask a question here and I'll help you. You'll be fine. I believe in you!

So here you go. A more sadistic, evil version of Soul Sunder.





Merry Christmas~
  • Completed
  • Red_Nova
  • unity
    NeverSilent
  • RPG Maker VX Ace
  • RPG
  • 11/20/2013 06:29 PM
  • 03/15/2024 04:12 PM
  • 09/26/2014
  • 370006
  • 75
  • 4126

Posts

unity
You're magical to me.
12540
;_; That's horrible! I hope you'll be back to normal soon! And I personally think your writing is awesome ^_^


got this in forbidden ruins b4 south when going to the bottom right exit, i rushed to the same exit again without picking up any items just to test it and didn't get the error. I'm guessing it's a weird bug with enemies chasing you while exiting?
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Found the error. I'm gonna guess you got ambushed by the monster before getting to the pot, but left the area without defeating it?

That monster is spawned by a switch, and when you leave the area, the switch turns off BEFORE the transfer scene. That causes the bug. If you defeat the monster or not activate the trap when you leave, then there's no problem.

I'm sorry you got that. That'll be fixed in the next update.
Yeah something like that, thanks.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Bug report:

I got a weird-ish error with using the Letter. It pointed me to "Kread-EX Item Charges" line 325. I was only able to get this error when I was in Haven, before going into Purgatory for the first time (I'm kinda assume you can get back to Haven at some point before the end-game.). The weird thing about it is that it seems to work the way it should when I re-checked the item in Purgatory.


Other observances:

I'd really like to see more HP healing in general. With the Childhood Arc, I know it doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to just find Candy lying around (The blat Arya gives when she finds Candy in that one pot was cute, by the way.), but I'd still like to see something. I dunno. I'm the kind of player that tends to load previous saves when a battle resolves with a KO character. Also, since the game is supposed to be about survival, I'm not sure if this is the right move for this game.

That aside, I really, really like this story. I definitely feel attached to Zero, and her plight. What maps in Purgatory that I've seen were pretty neat too.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Bug report:

I got a weird-ish error with using the Letter. It pointed me to "Kread-EX Item Charges" line 325. I was only able to get this error when I was in Haven, before going into Purgatory for the first time (I'm kinda assume you can get back to Haven at some point before the end-game.). The weird thing about it is that it seems to work the way it should when I re-checked the item in Purgatory.



Cool. Thanks for telling me. I've fixed it, and the fix will be in the next update. And yes, you go back to Haven every time to clear a Stratum in Purgatory.



I'd really like to see more HP healing in general. With the Childhood Arc, I know it doesn't make a heck of a lot of sense to just find Candy lying around (The blat Arya gives when she finds Candy in that one pot was cute, by the way.), but I'd still like to see something. I dunno. I'm the kind of player that tends to load previous saves when a battle resolves with a KO character. Also, since the game is supposed to be about survival, I'm not sure if this is the right move for this game.


Remember that Arya and Alex have a Wake Up Slap ability which revives anyone that goes down in battle. It's only usable outside of battle though, so that could be something to keep in mind. If someone goes down, they don't have to stay down. But yeah, I've gotten enough feedback about the Childhood Arc being too hard to start making some changes... I'm debating on whether or not Candy should restore more HP or not. How much Candy did you find? Did you find the stash of three Candies behind the church?

Also, keep using Arya's Superguard whenever you can. Nullifying damage is a wonderful thing. Especially when the enemies use Miasma Charge.

That aside, I really, really like this story. I definitely feel attached to Zero, and her plight. What maps in Purgatory that I've seen were pretty neat too.


Thanks!
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Oh yeah. Wake Up Slap. I totally forgot about that because it doesn't appear in the combat menu. Which makes a certain amount of sense, but, that I forgot it was there probably says something about my memory. As for Candy, I definitely just found the one in the pot. Though, there are the two wells that are in-dungeon. Which I totally appreciated.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Yeah, there are 3 Candy behind the church, as well as Candy you can buy from the merchant in Orias if you find the stash of money in Arya's locker below her bed.
Marrend
Guardian of the Description Thread
21781
Merchant? Oh maaaaan, yeah. Derp.
shayoko
We do not condone harassing other members by PM.
515
looks good ill be trying this after a couple games :3
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Thanks! I hope you like it. I'm about to be finished with this, actually, so any last minute feedback would be REALLY helpful!
shayoko
We do not condone harassing other members by PM.
515
enjoying the game so far its really good currently at the prison
right after the scene where

you see some girl in the basement(she has the npc master key/warp!) she obliterates a monster i saved int eh next room will play more in the morning :3
shayoko
We do not condone harassing other members by PM.
515
This is going to be long(its a long game!)
this time just thoughts,i noticed no grammar issues or glitches in my 1st playthru
b4 starting i was surprised it was a demo! was pretty long as it is i already feel content :3

v can skip this this time it is just thoughts at various points
Random thoughts

difficulty modes nice!

the house to the right not sure what to make of it
3 people live there 2 parents 1 kid theres 1 bedroom with 2 single beds o.o
where does the kid sleep?

i have a feeling the father is no doing productive "extra work"

black leather huh...this games gonna get dark and depressing isnt it!?

interesting "earthquake"

yeah! teach those bastards a hard lesson!: D

why....didnt Arya say anything? what a crappy sister!

the father planning something illegal when there's guards right there!? XD

everyones sick!?(except for the man watering flowers)
what has dad done!?

omg that scene my heart stopped for a moment! really well done with the drama!
hard tp pull that feeling off with the rpg maker engine!

Arya after fall>outside is wrong

going back to save bottom of cliff a arca clone is there

that plant looks dangerous : O

i see the events re trigger if you go to the start then come back

i killed the plant on casual! :D tho Arca died in the process and she did not get xp while down so i reset :3

this cave is scary as hell!

dam that 11 year old gave one of the best dam speeches ever...

dam...everything went downhill,i wonder if different choices would of changed anything?

status screen for Zero needs info :3 or would benefit from it anyway

such a nice guy letting you sleep next to him i mean uh :3

was wondering if we will get are own house looking forward too it! :D

the prison : O scary place

awesome darkness,lantern and status effects!

: D i had a feeling she was immune to it! awesome stuff : D
bit scared what she meant by what else she could do,cant mean the dagger right?

campfire stories ftw : D

i thought she was a demon that was scary : O

it o.o eats and copys people o.o

Myra! : O

back to hell!

magma cave REALLY needs a save location! i hop over a ledge and cant go back! i want to explore more!

ice caves in a volcano lol!

hes back no!

i had no idea talking multiple times gave different text!

dam,id be feeling really shitty if i were Zero during that talk

well,its her fault for not telling her she was bound to find out

gotta love this sexy bomb! if only we had that in zelda!

im gonna be really upset if issacs reason for being here is to kill/harm Zero

hmmm a dead copy of the town brutal

hmmm i don't like how the crystal as im assuming told them whats going to happen then
they seem to not understand

well,the events after you return to the town would be traumatizing for the average person
Zero has a strong will to be able to deal with that.


Overall

Characters
i really liked the cast that was wrote for this,which honestly is pretty rare
while you can tell they have different personality i shockingly managed to like them all(well for npcs i hated the dad of course)
the dialog does a great job of immersing the player in how a character feels at given times
something that i don't feel as strongly that often!

plot
the story is really well written which again is surprising because im really picky with this
having revenge(done well)mystery,fantasy and character progression
is great!
to be honest it's questionable if some parts were "needed" perhaps i am not thinking outside the box enough as to the purpose of some areas
in the purgatory.

Gameplay
with a casual and survival option players can challenge themselves or have a fair experience
its one of the few games with the rpg maker engine ive played where guard actually serves a purpose!
you need to think about what gear,buffs and ability's you should use for bosses and enemies in the area
to create a effective way of dealing with them
as you cant grind for money supplies are quite limited
so exploring looking for anything at all that can help is a must!

Closing
tho it seems the main story is not finished
(im assuming its near the end i cant see it really dragging on much longer at this point)
i still highly recommend trying this if you want a game with a great story,characters and battle mechanics look no farther!

phew im tired break time! : D
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Thanks for the feedback! I'll make sure to address some of the points you've mentioned. I'm especially glad you enjoyed the story and characters, as they were what I was wanting to get right more than anything.
How long is this game expected to be, Red_Nova?

-flap
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Good question. The current demo is about 4-5 hours long. I'm finished the game up to the credits now, and it's looking like the final thing will be 6-8 hours long, depending on how much exploration players do and how much they do at campfires.

I'm running through it right now. I'll have a more clear estimate for you when I'm done.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Erm... Double post? Three days after I previous post? Whatever.


So I finally finished it, and I beat the game in 4:48 hours. *Looks at previous post* Well, maybe I'm not the best judge when it comes to playtime. Now, that's me knowing where everything is and exactly what kind of build I wanted. I'm fairly certain most people's time through the game will be longer than that.

So to give you a more accurate answer, flapbeat, I'd say the time to beat this game will be around 4-6 hours.

I'm curious: Anyone who has beaten the demo, what was your playtime? I remember someone saying that they beat the demo in 4:30 hours, but I can't seem to remember who said it or when. Or maybe I'm going crazy.
Oh no, you are not crazy my friend. It was me xD. Here's the link where I said it. I guess I'm going to get to that 6 hours mark then.
Red_Nova
Sir Redd of Novus: He who made Prayer of the Faithless that one time, and that was pretty dang rad! :D
9192
Aha. That makes sense. I guess I'm not going crazy!
shayoko
We do not condone harassing other members by PM.
515
well that makes me a sad kitten...if only i knew it was complete...
guh not playing this long game from the start a 3rd time! : (