Even if you’re not familiar with the classic manga or anime series, Saint Seiya: Solders’ Soul is a fun fighting game that is easy to pick up and hard to put down.
Developed by Dimps Corporation (Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, Street Fighter IV) and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, Saint Seiya: Solders’ Soul sees players taking control of five warriors known as the Saints in their battle to save the world from Olympian gods. With the help of sacred armors referred to as Cloths and the mystical Cosmo energy, the group goes up against other increasingly powerful Saints wearing Cloths based on various constellations. Protecting the reincarnation of the Greek goddess Athena isn’t an easy task, but these skilled combatants have what it takes to get the job done.
If you’ve played any of the games in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series on PlayStation 2 that Dimps had a hand in, then you’ve already got a basic idea of what you’re in for with Saint Seiya: Solders’ Soul. This big, flashy arena fighter may look deceptively simple, but don’t let the beautiful visuals fool you. This updated version of 2013’s Saint Seiya: Brave Soldiers has added aerial combos and range variation, so it’s not just enough to stand and spam special attacks if you want to win even the easiest of bouts. Once you do get a hang of the game’s mechanics (and I highly recommend running through the extensive Training Mode), you’ll be able to better gauge how to defeat your enemies even when stripped of your Cloth. As a legendary warrior once said, “The answer lies in the heart of battle.”
Victories unlock new character skins and cinematics, as well as Assist Phrases which provide stat boosts in battles. All 39 characters and costumes from the previous game in the series are present bringing to total this time to 48, as well as the Legend of Cosmo story mode which follows the Saint Seiya story through the Hades Arc. Even if you’re brand new to the Saint Seiya franchise, there’s no need to be overwhelmed as full 3D cinematics between battles tell the story between fights. The game’s second story mode, “Battle of Gold,” puts players in control of the 12 Gold Saints to face a few non-cannon foes that fans will go wild over. I definitely recommend you familiarize yourself with all of the available characters before attempting the game’s online mode, or you’ll end up as star dust in no time flat.
An addition that I particularly like this time around is the inclusion of Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese voice dubs for the entire game, utilizing the original voice actors. Having watched this series as a kid while being babysat by my abuelita, the Spanish dubs really brought me back to a happier time.
While filled with fan service and not nearly as complicated as other fighting games out today, Saint Seiya: Solders’ Soul is definitely worth downloading if a physical copy is unavailable at your local game shop. It only takes a few matches to get into the swing of things, but chances are you’ll be playing this one for some time.
Saint Seiya: Solders’ Soul is now available on Steam, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 3.