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Break off a Soul Sacrifice demo April 16
If you'd like to try Soul Sacrifice, it won't cost you an arm and a leg. A demo will be released on PSN in North America on April 16, two weeks ahead of the gruesome action RPG's release date.The demo features the opening of the game, in which you, after being captured by a mage and marked for sacrifice, meet a talking book who forces you to live its contents. In other words, the frame tale for Soul Sacrifice is that you're experiencing a book's memories of fighting monsters and sacrificing comrades.
Vita tops Japanese hardware charts
The Vita topped the Media Create charts last week, an occurrence spurred by two events: the previous week's price drop, and the launch of Soul Sacrifice. The Vita sold 63,581 units in the week ending March 10, putting it above the combined 61,008 3DSes and 3DS XLs sold in Japan, and well above the poor Wii U, which moved only 9,454 units.Soul Sacrifice, Keiji Inafune's super grotesque Monster Hunter-style adventure, occupies both the No. 2 and No. 10 spots on the software charts. The standalone game (and hardware bundle) accounts for 92,396 copies, and the "Kyoutou Double Pack" – which is two copies of the game – sold 22,050. Together, that means Soul Sacrifice actually outsold the No. 1 game, Hatsune Miku Project Diva F for PS3. And that's not even counting the "Kyoutou Pack" as two copies sold each.
Soul Sacrifice offers trailer with puny humans fighting not-so-puny beasts
Keiji Inafune's Vita action-RPG, Soul Sacrifice, brings a mix of picturesque vistas, giant monsters, and epic combat with said monsters which rips those vistas into shreds. It arrives in North America on April 30, and in Europe on May 1.
Soul Sacrifice being given up to NA April 30, EU May 1
Keiji Inafune's Comcept is relinquishing Vita action-RPG Soul Sacrifice to North America on April 30, and to Europe the day after on May 1. It'll be in both stores and on PSN on its day of release. The game received its Japanese release date of March 7 last month.Both regions get the same pre-order bonuses, such as the two character costumes and three magical aids for battle. Those aids are the Spirits' Flamepike, which spears a fiery five-hit combo attack, the Spirits' Blightstone, which stirs up a poisonous explosion, and Spirits' Fulgurwood, which can both track enemies and cast a thunder spell.The most curious bonus is that of Japanese voice-overs. It's always great to have the option, but tying it to pre-orders is certainly unusual. If you're not gonna sacrifice your dosh for the pre-order, take note that the voice-over pack will be sold separately. %Gallery-177521%
Soul Sacrifice dev reveals co-op Ghost Mode, Leviathan monster
Vita action-RPG Soul Sacrifice has a ghostly co-op feature which lets you play on with your friends even after you're dead. Keiji Inafune, founder of developer Comcept, detailed this week how 'Ghost Mode' lets you help your party post-mortem, albeit as a phantom.In ghost form you have both your allies and enemies' status info to hand, and are able to strengthen party members and weaken enemies via the Vita's touchscreen. You're a bit like your party's guiding spirit, except presumably covered in a white blanket with eye holes cut out. Either way, it sounds like an intriguing way to keep players involved after death.Inafune also went into the lore of a Soul Sacrifice monster called Leviathan, the beastie pictured above. Apparently Leviathan's origins relate to a tormented prince, and his wish to claim the throne by having his twin brother killed by a tortured pet crocodile. This is just one of the reasons we advise caution in choosing a crocodile for a pet.Soul Sacrifice hits Japan on March 7, 2013. North American and European releases are confirmed, but publisher Sony Computer Entertainment hasn't disclosed their timeframes.
Soul Sacrifice out in Japan Mar. 7, 2013, offered in Vita bundle
Keiji Inafune's Comcept surrenders Soul Sacrifice to Japanese gamers on March 7, 2013. The dark fantasy action-RPG also gets a Premium handheld bundle in Japan, featuring a snappy 'Cosmic Red' Vita. Also included are matching earphones, a 4GB memory card, and a title-sporting pouch, strap, and cloth. The bundle's priced at ¥29,980 ($365).Inafune originally hoped to release Soul Sacrifice this year, but at September's Tokyo Games Show the Mega Man creator ceded that plan. Inafune said Comcept wanted to tweak the game based on feedback gathered from the exhibition.Soul Sacrifice is confirmed as coming to North America and Europe, although publisher Sony Computer Entertainment has yet to relinquish release windows for either region.
Summoning monsters as a plant-based wizard in Soul Sacrifice
I'm still not clear what the actual name of the character I selected during my demo of Kenji Inafune's upcoming Vita game Soul Sacrifice was, nor was I able to grasp the more delicate workings of some of its deeper mechanics because the Tokyo Game Show demo I experienced was (surprise!) completely in Japanese. But I worked around it.Though the context of the upcoming universe alluded me, the combat in Soul Sacrifice broke down language barriers ... because it spoke the universal language of kick ass.%Gallery-163120%
Talking Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z with Keiji Inafune and Yosuke Hayashi
Walking around the Tokyo Game Show floor, we just happened to run into Keiji Inafune, famed (and infamous) Japanese developer and creator of notable franchises like Mega Man and Dead Rising, not to mention the upcoming Soul Sacrifice and Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. We snagged a few minutes of his time to discuss the latter two, specifically how it's been working with Team Ninja on Yaiba, and whether he'd like to continue working with the studio going forward. An Inafune fighting game? It could happen.After the break, find part two of our interview with Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi, during which we discuss Yaiba and the studio's partnership with Inafune.
Soul Sacrifice sacrificing souls Spring 2013
Soul Sacrifice will launch itself -- and presumably a blade forged from the spine of a ruthless warrior -- into Japanese homes sometime in the spring of 2013, creator Keiji Inafune announced during Sony's pre-Tokyo Game Show press conference earlier today. No information was give regarding a North American release window."It's not that development has been delayed," Inafune said during his presentation, but rather that Comcept wants to implement user feedback gained from this week's Tokyo Game Show, as well as an upcoming demo. Sony Computer Entertainment has been gracious with development scheduling, says Inafune.It makes sense when you stop and think about it, considering that spring is the time for love, and what love comes without sacrifice? Well, that may not be the best comparison since our relationships usually don't involve trading body parts and loved ones for unimaginable power. Usually.
Inafune's new zombie game 'Yaiba,' his Soul Sacrifice surprises for TGS
Mega Man creator and Dead Rising producer Keiji Inafune is working on a new zombie game called Yaiba, Siliconera reports. Platforms and other details are scarce at the moment.If you'll be joining us in Japan next week and have an affinity for things both horrifying and portable, then you may be interested to learn that Inafune will be showing off his upcoming Vita title Soul Sacrifice during the Tokyo Game Show. This will be the first time the game has been playable, by members of the press or otherwise.Inafune also teased that a surprise announcement of some kind, unrelated to Soul Sacrifice, could be made during the show, according to Andriasang's translation of his blog post. Whether that surprise has anything to do with Inafune's recently released Android title JJ Rockets or Yaiba itself is anyone's guess, but we're keeping our fingers crossed for a rhythm 3DS game set in an unspeakable hell dimension. In three dee!
How Soul Sacrifice's title feature affects you and your friends
Keiji Inafune's Soul Sacrifice, as the name suggests, forces you to give up things, from items you find to parts of your own body, for power. Speaking with the PlayStation Blog, he suggested that not only does it force you to consider everything you do carefully, it also has the potential for enjoyable back-and-forth with other players. "When you're playing together with your friends, it could be entertaining because it creates a new dialogue," he said. "If my character is dying, and my friend decides to sacrifice me, I might say 'hey, what are you doing?! Don't sacrifice me!'"Your choices, depending on how often you choose to sacrifice or "save" creatures, will affect your appearance, as well, in the expected ways. "So if you keep on saving, or keep on sacrificing, the visual effect will look different," Inafune said, "you'll look more angelic if you keep saving, more evil if you keep sacrificing."
Inafune's 'Soul Sacrifice' coming to Vita in North America and Europe
Western Vita owners won't be exempt from the horrific business of trading their own body parts for magic power. Sony announced plans this morning to localize Soul Sacrifice, the "dark fantasy" action game directed by Keiji Inafune that was previously exclusive to Japan gamers.On the PlayStation Blog, Inafune described his desire to show the "reality" within a fantasy setting. "Cruelty is a reality in our world, and we have to make sacrifices and pay costs on a daily basis," Inafune said, totally bumming us out. "I wanted to blend this 'reality' theme into a fantasy world, one filled with magic, and create a new type of gaming experience that relied on the player making sacrifices in order to obtain great power."And that's why you're able to rip your own spine out of your body and use it as a magical weapon.
Soul Sacrifice is Keiji Inafune's Vita game, features gruesome magic
While Sony's Japan Studio is the only listed name on the teaser video for Soul Sacrifice, a new Famitsu story adds some other names to the roster. Former Capcom exec, current Comcept/Intercept head, and Neptunia mk2 weapon Keiji Inafune is in charge of planning on the Vita game for his company Comcept.That would mean Soul Sacrifice is the Vita game he semi-accidentally announced, and then attempted to unannounce, earlier this year. Inafune is working with developer Marvelous AQL, with composers Yasunori Mitsuda and Wataru Hokoyama providing music.The game allows players to cast powerful magic spells, but requires a payment ("Sacrifice") for each. You can sacrifice objects, but the most powerful spells require you to give up parts of your character's body – in an example given, you give up an eye to summon a Gorgon. The player has been enslaved by a sorcerer, and captured in a small cell, when a demonic book appears that allows the player to experience past magical battles – which you can do with up to four players.Head to Famitsu now to see many, many screenshots and pieces of Comcept concept art.
Sneak a peek at Soul Sacrifice before its official debut
The official "reveal" of Sony's Vita "true fantasy" Soul Sacrifice is still scheduled for May 10, but you can catch a few snippets of gameplay footage in this teaser vita, if you can sacrifice the seconds to watch it.The game appears to be a medieval action game in which the player faces off against large, grim-looking monsters – a look superficially similar to Demon's or Dark Souls. However, don't take the look and the name as evidence that this is a sequel: the trailer identifies this as a Japan Studio game, and not a From Software game. Besides, if all we see is a knight-type person hacking away at huge monsters, we can't exactly extrapolate the whole game design style.
Soul Sacrifice website gets you up close and personal with monsters
You can now watch the ad that introduces Soul Sacrifice in animation form. There's still no in-game media to show what this Vita game is, exactly, but you'll get plenty of character art of monsters in your face.
Vita action game 'Soul Sacrifice' revealed in Famitsu ad
A leaked advertisement (!) from the latest issue of Famitsu reveals a new action game coming to Vita. Called Soul Sacrifice, the game is described as "the action game that shakes your soul." The ad features fantasy-style concept art of four characters battling a three-headed monster. Andriasang identifies descriptions of "evolved combat" and "magicians" in the text.More details about the game will be revealed, we're sure, when the magazine containing the ad is actually released; following that, Sony will hold an event for the game in Tokyo on May 10. We'll find out then if Soul Sacrifice is as Monster Hunter-y as we're guessing it is.
