Soul Sacrifice Message Board

Earlier today we unveiled a trio of new PS Vita titles coming out of our JAPAN Studio over in Tokyo: Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines, Soul Sacrifice Delta and Freedom Wars. For those unfamiliar with the studio and its heritage, it’s one of Sony Worldwide Studios most interesting assets, responsible for a diverse library of hugely charismatic titles, including Puppeteer, rain, Tokyo Jungle, Gravity Rush and Shadow of the Colossus.

To find out a little more about its vision and creative mandate, as well as its three forthcoming PS Vita titles, we spoke with studio chief Allan Becker.

PlayStation.Blog: How has JAPAN Studio changed in the last two or three years?
Allan Becker: We have become better focused and better prepared to compete in a fast and ever changing industry. The Studio is more open to new technologies and ideas and willing to grasp those opportunities when they come along. But at the heart JAPAN Studio still retains its core ideal to make creative, novel and imaginative titles.

PSB: What sort of games do you want JAPAN Studio to be known for?
AB: I would like for us to be known for titles that innovate and are of high quality, whether they are five-hour PSN titles or big AAA pillar titles. Obviously we are in a very competitive business so we have to make titles that do well commercially. Hopefully we will do that by staying true to those two core concepts and become known for them.

PSB: Prior to joining JAPAN Studio you were in charge at Sony Santa Monica. Have they been very different experiences? Is there any kind of shared ethos that you could pinpoint?
Allan Becker: Very different. To put it simply, cultural differences affect the way individuals perceive their world. Without the ability to tune into the culture, you simply cannot get very far. I’m still learning. The commonality between the studios is that we all want to find success, albeit in different ways.

PSB: Soul Sacrifice Delta – is this an expansion, or a full blown sequel?
AB: It’s a very large scale expansion, but not a full blown sequel. There’s a lot for a Soul Sacrifice fan to sink their teeth into – no pun intended.

PSB: What exactly can those fans expect from it, and when will we see it on shelves?
AB: Soul Sacrifice Delta brings many additions and enhancements to the original title – there are new monsters based on classic fairy tales with a dark twist, more sorcerers, maps, quest and spells.

But there isn’t just more of everything; we’ve made many improvements to the game mechanics with dynamic maps, adaptive and more complex AI for the monsters. The spell casting system has been overhauled too: you can now combine spells during battle to enhance them or create new ones, which adds a lot of variety and depth to the gameplay.

Soul Sacrifice Delta also introduces Grim, the third faction, and tells the story of their plot against the established order and the very nature of the world. Players can now choose to pledge allegiance to one of the factions, which have their own strengths, rewards and play styles, all of which reflect the faction’s belief.

Save data from Soul sacrifice including story progression, costumes, offerings, sigils, black rites, life/soul essence and lacrima (up to 10,000) will carry over to Soul Sacrifice Delta! So, if you transfer your save data from Soul Sacrifice, the story progression will carry over and you can continue on with your adventure in Soul Sacrifice Delta.

We’re planning to release Soul Sacrifice only on the PlayStation Store, on May 13th.

PSB: Freedom Wars – can you tell us a little more about this one? The concept sounds intriguing…
AB: The title brings chaos and order existing in a place where freedom is bought and worked for. It’s a role-playing game that chucks you into the middle of a dystopian underground world, where players start off with a million-year sentence. The battles are fought as punishment and freedom is what you earn at the end of your fully redeemed sentence of a million years! The game is an action battle game and will include offline and online multiplayer play.

PSB: And Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines. This is a series that Western gamers might not be too familiar with. Can you bring them up to speed?
AB: We released the original Oreshika on PS one in 1999 and a remake for PSP in 2011 but despite their popularity over here neither made it outside of Japan. At the time we thought that the game was too ‘Japanese’ to appeal to a western audience. But if you play it you’ll see it’s a unique and fun JRPG that will appeal to a lot of gamers so this time round it just feels right to bring the experience to new fans outside of Japan.

PSB: And for those who have played the original Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke, how does the sequel build on the concept?
AB: Firstly, although the games are linked, players who have never played the original game will be able to enjoy Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines as it starts a completely new story. But if you have played the original, you’ll find that all of the game’s systems have been greatly expanded. Plus, you should look out for some really cool things that we’ve been able to do using the Vita hardware that just weren’t possible with PS one or PSP.

PSB: All three titles have a really strong ‘Japanese’ identity to them. How accessible do you think Western gamers will find them?
AB: Part of our role is to support the Japanese and Asian markets. Obviously these markets are very handheld centric and that is why we are producing these titles firstly and foremost. So that is why they have a very strong “Japanese” identity, although I will say that these titles will be accessible. Will they appeal to a wide Western audience? That is hard to say, but they will definitely appeal to the eclectic hardcore gamer and ‘Japanophiles’ out there.

PSB: All three titles we’re announcing today are for PS Vita. Is this a coincidence or is JAPAN Studio putting a special emphasis on handheld development at present?
AB: As I mentioned, we are tasked with supporting our region and the PS Vita market in Japan/Asia is still growing. So we hope that these three titles will support continued growth of the PS Vita. Currently, the studio has many titles in development across several hardware platforms, so there is no specific emphasis on handheld development.

PSB: You’ve just released another PS Vita title, Destiny of Spirits. It’s a nice coup to have such a talented developer as Q Entertainment working on a title for JAPAN Studio. How did the collaboration come about?
AB: The game released just this past month and is our first free-to-play title. So we are both anxious and excited to see how it is viewed by gamers. If you haven’t downloaded it I suggest that you do and give it a try.

I’ve known Q-Entertainment since their inception and I always wanted to work with Mizuguchi-san on something new and Destiny of Spirits was the result. Simple as that.

PSB: More generally speaking, how do you choose which studios to collaborate with?
AB: The key has less to do with the studios but which creative individual we wish to collaborate with. They are the one that we will work with, sometimes on a daily basis. So it is important to choose someone who has the same mindset as we do.

Today we’re really happy to announce a trio of brand new PS Vita games from our JAPAN Studio: Soul Sacrifice Delta, an expanded edition of last year’s acclaimed dark fantasy adventure; dystopian action RPG Freedom Wars; and stunning JRPG Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines.

Soul Sacrifice Delta will be first to arrive on May 13th, and we’ll confirm more details around Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines and Freedom Wars in the coming months. For now, I’ll hand over to the games’ respective producers to tell you more about each title. And then later today look out for an interview with JAPAN Studio chief Allan Becker.

Soul Sacrifice Delta

Soul Sacrifice Delta is the ultimate edition of Soul Sacrifice with tons of new content and improvements. Grim, the faction who believes in neutrality in all things, joins the blood thirsty Avalon and the merciful Sanctuary, and adds a third angle to bring the Delta in Soul Sacrifice. Grim’s beliefs, rooted in the prophecy they will seek to realise, will bring about irrevocable changes to the world as we know it.

The concept of faction is now at the heart of the game with players able to join the side of their choice, each with their own strengths and play styles. Players from each faction can now register their overall progress.

Soul Sacrifice Delta brings a lot of new content as well, with new Archfiends inspired by dark retellings of classic fairy tales, new sorcerers, arenas, spells and even more quests.

We have also made many improvements to the game design and systems: the graphics engine has been optimized, some arenas are now dynamic with weather effects and structural changes during battle, the spells system has been refined and allows for more collaborative and deeper gameplay.

We’ve also improved the AI of the Archfiends, who are now more vicious than ever. Finally, we’ve taken character customization to a new level, with the ability to mix custom parts and accessories.

What if you have played through Soul Sacrifice already? Well, just transfer your save data over to Delta and carry on the adventure! So that’s Soul Sacrifice Delta in a nutshell, but please stay tuned for more information soon. – Kumi Yuasa

Freedom Wars

We’re excited to finally announce that Freedom Wars is coming to North America! Some of you may have caught wind of the team working on this title, but JAPAN Studio, Shift and Dimps have joined forces to create an action-packed RPG on PlayStation Vita!

Freedom Wars is set in a dystopian world which harbors prisoners, each with a million-year sentence set from birth. You take on the role of a prisoner, forced to fight for your freedom by completing rescue missions that will reduce your seemingly insurmountable prison sentence.

Supported by a robust multiplayer suite, up to four players can play via Ad-Hoc and eight players via Online to fight civilian Abducters; the more civilians you set free, the shorter your sentence becomes. In addition to the challenging co-op gameplay, you’ll be pleased to know that the game has many customizable features ranging from weapon load-outs to the protagonist itself! Check out our new trailer and make sure to stay tuned for more news on Freedom Wars, launching later this year! – Dais Kawaguchi

Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines

Next up we have Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines which is one that you JRPG fans need to have on your radar. “What does ‘Oreshika’ mean?”, I hear you cry. Actually the full title in Japanese is ‘Ore no Shikabane wo Koete Yuke’ which means something along the lines of ‘Go Forth Over My Dead Body’.

In case you haven’t guessed it by now it’s an RPG in which you take charge of an ancient Japanese clan that have been cursed with a maximum lifespan of just 2 years. Your task is to lead the clan on their quest to lift the curse and enlist the help of gods inspired by Japanese mythology to make sure each new generation of the clan is more powerful than the last.

We’ve got some screenshots to show off the beautiful Japanese art style of the characters and environments, but it looks even more fantastic on the PS Vita screen! We’ve got lots more details to share on this one very soon so stay tuned. – Tomoyo Kimura

One of the most critically acclaimed PS Vita titles, Soul Sacrifice, is now available in the Instant Game Collection. Created by Keiji Inafune, best known for his work on the Mega Man franchise, this action RPG pits you against an evil sorcerer. The question is, how are you going to defeat him when you’re locked up in a fleshy cage? A talking book named Librom (it reminds me of the spell book in Hocus Pocus) is the answer. Librom will transport you back to past events, also known as Phantom Quests, so you can train and develop your power. The game really shines with its “save or sacrifice” combat mechanics, where you’ll need to make key decisions about what you need most (i.e. more health or more magic), or choose to unleash a devastating black rite spell by destroying part of your body. The best way to grasp the game is to try it out, so get to downloading when this becomes free for PS Plus members tomorrow!

You can take advantage of all these PS Plus benefits after the PlayStation Store updates tomorrow, 11/26.

Soul Sacrifice (PS Vita) What would you sacrifice for ultimate power? Prepare yourself for a brutal combat experience where every decision made will have consequential results. Take on the role of a slave who is about to be sacrificed stumbles upon a forbidden book that allows its readers to relive battles between sorcerers and monsters of the past. In order to use the magic during fierce battles, the player must be willing to make a sacrifice – ranging from personal belongings, a limb, or even a life.

Game Title PS Plus Price Regular Price Dynasty Warriors 6 $11.99 $19.99 Dynasty Warriors 7 $19.99 $29.99 Extras

Draw Slasher – Hanzo Avatar (Free for PS Plus members)

Last Chance (Leaving on 12/3)

Instant Game Collection
Dragon’s Dogma: Dark Arisen (PS3)
Discounts
Worms 2: Armageddon

What’s your favorite content from this week’s update?

We’ll be back next week to add another title to the Instant Game Collection as well as any other benefits, like super sweet discounts.

If you’ve got feedback on today’s Plus update make sure vote in the poll and leave a comment below. To discuss all things PlayStation, including this update, you can also head over to the PlayStation Community Forums where you’ll find topics you can contribute your thoughts to, or start one for yourself.

Hello PlayStation gamers! We’ve been releasing free updates for Soul Sacrifice for the past five months. It’s bittersweet for us to share that today’s big 1.30 update, which adds 16 challenging new quests, will be the final one. Make sure you update your game to version 1.30 today!

Unlike some of the previous updates, there’s no need to download unlock keys from PlayStation Store to start playing the 16 new quests.

After installing the update, simply go to Read Journal > Mad Chronicle > Inside Avalon > Avalon Pacts > Forgotten Pacts to play the new quests. You’ll see “Hour of Pure White” and “Hour of Blackness” added to the section. Game progress to a certain point may be required.

The final 16 quests are all difficulty level 10! You‘ll be tasked with facing challenging boss characters you may have come across before. Will you be up for the thrilling rematches, or will they get the best of you?

Thank you all for your support on Soul Sacrifice over the past several months. We hope you’ll enjoy the final quests and continue to enjoy the world of Soul Sacrifice on PS Vita!

I hope you’ve been enjoying Soul Sacrifice and the free DLC we released last week. If you haven’t downloaded said content yet, please make sure to update your game to version 1.10 from LiveArea and then visit PlayStation Store to download unlock keys for free! Otherwise, you’ll be missing out on new quests, a new map (Caverns of Goliath), a new Black Rite (Berserker), and new functionality (like posting play stats on Twitter or Facebook).

Today, we’re announcing that there will be eight more quests and two new boss characters — “Dwarf” and “Ogre” — added on June 11th! Be sure to download the free unlock key on that day.

To play the new quests, go to Mad Chronicle > Inside Avalon > Avalon Pacts > Forgotten Pact > Hour of Harlequin. Game progress to a certain point may be required.

About the Dwarf

There were once three men who did nothing but drink from morning until night. They were always the drunkest people in any tavern, and would argue and fight with other customers over the smallest thing. Having lost their jobs at the mine where they worked, the men had no source of income. The only things they owned were their well-used hammers, which no-one wanted to buy. Their drunkenness and destitution was a cause of great concern to anyone who saw them, but the men themselves seemed happy enough. This happiness would not last, however. Before long, the men had spent the last of their money…

About the Ogre

In a kingdom of some note, a woman was appointed palace chef for the first time in its history.

Once a simple town girl, she rose to such heights by applying all kinds of knowledge to her food. Not only did her cooking taste delicious, it had the power to cure illness and soothe the heart. Several years passed until, for some unimaginable reason, she was thrown in a dungeon to await execution. Lying in her cell, she had time to reflect on her life thus far.

Look for more new content later this month. Keep an eye on PS.Blog for details!

It’s been just over a week since Soul Sacrifice graced PS Vita in North America, so we tracked down celebrated creator Keiji Inafune to get his thoughts on the game’s launch — and how PS Vita players are adapting to the game’s morally murky gameplay choices.

But there’s more!

In Soul Sacrifice, you can unleash a breadth of special attacks and abilities by sacrificing various Offerings. Exclusively for the PS.Blog community, we’ve listed four vouchers below, which can be redeemed to obtain otherwise inaccessible Offerings (you can’t get them any other way).

Spirits’ Storm Pinion

Bird feather provided by the Thunder spirits (Attributes: Volt)

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Spirits’ Viviblossom

Flower of Healing provided by the Spirits (Attributes: Renew)

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Spirits’ Blazestone

Ball provided by the Fire Spirits (Attributes: Heat)

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Spirits’ Frostblade

Ice blade provided by the Ice spirits (Attributes: Frost)

EENQ-GDNQ-KCEJ

IMPORTANT: Story progress to certain areas may be required before these Offerings can be used.

These universal PSN voucher codes are only valid in North America. They can be received in-game by going to “Librom” > ”Network” > ”Peddler” > “Claim Gift” AFTER the product code has been redeemed. Please note: these vouchers, once depleted, are gone forever.

PlayStation.Blog: Have you been watching how players interact with Soul Sacrifice now that it’s in the wild? Are they playing it the way you expected?

Keiji Inafune: I see users are playing the game the way I wanted them to, so I’m pleased. Users are enjoying the decision-making process of sacrificing and the consequences associated with it, which is what I intended and for that I’m grateful.

PSB: Are you hearing feedback about a particular moment or boss battle in the game?
KI: There are various things users are talking about, and many users seem to be talking about multiplayer. But I also hear users are complementing the storyline and that it unfolds in unexpected ways and that came as a surprise. They’re saying the story is in-depth and touching — that feedback is something I was hoping to hear, so I’m happy!

PSB: The game features some spectacularly grotesque monster designs — is there one you’re particularly proud of?

KI: We tried to have each monster make a big impression and I feel our designers did fantastic jobs. If I was asked what my favorite monster would be, I wouldn’t be able to pick one because I’m proud of all of them. However, I have a special place in my heart for Librom, the book character who is strongly tied to the storyline. I specifically like its personality and the design, so when I give autographs to fans I tend to draw Librom next to my autographs. I think Librom represents Soul Sacrifice very well.

PSB: Where did the idea for the Black Rites come from? Do you have a favorite?

KI: I learned that in life, you must sacrifice something big in order to gain a bigger outcome. If you want to become rich, you need to work hard; when you’re gambling, you may win big only if you bet big and risk losing a lot of money. So the idea of sacrificing and the consequence associated with it came to me first.

The biggest sacrifice, I thought, would be the limbs of your body. Or your own life or even your friends’ lives. This is how I came up with the idea of Black Rites. They are very powerful, but the cost is huge. For example, one of the Black Rites called “Gorgon” requires you to take your eyeballs out, which makes your vision very narrow afterwards. Using “Infernus” will cut your defence in half, but it’s an easy one to use because it can attack enemies without you targeting them precisely.

PSB: Mass Effect 3 and Telltale’s The Walking Dead have elevated impossible choices into a near-art form. Why do players seem to enjoy making excruciating decisions?

KI: Those types of choices heavily involve emotional aspects and the decision making process isn’t automatic. In the old days, the decision making process for players was a reflex: stepping right or left in order to avoid a bullet. That doesn’t involve your emotions. But let’s say you have two choices and either decision will cause a different character to die. Then you would have to question yourself and also consider the consequences you will live with. This has a stronger tie to your emotions.

I’ve been in the game industry for a long time and gaming in general seems to be headed towards emotion. I think we’re in the era of incorporating feelings and emotions in video games and it’s about how to design these. Soul Sacrifice, for example, asks you who to sacrifice be it yourself or your friends. You could make a decision not to sacrifice anything and let it be, too. You can’t make these decisions without being emotionally involved. I think future games need to incorporate emotional elements.

PSB: You’ve had a long history in game development – where do you see games going next?

KI: If I was asked what trend would come next in gaming, I wouldn’t be able to put a finger on it to be honest. But I believe console games will evolve dramatically. I think social aspects will be incorporated in its best way with console games. When I say “social”, I don’t mean the social element in social games these days. I think the true social aspects, not just connecting via online will be implemented to console games in the best way ever. The cycle of console games up till now was to buy a game and play it for several hours and then buy a new game. I think the cycle will change and something other than this cycle will become the next trend. A new console such as PS4 needs to incorporate this aspect well to maximize its potential.

Note from the Soul Sacrifice team: Soul Sacrifice players: Thank you for supporting the game! While most are enjoying the game without issue, we’ve had a few people get in touch with us regarding issues redeeming the game’s Online Pass and/or accessing bonus launch content. We apologize for any frustration caused!

In order to get to the bottom of these issues as quickly as possible, we’ve created a detailed walkthrough (with screens) on the official PlayStation community forums to help address what some folks are encountering.

Hi, everyone! We hope you are all enjoying Soul Sacrifice!

We’ve been talking about the music of Soul Sacrifice for quite a while. Many of you have asked if the soundtrack will be available for purchase. Good news: the Soul Sacrifice Original Soundtrack will be available exclusively on the PlayStation 3 PSN Store today! The album boasts 32 masterfully composed and orchestrated tracks, and will be available for $9.99.

Fantasy becomes reality in the soundtrack to Soul Sacrifice! World-renowned composers Yasunori Mitsuda and Wataru Hokoyama bring this legendary score to life with 32 riveting musical compositions. Recorded at the state of the art Skywalker Sound, this soundtrack also features a myriad of world class instrumentalists comprised of a 94-piece orchestra and 25-voice choir, making history as one of the largest recording sessions ever for a video game. Check out the full-length behind the scenes video at the top of this post to see how the music of Soul Sacrifice came together.

Comments from Inafune-san:
“The music was created by the two accomplished composers who are capable of putting together wonderful pieces, so I was very hands off; I barely made any requests. However, it was important that they understood what we were trying to accomplish, so we provided as many details about the artwork, storyline, images, and concept so that they could put together something amazing and fit the game. I have no complaints about what they created. The end product is just amazing, and I feel like I have never come across anything so amazing in the past. I am very grateful for their work.”

Note from the Soul Sacrifice team: Soul Sacrifice players: Thank you for supporting the game! While most are enjoying the game without issue, we’ve had a few people get in touch with us regarding issues redeeming the game’s Online Pass and/or accessing bonus launch content. We apologize for any frustration caused!

In order to get to the bottom of these issues as quickly as possible, we’ve created a detailed walkthrough (with screens) on the official PlayStation community forums to help address what some folks are encountering.

Jeff breaks out his Vita and we get down to the business of sacrificing all those handheld souls!

Soul Sacrifice is finally available in America today. I hope most of you will get the game and start playing as soon as possible.

For fans who would like to purchase the game via PlayStation Network, we’re pleased to finally confirm that — for a limited time –you will also receive the exclusive pre-order offerings that we’ve been promoting for physical reservations of the game:

• Two Unique Costumes with which players can customize their character
• Three Magic Items to aid players in battle:

• Spirits’ Flamepike: Shards of the spear provided by Fire spirits. (Attribites: heat) Enables five combo attacks.
• Spirits’ Blightstone: Explosive stone provided by the spirits. (Attributes: venom)
• Spirits’ Fulgurwood: Root provided by the Thunder spirits. (Attributes: volt) It tracks enemies on the ground and attacks with thunder spell.

The Japanese voice-over pack. Get it for no added cost during the promotion!

My team has put a lot of spirit and passionate work into this great title, and I’m very proud of it. Once you play the game, you’ll be able to tell that I’ve sacrificed a lot to create this game. Please try and see what it’s like to sacrifice you, your friends and everything to enjoy this game to the fullest. The game has a lot to it, and the more you play the more you’ll see. Please go explore and find all the Offerings and use the magics to fight through. I’m confident Soul Sacrifice will draw you in instantly and I hope you share your experience and the joy of playing this game with as many people as possible.

My own life story has been the inspiration of this game. I was put in a lot of situations where I had to make tough decisions. I learned that things don’t go well just because you want to be famous or rich or a better person. You have to constantly think what you’re willing to give up or sacrifice to make things happen. In the past, in order to make interesting games, I had to give up on my sleep, or time with my family. I had to make these tough choices to create interesting games. I also had to give up my status and position when leaving my previous job in order to run my own company. But sometimes, you have to give up something in order to start something, and I thought bringing this to the game would bring realness to the game and create something that players have never been able to experience.

Games are evolving to more and better reflect our emotions. Before, things seemed to be just digital and two dimensional. It was mostly only about whether you were strong or weak, whether could fight at a higher level or not. I believe it will go beyond that, using emotions and instinct, things that are less about a gamer’s ability. I think this will become more important going forward, and I am proud that Soul Sacrifice is among those games to further explore a profound emotional aspect and moral dilemma in-game.

Hello, PlayStation friends! We hope you’re enjoying the recently released Soul Sacrifice demo.

Remember — online multiplayer support for the demo will end when the game launches next Tuesday, so if you’ve been curious to see how the infrastructure online handles, check it out sooner rather than later. Just as importantly: your save files carry over to the finished game, and doing so is the only way to get your hands on a special magical Offering, so check out the demo if you haven’t already.

The full game will be out next Tuesday, April 30th, but there’s still time left to pre-order! Instead of yet again writing about all the goodies set aside for folks who reserve their copies, we decided to make a video. Enjoy!

We’ve got plenty more to share, including the second (and final) part of our special sit-down with designer Keiji Inafune, so stay tuned to PS.Blog!

I hope you’re ready for Soul Sacrifice — the demo will be available this afternoon on PSN!

Your first reaction to the demo might be, “Holy moly, this is a LOT of demo!” …And you’d be right! The entire first chapter of the full game is included, all of which is playable with up to three other friends via online or ad-hoc multiplayer. Inafune-san made it a special point for the demo to be quite substantial, as you can read in his comments below:

“The number one reason for the Soul Sacrifice demo to have a lot of content was to show the users the full attraction of Soul Sacrifice. We knew that cutting out a small section of the game and saying, ‘Isn’t this part fun?’ would not show the users the full potential of the game. We figured that it wouldn’t make sense if the users could not have the ‘I want to play more’ feeling.

“So, we decided we want to provide, ‘at the very least,’ this amount of the game for the users. That is why, if you compare it to a standard demo, this became such a substantial piece. But we are confident that this will not become something negative where the users will feel like, ‘We played enough.’ After we released the demo version in Japan we received many voices, saying ‘[I] want to play more’ and ‘I want to get more hooked on this game.’ That is why we believe making this demo with this amount of volume and detail was a success.”

Soul Sacrifice is a long adventure, with dozens of hours of gameplay. The demo is not only a great way to sample the full experience, but also to let you get a head start on that adventure before the game releases. To that end — this part is important, pay attention! — the save data will carry over to the full game! Not only that, if you do carry over demo save data to the full game, you will receive an exclusive bonus item: “Spirits’ Heart”! It summons a powerful stone golem that will fight for you!

Trying the demo and carrying over your save data is the ONLY way to get “Spirits’ Heart,” so why not give it a shot if you’re already interested in the game?

The Soul Sacrifice demo offers a single player mode AND a multi-player mode. Multi-player can be played via both ad-hoc and online, but please be aware that multi-player and all online features for the demo will be terminated and will no longer be available on April 30th, 2013. After this date, you will still be able to play the demo offline and ad-hoc. Of course, that’s not a problem, since you’ll all be picking up the full game when it launches on April 30th, right? *wink*

Don’t forget to pre-order! Not only do you get three exclusive Magic Offerings and two exclusive costumes, but you’ll also get the Japanese voice-over audio pack for free!

Soul Sacrifice launches exclusively for PlayStation Vita on April 30th… that’s just weeks away! Many of you have been asking about the demo coming to North America and we’re finally able to address your questions. First, though, watch our new interview with legendary designer Keiji Inafune below.

The demo for Soul Sacrifice is coming to PlayStation Store on April 16th — thanks for waiting so patiently! The demo begins in despair, with you in the role of a captive imprisoned by a ruthless mage and awaiting sacrifice. The looming promise of certain death is interrupted by the appearance of a mysterious book. The tome, inexplicably able to think and speak, introduces itself as Librom.

Librom also claims to hold a special power, allowing those who read it to experience what’s written within. But it’s best that we spoil no more than that! Be sure to try out the Soul Sacrifice demo on April 16th, and check back here when you do — we’ll have more information about the game to share!

Oh, and don’t forget to pre-order! Not only will you get three exclusive Magic Offerings and two exclusive costumes, you’ll also get the Japanese voice-over audio pack for free!

Soul Sacrifice is, as its name suggests, a game that asks the player to make an ultimate decision. It happens every time you defeat an enemy, actually — a choice to either save the enemy’s soul, or sacrifice it for your own gain. How you customize your character in this regard is crucial, since you’re going to go up against some very large enemies. That scale, and the importance of making the player truly feel it, is at the heart of this piece from composer Wataru Hokoyama:

“An unbelievably gigantic enemy appears before you. For this piece, I focused on bringing out the full potential of a full scale orchestra by using bold orchestration to depict the immeasurable sense of scale of the enemy’s size and power. I hope the score will make the players feel like, “there is no way I can beat an enemy with this kind of scale.”

—Wataru Hokoyama

Because there are gigantic, powerful enemies, it’s important to build your character’s stats and levels. Your decision of saving or sacrificing will affect what type of character you want to build.

Save and Sacrifice

When you defeat an enemy, it will be in critical condition. You can approach it and decide to either Save it or Sacrifice it, each with differing consequences. You can perform both actions by approaching an ally
in critical condition as well.

If you decide to Save, you will share a portion of your health with the enemy or ally in order to help them recover. If you choose to Sacrifice, you will gain access to a powerful spell.

Saving will recover a bit of health and increase your Life LV gauge. Once the gauge is full, your Life LV will increase boosting your defense. Also the health gained from healing magic, and the amount of health
recovered when Saving will increase.

Sacrificing will slightly rejuvenate the number of times you can use an Offering and increase your Magic LV gauge. Once the gauge is full, your Magic LV will increase, boosting your attacks. Also the amount of recovering an Offering when Sacrificing an enemy will increase.

We know fans are eager for in-game footage of the content above, and of the many other exciting features Soul Sacrifice has to offer. Keep checking the blog; there’s plenty more to come! Soul Sacrifice for PlayStation Vita comes to North America on April 30th!

Back in December, we released a sneak-peek of the Skywalker Sound soundtrack recording video for Soul Sacrifice. As mentioned, the game’s soundtrack is composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Wataru Hokoyama, two of the most recognized composers in the industry. Today. I’m excited to share a video introducing one of the scores Mitsuda-san composed:

Mitsuda-san was kind enough to provide us the following accompanying message:

“This was the very first battle music I composed, and I focused on making sure it fit the fighting theme of Soul Sacrifice. The battle style in this game is different from traditional RPGs and action games where the battles are not instantaneous, but rather extensive and you fight for a longer period of time. Within those battles, you will face all sorts of situations where you can have the upper hand, or be at a disadvantage. So, in order to match these dramatic sequences, I concentrated on adding many different elements to each piece in order to create an exciting musical composition. Soul Sacrifice is the type of game that will challenge you in all aspects. With that in mind, I challenged myself during the composition of the musical scores as well. I believe this game is something that people overseas, not only in Japan, will also enjoy. I hope everybody around the world will enjoy playing this game.”

Since it was announced for North America, and as new assets and details are rolled out to eager fans worldwide, excitement for Soul Sacrifice has only increased. No other title for PlayStation Vita combines the same frantic real-time combat, thrilling sense of scale, smartly interwoven cooperative multiplayer, or meaningful character customization… Not to mention the contributions of legends of gaming like designer Keiji Inafune or composer Yasunori Mitsuda and Wataru Hokoyama.

For weeks, fans have asked for more info about the game’s North American release, wanting a final date and box art, and details about possible pre-order extras. Finally, those questions can be answered!

Soul Sacrifice for PS Vita launches in stores and via PlayStation Network on April 30th, 2013. As for the box art, it is essentially the same as that which Japanese fans will proudly display on their shelves (or pedestals, if you’re a pedestal kind of person):

Fans who pre-order Soul Sacrifice will receive an exclusive pack of in-game content — it will not be sold anywhere else!

• Two (2) Unique Costumes with which players can customize their character
• Three (3) Magic Items to aid players in battle:

• Spirits’ Flamepike – Shards of the spear provided by Fire spirits, unleashing a five hit combo attack with heat effects
• Spirits’ Blightstone – Explosive stones with poison effects provided by the spirits
• Spirits’ Fulgurwood – Root provided by the Thunder spirits. Tracks enemies on the ground and attacks with thunder spell

There’s more! Do you prefer to play with Japanese audio tracks whenever possible? You might want to pre-order…

Reserve Soul Sacrifice and, in addition to the in-game costume & item bundle, you’ll also receive the Japanese voice-over pack for free. This pack will be sold separately, but the only way to get it right at launch for no added cost is to pre-order!

Thrilled to finally be able to reveal a release date to his North American fans, Project Lead Keiji Inafune had this to say:

I’m excited that we are finally able to announce the release date of Soul Sacrifice. I have put all my passion and soul into the game’s concept and my talented team has made an incredible effort to create the best game it could ever be. I’m confident that we’ve created an extremely engaging game that you will enjoy playing.

The game has become nothing like any other game with an original and deep world settings which could only be possible in a dark fantasy environment. I’m looking forward to you being able to experience the unique adventure of real heroism in Soul Sacrifice. Immerse yourself in the world of Soul Sacrifice and have fun playing it!

Keiji Inafune, Conceptor and CEO – comcept, Inc.

There’s plenty left to share and reveal for Soul Sacrifice… Keep coming back to PS.Blog for more updates!

If asked, most of us can recall a favorite scene or two from a movie, a shot or sequence that lingered with us long after the lights came on and we left the theater. We retain the visual, but often it isn’t until we see that same scene muted that we discover that the music, the aural accompaniment, was a far greater part of our experience than we realized.

Just as in cinema, music is a huge part of what makes many gaming memories so rich. It’s a significant ingredient in creating a sense of grandeur and making something feel epic.

Soul Sacrifice, the next title from legendary developer Keiji Inafune, has such aspirations.

It may be a handheld action title, but there is nothing portable or small about the game’s scope or presentation. Case in point: the game’s soundtrack is composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Wataru Hokoyama, two of the most recognized composers in the industry. Moreover, their soaring, charged score was recorded using full orchestras and choruses on the Scoring Stage at Skywalker Sound in Marin County, CA, a world-renowned studio with some of the best acoustic technology and audio engineers in the world.

Soul Sacrifice’s satisfying action and adventure may conveniently fit in the palms of your hands, but expect its sights and sounds to feel much bigger!

Watch the music of Soul Sacrifice come to life in this special abridged cut of our “Behind the Scenes” video at the top of this post. There’s much more news to come regarding the music of Soul Sacrifice, not to mention the game itself, so please stay tuned!

Happy Holidays to everyone in North America! This is Keiji Inafune. Soul Sacrifice is finally near completion, and we are proud to say with confidence that this game is worth recommending to everyone. It’s been awhile since I’ve created a game that made me feel this enthusiastic. We put a lot of passionate unremitting work into this masterpiece and we are super excited about it.

As promised, the game includes a mind-blowing world and a magnificent story, which will instantly draw you in and I hope people will just indulge themselves on Soul Sacrifice.

Through this game, I hope that everyone will experience the heart and essence of true Japanese game development once again.

As Team Inafune, we would like to proudly present Soul Sacrifice for all of the true gamers in the world to enjoy.

In my last post, I explained that monsters in the world of PS Vita’s Soul Sacrifice are what have become of humans who succumbed to darkness, using magic according to their desire. Today, I’m pleased to reveal a new monster, “Leviathan,” and to share its backstory.

Meet Leviathan

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far away, there were two twin princes. The older twin excelled at everything, and the younger one failed at just as much. The two were so different that it was a wonder that the same blood flowed through their veins. It was like pairing up a giant and a dwarf. The younger brother grew up with a severe inferiority complex and developed an extremely dark personality. He started to enjoy collecting ferocious animals, one in particular being a crocodile from another kingdom. He put the crocodile in a cage, where he tormented it. It was the only time he could ever feel strong.

Years went by, and it was finally time for the heir to take the throne. Of course, the chosen heir was none other than the eldest of the twin brothers. Jealous, the younger prince stormed off to his room. He sat there, staring at his crocodile. “If only I could get the crocodile to kill my brother…” he thought. Just then a strange voice resonated in the room and the prince could feel his body drown in magic…

Live on in Ghost Mode

In addition to revealing this fearsome new monster, I’m excited to share a key new element to the game’s multiplayer experience: Ghost Mode. The co-op multiplayer mode of Soul Sacrifice is not just about playing offense or defense. You will use yourself and allies as a catalyst for magic, and truly battle together.

At times, you’ll use magic to stop time so your allies can attack. Other times, you can choose to help aid your dying friends with your healing power. There are many choices available to you, and your victory depends on your decisions. And it doesn’t end if you fall during a co-op battle. With Ghost Mode, you will become a “ghost” and continue to aid your allies. Players that have become ghosts are able to openly observe the statuses of the enemies and ally members. You can strengthen your team mates or make the enemies vulnerable by touching them on the screen. So even after you die, you can keep aiding your party and continue the co-op battle until the end with your friends.

It was announced this week that Soul Sacrifice will release in Japan on March 7th, 2013. Please stay tuned regarding final release dates and details for North America and Europe; more information is just around the corner!

Make no mistake, the Japanese know how to queue. In the bowels of the PlayStation stand at this year’s Tokyo Game Show, countless orderly lines of patient gamers snake neatly through a maze of white chain-link barriers, intersecting each other like the world’s most organised spaghetti junction. At the start of each queue stands an official with a whiteboard and a marker pen, methodically updating the estimated waiting time for each game. Of all the games on show at PlayStation’s booth, which boasted the longest line? PS Vita action title Soul Sacrifice, with show-goers having to wait well over an hour for a chance to try it out.

It should perhaps come as no surprise that it’s the center of attention. After a series of intriguing trailers, TGS presented the first opportunity to actually go hands-on with Mega Man creator and former Capcom R&D chief Keiji Inafune’s dark fantasy action title.

Those first few teasers hinted at a gritty blend of Dark Souls’ ruthless, bleak aesthetic, and the multiplayer-focused beast battling of Monster Hunter. In reality, that’s not far off the mark. You play as a member of a four-person squad (controlled either by other players or the computer) tasked with progressing through various environments in search of a huge boss character to dispatch.

The twist is that when a squad member falls, the survivors have the option to either sacrifice them in return for a huge power-up, or revive the player and allow them back into the fray. The same mechanic also applies to fallen enemies – sacrifice them and your offensive attributes receive a boost, spare them and your defensive stats ramp up.

It’s a compelling set-up and the brief 15 minute segment I played through offered some pleasingly physical combat, run through with complex, strategic decision-making and delightfully gruesome enemy design. In search of a little more insight into how the full game will play out, I grabbed 10 minutes with Inafune-san backstage. Check out the brand new gameplay trailer below, then read on for more from the man himself.

PlayStation.Blog: Why do you see the PS Vita as such a good fit for a deep, dark action title like Soul Sacrifice?
Keiji Inafune, Creator, Soul Sacrifice: The idea is to have a game that Western audiences will find appealing, while also making sure that it will also sell well here in Japan. The Western audience must feel willing to play this game. PS Vita is not going to benefit if you just have a lot of otaku games on it – you need something like this. It needs dark and deep titles like Soul Sacrifice.

PSB: How have you approached the game’s multiplayer component?
Inafune: Soul Sacrifice is intended for the player to really sit down and engage with it, and actually have other people in front of you for the multiplayer with ad hoc as the base. If you can’t gather people physically, you can play online of course, but I think it’s most interesting when you play with your closest friends as you really know about them and it might prove harder to sometimes sacrifice them.

I think the most fun in the game comes from playing on both your real and virtual relationships. For example, if you have a friend that’s always hounding you and makes you feel bad the whole time you’ll surely feel like you’re going to sacrifice them! That type of play is what the game is all about.

PSB: If you could step into a time machine and show Soul Sacrifice to the young Keiji Inafune making Mega Man back in 1986, what do you think he would he make of it?
Inafune: 25 years ago, I don’t think I would have appreciated how interesting this type of game could be. I probably would have thought that it was grotesque because I wasn’t really aware of Western games. Back then I was really only thinking about myself and trying to make things that I personally thought were interesting. That consumed me 25 years ago.

So, if I was to be exposed to a game of the future 25 years ago I think I would’ve started earlier at trying to be aware of Western audiences. If that were true I think I would have been even more successful and have a lot more money!

PSB: You’ve announced a number of big projects since you stepped down from Capcom back in 2010. What inspires you to keep on creating at this stage in your career?
Inafune: First and foremost, it’s fun. I’m having fun. Other than that, that potential was always there when I was at Capcom but because it was a huge organization there were limitations and constraints that pulled me back. I had energy – this bulging creative impulse – but I was unable to realise that as much as I wanted to. Now, because I am free and independent, I just think I should try and get everything out there that I want to get out there.

So, yes, I am busy but I’m also having fun and enjoying it. I have more energy than I did when I was at Capcom. I’ve already announced many things, but I hope to continue to announce many more things in the future, so I hope you’ll be taken by surprise.

Hi everyone. I’m excited that those of you who are attending Tokyo Game Show will finally be able to have some hands-on experience with Soul Sacrifice! Once you play the game, I’m sure that you’ll have a better sense of the world I’ve been wanting to create. You’ll be able to face the dilemmas, tough decisions, and the agony of choice that I’ve been wanting to portray in a game. I believe the TGS demo does a great job of conveying this new concept.

In the trailers and interviews released so far, we’ve shown the game’s dark world setting and shared some of the story elements revealed in the single player mode. We’ve also shared a few of the back stories from both the monsters and sorcerers that you’ll encounter during gameplay. During TGS, I’m looking forward to showing you what the multiplayer mode can offer.

“Truly cooperate with allies” — I’ve explained the concept behind the multiplayer mode in the past, but I’m sure you’ll gain a full understanding after playing through this TGS demo. You will experience trusting in your friends, being double-crossed or double crossing, and you will realize the difference between sacrificing strangers and your most precious friends even if you don’t want to.

You will be able to team up and slow down the enemy’s attack, allowing your friends to come in and assist with the defeat, or you could be relying on their assistance to heal you in the midst of battle. These choices may even lead you into being forced to sacrifice your own life, or hoping that a friend would do the same for you.

I ask that you pay close attention on how your emotions change after each decision you make, and how you feel once defeating a monster with the help of your friends. From these experiences, you will see the concept of “reality-blended fantasy” that I wanted to create.

#psvita As the game title itself emphasizes, moral choices regarding sacrifice is Soul Sacrifice. Magic is not cast with spells or mana, but with sacrifices. You have two sets of three different kinds of magic that are constantly available to you to fight with, but every time you cast it, you must make an offering. Meaning if you run out of offerings, you're out of magic. More »

In the world of video game development, Keiji Inafune is a giant among men. The illustrator and former global head of production at Capcom has played a key role in the development of an astounding array of games spanning a diverse lineup of genres, everything from Mega Man to Resident Evil to Lost Planet and many more.

With his new role at Comcept and Intercept, Inafune is expanding his influence to new projects, including the upcoming “dark fantasy” PS Vita title Soul Sacrifice. During Gamescom last week, we caught up with Inafune to learn more about his ambitious new game that forces players to make painful decisions.

PlayStation.Blog: How do you take something painful — sacrifice — and make it fun in a gameplay setting?
Keiji Inafune: If you hear the word “sacrifice” it obviously sounds painful. But that’s because you think of sacrifice as sacrificing yourself. But when you’re playing together with your friends, it could be entertaining because it creates a new dialogue. If my character is dying, and my friend decides to sacrifice me, I might say “hey, what are you doing?! Don’t sacrifice me!”

So it creates a reason to come up with new ways to fight. It could lead to different kinds of heroism; you could save a bad situation by sacrificing yourself or a friend, or ask your friend to sacrifice himself for the good of the group. I don’t know that it’s always “fun,” but it’s a new kind of entertainment.

You’re forced to make choices in this game. Of course you could go through the game making smaller sacrifices – anything you find in nature you can use as offerings, rocks or a rat you find in a field – and you’ll get a smaller amount of power. The more you sacrifice, the more power you’ll gain. You’re the one to make that choice.

PSB: You recently revealed the backstory about one of the game’s monsters, the Griffon. When you don’t know someone’s motivations, it makes it easier to kill them. Do you want us to sympathize with these monsters?
KI: One of the things I want to illustrate is a feeling of guilt, a feeling of complexity. So there is sacrificing, but there is also saving. Those are the two extreme choices, the dilemma that you’ll face every time. I want you to make sacrifices, but I also want you to think about saving. Perhaps you’re fighting a powerful enemy but you learn that he has a sick daughter that he has to save back home by earning money in battle. When you hear this during the battle, the nice part of you might think about losing so he can save his daughter. But you want to win your battle, too!

So you’ll feel these complex feelings. I wanted to make this a big part of the game. Can you make these extreme choices given the situation?

PSB: Do you think moral ambiguity is something that’s missing from video games? Are too many game stories focused on black and white, good versus evil?
KI: I’ve watched the evolution of games and the games industry for the last 25 years; I’ve always had a front-row seat. In many modern action games, it’s about how realistic you can make the experience, how sensational the action is.

But the creators of the best games today have realized that they need to do something more than becoming more realistic, more sensational – it’s probably already hit the ceiling. They’re thinking about creating something new by including that emotional aspect. In thinking globally, in order to compete with the top game creators today, I’ve also had to think about including that emotional aspect. The games I work on will all include that as a big theme.

PSB: Is there an advantage to sacrificing versus saving? Does your character develop differently?
KI: You’ve probably heard that you can customize your character, and you’ll have a lot of choices and options. But the way you choose to fight will affect your appearance. So if you keep on saving, or keep on sacrificing, the visual effect will look different; you’ll look more angelic if you keep saving, more evil if you keep sacrificing.

If you go towards one extreme or the other, the time will come when it may be difficult to keep on going [in your chosen path]. If it’s easier to sacrifice a particular enemy, you might face a difficult decision if you you want to save him. But you can choose to stick with an extreme approach, and you’ll earn more power if you choose the hard way. That might come into effect when you’re playing with a party.

PSB: What more can you share about Soul Sacrifice’s multiplayer mode? How can the different players work together?
KI: Multiplayer mode is definitely a big part of Soul Sacrifice. It’s not just about four people getting together and fighting one monster, though. You have to be strategic in terms of creating your party and choosing your sorcery. One player might want to be aggressive and fight on the front line, while another might want to save more and heal more. Another player might stop time in order to help the others.

Every party you come up with will have a different strategy, different ways to attack and fight. That’s a big element of the game.

PSB: Developers have taken many strategies in creating PS Vita titles, from bite-sized games to home console-style games. What do you think makes the best portable experience?
KI: I was very involved with the Monster Hunter series, one that pioneered multiplayer gaming in a portable device, and I think my experience there will be very valuable as I explore PS Vita’s opportunities. That said, though there are many ways to approach game design I think that real-time online multiplayer is the most fun and exciting, though it can be challenging to create.

In a portable gaming environment, you can’t have hours and hours of gameplay – 30 minutes is probably the comfort zone. I like to view it as playing chapter by chapter, as opposed to the whole book. At the end of each chapter, I like to see results. In Soul Sacrifice, for example, you fight the boss character and at the end of the battle you decide whether to save or sacrifice [and that provides a payoff]. At the end of the game, you’ll have a whole “book” of experiences. From my perspective, that approach makes a lot of sense for PS Vita design.

PSB: What more can you tell us about the universe of Soul Sacrifice? What inspirations did you draw from to develop the look and the lore?
KI: You begin Soul Sacrifice as a weak, hopeless human locked up in a mysterious cell waiting to be sacrificed. I wanted to create a dark fantasy world, but it’s not about just creating a story. If your character is placed in a hopeless situation, and you look through his eyes, anything would seem dark and depressing. “Dark fantasy” is a result of the situation you’re in.

PSB: You’ve mentioned that one reason you’re making this game is because you made sacrifices in your career. In your life, would you say you’ve saved more or sacrificed more?
KI: [laughs] I would say that up until now, I’ve probably sacrificed more. But I believe I’ve made those sacrifices in order to earn something back. I want to save people…I want to save a lot of things, moving forward.

It’s been a while since our last Soul Sacrifice blog post, so with Gamescom taking place this week I thought I’d take a moment to share some new game details. In our debut post, we talked about the reality-blended experience and the concept of sacrificing in Soul Sacrifice on PS Vita. Now, I’m going to provide a deeper insight into the game.

In the world of Soul Sacrifice, monsters are what have become of humans who succumbed to darkness, using magic according to their desire. The mission of a sorcerer is to exterminate these monsters. Now, you may be wondering what sort of monsters you will come across and how they succumbed to this fate. Let’s take a look at the back story of one of these monsters — “Griffon.”

Griffon
He was a noble. His lands were vast, and he lived in opulence, supported by heavy taxes exacted from those who lived in his dominion. One day, he was presented with an offering from the people — a golden statue of a figure combining beast, bird, and man. His heart was swept away by the figure, and he felt an unnatural adoration for it. The power of the unnatural love was such that it drove him to kill his wife for hiding the statue from him. The years passed, and eventually the people rose up in rebellion, unable to further shoulder the burden of the noble’s oppressive taxes. They swarmed around the noble’s castle and found him in his treasure vault. By the time they found him, however, he was no longer human. His love of gold had allowed the golden statue, which he loved without limit, to take over his body, transforming him into the statue’s likeness.

Now that you’ve gotten a glimpse into the background of how Griffon was spawned, let’s see what magic you have at your disposal to battle against him and other monsters. Plants, stones, and other materials obtained in the game are given up as offerings. These offerings grant you magical powers — the more valuable the offering, the stronger the sorcery it unleashes.

Plant Sword

Plants such as “swordsman’s seedlings” and “swordmaster’s seedlings” can be given as an offering to harness this close combat magic. The seedlings grow sharp and hard, cutting enemies with their edges.

Raijin Statue Axe

“Thunderstone razors” and “Thunderstone blades” can be given as an offering to harness this close combat magic. The axe, shrouded in thunder, can strike tremendous blows.

Giant’s Bones

“Giant’s bones” can be given as an offering to harness close combat magic. Your fist becomes hardened and massive, striking down all before you.

Stone Wall Ruins

“Stone wall ruins” can be given as an offering to harness defensive magic. An enormous defensive wall appears, protecting you from your enemies’ attacks.

The game's backstory is discussed along with several features coming to the game.

Sacrificing a soul is a commonplace event in Soul Sacrifice for Vita.