NIS America publish games that reside in the niche spectrum of the jrpg genre and Mugen Souls is no exception. The Ateiler and Disgaea series are for me some of the best NIS has to offer and Mugen is similar in some ways.

Merging solid RPG mechanics with overly sexualised anime girls has been a winning formula for quite some time now in Japan and nobody leans into it quite as overtly as developer and publisher Compile Heart.

If there's one certainty in gaming (aside from Call of Duty releases earning the GDP of small countries at launch), it is JRPGs – especially from NIS – will always present you with something different.

Can't be more awesome.

The game is another wacky JRPG which has more of a disgaea madness to it with level caps reaching 9999. The games a lot of fun to play but I can understand its not for everyone and most people wouldn't probably enjoy it

Combat itself is quite fun, and helps alleviate the boredom produced from the story. Four characters can be used at a time, with others in the reserves that can be called in to replace deceased units. It is your typical turn-based affair but with extra elements on the field.

The fact it's not afraid to be different; and pushing societal buttons with its cast; Deep character customization; You have your own Gundam

The convoluted; boring story that is little more than banter; The seemingly recycled environments from previous Compile Hearts games

Despite its issues, Mugen Souls is a fun game that would benefit greatly from a good in-game help system or external wiki.

Great music; entertaining gameplay

Frustrating menus and controls; overly complicated in a number of ways

Mugen Souls is the latest Japanese RPG offering from NIS America , and one that will look instantly familiar to those who have followed franchises such as Disgaea. Scratch beneath the art style, however, and players will uncover a few novel ideas, albeit ones that perhaps don't fully pay off.

Decent Story; Most of the mechanics are engaging; Some enjoyable humour; Likeable characters; Lots to do

Can look rough in places; Lots of loading; Moe Kill can get frustrating

When we last left Chou-chou, the undisputed god of the universe, she had completed her task of taking over the Seven Worlds and turning everything from enemies to random pieces of flotsam into her peons. Now things are getting a bit boring for the moody tike and it's time to go exploring again.

It's been a few years since I've come across the name Compile Heart while reviewing at GCM. More recently known for the Hyperdimension Neptunia series, Compile Heart appears to have taken a few cues from that series when crafting the wildly complex and bizarre series Mugen Souls.

Positives "Captivate" Mode Combat is somewhat deep Good voice acting

Negatives Overly drawn out dialogue Frame rate issues