Realm Souls III

Realm Souls III (レルムソウルズIII) is a 2009 action role-playing game developed and published by Burst Arts for the Nintendo Wii. The game is a sequel to Realm Souls II, and like the original game, combines characters and settings from various video games from Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Namco, Atlus, Konami, etc.

Realm Souls III is the third game in the Realm Souls series. It picks up one year after the events of Realm Souls II: Dimensional Silence. Rook and Sue, the protagonists of the previous games, return to search for their lost friends while battling the sinister League of Fifteen, a group of antagonists previously introduced in Dimensional Silence.

Gameplay

The gameplay of Realm Souls III is similar to the action RPG and hack and slash gameplay of the first Realm Souls game, but with some improvements. The player directly controls either Rook, Sue, or Len from an overhead camera angle, though basic third-person perspective is available via Select button. Most of the gameplay occurs on interconnected field maps where battles take place. The game is driven by a linear progression from one story event to the next, usually told via cutscenes, though there are numerous side-quests available that provide bonuses to characters.

Like many traditional role-playing video games, Realm Souls III features an experience point system (EXP) which determines character development. As enemies are defeated, the player and allies gain experience to "level up", in which the playable characters grow stronger and gain access to new skills.

Combat is in real-time and involves heavy hack and slash/shooter elements with button presses which initiate attacks by the on-screen character. A role-playing action tree located on the screen's bottom left provides other combat options such as using magic or items, summoning beings to assist in battle, or utilizing combination attacks with other party members. A new feature is the "Responder Action", special enemy-specific attacks that are triggered when the player presses the action button at the perfect time during battle. Responder Actions can be used to defeat regular enemies or avoid damage, and are sometimes mandatory for finishing bosses. In addition to the main character, three party members are usually present who also participate in combat, with an additional member exclusive to a world joining temporarily. These characters are computer-controlled, but the player can customize their behavior to a certain extent through the menu, such as attacking the same enemy the player targets.

Another new addition is a meter known as the "Soul Gauge." The Soul Gauge has dual functions: to transform Rook, Sue, or Len into a "Soul Form" or to summon a special video game character, like in the first game. While in a Soul Form, the player bonds with party members to become more powerful and acquire different attributes; all but two Forms also allow the use of two magic weapons. When a Soul is executed, the player's combat statistics are heightened. When allies are used in a Soul, they are temporarily withdrawn from battle for its duration. Compared to the HP and MP gauges, the Soul Gauge is not refilled at save points.

Plot

Rook and his friends were in suspended animation for the past year to regain their missing memories while Sue remained to watch over them at the risk of being silenced. Meanwhile, Kozor, Rook's Void, has been trapped in a virtual replication of Crescent City created by 0L so he could merge him with his original self to restore Rook's power. But 0L's plans do not go as planned when Zeki, who was Kozor's partner from the League of Fifteen, commands his army of Voids to repel him from the simulation. Luckily, Kozor was able to defeat them all and return to Rook's Anti-Soul body, returning him to his human self once more.

Upon reawakening, Rook sees Sue faithfully guarding him despite her memories of him not being fully realized. The two briefly kiss before initially chalking it up to high rising emotions. Rook, Sue and their team (Naoki, Mario, Luigi, Winona, Baron, and Mona respectively) awaken in the real Crescent City and meet Geno, the Star Spirits and a blacksmith named Faust, who send them on another journey; their goal is to find Len and uncover the League's plans. Afterward, Master Hand and Jenna Angel are resurrected by the former's twin Crazy Hand and joins with Bowser and Saya to continue his quest for power.

Characters

Kozor – the Void of Rook who was the fifteenth member of the League of Fifteen. He was created when Rook sacrificed himself to rescue Sue. Although Rook's being was soon restored, Kozor continued to endure and exist, oblivious to Rook's existence for most of his life. He has lived the rest of his life in a virtual simulation of Crescent City before Zeki and his Voids invaded. When the time came, he joined with Rook's Anti-Soul, reforming the human hero.

Rook's Side

• Rook
• Naoki
• Mario
• Luigi

Sue's Side

• Sue
• Winona
• Baron
• Mona

Len's Side

• Len
• Hyoma
• Mallow – A Nimbus who is the son of a royal family that hails from Nimbus Land. When he first encountered Len and Hyoma, he knew they were on a journey of self-redemption, so he decides to join their team. From his previous adventure with Mario, Mallow has developed a sense of bravery that could help Len and Hyoma, although he does show his fragility at times. While he may not be physically strong, he is an expert with magic.
• Aigis – A female android designed to terminate creatures known as Shadows. She was almost destroyed when creatures more threatening than Shadows started devouring her world, but she was later rebuilt by 0L to assist Len. As a robot designed to obey orders, she suffers from lacking anything that makes her human other than her appearance. However, her time with Len's team allowed her to bond perfectly with them.

Antagonists

• Master Hand
• Jenna Angel
• Crazy Hand – Master Hand's left-sided twin and the one responsible for his resurrection. True to his name, Crazy Hand is more sadistic and more sporadically, as opposed to Master Hand's sinister and poised position. He teams up with his twin to rebuild the Finale Club and get revenge on the heroes.
• Bowser – Part of the Finale Club led by Master Hand, who was resurrected by Crazy Hand. He was once banished to another world by Princess Peach for causing chaos in the Mushroom Kingdom. However, he is freed by Master Hand and vows to help her conquer the worlds. As such, he spends much of his time with Saya following the heroes throughout the worlds they visit, mainly to recruit local villains, old and new, to either join the Finale Club or turn them into Anti-Souls for his own purposes. The brutish king of the Koopas, he is well known for being angry, childish, and mischievous. He can be a threatening, yet humorous villain. One should not take him lightly though, he is indeed dangerous
• Saya – A member of Master Hand's Finale Club. She had a few encounters with Reiji and Xiaomu, who often foil her plans. But when her world collapsed under the influence of the Anti-Souls, she was offered another chance by joining the Finale Club. She now travels with Bowser across the worlds in search of more villains to recruit. Her true identity is an extremely old werefox, a mystical creature with the ability to disguise herself as a human. Compared to Bowser's loud and rambunctious behavior, she is more laid-back and humble and takes things at her own pace, ofter interacting with others in a contemptuously nonchalant way.
• Finale Club
  • M. Bison – The leader of Shadaloo returns. He revives Troy (from Multisoft's Psychiccer War series) and later rebuilds his base to finally defeat Ryu, even though the heroes interfere again.
  • Zant – A member of the Twili race who has stolen the position as ruler of the Twilight Realm from Midna. When he was discovered by Ganondorf, he tries to conquer the land of Hyrule. The heroes, Link, and Midna attempted to stop them and save Zelda, however.
  • Astaroth – Resurrected by Master Hand under the request of Firebrand. However, due to amnesia, he barely remembers his past after he was revived, but recalls his defeat by the heroes. Under his orders, he began using his magic to summon Sardius and bring despair upon the Demon Village, but his plan failed when the heroes and Arthur killed both of them.
  • Galcian – The military commander of the Valuan Armada. He once planned to rule all of Arcadia himself and raised the lost continent of Soltis. He also used the Rains of Destruction to destroy Valua. Luckily, the combined efforts of the heroes and the Blue Rogues stopped him, but he was then killed after his airship crashed into Belleza's.
  • Ripto – A despicable madman who enjoys power simply for the sake of it. He made an alliance with Bowser to further his reign as Rook and Sue attempts to find Spyro. Soon, Ripto succumbed to the Anti-Souls' influence before being defeated.
• League of Fifteen
  • Zisolu, #04 – a gang leader armed with two railguns and the power of gravity manipulation. He claims to be the survivor of a destructive war years ago. His nickname is the "Zero Gangster."
  • Zaneka, #11 – a fluent fighter who control the power of speed to utilize her martial arts at high speed. She was granted the nickname of "Ultraspeed Amazon" due to her reliance on both pacing and strength.
  • Dyjoz, #09 –  a laidback member who controls sound with her guitar music. Despite being nicknamed "Music of Siren," she tends to lack any combat skill and laze about in certain missions.
  • Sazcu, #05 – an enthusiastic Void who is known as the "Jazz of Stars." Usually eager to complete the missions given to him, he claims to be a successful member of the League unlike Dyjoz.
  • Acerez, #12 – a timid Void who can manipulate light to faze her enemies. She was given the nickname "Lethal Camera" as her light abilities are reminiscent to that of a camera.
  • Azison, #14 – a courteous princess Void who manipulates time and commands an army of chess pieces to act as her weapons. She is also known for her position as "Strategy Maiden," for setting out plans for her fellow members to follow.
  • Oze, #07 – Zorgan's second-in-command and Zeki's former friend from Luminous Parks. He draws power from the ancient moon to assume a berserk state and increase his magical abilities, granting him the rank "Werewolf of Magic."
  • Zorgan, #01 – the main antagonist of the game. He is the founder and "superior" of the League of Fifteen, whom he manipulates into constructing an artificial Realm Souls to turn the members into powerful beings with evil intent. However, after his followers have been dispatched, Zorgan finds his Realm Souls damaged as the result of Sir Cyrus' attempt to digitally contain the souls. When Rook and company refuses to aid him in its restoration, Zorgan uses what is left of Realm Souls’ power to take on a new form to fight the heroes. Though Zorgan is thought to be defeated, he separates Rook and Len from the others to attack them. However, the two defeat Zorgan and he disappears.

Misc.

• Damia
• Geno
• Camiel
• Fuyumi
• Faust – A middle aged man known in the past as the greatest blacksmith in the universe. He used to create Magic Weapons, but after a tragic war between several weapon wielders and a man without a soul, he went into hiding in Star Haven, refusing to make another Magic Weapon until he meets the heroes. Later, he came out of retirement to fight against the League of 15. A wise and stoic man who carries the slightest bit of humor, he is able to improve not only Magic Weapons, but also Mario's, Luigi's, and Mona's weapons with the required materials.
• 0L – It is later revealed that he is Cyrus, who studied souls and delved into the many secrets of the worlds, and also believed that a hint of despair can spread into and control everyone's souls. He was overthrown by those who will become members of the League of Fifteen and banished into the Anti-Valley.

Worlds

Crescent City:

• Kozor (original) (Protagonist)
• Damia (original)
• Harry (original)
• Jacob (original)
• Sugar (original)
• Greg (original)
• Jeff (original)
• Mino (original)
• Emi (original)
• Ken Amada (Persona 3)
• Zeki (Realm Souls II: Dimensional Silence) (Boss)

Star Haven:

• Faust (original)
• Eldstar (Paper Mario)
• Mamar (Paper Mario)
• Skolar (Paper Mario)
• Muskular (Paper Mario)
• Misstar (Paper Mario)
• Klevar (Paper Mario)
• Kalmar (Paper Mario)

Fortune Isles:

• Rook (Realm Souls) (Protagonist)
• Len (Realm Souls) (Protagonist)
• Sue (Realm Souls) (Protagonist)
• Naoki (Realm Souls) (Protagonist)
• Hyoma (Realm Souls) (Protagonist)

Spectral Citadel/Luminous Parks:

• Luka Kohler (Dimension Phasers)
• Satsuki Kishimoto (Grand Star Crashers)
• Chie Phillips (Revenger Strike)
• Max Watts (Revenger Strike)
• Emmet Rodd (Revenger Strike: Elite Coliseum)
• Haruka Mikami (Revenger Strike)
• Reiji Arisu (Namco x Capcom)
• Xiaomu (Namco x Capcom)
• Vile (Revenger Strike: Elite Coliseum)
• Wilma Hinderberg (Battle World)
• Bianca Fillips (Battle World)
• Chang Li Seong (Battle World)
• Kraden (Golden Sun)
• Professor E. Gadd (Luigi's Mansion)
• Master Hand (Super Smash Bros.) (Boss)
• Crazy Hand (Super Smash Bros. Melee) (Boss)
• Jenna Angel/Harihara (Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga) (Boss)

Dreamland:

• Kirby (Kirby's Dream Land) (Companion (Rook/Sue))
• Rick (Kirby's Dream Land 2)
• Coo (Kirby's Dream Land 2)
• Kine (Kirby's Dream Land 2)
• Meta Knight (Kirby's Adventure) (Rival/Companion (Len))
• King Dedede (Kirby's Dream Land) (Boss (Sue))
• Dark Matter (Kirby's Dream Land 2) (Boss (All))

World of Weaponry:

• Kilik (Soul Calibur) (Companion (Rook))
• Chai Xianghua (Soul Calibur) (Companion (Sue))
• Maxi (Soul Calibur)
• Heishiro Mitsurugi (Soul Edge)
• Taki (Soul Edge)
• Sophitia Alexandra (Soul Edge)
• Cassandra Alexandra (Soul Calibur II)
• Raphael Sorel (Soul Calibur II)
• Talim (Soul Calibur II)
• Hong Yun-seong (Soul Calibur II)
• Ivy Valentine (Soul Calibur)
• Cervantes de Leon (Soul Edge) (Boss (Len))
• Astaroth (Soul Calibur) (Boss (Rook))
• Nightmare/Siegfried Schtauffen (Soul Calibur) (Boss (All))

Shadaloo Base:

• Ryu (Street Fighter)
• Ken Masters (Street Fighter)
• Chun-Li (Street Fighter II)
• Guile (Street Fighter II)
• Cammy White (Super Street Fighter II)
• Gekkou (XY Forces) (Companion (Len))
• Vega (Street Fighter II) (Boss (Sue))
• Balrog (Street Fighter II) (Boss (Len))
• Sagat (Street Fighter) (Boss (Rook))
• M. Bison (Street Fighter II) (Boss (All))
• Akuma (Super Street Fighter II Turbo) (Secret Boss)

Animal Town:

• Rover (Animal Crossing)
• Kapp’n (Animal Crossing)
• Pelly (Animal Crossing)
• Tortimer (Animal Crossing)
• Copper (Animal Crossing)
• Booker (Animal Crossing)
• Tom Nook (Animal Crossing)
• Mable (Animal Crossing)
• Sable (Animal Crossing)
• Blathers (Animal Crossing)
• K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)
• Resetti (Animal Crossing)

Mushroom Kingdom:

• Mario (Super Mario Bros.) (Protagonist)
• Luigi (Super Mario Bros.) (Protagonist)
• Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros.)
• Princess Daisy (Super Mario Bros.)
• Toadsworth (Super Mario Bros.)
• Yoshi (Super Mario Bros.)
• Mona (WarioWare, Inc.) (Protagonist)

Merricade Land:

• Pac-Man (Pac-Man)
• Vic Viper (Gradius)
• Strider Hiryu (Strider)
• Tetrominoes (Tetris)
• Blinky (Pac-Man) (Boss)
• Inky (Pac-Man) (Boss)
• Pinky (Pac-Man) (Boss)
• Clyde (Pac-Man) (Boss)
• GOFER (Gradius) (Boss)
• Grandmaster Meio (Strider) (Boss)

Arcadia:

• Vyse (Skies of Arcadia) (Companion)
• Aika (Skies of Arcadia)
• Fina (Skies of Arcadia)
• Belleza (Skies of Arcadia)
• Galcian (Skies of Arcadia) (Boss)

Hyrule:

• Link (The Legend of Zelda) (Companion (Rook))
• Midna (The Legend of Zelda) (Companion (Len))
• Princess Zelda (The Legend of Zelda) (Companion (Sue))
• Ganondorf (The Legend of Zelda) (Boss (Len/Sue))
• Zant (The Legend of Zelda) (Boss (All))

Demon Village:

• Sir Arthur (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Companion)
• Princess Prin-Prin (Ghosts 'n Goblins)
• Firebrand (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Boss (Len))
• Astaroth (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Boss (Rook))
• Sardius (Super Ghouls 'n Ghosts) (Boss (Rook/Sue))

Dragon Realms:

• Spyro (Spyro the Dragon) (Companion (Rook/Sue))
• Sparx (Spyro the Dragon)
• Elora (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage)
• Hunter (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage)
• Professor (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage)
• Zoe (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage)
• Moneybags (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage)
• Ripto (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage) (Boss)
• Crush and Gulp (Spyro 2: Ripto's Rage) (Bosses)

Big Shell:

• Raiden (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty) (Companion (Rook))
• Broquos Pliskin/Solid Snake (Metal Gear Solid)
• Dr. Hal “Otacon” Emmerich (Metal Gear Solid)
• Vamp (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty) (Boss (Rook/Sue))
• Olga Gurlukovich (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty)
• Solidus Snake (Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty) (Boss (Len))

Obsolete World:

• Zorgan (Main Antagonist)
• Dyjoz (Boss)
• Zisolu (Boss)
• Acerez (Boss)
• Oze (Boss)
• Azison (Boss)
• Sazcu (Boss)
• Zihadi (Boss)
• Kozor (Boss)

Weaponry Cemetery:

• The Animate Resolve (Secret Boss)

Summons

Rook

• Bomberman
• Crash Bandicoot
• Nights (NiGHTS into Dreams...)

Sue

• Lip (Panel de Pon)
• L’arc Coilina (Superstar Variable Venus)
• Amitie (Puyo Puyo Fever)

Len

• Midna (The Legend of Zelda)
• Cerberus (Shin Megami Tensei)
• Black Phoenix (Super Bomb Strike)