Soul Nomad & the World Eaters is a strategy role-playing game (SRPG), developed and published by Nippon Ichi Software. The game was initially released for PlayStation 2 on February 15, 2007 in Japan, September 25 in North America, and June 26 and 27, 2008 in Australia and Europe, respectively. It was later ported to Steam and Nintendo Switch as part of the Prinny Presents NIS Classics Volume 1 compilation and released worldwide in August of 2021.
The game centres around the adventures of Revya, the gender-selectable silent protagonist, to defeat several sentient magical weapons, called the World Eaters, that were once commanded centuries earlier by Gig, the godlike "Master of Death". Gig, now sealed forcibly within Revya, is begrudgingly forced to lend them his power, although he attempts to tempt Revya down the path of evil. Critics positively received the game's story for its originality, but it was criticized for its lack of gameplay depth compared to other Nippon Ichi titles.
Gameplay A key element of the game is customization, as, like the majority of Nippon Ichi Software's games, the game is a strategy role-playing game, giving the player many options to choose from when progressing through the story. When the game begins, the player chooses the gender and name of the main character, a change from other Nippon Ichi games.
At the beginning of the game, the main character can become powerful enough to destroy even the final boss. However, relying on Gig too much would be the equivalent of letting the world be destroyed. Instead, the player is expected to build and train an army of units capable of handling whatever comes his or her way, relying on Gig's powers as little as possible.
The player is given the ability to create and command squads, which, over time, will become an army capable of destroying the world he or she is trying to save. Up to 25 different character types can be created, each filling a unique position in the squad with its own strengths and weaknesses. Characters' individual abilities vary, such as increasing the range of an effect or giving each unit a bonus to its inflicted damage.
Tedious tasks like repeatedly visiting the same area in order to level new characters, a staple of older Nippon Ichi titles, are no longer necessary, as new units may be purchased up to the level of the main character. Unlike older Nippon Ichi titles, the player is not allowed to return to older levels. Squads can also be merged in order to increase their power.
The game includes more options for interacting with non-playable characters (NPCs) than previous Nippon Ichi games. It is possible to steal items from shops or NPCs instead of buying them, and the player can attack towns and fight against the NPCs inhabiting them. Alternatively, the player can recruit NPCs into her or his army.
Story History of Prodesto In the backstory of the game, at the end of a long war-shattered age, Lord Median the Conqueror united the countries in the Continent of Prodesto under his rule. He became renowned throughout the world for his heroism, but, within ten years, the empire he had created collapsed with the death of his son, followed by his own death. With no apparent leader, the continent collapsed once more into civil war. Fifteen years later, Lord Median's daughter had proven herself as a true leader and convinced the remaining countries to form peace treaties, establishing peace once more.
This peace collapsed 50 years later, when the "Master of Death" Gig arrived with three giant beings known as World Eaters under his command. Over several days, they quickly devastated the land and entire nations, and it was not long before nations began abandoning their alliances and allying with the World Eaters in an attempt to save themselves.
When things looked their darkest, Layna gathered what remained of her forces and made a direct assault against Gig, a battle which apparently killed both of them. With their leader gone, the World Eaters fell silent after having apparently gone to sleep, remaining as monuments of the destruction that occurred.
Starting your Journey The game starts in the year 800 in the Tamaito calendar, 200 years after the technique user Layna defeated the shadow and "The World Eaters" went silent. The body of one of the World Eaters remains in the peaceful country of Raide, serving as a symbol of fear to those who pass by it.
Within Raide, there exists the "Hidden Village", a small secluded village that refuses to acknowledge the existence of those from the outside world. The protagonist lives in the village along with their childhood friend Danette and other members of the Sepp race, helping to protect the village alongside Layna, whose age now exceeds 200.
One day, Layna summons the protagonist and Danette and gives them weapons to help guard the village. Danette, who has always dreamed of protecting the village, is overjoyed and is given twin daggers, while the protagonist is given a long black sword.
However, when the protagonist takes hold of the black sword, it begins to insult and swear at Layna, which the protagonist and Danette are confused by. It is revealed that, 200 years ago, Layna destroyed the shadow and sealed its soul into the black sword, with it now going by the name of Gig. To utilize the power of Gig, Layna chose to give the sword to the protagonist.
The protagonist is infused with the soul of Gig, gaining control of his power, and is now able to fight against the World Eaters, who have reawakened. With Gig residing in the hero's body, they and Danette depart for Raide to defeat the World Eaters.
The Demon Path Soul Nomad is well known for its dark alternate mode, the demon path, which is accessed by choosing the "evil" dialogue options at the start of the game. In this route, Revya decides to use Gig's great power to essentially destroy the world, striking down both Layna and Danette at the game's outset. With Gig's eager assistance, the player controls Revya in his/her bloody rampage across the continent, as they become the tyrannical "Devourlord" and commit atrocities against the people of Raide. Like the normal mode, the demon path has numerous different dialogue options and endings, as well as unique characters Revya can dominate (mostly villains) that are unplayable in the normal game.
Characters Main characters
The player character, who is the only one who can wield the Onyx Blade and successfully fuse with Gig to make use of his powers. He/she has a voice during battle, but not during cutscenes, though the player can choose certain responses during the game to advance the story. Depending on the relationship choices, the main character is seen with the character he/she has had the strongest relationship with at the end of the Hero storyline. In the Demon Story, if the hero wins the final battle, he/she kills everyone on the planet and reverts to a power-hungry mindless creature that goes on to destroy the world of Drazil. The default name for the main character is "Revya".
The hero is available as a download for Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice. The character is female and known by the default name "Revya". She is a humanoid unit whose only weapon forte is the sword.
She was also a nominee as downloadable content for Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, but did not receive enough votes.
The Master of Death, who came to Prodesto 200 years ago with the three World Eaters before being sealed into a sword by Layna and eventually fused into the main character. The fusion allows the main character to use some of Gig's power and ask Gig for more power, though he can lose his body to Gig if he does. He is known for being rather rude and prone to lying. In the Hero ending, he is reborn in his own body and leaves to find the hero and Danette. In the Demon ending, if the final battle is won, Gig loses control over the hero and is devoured, completing the fusion in the opposite way he desired. If the battle is lost, however, the brainwashing effect on him is destroyed and he remembers his life as Master of Death Vigilance.
Before the game's events, Vigilance, as Master of Death, was tasked with guiding the souls of the dead to the afterlife. When he came for Revya's soul, he fought with Lord Median and was killed. His soul then went to Drazil, where he was transformed into Gig.
Along with Revya, Gig is available as a download for Disgaea 3: Absence of Justice. In Disgaea 3, he is a monster-type with the ability to Magichange (transform) into the Onyx Blade.
Additionally, he was also released as downloadable content for Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days in both the United States and Japan. However, due to a glitch in the PSN Store, Gig is currently only available for purchase in the Japanese version. He is a monster-type with the ability to transform into the Onyx Blade.
Gig also appears as a DLC character in Disgaea 4: A Promise Unforgotten, having the same stats as his last two appearances in the Disgaea series.
The protagonist's childhood friend and a member of Sepp, a race of bovine-like people. She tends to one-up the main character, despite having a poor memory. Her village was destroyed by a cult that worships the World Eater Thuris as a god. Her parents were killed by the cult and became Crimson Tears; one of the Tears was used to strengthen the seal on the sword containing Gig when the main character obtains the sword, and the other was used to seal Danette's memory. Throughout the game, she threatens to snap various people's necks, though she never actually does. She was tasked with following the main character and ensuring that Gig never took control, using her other parent's Crimson Tear to further strengthen the seal if he ever did. In the Demon Path storyline, Danette joins the resistance against Gig wearing a suit of armour and going by the name the Silent Knight, as she cannot bear to speak with him after his transformation. When things seem futile, she sacrifices herself to become a crimson tear and summon Layna from Drazil so they may have a better chance of defeating the main character and Gig. If the player loses the final battle, the "Good" ending of the Demon Path has Dio of the Evil Eye use Danette's Crimson Tear to seal the main character into the sword Gig lived in until he can be redeemed.
Though she is not playable in Disgaea 3, she appears whenever Revya uses Holy Justice, their special combo attack in Soul Nomad.
A city guard of Astec and the third World Eater. Despite being a strong fighter, he is often overprotective of his older sister, Euphoria. When Levin was eight years old, he and his sister were acquired from the slave trading organization Yesterwind and were used as experiments, which caused Euphoria's illness. He dies when the main character kills the third World Eater; however, if his relationship is high enough, he can still be used upon arriving in Drazil. It is never explained how he and Euphoria are brought back to life at the end of the game. In the demon path storyline, Levin is the first person to fight and survive against the main character's evil version and not die or be seriously injured, causing people to flock to him when the resistance is formed.
A silent man who works with Levin. Aside from being a cleric, he is also an efficient spy. If not for the current state of the world, he would have preferred to pursue a career as a chef.
Commander of the Nereid land forces. She distrusts humans, but loves children, as she cares for a young human boy who she spoils rotten. She is honest and straightforward with people, and places high value on pride and friendship.