SoulSet

About

"SoulSet" is a single-player mystery visual novel game where you play as Mariko, trapped in a eerie mansion with no memory of the past. Experience an intriguing story filled with romance, comedy, fantasy, mystery and suspense. With 7 pursuable characters, over 20 endings, and 100k+ words, uncover the truth of the game's events through multiple storylines and routes in this fantasy setting.

Genres & Tags

Play Modes

Single-Player Play through the game's story or campaign solo

92%

Audience ScoreBased on 230 reviews

story100 positive mentions

grinding3 negative mentions

The game features a compelling mystery with numerous plot twists that keep players engaged throughout multiple playthroughs.
Character designs and sprite art are praised for their quality, and the diverse cast offers interesting dynamics and relationships.
The game successfully blends romance and mystery, allowing players to explore various routes and endings, enhancing replayability.

Some routes feel rushed or forced, particularly in the romance aspect, leading to a lack of emotional depth in certain character relationships.
The art style inconsistencies between character sprites and CGs can be jarring and detract from the overall immersion.
The game lacks autosave and flowchart features, making it cumbersome to navigate through the numerous endings and choices.

story
254 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
39%
58%
2%
The story of the game is a complex and engaging mystery that intertwines various character arcs, requiring players to explore multiple routes to fully understand the plot. While many players praised the intriguing twists and well-developed characters, some felt the payoff was lacking or that the narrative could be choppy at times. Overall, the game is recommended for its captivating storytelling and replayability, appealing to both mystery and romance enthusiasts.
- “Great story, I really enjoyed this game, top 15 visual novels/otome games I've played hands down.”
- “The story is interesting, unique, and engaging to the very end.”
- “This story gets more interesting the more you play; there was a point I couldn't stop reading, lost a night's sleep trying to piece everything together.”
- “The story was something I found fairly choppy, and even after I knew what was going on, I still didn't really understand what was happening or how all the pieces fit together.”
- “The plot is okay, just okay; it's not terribly interesting, and really the only thing that kept me playing was wanting to see the hidden endings.”
- “And this is exactly where some of the major problems of the story and writing come up.”
music
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
57%
10%
The music in the game receives mixed reviews, with some players finding it atmospheric and fitting the story's mood, while others describe it as generic and occasionally distracting. Many feel that the soundtrack does not always align with the scenes, suggesting that subtle sound effects or character voicing might have enhanced immersion. Overall, while the music is deemed "mostly fine," it is often considered underwhelming compared to the game's strong visuals and narrative.
- “The music generally fits the mood of the story.”
- “For the record: it took me slightly under 18 hours to get a perfect game, with all achievements (I may have left the game on in the background because the music was soothing).”
- “It has lovable characters, a great story, beautiful art, atmospheric music, and entertaining banter with excellent replayability.”
- “This comes across as rather clumsy, especially when combined with the music which sounds very generic and not suitable for the atmosphere.”
- “The game would have been more immersive if instead of using an open source soundtrack, they had just used subtle sound effects or character voicing.”
- “The story lends itself to a more eerie and dark style, so having constant background music gets a little distracting.”
graphics
28 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
29%
61%
11%
The graphics of the visual novel are generally praised for their beautiful artwork and engaging character designs, though some players noted a significant disconnect between the main sprite art and the CG cutscenes, which were created by a different artist. This clash in styles led to mixed feelings, with many preferring the sprite artwork over the limited and stylistically different CGs. Overall, while the visuals are appealing, the inconsistency in art styles detracted from the experience for some players.
- “Beautiful artwork, fun story, lots of mystery.”
- “Nice graphics, the music is okay and the important thing of all - I didn't lose interest to read the whole story through until you could make another choice instead of just clicking the text away.”
- “Though I'm really not into the anime aesthetics and codes this visual novel is built on, past my initial reservations I can only admit I had an honestly good time reading every possible branch and discovering all the hidden truths of this mystery.”
- “My only complaint is that the CG artwork was limited and in a different style than the sprites... I liked the sprite artwork better than the unlockable stuff.”
- “But the CG artwork is done by someone else, and the characters look so drastically different, one could almost believe the artist for CG was drawing on the basis of someone trying to describe the characters over the phone.”
- “My only issue with this game is the disconnect between character styles in their main sprites and the art style in the CGs.”
character development
18 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
33%
50%
17%
Character development in the game is a mixed bag, with some characters exhibiting depth and complexity while others, like Yvonne, feel flat and out of place, detracting from the overall narrative. The art styles for character designs and CGs clash, leading to a distracting visual experience, although the pacing and plot twists are generally well-received. Overall, while there are interesting characters and a solid premise, inconsistencies in character development and art quality overshadow the positives.
- “The pacing is great, the character development is well done, the twists are super twisty, and the game keeps your attention and doesn't get boring.”
- “Except for one: [spoiler] Yvonne [/spoiler], who feels extremely out of place, and feels not only flat, but also has a disproportionate influence on the plot compared to the character development (or character uncovering) that she gets.”
- “Some interesting characters, but complexity and character development varies depending on the character.”
- “The character designs and the backgrounds fit with each other perfectly, but when you get to the CGs, you can tell immediately that they were done by a different person and it's completely distracting.”
humor
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is characterized by a blend of absurdity, dark wit, and heartwarming moments, with character interactions providing both comedic and touching elements. Players appreciate the balance of funny and intense scenes, though some moments can be shocking. Overall, the humor enhances the narrative, contributing to a rich experience filled with laughter and emotional depth.
- “Pacing is good, and you get a good balance of funny, intense, and eyebrow-raising moments.”
- “One thing I especially love is the interactions between characters, which range from serious and touching to absurd and hilarious.”
- “The story is loaded with dark humor and innuendo, that for the most part is not overly graphic.”
emotional
16 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is characterized by a mix of deep engagement and complexity, with players feeling a strong connection to the characters and their stories. While some found the narrative's resolution lacking in emotional climax compared to other titles, the interactions between characters were praised for their range, from touching to humorous. Overall, the game evokes a spectrum of feelings, from heartwarming moments to darker themes, leaving players both invested and reflective.
- “At times, it also was an extremely painful read, because I felt very emotionally involved in everything that was going on, especially in Mariko's story, and things got pretty dark really fast.”
- “There were a lot of wonderfully heartwarming moments, and quite a few hilarious ones (oh goodness, '101 ways on how to appear creepy!'), however, it was more heart-rending than anything else.”
- “'Soulset' is a story that made me think, that made me feel and sympathize.”
gameplay
10 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
40%
30%
30%
The gameplay is characterized by a complex web of choices that can be frustrating, requiring players to navigate through numerous routes and endings, including many non-canon outcomes. While the mechanics are praised for their innovative use in visual novels, the necessity of extensive skipping and replaying to grasp the full story may deter some players, particularly those accustomed to point-and-click gameplay. Overall, the engaging characters and intricate design are highlighted, but the gameplay experience can be challenging.
- “I've never seen such good use of the mechanics of a visual novel before.”
- “You absolutely must play through all of the routes to completely understand the story; this will make more sense as you play and is a beautiful game design mechanic.”
- “Gameplay was sometimes a bit frustrating at times, trying to navigate the labyrinth of choices to see which specific combination was required for certain endings.”
- “Gameplay was sometimes a bit frustrating, trying to navigate the labyrinth of choices to see which specific combination was required for certain endings.”
- “An engaging, cohesive cast of characters is somewhat hampered by gameplay that requires a large amount of skipping and many bad/non-canon endings to see the final conclusion.”
- “There is no point-and-click gameplay akin to other adventure games, which makes it a hard suggestion for adventure fans.”
atmosphere
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
25%
25%
The atmosphere in the game is described as a mix of charming elements, including lovable characters and beautiful art, but it suffers from generic music that detracts from the overall experience. While the tone strikes a balance between serious and lighthearted, it lacks standout qualities that would elevate it beyond the ordinary. Overall, the atmosphere is enjoyable but not particularly remarkable.
- “It has lovable characters, a great story, beautiful art, atmospheric music, and entertaining banter with excellent replayability.”
- “Just the right amount of atmosphere and tone but nothing that stands out as extraordinary.”
- “Just the right amount of atmosphere and tone, but nothing that stands out as extraordinary.”
- “Soulset tells a serious story but keeps the atmosphere comfortably light with colorful commentary from the cast of characters.”
replayability
8 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
75%
25%
The game offers excellent replayability, with a branching narrative that allows players to explore different routes and uncover the mystery gradually. Players can enjoy varied dialogue and scene variations even after reaching a character's true route, enhancing the overall experience without sacrificing access to good endings. The combination of lovable characters, a compelling story, and engaging art and music further contributes to its replay value.
- “It has lovable characters, a great story, beautiful art, atmospheric music, and entertaining banter with excellent replayability.”
- “Interactive, branching, replayable nature of a visual novel made this story possible.”
- “Once you actually manage to get on a character's neutral/true route, there are still a number of choices that lead to small dialogue and scene variations without locking you out of a good end (for the most part), which is good for replayability.”
grinding
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
150%
Players find the grinding aspect of the game tedious and unengaging, leading some to abandon it altogether rather than replaying it for completion. This sentiment suggests that the grinding mechanics detract from the overall enjoyment and clarity of the gaming experience.
- “It would be too tedious to replay this game, so I just stopped and I guess I finished the game, but I really am not even sure!”
- “The grinding feels endless and takes away from the enjoyment of the game.”
- “I found myself doing the same tasks over and over, which made the experience feel more like a chore than fun.”