Tamashī SPG: The Soul Playing Game is a spin-off of the umbrella game Tamashī, developed by Existence Software. Whereas the original title was an online battle arena title inspired by hero shooters, Tamashī SPG is instead a turn-based role-playing party game heavily inspired by the likes of the Dokapon and Mario Party series that also draws elements from creature collecting franchises such as Pokémon or Yo-kai Watch. Like the original Tamashī, Tamashī SPG is an umbrella game that brings together elements from a large variety of different sources known to the game's creator OrchidSomnium.
Unlike it's precursor, Tamashī SPG features an overall plot (albeit one with a very small scope) that ties into the Bola Parasola multiverse.
Gameplay[]
Tamashī SPG consists of two primary modes of gameplay: the "Exploration Phase" and "Battle Phase". The Exploration Phase is the period of time where the player character can move around the game's map, while the Battle Phase begins should the player enter a situation in which they would engage in battle. Up to four players can participate in the game at once; fewer than four players may also participate in the game, and AI characters will be used to fill in the remaining slots.
The main aim of the game is to earn Tamashī Shards and collect Summon Tokens. Tamashī Shards act as currency and can be used to buy items, Summon Tokens, and Goon Upgrades. Summon Tokens are the main equipment that the player must collect through the game as they can be used to summon allies to fight in battle; they can be upgraded with Goon Upgrades to increase their stats or the power of their abilities. The characters that are summoned with Summon Tokens - Goons - have only a single life and their token will disappear should they be defeated in battle, though there are Goon Upgrades that can be equipped that can grant Goons multiple lives. The player can only carry six Summon Tokens at one time, with excess ones being automatically sent to storage that can be accessed at the Bases owned by the player or by landing on a Bank Space.
The Exploration Phase features a party-based gameplay system. At the beginning of each turn the player must spin a spinner numbered 1-6 to determine how many Spaces they may move during their turn. The player must then move as many spaces as the number the spinner stops on. The number of spinners that the player can spin during one turn and the numbers present on them can be altered with different items and status effects.
The game's map consists of a large variety of different spaces that each cause different actions to occur, with shops, bases, and sub-locations being among these different types of spaces.
- Empty Spaces are blank yellow spaces that make up a majority of the spaces in the world. The Empty Spaces act as general spaces, being the place where random events may occur and, more commonly, where battles against generic enemies are fought. If two players land on the same Empty Space they will be forced into a fight unless they are Allied.
- Base Spaces are red spaces with a yellow dot in the centre of it. Bases are where the player may regain health by paying to sleep there. Most Bases are captured by monsters and must be freed by the players, with the player that defeated the enemies guarding it becoming the "owner" of the Base. Bases that are freed from monsters generate Tamashī Shards for the player that owns it and can be used to store excess Summon Tokens. Through a variety of different means, players may steal Bases from other players.
- Shop Spaces
- Item Spaces
- Money Spaces
- Bank Spaces
- Movement Spaces
Story[]
Tamashī SPG takes place within a digital world known as Seikatsu.exe, where the artificial intelligence units based upon characters from across the multiverse are tasked with collecting Tamashī Shards in order to keep their world stable.
Units[]
There are two types of Units the player can take control of in Tamashī SPG: Commanders and Goons. Commanders serve as the "main" playable character, which the player takes control of on the overworld and acts as the in-canon issuing orders to the Goons. Goons are all other characters who fight for the Commander in battle, and can only be called upon by collecting their unique Summon Tokens.
Commanders[]
All Commanders have passive abilities that can activate on the overworld in addition to possessing two types of Support Techniques. These Support Techniques, which take time to recharge upon use, typically do not allow the Commanders to attack enemies directly but instead empower the Goons they have by their side. Some Commanders must be unlocked before they can be chosen at the beginning of a game by performing special side-quests during the story.
There are a total of 100 Commanders in the game. Of these, 20 Commanders must be unlocked by completing hidden side-quests.
Default Commanders[]
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Goons[]
Goons can only be added to the player's party once their unique Summon Token has been collected. While some stores carry a limited number of Summon Tokens for specific characters, these items are generally collected by landing on Item Spaces or by freeing Bases. Some Summon Tokens can only be obtained by completing special objectives within the story, while others must be "unlocked" by completing side-quests, at which point they will appear alongside normal Summon Tokens in later playthroughs.
All Goons possess four abilities: two unique skills, a basic Attack, and Defend. The characters' unique skills cost either MP or HP to be used, while the other two commands do not and thus can be used regardless of the character's status. Once a Goon runs out of HP they will be defeated and can not be revived, their Summon Token being removed from the player's stash. Regardless of how the player first obtained that Summon Token, it will return to the random selection that can be acquired by landing on Item Spaces. Exceptions to this are Goons that have been upgraded by the player; which will also disappear, but the player can reacquire them, at a weaker level, by paying a hefty fee at a Spring.
A single player can carry six Goons on their person at once, with only three entering a battle at a time. Any additional Summon Tokens acquired can be switched out at Bases or Bank Spaces, though both charge a fee to do so unless the player owns the Base. In all, a player can hold up to 49 Summon Tokens in their storage, making for a total of 55 Goons that can be kept at a time.
There are a total of 500 Goons that can be acquired. All Goons can be levelled up three times, and Goons can be enhanced into a stronger version upon reaching rank three. Goons do not, however, gain EXP normally as Commanders do; while their strength is proportionate to that of the Commander's level, the Goons can only be levelled up through Goon Upgrades. Thus, the player must only acquire three Goon Upgrades in order to be enhanced into their stronger form.