Soukaigi is an action role-playing game developed by Yuke's and published by Square for the PlayStation in 1998. It was later re-released digitally for the PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. No version of the game was localized. Set in modern-day Japan, Soukaigi follows a group of five people chosen by the gods to save Japan from a supernatural catastrophe. Gameplay has each character navigating levels, fighting monsters and completing required tasks to advance the story. The game was developed as part of Square's initiative of forming small teams of young developers to create experimental titles for the PlayStation. Director and writer Nobuhiko Amakawa wanted to create a modern Japanese fantasy. Yuke's was allowed total creative freedom by Square, who financed the project with a generous budget which allowed for live music composed by Hiroki Kikuta and full voice acting. Character designs were created by Natsuki Sumeragi. The game met with low sales and mixed reviews in both Japan and the West. Premise and gameplay Soukaigi is an action role-playing game set in a fantastical version of Japan in 1998. The game is divided between gameplay segments and cutscenes used to communicate the narrative. In December 1998, explosions across Japan centered around Mount Fuji kill a significant portion of Japan's population. The explosion sites house magical pillars known as the "Gallan", and ghostly demigods known as "Yorigami" have claimed the now-ruined country. The gods choose five people, each attuned to the elements tied to the Gallan, to save Japan from their influence. Players take on the role of five different characters as they fight against powerful monsters controlling regions of the land; the main objective in each level is to destroy crystals of concentrated Suiki (negative energy) and gather Ouki (positive energy), the latter acting as experience points to raise a character's statistics (stats). Players control each character in third-person, starting with a pre-determined character and later expanding the available roster. The camera locked behind the player, but can be rotated with the character to explore the environment. Each character has a different innate ability in addition to basic attacks, a jump, a mid-air dash and items which can briefly increase attack power or perform special magical attacks. Enemies in levels are monsters, which manifesting around crystallised Suiki and attack the player after appearing. Stages range from countryside locations to towns, which allows for platforming areas where players jump