Souls in Sync

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Not to be confused with Synchronized Souls.
Souls in Sync is a sidescrolling beat 'em up video game directed by and developed by Niobium Moon Studios for release on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo GameCube 2, Game Boy Hub, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, , Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Atari VCS, , Steam, Nymbus, and Z-Lunar ZCLIPSE.
The game is Nio's first fully original project in years, following his old Shadowcalypse series which has since been retired. It is intended to be a simple passion project, taking place in a hybrid synthwave/high fantasy inspired world with its characters being based off the tropes seen in 80s/90s arcade beat 'em ups and action RPGs.
==Story==
Maliah Silver, a 21-year-old street brawler with nothing to lose, has gotten into trouble with her hometown's powerful media corporation, Famvs. Its CEO, Jeffrey Knight, will stop at nothing to catch her and will not let her endanger his corporate empire any longer, and thus has employed the assistance of several gangs around the city to track her down.
However, Maliah soon ends up with a bigger situation than she bargained for when she meets the love of her life, Empress Tilka. Tilka is on the run from a cult that worships the evil goddess Paramora, who wants to steal her soul so she can use her power to destroy the world and recreate it in her own image.
As Maliah and Tilka's enemies converge upon them (and each other), they must team up to take down Famvs's criminal moguls and Paramora's servants, all while developing their newfound appreciation for each other. Can the new power couple in town save themselves and the world from corruption?
==Gameplay==
In terms of gameplay, Souls in Sync is primarily inspired by arcade beat-em-ups of the '80s and early '90s, including the likes of Double Dragon, Streets of Rage, and Final Fight. Players control Maliah and Tilka in sidescrolling levels as they take on enemies, using objects around them to their advantage.
Maliah and Tilka can perform basic punches and kicks, dodge enemy attacks, and jump to reach higher areas or use midair attacks. Punches and kicks can be chained into combos, and a perfectly timed dodge gives the character a Gleam effect, making her invincible for a few seconds.
At the top of the screen, Maliah and Tilka each have a red Health Gauge next to their icon and a pink Soul Gauge surrounding it. Taking damage from enemies and bosses will cause the Health Gauge to deplete; it can be refilled by picking up food and drink items scattered around the level. Picking up one of these items heals about 10% of your character's health. The Soul Gauge, meanwhile, is filled up by racking up attacks against enemies, with combos filling it up faster; once it is full, the player can initiate a powerful Soul Buster attack that deals massive amounts of damage; using it will then cause the gauge to empty.
When both Maliah and Tilka are in action, they can make use of multiple different mechanics. They can use a Bonding tactic (like a high five, hug, fist bump, etc.) to split their health equally among each other, or one of them can Psyche the other out with a dodge, causing them to Gleam. Maliah can also split the energy in their Soul Gauge with Tilka or vice versa, granting them more health, or they can both use the same amount of energy from their respective gauges to use a Sync Buster attack.
If a character runs out of health alone, a "Game Over" message will appear and the player will receive the option to retry the level or save and quit. In two-player mode, one of the girls can try to help the other up before they pass out; if they succeed, the fallen character's health will refill to 75%. Additionally, if Maliah or Tilka reaches critical condition, the player will be able to Rewind for about ten seconds - but only once until they clear the level or get a "Game Over."
==Characters==
Character 	Description
No Image YetMaliah Silver	Maliah Silver is an outcast, an absolute nobody in a city full of nobodies. She resents the influence Famvs has on the people of Oblivion City and their ways of life, and rebels against said influence by starting fights in the streets. But now, she's exchanged one too many blows and is now on the run from an entire alliance of criminal goons hired by Jeffrey Knight.
No Image YetEmpress Tilka	Empress Tilka is the benevolent ruler of the kingdom of Entoptica, and a woman Maliah never thought she needed in her life. She came to the city in an attempt to escape from Paramora and her dark cult, but after Maliah stumbles into her and encourages to fight back, she's ready to take back her rightful throne.
==Stages==
Stage 	Description
Stage 1:Oblivion City, 3 AM 	Maliah's hometown serves as the game's first stage, kicking things off with elements traditional to arcade beat-em-ups. Famvs goons will take you on and you can make use of trash cans, explosive oil barrels, and other objects laid out across the streets.
Stage 2:Galaxy Express at Sunrise 	Maliah and Tilka board the high-speed Galaxy Express en route to the kingdom of Entoptica - but Paramora's servants know they're coming. Our two heroines must make their way through the train's many cabs to reach the front and put a stop to whoever's hijacked their ride.
Stage 3:Entoptican Outskirts at High Noon 	Now that the girls have arrived in Entoptica, they encounter the nomads of the kingdom's farthest reaches... and these nomads are not happy with how Tilka has been running things. They are now under the command of Paramora, who's made false promises to guide them to a better world if they serve under her.
Stage 4:Badlands Hideout in a Sandstorm 	Maliah has spotted a Famvs hideout that's under construction in the mountains on Entoptica - but what are Jeffrey Knight and his thugs doing here? She and Tilka can only wonder as they make their way through this new fortress in the midst of a sandstorm that's blowing everything around outside.
Stage 5:Firebird Airship in Deep Thunder 	The girls board a Famvs airship that's been infiltrated by Paramora's cultists. As the two factions of villains go the rounds with each other, Maliah and Tilka attempt to catch up to Jeffrey Knight and find out what his end goal is.
Stage 6:Synthax Tower at Sunset 	Famvs is planning to siphon all of Entoptica's magic and claim it as their own copyrighted energy source! Tilka's not taking any chances, and neither is Maliah = so they've arrived at Jeffrey Knight's private tower to put a stop to his dangerous scheme.
Stage 7:Imperial Palace under the Blood Moon 	Jeffrey Knight has been defeated... but not Paramora. Now, she's made him her slave and is plotting to use his machine to destroy Maliah and Tilka once and for all and take over the world. The girls fight to take back Tilka's castle from her forces in hopes that they're not too late...
Stage X:Total Superhighway Incursion at Midnight	Paramora's plan is in its final phase, and it's up to the world's newest power couple to use their newfound heavenly powers to fight the evil goddess to the death!
==Soundtrack==
The soundtrack of Souls in Sync consists of a variety of synthwave songs. The stages in particular even get their names from some.
Song Title 	Description
Fury Weekend - "Oblivion City" 	The music that plays in Stage 1: Oblivion City, 3 AM.
Atrey - "Galaxy Express" 	The music that plays in Stage 2: Galaxy Express at Sunrise.
Starcadian - "Entoptica" 	The music that plays in Stage 3: Entoptican Outskirts at High Noon.
Arcade High - "Badlands" 	The music that plays in Stage 4: Badlands Hideout in a Sandstorm.
Power Glove - "Firebird" 	The music that plays in Stage 5: Firebird Airship in Deep Thunder.
NightStop - "Synthax Terror" 	The music that plays in Stage 6: Synthax Tower at Sunset.
Dance with the Dead - "Blood Moon" 	The music that plays in Stage 7: Imperial Palace under the Blood Moon.
Irving Force - "Total Superhighway Incursion"	The music that plays in Stage X: Total Superhighway Incursion at Midnight.
==Gallery==
MaliahTilkaArt.jpg|The first official art of the game's main protagonists, Maliah Silver and Empress Tilka.
ParamoraArt.png|The first art of one of the game's main villains, Paramora.
==Facts and Trivia==
*The synthwave aspects of the game are generally inspired by the works of musicians like Starcadian, Gunship, and Anna Yvette, as well as a few indie games Nio has played at least once in the past, most notably Mighty Switch Force, BLEED, and No Straight Roads. The latter game in particular has some comparisons that can be made to Souls in Sync, since both games have a corrupt media corporation influencing the city's citizens.
**Maliah Silver as a character pulls some influence from Mighty Switch Force's Patricia Wagon and BLEED's Wryn.
*The gameplay elements are directly inspired by Double Dragon Neon.
*Souls in Sync was initially stated to be Niobium Moon Studios' last video game release on most non-Nintendo platforms, due to the developers' shift towards giving their future games functionality with the "Nio-Tendo" ecosystem consisting of the GameCube 2, Game Boy Hub, and Nintendo Switch Plus. However, this distinction eventually went to The Loud House: Allied! as Niobium Moon's last game release for PlayStation consoles, and Chaos Collision as their last game release for an Xbox platform.
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