Realm Souls

Realm Souls (レルムソウルズ) is a 2006 action role-playing video game developed and published by Burst Arts for the Nintendo GameCube. It is the first game in the series, as well as the result of Burst Arts' collaboration with Nintendo, Sega, Capcom, Namco, Atlus, etc. Basing itself off of Burst Arts' scrapped Soul Gate project, it combines the settings and characters from the games of the aforementioned companies. It follows Rook, Naoki, Hyoma, Len, and Sue, five children who were separated from their home world and now fight against evil forces alongside video game characters.

## Gameplay

As an action role-playing game, the player controls a party of four characters. The player can choose which character to control anytime, while the other three are computer-controlled. Normally a fifth party member, exclusive to a specific world, can join the player in combat.

As in every RPG game, characters gain experience points (EXP) by defeating enemies or unlocking crates. Doing this can help the character grow stronger and upgrade their abilities. Items found during gameplay can also be equipped to further enhance a character's abilities. Characters can combine attacks to create a combo, in which two or more players use their mutant powers on a single enemy at the same time. This is known as a "Realm Combo."

Most of the gameplay occurs on linked field areas where battles take place. Combat in Realm Souls occurs in real time and involves pressing certain buttons to initiate attacks by the on-screen character. An action tree, which links certain commands into each other, provides other combat options such as the use of magic and items, although players can also assign some magic spells that can be used while holding the L or R button. As players progress through the game, they can receive certain video game characters as summons, such as Opa-Opa from Fantasy Zone and the Pixie from Shin Megami Tensei, each with their own unique abilities.

## Plot

Rook, Naoki, Hyoma, Len, and Sue are close friends who reside on the Fortune Isles. Rook proposed an idea on building a ship to search for other worlds, as well as help Naoki and Hyoma, who claim they do not remember their past or where they both came from. But one night, an army of white-and-red creatures known as Anti-Souls invade their home. Before the creatures could destroy the world, Rook, Len, and Sue gain magical weapons to help defend themselves and managed to save Naoki and Hyoma from the monsters before being scattered from each other. Reawakening in Cross City, a haven for those whose worlds fell to these Anti-Souls, Rook and Naoki team up with Mario and Luigi, who have received reports from the Star Spirits about multiple worlds disappearing, while Sue encounters Mona, Princess Winona, and Baron, who were all refugees from their respective worlds. Meanwhile, Len and Hyoma fall under the clutches of a group of villains who plan on using the Anti-Souls for their bidding. But the paths of these friends will cross once the true mastermind is revealed.

## Characters

### Rook's Side

Rook – One of the three protagonists of the series and one of the playable characters. Rook is young boy who is courageous and fun-loving and is always there to protect his friends. Throughout his travels, he writes his information about people, places, and events in his Game-Book. Using his magic weapon, a Gunsword, he fights the Anti-Souls and save the souls of other worlds.

Naoki – A friend of Rook's, and the youngest of the bunch. He and Hyoma do not remember anything about their past and home, but they still stick around with Rook and his other friends. When he was captured by one of the Anti-Souls, he gains new abilities that will help him in his fight against the Anti-Souls. Due to his age, he may be considered immature and oblivious towards most things, but he knows when it is time to act mature.

Mario – Hero and protector of the Mushroom Kingdom. He is kind, cheerful, courageous, and headstrong and is also eager and cocky in certain occasions. His real problem however would be that he is impulsive and aggressive and is willing to enter dangerous situations all alone. But he's always ready to help others. During his and Luigi's search in Cross City, they bump into Rook and Naoki while being chased by Anti-Souls, then teamed up to defeat them.

Luigi – Mario's younger brother, sidekick, ghostbuster and second hero of the Mushroom Kingdom, as well as one of Rook's first partners throughout the series. Luigi is timid and a bit of a coward. He also worries and is considerably self-conscious. However, he overcomes his fears and acts like a hero when necessary. He thinks that Mario is much cooler than he is, but he adores his brother because of this trait.

### Sue's Side

Sue – One of the three protagonists of the game. Sue is a young girl who is also one of Rook's friends. While soft-spoken and polite, she was actually trained in combat with Len and Rook, as well as Hyoma one time. When she lost her home to the Anti-Souls, she relies on her magic weapon, a Magic Scepter, to defeat the monsters.

Mona – A teenage tomboy who is the daughter of an artist and a supermodel. Originally residing in Diamond City, she often has to search for jobs to make a living for herself. While Mona is prone to helping others, she often speaks out aggressively towards those who treat her unfairly. She encounters Sue, Winona, and Baron, and decides to help them save their homes, as well as hers.

Winona – A princess from the Talisman Kingdom. She shows grace at every aspect of her personality, but this does get in the way of her socializing. Unfortunately, she was not able to prevent the Anti-Souls from conquering her kingdom, forcing her to move to Cross City. Winona meets Sue, Mona, and Baron and temporarily teams up with them to defeat the Anti-Souls. Her magic weapon is a pair of magical bracelets, which improve her physical combat skills.

Baron – A human boy raised in the Tropli Village, where a tribe of monsters reside. Because of this, he tends to act curious about the other worlds, more specifically the technology of some of those worlds. After his home was taken over by Anti-Souls, he lives in Cross City, where he meets Sue, Mona, and Winona. His magic weapon is the Spear Claws.

### Len's Side

Len – One of the three protagonists of the game. Len is a boy who is one of Rook's friends. He sided with Master Hand and his Finale Club after he lost his home, as he was motivated by his wish to save the other worlds and gain strength on his own. As a result, he is now sent to do errands in other worlds, often aiding the local villains, fighting off the heroes or killing Anti-Souls that have grown beyond the Finale Club’s control. He does this with his magic weapon, the Dark Scythe.

Hyoma – Another one of Rook's friends from Fortune Isles, as well as the oldest of the group. Like Naoki, he does not remember anything about his past or home, so he decides to join Rook's friends until he could remember anything. When the Anti-Souls invaded and destroyed the Fortune Isles, he is sent with Len to the Finale Club's base of operations, where the two perform certain missions for their new mentor, Master Hand. Similar to Naoki, Hyoma has developed his own abilities from the Anti-Souls' encounter.

Vivian – One of the three Shadow Sirens from Mario's world. When two of the Sirens were defeated by Master Hand, Vivian was forced to join his Finale Club long before Len and Hyoma arrived. When the two former islanders joined the Finale Club, she volunteered to assist them in the organization's missions to claim the other worlds, often acting as a sister-figure to the two. Vivian started off as feeling insignificant compared to the other members of the Club, but overtime she grew to respect Len's ambitions.

Demi-Fiend – A humanoid demon who survived his world's destruction once. Originally a human, he became a demi-fiend when fused with a magatama and commanded his horde of demons to decide the fate of his already destroyed world. Witnessing this, Master Hand granted him an offer to join the Finale Club. Like Vivian, he assists Len and Hyoma with their missions and bonds with them, as if everything he cast aside as a human is returning to him somehow.

### Antagonists

Finale Club – A group of video game villains led by Master Hand. He supplies them with Anti-Souls and they aid him in plans to locate Gate Spheres and any Pure Soul Maidens that are there. Some of the members here assist Len in their respective worlds.

* Master Hand – The primary antagonist of the Realm Souls series. Master Hand is a giant disembodied hand of unknown origin. He formed a group of video game villains to help him take control of all worlds through the power of the Realm Souls, using the ruins of Spectral Citadel as a base of operations.
* Jenna Angel – A mysterious woman who works as Master Hand's assistant. She was originally killed by a certain group of heroes, but Master Hand used his dark magic to revive her. She has taken a liking to the knowledge of Pure Soul Maidens, which inspired her leader to search for any who will complete the Soul Saver. Jenna has the ability to transform into a demon, known as Harihara.
* M. Bison – The leader of Shadaloo. He joined Master Hand when the Anti-Souls began their attack, and he manipulated a wrestler named Breaker to his advantage, but Rook's interference results with Bison and Master Hand going their separate ways. Bison planned to use the Anti-Souls to eliminate Ryu during the tournament, only to lose against Rook's team. Curiously, Bison is the only council member that isn't consumed by pure evil and one of three council members who outlived Master Hand.
* Ganondorf – The evil Gerudo king who allied himself with Master Hand to rule Hyrule with Anti-Souls while he captures Princess Zelda. During this time, Link was sealed in the Temple of Light for seven years. Ganondorf used the Triforce of Power to transform into Ganon, but he was stopped by Rook and his teammates.
* Dr. Eggman – An evil scientist with an IQ of 300 who sided with Master Hand for the aid of the Anti-Souls in gaining control of South Island. He sent his creation, Metal Sonic, to steal Amy Rose, believing she is a Pure Soul Maiden. After Metal Sonic was defeated during his fight with Rook, Eggman vows revenge and enters the Death Egg Robot. However, he escaped before the Anti-Souls could finish him off.
* Dr. Wily – A once-respectful scientist who turned to a life of crime after years of being overshadowed by his rival, Dr. Light. He joined the Finale Club as a means of getting revenge on his nemesis, Mega Man, after his previous defeat. Before his plan to conquer the world with his Anti-Souls could be realized, he was defeated by Rook, Sue, and Mega Man.
* Astaroth – The one and only Great Demon Lord. He allied himself with Master Hand to bring his brand terror and chaos to Demon Village and attempt to kidnap Prin-Prin. He tried controlling the Anti-Souls with artificial souls, but its faulty nature attracted few Anti-Souls, leading to him succumbing to greed, while taking control over his entire castle.
* Wizeman the Wicked – The leader of the Nightmarens who wishes to reshape Nightopia in his own image. He allied himself with Master Hand, helping him until his defeat at the hands of Nights, Rook, and Sue.

Garon – the main antagonist of the game. Garon is an Anti-Soul spirit who watches the Finale Club's schemes from a hidden distance. After the Club's purpose is served, Garon controls Len's body and reaps Sue's soul in order to complete the Soul Saver. While controlling Len, he also has Vivian and Demi-Fiend give in to pure evil, only to be defeated and fade away, with Hyoma barely surviving. In the final battle, Rook, who became an Anti-Soul after sacrificing his humanity to save Sue, links with her and Len to drive Garon out. Although his goal of releasing Realm Souls was realized, Geno dealt the finishing blow, defeating him for good.

### Misc.

Geno – Known in the Mushroom Kingdom as the Hero of the Stars. When he sensed the worlds falling under the Anti-Souls' control, he left his world to find the cause, leaving a message to Mario and Luigi to find anyone capable of defeating them all.

Camiel – A mysterious man who claims to be from the same world as Naoki and Hyoma. He can be spotted in certain worlds with the heroes unaware of his presence.

## Worlds

Fortune Isles:

* Rook (original) (Protagonist)
* Naoki (original) (Protagonist)
* Len (original) (Protagonist)
* Sue (original) (Protagonist)
* Hyoma (original) (Protagonist)

Mushroom Kingdom (cutscenes only):

* Mario (Donkey Kong) (Protagonist)
* Luigi (Mario Bros.) (Protagonist)
* Princess Peach (Super Mario Bros.)
* Princess Daisy (Super Mario Land)
* Yoshi (Super Mario World)
* Toadette (Mario Kart: Double Dash!!)
* Toadsworth (Super Mario Sunshine)

Cross City:

* Princess Winona (original) (Protagonist)
* Baron (original) (Protagonist)
* Mona (WarioWare Inc.) (Protagonist)
* Luka Kohler (Dimension Phasers)
* Satsuki Kishimoto (Grand Star Crashers)
* Chie Phillips (Revenger Strike)
* Max Watts (Revenger Strike)
* Captain Olimar (Pikmin)
* Hsien-Ko (Darkstalkers)
* Kraden (Golden Sun)

Zebes:

* Samus Aran (Metroid) (Companion (Rook)/Boss (Len))
* Mother Brain (Metroid) (Boss (Rook))
* Ridley (Metroid) (Boss (Sue))

World Tournament:

* Ryu (Street Fighter) (Boss (Len))
* Ken Masters (Street Fighter)
* Emmet Rodd (Revenger Strike: Elite Coliseum) (Boss)
* Vega (Street Fighter) (Boss (Sue))
* M. Bison (Street Fighter) (Boss (Rook))
* Vile (Revenger Strike: Elite Coliseum) (Secret Boss)

Kong Island:

* Donkey Kong (Donkey Kong Country) (Companion (Rook)/Boss (Len))
* Diddy Kong (Donkey Kong Country) (Boss (Len))
* Dixie Kong (Donkey Kong Country) (Companion (Sue)/Boss (Len))
* Cranky Kong (Donkey Kong Country)
* King K. Rool (Donkey Kong Country) (Boss (Rook/Sue))

Hyrule:

* Link (Legend of Zelda) (Companion)
* Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
* Sheik (Legend of Zelda) (Boss (Len))
* Impa (Legend of Zelda)
* Epona (Legend of Zelda)
* Koume (Legend of Zelda)
* Kotake (Legend of Zelda)
* Twinrova (Legend of Zelda) (Boss (Sue))
* Ganondorf (Legend of Zelda) (Boss (Rook)/Companion (Len))

South Island:

* Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Companion (Rook)/Boss (Len))
* Miles "Tails" Prower (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Companion (Sue))
* Knuckles the Echidna (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* Metal Sonic (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Companion (Len)/Boss (Sue))
* Dr. Eggman (Sonic the Hedgehog) (Boss (Rook))

Demon Village:

* Sir Arthur (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Companion (Rook)/Boss (Len))
* Princess Prin-Prin (Ghosts 'n Goblins)
* Firebrand (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Companion (Len)/Boss (Sue))
* Astaroth (Ghosts 'n Goblins) (Boss (Rook/Sue))

Nightopia:

* Nights (NiGHTS into Dreams…) (Companion (Rook/Sue))
* Elliot (NiGHTS into Dreams…)
* Claris (NiGHTS into Dreams…)
* Wizeman the Wicked (NiGHTS into Dreams…) (Boss (Rook/Sue)/Companion (Len))

Mega City:

* Mega Man (Companion (Rook/Sue)/Boss (Len))
* Roll (Mega Man)
* Dr. Thomas Light (Mega Man)
* Wood Man (Mega Man 2)
* Quick Man (Mega Man 2)
* Heat Man (Mega Man 2)
* Metal Man (Mega Man 2)
* Air Man (Mega Man 2)
* Flash Man (Mega Man 2)
* Crash Man (Mega Man 2)
* Bubble Man (Mega Man 2)
* Dr. Albert Wily (Mega Man) (Boss (Rook/Sue))

Animal Town:

* Rover (Animal Crossing)
* K.K. Slider (Animal Crossing)
* Tom Nook (Animal Crossing)
* Sable (Animal Crossing)
* Mable (Animal Crossing)
* Tortimer (Animal Crossing)
* Pelly (Animal Crossing)
* Pete (Animal Crossing)
* Lloid (Animal Crossing)

Spectral Citadel:

* Vivian (Paper Mario: The Thousand Year Door) (Protagonist)
* Demi-Fiend (Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne) (Protagonist)
* Kilik (Soul Calibur) (Companion (Rook/Sue))
* Jenna Angel/Harihara (Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga) (Boss (All))
* Master Hand (Super Smash Bros.) (Boss (All))
* Chai Xianghua (Soul Calibur)
* Colette Brunel (Tales of Symphonia)
* Morrigan Aensland (Darkstalkers)
* Sera (Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga)
* Amy Rose (Sonic the Hedgehog)
* Zelda (The Legend of Zelda)

Finale's Road:

* Garon (original) (Main Antagonist/Final Boss)

## Summons

Rook's Side

* Spyro (Spyro the Dragon)
* Darunia (The Legend of Zelda)
* Pikachu (Pokémon)
* Opa-Opa (Fantasy Zone)
* Pixie (Shin Megami Tensei)

Sue's Side

* Ayame (Power Stone)
* Ruto (The Legend of Zelda)
* Clefairy (Pokémon)
* Amigo (Samba de Amigo)
* Mappy (Mappy)

Len's Side

* Meta Knight (Kirby)
* Demitri Maximoff (Darkstalkers)
* Girimehkala (Shin Megami Tensei)
* Charade (Soul Calibur)
* Umbreon (Pokémon)

## Gears

* Realm Fighter (Default for Rook)
* Magic Blossom (Default for Sue)
* Dark Reaper (Default for Len)
* Power Cannon Zero (unlocked by completing Zebes)
* Champion Symbol (unlocked by completing World Tournament)
* Jungle Beast (unlocked by completing Kong Island)
* Master Fighter (unlocked by completing Hyrule)
* Ultraboost (unlocked by completing South Island)
* Knight's Honor (unlocked by completing Demon Village)
* Somnus (unlocked by completing Nightopia)
* Compatibot (unlocked by completing Mega City)
* Blackburner (unlocked by completing Spectral Citadel)
* Skillset (unlocked by learning all 9 skills)
* Wild Kid (unlocked by defeating Luka and Emmet in the Psycho Tourney)
* Elite of Steel (unlocked by defeating Emmet in the Dragon Tourney)
* Infinity (unlocked by defeating Vile in the Power Rounds)
* Raging Demon (unlocked by defeating Akuma in the Ultra Rounds)