Soul Covenant: Everything We Know

The world of virtual reality is on the verge of accepting an entirely new concept—a “moving experience of a story of life told through death” that will be heading to  all major VR platforms at some point in the first half of 2024. According to the devs of the so-called Soul Covenant, “the game aims to create a more dramatic world by assembling a team of exceptional creators in each field, such as story, music, and character design.” If all goes according to plan, then we’ll have the chance to delve a little deeper into said world at the Tokyo Game Show 2023, which is currently scheduled to run between September 21 to 24 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, Japan.

As far as the final release goes, we’ve still yet to knuckle in on a concrete launch date. Until that time does arrive, however, here’s everything you need to know before putting down a pre-order. Care to hear more? Here’s what you should know about Soul Covenant.

What Is Soul Covenant?

To put you in the picture, Soul Covenant is a tactical action game for VR. Its premise, although still a little hazy to the outsider, will center itself around a war between humanity and machines. From the looks of it, players will take on the role of one of the former—a fighter, of sorts, who will stare death in the face and embrace the rewards for doing so. It’ll be action-heavy, for sure — so you needn’t worry about the devs skimping out on all that mechanical brutality.

Of course, Thirdverse being one of the leading firms in the VR space, it’s safe to say that Soul Covenant won’t just be your run-of-the-mill action rehash. On the contrary, it’ll feature a story that’s both immersive and aesthetically on point. As for how well the studio’s ambition will translate into a VR world remains to be seen. Either way, we’re excited for what’s to come over the next several months.

Story

From what we’ve gathered so far, the story of Soul Covenant will revolve around an ongoing battle. Specifically, an epic feud between humans and machines in a “near-future desolate Japan.” Going by the blurb, players will encounter the sacrifices made by the fallen over a series of powerful and thrilling events. As for what’ll happen in such events is still a mystery, though they’re likely to carry some emotional weight, regardless.

“Challenge your fate like never before,” the blurb reads in part. “Set in a near-future desolate Japan, this game depicts a fierce battle between humanity and machines. That ecstatic feeling when overcoming the seemingly impossible challenge of certain doom will reward those who brave the storm.”

Gameplay

Soul Covenant is a full-blown tactical action game, so you can expect to see your share of bullets and battles. In addition to this, there’ll also be a number of story beats to course along with, too. Aside from that, it’s hard to say what exactly the game will be. Here’s hoping we find out a bit more sooner than later, though.

“The moving experience of a story of life told through death,” explains the blurb. “It is through the eyes of the fallen and the experiences of the vanquished that you will find their sacrifices serve to guide your hand in retribution.”

“A virtual reality tactical action game experience with a high level of immersion, where the player will be one with the protagonist and take on a battle for the fate of the world.” Well, there you have it—the fate of the world will be in your hands. Color us intrigued.

Development

In case you missed the initial announcement, Soul Covenant is being made by Thirdverse—a studio that’s made up of several industry veterans including Teruhiro Shimogawa (Soul Sacrifice, Ace Attorney Investigations 2) as director and scenario writer, and Shogo Matsuo (NieR Re[in]carnation) as character designer.

“The game is being developed as the culmination of virtual reality action that Thirdverse has cultivated so far,” the developer added during the presentation. “Please look forward to the soul-stirring battle sensation and emotional experience they have created.”

In addition to the two aforementioned creators, Soul Covenant will also feature the talents of Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Cross, Xenogears Episode 1, Inazuma Eleven) and Teruyuki Toriyama. Safe to say that it’s all in good hands, all things considered.

Trailer

Thanks to the recent stream that aired earlier this week, we do have just a sliver of footage to brush over. Granted, it isn’t the beefiest trailer in the world, nor is crammed to the brim with gameplay. That said, it is a trailer, and it’s currently available to stream on the dev’s chosen handles. You can check it out for yourself in the video embedded above.

Release Date, Platforms & Editions

Soul Covenant is currently slated for an early 2024 release across PlayStation VR2, Quest 2, and PC VR via Steam. It will also be playable over the course of the Tokyo Game Show, which will take place between September 21, and September 24, 2023. You can keep tabs on that by checking out the official site here.

As far as launch editions go, Soul Covenant has only been given the one — the standard copy, which will be available on the aforementioned VR platforms. It isn’t available to pre-order just yet, but there’s a good chance that it will find its way to the respective storefronts in the aftermath of its Tokyo Game Show appearance.

Interested in staying up to date with Soul Covenant? If so, don’t forget to check in with the devs over on their joint social feed for all the latest updates here. If anything changes ahead of its loose 2024 launch, we’ll be sure to fill you in on all the key details right here on gaming.net.

So, what’s your take? Will you be picking up a copy of Soul Covenant when it graces the VR shores? Let us know your thoughts over on our socials here.