Mugen Souls Z is the sequel to the game Mugen Souls developed by Compile Heart and published by NIS America. Players take control of a new character named Syrma, who is said to be an ultimate god, in her quest to combine all the powers of the twelve ultimate gods into one being.

Mugen Souls Z features graphics and character models that are very cartoony and similar to Japanese anime. The characters have the trademark large eyes and flowing hair that can be seen in many anime. The background changes as the player switches worlds, with many of the world’s being vibrant and colorful. Characters, as well as the over-world are rendered in 3D, and story progression occurs through interaction with objects in the over-world with the 3D models of characters and cut-scenes featuring 2D renders of the characters.

The music of Mugen Souls Z adds to the atmosphere of the game very well, often being upbeat with a fast tempo reminiscent of Japanese pop, but changing to softer melodies accordingly. The use of music is excellent when compared to the over-world location and often reflects the zany antics the main characters involve themselves with, adding to the comedic moments of the different story events.

Adding to the experience of the story, Mugen Souls Z features voice acting for the cast of characters. This includes most cut scenes, battle phrases, grunts, and the like. In addition, weapons and attacks deliver cartoony sound effects when used in battle which further adds to the anime feel of the game.

Mugen Souls Z places players in the role of Syrma, as she goes on her journey to find other ultimate gods. The player must navigate the over-world, encountering enemies to battle and interacting with items. Worlds are unlocked as you progress through the story and are accessed from the main hub which is the G-Castle. Players may return to G-Castle at any time to access any of the different shops and also recover all HP and SP, or Spiritual Points, used for special skills.

Mugen Souls Z features a great deal of customization for the player’s characters. Similar to other standard RPGs, the player is able to customize the weapon and armor of their characters. Any character can wield any weapon and armor, but certain weapons benefit respective characters more so than other weapons would. An example is Syrma, who gets the most out of wielding scythes. Clothes may be customized as well. Different clothes give different percentage bonuses to various stats, allowing them to grow more upon leveling up. It’s a good idea to check the G-Castle shop for clothes, although they are a bit pricey.

Mugen Souls Z also features a character creation option. After reaching a certain point in the story, players are able to access the character creation shop at G-Castle and create a character of their liking for a price. The character’s hairstyle, face, skin, job class and more can be adjusted to the player's liking. If a player becomes unsatisfied with their character's job class, they may change it for a price. This allows players to create unique characters, such as a physically strong mage.

Like any good RPG game, Mugen Souls Z features battles which take place in rendered fields and are initiated by attacking enemies on the field with (Square) or by enemies running into you. If you attack an enemy first, you get a preemptive strike and can take two actions before the opponent can take one. If the opponent runs into you from behind, they get the first moves. To win a battle, the player’s team must deplete the opponent's HP or hit points to 0 first. Upon victory, the player is rewarded with experience to level up the party members, money to purchase items, and items that can be used or sold to shops. If the opponents deplete the player’s hit points to 0 first, the game ends and players are forced to reload their last save.

The display during battle gives players all the information they need for the fight. In the lower right of the screen is the character status which changes depending on which character is making a move. The upper right of the screen shows the turn order of the battle. This shows who will move next. To the left of the screen is the command list, which is opened by pressing the X button. This shows each action a player may take. The upper left of the screen displays the gauge which tells players when they can use their ultimate attack.

A player’s party consists of four different party members. Players gain members by progressing the story and may select any combination of the four to battle with. In addition to the four main characters, an additional eight characters may be selected to travel along with you in the sub-party. These characters can be swapped out any time for any of the main four party members. All other characters are left back at G-Castle and can only be swapped out at G-Castle. Sub-party members gain experience points from battle as well, so it’s always a good idea to bring as many additional characters as you can to sit in the sub-party.

Mugen Souls Z features mech battles, where players control the G-Castle in a battle against another robot or ship. These battles require more strategy as both sides have the same abilities, but each ability is effective against another and weak to yet another. Players will need to predict the opponent's move and also have some luck with their actions.

Mugen Souls Z is a single player only game, lacking any sort of leaderboard or multiplayer experience. The entirety of the game is experienced through the Story Mode. The mugen field mini-game would be perfect for multiplayer so you could run through the various floors with friends, but that’s just my opinion.

Mugen Souls Z does not feature a changeable difficulty feature, instead opting to scale enemy levels according to the area a player visits. This means that as the player progresses the story and unlocks new areas, the levels of the resident monsters will increase. This can prove to be dangerous for players who prefer to avoid combat as they will be underleveled and may have a difficult time tackling bosses. Leveling isn’t the only issue, as players should try to keep their weapons and armor up to date. Being sufficiently leveled may not be enough for some bosses, especially as you delve into the later chapters of the game.

As the player progresses through the story, Syrma will unlock new abilities for navigation such as the Ultimate Vault, which allows her to jump, and Ultimate Snag, which allows her to reach items she normally could not. These abilities allow players to reach previously unreachable areas or items in past worlds and makes it somewhat rewarding to backtrack to past worlds to pick up items you may have missed. You just might find a hidden gem.

In Mugen Souls Z, Syrma borrows Chou-Chou's power to make anything and anyone her peon. This is accomplished by selecting the "Captivate" option on the selection screen during battle. Syrma then strikes poses chosen by the player, making the peon gauges build on selected opponents. Players are able to see in advance how much a specific gauge will build based on the pose selected. There are three different outcomes based on the poses the player chooses. The first option is that the selected enemy will turn into a peon, strengthening the G-Castle, as well as activating a set coffin effect during battle. The player chooses a certain effect, ranging from attacking enemies to restoring HP, and as soon as an enemy is "peonified," the coffin effect activates. The second option is that the enemy will turn into an item, which the player will be able to use or sell. The third option is that the enemy will become enraged, regaining all health and receiving an increase in attack power. The "Captivate" option does not use up a turn, so players should feel free to use it as often as possible.

To assist with making enemy monsters into peons, Syrma is able to change her form. This allows her to cater to a specific taste or desire, making it easier to change someone into her peon. Each form has a charm level, which increases as you gain more peons. The charm level helps increase the capability of performing peon and item changes. Form changes can be done at any time, as much as one might want, while on the field by pressing the (L1) button, but they are limited to once per turn in battle and are done by selecting the appropriate command. Again, only Syrma is able to change her form.

One aspect of battle that both helps and hurts players is the presence of various crystals. There are special colored crystals around the field with an aura emanating from them which grant special bonuses if an action is performed from inside the crystal radius. These bonuses range from magic or accuracy boosts to attack boosts, as well as other stat raises. While the player is within them, they get the bonuses or penalties the crystal grants, but an enemy can also stand next to them and receive the same bonuses as well. There are also larger crystals which float around and may grant field bonuses.

Random bonuses are not the only benefit given by the crystals. Players can either break them or use Captivate on them, so long as they are within range. Crystals can be broken by using the Blast Off technique, which knocks enemies and players around the battlefield. Blast Off is used by turning it on from the Skills screen during battle. Once broken, the crystal unleashes an effect which can be viewed from the stats screen. A crystal is captivated exactly like an enemy is, but the crystal is only affected if it is within the player's range. Once captivated, the crystal may either turn into a peon, item, or become enraged.

In battle, players and enemies take turns for their own actions. The player is allowed to perform an action with their characters and then the enemy performs their actions. This goes on until either side achieves victory. Players are given several options during battle. The first is the Menu option. The Menu is opened by pressing the X button, and players may then select an action to take from the available options Attack, Skills, Items, Switch, Retreat and Defend. Main protagonist Syrma is given another page of actions which consists of Change, Captivate, Coffin Effect, Ultimate Soul, an ultimate ability featuring Chou-Chou, and Coax, a plea from Syrma involving specific actions. The free cursor option allows the player to hover over different characters in battle to see their stats, but a list of stats can be accessed by pressing the (R1) button.

Mugen Souls Z is a great step up from Mugen Souls and definitely shows that developers are willing to listen to their consumers. The game does have some drawbacks, such as the intense level grinding to keep up with new bosses and the sometimes frustrating captivating system, but those are just a drop in the bucket considering all the good elements of the game. Hours of gameplay and plenty of comedic events keep Mugen Souls Z interesting, for those with a sense of humor anyway.