Cosmic Soldier

Lore & Background

Cosmic Soldier was released in 1985 for MSX home computers by Kogado Studio, marking the beginning of the Cosmic Soldier series. The game features a dialog conversation system that allows players to recruit allies through speech, decide whether to kill or spare enemies, and converse with foes, a mechanic that would later appear in the Megami Tensei franchise. Battles are fought in a turn-based style, and the title screen displays some nudity.

Reader's Guide

Cosmic Soldier is significant as the first entry in the Cosmic Soldier series and for its early implementation of a dialog-based conversation system that influenced later role-playing games, particularly the Megami Tensei franchise. The game's turn-based combat and moral choices (kill or spare enemies) were innovative for its time. Its legacy includes a sequel, Psychic War: Cosmic Soldier 2, released in 1987 for the MSX2 in Japan, which was later ported to MS-DOS in America by Kyodai under the name Psychic War. The sequel changed the combat to a real-time 'tug of war' system and improved the conversation system, more closely resembling Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei. The MS-DOS version also censored Kayla's clothing. Cosmic Soldier remains a notable early example of narrative-driven RPG mechanics.

Did You Know?

• The game displays some nudity on the title screen.
• It was ported to the NEC PC-8801 with an updated interface and graphics.
• The sequel, Psychic War: Cosmic Soldier 2, changed the turn-based combat to a real-time 'tug of war' style.
• The MS-DOS version of the sequel censored Kayla's clothing.