Dragon Ball Meets Persona in New RPG You Can Try for Free

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If you’re a fan of Dragon Ball, you should definitely take a look at this new indie game. Wander Stars draws inspiration from the work of Akira Toriyama and the anime of the ’90s. It’s the newest title from Paper Castle, the team that created Underhero, and it feels like it would fit right in with the shows on Toonami.

Within the game, players engage in smooth and visually appealing 2D battles reminiscent of the Persona series. The game unfolds its narrative through 10 anime-style “episodes.” It’s a remarkably enjoyable idea, and a demo is available for players to experience it firsthand, completely free of charge.

Wander Stars Is Like a Playable ’90s Anime

Wander Stars is heavily inspired by the classic Dragon Ball series. The story centers around Ringo, an ambitious but impulsive fighter, and Wolfe, a somewhat rugged companion. Together, they’re on a quest to find fragments of the Wander Star map. However, they aren’t the only ones seeking these pieces, and they must face off against rivals also trying to obtain the map.

The game quickly immerses players in a vibrant and cartoonish world, featuring artwork and character movements that feel ideal for an anime-style game. It skillfully mixes dramatic scenes with plenty of humor, and would fit perfectly within the setting of any action-packed shounen series.

Ringo quickly wins you over. She’s a skilled fighter with a big goal: to become a master of Kiai, which is what the game calls its unique word-based combat system. Ringo is inquisitive and adventurous, but not very well-read – much like the characters that inspired her. Although she aspires to be a Kiai champion, her main motivation for seeking out the fragments of the Wander Star map is to locate her older brother, Nashi.

During the demo, players will explore the game world, participating in optional battles, collecting helpful items and power-ups, and talking to the people who live on the island with Ringo and her grandmother, Anzu. As we’ve said, the game’s story is split into ten “episodes,” and this demo allows players to play through the first episode completely. It’s a good way to get a feel for the Wander Stars universe and decide if you’d like to play the full game.

Wander Stars Has Players Fight With Words

Wander Stars should especially resonate with fans of ’90s anime, though the game’s standout feature is its unique battle system. As you explore each level, you’ll come across optional challenges, required fights, and powerful boss battles. Instead of button mashing, combat relies on choosing the right words – you select action commands like “Kick,” “Punch,” and “Block” to attack and defend.

After the basic actions, you can add modifiers to enhance them. Power words like “Super” make actions more impactful, and elemental terms such as “Fire” or “Wind” can add extra damage or cause status effects. For example, Fire causes Burn (damage dealt over time), Water applies Wet (which slows down enemy abilities), and so on. Using these elements and modifiers is optional; sometimes, a weaker action is actually better. Blocking creates BP, which are temporary points used to reduce incoming damage; combining an elemental word with “Block” also protects against status effects.

It’s optional to use basic words and modifiers, and players may choose weaker attacks against certain enemies for strategic reasons. Blocking gives you “BP,” which are temporary points that reduce incoming damage, and using an elemental word with Block also prevents negative status effects. Keep in mind that each word has a cooldown, meaning you can’t always use them one after another, and each word you use takes up a word slot during your turn.

Similar to the Persona series, exploiting an enemy’s weakness earns you extra turns, but here it’s called Spirit Points (SP). You can only store a limited amount of SP, and it’s used to recover an empty word slot. Defeating enemies without completely knocking them out lets you unlock new words and equip special abilities called “Pep Ups.” These Pep Ups can give you benefits like an additional turn slot or the power to see what your opponents are strong and weak against.

Once an episode is finished, players can use “Honor” – gained by showing mercy to enemies or saving money – to improve their character’s stats and buy words that match how they play. The fighting system is adaptable to various strategies, and there are extra rewards for quickly defeating enemies or avoiding damage altogether. If you manage to finish an entire episode without getting knocked out, you’ll receive an additional bonus, which encourages replaying episodes.

The gameplay in Wander Stars is wonderfully designed – it’s simple enough for anyone, whether they’re new to turn-based RPGs or a long-time fan, to pick up quickly. However, it also offers a lot of depth, particularly as you unlock more and more words. It’s a fantastic system, and games like this demonstrate just how effective it can be.

Wander Stars immediately grabs your attention, and it’s definitely worth a look for fans of turn-based RPGs, or anyone who fondly remembers battle-focused anime like shounen. The game is clearly made with a lot of passion for the genres it’s playfully imitating, and it could even become a contender for Game of the Year awards after just a few hours of playtime.

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2025-09-30 20:43