<s>
is	O
a	O
2008	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Monolith	O
Soft	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
producer	O
and	O
studio	O
co-founder	O
Tetsuya	O
Takahashi	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Initially	O
a	O
standard	O
role-playing	O
game	O
before	O
transitioning	O
to	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
due	O
to	O
hardware	O
restrictions	O
,	O
the	O
aim	O
was	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
engaging	O
multiplayer	O
experience	O
:	O
this	O
resulted	O
in	O
the	O
gameplay	O
being	O
developed	O
before	O
the	O
story	O
,	O
a	O
reversal	O
of	O
the	O
development	O
style	O
used	O
for	O
earlier	O
Monolith	O
Soft	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
featured	O
returning	O
staff	O
from	O
Takahashi	O
's	O
earlier	O
titles	O
,	O
including	O
Xeno	B-Application
series	I-Application
writer	O
Soraya	O
Saga	O
,	O
and	O
Chrono	O
series	O
composer	O
Yasunori	O
Mitsuda	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
First	O
announced	O
in	O
October	O
2007	O
,	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
portable	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
fully	O
developed	O
by	O
Monolith	O
Soft	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
first	O
released	O
by	O
the	O
studio	O
since	O
their	O
acquisition	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Western	O
journalists	O
drew	O
positive	O
comparisons	O
with	O
the	O
Mana	B-Application
and	O
Diablo	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
where	O
players	O
take	O
control	O
of	O
members	O
of	O
a	O
military	O
unit	O
dubbed	O
Pharzuph	O
Division	O
7	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
single-player	O
,	O
the	O
player	O
controls	O
the	O
party	O
leader	O
while	O
the	O
two	O
assigned	O
companions	O
are	O
controlled	O
using	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Using	O
a	O
style	O
similar	O
to	O
hack	B-Application
and	I-Application
slash	I-Application
,	O
the	O
three	O
characters	O
attack	O
targeted	O
enemies	O
in	O
the	O
field	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Abilities	O
,	O
including	O
standard	O
attacks	O
and	O
special	O
moves	O
related	O
to	O
a	O
character	O
,	O
are	O
mapped	O
to	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
(	O
DS	B-Device
)	O
face	O
buttons	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
is	O
set	O
on	O
the	O
continent	O
of	O
Barnea	O
,	O
which	O
is	O
part	O
of	O
a	O
world	O
where	O
the	O
energy	O
of	O
everyday	O
life	O
is	O
drawn	O
from	O
Soma	O
,	O
a	O
mystical	O
power	O
that	O
fills	O
the	O
atmosphere	O
,	O
forming	O
the	O
so-called	O
"	O
Soma	O
Ring	O
"	O
around	O
the	O
planet	O
:	O
through	O
a	O
special	O
conversion	O
process	O
,	O
it	O
is	O
used	O
for	O
everything	O
from	O
ordinary	O
appliances	O
to	O
advanced	O
weaponry	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
the	O
brainchild	O
of	O
Tetsuya	O
Takahashi	O
,	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
co-founders	O
of	O
developer	O
Monolith	O
Soft	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
took	O
approximately	O
two	O
years	O
to	O
develop	O
:	O
Takahashi	O
's	O
aim	O
was	O
to	O
create	O
an	O
in-depth	O
introductory	O
role-playing	O
experience	O
for	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
DS	B-Device
was	O
chosen	O
as	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
platform	O
so	O
people	O
could	O
both	O
enjoy	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
play	O
it	O
for	O
short	O
bursts	O
on	O
the	O
go	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
was	O
written	O
by	O
Takahashi	O
's	O
wife	O
Soraya	O
Saga	O
,	O
whose	O
previous	O
work	O
included	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
VI	I-Application
(	O
1994	O
)	O
,	O
Xenogears	B-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
Xenosaga	O
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
the	O
beginning	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
standard	O
role-playing	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
early	O
testing	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
seen	O
that	O
typical	O
role-playing	O
games	O
were	O
not	O
well	O
suited	O
to	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
 '	O
limited	O
hardware	O
and	O
controls	O
,	O
so	O
they	O
adjusted	O
the	O
gameplay	O
to	O
its	O
current	O
form	O
as	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
move	O
to	O
being	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
enabled	O
the	O
incorporation	O
of	O
cooperative	O
multiplayer	O
:	O
the	O
team	O
wanted	O
to	O
focus	O
as	O
much	O
as	O
possible	O
on	O
the	O
combat	O
and	O
related	O
gimmicks	O
over	O
environmental	O
puzzles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
For	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
,	O
the	O
gameplay	O
was	O
finalized	O
first	O
,	O
and	O
the	O
scenario	O
was	O
built	O
around	O
the	O
locations	O
,	O
dungeons	O
,	O
and	O
mechanics	O
the	O
team	O
had	O
created	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Also	O
in	O
contrast	O
to	O
earlier	O
Monolith	O
Soft	O
titles	O
was	O
the	O
lack	O
of	O
lengthy	O
cutscenes	O
,	O
which	O
could	O
not	O
be	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
with	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
 '	O
limited	O
hardware	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
for	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
composed	O
and	O
arranged	O
by	O
Yasunori	O
Mitsuda	O
,	O
whose	O
previous	O
notable	O
work	O
included	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Chrono	B-Application
Trigger	I-Application
,	O
Xenogears	B-Application
,	O
Chrono	B-Application
Cross	I-Application
,	O
and	O
Xenosaga	B-Application
Episode	I-Application
I	I-Application
.	O
Mitsuda	O
was	O
involved	O
from	O
the	O
very	O
beginning	O
of	O
development	O
,	O
as	O
Takahashi	O
did	O
not	O
want	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
a	O
game	O
without	O
Mitsuda	O
's	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mitsuda	O
accepted	O
due	O
to	O
their	O
past	O
work	O
on	O
Xenogears	B-Application
and	O
Xenosaga	O
,	O
considering	O
it	O
a	O
kind	O
of	O
reunion	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
opening	O
vocal	O
track	O
,	O
titled	O
"	O
Ring	O
"	O
,	O
was	O
written	O
for	O
the	O
opening	O
movie	O
and	O
set	O
to	O
a	O
piece	O
of	O
poetry	O
written	O
by	O
Takahashi	O
:	O
to	O
portray	O
the	O
themes	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
Mitsuda	O
used	O
three	O
female	O
vocalists	O
,	O
Eri	O
Kawai	O
,	O
Koko	O
Komine	O
,	O
and	O
Tamie	O
Hirose	O
,	O
and	O
recorded	O
in	O
a	O
multiplexer	B-Protocol
to	O
produce	O
as	O
clear	O
a	O
sound	O
as	O
possible	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Mitsuda	O
and	O
his	O
team	O
spent	O
the	O
first	O
year	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
development	O
studying	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
hardware	O
,	O
which	O
had	O
notoriously	O
bad	O
sound	O
quality	O
and	O
brought	O
with	O
it	O
severe	O
technical	O
difficulties	O
in	O
creating	O
a	O
soundtrack	O
of	O
a	O
similar	O
caliber	O
to	O
Mitsuda	O
's	O
previous	O
work	O
:	O
the	O
main	O
limitations	O
were	O
the	O
speaker	O
limits	O
and	O
limited	O
memory	O
capacity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
Kuroda	O
,	O
the	O
main	O
difficulty	O
was	O
not	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
techniques	O
for	O
creating	O
a	O
clean	O
sound	O
for	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
,	O
but	O
applying	O
them	O
to	O
the	O
music	O
of	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
,	O
which	O
was	O
more	O
ambitious	O
than	O
many	O
other	O
soundtracks	O
for	O
the	O
platform	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
result	O
of	O
using	O
their	O
own	O
technology	O
meant	O
that	O
,	O
after	O
adjustment	O
and	O
balancing	O
,	O
the	O
tracks	O
were	O
very	O
close	O
to	O
the	O
original	O
tracks	O
prior	O
to	O
being	O
incorporated	O
into	O
the	O
game	O
and	O
DS	B-Device
sound	O
environment	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
soundtrack	O
album	O
,	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
Original	O
Soundtrack	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
through	O
the	O
Sleigh	O
Bells	O
label	O
on	O
April	O
2	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
existence	O
of	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
first	O
hinted	O
at	O
when	O
Nintendo	O
filed	O
a	O
trademark	O
for	O
the	O
title	O
alongside	O
others	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Published	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
the	O
first	O
Monolith	O
Soft	O
title	O
to	O
be	O
released	O
after	O
its	O
acquisition	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
in	O
April	O
2007	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Speaking	O
in	O
2010	O
,	O
Saga	O
said	O
that	O
she	O
did	O
not	O
know	O
whether	O
it	O
would	O
be	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
,	O
or	O
whether	O
further	O
games	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
universe	O
would	O
be	O
developed	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ultimately	O
,	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
was	O
not	O
released	O
outside	O
Japan	O
:	O
no	O
explanation	O
was	O
given	O
by	O
Nintendo	O
,	O
although	O
there	O
was	O
some	O
speculation	O
that	O
its	O
high	O
text	O
content	O
was	O
to	O
blame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
exclusivity	O
to	O
Japan	O
has	O
drawn	O
both	O
disappointment	O
and	O
criticism	O
from	O
some	O
journalists	O
,	O
in	O
addition	O
to	O
continued	O
hope	O
for	O
a	O
Western	O
release	O
:	O
an	O
article	O
from	O
IGN	O
cited	O
the	O
release	O
of	O
Glory	B-Application
of	I-Application
Heracles	I-Application
as	O
a	O
possible	O
precursor	O
to	O
a	O
Western	O
release	O
,	O
while	O
gaming	O
site	O
Siliconera	O
reported	O
that	O
Nintendo	O
might	O
release	O
it	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
during	O
the	O
transitional	O
phase	O
between	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
and	O
its	O
successor	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Operating_System
3DS	I-Operating_System
,	O
although	O
the	O
writer	O
noted	O
that	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringers	I-Application
text-heavy	O
approach	O
made	O
it	O
more	O
difficult	O
and	O
thus	O
less	O
appealing	O
to	O
localize	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
entered	O
the	O
Japanese	O
sales	O
charts	O
at	O
#4	O
with	O
sales	O
of	O
50,844	O
units	O
,	O
with	O
an	O
estimated	O
sell-through	O
rate	O
of	O
just	O
over	O
68%	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
limited	O
edition	O
was	O
the	O
best-selling	O
DS	B-Device
title	O
during	O
its	O
opening	O
week	O
on	O
Amazon	B-Application
Japan	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
GamesRadar	O
compared	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
to	O
Square	O
Enix	O
's	O
Final	B-Application
Fantasy	I-Application
:	I-Application
Crystal	I-Application
Chronicles	I-Application
,	O
except	O
noting	O
that	O
the	O
gameplay	O
systems	O
and	O
customization	O
options	O
were	O
deeper	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
conclusion	O
,	O
he	O
positively	O
compared	O
Soma	B-Application
Bringer	I-Application
to	O
console	O
turn-based	O
role-playing	O
game	O
Lost	B-Application
Odyssey	I-Application
:	O
while	O
it	O
brought	O
nothing	O
new	O
to	O
the	O
genre	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
a	O
nostalgic	O
experience	O
that	O
reminded	O
players	O
of	O
the	O
genre	O
's	O
worth	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
English	O
previews	O
positively	O
compared	O
the	O
gameplay	O
to	O
the	O
Mana	B-Application
series	I-Application
,	O
with	O
com	O
's	O
Jeremy	O
Parish	O
also	O
noting	O
it	O
feeling	O
familiar	O
to	O
gameplay	O
from	O
the	O
Diablo	B-Application
series	I-Application
.	O
</s>
