<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
developed	O
by	O
Yuke	O
's	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Square	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
re-released	O
digitally	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
Portable	I-Operating_System
,	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
in	O
modern-day	O
Japan	O
,	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
follows	O
a	O
group	O
of	O
five	O
people	O
chosen	O
by	O
the	O
gods	O
to	O
save	O
Japan	O
from	O
a	O
supernatural	O
catastrophe	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
developed	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
Square	O
's	O
initiative	O
of	O
forming	O
small	O
teams	O
of	O
young	O
developers	O
to	O
create	O
experimental	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
game	I-Application
set	O
in	O
a	O
fantastical	O
version	O
of	O
Japan	O
in	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
explosion	O
sites	O
house	O
magical	O
pillars	O
known	O
as	O
the	O
"	O
Gallan	O
"	O
,	O
and	O
ghostly	O
demigods	B-Language
known	O
as	O
"	O
Yorigami	O
"	O
have	O
claimed	O
the	O
now-ruined	O
country	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
the	O
late	O
1990s	O
,	O
Square	O
launched	O
an	O
initiative	O
to	O
foster	O
talent	O
within	O
the	O
company	O
;	O
small	O
teams	O
of	O
younger	O
developers	O
would	O
work	O
with	O
a	O
smaller	O
budget	O
to	O
create	O
experimental	O
titles	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
;	O
one	O
of	O
these	O
titles	O
was	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
was	O
developed	O
by	O
Yuke	O
's	O
,	O
a	O
company	O
best	O
known	O
for	O
their	O
sports	O
titles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
According	O
to	O
different	O
sources	O
,	O
Yuke	O
's	O
was	O
approached	O
by	O
Square	O
,	O
who	O
were	O
impressed	O
at	O
the	O
technical	O
prowess	O
demonstrated	O
by	O
their	O
wrestling	O
game	O
Power	B-Device
Move	I-Device
Pro	I-Device
Wrestling	I-Device
;	O
or	O
Yuke	O
's	O
approached	O
Square	O
with	O
an	O
ambitious	O
gaming	O
project	O
which	O
required	O
funding	O
and	O
a	O
publisher	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
included	O
full	O
voice	O
acting	O
,	O
with	O
several	O
prominent	O
Japanese	O
actors	O
portraying	O
the	O
main	O
cast	O
;	O
Square	O
told	O
Yuke	O
's	O
that	O
they	O
need	O
not	O
be	O
concerned	O
with	O
the	O
casting	O
budget	O
,	O
which	O
was	O
large	O
enough	O
to	O
surprise	O
Yuke	O
's	O
staff	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
music	O
of	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
was	O
composed	O
by	O
Hiroki	O
Kikuta	O
,	O
who	O
had	O
previously	O
scored	O
Secret	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
and	O
Trials	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
expanded	O
storage	O
capacity	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
allowed	O
Kikuta	O
to	O
include	O
live	O
orchestral	O
music	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Similar	O
to	O
his	O
work	O
on	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
Mana	O
games	O
,	O
Kikuta	O
wanted	O
to	O
push	O
the	O
hardware	O
capacities	O
of	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
's	O
sound	O
card	O
when	O
creating	O
his	O
score	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Kikuta	O
has	O
said	O
that	O
he	O
had	O
different	O
challenges	O
for	O
each	O
of	O
his	O
compositions	O
between	O
Secret	B-Application
of	I-Application
Mana	I-Application
and	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
;	O
with	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
,	O
it	O
was	O
the	O
challenge	O
of	O
recording	O
live	O
with	O
Japanese	O
stage	O
musicians	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Chris	O
Greening	O
of	O
RPGFan	O
was	O
similarly	O
positive	O
,	O
ranking	O
the	O
album	O
as	O
a	O
must-buy	O
alongside	O
the	O
soundtracks	O
of	O
Xenogears	B-Application
and	O
Parasite	B-Application
Eve	I-Application
due	O
to	O
its	O
strong	O
live	O
elements	O
and	O
different	O
tone	O
from	O
other	O
Square	O
games	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
was	O
first	O
announced	O
at	O
the	O
1997	O
Tokyo	O
Game	O
Show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
was	O
released	O
on	O
28	O
May	O
1998	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
later	O
reissued	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Network	I-Device
on	O
August	O
13	O
,	O
2008	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
vintage	O
titles	O
from	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
era	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
later	O
released	O
for	O
PlayStation	B-Operating_System
3	I-Operating_System
and	O
PlayStation	B-Device
Vita	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
its	O
year	O
of	O
release	O
,	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
sold	O
over	O
132,000	O
units	O
and	O
ranks	O
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
100	O
best-selling	O
games	O
for	O
that	O
year	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Soukaigi	B-Application
received	O
a	O
manga	O
adaptation	O
,	O
written	O
by	O
Ayuki	O
Kirishima	O
and	O
released	O
by	O
Kadokawa	O
Shoten	O
in	O
three	O
tankōbon	O
between	O
May	O
1998	O
and	O
January	O
1999	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
the	O
publisher	O
's	O
Asuka	O
Comics	O
line	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
reviewer	O
felt	O
that	O
the	O
graphics	O
looked	O
"	O
rough	O
"	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
He	O
summarized	O
that	O
the	O
game	O
could	O
not	O
stand	O
up	O
against	O
other	O
similar	O
3D	O
titles	O
such	O
as	O
Panzer	B-Application
Dragoon	I-Application
Saga	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
separate	O
feature	O
titled	O
"	O
Games	O
You	O
'll	O
Never	O
Play	O
"	O
,	O
GameSpot	O
called	O
Soukaigi	B-Application
"	O
a	O
great	O
idea	O
but	O
a	O
cruddy	O
game	O
"	O
,	O
citing	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
polish	O
and	O
a	O
greater	O
scale	O
than	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
could	O
handle	O
.	O
</s>
