As often in RPGs, beaten monsters will drop items (including "rare items" and "super rare items", or so we're told) that can be exchanged with other players through the link cable. One of the known items is the Angel Feather, allowing you to return instantly to the last village visited.

Shining Soul introduces the new "Soul system". 'Souls' are rare accessories created by the Ancients' techonology. Equipping the 'souls' will increase certain stats, but also allow the character to unleash a special attack when a certain number of enemies have been killed. The words "soul max" will then appear and by pushing select, a creature from another world will be summoned and attack.

Points earned when levelling up can be distributed freely in the different stats, allowing the player to customize his character's stats. Gaining levels also gives Skill points, which are incidentally used to gain new skills such as "Attack Power Up", "Item Effect Up", etc.

Of course, one of the most anticipated features of Shining Soul is the ability to have up to four people playing at the same time. Each player will need one cartridge, and the number of players minus one cable (3 cables for 4 players, 2 for 3, etc). Instructions on how to plug the cables can be seen here.

Shining Soul will be released in Japan on March 28th; the chances for a western release are rather good. In the meanwhile, you can take a look at the following new media:

- 18 new screen shots
- 14 pieces of artwork by Yoshitaka Tamaki (of Landstalker, Alundra and Shining Force fame)
- 1 wallpaper design
- The TV commercial, which can be downloaded here (scroll to the bottom of the page).

It's also worth noting that Sega is holding a Yogurt-themed present campaign where you can win a GBA link cable and a special pouch. It sounds like the incomparable character will appear in the game.