With the volume of titles I’m typically reviewing on a weekly basis I’ll admit that anything that calls itself an RPG in any way I tend to be hesitant to check out, worried about the typical timesink of hours and grinding it can take to make the most of them. On the other hand, while I’ve always had a love for beat-em-ups I’ll admit that they can be lacking in the depth department, not always warranting extended play due to their normal fundamental lack of a story or something deeper than the action to keep you engaged. Enter Young Souls, a hybrid beat-em-up RPG that not only attempts to meld these very different directions into a sum greater than its parts, but manages to pull it off quite spectacularly. The critical place where it finds this success is in the combat and the variety of weapons, secondary items, and various armors you can use between your two twins to set yourself up for success. You’ll really need to be smart as well in what you equip since there’s no getting around some of the game’s battles being outright tough, requiring you to fight tooth and nail, making use of everything you have to succeed, though my favorite is the opportune timing of a switch between siblings to deliver a quick and punched up attack. Perhaps RPG traditionalists won’t like the change in pace and more challenging combat but if you’ve got even an ounce of love for beat-em-ups, and especially if you have someone to play with co-op to boot, this is a very successful marriage of the challenging action of beat-em-ups and satisfying depth and choices made available by the RPG genre. It is highly recommended!