Soul Link is a visual novel

Visual novel

A is an interactive fiction game featuring mostly static graphics, usually with anime-style art, or occasionally live-action stills or video footage...

 eroge developed by Navel

Navel (company)

is a Japanese label of Omega Vision Inc. a publisher of bishōjo eroge visual novel video games. Its name is a reference to the navel orange.-Games produced:By Navel*Shuffle! *Soul Link...

, centering around a group of military

Military

A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...

 cadets' adventure aboard a space hotel called Aries.

A PlayStation 2

PlayStation 2

The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...

 port of the original game Soul Link Extension was released in Japan on June 29, 2006. It contains additional material to supplement the removal of adult content.

The series is also adapted into an anime series, and various manga and novels.

An English version of the PC game was released in December 2009 by MangaGamer

MangaGamer

MangaGamer is a Netherlands-based company primary specializing in the English localization and distribution of Japanese visual novels.-History:...

.

Plot

In AD 2045, a group of military cadets, attending the preparatory course of the Central Military Academy, proceeded for training aboard the space station Aries. Within this group of cadets were Ryota Aizawa and his classmates including Sayaka Nagase and Kazuhiko Nitta. The situation went sour when a terrorist group called "Jararacas" took over the station. While the military successfully evacuated the station, Ryota and his group were trapped aboard. Worse still, the boarding assault left most of the military forces dead, effectively leaving the cadets on their own.

An unexpected twist occurs when a mysterious virus was released within the station, gaining control of almost all personnel and turning them into mindless creatures in the process. This forced everyone, friend and foe alike, to find a way out of the station alive.

Characters

• Voiced by: Hideki Ogihara

A third year cadet with a timid and kind personality. Unlike his older brother, Shuhei, Ryota does not excel in a single subject, but is only slightly above average in most of his skills. One trait that is above others is his leadership skills, which is put to the test throughout the story. Though it is hard for him, he does not let his heart get in the way of his decisions.

He is a childhood friend of Nao and later grows a crush on Sayaka.

In the end of his third year, Ryota becomes the hero who saved Earth, and also gets elected as the student representative.

• Voiced by: Yuki Masuda
  Yuki Masuda
  is a Japanese voice actress.-Notable voice roles:*Yanagi Sakoshita in Flame of Recca*Veena and her twin sister Helen, two of the Pu'Awak princesses in Cyborg 009*Misae in Bubblegum Crisis Tokyo 2040*Belvedere Coco in Vandread...
  
  

Childhood friend of Ryota Aizawa.

• Voiced by: Kentarō Itō
  Kentaro Ito
  is a seiyū who was born in Hachiōji, Tokyo, Japan. He has been affiliated with Mediarte since May 2009.- Notable anime roles :* Ai No Kusabi - Riki* Ao no Exorcist - Shiratori/Astaroth* Bakusō Kyōdai Let's & Go!! WGP - Brett Astaire...
  
  

Ryota Aizawa's older brother. Shuhei is a brilliant and talented soldier who skipped two grades in the Academy. He is well renowned and surpasses most soldiers in combat.

He is later revealed to possess perfect Sukyura cells, which enhances his healing capabilities. Although, unlike others who possess these cells, Shuhei does not turn into a mindless soldier. Cellaria was interested in him since he was able to fight off her control, and she intended to have him in order to create a superior being.

In the end, though most of the world believe them to be dead since they supposedly died when the Aries station crashed into Earth, they — Shuhei, Nanami, and Nao — live happily together. They believed that people are not ready to acknowledge the existence of Sukyura. In the end of the series they were last seen in the airport near the place where Ryota and Sayaka are.

• Voiced by: Kumi Sakuma
  Kumi Sakuma
  ' is a Japanese voice actress who formerly affiliated with Arts Vision.-Songs:Momoiro no Hana for Bleach Beat Collection 2nd Session:02 Toushirou Hitsugaya, Rangiku Matsumoto, and Momo Hinamori....
  
  

Girlfriend of Shuhei Aizawa. A passionate and kind personality. She is a medical student in the Academy.

• Voiced by: Takehito Koyasu
  Takehito Koyasu
  is a Japanese voice actor.-Career:Koyasu is part of the voice actor quartet Weiß consisting of Weiß Kreuz voice castmates Shinichiro Miki, Tomokazu Seki, and Yuuki Hiro...
  
  

A brilliant computer specialist and hacker. He builds a rivalry with both Aizawa brothers, though he does have a high respect for Shuhei.

• Voiced by: Marina Ono
  Marina Ono
  Marina Ōno , is a Japanese voice actress. Her hobbies are the Internet and making clothes. She was born under the name Hiromi Katayama...
  
  

Younger sister of Kazuhiko Nitta. An even better computer hacker. She does not have a stable relationship with her older brother, as the two would always argue when they see each other. Although, when they were younger, it seems that she used to look up to Kazuhiko until she realized that her brother was not serious in anything back then.

In the end, she and her brother get along, and she once again looks up to him.

• Voiced by: Junko Shimakata
  Junko Shimakata
  is a Japanese voice actress who works for Aoni Production.-Anime:*Kumomaru and Kirimaru in Anpanman*Kiki in Beyblade*Ichiro in Crayon Shin-chan*Roboka and Chinchao in Doraemon*Kaka in Dragon Quest*Trigger in Kurogane Communication...
  
  

A passenger on the Aries Station. Quiet and mysterious. She was revealed to be a mercenary

Mercenary

A mercenary, is a person who takes part in an armed conflict based on the promise of material compensation rather than having a direct interest in, or a legal obligation to, the conflict itself. A non-conscript professional member of a regular army is not considered to be a mercenary although he...

 she seems to have a relation with shin when she was younger .

• Voiced by: Chiharu Tezuka
  Chiharu Tezuka
  is a Japanese voice actor who works for Arts Vision.-Anime:*Karen Jordan in AD Police*Johnny in Beyblade*Marimo Marino in Crush Gear Turbo*Lasagna in Groove Adventure Rave*Yoshiharu Amachi in Let's Dance With Papa*Yumi/Mrs...
  
  

Instructor on the Aries Station. Appears to be very caring towards her students. She is revealed to be the perpetrator and mastermind of the attack on the station. She ends up betraying the terrorists on the station and takes it over herself, with her Sukyura soldiers. She is considered to be the perfect Sukyura being and controls those who possess the Sukyura cells. She becomes intrigued with Shuhei since he is the only one that she cannot fully control. In the end, she is destroyed by Nanami.

• Voiced by: Norio Wakamoto
  Norio Wakamoto
  is a veteran male seiyū and budō expert affiliated with Sigma Seven. He was born in Shimonoseki, Yamaguchi Prefecture, and was raised in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture. He graduated from Waseda University...
  
  

Steward of the Aries Station. He takes care of all passengers and acts as the general manager. A helpful personality. He is revealed to be Sayaka's father, who had left her when she was just a child. Unfortunately, he is killed before being able to tell her himself.

• Voiced by: Takashi Nagasako
  Takashi Nagasako
  is a Japanese voice actor from Wakayama Prefecture who works at Arts Vision.- Anime :* Mobile Suit Gundam: The Movie Trilogy , Mayer* Fencer of Minerva , Teo* New Cutey Honey , Caeser , Leader...
  
  

Leader of the terrorist faction that boards the Aries Station. He dies buying time for Aya to escape.

• Voiced by: Yui Shōji

A terrorist, and former soldier, that is skilled in hand-to-hand combat as well as firearms. An enthusiastic personality. She may seem insubordinate, but she respects Gale, and sees him as a father figure. She grows a liking for Kazuhiko and in the end, she is seen in a dress meeting up with him.

• Voiced by: Yoshino Nanjō
  Yoshino Nanjō
  from Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan is a Japanese voice actress affiliated with Amuleto. She is also currently the vocalist of the band fripSide.-Anime:2006*Hanoka as Mika Kisaragi*Soul Link as Aya Sugimoto*Tsuyokiss Cool×Sweet as Honoka Konoe...
  
  

Childhood friend of Sayaka Nagase. A clumsy, but kind personality. Ever cheerful at all times.

• Voiced by: Natsumi Yanase
  Natsumi Yanase
  is a Japanese voice actress from Tokyo, Japan. She also goes by the name when voicing adult games.-Anime:*D.C. II: Da Capo II *Debutante Detective Corps *Ef: A Tale of Memories....
  
  

A strange and young girl found on the Aries Station. She is later found out to be a creation of Sukyura cells and human cells; basically a result of when Shuhei and Nao consummated their relationship (In a way, she is their "child"). She calls Shuhei, her 'father', and Nao, her 'mother'. In the end, she became the one that destroyed Cellaria, as she was the only who can counter Cellaria's ability to spread Sukyura cells.

Adaptations

Soul Link is presented on a range of media types, ranging from the game itself, the anime, two light novels and several drama CDs.

Novels

Three Soul Link novel adaptations have been released. Two are published by Soft Garage and one is an anthology collection published by Jive

Jive (publisher)

is a Japanese publishing company in Shinjuku, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan and was established on May 12, 2003. In 2004, the company sold its stock to Poplar Publishing and now Jive is an affiliate of that company....

.

Manga

An anthology

Anthology

An anthology is a collection of literary works chosen by the compiler. It may be a collection of poems, short stories, plays, songs, or excerpts...

collection referred to as Twin Heart Comics Soul Link consists of manga relating to Soul Link by various artists and a manga adaptation titled Soul Link Signal Code: 0 was released on April 4, 2006.

External links

Official site of the English version. Official site of the Japanese version.