Star Ocean developer announces two new RPGs [Update]
As if to capitalise on the praise for its new tech demo, RPG specialist studio Tri-Ace has announced two new portable RPGs.
1UP reports the Japanese developer has struck a publishing deal with Konami for both titles.
Frontier Gate
Frontier Gate, which is about 80 percent complete and should release in Japan by the end of the year, is a multiplayer PSP title. Each player controls two characters, and three players can hook up via wireless for six-character parties.
Combat is said to feel Monster Hunter like, but is turn-based RPG fare. Combos will fill a "BoostAP" metre, permitting special abilities.
Andriasang has word the plot involves the discovery of a new frontier by, uh, two frontiersmen. The two form a guild to explore the new area rather than see it become the subject of territorial squabbling.
The player creates an original character, and has a choice of fifteen companions, three of which have ben revealed so far. Alettio is a dark-haired dual-swordsman, while the heroic instructor Reinvout uses a single sword. The mace-wielding Dizzy is the daughter of an adventurer, so the second generation to take up the mantle.
Player characters can be fully customised, including facial features, while companions clothing can be altered at your whim.
Single- and multiplayer modes use the same world, and Tri-Ace CEO Yoshiharu Gotanda has mysteriously commented that those who train their companion character as a healer will struggle in solo mode.
Labyrinth no Kanata
Resonance of Fate director Takayuki Suguro is leading the second project, Labyrinth no Kanata (Beyond the Labyrinth), for 3DS. It's a dungeon-crawling RPG with no release date.
Details are scantier, but the development team apparently told Famitsu the game will focus on a young girl, who will talk a lot.
The game's visual style will be bright, and art shows a young blond girl with a ball haircut standing amid ruins. It's said to be 60 percent complete.
Neither Konami's American or European arms have confirmed whether either title will see localisation.
Tri-Ace's previous RPGs include the Star Ocean series, Infinite Undiscovery, and Valkyrie Profile.