|
Level 5 is a company that burst onto the PS2 scene in the system�s early days. Developing for Sony as a second party, the developer released its debut game, Dark Cloud, in an effort to compete to a degree with Nintendo�s Zelda series. After huge sales of the game despite so-so reviews, it became the very first PS2 Greatest Hits title, and a sequel was announced. Using the suddenly-popular technique of cel-shading mixed with the company�s own flair of style, Dark Cloud 2 was released to much acclaim in early 2003. Since then, Level 5�s trademark cel-shading graphics have become a staple of their games, from the enormously popular (in Japan, at least) Dragon Quest VIII to the cancelled MMO True Fantasy Live Online.
But as much as gamers appreciated that the developer was expanding its� repertoire, fans still wanted another Dark Cloud game. When Level 5 released a teaser image at E3 2004 that showcased flying vehicles in what looked to be a futuristic city with a bit of modern architecture, Dark Cloud fans went crazy, hoping that the image was art for a third Cloud game. A little over a year later, the game the aforementioned art piece was for was unveiled at last. It was not Dark Cloud 3, but instead a futuristic, multiple-world-spanning RPG titled Rogue Galaxy. Well, Level 5 fans, we�ve got the first details on the game, and it looks like Rogue Galaxy will be another fantastic adventure from the developer.
Players will take the role of 17-year-old Jester Rogue, an adventurous teen born on the desert planet Rose. Like most RPG heroes, Jester aspires to get his own ship and travel through outer space. Lucky for him, Jester gets that chance when a star-hopping space pirate known as Dorgengore shows up and recruits young Jester for his team of bandits. Soon enough, Jester gets a sword and gets ready to travel in space. Unique to Jester is a special birthmark on his cheek that will supposedly be important to the game�s plot.
Dorgengore�s daughter, the tomboy-ish Kisara, will be the game�s heroine. Two other characters have also been revealed: Luluka, a skilled archer from the forested land of Juraika, and a rebellious pirate named Zegram, with his outgrown haircut and red eye patch. Although all of these characters are humans, other races of creatures will populate the worlds throughout the adventure. Fish-people, ogres, catgirls (get your mind out the gutter, perverts), and robots will be in the game, to name a few.
The worlds of Rogue Galaxy will be incredibly detailed and will play host to many different themes, including, but not limited to, a forested world, a tranquil pasture dotted with windmills, the desert world where the hero resides, and many futuristic worlds with either skyscraper-filled metropolises or giant mechs roaming about. Producer Akihiro Hino told Japan�s Famitsu magazine that each of the worlds will feature multiple locations per world for players to visit, and that these vast worlds will serve to make Rogue Galaxy Level 5�s largest game to date.
Forget the story, what you really want to know is how the game will play, right? Combining the real-time gameplay of Dark Cloud with the three-character-AI system of Star Ocean, Rogue Galaxy will feature real-time combat with a party of three characters, two of which will be AI controlled. Players can switch the manually-controlled character at any time, and orders can be issued to the other two. A robust ability system is promised, with players collecting skill items and arranging them on a puzzle that will in turn boost the abilities and stats of party members. Although there are only four characters being revealed at this time, Hino says that four more will join the crew before the game is through.
Rogue Galaxy will also feature the return of the invention system from Dark Cloud 2. Expanding on that game�s system of taking photos of objects and combining them into products, at a certain point in Rogue Galaxy, Jester will eventually obtain his own factory, complete with Ford-esque assembly lines and production schedules. In addition to the invention system, Galaxy will have a chess-meets-Pokemon minigame where you capture creatures during your journey to use in games of chess-like battles.
On the technical front, Level 5 will continue to use and refine cel-shaded visuals in Rogue Galaxy. Characters will be modeled somewhat realistically, along the lines of what L5�s style for the defunct True Fantasy Live was. Backgrounds and environments will be realistically styled and fully 3D. Level 5 and director Hino has also stated that the game, as massive and populated as the many worlds are, will have absolutely no visible load times, a la the Metroid Prime games. Hino said that this will be an incredible task to pull off, but is determined to do so. Tell that to those naysayers who say such a thing is impossible on the PS2!
Considering Level 5�s impressive pedigree and the sheer scope of this project, Rogue Galaxy is shaping up to continue the developer�s quality record. With stylish graphics, a proven battle system (though not used in their own games), and everyone�s favorite subject matter (pirates�in space!), Rogue Galaxy is worth keeping an eye on for any RPG fan worth their salt. While it has only been announced for a December release in Japan for now, if the company�s past is anything to go by, we here in North America will be able to explore the galaxy sometime in 2006.
|
PROS
Level 5 has quality record
Beatiful visuals
ZERO load times!?
CONS
No US release yet.
Combat a bit ripped off Star Ocean
|
|
