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RPG 'Mystic Chronicles' moves from iOS to PSP this summer
Natsume is localizing the PSP version of Kemco's Mystic Chronicles, a retro-style RPG developed by Kemco. Yes, Kemco's back, and has been quietly releasing RPGs on iOS and Android for a while! In fact, Mystic Chronicles was one of those mobile releases. Siliconera notes that it was called Fantasy Chronicles on iOS, and featured what appears to be a different translation.Mystic Chronicles is a turn-based game in which protagonist Lux and other characters are accompanied by AI "guardian beasts," whose assignments and basic behaviors can be set by the player.The PSP version is due this summer, and we hope for Natsume's sake it'll be downloadable on Vita immediately.%Gallery-185235%
Sorcery Blade: so ugly it's cute
Teasing the December 16th release of their WiiWare RPG Sorcery Blade, Kemco released a few new screenshots. To be perfectly honest, the new screens look quite junky! But in some kind of nostalgic, PS1/N64 blurry-texture sort of way that we find charming. Were this a full-price retail title, we'd be skewering it mercilessly, but $10 is a massive bargain for a new RPG, so the fuzzy walls and oversimplistic character models are merely endearing. Speaking of character models, check out the totally mismatched NPCs, featuring Mii heads on realistically-proportioned bodies.Really, if there's anything at all to the timing-based combat, we could foresee having a great time with Sorcery Blade. That is, if Kemco decided to go to the trouble of translating it. A cheap WiiWare RPG is infinitely more interesting than a flood of color-matching puzzle games.
Sorcery Blade: first trailer of the WiiWare RPG
How do you make a cell phone RPG look great? Put it on an actual game system! World Wide Software's Sorcery Blade, a WiiWare version of the Sorcery Sword series, looks quite nice for a downloadable game. Rather than the action-oriented Monster Hunter cash-in we assumed it would be, Sorcery Blade is a "real" turn-based RPG. Either that or the monsters are just very polite.There's no word on an international release for this game, but there's so little risk to a downloadable game that we think it's worth publisher Kemco's time. We'd definitely be up for a low-commitment RPG.[Via Inside-Games]
Sorcery Blade: first brief look at a small RPG
When we first saw Sorcery Blade, all we knew was that it was some kind of WiiWare RPG based on a mobile game series. We may still not know all that much about it, but Famitsu has posted the first direct-feed screens, so we have a better idea what it looks like.Sorcery Blade, evidently set on Mars in the year 3000, uses a motion-controlled combat scheme, with special attacks and magic done by drawing shapes on the screen, prompted by icons. When not in combat, you'll return to the town (we're guessing there's just one), where you'll receive quests and interact with Mii residents.The idea of a tiny, downloadable RPG is very appealing. There's nothing in particular about RPG gameplay that lends itself to superlong games -- that's just how it's worked out. Maybe Sorcery Blade will be an enjoyable, but bite-size, action RPG.
Kemco reveals WiiWare action RPG Sorcery Blade
There are only two screens and a tiny writeup of this in this week's Famitsu, but this WiiWare RPG looks like it might be interesting. According to the (short) article, Sorcery Blade is a new entry in a popular mobile RPG series by publisher Kemco. We looked around Kemco's site and the best guess we have is that it's a Sorcery Sword game. If so, then a lot has changed in the transition from phones to WiiWare. We don't know much about the combat in the new version, other than that it uses the Wiimote for timing-based attacks, but it looks like it may be real-time. We suspect that it probably plays as much like Monster Hunter as it looks.
Virtually Overlooked: Shadowgate
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.While replaying a little Resident Wiivil Evil 4 over the holidays with the man of the house, a great realization came unto me, and I demanded the right to take JC's place on the Virtually Overlooked soapbox this week. The inability to do silly things like jump into the river, shoot the drivers, and stab random people at the beginning of the game really bugged me, even moreso than on my first outing with the title. I need free reign for suicide and a little friendly fire! I need to be able to do all the things you're not supposed to be able to do, and if I have to start over, hey -- that's okay. It's about freedom, baby, yeah. And I was reminded of a game that allowed just that: Shadowgate.%Gallery-12582%
Virtually Overlooked: North and South
Welcome to our weekly feature, Virtually Overlooked, wherein we talk about games that aren't on the Virtual Console yet, but should be. Call it a retro-speculative.After exploring the offensive Spanish for Everyone over at DS Fanboy, we wracked our brains trying to think of another game that failed to adhere to the politically correct school of thought. The first title that came to mind was North and South, and if you've ever played this game, you'll probably understand why.This 1989 NES (among others) game is a bit of an oddity. Not only was it one of the first real-time strategy titles in the industry, but it also included two platformer minigames that were all kinds of excellent.Aside from its genre mixing, though, you're probably wondering what was so controversial about this title. To explain that, we might have to give you a brief history lesson first.
