windy-x-windam
Latest
DS releases for the week of July 28
Not a great deal out for DS owners in the U.S. or Europe this week, but a lot of options if you're willing to look to Japanese releases for your fix. Steal Princess, Windy x Windam, Rhythm Tengoku Gold, the larger of Koei's Nobunaga games, and everyone's favorite witch-touching game sees a sequel. In fact, you know what? If you need us, we'll be on a plane to Japan, since most of these aren't yet slated for release outside their mother country. Air Traffic Chaos Suzuki Super-Bikes Slog sadly past the break to see the rest of the major markets this week.
Windy x Windam x Trailer
This Windy x Windam trailer explains what the title refers to, but unfortunately it does so in Japanese and is therefore a bit hard to parse. It appears that "Windy" is a term for basic combat, and "Windam" is used to denote super attacks, which decrement the "Windam Gauge." More interesting than the name discussion, we think, is the fact that wow, this game looks nice. Are those painted backgrounds? More than being simply an Izuna vehicle, Windam looks like a potentially high-quality DS fighting game.It even features a (sort of) strategic element. The vertical gauge seems to decrement when a character makes a move that doesn't connect, and refills very quickly. In a way, it's sort of like the action points used in SRPGs, or like a slightly turn-based system that limits what you can do before you attack (thus switching the turn). Or maybe we're seeing too much in it.[Via Siliconera]
Windy x Windam's new characters include another familiar face
The Windy x Windam website now reveals more of the Ninja Studio fighting game's cast. Of the new additions, you'll recognize Shino, who joins Izuna from Ninja Studio's Izuna roguelike series. The game's Vega (agile, masked, and creepy) quotient is being filled by the green-haired G, while the role of the Big Grappling Guy has gone to ... Big.The "system" area features a couple of new screenshots, including one of G transforming into some kind of monster. In addition to the life gauge and "boost" gauge, there's a circular "Windam Gauge" that seems to have something to do with power. Super attack gauge, maybe?There's a wallpaper of the boxart image in the "special" page. We're still not sure of Ninja Studio's ability to create a fighting game, but what they have so far looks neat!%Gallery-21768%[Via Insert Credit]
Windy x Windam uses the standard fighting game storyline
Except for the (necessarily) strange aspect ratio, Ninja Studio's Windy x Windam seems as straightforward a 2D fighter as you could get. Completely 2D sprites and backgrounds depict a fighting tournament in which each participant enters for their own personal reasons.Thanks to character profiles, we know a bit more about a few of the non-Izuna characters: Ashley sells flowers on the street (and is fighting for equality in the world or something). Kiriku is a self-taught swordsman who enters the fighting tournament to help his injured sister. Stein is a robot who wants freedom and searches for his creator. (Izuna, of course, is in the tournament for money.)It's a good thing story doesn't matter in fighting games, because Windy x Windam is turning out to be a pastiche of fighting game cliches so far. Oh, maybe it's parody! %Gallery-21768%
Windy x Windam: Fighting Game of the Unemployed Ninja
A poster on the fighting game forum Shoryuken.com found a small blurb and screens about one of the mysterious games on Success Corp.'s summer release list: Windy x Windam. The name certainly didn't provide any clues to the game's content, but it turns out that Windy x Windam is a fighting game based on ... Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja. Windy x Windam is being developed by Izuna's Ninja Studio. We don't know how much experience they have with fighting games -- maybe someone from the company worked on fighting games previously. Their history as Ninja Studio seems to contain only mobile casual games, mobile SRPGs, and Izuna. Maybe it'll be a turn-based fighting game!%Gallery-21768%[Via NeoGAF]
