April 23, 2008 - The latest issue of Famitsu has the first report on an original DS RPG being developed by Image Epoch and set to be published by Sega. Titled World Destruction, the game is drawing lots of attention due to its staff, which includes people who worked on Xenosaga, Chrono Trigger, Grandia and Final Fantasy VII.
World Destruction is set in world in which humans are ruled by beasts. Humans have formed an organization, the World Destruction Committee, whose goal is to destroy the world. You play as Kirie, a new member of this organization, and someone who, it turns out, has the secret power needed for the world's destruction. As the game progresses, Kirie heads out on adventure to find allies in order to bring about the destruction of the world.
Visually, the game combines sprite-based characters with 3D backdrops. From what we can tell, the backdrops are quite detailed, particularly during battle scenes, which make use of both screens to display the action.
We don't have too many details on the specifics of that battle system at the moment, but it appears that the game will feature turn-based battles with a few features pulled from the fighting genre. Proper button timing is required for the most damage. You also have access to cancel commands for stopping your attacks. Height will also play an important role during combat.
As for that big staff that's causing all the buzz, Famitsu reports that the game is being worked on by a staff of over fifty. Included in the bunch are Masato Kato as scenario writer (former work on Xenogears, Final Fantasy VII and Chrono Trigger), Kunihiko Tanaka as main character designer (former work on Xenogears and Xenosaga), and Yasunori Mitsuda as composer (prior work on Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and Xenogears). The game's director, Kyoki Mikage, comes from Image Epoch and previously directed Luminous Ark. Sega's Yoichi Shimosato is producer, having previously worked on games like Shining Force. Outside of this, the game's visual and character staff has support from the people who worked on Grandia, Drakengard, and Ertain Odyssey.
Development on what's sure to be one of the biggest DS RPGs this year is at 70% complete, Famitsu reports, with a Japanese release planned for the summer. Sega is really pushing this in Japan, with an anime and manga planned to kick off in July, so we can probably expect an international release.
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