Enterbrain announces Galerians: Ash

   In the latest issue of Weekly Famitsu, Enterbrain released the first details on Galerians: Ash for the PlayStation 2. Galerians: Ash is a prequel to the PSone's Galerians. Though story details are scarce, the brief synopsis implies that the game will be concerned with the creation of Dorothy, the Mother Computer. The main character is once again Rion, the first game's protagonist. Also returning is Lilia, who is the daughter of Dorothy's creator and extremely knowledgeable about the Galerians. It is currently unknown is Lilia is a playable character this time around. Cain, the "other Rion" from the first game, also looks to play some role in the the prequel. Other returning characters include the Birdman, Rainheart, and Dorothy herself. The three meters visible in screenshots are HP, AP, and drugs, implying a gameplay mechanic similar to the original. Hopefully, the drug gameplay mechanic will be rebalanced in order to be less frustrating to the player.

   Very little is known gameplay changes in the prequel. Backgrounds are now generated in real-time, instead of prerendered. Players can now "lock on" to enemies in the standard third-party action style. A variety of new psychic attacks and abilities are at Rion's disposal. Galerians: Ash has a current Japanese release date of April 2002. No U.S. release has been announced at this time.