Lufia Gaiden details

   New information on Estpolis Gaiden (Lufia Gaiden in the US) has come out: where the last installment in the series, Lufia: The Legend Returns, emphasized random dungeon exploration, Lufia Gaiden will focus on monster collecting and raising. Over 200 monsters encountered in battle can be captured with special disks, and once obtained, can be sent into battle in order to fight enemies and gain experience to evolve into new forms. Captured monsters also play a role in Lufia Gaiden's modified IP Gauge system. Once the meter is full, characters can fuse with their current monster in order to use special attacks.

   Though these changes mark a new direction in the battle system, the dungeon designs seem to be returning to the puzzle-intensive nature of the first two Lufia games. Furthermore, enemies once again appear on the dungeon screens, taking one step for every step of the player's. Estpolis Gaiden is due March 8 in Japan; no US release for Lufia Gaiden has been announced.