E3: Thousand Arms armed and ready

[05.14.99] » Atlus' "most ambitious project to date" set to wow RPG fans this fall.

   Atlus has long been known among die-hard RPG fans for its smaller, more niche RPG titles. Whether it's the high school hallways of Persona or the strategic battlefields of Brigandine, gamers can always count on Atlus for an excellent, if somewhat smaller, RPG experience. But with the upcoming Thousand Arms, developed by Red Company (Sakura Taisen), Atlus is making its leap for the big time.

   What sets this two CD title - possibly three, says Atlus, if the space is needed - apart from the rest? Massive voice acting, for one. Atlus showed us the script for each of the characters, and the combined stack was a good nine or ten inches thick. Over 6,000 lines (12-13 hours) for over 30 voiced characters will bring the game to life. Atlus is keen to stress that the voices are all done by professional voice actors with work on cartoons and anime dubbing - not random people picked up off the street. 20-30 minutes of anime/CG sequences serve to punctuate key plot points in the game.

   The gameplay consists of sprite based exploration on 3D environments, such as Grandia or Enix's perpetually forthcoming Dragon Quest VII. Battles are well-animated, 2D anime affairs, with excellent spell effects throughout. Atlus has actually upped the battle difficulty from the Japanese version. Dialogue with characters is handled in an interesting manner; the camera zooms in on the character, then cuts to a highly detailed 2D anime picture. The detail in these portraits comes into play with one of the title's most unique features - and one any Sakura Taisen fan will instaltly recognize - dating.

   There are nine girls available for the player to flirt with and date - ten, if you count one girl's split personality. While, for story reasons, the character always ends up with the heroine at the end, he's welcome to flirt with and date any of the girls he pleases. On the dates, characters can choose from a variety of compliments and conversations to share with the females. Some are good, some are not so good, and some are just outright ridiculous. The entire procedure, says Atlus, is rather "tongue-in-cheek" - the goal is to have fun with dating the girls, not be bogged down by pages of text or worry, "have I made a mistake?" Atlus also joked that these would make great "teaching tools" for inept would-be-Romeos, as the girl's reactions are pretty true to how you would expect a real girl to react.

   As with Sakura Taisen, your skill off the battlefield affects your abilities in battle. The hero, Meis Triumph, would-be Spirit Blacksmith and affable young man, takes to the field with up to two "supporting" characters. Four of the girls can join Meis on the field, but all can help teach him spells and skills. The kinder and more likeable he is, the more powerful techniques the girls will teach him. Being a gentleman will pay off when it's time to put the smack down!

   Atlus has also taken great pains to ensure that the story reads as if it's written in English - not just Japanese translated into English. It's not enough to be gramattically correct - awkward phrasings are being stamped out, Anglicisms and American references added, and dialogue rewritten for maximum naturalness. Atlus is tickled pink by this title, and are hoping that gamers will have as much fun playing it as they did creating it.

   While there are many RPGs showing at E3, few have any distinguishing characteristics that make them worth a second (or even a first) look. Thousand Arms, on the other hand, combines great voice acting and anime , a first-in-U.S. dating element, and a solid traditional RPG core into an experience no RPG fan will want to pass up.