US, August 18, 2009 - From Software's last countdown site ended up in disappointment total, with the announcement of a bunch of PS2 to PSP ports. The company's latest countdown could make up for that.
Famitsu got the scoop on the new title, whose countdown site expires later this week. PS3 owners can look forward to a unique, all-original action RPG called "
3D Dot Game Heroes."
3D Dot Game Heroes is set in the Kingdom of Dotnia. This world was once made up of 2D sprite art like something out of an old school game. However, wanting to attract more people to the kingdom, the king decided to use technology to make everything 3D. This is where something goes horribly wrong, although just what that is has yet to be specified.
Online media has yet to be released for 3D Dot Game Heroes. To get an image of the game, picture a 2D sprite-based RPG. Now turn all the pixels into cubes. That's what the world and characters of 3D Dot Game Heroes look like -- sprites in 3D. The game has the solid look of a 3D world, but with a nostalgic pixel art feel.
Despite the retro theme, the game does look impressive technically. It's being developed by
Silicon Studio, a developer who worked with From on PSP's Onore no Shinzuru Michi wo Yuke, but who also does middle ware.
In line with the visual style, 3D Dot Game Heroes has some traditional RPG themes.
The game's background story involves six magic orbs which were stolen by a demon of darkness, who was then defeated by a brave swordsman and sealed away using the combined power of the orbs. You play as the grandchild of that brave swordsman, and you're tasked with saving the world.
For now, 3D Dot Game Heroes has been announced exclusively for Japan. Players can look forward to a release this November.
With an interesting concept, and, unlike Silicon's last game, a name that's already in English, perhaps we can expect an international release for the game not too long after that.
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