A JRPG with guns and real-time moves is exactly what you can expect from tri-Ace Studio's upcoming Resonance of Fate. We sat down with two of the developers behind the title to find out all about this new IP.
Inside the realm of Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) the pressure to create something innovative and ultimately successful is ever-present. While tri-Ace Studios upcoming title Resonance of Fate for the Xbox 360 and PS3 has yet to tick the successful box, the mix of real-time and turn-based gameplay and absence of magic and swords in this JRPG is helping to keep things interesting. We sat down with a hands-off demo from tri-Ace director Takayuki Suguro and Sega producer Mitsuhiro Shimano to get a better insight into what makes Resonance of Fate stand out from the rest.
Resonance of Fates story is about a futuristic Earth, where poisonous gases have permeated the atmosphere, forcing people to build a giant air purifier tower known as Basel. A city develops around the Basel tower, with a strong class hierarchy taking charge of society--the upper classes live in luxury apartments at the top of Basel while the lower classes reside in camps and districts built around the base of the tower. Unbeknownst to its residents, Basel has a mind of its own and soon enough the giant machine begins to rule lives and control destinies. The games three main characters are part of the middle class, working as mercenaries and completing missions and tasks for the ruling class. Players will take control of the three characters in mission-based gameplay that will involve unlocking more and more areas of the Basel tower to reach the top, battling a mix of enemies and bosses along the way.
According to Suguro and Shimano, Resonance of Fate stands out from other JRPGs because of the decision to use guns rather than traditional magic and swords, something that the developers were unsure of at first.
We wanted to step away from traditional RPGs and go with something that will make sense given the games gritty context and setting in a world ruled by machines, Suguro said. Traditional swords and magic in RPGs is becoming very banal. We wanted something different with acrobatic actions and camera angles.
The other main difference between our game and other RPGs is the tempo. We know that Western gamers dont really like the slow nature of the command and turn-based battle systems so we tried to create something different with the incorporation of real-time elements. We wanted to make a hybrid between an RPG and an action game.
The real-time elements are so prominent that Resonance of Fate is in fact being marketed as a real-time game. The tri-Attack-Battle system in the game incorporates a mixture of real-time and turn-based elements in the gameplay--players will control each of the three characters in turn in order to defeat an enemy. Each character must traverse a fixed course (denoted by a blue line on-screen), which is set by the player. The objective is to make this trajectory as long as possible within the limitations of the screen in order to give the character enough time to hit the enemy as many times as possible before reaching the end of the trajectory. It is also necessary to interject character trajectories to build up something called Resonance attacks, which will see all three characters attacking the enemy at the same time. Once a characters turn is over, the enemy will make its move, followed by the players second character, and so on.
During attacks, characters can continually switch weapons and use a charging system by pressing the attack button at the right time in correspondence to an on-screen meter, which will increase damage. Once an enemy is defeated, new areas of the map will be unlocked and players will gain access to in-game currency and new parts to be used in the games extensive weapon customization menu.
We think the battle system in Resonance of Fate is a lot easier than traditional RPGs, Suguro said. We wanted to give players more room for exploration and strategic thinking in battles by giving them an easy system to master, which will allow for more creativity if the game is played through a second or third time.
To keep the tempo of the battles quick, the developers severely reduced the length of the battle animations, which means players will not have to wait a long time before jumping back into it.
The games real-time element also comes through in the animated cut-scenes, which all play out in real time. This means things like the time of day and the characters clothes and appearance (which can all be customized) are reflected in the visually stunning mini movies.
The game also includes three features designed to heighten its replay value: a battle retry option that lets users restart any battle if they are defeated, a quick-save feature that lets players save the game at any point, and a new game plus feature that allows players to re-play the game from start to finish using the same items as the last play-through.
These features are there because we wanted players to think about the combat strategy they employ in battles and try out different things, Suguro said. We also wanted to give hardcore gamers the option of replaying through the game without the need to go back and acquire everything they need all over again. That way its more fun and challenging, and gives players more time for exploration.
While the game is still in its final stages of development, Suguro and Shimano are confident that Resonance of Fate will appeal to the Western market as much as it does to the Japanese market.
We were careful to remove some of the things in the game that we know Western players dont like, like the lack of tempo during battles. We hope and believe that everyone will like it. Its very different, from its battle system down to the visuals. It was a leap of faith for us and we hope it pays off.
+ wenn man demo durchzockt am ende nen weihnachtliches pic 
