The turned-based RPG game for the Wii will arrive in summer 2010

Oct 23, 2009 17:01 GMT  ·  By

Another Wii game is making its way from across the ocean to arrive to North America. The title that left the Japanese shores is Arc Rise Fantasia, a J-RPG developed by Ignition Entertainment. It is the first one to be developed for the Wii by imageepoch, the guys responsible for 7th Dragon and Luminous Arc games. Both of them were Nintendo DS titles that proved to fare pretty well, with 7th Dragon slightly outperforming the other.

"We are absolutely thrilled to bring Arc Rise Fantasia to a western audience," Shane Bettenhausen, the Business Development director of Ignition Entertainment, said. "It's an ambitious Japanese role-playing game with deep gameplay, top-notch production values, and an unforgettable story line – Wii owners have been pining for a massive fantasy epic and their patience will definitely be rewarded."

This isn't the first time Marvelous Entertainment and Ignition have collaborated. Muramasa: The Demon Blade is their previous title on which they joined forces and it proved to be a successful game. As such, it makes sense that they would pair up for yet another one. Arc Rise Fantasia will especially appeal to fans of the Tales series, since the game uses a very similar visual style and battle system as Namco's RPG series. The American release of the title has been set for the summer of 2010, so we still have some time until the game arrives States-side.

Arc Rise Fantasia is a turn-based, role-playing game in which, even if both sides act simultaneously during a round, the order in which these actions take place during the turn is determined by the type of orders they're following. The party is formed by three characters that share the same action-point gauge. These action points deplete as various actions are performed, like attacks, move orders, combos or the summoning of special beasts, the Rogress.

The action of the title takes place in the Meridian Empire that is plagued by the existence of "Contaminant Dragons." These creatures prove to be troublesome foes to tackle for the empire, as they cross it in large flocks. If killed, these dragons perish in an explosion that leaves the land poisoned, making them a very difficult adversary. The game follows the story of L'Arc, a mercenary hired by Meridian, as he fights to defend the empire.