Epics (company)

Popolocrois

PoPoLoCRoIS (ポポロクロイス物語, Poporokuroisu monogatari) is a manga series by Yohsuke Tamori, originally published in the Asahi Student Newspaper (a subsidiary of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper). It was later adapted into two anime series and five role-playing video games. Its title is a combination of words from two languages: the Italian word "Popolo (people)" and the French "croix (crossing)", which together mean "crossing of people". The general theme of the series is love and compassion, that the race to which one belongs isn't important and the importance of friendship. Five PoPoLoCRoIS games, the original PlayStation release along with its four sequels, were previously released only in Japan. The PSP release is the first PoPoLoCRoIS game to be released in the USA and Europe. In 2015, a crossover with the Story of Seasons series of games was released, which will also be brought to the USA by XSeed.

While random and turn-based, battles take on a form very similar to console strategy RPGs (such as Final Fantasy Tactics). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn.

The main character is the prince of the Popolocrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game, PoPoLoCRoIS Monogatari, starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.

Development and History

Gameplay

While random and turn-based, battles take on a form very similar to console strategy RPGs (such as Final Fantasy Tactics). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn.

The gameplay has been criticised for having semi-tedious load times (especially on the Sony PSP). On the Sony PSP the sprites may lag for a while in some areas. It has also been criticised for having very frequent random encounters and, with the battle system, can really slow down a simple walk from one town to another.

Characters

Story

The main character is the prince of the Popolocrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game, Popolocrois Monogatari, starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.

There are two more games continuing the tales of Pietro and Co. The second game, PoPoRoGue(PoPoLoCRoIS + Epilogue), features Pietro as a 12-year-old boy that went off to save his father from the dream world that he was forced into. The third, PoPoLoCRoIS Monogatari II, features Pietro and Narcia as a 15-year-old with different costumes, who went off the defeat the mysterious force that was going to destroy the world. PoPoLoCRoIS Monogatari II was the most famous game of the series, due to the darkened story, new party members, and many other features. The PSP release is a reproduction of PoPoLoCRoIS Monogatari (included into Book 1) and PoPoLoCRoIS Monogatari II (Included into Book 3), but Book 2 is a brand-new scenario.

Ape Escape Racing

Ape Escape Racing (サルゲッチュ ピポサルレーサー Saru Get You: Pipo Saru Racer) is a racing game featuring the monkeys from the Ape Escape series. It was released in Japan on December 7, 2006. 11 months after its first release, the game was added into the 'PSP The Best' series'. In Ape Escape Racing the player 'builds' their monkey into a racing machine, by giving him an engine and tires. The game features 47 'vehicles', each in two forms: one specialized in drifting, one specialized in acceleration. Other vehicles are unlocked as the player proceeds through the ranks. The main game consists four racing tracks in a grand prix. Each improved race time will fill a monkey bar at the top of the grand prix menu. Once this bar is filled, a VS mode is unlocked where the tracks will be played again but an evil, much faster monkey is involved in the races. If the player achieves a top overall position, they will 'rank up' and unlock another four tracks and so on. Levels that have been unlocked can be replayed in normal race form or in a time trial form. Each of the tracks are set in the same arena, but the path changes to a harder one as more are unlocked. The tracks are set in the following order: The Beach, The City, The Graveyard and The Jungle. The game uses the PlayStation Portable's wireless capabilities for game sharing and ad-hoc wireless LAN multiplayer races.

Nanashi no Game

Nanashi no Game (ナナシ ノ ゲエム, Nanashi no Geemu, lit. "Nameless Game" or "The Game with No Name") is a first-person survival horror video game developed by Epics and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo DS. The game follows a university student who becomes cursed by the titular role-playing game, which causes people to die in seven days upon starting. It was released on July 3, 2008, in Japan. A sequel, titled Nanashi no Game: Me, was later released on August 27, 2009 in Japan.

Most of the game takes place in the real world, where the player navigates real-time 3D environments using the DS's D-Pad and Touch Screen. While exploring, the player must solve puzzles and reach locations. The player can switch to the TS Menu at any time, where they can play the cursed game, read e-mail messages, and load a previous save file. In many cases, an e-mail message or update to the cursed game will interrupt the player's exploration. In the cursed game, which only uses the top DS screen, the player controls a 2D 8-bit RPG that provides clues to the current situations and can, in some cases, advance the story. The player encounters Regrets (ルグレ, Rugure), zombie-like spirits that roam the area in exploration mode and end the game upon touching the player.

As of September 30, 2008, Nanashi no Game has sold 60,000 copies in Japan. Famitsu rated the game 30/40.

Epics developed a sequel, Nanashi no Game: Me (ナナシ ノ ゲエム 目, Nanashi no Geemu Me, lit. "Nameless Game: Eye"), a survival horror video game for the Nintendo DS. It was published by Square Enix, and released on August 27, 2009 in Japan. The story follows an anthropology student from Nanto University, as he discovers two cursed games, an RPG and a platformer. The game's title refers to the protagonist's left eye, represented by the left screen of the DS when held sideways, which allows the player to see things left (and hidden) by the curse. It sold 15,000 copies on the week of its release.

Much like in the original, Nanashi no Game: Me involves two separate modes of play. Most of the game takes place in the real world, where the player navigates real-time 3D environments using the DS's D-Pad and Touch Screen. While exploring, the player must solve puzzles and reach locations. The player can switch to the TS Menu at any time, where they can play the cursed game, read e-mail messages, and load a previous save file. In many cases, an e-mail message or update to the cursed game will interrupt the player's exploration. In the cursed game, which only uses the top DS screen, the player controls a 2D 8-bit RPG that provides clues to the current situations and can, in some cases, advance the story. In Nanashi no Game: Me, the player can now choose the locations they want to explore out of the two available for each day (for three days only). Each destination provides different experiences, including the Regrets the player will encounter.

Two spin-off DSiWare titles, named Noroi no Game: Chi (ノロイ ノ ゲエム 血, Noroi no Gēmu Chi, lit. "Cursed Game: Blood") and Noroi no Game: Oku (ノロイ ノ ゲエム 獄, Noroi no Gēmu Oku, lit. "Cursed Game: Prison") respectively, have also been released on 9 September 2009. Another sequel, Nanashi no Appli (ナナシ ノ 或プリ, Nanashi no Apuri, lit. "Nameless App"), was released on 26 January 2012 for iOS, and in February 2012 for Android.