Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star announced for the West
Tecmo Koei (soon to be Koei Tecmo Europe) has announced that they will be localized Ar nosurge and adding the surname "Ode to an Unborn Star".
The sci-fi RPG takes place in a world where music and song can create magic, or Hymmnos. A civilization has lost their planet and has spent the last 2000 years searching for a new home. The story follows two sets of characters: Delta and Casty, whose goal is to protect humanity and save the world. The player will be able to switch between the two pairs where at certain points their paths will weave together to help solve the mystery surrounding their plight.
The game focuses on a complex synthesis system to help create new items, along with a unique character development system that focuses on their relationships with one another to help draw the characters closer and make them stronger as a result - so expect plenty of "diving". The battle system also follows Ar Tonelico in that you have a character in front fighting off enemies in melee combat while the songstress in the back is charging her song; the higher the charge, the more damage it creates to the enemy.
Here is a description for the two main characters:
Delta Lantonoil
A young man who came from within the Barrier of Felion when it opened. He protected humans from attacks by the Sharl as a member of the Divine Empress’ PLASMA special forces team. He was part of the Genomis task force, which was assigned only to select members of PLASMA, but was discharged from the unit after a certain incident. He is currently running a small restaurant in Felion that he named ‘Cook de Delta’.
Casty Rianoit
A girl living in the human city of Felion. She is able to use Song Magic, an art that changes thoughts into magic. With this ability, she is currently an active member of the Divine Express’ PLASMA special forces team. She is also part of the Genomis task force, which was assigned only to select members of PLASMA, but she refuses to find a permanent partner for the required two-person squads, so she sees little deployment. She helps out in Delta’s restaurant on weekends. She is the self-proclaimed poster girl of the restaurant, whatever that means…
Ar nosurge: Ode to an Unborn Star will be released on September 26th in Europe both physically and digitally with a Dual Voice option (Japanese and English). No word on an American release yet as it has not yet been confirmed, but we'll be sure to let you know when that happens. The publisher is also working on bringing over the recently-announced Vita version. We have some screenshots from the Japanese version below. I hope they bundle in the soundtrack.
