Spike Chunsoft and tri-Ace announce Exist Archive
It seems like not all too long ago, people were deeply concerned after tri-Ace was bought out by mobile company Nepro Japan. Since then, a lot of those concerns were laid to rest with the reveal of Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness.
Now, we have nothing to worry about as they have collaborated with Spike Chunsoft to release Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky later this year for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita.
The story is split in two different worlds: modern-day Tokyo, and an alien planet known as Protolexa. 12 protagonists have been caught up in an incident that destroyed their land, but thanks to the fragments of evil gods that they carry within them, they find themselves involved in an biblical war between gods.
These 12 protagonists include Kanata Kujo, a young man belonging to a wealthy family who is an arranged marriage with the similarly-wealthy Ranze Kamikawa. Kanata will soon meet the mysterious Mayura Tsukishiro and well-meaning punk Tokihisa Kiriya in Protolexa, with the rest being revealed as the story goes on.
The story will have a big focus on how these characters react to one another and the relationships that develop and change. There will be multiple endings, and they depend on which characters the player decides to send to earth over the course of the story so that each protagonist can live on with their normal lives. In that regard, players will have to sacrifice characters for the sake of the plot.
Gameplay is similar to Valkyrie Profile which has been teased all along. Chibi-fied characters move about the different towns and dungeons at a side camera angle. Players will have to put their platforming skills to the test to solve different environmental puzzles, with enemies visible on screen to engage with.
Also similar to Valkyrie, each of the four party members players can take with them into battle are mapped to the four different face buttons. The "Active Chain Battle" system puts a heavy emphasis on chaining together combos in order to dish out damage to enemies. Each of the 12 protagonists have their own special god-imbued attacks that can be triggered.
Exist Archive: The Other Side of the Sky is set to be released later this year for the PS4 and Vita in Japan. Yuichiro Saito will act as producer, while Masaki Norimoto (Valkyrie Profile) will be acting as director and scenario writer. Character designs are handled by Mino Taro (Love Plus, Tokimeki Memorial), and the soundtrack will be composed by the legendary Motoi Sakuraba.
According to Famitsu, the game should take around 40-50 hours to complete. You can visit the official site here.
