Once upon a time, the RPG genre was defined by games about long journeys across the world, a sense of discovery and adventure, about good vs evil, and usually set in a classic past time era. Today the RPG genre is all about future technology, depressed or angsty characters with emotional baggage, and nearly all are obsessed with blending some unrelated genre or gameplay mechanic into the RPG. This September, Ignition Entertainment with Tecmo, Red Software, and Matrix are taking gamers back to the golden era of the RPG with the Nintendo DS title "Nostalfgia". Nostalgia is both reflective of the storyline within the game, and about the genre itself. Over the coming weeks, Zentendo will be bringing you a look into the main characters that make up Nostalgia as well as some concept artwork of the world itself. If you long for a game that feels like Skies of Arcadia, Grandia, or Chrono Trigger then get excited for Nostalgia. The return of the classic tale is almost here.
 

Nostalgia is set at the turn of century on Earth. However this is not the Earth we remember. Nostalgia makes use of the popular concept of alternate history. A "What if?" idea of the world if hot air balloons became the major focus of transportation over automobiles and ships. The Airship has long been a staple of classic RPG games. Nostalgia capitilises on this beloved aspect of the genre, much like Skies of Arcadia did on Dreamcast and Gamecube. Throughout the Game you will travel over the world on the Maverick. Major locations of the game are London, Cairo, St. Petersburg, New York, and Tokyo. This gives a unique perspective to Nostalgias world, in that if you have a shred of an idea about real geography, you know where to find the major cities in the world.
 

The game begins with the expedition of world famous British explorer Gilbert. An attack by a mysterious religious cult known as the Cabal causes a daring escape in which Gilbert disappeared after falling from his airship. His son is Eddie, a boy trained in the art of sword fighting and the ways of the knights of England, inherits his fathers Airship. Eddie decides to become an adventurer like his father before him, with the purpose of discovering the truth to his fathers disappearance. Being raised in the aristocratic society of London, Eddie may not have the kind of street smarts of those of his other companions such as Pad. His outfit is very classical style, mixing style with maneuverability. Just because he was raised in wealth does not mean Eddie is a snob. His training in the style of knights has given him both a sense of nobility as well as caring for others. Eddie brings us back to the kind of main character that is both determined, headstrong, and not a jerk or depressant. Eddie is more reflective of the kind of character the player wants to be. The goal of every video game is to beat it, to overcome all obstacles and challenges. Eddie reflects that mindset that used to be shared amongst most main protagonists. What fun is a game, where if a boss is both scary and hard, that in game character even wants to give up? Eddie will represent the determination every gamer has to overcome anything that gets in the way between you and the end credits.
 

In this artwork we can see the designs for an area that is built alongside a river or man made canal. It could possibly be venice, but some of it suggests possibly a massive sewer system. Perhaps underneath London? It looks to be very large as indicated by the figure standing on the side and the gates of the waterways also appear to be pretty large. The top right suggests that it is possibly built underneath a city, though it still looks much larger then any sewer system, especially from that time era. This area is likely to be used as dungeon, almost assuredly full of monsters. Perhaps it is used as an escape sequence, or alternate route to reach another part of the city above. In any case, is shows that at least one city in Nostalgia is likely to have more to it then can be seen on the surface.
 
 That is all for this feature. Next memory will include a look at the priestess Fiona and an icy tower unlike any in the real world.