After a little downtime, its time to jump right back into the world of "Nostalgia", the upcoming classic RPG for the Nintendo DS. One of the biggest draws that sets Nostalgia apart from lots of other RPG games is the setting. Based on an alternate history version of the real world at the turn of the 19th century, Nostalgia takes real world locations and legends and blends them into more traditional fantasy mechanics of the traditional turn based RPG.
A Fiesty Wizard and a Slum Sharpshooter.
The last two main characters of the game also fall into the more classic genre stereotypes. The first is the girl wizard, Melody. Now, in the real world if someone claimed to be a wizard, most people would laugh at you and possibly lock you up. The closest thing to a wizard would be magicians or illusionists. Now the character of Melody comes from a long forgotten, and previously thought to be extinct race of wizards. Being one of the last of her race has made her into a fiesty and firey spirited character. However when piloting the airship, Melody pilots the canons rather then use magic over the ship such as Fiona.
The other main character is Pad. Pad grew up in the slums of London and has a more pessimistic outlook then Eddie. Those familiar with London around the turn of the century might know full well just how bad things got for those below the aristocrat society. Life expectancy was short, child labor was a common way of life, black smoke choked the skyline and tarred the lungs of everyone who lived in the city. Author Charles Dickens was instrumental in bringing the horrors of daily life, especially for children in London specifically. With Pads gruff demeanor and Melodies fiesty spirit, the two might make a good match romantically. Pad replaces what would traditionally be the archer of the group. Instead he relies on pistols and other guns to target ranged enemies. When on the airship, Pad fires the machine gun turrets for quicker attacks then the canons can offer.
Into the West.
Mezzo America has been a favorite lost civilization for both treasure hunters and archeologists for decades. It was one of the last to be discovered by Europe, and even until recently much about their culture and way of life was shrouded in mystery. First discovered by Christopher Columbus in 1492, the Centeral and South American Continent were the lands of much legends and discovery by the old world countries. Some sought gold and precious jewels, others sought to discover a route to the east indies for spice trade, and others wanted even more mythical treasures including immortality. For a long time, tribes within the dense rainforests were thought to have been of a more peaceful coexsistence, however more recent discoveries have shed light on civil wars, slave trading, and bloody sacrifices to gods. The rich and mysterious history of the Mayans and Aztecs has inspired many other games and films, who can foget the kingdom of Ixa Taxa in Skies of Arcadia? Nostalgia aims to not only be inspired but to actually use the real world locations for the title. While much of the game will have stops in Europe, Asia, and Africa, it is good to see that all corners of the globe will be traversed. Antartica might possibly be left out of the loop, but then again, maybe not?
Nostalgia's release is fast approacing. Set for a September date, Ignition is kicking the fall off with a blast with two great titles, Muramasa for Wii and Nostalgia for DS. Look forward to the final preview where some of the important non-playable characters are profiled, as well as a look at some of the early concept artwork for Nostalgia before it became the game you see today.
