Opening the door to role playing
It’s the start of another long quest as Sony offers up the Key of Heaven
Despite the avalanche of releases for PSP, there have been two major gaps: games that haven’t already been released on PlayStation 2, and role playing games. Of course, the reason is pretty simple; it’s still early in the PSP’s lifespan and the quickest way to get a game out is to convert an existing title.
Addtionally, role playing games are one of the most complicated types of games to make, requiring loads of plot and character scripting, not to mention organising all that voice acting. And as they tend to be the longest games to play, with most containing a good twenty-odd hours of travelling, quests and battles, that means they take a long time to test, too.
The result is that there’s only been one proper RPG released in Europe, the unsatisfying Untold Legends. But as the maker of the PSP, Sony’s been working hard behind the scenes to make sure RPG fans get their just rewards with Key of Heaven. Released in the US under the title Kingdom of Paradise, the game promises to mix all the exploration and storylines you’d expect with an additional action edge.
The key element is the combat system. Whilst only using one button, it enables you to create your own martial art style by combining 150 different skills. These include sword-based slashes and beat ‘em up moves as well as spells and other magical tricks. And you’ll need them, with plenty of onscreen battles that'll see you taking on up to six enemies at the same time.
But, this being a role playing game, you won’t have access to your full armoury at the start of the game. Collecting weapons and armour is part of your quest as you take on the role of Shinbu, a young warrior whose parents have disappeared and whose troops have been mysteriously wiped out in a raid. The only other survivor is a girl. Together they set out to find out who’s behind the deaths and avenge their friends.
Of course, in the process you’ll have to endure plenty of wandering around and talking to random strangers to discover the information you need. Help will come via your PSP’s wi-fi connection (assuming you can connect to the Internet) as Sony will be releasing new skills, shields and a special sword that you can download. You’ll also be able to swap skills with your friends using the ad-hoc wi-fi mode.
Still being tweaked to make sure its hit points are all in the right places, Key of Heaven is currently due for release in March.
