When one thinks of the PlayStation Portable handheld console developed by Sony; they often recall it being a home for titles like “Final Fantasy: Crisis Core”, “Daxter”, “Metal Gear Solid”, or “God of War”.
It is not very often that larger and longer titles such as “Lunar: Silver Star Harmony”, “Brandish: The Dark Revenant”, “Ys: Oath in Felghana”, or “Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky”, are though of as a primary market on the (now legacy hardware) console’s market. These titles are often far more akin to home console games, due in part to their deep stories, extensive hours of gameplay, well drawn out narratives, challenging controls, combat mechanics, and detailed character customization features; many of which are an unusual find in the handheld marketplace.
Bandai-Namco’s “Summon Night 5” is shaping up to be one of these titles. The game features beautiful 2D and 3D art with battles presented in user-adjustable isometric perspective, and gorgeous animation that is a hallmark of Bandai-Namco productions. Fans in the USA, Canada, and Europe will be able to play the game in 2015!
As per the title’s official description, the story follows the adventures of a rookie Summoner, as they find themselves swept up into an unexpected adventure that is based entirely on their decisions. Players can choose between one of two characters, for a total of 8 different playthroughs.
One might call these kinds of entries the real “hidden gems” or “underdogs” of the handheld console’s market; but be that as it may, localization company Gaijinworks has seen fit to continue releasing these sorts of games in the west, on its own merit… with the impending release of Summon Night 5, on the PSP. Yes, that’s right. Not the Vita, but the PSP itself.
This sort of act is nothing new for Gaijinworks, as we have seen in the past efforts of their staff. Gaijinworks is a western localization studio, comprised of members from the now defunct Working Designs; famous for their localizations and translations of titles such as Lunar: Silver Star Story, Popful Mail, and Arc the Lad. The trade off for such stellar work? Delays. Lots, and lots of delays.
Thankfully, these setbacks often lead to a more accurate translation, and the inclusion of an “omake” (extra) box, filled with awesome collectables. Previous releases under their now retired banner “Working Designs” , came with items such as: Full leather hardback manuals, wristwatches, trading cards, soundtracks, and… punching puppets? Who knew!
As luck would have it, Summon Night 5 is looking to be no different with its upcoming physical release, either. Included with a retail copy of the game is: a game case with a multi-sided, full-color insert; a full-color manual; one of two 14″ x 19″ posters; a hologram; a code for the digital version; and the full soundtrack on CD with full-color inserts. This all costs about $42 plus shipping, and you can preorder your copy now. But will you? The Playstation Portable is now a legacy console; and with many gamers looking forward to new titles such as Final Fantasy XV and Tales of Berseria on more modern hardware, the question that needs to be asked is if there is still a market for the PSP.
To further make things interesting and to counter this issue, the company is asking its fans to vote on the design of the game’s art, itself. Normally, fan interaction and engagement is something we’d expect to see with larger releases; but it appears Gaijinworks wants to make this title’s western launch unique, by generating a new kind of pre-release buzz. Fans of the company’s works can cast their vote on the game’s UMD design by checking out their Twitter page here.
With news like this causing bewilderment at the forefront of the media; it looks like the traditional JRPG market’s demand is still as strong and varied in the west as it was in the PlayStation 2 era, and it is wonderful to see a company taking advantage of this fact.
Summon Night 5 is expected to release sometime during Q3, 2015.
Will you be pre-ordering a copy of Summon Night 5? Leave us a comment with your thoughts, below!
Moonkeep Studios 