Rodea: The Sky Soldier

[Hero-of-Time]

The game is also coming out for the 3DS but seeing as the new handheld will be getting lots of attention today I thought a thread for the Wii version of the game would be more fitting.

 

"The game itself is an action title that takes place in the sky. The action gameplay is what I'm focusing on the most with this project -- interactivity is the most important attraction with any sort of game, and if that doesn't evolve, then games won't be everything they can be. Sonic was all about completely taking over the land, and Nights brought that same concept into the skies. I had always thought that action games that take place in the sky are too hard for players to cope with, but then I thought up a new method for dealing with it. That's how this project got started. If I had stuck around at Sega, then I might have used this concept to make a sequel to Nights! "

 

From this quote from last year it sounds as though this could be a spiritual successor to NiGHTS. Sounds good.

 

A few months back, Famitsu revealed that Prope, the studio from Sonic the Hedgehog's Yuji Naka, was working with Kadokawa Games on a new title. That title at long last got its reveal in this week's Famitsu.

 

Tenkuu no Kishi Rodea is a "sky fantasy" game for Wii and 3DS. That's right, our first Wii and 3DS multiplatform release!

 

Famitsu says that the game is being brought to us by Naka and writer Takumi Miyajima. Miyajima has previously worked on the Tales series and Arc Rise Fantasia.

 

Rodea is the name of the game's main character. Also introduced in the magazine are characters named Ion and Princess Cecilia.

 

Gameplay details are a bit scarce at present. The game is described as a "new feel action game." The Wii version will use the Wiimote exclusively. Screenshots in Famitsu show sky-based gameplay, but Famitsu says there will be a variety of stages outside of just the sky.

 

In an interview with the magazine, Naka describes the game as "a completely new action game with simple controls." Development on the game started in Fall 2009. At that time, the game Naka and his team were working on was cancelled, and he split his team into two to create their next game.

 

Source: http://www.andriasang.com

 

This sounds very promising. It also reminds me that I still need to buy Ivy the Kiwi.

 

There are some scans floating around but I can't find any decent ones. I'm sure Dante will deliver the goods though.

[Hero-of-Time]

[Hero-of-Time]

The Japanese site is now live.

 

http://rodea.jp/

 

I love the music that is playing. It kinda reminds me of Wild Arms for some reason.

[Jonnas]

Ok, to prevent HoT from posting here all by himself, I'll say what I think about this: it does not look like a spiritual successor to NiGHTS, it looks like a spiritual successor to Skies of Arcadia.

 

I dislike the character designs, but that can be overlooked, if the resulting game happens to be that awesome. Also, that music is gorgeous.

 

I'll be keeping an eye on this game, but I have so many games on my list already, I'm not sure if I'll pull through with this.

[nekunando]

..it looks like a spiritual successor to Skies of Arcadia.

 

Regarding the look of the game, that's pretty much how I feel too As soon as I looked at the pictures, all I could see was Dreamcast.. but in a good way

 

I've been playing a lot on the Dreamcast the last couple of weeks and my enjoyment has led me towards feeling quite interested in this game! I'll certainly keep an eye on it

[Hero-of-Time]

Ok, to prevent HoT from posting here all by himself...

 

Thank you. I was starting to think everyone on here had forgotten about the little old Wii, what with the 3DS getting all of the attention

[Debug Mode]

Holy crap, that looks amazing!

 

Owning 25 out of the 30 odd games he's credited to on MobyGames, he has produced some absolutely amazing games that just keep me coming back.

 

Definitely watching out for this, it may be the push I need to buy a Wii.

[tapedeck]

Looking stellar. Naka is a legend.

[darksnowman]

I could do with Ivy the Kiwi? too. Let's Tap is a quality little package.

 

I think hasn't there been something like 40 spiritual successors to NiGHTs over the years? :P Still, NiGHTs + Skies of Arcadia... surely a winning combo! It'll be interesting to see what versions better out of the Wii and 3DS.

[Hero-of-Time]

 

Looks more like a cross between NiGHTS and Sin & Punishment. Lovin' it!

Edited January 24, 2011 by Hero-of-Time

[nekunando]

Looks more like a cross between NiGHTS and Sin & Punishment. Lovin' it!

 

That doesn't sound like a bad combination I'm definitely interested

[Retro_Link]

That looks very nice indeed!

[darksnowman]

The graphics look horrible but I still like it.

 

Some info from 1UP.com:

Control on the Wii version is handled entirely with the remote -- instead of directly controlling Rodea, you point to onscreen locations and tap the B button to direct him over there. A, meanwhile, is the attack button; you can press it down to fire at will, or point to objects or enemies and hit A to target them.

 

"I've always wanted a game that captured the wonder of flying through the air, the sort of thing everyone's dreamed about at least once in their lives," Kadokawa producer Hitoshi Hasegawa told Famitsu magazine. "The idiosyncracies of player and camera control have always been a problem with that, but with his unique perspective and experience, Naka has been able to find a solution for us."

 

Rodea's story and world design is being handled by Takumi Miyajima, a game-industry veteran who's worked on RPGs like Tales of the Abyss and Arc Rise Fantasia. The game is set in a fantasy world where two kingdoms compete for natural resources. The titular character, an android who's just been woken up after 1000 years of stasis, is thrown into the midst of this conflict and has to figure out which superpower to side with as he fends off his pursuers.

 

"The developers wanted a story that both kids and adults can identify with," Miyajima said to Famitsu, "and so I wanted to emphasize the bonds and other feelings that people have for those they encounter in their lives. Seeing how Rodea, this mechanical creation with a very pure emotional outlook on the world, interacts with the other people in his world is something I think players will really enjoy."

 

http://www.1up.com/news/yuji-naka-studio-reveals-rodea

[Retro_Link]

I hope this makes it to Europe! Looking forward to seeing the 3DS version!

[Retro_Link]

Did this come out, on Wii/3DS?

[Josh64]

Oh man, I saw this thread bumped and thought perhaps news had emerged about it As far as I know, for some reason, it's still in limbo.

 

I'd bet a large sum of money we won't see it on Wii now, but hopefully we'll see the 3DS version soon, I was really looking forward to it

 

EDIT: It's been 2 years since that trailer? Holy cow, time flies.

[Hero-of-Time]

Did this come out, on Wii/3DS?

 

CURSE YOU RETRO FOR THIS BUMP!!!!!!

[nekunando]

It was officially confirmed as canned in an

in 2012

[Retro_Link]

^ Bastard :p

 

@Hero\-of\-Time lol Whaaaaaat, I suddenly remembered it! :p

 

Wonder why the limbo/got canned, they seemed to have put quite a bit of work in.

[nekunando]

Consider that payback for getting all of our hopes up, @Retro_Link

 

I was actually thinking about the game myself, recently..

[Josh64]

It was officially confirmed as canned in an

in 2012

 

That kind of link wasn't even acceptable in 2011 :p

[Dcubed]

Goddammit! Knew it was too good to be true

 

Oh and fuck you Kadokawa Games! You've screwed everything up here!

 

You would think that Nintendo would step in here and get the game ported to Wii U. Goodness knows that they could do with the support...

[Josh64]

I would have said the same about Wii last year! Heck, they wouldn't have had to port it then!

[Ealdst]

Dammit, never heard of this one before so thought this was going to be a new game, and now I'm interested! Why did it have to be an old limbo/canned game .

[Josh64]

Keep the faith!

Naka revealed in 2011 that the Wii version of the game was finished, and needed Kadokawa Games to publish it for a potential release. The same year XSEED Games expressed interest in localizing Rodea the Sky Soldier for the North American region.

 

A few years passed however without a release by Kadokawa Shoten, and Naka stated in a Polygon interview that he was unsure what was going to happen with the game. Kadokawa Games president Yoshimi Yasuda revealed in a July 27, 2013 interview that the 3DS version is roughly 70% finished, and that the game's release was not cancelled. Speculation from Destructoid include the possibility that the project could be scrapped for the Wii and instead released on the Wii U, which is able to utilize the Wii Remote.

 

In May 2014, Kadokawa Games filed a trademark for "Rodea: The Sky Soldier".

 

I'm just hoping with their recent love for iOS it doesn't get thrown on the App Store to die. I'm not totally against mobile gaming like a lot of people, but I was just really looking forward to playing a console version of this. From what was said in 2013, I guess we could at the least hope for a 3DS version.

 

Considering this looks like a very Japanese game, and considering both the Wii U and Japanese console market isn't doing great right now, I'm not so sure they'd port this to Wii U, I think they'll probably just scrap the console version, but I'm staying optimistic anyway.

Edited August 18, 2014 by Josh64