Yesterday Atlus announced suddenly that it will be releasing Eternal Poison (known as Poison Pink in Japan) for the PS2. I admit that I hadn’t even heard of the game, so I was a bit intrigued. The game’s main site just opened, but the video featured on the site is pretty short and doesn’t show much of the gameplay. I found this extended Japanese trailer which has a lot more to show:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ccfe5zvF3Bo

Aside from my lack of knowledge, I was further intrigued by the game’s unique gothic-lolita character design. In Japan the goth style doesn’t have quite the same connotations that it does here in the States–Japan interpreting the style as more of a nostalgia for a romantic past that never existed, whereas in the States the style is associated with antisocial misfits. Hopefully the cultural difference won’t deter  people who will be interested in it. Here is a screenshot of two of the game’s main characters, Teiji (left) and Rutica (right):

Another positive quality the game has in my eyes is its tactical battle system. This screen in particular reminds me the of Atlus’ Stella Deus. While Stella Deus was visually stunning, I thought the game’s story and repetition made for an overall bad game.

What I know of Eternal Poison’s story lead me to believe it won’t suffer the same fate as Stella Deus. Here is a brief preview of the game’s story:

On the outskirts of the kingdom of Valdia, the demonic realm of Besek has mysteriously appeared. Besek is home to creatures known as Majin, who have been a constant terror to the men and women of Alea.

Not long after the announcement that the young Valdian commander, Olifen, would marry Princess Lenarshe, the princess disappeared, kidnapped by the fiendish Majin.

The King issued a decree that he will grant the wish of anyone who is brave enough to enter Besek and rescue his daughter.

Kings and Princesses are a little overplayed, but I think the game’s darker twist will make it stand out.

All these elements combined with the later half of the video make Eternal Poison look pretty promising to me. I will keep my eye out for more updates on the game’s story and characters. You can look forward to the game’s release (complete with OST) this November 11th.