HERO

The team at NIS behind the Disgaea series have revealed their newest project entitled (roughly) Absolute Hero Remodeling Plan (“Hero-Plan” from here on). I find that the non-Disgaea games that this team produces are usually innovative, so I will definitely be looking forward to this title.

The premise of this game is a secret episode to a “hero” show that the audience has never seen, taking place before the “last battle.”

acquiring the belt

The main character (right) is walking home from a convenience store at night when he witnesses a hit and run accident. He rushes to the side of the mangled victim. The man (left), barely clinging to life entrusts a strange belt to the main character. With the belt, the MC can transform into “Absolute Victory Makerennojya” (????????????), and he must also assume the role of protector of Earth. The former keeper of the belt passes away shortly after leaving the main character, who must quickly adapt to the life of a hero in preparation for the “last battle.”


Henshin!

To assist the main character in his lofty task, he is accompanied by the guardian spirit of the former ranger, who provides advice along the way. His name is Bee-line Piro-Boy (??????). Also, the young instructor of Hero Training School named Etranger (?????), who is known for an especially violent teaching method provides some err… direction:

Etranger: Hey, you… Wake up right this minute!

When it comes to battling in Hero-Plan, you won’t be joined by any sort of party–the main character is entirely on his own, just like a true hero. This means unlike most NIS games there will be no character creation, which I am a bit sad about. In place of character creation is extreme character customization. This customization comes in the form of a variety of “parts” your main character can equip. There are parts for his head, left and right arm, legs, and an “option” part as well. Just to give you a better idea, here are a few parts:


Head–Prinny Hat	Left Arm–Cobra Fang	*Legs–Tank Treads*

Changing your appearance is not the only application of the parts system. Every map will have certain gimmicks like terrain obstacles that require one or more parts to proceed. I am not sure if you can change your equipped parts in battle, but I sure hope so. Here are a few example of obstacles and the necessary part to proceed in a map:

Dark caves require the “Angler-Fish Light” helm to see in the dark

Tank treads are the only way to pass over spikes

Parts can be mixed or matched to form a certain costume. When all parts of a costume are equipped new techniques may be unlocked. In addition to combining parts, abilities can be combined to cause more powerful spells with larger areas of effect. Some elements of battle we are familiar with from other NIS titles have returned such as lift/throw, etc.

Battles take place in randomized dungeons, and upon clearing a level you proceed to the next level. By clearing all levels the main character can challenge a boss map. Boss maps will be especially challenging since they will utilize many of the gimmicks it took to get there and bosses are quite large.

This game reminds me a bit of the mech/vehicle system used in Makai Kingdom. I wasn’t really a fan of this system since the whole game felt a little shoddy and left a bad taste in my mouth. Maybe Hero-Plan will provide a cleaner more well polished spin on that aspect of the game. I will definitely be watching out for news on this game in the coming weeks since I anticipate some TGS coverage.

On another personal note, I think this may be the first game I can think of which features a main character with glasses. As a visually-impaired individual I am really happy to see this and hope it will shatter the barriers surrounding spectacle-ed character designs.

Hero-Plan is scheduled for a release sometime in 2010. You can check out the game’s Japanese website here. Try to find all the parts to equip the little main character in the bottom right! It’s surprisingly fun, which is hopefully a reflection of what we can expect from the game.