Winter 2003 (Part 3) - Squaresoft Prepares For The Next Generation
Fragments Of Life
Fragments Of Life is a Squaresoft developed action-RPG for the Game Boy Nova. Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the game marks his directorial debut and is sort of a "trial run" for him and many of the developers who are currently working on Kingdom Hearts. The game features a few of the themes explored in OTL Kingdom Hearts, including the concepts of memories and dreams, and also shares some similarities with The World Ends With You, though Fragments of Life is a somewhat more lighthearted game. Fragments Of Life revolves around three childhood friends ranging in age from 13-14: a boy named Shuko, a girl named Lene, and a boy named Caz. They are joined by a girl they have only recently met, named Nephra. Caz and Nephra are obviously romantically attracted to each other, while Shuko and Lene's relationship has remained platonic since they were very young. The dynamic between the relationships of the four main characters forms the core of the game's plot. The gameplay borrows elements from OTL Chain of Memories, though instead of cards, there are fragments that are depleted whenever a character takes an action. The stronger the attack, the more fragments are depleted. Especially strong attacks have the potential to shatter fragments, which means they can't be used for the rest of the battle. If all of a character's fragments are shattered (very unlikely unless the player deliberately stocks up on too many powerful attacks), they can still attack normally, but attacks deplete the character's health. Up to four characters can fight at once, though the player can only control one at a time. They can switch between playable characters and combination attacks can also be used (though these require special fragments earned later in the game). The world is explored via a perspective that's sort of a combination between 2-D and 3-D (think Super Mario RPG-style isometric), and when players engage enemies, they enter a separate battle screen. Like Kingdom Hearts, the player can run, jump, and utilize other special action moves to explore the world, with some moves earned later on in the game. The game's graphics are a sort of pseudo 3-D that looks very advanced for a Nova game, making it one of the better looking Squaresoft games of its day.
The game begins with the four kids together at their school in modern-day Tokyo. We learn about their lives, the things they enjoy, and the things they regret, we get the sense that all four of them are somehow dissatisfied with their lives. They go on a class field trip, and Shuko and Caz get into an argument because Caz is spending too much time with Nephra. Suddenly, Nephra starts to fall off a cliff and Shuko, Lene, and Caz have to try and save her. However, something comes out of the ocean at them and causes all four of them to fall. When they hit the ground, they're not physically injured, but they have no memories of anything other than their names and the fact that they all know each other. They are greeted by a woman named Hyphi who seems to know Nephra and who is invisible to everyone but the four kids. She tells them that they must explore each other's memories to regain the truth of their lives. Thus begins their adventure. Throughout Tokyo, portals appear into the kids' pasts, however, these portals are infected by monsters who represent the kids' negative feelings and their fears. Each portal represents a memory. In order to regain the memory, the kids have to confront a regret from their past and defeat it in the form of a monster. After passing through a few quick portals, they have enough memories to remember their friendship and families, but not much else about their pasts. And to make matters more confusing, Nephra is regaining memories she never had. The kids continue exploring portals and regaining memories, only for Nephra to remember that she is from another world, a world of stolen memories and dreams, and that the more memories the other kids recover, the more pain she herself is suffering. Hyphi continues to spout many cryptic things to make Nephra doubt herself, and once Caz unlocks his first memory of meeting Nephra, he discovers a painful truth that causes Nephra to lose her mind and all three other kids to separate. As each kid explores a new portal, Nephra, now seemingly evil, attacks them with powerful monsters. However, the kids, with Hyphi's help, discover the real truth of Nephra's origins: Nephra was sent to help protect their memories, and is now stealing them at the behest of Akio, the Dreamstealer (Akio is someone the kids know from the city, seemingly unrelated to their current problems but always popping up and someone who has censored himself from their memories). After Shuko and Lene forgive Caz after they reunite, the three of them work together to save Nephra. They eventually regain all their memories and find and defeat Akio, who has begun draining the memories of everyone in the world. After Akio is defeated, Nephra decides to remain in Tokyo at the cost of all her memories of her previous life. She and Caz reconcile and the two of them, along with Shuko and Lene, resume their normal lives, their friendship stronger than ever.
Fragments Of Life receives high praise for its excellent production values and gameplay, though its plot is somewhat confusing. The game is released in Japan in late 2002 to slightly better reviews than it receives in North America, but it does well here too when it's released on February 10, 2003. The game gets a decent amount of hype due to it being a Squaresoft title, and sales are strong for a Nova RPG. The game's connection to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts is played up somewhat, with Squaresoft inserting a very quick teaser video for the game after the ending credits of the North American version, and a page promoting the game's 2004 release in the Fragments Of Life instruction manual.
-
"As the development time for Kingdom Hearts dragged on, we envisioned Fragments Of Life as a sort of proof of concept game for how the battle system would work, how to explore certain themes, that sort of thing. Also, it gave some of us something to do as we waited for all the negotiations with Disney to wrap up. Many of us grew quite fond of these characters. Whether or not they could...cross over someday? I always saw the games as taking place in two completely different worlds. Certainly some of our fans would like to see it, but unless it would make sense from a story perspective, I'm not sure it could happen."
-Tetsuya Nomura, in an interview in the June 2005 issue of Famitsu magazine
Kingdom Hearts Screenshots Reveal Donald And Goofy Exploring Mulan And Aladdin Themed Worlds
The first few screenshots for Kingdom Hearts have been revealed to show just how massive this crossover is looking to be. The main character, along with Donald Duck and Goofy, will explore numerous worlds from across the Disney universe. Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan worlds have already been revealed for the game, but the latest screenshots show Donald and Goofy flying on a magic carpet above Agrabah and teaming up with warrior woman Mulan to battle an army of shadow creatures. We've also been told that numerous Final Fantasy characters, including Cloud, Aerith, and Moogles, will appear in the game.
-from a February 28, 2003 article on Gamespot.com
"Two very interesting rumors for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts have been making the rounds. They seem outlandish, but in the world of video games, you never know when a rumor is just a rumor or when it's a leak of future product. First off, we've heard that we MIGHT see at least one of the massive Guardians from Final Fantasy VIII making an appearance in the game. Giant mecha and Disney, in the same game together? It's something we'd have to see to believe, but it's quite possible that we could see one appearing in the background of a scene, or perhaps as a summon. The second, and more intriguing of the two rumors revolves around the fact that Disney and Nintendo signed a deal for the Legend of Zelda to become a cartoon. That cartoon is about to wrap up on the Disney Channel, but since the two companies worked together so well before, might we see Link show up in Kingdom Hearts? Perhaps clashing swords with Sephiroth? Link will be appearing in Soul Calibur II this year, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Link may once again show up in a third party game. Again, for now, take all these rumors with a grain of salt."
-from the Quartermann rumor column in the April 2003 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly
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Squaresoft Promoting Datacore With Front Mission: Endgame
Squaresoft has decided on a very interesting North American promotional scheme for its upcoming Ultra Nintendo RPG Front Mission: Endgame. The company will be including a preview video for the upcoming Nintendo Wave title on the Front Mission: Endgame disc, despite the games being for two different systems. The preview video will show about 30 seconds of cutscenes and 30 seconds of gameplay footage, showing off the game's single player and multiplayer modes. In addition, copies of Front Mission: Endgame will include a promotional card that can be mailed away in exchange for a Wave disc containing a playable demo of Datacore, including two early game missions, a boss fight, and a longer preview video.
"It was decided upon that we would be including this Datacore information with an Ultra Nintendo game, and if it will persuade some of our fans to purchase the new Wave system for Datacore, that would be a massive bonus," said Ted Woolsey, head of Squaresoft's North American division. "And for those fans who already have the Wave system, we've given them a way to procure a demo of the game."
-from an article on RPGamer.net, posted on February 21, 2003
-
Geek God: So you will be in the upcoming season of Buffy?
Ming-Na Wen: Yes, the upcoming season of Buffy, which is also the final season, and I'm really excited to be a part of that. Joss Whedon called me just a few weeks after I was killed off on ER, actually. Last summer, I was at home with not very much to do and Joss called and said "hey, maybe you could come be on Buffy?" I did have one or two projects I was working on, but those are just about done and we're all ready to go. I believe we start filming for that in June.
Geek God: Besides Buffy, what else are you up to these days?
Ming-Na Wen: Well, I am going to be in at least one video game, but I can't say much else besides that.
Geek God: Now that sounds awesome.
Ming-Na Wen: I've never been in a video game before, so it has been a really big opportunity. But they're so tight-lipped about these things, so I can't even say the name of the game!
Geek God: Not even a hint?
Ming-Na Wen: I've been invited to E3, which is the big conference they do every year, so I have a feeling you'll find out then.
Geek God: We'll be there with bells on!
-from an article on Geek God's Geek Paradise, posted on February 25, 2003
-
"Our first impressions of Secret Of Mana for the Game Boy Nova have been great. All the sprites are just a little bit bigger and the animations a little bit more fluid. The backgrounds still look fantastic, with somewhat more detail than in the original game. And, despite the jump from the CD format to the cartridge format, all the music seems to be very much intact. We only got to play an early version and there's still about 20 percent more of the game to be completed before it's ready for release in Japan this summer, but anyone wondering whether or not any of one of the greatest RPGs of all time has been lost in translation can rest easy: it's all here.
And there's more for Mana fans to salivate over: Squaresoft has announced two brand new titles in the series. Fires Of Mana is a brand new title for the Game Boy Nova, already in development and set for release next year. And then there's Project Mana: the mysterious codename for an upcoming title for the Nintendo Wave, which is likely to see release sometime in 2005 at the earliest. We're excited to hear that Squaresoft is hard at work on brand new Mana games, and we can't wait to get our hands on them!"
-from an article in the May 2003 issue of Nintendo Power
-
"Wow, there's no better way to kick off a brand new Chrono Trigger website than by posting some REALLY exciting news: Squaresoft has registered a trademark for what looks like a brand new Chrono game: Chrono Break has been registered in Japan. We're not yet certain as to what this entails, perhaps it's just a placeholder, but after the success of the previous two games, we think Square would be foolish not to do a third on the upcoming Nintendo Wave. Watch this space for more details!"
-posted on the front page of the Chrono Compendium on March 3, 2003
Fragments Of Life is a Squaresoft developed action-RPG for the Game Boy Nova. Directed by Tetsuya Nomura, the game marks his directorial debut and is sort of a "trial run" for him and many of the developers who are currently working on Kingdom Hearts. The game features a few of the themes explored in OTL Kingdom Hearts, including the concepts of memories and dreams, and also shares some similarities with The World Ends With You, though Fragments of Life is a somewhat more lighthearted game. Fragments Of Life revolves around three childhood friends ranging in age from 13-14: a boy named Shuko, a girl named Lene, and a boy named Caz. They are joined by a girl they have only recently met, named Nephra. Caz and Nephra are obviously romantically attracted to each other, while Shuko and Lene's relationship has remained platonic since they were very young. The dynamic between the relationships of the four main characters forms the core of the game's plot. The gameplay borrows elements from OTL Chain of Memories, though instead of cards, there are fragments that are depleted whenever a character takes an action. The stronger the attack, the more fragments are depleted. Especially strong attacks have the potential to shatter fragments, which means they can't be used for the rest of the battle. If all of a character's fragments are shattered (very unlikely unless the player deliberately stocks up on too many powerful attacks), they can still attack normally, but attacks deplete the character's health. Up to four characters can fight at once, though the player can only control one at a time. They can switch between playable characters and combination attacks can also be used (though these require special fragments earned later in the game). The world is explored via a perspective that's sort of a combination between 2-D and 3-D (think Super Mario RPG-style isometric), and when players engage enemies, they enter a separate battle screen. Like Kingdom Hearts, the player can run, jump, and utilize other special action moves to explore the world, with some moves earned later on in the game. The game's graphics are a sort of pseudo 3-D that looks very advanced for a Nova game, making it one of the better looking Squaresoft games of its day.
The game begins with the four kids together at their school in modern-day Tokyo. We learn about their lives, the things they enjoy, and the things they regret, we get the sense that all four of them are somehow dissatisfied with their lives. They go on a class field trip, and Shuko and Caz get into an argument because Caz is spending too much time with Nephra. Suddenly, Nephra starts to fall off a cliff and Shuko, Lene, and Caz have to try and save her. However, something comes out of the ocean at them and causes all four of them to fall. When they hit the ground, they're not physically injured, but they have no memories of anything other than their names and the fact that they all know each other. They are greeted by a woman named Hyphi who seems to know Nephra and who is invisible to everyone but the four kids. She tells them that they must explore each other's memories to regain the truth of their lives. Thus begins their adventure. Throughout Tokyo, portals appear into the kids' pasts, however, these portals are infected by monsters who represent the kids' negative feelings and their fears. Each portal represents a memory. In order to regain the memory, the kids have to confront a regret from their past and defeat it in the form of a monster. After passing through a few quick portals, they have enough memories to remember their friendship and families, but not much else about their pasts. And to make matters more confusing, Nephra is regaining memories she never had. The kids continue exploring portals and regaining memories, only for Nephra to remember that she is from another world, a world of stolen memories and dreams, and that the more memories the other kids recover, the more pain she herself is suffering. Hyphi continues to spout many cryptic things to make Nephra doubt herself, and once Caz unlocks his first memory of meeting Nephra, he discovers a painful truth that causes Nephra to lose her mind and all three other kids to separate. As each kid explores a new portal, Nephra, now seemingly evil, attacks them with powerful monsters. However, the kids, with Hyphi's help, discover the real truth of Nephra's origins: Nephra was sent to help protect their memories, and is now stealing them at the behest of Akio, the Dreamstealer (Akio is someone the kids know from the city, seemingly unrelated to their current problems but always popping up and someone who has censored himself from their memories). After Shuko and Lene forgive Caz after they reunite, the three of them work together to save Nephra. They eventually regain all their memories and find and defeat Akio, who has begun draining the memories of everyone in the world. After Akio is defeated, Nephra decides to remain in Tokyo at the cost of all her memories of her previous life. She and Caz reconcile and the two of them, along with Shuko and Lene, resume their normal lives, their friendship stronger than ever.
Fragments Of Life receives high praise for its excellent production values and gameplay, though its plot is somewhat confusing. The game is released in Japan in late 2002 to slightly better reviews than it receives in North America, but it does well here too when it's released on February 10, 2003. The game gets a decent amount of hype due to it being a Squaresoft title, and sales are strong for a Nova RPG. The game's connection to the upcoming Kingdom Hearts is played up somewhat, with Squaresoft inserting a very quick teaser video for the game after the ending credits of the North American version, and a page promoting the game's 2004 release in the Fragments Of Life instruction manual.
-
"As the development time for Kingdom Hearts dragged on, we envisioned Fragments Of Life as a sort of proof of concept game for how the battle system would work, how to explore certain themes, that sort of thing. Also, it gave some of us something to do as we waited for all the negotiations with Disney to wrap up. Many of us grew quite fond of these characters. Whether or not they could...cross over someday? I always saw the games as taking place in two completely different worlds. Certainly some of our fans would like to see it, but unless it would make sense from a story perspective, I'm not sure it could happen."
-Tetsuya Nomura, in an interview in the June 2005 issue of Famitsu magazine
Kingdom Hearts Screenshots Reveal Donald And Goofy Exploring Mulan And Aladdin Themed Worlds
The first few screenshots for Kingdom Hearts have been revealed to show just how massive this crossover is looking to be. The main character, along with Donald Duck and Goofy, will explore numerous worlds from across the Disney universe. Alice In Wonderland and Peter Pan worlds have already been revealed for the game, but the latest screenshots show Donald and Goofy flying on a magic carpet above Agrabah and teaming up with warrior woman Mulan to battle an army of shadow creatures. We've also been told that numerous Final Fantasy characters, including Cloud, Aerith, and Moogles, will appear in the game.
-from a February 28, 2003 article on Gamespot.com
"Two very interesting rumors for the upcoming Kingdom Hearts have been making the rounds. They seem outlandish, but in the world of video games, you never know when a rumor is just a rumor or when it's a leak of future product. First off, we've heard that we MIGHT see at least one of the massive Guardians from Final Fantasy VIII making an appearance in the game. Giant mecha and Disney, in the same game together? It's something we'd have to see to believe, but it's quite possible that we could see one appearing in the background of a scene, or perhaps as a summon. The second, and more intriguing of the two rumors revolves around the fact that Disney and Nintendo signed a deal for the Legend of Zelda to become a cartoon. That cartoon is about to wrap up on the Disney Channel, but since the two companies worked together so well before, might we see Link show up in Kingdom Hearts? Perhaps clashing swords with Sephiroth? Link will be appearing in Soul Calibur II this year, so it's not entirely out of the realm of possibility that Link may once again show up in a third party game. Again, for now, take all these rumors with a grain of salt."
-from the Quartermann rumor column in the April 2003 issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly
-
Squaresoft Promoting Datacore With Front Mission: Endgame
Squaresoft has decided on a very interesting North American promotional scheme for its upcoming Ultra Nintendo RPG Front Mission: Endgame. The company will be including a preview video for the upcoming Nintendo Wave title on the Front Mission: Endgame disc, despite the games being for two different systems. The preview video will show about 30 seconds of cutscenes and 30 seconds of gameplay footage, showing off the game's single player and multiplayer modes. In addition, copies of Front Mission: Endgame will include a promotional card that can be mailed away in exchange for a Wave disc containing a playable demo of Datacore, including two early game missions, a boss fight, and a longer preview video.
"It was decided upon that we would be including this Datacore information with an Ultra Nintendo game, and if it will persuade some of our fans to purchase the new Wave system for Datacore, that would be a massive bonus," said Ted Woolsey, head of Squaresoft's North American division. "And for those fans who already have the Wave system, we've given them a way to procure a demo of the game."
-from an article on RPGamer.net, posted on February 21, 2003
-
Geek God: So you will be in the upcoming season of Buffy?
Ming-Na Wen: Yes, the upcoming season of Buffy, which is also the final season, and I'm really excited to be a part of that. Joss Whedon called me just a few weeks after I was killed off on ER, actually. Last summer, I was at home with not very much to do and Joss called and said "hey, maybe you could come be on Buffy?" I did have one or two projects I was working on, but those are just about done and we're all ready to go. I believe we start filming for that in June.
Geek God: Besides Buffy, what else are you up to these days?
Ming-Na Wen: Well, I am going to be in at least one video game, but I can't say much else besides that.
Geek God: Now that sounds awesome.
Ming-Na Wen: I've never been in a video game before, so it has been a really big opportunity. But they're so tight-lipped about these things, so I can't even say the name of the game!
Geek God: Not even a hint?
Ming-Na Wen: I've been invited to E3, which is the big conference they do every year, so I have a feeling you'll find out then.
Geek God: We'll be there with bells on!
-from an article on Geek God's Geek Paradise, posted on February 25, 2003
-
"Our first impressions of Secret Of Mana for the Game Boy Nova have been great. All the sprites are just a little bit bigger and the animations a little bit more fluid. The backgrounds still look fantastic, with somewhat more detail than in the original game. And, despite the jump from the CD format to the cartridge format, all the music seems to be very much intact. We only got to play an early version and there's still about 20 percent more of the game to be completed before it's ready for release in Japan this summer, but anyone wondering whether or not any of one of the greatest RPGs of all time has been lost in translation can rest easy: it's all here.
And there's more for Mana fans to salivate over: Squaresoft has announced two brand new titles in the series. Fires Of Mana is a brand new title for the Game Boy Nova, already in development and set for release next year. And then there's Project Mana: the mysterious codename for an upcoming title for the Nintendo Wave, which is likely to see release sometime in 2005 at the earliest. We're excited to hear that Squaresoft is hard at work on brand new Mana games, and we can't wait to get our hands on them!"
-from an article in the May 2003 issue of Nintendo Power
-
"Wow, there's no better way to kick off a brand new Chrono Trigger website than by posting some REALLY exciting news: Squaresoft has registered a trademark for what looks like a brand new Chrono game: Chrono Break has been registered in Japan. We're not yet certain as to what this entails, perhaps it's just a placeholder, but after the success of the previous two games, we think Square would be foolish not to do a third on the upcoming Nintendo Wave. Watch this space for more details!"
-posted on the front page of the Chrono Compendium on March 3, 2003
