Xbox 360: Eschatos (April 2011)

[originalz]

This game does look pretty good. Very much a "retro-style" shooter that's been updated enough to be appropriate for the new generation of the genre. Loving that music, too!

Seems like the different difficulty levels actually drastically change the game as well and may provide for completely different experiences. I'll probably pick it up, but I get the feeling that it's going to be one of those games that gets ignored by a lot of people...hopefully being region free will at least attract attention in the west. Still, pretty damn gutsy for them to go up against Otomedius. Why are so many shooting games coming out so close to each other this year?

[sven666]

yaay it looks almost as good as shienryu explosion

[Paradigm]

Judging from that second trailer, this definitely looks more suited to XBLA than a full price disc release.

[ZacharyB]

This may be my first import.

Raidenous. Looks good. Is the shield thing as simple as it looks or is there some trick to it?

What I got from watching many Judgement Silversword videos is that the shield needs to touch certain bullets for a short amount of time before they disappear. The amount of time varies depending on the bullet; can be as little as 1 tick, but it goes up. Certain bullets will break your shield and make it inoperable for a while. This is a crucial element in the TLB battle.

[Elixir]

Massive update. Included Areas 4 through 11, added CERO rating, added Play-Asia, Amiami and HMV links along with the newest trailer.

[MachineAres 1CC]

I just saw this on NCSX's main page the other day and remembered thinking "what the fuck is this." Reminds me of Shooting Love 20XX, where's its a compilation of multiple things put together, and also had that bit of indie/retro feel to the whole package and that game kicked ass, so hopefully this follows suit.

[8 1/2]

Anyone else buying this just for Judgement Silversword? I could never bring myself to buy a Wonderswan for just that one game, so this is nice retribution. I love that the new mode is called "recycle version;" it just makes me smile every time I see it.

The real game is just a cool bonus. Looks reasonably fun, but that Axelay bullshit perspective kind of makes my head swim when I'm trying to look down a long row of bullets.

[Aquas]

Looks reasonably fun, but that Axelay bullshit perspective kind of makes my head swim when I'm trying to look down a long row of bullets.

The perspective stuff is what's making the game look most interesting to me. It looks like it will be fun to deal with instead of just annoying. It looks done well... and possibly an aspect of the game that makes onlookers even more envious with 'OMG HOW'D U DO THAT' skills.

The 2nd trailer is showing difficulty comparisons, is it? Looks nice.

[EPS21]

Looks reasonably fun, but that Axelay bullshit perspective kind of makes my head swim when I'm trying to look down a long row of bullets.

The perspective stuff is what's making the game look most interesting to me. It looks like it will be fun to deal with instead of just annoying. It looks done well... and possibly an aspect of the game that makes onlookers even more envious with 'OMG HOW'D U DO THAT' skills.

The 2nd trailer is showing difficulty comparisons, is it? Looks nice.

Yes, those two comparisons were of the "normal" difficulty and "hardest" difficulty, on the left and right screens respectively. Hardest looks like its approaching some bullet hell like bullet density there, looks pretty intense! I like those perspective changes too, they looked really well done and not gimmicky.

[everlust]

I love the look of this. The inclusion of Judgment Silversword and Cardinal Sins is sweet.

Hardest difficulty looks brilliant.

[Despatche]

I love that the new mode is called "recycle version;" it just makes me smile every time I see it.

Cardinal Sins/Judgment Silversword Recycle Edition was the name of the game as it was released by M-KAI. It is what it is.

If you have a WonderWitch, you can still get it here.

[gct]

That's a not-entirely-discouraging response regarding the region-locking, thanks for your initiative, "Elixir-san" and I will take it as good news for the time being.

I do not own a Wonderwitch, so I am excited to finally try Cardinal Sins. I can't help myself to gush over JSS, the thought of playing JSS on a larger display with a joystick is also interesting to say the least, and I should not forget the main attraction of Eschatos itself. I'm glad this is getting a physical release. Anyway you cut it, you're paying one price to get JSS at the very least. If Eschatos turns out to be good, then it's an even better deal.

[KisakiProject]

The inclusion of the wonderwitch games really makes me want this. If its region free I'm there. Though my march game budget is spoken for by 3DS. I'll hopefully be able to get it later in the spring. The shienryu feel is exciting me.

[Wonderbanana]

Is this definitely region free now?

[hipgnosis]

Is this definitely region free now?

Well it says so in the official site: http://eschatos.qute.jp/ "This game is released only in Japan, but it will be worldwide-region disc."

So yeah, it should be region free.

[Wonderbanana]

Is this definitely region free now?

Well it says so in the official site: http://eschatos.qute.jp/ "This game is released only in Japan, but it will be worldwide-region disc."

So yeah, it should be region free.

Cool, thanks

I know the main post said it but reading through the thread confused me slightly as it seemed as though it wasn't 100% confirmed.

Another one to pre-order then

[-SD-]

Glad this is region free. Got my pre-order in at Play-Asia.

[MR_Soren]

Region free, extra games included? Sounds like a purchase to me!

[burgerkingdiamond]

Here is a link to the first video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_STsnw2 ... r_embedded

The website has just a bit of information. It says one player, and it will be released this winter.

I don't know what to think so far really. I'll definitely be keeping an eye on it. From what I can see, it looks like this is a physical release?!?

I like that music!

[Special World]

Those of you who have played Judgement Silversword and Cardinal Sins:

Are they classics of the genre, or do they get extra hype just because they're so impressive for a Wonderswan game? I'm considering buying Eschatos more for those two than anything, as they seem like quite the obscure classics, and I like the old chunky graphics on those more than the uninspired 3D of the main game. Are they really as good as people say? Do they have a lot of scoring depth to back up the hype?

[gct]

Special World, JSS is probably the one game that I play for score.

As expected, there is a risk-vs-reward mechanism here with the shield usage. Blanking enemies with the shield and blocking bullets makes your multiplier go up, but your shield meter gets drained for the times that you need to get through a cloud of bullets. Plus, you can't shoot at the same time as the shield and as you should know from other games, blanking is dangerous because enemies will often blank you back.

Another thing that makes score play so compelling is simply the pacing of the game. There are 31 areas in the game with some lasting just a few seconds, so this really helps with learning enemy patterns and attack timings, and testing your new strategies. You get frequent breaks, but the action is fast intense in between each break. To add to that, each area has its own strict time bonus, so you really want to kill the enemies quickly.

There are no power-ups, so your movement and attack characteristics are consistent and predictable no matter where you are or whether or not you just died.

I think it may have been Ghegs who said this, it's not just the best shooter on WSC, not even the best shooter on a handheld, the game is so well-designed and balanced that it's really one of the top shooters on any platform.

[Special World]

Thanks for the response, I just put in a pre-order based on your glowing recommendation (and my growing addiction to scrolling shooters).

Another question, though: Do the WS games play like caravan shooters? Like, can you choose each individual section for a little bite sized game session, or do you have to play all 30 (?) stages in a stretch?

[renardqueenston]

this game looks friggin' badass. tickles my retro arcade fancy! super late 80s-early 90s, right down to the logo! great FM tunes too, very konami-hardware sounding

[Elixir]

Lots of changes to the official site, as per shown here: http://www.4gamer.net/games/124/G012400/20110228015/

Added a link to the soundtrack tracklist. Apparently the WonderSwan JSS will have an option to toggle flickering.

[Special World]

Lots of changes to the official site, as per shown here: http://www.4gamer.net/games/124/G012400/20110228015/

Added a link to the soundtrack tracklist. Apparently the WonderSwan JSS will have an option to toggle flickering.

That's fantastic news! I was wondering what they were gonna do about the flicker.

[CptRansom]

Anyone willing to translate the Advanced Mode section of the System page? Google translates everything else somewhat fine, but that one section is difficult for me to figure out.

Simple Mode seems like Raiden III/IV with the flash shooting. This pleases me immensely.

[nZero]

Anyone willing to translate the Advanced Mode section of the System page? Google translates everything else somewhat fine, but that one section is difficult for me to figure out.

Might as well do the whole thing, quick n dirty :D

Original Mode
________________

• Simple gameplay rule mode, no shot powerups
• Picking up a FLASH ITEM destroys all enemy bullets onscreen and damages enemies
• There is a TIME BONUS for quickly destroying enemy waves

Advanced Mode
__________________

• There is a powerup system for the Front Shot and Wide Shot
  Grabbing a powerup will increase the Front Shot and Wide Shot by one level
  In exchange, the maximum Shield Gauge will be reduced
• Picking up a BLUE FLASH ITEM destroys all enemy bullets onscreen and damages enemies
  In exchange, the powerup level will be reduced by one
• Picking up a YELLOW FLASH ITEM cancels all enemy bullets onscreen into POINT ITEMS
  In exchange, the powerup level will be reduced by one
  The value of the POINT ITEMS is tied to the current powerup level
• Also, cancelling enemy bullets with your shield will generate POINT ITEMS

Time Attack Mode
____________________

• The timer starts at 90 seconds remaining, clear an area to get a TIME BONUS and TIME EXTENSION
  Try to clear the game before the timer runs out
• There is a 5 second penalty if your ship is destroyed, when the timer reaches 0 it's GAME OVER

[CptRansom]

You're my boy, blue!

Every single one of those modes sounds awesome. I'm loving the risk/reward on Advanced!

[moozooh]

Picking up a BLUE FLASH ITEM destroys all enemy bullets onscreen and damages enemies
In exchange, the powerup level will be reduced by one

Why hello, Toaplan, I dearly missed your floating powerup dodging!

[gct]

Thanks for the info Elixir and nZero. I finally watched one of the trailers so this is the first gameplay I have seen. I am not sure what to think of the weird perspective in some parts, but the rest of it looks very good. Advanced mode sounds like a great evolution of the JSS mechanics, I think I will like it.