The Last Remnant

Spring 2008 - Next Generation Consoles - 1 Player RPG

One thousand years ago humanity came into contact with Remnants. These magical fragments of a bygone era were once used to promote peace across the world. Soon, as the rift grew between those who ruled and those who obeyed, the remnants ceased being instruments of balance, and instead became paths to immeasurable power. Where once there had been peace, only bloodshed remained.

- Released simultaneously in U.S. and Japan

-Two prominent characters each created to appeal to a specific territory. Rush Sykes will appeal to JP gamers, and "The Conqueror" for Western Audiences. Game won't force you to choose which character you play.

- Remnants vary in size and can take the form of machines, beasts, and weapons.

- 4 races revealed: Mitra (humans), Yama (Large fish-like beings), Qsiti (small humanoid lizards), Sovanni (four armed cat like creatures)

- Battle System will not be passive and will include QTEs in certain instances. Fights still take place in a turn based frame work.

- This is the first UE3 game SE will be releasing. Graphics look great so no worries there.

- Directed by Hiroshi Takai

Square Enix knows role playing games. In the video game industry, rarely is a single company so closely tied to the identity of an entire genre. The company is responsible for two of the biggest RPG franchises in the world, Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, and people have been playing these series since the 8-Bit era. RPG fans know Square Enix as the name to turn to for grand adventures, unforgettable characters, and jaw-dropping moments remembered for years. Recently, Square Enix has devoted considerable energy to iterating on its past successes, but that doesn't mean the company isn't moving forward. Next year gamers will be treated to "The Last Remnant", an all new title that incorporates all the rich locations and thrilling combat an RPG fan could hope for, along with a handful of unexpected details that will help define the direction of the genre this generation.

In addition to marking the beginning of a new franchise for SE, TLR represents a significant deviation from the way RPGs have traditionally been presented to a North American audience. Since most role playing titles are created by Japanese developers, they are released in Japan first, and then find their way to American gamers after a delay for localization (which took 7 months for FFXII for example). With TLR, this process will change; the game will be released simultaneously in the U.S. and Japan. "From the conceptual stage of this project, we kept a global market in mind, placing a special emphasis on the North American market" says director Hiroshi Takai.

One of the Results of this emphasis is the fact that the game has two prominent characters, each created to appeal to a specific territory. The Japanese audience is most likely to connect with Rush Sykes, an energetic and idealistic 18 year old swordsman. On the other hand, American gamers will probably be more drawn to the dark and mysterious figure only referred to as The Conqueror. Older and battle hardened, The Conqueror is unlike Rush in almost every way. Despite this clear distinction, TLR does not force players to choose one character or the other. While interesting in its attempt to reach out to American gamers with The Conqueror, the game will be exactly the same on both shores, with Rush set up as the primary protagonist.

"Rush is the main character of this game," Takai clarifies. "He was designed with the traditional SE RPG style in mind, but the players' impression of him will likely change once they advance in the game. You can expect a lot of plot twists involving him." Even though Rush drives the tail at first, he has an unknown connection to The Conqueror that slowly draws that character into a more prominent position as the tale unfolds. "The Conqueror is a type of dark hero which is a first for a SE RPG," Takai admits. "As you can see from his costume, tainted red by blood (it was originally white), the cruelty that he holds within will have a great effect on the overall story.

No matter how stunning your battle system or how intriguing your world, the first step to captivating games is by ensuring them they can play your game in the first place. SE has a long and successful history of making console exclusive games, but TLR breaks that pattern. "We made the decision to go multiplatform after researching global ownership rates and overall marketability," says Takai. But there is more to the story than simple numbers: "As game developers, we would like to have as many users play as possible, and we are confident that we can create an RPG with the best specs imaginable at this point in time." While contractual issues prevent SE from specifically confirming which platforms the title will appear on, the issue is hardly puzzling. Since the game is too graphically intensive for the Wii, that only leaves the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Rush plays the role of one soldier among dozens as players group him and his companions into different Unions - small groups of five that can be ordered to perform actions on the battlefield. Though they are unified, the characters in Unions don't sacrifice their individual strengths. Different characters have special attacks and unique abilities, though these may vary depending on the current situation on the battlefield. "The commands can differ depending on the combination of Union members, the target of the battle, and morale. Players must make decisions based on these factors," says Takai.

The morale Takai refers to is another pivotal factor on the battlefield. Represented by a meter on the top of the screen, it fluctuates throughout the battle, resulting in different consequences. "If morale is low, characters will not be able to exert their powers. Players must aim to continuously improve their battle-styel and commands, or they may end up with a very difficult battle," Takai cautions. We saw an example of these shifting tides as two armies met in the middle of a field. Outnumbered, one side was immediately at a morale disadvantage. That changed as soon as a magic user summoned a monstrous flying beast, which sent the opposing army's morale into the gutter. Then Rush came in to save the day by calling forth a lumbering golem onto the field, which once again tipped the scales in his favor. It is easy to imagine that this seemingly simple match of tug of war will become the key to victory, especially considering that up to 70 units will be engaged in combat at once.

The conflicts in TLR aren't limited exclusively to such a grand scope. However, with the potential for massive clashes, there is certainly an effort to avoid throwaway fights and make each encounter matter. "Our main objective was to create a gaming experience in which the players can fully enjoy the battles as opposed to thinking of them as a grind fest," asserts Takai. "The story is definitely scripted to keep players on the edge of their seats, and we have prepared an abundance of short quests. However the main draw of this game will definitely be the battles."

-Two prominent characters each created to appeal to a specific territory. Rush Sykes will appeal to JP gamers, and "The Conqueror" for Western Audiences. Game won't force you to choose which character you play.

hmmm these JP devs seem to be moving more and more to cater to the west gamers taste... about time if you ask me :)

Yay, you don't have to play as a teenaged pretty boy. Too bad hes still a part of the game if you choose not to play as him.

For instance, one Remnant, the Valeria Heart, is a sword the size of a small mountain. It is surrounded by the town of Athlum, which was built up around the artifact because of its extraordinary qualities. The Valeria Heart bestows courage upon those around it, and it also is responsible for the plentiful water supply. Like this sword, remnants can have an array of unique powers - some of which are hidden or unknown.

Check that, this game looks REALLY good. At least through the screenshots in the magazine (got mine today). Can't wait to see direct feed screens.

Yeah, I guess after 15 years of gaming it's about time for me to give it up anyway.

woah woah, Hiroshi Takai is the director of this? One of the game planners from the Bouncer?

While contractual issues prevent SE from specifically confirming which platforms the title will appear on, the issue is hardly puzzling. Since the game is too graphically intensive for the Wii, that only leaves the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3.

Romancing SaGa 2 (SNES) - Battle Effect, Battle Background Art, Monster Art (one of two), Title Screen
Romancing SaGa 3 (SNES) - Battle Effects Design, Map Graphic Supervisor
Final Fantasy V (SNES) - Battle Graphics (one of several)
SaGa Frontier (PSX) - Art Director (one of several)
Legend of Mana (PSX) - Battle Effect & Battle Design Chief
The Bouncer (PS2) - Game Planner (one of two)
Final Fantasy XI (PS2) - Visual Effect Designer (one of three)
The Last Remnant (Xbox360/PS3) - Director

Time exclusive maybe.

for the PS3


at least the graphics look good, I hear. So that's a plus :)


Anyway, it sounds interesting still. I will keep an eye out on it, but after hearing who is the director, my expectation have been lowered. So it will be hard for me to talk away disappointed in the end :)

I'm not very good with descriptions of screens. However, I'll say what I think of when looking at them.

This game does not look like what you'd think of when you hear "UE3." No bald space marines, sorry. =P In fact, the hair looks great. The Sovanni are four armed, cat like people, and they look pretty damned awesome. UE3 can do fur shading.

This game looks like a mix of FFXI and FFXII. Except on a much higher level. The clothing designs look ripped from both of those two games. The clothing and weapons are very detailed and intricate. No clue if they have physics of their own though. So far, in these screens, there's no worries of a fruity main character.

There are two screens which pop out at me. One of a Sovanni in battle with swords in all 4 arms (it also notes, they can dual wield 2handed weapons! One weapon per set of arms. HOT!). The lighting in this shot is excellent. I cannot tell if there's self shadowing. The other shot is a huge battleground shot with other 20 NPCs in the foreground, and a SHITTON of them in the background up ahead of the field. Nice use of DoF.

All I can say is, this game looks really damn good even at this early stage. If SE gets real about PS3/360 support, all I can say is holy ****in' shit.

I don't see where they actually come out and say it's for PS3 or 360, or it will be a simultaneous release for both consoles

well I saw the pictures, the game does look good in the graphics department.

one of those pics looked straight out of Lost Odyssey, except with a different character and enemy. It was like Cut and Paste :P