PSP gamers can now get their hands on Idea Factory’s Generation of Chaos, by way of NIS America’s stateside publishing. We heard this was going to be a fairly complex strategy RPG, so we shot some questions to Idea Factory’s Kenji Kotani, lead designer of the game. In fact, we asked him to walk us through what the game is like to play–give us a “guided tour,” if you will.
| RPGLand.com, face-rocking website This game has–we have on record here–been described as a mix of “Monopoly, Civilization, and Final Fantasy Tactics.” Combining these three things hurts my brain. So in terms of gameplay, what elements come from which games to form Generation of Chaos? |
| Kenji Kotani, Designer, Idea FactoryGeneration of Chaos is actually a simple game which has its origins from board games that we played during childhood. GoC is played with the following rules: 1. Begin at point A on the map 2. Build up your kingdom as you advance on the map 3. Kick your enemy’s butt when you encounter them 4. The winner is the one who conquers the rest The map phase of GoC is essentially like Monopoly where you do all your traveling and building. Now the real time battle system is quite unique to this game, where players have to command a battalion of troops. Everything is in real-time so a single delay in command can cost you big. |
| RPG LandOkay, say I’m starting a battle here. Care to walk us through the process? What do you do, and in what order, exactly? |
| Kenji KotaniThe battle phase of GoC, which begins when two opposing armies meet is played out below. 1st: Choose your unit formation. This can affect both your offensive and defensive powers much like in football games where your formation can determine the outcome of the play. 2nd: Select attack/defense style. Do you want to charge the enemy or hold back and fight defensively? There are 9 different styles and it can be changed anytime during combat, so players can change their strategies as the battle develops. 3rd: Lead your units through battle using the cursor. You can either let the computer do all the work or you can maneuver your army manually. 4th: Use your unit commander’s special moves and items to effectively battle your opponents. Super moves can be used when your special gauge is full. |
| RPG Land(Looking at this screenshot) Ouch. If someone said that to me, I’d murder that person, even if they were right. What’s going on here? |
| Kenji KotaniHahaha, I don’t want to give away the story, but this is when the evil villain is given a chance to repent, but like most villains he would rather die than turn good. |
| RPG LandThere’s a resemblance between Generation of Chaos IV for PS2 and this one for the PSP; what’s the relation between the two? |
| Kenji KotaniGoC for the PSP is an evolutionary version of GoC IV. All the characters from GoC IV are in the PSP version plus a newly added kingdom, story, and characters. We obviously did not want to disappoint our fans for bringing the exact same thing for the PSP. Therefore, we added a whole new scenario and story. GoC PSP is made so those who played the original Japanese PS2 version can enjoy it as well. |
| RPG LandWith over 30 characters able to be on screen at once, we’d imagine things can get crowded, right? What special tricks have been done to remedy that situation? |
| Kenji KotaniBattles can get quite hectic yes, but we countered it by allowing players to command their units simply by pointing and clicking. The concept is similar to real-time strategy games on the PC, so if you ever played these types of game before, it shouldn’t take too long to get accustomed to GoC. |
| RPG LandDuring strategy mode, you command your troops to help develop your land. Can we get some examples of how this is done? |
| Kenji KotaniLike in many sim-type games, players must create, modify, and keep his/her people happy. Players must routinely refurbish their infrastructures or let them deteriorate. However, if you let your financial infrastructures deteriorate your revenue will decline. Therefore, players must find a balance in their fiscal policy. |
| RPG LandHow customizable are the castles and forts one can build during strategy mode? |
| Kenji KotaniCastles and forts can be improved by spending more money on infrastructure. The more defenses your castle has the more protection you will have when enemies strike. Also, towns can actually be converted into “airports” for flying ships. Once this is done, your travel time between cities will be drastically reduced. |
| RPG Land(Looking at this screenshot) This kid looks like either a really good leader or a major tool. Which is it, and can you give us some background? |
| Kenji KotaniBoth of Gena’s stats (combat and commander) are extremely high, making her an ideal commander. Your basic troops’ stats will change according to your commander, so any army Gena commands will be stronger than your average unit. |
| RPG Land(Looking at this screenshot) Explain! Is she pushing that thing, is it blocking her way, or what? |
| Kenji KotaniIt’s actually a small fort in front of her. Characters on the map are over exaggerated in size, so it looks like she is pushing something, but she is not. |
| RPG LandThe anime-like art in this game looks fantastic. Who where the artists/character designers behind it? |
| Kenji KotaniThe designer’s name is Youji Hiraiwa and as you know, he makes amazing artwork. |
| RPG Land(Looking at the this screenshot ) I see a beam coming into the castle here. Last time a beam came into my house, the results were not good. What’s going on there? |
| Kenji KotaniAhhh, yes, the beam. It’s actually a special move that lowers the status of enemy infrastructure or unit moral. Success rate varies by the person casting the spell, but if it works you could seriously hurt your opponent. |
| RPG LandTo what extent is voice acting used? |
| Kenji KotaniMost of the major conversation and special moves are voiced and there will be a language option, so players can choose between English and Japanese. |
| RPG Land(Looking at this screenshot) Obvious question upon seeing this: how long a time period does this game cover? What’s the range, would you estimate? |
| Kenji KotaniMost players should be able to get through the game in couple of years. Some people might take longer, but the average is about 3~4 years. In regards to game play, there is so much to do it should keep players motivated for quite a while. You can either go all out and simply invade neighboring nations or take it slowly and financially destroy your opponents. Or perhaps just search and discover new lands, items, and characters. There are multitudes of option in this game, so please look forward to it. |
Thanks go out to Idea Factory and NIS America for helping us (and in effect, you) better understand this game by answering our questions and giving us this brief walkthrough. Generation of Chaos is now shipping to retail stores and available in NIS America’s online store.
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