Opoona, a “Lifestyle Role-Playing Game”, Coming to North America

When I saw this trailer for Opoona I thought there was no way in hell it would ever make it to North America. It just didn’t seem like something that would sell big in the U.S. and I assumed the developers would think the same and not bother to release it here. I was awesomely wrong, Opoona is scheduled for release in North America on March 25, 2008. Actually, I’m pretty positive it won’t sell a ton of copies, but I guess that doesn’t really matter to me as long as I get to play it. The whole press release is below:

Opoona will Change how Role-Playing Games are Experienced

Burlingame, CA—February 7, 2008 — KOEI, recognized worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and action games, today announced that Opoona™, a new Role-Playing Game (RPG) exclusively for Wii™ is scheduled for a North American release on March 25, 2008.

“With Opoona, developer ArtePiazza had a masterful approach to creating an Action RPG for Wii that includes intuitive and interactive controls using just the Nunchuk,” said Amos Ip, Senior Vice President at KOEI Corporation. “Opoona will give video gamers a refreshing and new perspective on the Role-Playing genre. The ‘single-hand control’ combined with the modern fantasy world of Opoona is sure to captivate both veteran gamers and newcomers alike.”

About Opoona
While on an interplanetary family vacation, the young boy Opoona crash lands on Planet Landroll after his spaceship is involved in a mysterious accident. Separated from his family, Opoona is forced to live alone. On the planet, Opoona must find a job, search for his siblings, and defend himself and the people of Landroll against creatures known as the Dark Rogues. Luckily for Opoona, he is the descendant of a long line of warriors known as the Cosmo Guards. Thus, Opoona’s adventure begins as he struggles to establish a new life and reunite his family.

The game’s action-oriented battle system lets players use powerful “Energy Bonbons” against their enemies. Using just the Nunchuk™, players can manipulate an Energy Bonbon’s trajectory in a number of different ways. All of Opoona’s commands are also controlled by the Nunchuk, to allow a complete “single-hand control” of the game.

Opoona is not just about battling; it is a “Lifestyle RPG.” As Opoona, players must adapt to a new environment, meet new people, and contribute to society through work, all while becoming aware of the precious world and people around him. As the game progresses, Opoona will develop relationships and uncover a broader range of activities including new jobs and clues to new adventures.

The unique characters and a modern fantasy world created by Art Director, Shintaro Majima, are sure to fascinate gamers. From futuristic buildings to ancient ruins and strange rock formations in the wild, the world of Opoona is a remarkable fusion of both contemporary design and whimsical fantasy.

Developed by ArtePiazza, the team behind four installments of the best-selling DRAGON QUEST® series of RPGs, Opoona showcases the talent of some of today’s most creative game designers including: Art Director Shintaro Majima, Planning Director Sachiko Sugimura, and Composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, acclaimed for his contribution to the FINAL FANTASY® XII soundtrack.

Opoona is rated “E10+” (Everyone 10+ – Mild Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Suggestive Themes) by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board. Opoona is a single player game. For updates on Opoona, please visit www.koei.com. Media can find screenshots and assets (watermark-free) at gamespress.com.

About KOEI Corporation
Based in Burlingame, California, KOEI Corporation established operations in 1988 as the North American subsidiary of KOEI Co., Ltd. of Japan. KOEI is respected worldwide as the premier brand of strategy and simulation games, and is the innovator of the Tactical Action genre. The company’s Dynasty Warriors® and Samurai Warriors® series of games have generated a combined 15 million units in global sales.

KOEI develops, publishes, and distributes interactive software for video game systems and personal computers. For fiscal 2006, KOEI posted worldwide revenues of $206 million. KOEI maintains operations in Japan, the U.S., the UK, France, Canada, China, Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Lithuania. More information about KOEI and its products can be found at www.koei.com.

Opoona ©2008 ARTEPIAZZA/KOEI Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. ©HITOSHI SAKIMOTO. Samurai Warriors, Dynasty Warriors and the KOEI logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of KOEI Co., Ltd. ©2007-2008 KOEI Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Wii and the Wii logo are trademarks of Nintendo. ©2006 Nintendo. The ratings icon is a trademark of the Entertainment Software Association. “Dolby”, “Pro Logic”, and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. DRAGON QUEST and FINAL FANTASY are registered trademarks of Square Enix Co., Ltd., in the United States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are properties of their respective owners.

Press Release ©2008 KOEI Co., Ltd.