A Look at the World and its Inevitable Destruction

As per the translation request poll, here is the only requested article from last week's Famitsu (hey Billy!) on Sega and imageepoch's upcoming Nintendo DS RPG, World Destruction. Give the article a read and see just what is up with an RPG about destroying the world.

What is “Destruct”?
Though it is part of the title, “Destruct” is also an important keyword in this game. It seems that it is actually synonymous with “That which will bring destruction upon the world,” and may be a direct reference to the game’s protagonist, Kirie, who holds the power within him to destroy the world. It appears that there also exists a book that prophesies the end of the world, known as the Destruct Code.

Everything is Made of Sand?
At first glance, the world in World Destruction is not especially different from our own, but it seems that all substances in the world are made up of small, sand-like elements called Materials. However, when these Materials lose their power, they turn white, like snow. Between the continents stretches out oceans of these particles, and people can only cross them in sand ships.

Will it be destroyed or not? A look at the world of World Destruction
Fire, Water, Wind, and Earth: the four elements of this world. It is said that these elements were born of the fabled Four Holy Beasts. It is said that the Four Holy Beasts each inhabit one of the world’s four continents, bestowing upon each their own influence. For example, the continent where the King of Azure Water, one of the Four Holy Beasts, lives, is blessed with an abundance of water, causing the growth of many flowers, all of which are consistently in bloom. For this reason, this continent is called the Continent of Spring. Similarly, Continents of Summer, Autumn, and Winter also exist. The game’s protagonists cross all of these continents as they continue their journey that will decide the world’s fate. Below are some of the towns and dungeons that they will visit.

Border Village Balni – a village where humans and beastmen live together
This village is governed by Lord Kuma, one of the 20 Beast Lords, (the top organization of beastmen who govern the world). Due to Lord Kuma’s very warm personality, humans live equally with the beastmen here, but since it is on the edge of the country borders, there isn’t much news of the outside world.

Sand Mirror Cave
A cavern near Balni. Sand Bamboo, the key ingredient in Balni’s specialty dish, can be found here. Deep within the cave lives the Sand Whale. Though enormous, it is generally very tame, and will almost never attack visitors.

Port City Agi
Agi is a thriving port city that acts as the gateway to the Continent of Summer. Since it retains an open-door policy, various beastmen are always coming and going. Since goods and information are always in good supply, Agi looks to make an ideal spot to prepare for a journey.

Sky Prison
Positioned at the edge of the world, this solitary island is surrounded by a lake of brimstone. Being impossible to escape from, it has come to be called the Sky Prison, a facility created to hold terrorists and criminals - those who have committed serious crimes.

There are 6 characters in total that will join your party, but here we will introduce the first 3, along with their various combat styles and skills. (I introduced all 6 characters quite a while back, if you’d like to refresh your memory.)

Kirie Ilnis
The protagonist of World Destruction, Kirie is a quiet young man who is easily swayed by the opinions of others. Though he rarely asserts himself, he will honestly voice whatever is on his mind. He regards promises made to others very seriously, and will keep whatever commitment he makes, no matter what happens. Kirie hails from the quiet, easy-going Balni Village, and has never left it, so is very naïve to the outside world. He leaves the village on a journey after unintentionally joining the World Destruction Committee.
Wielding daggers in both hands, Kirie is able to attack swiftly and successively. Additionally, he can use abilities based on cooking, and is gifted at recovery and support skills. His daggers synthesize well with agility-enhancing items.

Morte Arshella
A young woman who deeply desires the destruction of the world, Morte comes from a tribe that travels the Sand Ocean. She has a bounty on her head as “Morte of the Destruction Committee.” She is cheerful and generous, but can also be very confrontational and extreme. She would always rather be doing something fun.
Morte wields a large, double-bladed sword in battle, and is good at landing heavy attacks. She can also combine kicking moves with her sword skills. Her abilities are mostly concentrated on dealing direct damage and increasing attack power. Her double-bladed sword synthesizes well with HP-enhancing items.

Agan Mardol
A young man also from the tribe of Sand Ocean travelers, and a childhood friend of Morte, Agan serves as the second-in-command to the human resistance against the beastmen, known as the Golden Lions. Though he is good-natured and considerate of others, he boasts a rather sarcastic attitude in an attempt to cover up his own inexperience. Unfortunately for him, he may be one of the unluckiest people in the world. However, he is aware of this, and actually seems to actively strive for bad luck.
Agan uses a whip in battle, and though he can’t land heavy attacks, he is good at multiple strikes. He is talented with the various status ailment-inflicting abilities of the Sand Oceaners, and can handle tricky strategies. His whips synthesize well with stamina-enhancing items.




Out of the literal tidal wave of JRPGs appearing on the DS these days, I must say that this looks like one of the more interesting, and I'm quite shocked that Sega hasn't announced anything about a North American or European release. (However, considering how little they promote their JRPGs over here, I suppose its really not that surprising.)

The game is quite highly-promoted in Japan, having received its own TV anime and manga series well before the game has even hit shelves.

World Destruction will retail on Nintendo DS on September 25, 2008 in Japan from Sega. There is currently no word on any international localization.

Thanks to RPGLand for the scans.