XSEED Bringing Riz-Zoawd to North America with a Name Change

You probably mostly forgot about Wild ARMs developer Media.Vision's DS Wizard of Oz RPG, Riz-Zoawd, but XSEED certainly hasn't. Though they've kept the word on the downlow, it seems they have acquired the publishing rights for the game here in North America, and are planning to release the game sometime this fall.

Riz-Zoawd follows the classic story of Dorothy as she and her dog Toto are mystically whisked away to the magical Land of Oz. Manipulating movement through a touch-screen track ball interface, Riz-Zoawd has tried to combine classic turn-based combat with a new take on the original Wizard of Oz story.

Though the game has yet to be officially confirmed by XSEED, the game has reportedly already received a name change for North America, with XSEED shying away from the presumably difficult to pronouce anagram. Apparently, the NA version will be released as Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, which is, in my opinion, super boring.

Beyond "fall 2009," XSEED has not officially announced the game's release.

[RPGamer]

Riz-Zoawd Launch Trailer for Your Oz Needs

Those of you waiting on your hands for D3 and Media.Vision's Wizard of Oz RPG, Riz-Zoawd, will likely be happy to know that the wait is nearly over. To celebrate, D3 has released a launch trailer for the game, giving you a glimpse of the world, its characters, and the title's gameplay. It also features the rather pleasant JPop theme song.

Take a watch.



Riz-Zoawd will be available for Nintendo DS on December 25, 2008 in Japan.

Riz-Zoawd Release Date Pushed Up

I swear, I always get these memos late...

D3 has apparently pushed the release of Media.Vision-developed Wizard of Oz RPG, Riz-Zoawd, up a couple of weeks in Japan, moving it from January 01, 2009 to December 25, 2008. Just in time for Christmas!

As you are all likely aware, Riz-Zoawd follows Dorothy and Toto in the quest across the mystical kingdom of Oz, though how closely the game will follow the original books remains to be seen.

For those interested, the official Japanese site is right here.

There is still no word on a North American or European release at this time.

Riz-Zoawd Scans Show Dorothy, Some Old People

Set for the unusual release date of January 01, 2009, D3 and Media.Vision's upcoming DS RPG based on the Wizard of Oz, Riz-Zoawd, is intriguing.

I'm not sure if I should be excited for this game or not, as on one hand I really liked the Wizard of Oz when I was younger, I'm digging on this game's art style, and like the majority of Media.Vision's games, but on the other hand, the battles look ridiculously generic and I'm always wary of DS games.

Famitsu has recently written an article on the game (scans below) that covers various points of the game's system, as well as some weird old people. Take a look. (Thanks to RPGLand for the scans.)



Scans are open for translation requests below.

Riz-Zoawd will be available on Nintendo DS in Japan on January 01, 2009, with no word on a North American or European release.

Riz-Zoawd gets a Release Date, Trailer and Boxart Follow

Media.Vision and D3's Wizard of Oz RPG, Riz-Zoawd, has finally received a release date in Japan. Slated for January 01, 2009, it looks like Riz-Zoawd will officially be the first RPG released in the new year.

(As a side note, I find this date a tad surprising, as New Year's Day is basically the equivalent of Christmas in North America, and I have a hard time imagining people going out to buy a game on that day...)

To go along with the date announcement, D3 has unveiled the game's boxart (above) and released a trailer for the game, highlighting its various features. Check it out below.

Trailer


Riz-Zoawd will be available on Nintendo DS in Japan on January 01, 2009, with no set release for North America or Europe.

TGS 2008: Riz-Zoawd in Action, Japanese Explanation Voice Abounds

Media.Vision and D3 have released a playable demo of their upcoming Wizard of Oz RPG, Riz-Zoawd, which will walk you through using the game's track-ball navigation system and turn-based battles.

Take a watch below:



Looking interesting. I just hope that persistent explaining lady stops talking at some point.

Off to See the Wizard

Remember that DS Wizard of Oz RPG being developed by Media.Vision? Called Riz-Zoawd? Sure you do! Well, D3 Publisher (the game's publisher, imagine that) has just released a new trailer showing off how the gameplay will work.

As you will see in the trailer, movement around the Kingdom of Oz is handled via a "track ball" present on the touch screen. Spinning the track ball faster will make Dorothy move faster (what a concept!).

In addition to the track ball, the game's turn-based battle system will also be completely controlled via the touch screen, so you won't have to fiddle with any of those cumbersome buttons.

You can check the video out for yourself below (thanks Gamekyo).



I'm still not too sure about 100% touch-screen games, but I really like the story behind The Wizard of Oz, so here's hoping Media.Vision gets in right with Riz-Zoawd.

Thoughts?

The Wonderful Touch-Screen of Oz

You may or may not be familiar with the developer Media Vision. They got their break in the game industry by developing a quirky RPG series for Sony called Wild ARMs. Maybe you've heard of it?

Well, Media Vision is leaving the Wild West and heading somewhere over the rainbow with their new Nintendo DS game, RIZ-ZOAWD. RIZ-ZOAWD (pronounced in Japanese something like Ree-zode) appears to be a re-telling of L. Frank Baum's famous children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, bringing back the well-known characters of Dorothy, Toto, the Lion, the Scarecrow, and the Tinman.

The game is completely 3D (and for crappy DS graphics, it looks pretty good) and can be completely controlled via the stylus. Battles appear to be based on a simplistic turn-based system reminscent of Dragon Quest, albeit (again) controlled by the stylus.

For exploration, both screens appear to be used to display the world, giving the player a much further and more detailed view of the Kingdom of Oz. Battles will use the touch screen for player input, while the top screen will be used to display the action.

Though details are scarce at the moment, this definitely looks like a title to keep an eye on for me, as I've really enjoyed a lot of Media Vision's previous work, and the game's style looks very appealing. Also, I've always really enjoyed the world around the Wizard of Oz since I was little (not that crappy old film that everyone has seen, I'm talking about the actual book now).

I've included the (admittedly small) Famitsu scans below for your viewing pleasure.

RIZ-ZOAWD is reportedly set to be published by D3 in Japan sometime this year. We'll keep you posted.

P.S. Anyone else remember the old Wizard of Oz anime? I loved that show!