Today Popona cheerfully announced that IDOLA Phantasy Star Saga is set to begin service in November. The game is Phantasy Star's return to a turn based RPG that plans to release on Android and iOS devices!
IDOLA is set in a world of two major competing forces where each character is affiliated with either [Law] or [Chaos]. Some characters, however, belong to neither side, and are classified as [Neutral] participants.
Starting the game up for the first time will allow you to input your name and birthday. The birthday you enter will decide the main protagonist's element. You can change your name as you play the game, but you will not be permitted to alter the birthday.
You can confirm the status of your party prior to heading out into battle. From here, the livestreamers began their first [Free Quest], which happened to consume 15 Drive points.
These enemies might look familiar to those who've played PSO2. Standing in the back is the red [Rocked Bear] with two [Lugulfs] in front of it. Typically at the beginning of battle, each character only has access to basic attacks, indicated by the orange icons. These attacks will grow stronger as the battle progresses due to the increase in elemental values when various actions occur.
Characters will gain access to new attacks once their element reaches certain values. These new attacks are known as [Skills] that apply various effects on the enemy or your character. Skills in red icons usually perform powerful attacks that apply a particular effect. Skills with blue icons generally provide some sort of effect without an attack. For example, the blue icon [Shifta-Deband] increases both ATK and DEF on an ally.
Once a particular skill is used, the icon will grey out and go into cooldown for a number of turns.
Reverse Rush is yet another form of attack that switches out the current party with another in the opposite faction. Activating this action will unleash an all-out attack by members of the opposite party. Reverse Rush can also grant an effect that either reduces the enemies' defenses or reduces the amount of damage your characters would receive.
Once a character's element reaches a high enough value, their elemental icon will transform into a crest. This allows you to activate their [Elemental Blast]. This special move unleashes an action packed attack sequence that ends up consuming a certain amount of the element's value. Each Elemental Blast has its own effect. For example, Jasper's [Twin Blade] reduces his own speed after he finishes the attack, while Madock's [Steal Life] recovers HP after he completes the attack.
Once you've completed a quest, you'll be presented with a screen that displays the item drops and Meseta you've earned. You may also receive additional rewards if you achieve certain conditions in battle, such as winning without any incapacitations, or using elemental blasts a certain amount of times.
The next screen displays each character's results with two bars underneath. These indicate their progress towards leveling up and their bond level. Characters will earn hearts as you keep filling their bond gauge. This ties into the Fate Divergence system explained previously on this site.
Beasts Are Back?
IDOLA brings forth the revival of "Beasts" after their long absence! This time they're known as the [Lycans] who dwell alongside a mountainous region.
New Characters
Anna Marie (CV: Sayaka Ohara)
- Stella's mother and former head of the Aries Knights.
Popo Pudding (CV: Miyuki Kobori)
- When she puts on her glasses, she switches to tactical mode, and her personality changes.
Phuramy (CV: Eri Kitamura)
- The administrator of the Aries Knights who hails from a different world…
The Imperial Army
Sigmund (CV: Rikiya Koyama)
- Rosalinde's father and ruler of the Leoria Empire!
- A warrior who carries the lineage of the Idolan Leo.
Erwin (CV: Kōki Uchiyama)
- A man of superior wisdom who's the Crown Prince of the Empire!
- He possesses excellent skills in protection and healing.
Gustav (CV: Kōsuke Toriumi)
- The Second Prince in line of the Empire.
- He excels in martial prowess and is a master of the bow.
Gerda (CV: Ami Koshimizu)
- The First Princess who specializes in strategy and intrigue.
- She has her sights set on Rosalinde's life.