NCS Product Synopsis
Update: February 15, 2006
«©NCSX» Two centuries ago, a lanky madman named Gigu unleashed three powerful giants who wreaked havoc on the world. With a blinding lance of light, one giant ignites the world and sends earth and rock upwards and ablaze. To stop the swath of destruction being wrought, a young woman named Lena led a contingent who managed to seal Gigu into a sword and stop the onslaught of the giants. Peace returns to the world and civilization rebuilds over the course of the next few generations. However, something is causing the giants to stir once again...
As the game starts, Lena summons a lad named Ribea and a lassie known as Danetsuto to her lair. She advises them of the storm ahead and waves her scepter through the air. A glittering assortment of weapons magically appear and she sends a pair of green blades to Danetsuto. She blinks the rest of the weapons away and summons an ebon-colored sword. Ribea walks forwards and grasps it but is soon enveloped in swirling black orbs and a gusting wind. He later collapses and Lena explains that the sword contains the spirit of Gigu which is now bonded to Ribea. Although the hero's will is strong, Gigu's overpowering personality becomes a major factor in Ribea's life and eventual quest.
Jan Code: 4995506001254
Region Lock-out
Please note Japanese Playstation 2 games will not boot on USA or European PS2 consoles due to the inherent region-lockout on Playstation 2 game discs.
NCS Game Notes
» On the title screen, a big Soul Cradle logo appears over a coat of arms of some sort... or maybe it's a crest for a ruling family. A dark and ominous looking sword rests along the bottom of the screen. The selections are:
NEW GAME...... Start a new adventure
CONTINUE....... Resume a game in progress from memory card
OPTION........... Set sound volumes, etc
» Start a new game and a man is walking on a desert from left to right as winds blow in the same direction. A voice over sets up the background of the game world. He eventually reaches an inner sanctum and continues walking to the right. He reaches a dining hall but it's deserted. A vase of flowers and a candle unlit may be seen on top of the otherwise stark dining table. He continues walking across a wasteland where the trees have died and impact craters may be seen next to burned out cities and ruined towers. He continues walking, eventually passing through a wrecked inner hall that still smolders in the background.
» A woman's voice speaks and you're prompted to enter your name in katakana (seven characters max). The default name is "Ribea" in kana. Press the SQUARE button to toggle to hiragana, kanji, or Roman letters. We chose to enter "Redman" for the character since he has gold colored hair.
» After the game starts, a pink crystal appears in a blue cavern. The camera shifts views and the player-hero is seen on the left side of the screen with red hair and a green-haired girl named Danetsuto is on the right side. She seems peeved about something. After a spirited one-sided conversation, a training battle starts between the two. The characters appear on a grid-based map and they're three spaces apart and facing each other. Watch the encounter play out as the basics of gameplay are shown along with the attack sequence (You, Her, T, You, Her, T, ad infinitum).
» When an attack is selected, the screen shifts to a full side-view of the two combatants in split screen - Ribea on the right and Danetsuto on the left. A woman will say, "Battle Begin" and Rib'll run forward to attack and then retreat. She will then counterattack to do her worst on Rib's hide. Both fighters will yelp and yell when swinging their swords. On the second attack round, you'll dispatch her with the first stroke.
» Much of the dialogue is voiced by actors.
» After defeating Danetsuto in the training battle, she takes on a more conciliatory tone and the earth begins to shake. A game primer may be inspected before proceeding onwards. The party of two walk and bow when they meet a woman named Lena who has purple hair and wears a purple/red outfit. She lifts up her scepter, waves it once and an assortment of weapons appear and float in mid-air. There's a sword, an axe, a spear, a bow, and more. Danetsuto gets a pair of claw-swords and Lena makes the other weapons disappear. She waves her scepter once more and a black sword with a red-jeweled hilt handled appears. As it floats in mid-air, violet-colored sparkles burst from the jeweled hilt. Ribea walks forward and grabs it when black orbs spin upwards from the ground while a fierce wind starts to billow his hair and clothes. He seemingly struggles with it as Danetsuto is taken aback and a woman's voice laughs fiendishly. A disembodied male voice may also be heard exulting as he is freed. The spirit of the mighty Gigu is bonded with the protagonist.
» In the next scene, a gray-haired guy (Gigu) descends and stays aloft in mid-air - he's the spirit that was imbued into the sword and is now a part of protagonist. After a soliloquy, Gigu relinquishes the screen and Ribea is shown collapsed on the floor. He eventually gets up and the the sword may be seen dug halfway into the ground and tilting at an angle. Lena speaks again and talks about her battle 200 years ago when she sealed Gigu into the sword and stopped the rampage of the three giants.
» With the introductory background story over, the hero and heroine are standing with three other characters and Lena in the rose-colored crystal cavern. Two minotaur-esque creatures with red hair, green body paint, and rings through their snouts are position in front and behind the hero. After a bit more banter and dialogue, a resonant bell rings and a flashback shows the demonic Gigu standing atop a tower while a wasteland steaming with heat trails appears before him. He laughs and bends back on his haunches while gauntlets float near his arms where they were once attached. He holds a self dialogue and three silhouettes of mighty hosts may be seen in the horizon. One of them unleashes a blast of laser light that causes a powerful explosion. Gigu laughs some more and then talks some more... to himself.
» Back in the cavern, Danetsuto is speaking to Gigu and then the game proper begins.
» First scene shows protagonist on a map while Gigu speaks - he'll provide guidance and help throughout the game. At this point a short tutorial is shown which goes through the menu and actions selectable therein. After you're done with the tutorial, exit back to the map screen and then head south to the area with the crossed swords. Press O and select the swords icon to engage in the battle. Three enemy units are in the area. Attack the first one to the right of your position and marvel at how your two fighters know how to converge on a single target and attack in a concerted effort to wipe him off the map. Beware of the trio of enemies to the south of the map. There's a healer and a mage in there. If you damage the swordsman that fronts them, the healer will cast HP recovery on him. When the swordsman attacks, the mage couples his blow with a wave of fire that does 15-20 damage to both of your party members.
» The battles are fairly exciting to watch because of the big screen majesty of it all. The running and sword swinging are shown on a side scrolling battlefield for that added "wow" factor.
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