NeoGAF

Kurosaki Ichigo · 03:43 PM

Lots of screens and all the info:
http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000/177/177854/
http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000...4/index-2.html

Title: Antiphona no Seikahime: Tenshi no Gakufu Op.A (Hymn Princess of Antiphona - Angel's Musical Score Op. A)
Publisher: Nipponichi Software
Genre: RPG
Release Date: October 22nd 2009 (Japan)
Price: 6090Y / Limited Edition 8190Y

It heavily relies on music themes and the composer is Tenpei Sato from Marl Kingdom fame (Rhapsody). Kinda like a spiritual sequel I suppose?

A few screens:

Vorador · (07-17-2009, 03:36 PM)

The sprites look cute. Scratch that, the entire game looks cute :lol

AceBandage · (07-17-2009, 03:37 PM)

Rhythm based combat?

Jayge · (07-17-2009, 03:38 PM)

For some reason the design and glimpse of the combat UI give off a Crimson Gem Saga-esque impression, even though the art style is completely different. Interesting.

highluxury · (07-17-2009, 03:41 PM)

Looks beautiful, got a real retro feel to it.

jj984jj · (07-17-2009, 03:42 PM)

It definitely looks like a Marl Kingdom game. What's that company being credited in the copyright? O-Two, looks like they've worked with NIS before...

le.phat · (07-17-2009, 03:50 PM)

what in god's name did sony tell these devs for them to shower the psp with games ?
looks interesting btw.

highluxury · (07-17-2009, 03:53 PM)

Originally Posted by le.phat:

what in god's name did sony tell these devs for them to shower the psp with games ?
looks interesting btw.

:lol You gotta admit, they gotta have some sweet ass persuasion skills. Truely a comeback to remember.

speedpop · (07-17-2009, 03:54 PM)

Looks great, loving the musical theme about it.

JustAnotherOtaku · (07-17-2009, 04:08 PM)

Played through and loved Rhapsody on DS earlier in the year and as a result am very interested in this :)

Pureauthor · (07-17-2009, 04:17 PM)

Originally Posted by le.phat:

what in god's name did sony tell these devs for them to shower the psp with games ?
looks interesting btw.

This is NIS. They've always been really loyal to Sony.

B.K. · (07-17-2009, 04:23 PM)

Now they just need to remake Rhapsody 2 and 3 for PSP.

le.phat · (07-17-2009, 04:25 PM)

Originally Posted by Pureauthor:

This is NIS. They've always been really loyal to Sony.

oh yeah, i know, but where at a point that there are several psp games announced every other day now :lol I'm not complaining, i love my psp, but i'm just wondering what kind of Jedi mind tricks Tretton is playing here, turning each and every dev in a devoted psp developer after 2 years of giving it the finger.

AtomskEater · (07-17-2009, 04:27 PM)

Looks adorable. :lol Here's hoping for an English release!

Originally Posted by B.K.:

Now they just need to remake Rhapsody 2 and 3 for PSP.

Yes, please.

wrowa · (07-17-2009, 04:32 PM)

Looks absolutely identical to Rhapsody. Loved the style and story (I really liked the naivety of it) of that game, but the gameplay was terrible. Really terrible. The dungeon design was non-existent. The dungeons were just a sequence of the same room over and over (and over and over and over) again. It's an insult to the word "design" to call that horrendous stuff "dungeon design".

Hopefully this game will be better in that regard.

MelloBoy · (07-17-2009, 09:26 PM)

is this supposed to be like NIS' take on an Ar Tonelico type world?

Drame · (07-17-2009, 09:31 PM)

Looks great, here's another one for hoping a western release.

wrowa · (07-17-2009, 09:43 PM)

Originally Posted by MelloBoy:

is this supposed to be like NIS' take on an Ar Tonelico type world?

No, it's the spirital successor of the Marl Kingdom series. That's why it looks exactly like Rhapsody (and probably will play exactly like Rhapsody).

Chromax · (07-17-2009, 09:45 PM)

Looks great. want!

Amir0x · (07-17-2009, 09:50 PM)

Sorta looks like a 2D version of Eternal Sonata here.

Anyway Rhapsody was a pretty lame game with awful music and even more awful gameplay, so not sure if I want to go down this road again. However, I always keep one eye open on Nippon Ichi shit. We'll see.

Captain N · (07-17-2009, 09:53 PM)

Graphics like this rock! I wish we'd get some of these on consoles. Even if they only release them as XBLA or PSN.

Gunloc · (07-17-2009, 09:56 PM)

I hope it's more than just a spiritual successor to the Marl Kingdom games. I'd like to see it have actual ties to the Marl universe.

Anyway, it looks great and the combat sounds interesting. English please.

LOVE & TRUTH · 03:20 AM

Dengeki Online has a new article up: more game details (battle system has an "Apologize" command :lol ) + new screenshots and character art : http://dps.dengeki.com/2009/08/post_1097.html.

The limited edition will include an art book and an official 2-disk soundtrack by Tenpei Satou:

[IMG]http://i31.************/21268mo.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]http://i27.************/2a6nx42.jpg[/IMG]

JustAnotherOtaku · (08-21-2009, 08:54 PM)

New trailer here. Really liking the look of this. Does anyone know the name of the redhead girl with the twin tails?

Abel · (08-21-2009, 09:46 PM)

Originally Posted by JustAnotherOtaku:

New trailer here. Really liking the look of this. Does anyone know the name of the redhead girl with the twin tails?

Her name is Felicia :D

JEKKI · (08-21-2009, 10:21 PM)

whoa! I never seen this before but it looks cool!!

B.K. · (08-21-2009, 10:29 PM)

[IMG]http://i29.************/2yxg8if.jpg[/IMG]

There's Marjoly. So I guess the game is a new Marl Kingdom game after all?

madara · (08-21-2009, 10:34 PM)

Marl Kingdom hotness! I love those and apparently others do as well as it scored really high on the famitsu all time rpg chart. PSP is getting some sweet rpgs.

JustAnotherOtaku · (08-22-2009, 02:22 PM)

Originally Posted by Abel:

Her name is Felicia :D

Thanks! :) That'll come in handy for image searches ;)

Dedication Through Light · (08-22-2009, 03:27 PM)

Tenpei Sato as composer and a soundtrack, yes.

Unknown USA release: questionable?

Cant wait to see gameplay videos.

Tolkienfanatic · (08-22-2009, 03:29 PM)

Wow... stunning sprite work.

ivedoneyourmom · (08-22-2009, 09:08 PM)

It's beautiful! I hope NISA releases it here (sans bugs please, thanks)

B.K. · 05:28 AM

http://www.gpara.com/comingsoon/antiphona/090930/

There are some new screens and profiles for Glinda, Marjoly, and a Marl guy.

Apparently, the game takes place on a continent called Antiphona. The player can travel between Antiphona and the Marl Kingdom. The witch Glinda is a rival of Marjoly and basically the rule of Antiphona. Sofia Marl (a guy, even though it's a girl's name) serves Glinda and he has a brother named Edgar.

Basically, the game IS Rhapsody 4.

LOVE & TRUTH · (10-21-2009, 12:42 PM)

Here's the rough translation of the Famitsu mini-reviews (please forgive the bad English):

Average playtime is 20-25 hours.

7 - Status (attributes?) and the number of equipment pieces and items is kept at a minimum, forming a simple RPG. Every game event is accompanied by a song and a dance arranged like a musical and it is quite worth seeing. But the command-oriented battle system is inconvenient to use, and it is difficult to understand the weak points of the enemy - things like that here and there lead to the dissatisfaction. This only suppresses the explosive potential of this title, to my regret.

7 - finely drawn, cute and very well animated characters, visuals are good, it cannot be denied. The close-ups and the music were good too. But the battles are a bit strange. The numbers are not shown and because of this some time is needed to make out things. Even though the presentation is fanciful, the initial stages can be rather rough.

7 - pixel-drawn characters going around, performing some comical musical scenes put a good highlight to the story. These plays alone can make for an entertaining game. When there's a conversation between the party members, it's nice to see their witty remarks and hints. But the battle system, even though it looks very nice, needs a strict control and coordination (from the player). The battle after battle gets a little tedious too.

6 - when a musical event starts, with the beautiful voice and visuals, it's a perfect sight. Story is also enjoyable, if you're familiar with the series. Simply laid out battle system is easy to enjoy, but at the same time it is obscure and sometimes unfair. I feel that the melody card is difficult to make [out] (no idea what he's talking about here).

JustAnotherOtaku · (10-21-2009, 01:07 PM)

Thanks for the translation of the review. Is anyone picking this up on release? I loved Rhapsody and am definitely gonna buy this but may just go with the Japanese version as I don't really want to wait ages for a US/Euro release.

LOVE & TRUTH · (10-21-2009, 01:28 PM)

My Limited Edition was shipped today from Play-Asia! I'm totally looking forward to playing this and hope my Japanese will not be that much of a barrier.

I'm not even sure the game will be eventually released in the West. I think NISA is too disheartened after the Rhapsody DS flop to bring over the sequel (loved Rhapsody DS too, btw, so the reviewers claims seem irrelevant).

JustAnotherOtaku · (10-21-2009, 01:35 PM)

Originally Posted by LOVE & TRUTH:

My Limited Edition was shipped today from Play-Asia! I'm totally looking forward to playing this and hope my Japanese will not be that much of a barrier.

I'm not even sure the game will be eventually released in the West. I think NISA is too disheartened after the Rhapsody DS flop to bring over the sequel (loved Rhapsody DS too, btw, so the reviewers claims seem irrelevant).

Be sure to post some impressions once you have played it :)

Yeah, I have a feeling this may not make it out of Japan, although maybe with the release of the PSPgo there is the possibility of a download only version? Either way, if it doesn't come out or get announced soon I'll just buy the Japanese version.

B.K. · (10-21-2009, 04:57 PM)

I'm sure it'll be released here eventually. NISA hasn't skipped any of their RPGs in years.

Durante · (10-21-2009, 08:05 PM)

How have I completely missed this up to now? Looks really nice, it's always good to see a developer use 2D on the handhelds. I don't know if I'd get it but I do hope NISA picks it up.

Originally Posted by B.K.:

I'm sure it'll be released here eventually. NISA hasn't skipped any of their RPGs in years.

True, but I just can't imagine NA releases of niche PSP games being particularly profitable.

Dedication Through Light · (10-21-2009, 11:41 PM)

Originally Posted by Durante:

How have I completely missed this up to now? Looks really nice, it's always good to see a developer use 2D on the handhelds. I don't know if I'd get it but I do hope NISA picks it up.

True, but I just can't imagine NA releases of niche PSP games being particularly profitable.

Arent they making much profit on the portable front, I cant imagine they are spending quite a bit of money on production anyway.

Gravijah · (10-21-2009, 11:50 PM)

http://news.dengeki.com/elem/000/000...w1_480x272.jpg

MAKES ME THINK OF LEGEND OF MANA! Must have this game. :(

Big Papa Husker · (02-01-2010, 03:11 AM)

Any idea if this is ever coming to the US? I tried searching and I couldn't find any information on it.

Noogy · (02-01-2010, 06:46 AM)

Everything about this is giving me a 2D Eternal Sonata vibe, which is absolutely love.

djtiesto · (02-02-2010, 08:04 PM)

Wow, I haven't seen this game before, looks beautiful! I thought the concept behind Rhapsody was interesting but the execution felt really flat, so I'd be curious as to another N1 take on the genre. Hopefully this will get released over here.