REBIRTH,.. for Lunar Knights ( Link )
Both an original title and a reimagining of familiar concepts, Lunar Knights is an Action/RPG title
being produced exclusively for the Nintendo DS. This marks the first time that Kojima Productions has
made a game for the handheld and serves to show that while Mr. Kojima may have a strong dedication to Sony brand hardware, he has far from forgotten his roots.
Right off the bat, players will notice multiple similarities to the previously established but sorely
underrated Boktai series of games which utilized a sun sensor, forcing players to go outside to progress through the story. However, Lunar Knights is not a sequel nor continuation of the Boktai series -- rather, it is a reimagining of a concept that Kojima Productions seemingly felt too stale to continue. This first title marks the beginning of a brand new franchise, taking what worked from the Boktai series and refining it into a more streamlined package. Absent is the sun sensor from Boktai, now replaced with a digital sun dial on the top DS screen (although players have the option of using any copy of Boktai to use the traditional sun sensor).
Though not much has been said, the story focuses on the journey of two vampire hunters -- Lucien and Aaron, each of whom are empowered by the day and night respectively. Whereas the Boktai series focused more on guile and stealth to progress, Lunar Knights is more of a solid action title with switches between sword and rifle combat to fully three dimentional space shooter sequences where the player can control their ship with the DS stylus. Also, by landing multiple successful attacks in the traditional isometric view mode and using what is known as the TRC meter, either of the vampire hunters can unleash a flurry of special attacks that can devastate an entire screen full of enemies almost instantly, using the stylus to trigger various elemental attacks.
Working closely with this game is none other than Kojima Productions Report host and International
Manager, Ryan Payton. I had the chance to speak with him about the game during the expo as well as test out a demo build at Konami's booth. Though he has assisted in the production of KojiPro games in the past, his involvement in the Lunar Knights project is the most hands-on of any project he has worked on to this date. And he has a reason to be proud; although the graphic style is similar to that of Boktai, LK easilly holds its own among current popular action and RPG titles and feels remeniscent of games such as Castlevania and The Legend of Zelda.
For fans who want to see what Kojima and his team are capable of when unrestricted by the Metal Gear license, Lunar Knights offers a glimpse into the future of what is already one of the most talented game design teams in today's fast paced industry.
No exact release date has been announced, although Kojima Productions is planning to have the game on North American shelves by sometime this winter.
(Unofficial Concept Design)
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