White Knight Chronicles: Origins

35 6
White Knight Chronicles: Origins

Following our White Knight Chronicles II Q&A a couple of days ago, we caught up with Hiroaki Iwahara, Main Planner at Matrix Corp, to talk about White Knight Chronicles: Origins on PSP.

White Knight Chronicles Returns To PS3 And Debuts On PSP

How does White Knight Chronicles: Origins feed into the wider WKC universe?

10,000 years before the original PS3 game takes place, there was a period of strife known as the Dogma Wars. This struggle is between the Yshrenian Empire who are harnessing the power of the Knights in a bid to conquer the world, and the Athwani Mage Kingdom who are trying to stop them. These events would shape history to come in the White Knight Chronicles saga, and White Knight Chronicles: Origins tells the story of the unsung heroes who lived through this period of unrest, only to be forgotten in the annals of time.

Can you tell us how the characters from the White Knight Chronicles universe fit into the game story?

There are some characters from the PS3 games who appear in our PSP title. For example, right at the start of the game your character will meet a young Eldore during the downfall of Xarmgand. The Black Knight Demian is another recurring character who plays a big role in the PS3 games. You’ll also meet the troll Thaumus who’s using guerrilla tactics to try and halt the Yshrenian onslaught. And, of course, the White Knight, the Dragon Knight and the Moon Maiden all make an appearance.

White Knight Chronicles Returns To PS3 And Debuts On PSP

Can you tell us about the gameplay, specifically how the combat system will work?

In the game your character is a member of a mercenary group called the Mobile Corps. Your base is a train where you will be able to take on quests, choosing a team of soldiers to fight alongside you. The battle system is essentially the same as the PS3 version – you command you character to perform an action from a variety of skills. But we’ve done a lot of tuning with the speed of the battle flow and also tailored the controls to the PSP.

Were you fans of the White Knight Chronicles franchise before working on your game?

Yes, definitely!

Matrix Corp. has worked on quite a few RPGs up to now. In your opinion, what’s special about this one?

It’s got to be the transformation system. It’s really at the heart of the whole game and gives it its character.

We also put a lot of effort into the character creation system to ensure that players can create an avatar that really appeals to them. From a design perspective we’ve tried to keep the feeling of the PS3 version while also throwing in some new ideas.

White Knight Chronicles Returns To PS3 And Debuts On PSP

What’s your favourite moment in the game?

The Unity Attacks are great fun. You can perform these in single player mode, but they’re much more fun when you pull them off with a group of friends!

Can you give us an insight into your personal playing style in the game?

My personal preference is using a red chroma and my weapon of choice is an axe. My tactic is to max-out my attack power by selecting the right skills and buffing my equipment. You might not always land your blows but when you do it really saps your enemy’s HP!

Join the Conversation

Add a Comment

But don't be a jerk!

Please be kind, considerate, and constructive. Report inappropriate comments to us_playstation_blog_moderation@sony.com

35 Comments

6 Author Replies


    Loading More Comments

    Leave a Reply

    Please enter your date of birth.

    Date of birth fields