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NDS
Soma
Bringer
- New Import,
Restock Soon |
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NCS
Game Synopsis
«©NCS»
The world in Soma Bringer doesn't use crude oil or
solar power. It uses Soma which is plentiful, easily
harnessed, and is critical to industry in the land
of Barnea. However, strange visitors have broken
into the world and the equilibrium of Soma has
become unhinged. To restore balance to Soma and
crush a gang of monsters along the way, a formidable
seven-member strike team called the Pharzuph (7th
Division) is assembled to venture forth into the
world and set things right once again.
Nintendo bought out Monolith (developer of the Xenosaga games) last
year and the first game that the recently acquired
crew releases is an action-RPG dubbed Soma Bringer
which features music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda.
Jan Code: 4902370516401
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NCS
Game Notes
» At the outset of the game, a shooting star falls
from the heavens and onto the land of Barnea - dark
clouds may be seen flowing in opposing directions
followed by the streaming downwards plummet of the
star which crashes and explodes.
» Start a new game and you'll be able to select a
character out of seven choices. An eight figure
named Idea is shadowed and not selectable.
Available Characters
Welt / Red haired lad who carries a sword and shield
Idea / Blonde pixie in blue dress and white
knee-high boots (locked)
Einsatz / Silver-haired sword handler who looks like
Sephiroth
Jadis / Broad shouldered axe swinger with purplish
hair
Millers / Pink haired gal who wears a gauntlet on
her left hand
Cadenza / Willowy young man who wields a firearm
Forte / Orange haired female magic user
Granada / Her garb is reminiscent of Galadriel of
Princess Crown fame
» Once your
character is chosen, you'll select a class out of
six options as follows:
Character classes
Battler / Warrior-class that uses melee weapons
Koas / Fighter that can also use white magic - sort
of like a ranger
Darks / Fighter who amplifies his blows with black
magic
Gunners / Shooter who fires at enemies with
projectile based weapons
Kanbus / All-around fighter who uses spears and
poles
Somas / Magic user who harnesses elemental power
» After the class is chosen, a weapon is selected. For
example, we chose Welt and made him a Battler. In
his weapon selection screen, we were able to select
a sword & shield, a broadsword, or a dual-sword
set-up. Next, you'll have 7 character points to
allocate to the hero's Strength, Skill, Magic, and
Health. Finally, you'll name the newly created hero
in hiragana, katakana, or English.
Prologue: Girl in the Woods
The birds are chirping and shafts of sunlight
shine through the dark clouds above. The impact
crater from the shooting star is shown on the touch
screen. Press "A" and Welt (or the character you
chose) is shown on the top screen. He runs out and
is greeted by Millers. The two continue outside
where they're joined by Jadis, Forte, and Cadenza.
The quintet runs into the forest where they meet up
with Einsatz and Granada. This is the newly formed
Pharzuph 7th Division squad of adventurers on an
urgent mission.
Once control is handed over to the player, use
the d-pad to move to the northeast. Einsatz and
Millers both follow close behind. The action takes place
on the top screen while the touch screen shows a
local area map and the control assignments for the
face buttons. At the outset of the game, pressing
the "A" button swings the primary weapon
of the hero. The cavern area
that the party enters serves as the home to three
turnip-like creatures. Run up to one and
the battle commences immediately without any
separate loading screen or shift of venue. Press the
"A" button to attack and
your two party members will automatically join in on
the hack and slash. Their actions are controlled by
the computer AI and they attack with gusto.
» Although only three active members of the party
attack during the overworld exploration, the
complete party consists of all seven characters who
can be seen during short sequences that help to
relay the storyline.
» In the early goings, a tutorial teaches gamers the
controls, menu options, and other important details
about the adventure.
» There are four levels of zoom that may be adjusted
by pressing the SELECT button. The highest level of
zoom gives players such a close-up view of the party
that you won't be able to assess your surroundings
or see the enemies you're attacking.
»
The actions of the main character may be
mapped to the four face buttons so that they're
automatically performed when the corresponding
button is tapped. Movement is handled entirely with
the d-pad and actions are triggered by pressing the
face buttons. Two sets of actions may be assigned to
each face button and you'll be able to toggle
between the sets of actions by pressing and holding
the R trigger. When it's time to use items that are
stored in inventory, press the L trigger and
the relevant face button commands will be made available
for use. This is an important feature of the game
because there is no way to pause the adventure when
a health item is needed to recover HP. If you press
the START button to access inventory, the game world
around you continues to move in real time and an
enemy attack will leave your hero vulnerable.
» When attacking enemies, an exclamation point will
appear as the party is pummeling a beast with
consecutive hits. Continue attacking with gang-like
aplomb and two exclamation marks will appear. As
long as the creature doesn't succumb to the rain of
blows, your next hit will activate the "Break"
system which is indicated by three exclamation
marks. A Break attack impacts ponderous damage on
the beast.
» In the early going, the "Break" attack is usually
the killing stroke. The Break System is explained in
the tutorial at the outset of the game. There's also
an S-Break System which is shown following the Break
System tutorial. You'll get to test the Break and
S-Break attacks by attacking the boss that appears
in front of the plant-like crystal vessel which
holds a girl within. She's crouched in an upright
fetal position. An emergency siren sounds and the
crystal cracks which leads to a local area explosion
that flattens the party. Everyone's none the worse
for wear however and they look upwards to find the
girl lying on the ground. End prologue.
»
The game card features 8 save slots.
Act. 1 Uncovering
After the prologue is finished, the next scene starts off with the
entire party aboard a craft where they get
acquainted with the girl they've recovered from the
cracked crystal. Her name is Idea. Despite being a
girl who just emerged from a strange vessel, she
understands Japanese and speaks with the party.
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This document and photos are ©NCSX 2008. All rights
reserved. No reproduction in whole or in part of
this document may be made without express written
consent of National Console Support, Inc. |
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