Based on actual Japanese mythology, Otogi promises a blend of action, adventure and role playing

Happenstance can be a wonderful thing - especially when you happen to see a game title, happen to fall in love with it and then happen to import it from Japan to the North American market.

That is, essentially, what happened with Otogi - Myth of Demons, an upcoming Xbox release from Sega of America.

"We saw this game in Japan and it really caught the attention of the Sega America folks," said Noah Musler, SEGA’s product manager for Otogi, during a conference call Thursday, July 24, 2003. "After we got back from our trip, we contacted From Software about it."

From Software had released the game, and was willing to talk to and then allow SEGA to tweak the title just a little to import it. Changes from the Japanese version include speeding up the camera angles, tweaking the combat and making the game a little more accessible to the game players.

Otogi is set in the era of Japanese history at the start of the feudal age, approximately 1,000 years ago. Raiko was part of a clan of warriors that dispensed justice, and was in effect, the judge, jury and executioner. As he is about to die he is visited by a very mysterious entity known as The Princess and told of her vision. The world is out of balance and Raiko - who is, incidentally based on a legendary Japanese hero - must prevail against an army of demons to recover the Four Essences.

"It is a classic story of a single hero combating insurmountable odds and succeeding," Musler said.

With more than 25 levels, and a vast array of weaponry (33 broken down into 4 groups), magic and accessories, Otogi is more than just a lucky hack ‘n slash run through levels. Each level is mission specific, and players may be required to work through puzzles in order to succeed. And, because you can only equip so much, you have to be judicious in deciding what items, and what spells you can take into a level.

"Level progression is linear but unlocking and finding all the weapons, magic and accessories will be a challenge. You will have to replay the levels to find all the objects, all the weapons and optimizing your ability."

Of course, each pre-level set-up is important and does have a direct impact on Raiko. What he carries will affect his movement throughout the level. There are 15 characteristics which can be affected - such has his overall weight, which, in turn, affects his jumping height. It is possible to succeed through a level with any combination of items, but obviously carrying the right gear and having the right spells will make it much easier.

Each level is also ranked, which aids replayability. Players will be tasked to find certain items. If all the weapons, magic and accessories are found, players will be able to find an ultimate weapon.

One of the other interesting elements of Otogi is the destructible environments. 90 percent of everything within a level can be destroyed. However, gamers will not be able to destroy any object that would make the level impassable. But the environment is a vital part of the game play in that it creates tactical advantages throughout a level.

During the conference call, some questions were raised about the comparison between Otogi and other Japanese-based game titles such as Onimusha and Shinobi.

"Onimusha is more of a puzzle game," Musler said. "Otogi is more action/adventure with RPG elements."

Plus the fact that Otogi is fully three-dimensional, has an almost fully destructible environment and is set in the Japanese era prior to Onimusha will also set it apart. And the worlds are much more open to exploration than in Shinobi.

As for the control scheme ...

"Raiko has a lot of moves at his disposable but the control scheme is pretty simple," said Musler. "The control scheme isn’t as complex as Metal Gear Solid."

So what will set this game apart from other Xbox RPGs?

"It is a little more accessible," Musler said "Otogi is just a little bit easier for the average gamer to get into because it bridges the gap between action and adventure with RPG elements."