Assistant Producer Satoshi Ban reveals the elements of Kingdom of Paradise
By Michael Lafferty 

“We were inspired by traditional Japanese lore, mythical adventure, and classic samurai sword-fighting”

An outcast warrior thrust into a clan conflict, with the thought to not bring glory to himself or his clan, but rather to restore the balance of power between five clans – that forms the backdrop for Kingdom of Paradise.

With a combat system tied to scrolls and combo movements gained through linking them, 20 hours of gameplay and a strong multiplayer element, this is a title that may very well be venturing into new territory in that combat-RPG hybrid genre. But what elements will set this title apart from the others treading the same waters?

SCEA and Climax Group are behind Kingdom of Paradise, a PSP title releasing in mid-November. For the answers to questions about the title, GameZone turned to SCEA and Satoshi Ban, Assistant Producer, Sony Computer Entertainment Japan.

Question: Is the game based on any novels of other ideas, or is this a completely original IP?

Satoshi: “Kingdom of Paradise is a completely original IP. We were inspired by traditional Japanese lore, mythical adventure, and classic samurai sword-fighting. I don’t know if there are specific games that influenced us, but by breaking down the traditional action-RPG gaming mold, we believe Kingdom of Paradise offers new action-RPG gaming style customized for the PSP. I would really like players to see how we’re trying to push the boundaries of traditional genres and game design with Kingdom of Paradise for the PSP. I want players to experience how deep and powerful the PSP hardware really is so I look forward to the future possibilities of PSP game development.”

Q: The game seems to be founded in a world of martial artists. Does this mean that the combat will mostly consist of melee martial arts, or are there other forms of combat that come into play?

Satoshi: “Yes, combat is heavily influenced by various martial arts as well as traditional Japanese sword fighting. There are other forms of combat available in the form of magic spells. These can be collected throughout the various worlds and can be used for area of effect attacks.“

Q: Will the combat be “sandwich style” or will players have to take an involved role in it? Will terrain and weather be a factor in combat? Will the game use stealth?

Satoshi: “The combat system is very unique. The biggest feature we introduced is our concept of Kenpu and Bugei Scrolls. Players will receive Kenpu as they defeat enemies and proceed through events in the story. In the game, Kenpu is part of a scroll that focuses on specific sword technique and style. Basically, Kenpu is a specific fighting move. By aligning multiple Kenpu, players can create what is known as a Bugei Scroll, or, a set combination of Kenpu moves. By equipping various Bugei Scrolls, players can begin implementing fighting combos in their attacks. The Bugei Scroll is a “continuous attack” which can be freely customized, and the players can decide which Kenpu to use and its order. The reason why this Bugei Scroll system is unique is because of its variation on fighting mechanics and that we’re utilizing this as a feature on the PSP. Since there are more than 150 kinds of Kenpu throughout the game, the total number of combos is almost limitless! Each Bugei Scroll is inevitably your own personal combo. In a typical action-RPG, you fight by changing weapons in accordance with the enemy. In Kingdom of Paradise, however, you are able to switch the Bugei Scrolls instead of the weapons. 

“You can equip up to six Bugei Scrolls at the same time, and you can also switch them to more effective Scrolls depending on the enemy. Using the right trigger, exchanging Bugei Scrolls can be done very quickly during battles so it is possible to switch Scrolls every time an enemy appears. When multiple enemies surround you, pick the Bugei Scroll that lets you attack enemies close by. When you fight against one enemy, you can pick the Bugei Scroll that makes you get close to the enemy right away. Depending on each situation, the Bugei Scrolls can be switched just like you switch your weapons.

“After players beat the game, gamers can play through again to try and collect additional Kenpu (specific moves) that they may not have acquired during the first play through. Players can take these additional Kenpu and add to their Bugei scrolls, creating even more sword-fighting combos.  

Terrain and weather generally will not affect elements of combat in the game and no, there is no real stealth aspect.”

Q: Are Shinbu and Sui Lin the only two playable characters or are there others? Will the game allow players to switch between the two?

Satoshi: “Actually, Shinbu is the only playable character. Sui Lin is Shinbu’s counterpart and will assist him in the journey and in battle.”

Q: How does the game handle leveling of the characters? Is the typical apply points to attributes and work up skill trees, or does Kingdom of Paradise offer new concepts?

Satoshi: “Similar to classic RPGs, players will level up their character by defeating enemies and earning experience points, up to a maximum level of 20. Players will also need to talk to people along the way, gaining information and clues necessary to moving the story forward. Kingdom of Paradise is definitely considered more of an action game that contains RPG elements. There are many RPG-like moments, such as event scenes and talking to people in town, but there are way more action elements to this game than the typical RPG.”

Q: How is this game told graphically? Are we looking at an isometric view, or first-person? Does the game use story panels to advance the tale?

Satoshi: “The gameplay is all in third-person view with two angles to select from using the select button. Also, we implemented many cut-scenes that are used to advance the story and bridge scenes together.”

Q: With the PSP still relatively young, it seems there is a lot of room for innovation of the titles presented on the platform. Does Kingdom of Paradise bring anything new to handheld in terms of gaming?

Satoshi: “We attached the highest importance to the tempo of the game. Since the game is for the PSP, and players may not be able to play for long hours like with console games, the flow of the story and tempo of the various battles are things we paid attention to most, so that playing for a short time can be fun, too. Especially during the battles, we were meticulous about timing of the action and balancing the enemy’s strength to let players enjoy the game even in a brief play period. Other challenges include some new play methods that were never possible in other portable players, such as AdHoc, versus mode, and action download using the wireless LAN function of the PSP.

Q: How does the audio carry the theme? Some recent games have maintained the integrity of the tale by carrying it on in Japanese with English subtitles. Will this game use voice actors?

Satoshi: “The music we used throughout the game really represents the Asian theme and vast scope of Ohka. We did think about leaving all of the voice work in Japanese to be more authentic but we ultimately decided that voice work in English was the way to go. We did use English voice actors but our biggest concern was to make sure the English voice work carried the same intonation as the Japanese voices. I believe our US team was very successful in carrying over that emphasis. In all, we used 21 voice actors to record voice parts throughout the game. Additionally, all of the speaking audio is subtitled in English.”

Q: How many levels are there and does each level culminate in a boss battle?

Satoshi: “Kingdom of Paradise has a total of 20 levels. Depending on the skill level of the player, it should take around 20 hours to finish the game. As for boss battles, I don’t know the exact number, but we do have one-on-one battles with enemy bosses and battles against towering monsters influenced from Eastern mythology. On the second play-through, enemies are much stronger overall leading to more challenging battles.” 

Q: Does the game support multiplayer WiFi gaming?

Satoshi: “The network service using the wireless LAN function is one of the features that became possible because of the PSP. Kingdom of Paradise provides three different modes using the wireless LAN:

“1. Two-player Versus Mode （in Ad Hoc)
Players can fight in a versus mode against a friend using original Bugei Scroll combos. In addition to a versus battle, players can show off their originally created combos to a friend in Ad Hoc as well. Players can simply focus on beating an opponent but since the fighting system is so deep, we hope that players will come up with unique ways to go through battle, considering things like what kind of combo to use to defeat the opponent. 

“2. Kenpu Exchange（in Ad Hoc)
This is a function in which you can exchange Kenpu with your opponent’s Kenpu. If you play and finish the game, you will only collect about 70% of the total available Kenpu. The remaining Kenpu has to be collected on the second play-through with cleared save data. But if players use the Kenpu Exchange, they can obtain Kenpu from your friends that you may not have. One thing we like to do here in the dev offices is to face off with an opponent and the winner gets a Kenpu reward.

“3. Download Service （in Infrastructure Mode)
Players can get rare Kenpu, items, and weapons that are not available in the normal gameplay. The power in the rare Kenpu is very strong, and as a result players can create some really crazy combos with unusual character attack motions. Use this type of Kenpu in a versus match and you will be so strong that the other player may think you’re cheating!”

Q: Anything you want to highlight that we may have missed in our questions?

Satoshi: “The highest importance was attached to tempo of the game. Since the game is for the PSP, and players may not be able to play for long hours like console games, story flow and tempo of the battles are things we paid attention to the most so that a quick play can be fun, too. Especially during battle, we were meticulous about timing the action and balancing the enemy’s strength to keep players comfortable even in short play sessions. Other challenges we overcame include new play methods that were never possible in other portable players, such as AdHoc, versus mode, and action download using the wireless LAN function of the PSP.”

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