Tales of Ukiyo

In my post about Bayonetta 2’s unfortunate first week sales in Japan last Thursday, I noted how the Japanese action genre doesn’t see anywhere near as much, well, action as it used to. It was popular among eastern developers during the PS2 era, where it almost seemed like every publisher wanted their own. Many of them also used historical Japanese settings, as making an action game where the player could control a badass samurai was always an easy sell — at least in Japan. Capcom was the king of the genre and subgenre with both the Devil May Cry and Onimusha franchises.

The place those two are in today, especially the latter, should tell you how things have become. Not every samurai game needed to look toward Onimusha for inspiration, though quite a few did, unsurprising given how the first two were million-sellers in Japan. But we stopped receiving as the franchise’s popularity dwindled, and many as developers shifted their resources and priorities to other projects — for better and worse.

But Spike Chunsoft wasn’t among them, who continued the Way of the Samurai franchise with developer Acquire on consoles during the previous generation. They confirmed something new at Sony’s real Tokyo Game Show conference early in September, though it was tough to tell whether it was actually another WotS game.

That teaser wasn’t misleading. It’s not WotS, but clearly a samurai-themed game. Or games, rather, as two titles in the same universe are coming to PS3 and Vita.

The PS3 title is Patriot of Ukiyo, while Ronin of Ukiyo will hit Vita. Both will occur in the same locations at the same time period, but will involve different stories and main characters. The stories will be loosely based on Japanese history, particularly during Japan’s Bakumatsu period in the mid-1800s. Given how Spike Chunsoft handled the WotS titles, it should be more historically accurate than, say, Genji 2. The events will nonetheless be differently interpreted, considering this is a video game.

You’ll follow an amnesiac named Ryoma Sakamoto in the PS3 title, a man on a journey to discover his lost memories and why he lost them in the first place. In the background will be a Japan that’s slowly-but-surely becoming a secluded nation.  Kaishu Katsu, a government man who wants to overthrow the Shogunate, and Ryo Narasaki, a mysterious girl who was one of the first to meet the memory-deprived Ryoma, will also be part of the story.

The Vita version will have an approach ostensibly better suited for its audience. Ronin of Ukiyo will be a mystery solving game where the protagonist is involved in solving murder cases, familiar territory for the development members responsible for the Danganronpa games (presumably members of the team who didn’t work on the recently released shooter spinoff Another Episode). This shouldn’t mean future Danganronpa games are off the table, but don’t expect that third installment to come any time soon.

Ronin will star Yoshijiro Okita, who joins the Shinsengumi to follow in the footsteps of his uncle, Souji Okita. He’s tasked by none other than Hajime Saito to be an inspector, and though it wasn’t the job he wanted, he nonetheless derives enjoyment from crime investigations. The focus won’t be entirely on fighting, but Yoshijiro will still cross paths with famous figures. He’ll join up with some, too, like Isami Kondo, the commander of the Shinsengumi.

Whether the main cast from both games will cross paths is unknown, but it’s tough to imagine there won’t be some cameos here and there. Developer Acquire isn’t involved with these since they’re now owned by GungHo Online Entertainment, but they’ll have gameplay similar to the WotS games — especially the PS3 one. Don’t expect any demonic forces from the netherworld in either.

Spike Chunsoft has a history of being easier for localization companies to negotiate with than others, but there’s no guarantee they’ll make it over. The PS3 and Vita are still popular platforms in Japan, a country that hasn’t moved to current-gen platforms anywhere near as fast as their western counterparts. Though both still have a niche audience in western territories (especially PS3), it may not be big enough for them to care. Samurai games have a history of putting up mediocre sales outside Japan, even during the PS2’s heyday. There’s a higher chance of these coming over due to the earlier WotS titles making the trip (the fourth game was digital only in America, though it hit retail in Europe), but there’s no way to tell if the company was satisfied with its sales.

If they weren’t, perhaps the PC version could make up for that, coming to us from Ghostlight. They also let NIS America port Clan of Champions (aka Gladiator Vs.) to PC for western territories, so this could be somewhat of a test.

On the other hand, we saw how much they value the western market when they refused to green light the third Zero Escape game, despite the previous titles apparently selling better in America than in Japan. This is tough to gauge, isn’t it? Maybe I should flip a coin to decide which side of the fence I should be on.

If they do come over, we won’t find out until after their Japanese release, due to happen at some unspecified time next year. Until then, cross your fingers, and don’t look at too much media. You don’t want to get excited for titles you may never play.