Deep Breath

Capcom's Breath of Fire is set to return, this time on PlayStation 2, the company announced at E3 earlier this week. Yesterday they issued a press release explaining the story behind the game, and briefly detailing the various systems which make up this presumably turn-based RPG. The story is as typical an RPG ramble as you might expect. An ecological catastrophe has forced mankind deep into the planet's interior, and led to the creation of the underground city, Shelter. Our main man is once again called Ryu, and he is a Ranger for the underground civilisation, who has a sudden awakening one day and decides to go off in search of what lies above. Capcom claims the game will introduce a "survival" style of gameplay, but the description is a little lacking. Players will be challenged with an abundance of enemies, it says 'ere, and a large variety of strategic elements such as deciding whether to fight or avoid enemies, or timing when to attack. The game will also feature PETS (Positive Encounter and Tactics System), which enables players to set up traps and decoys in the environment to make monster-battling a simpler proposition. Kinda like Mel Gibson did in Braveheart with flammable substances. Knowing Capcom's penchant for brutality and explosive visuals, the game will surely use this now vaunted feature to impress the graphics crowd. Breath of Fire is also said to be more dynamic, with dungeons and other in-game events changing as your characters perform different tasks, in stark contrast with the likes of Final Fantasy. It sounds like Chrono Cross to us, which is a pretty ringing endorsement. We hope to learn more about Breath of Fire as the game's development progresses, and we will be sure to inquire about things like control and camera systems... The game is due out this winter.

Source - press release