XSEED Games, the independent-minded publishing brand of Marvelous USA, today announced that Zwei: The Arges Adventure, the first entry in the Zwei series from developer Nihon Falcom, will be served up on Windows PC via Steam, GOG, and The Humble Store by Humble Bundle this winter. Originally released as Zwei!! in Japan on PC, PlayStation 2, and PlayStation Portable, Zwei: The Arges Adventure is the direct predecessor to the recently released Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection. This title is positively brimming with charm and character, combining a gorgeous, painterly 2D world filled with anime-style characters, strong action RPG mechanics, and self-aware dialogue from quirky characters who frequently find themselves in comedically over-the-top situations.
Set on the mysterious time-forgotten floating continent of Arges, Zwei: The Arges Adventure follows the exploits of socially awkward teenage step-siblings Pokkle and Pipiro as they find their monotonous, ho-hum village life rudely interrupted by a mysterious figure who steals six holy idols from the local shrine. Pokkle, a master craftsman of terrible puns and a wannabe hero, and Pipiro, a sarcastic mage-in-training with an obsession for fashion and a penchant for speaking her mind no matter how bad an idea that may be, jump at the chance to track down the masked thief and return the idols to their village – Pokkle for the fame, glory, and opportunities to make more puns, and Pipiro purely for the hefty reward on offer. Their adventures will take them to every corner of the continent, leading them to encounter a wide array of over-the-top friends and foes as they uncover a far more sinister plot to revive an ancient “Demon Lord” and get a very up close and personal lesson on nearly 500 years’ worth of Arges history.
Originally developed and released in Japan by Nihon Falcom on PC and PlayStation Portable, and ported to the PlayStation 2 in Japan by Taito, Zwei: The Arges Adventure is the direct predecessor to Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection and will be the first time this title has been made officially available in the West. Boasting a painterly, hand-drawn 2D world populated by a diverse cast of allies and enemies who are constantly on the move, Zwei: The Arges Adventure also represents one of the formative examples of Nihon Falcom’s now-signature multi-character action RPG combat, enhanced here with smoother and more intuitive gamepad support and a bevy of other optimizations for modern PC systems. This title also features the series’ unique food-based leveling system, giving players more direct control over the game’s difficulty by allowing them to choose how quickly their characters grow in power: will they save food for later to exchange for better food and more level-ups, gorge early on for a more metered experience gain, or fast altogether for a truly hardcore challenge?
Additionally, Zwei: The Arges Adventure stands as the most feature-complete version of the game to date, reintegrating the majority of the PC-exclusive features that were lost in the Japanese console versions (including an Ys-themed typing tutor minigame, a challenging block puzzler minigame, and the “Pet Monitor” virtual pet system), boasting a wide variety of unlockables that include all-new content to further expand the already dynamic RPG experience, and even allowing players to select the PSP-version’s arranged soundtrack so they can hear a different take on the game’s stunning musical score.
Zwei: The Arges Adventure is developed by Nihon Falcom and will be published worldwide for Windows PC by XSEED Games this winter. More information about Zwei: The Arges Adventure will be revealed on its dedicated site, which will be launching soon at worldofzwei.com.
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