- The Sword of Etheria
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OZ / The Sword of Etheria 
The cover art depicts the characters Fiel(right), Almira(middle) and Leon(left).Developer(s) Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo Publisher(s) Konami Artist(s) Fumi Ishikawa Composer(s) Michiru Yamane Engine RenderWare Platform(s) PlayStation 2 Release date(s) Genre(s) Beat 'em up Mode(s) Single player Rating(s) Media/distribution 1 DVD The Sword of Etheria, released in Japan as OZ (OZ -オズ- Ozu) and in Korea as Chains of Power, is a Beat Em' Up/Action Adventure video game for the PlayStation 2 developed by Konami. The game's development team was the same team who created Suikoden III and most of the Castlevania series of games. It was released on June 30, 2005 in Japan and on February 24, 2006 in Europe. It was also re-released as a Konami Best Hit in Japan on January 26, 2006. The game has not been released in North America.
The game's Japanese title OZ, literally means Over Zenith as shown in the opening sequence of the Japanese version. Its literal definition of "Surpassing the Peak" also explain why the words Over Zenith appears when the "Tension gauge" is maxed out (see Gameplay). On the other hand, OZ is also used to refer to the group comprising the three greatest "Katenas" (term is used in all versions of the game).
Contents
Plot
Prologue
The story sets off with Cain having visions of unexplainable things. Cain, Leon and Almira fight monsters yet it is unclear of what really is happening.
Main story
Fiel ("Feel" in the Japanese version), a boy who lost his parents at an early age, grew up with his younger sister Dorothy together with their cat Toto, dwelling in a world of humans, gods and spiritual creatures called the Katenas. Trying to bring down mankind, the gods have drained the planet of 'Etheria' (its energy source) and taken control of the Katenas.
Later on, a group of Katenas and monsters attacks the village Fiel is living in and kidnaps Dorothy by monsters called "Volo". Fiel then must save her with the help of two other Katenas, Almira and Leon. Thus, entering the threats present within the grasp of the gods.[1]
Gameplay
Typical enemy encounter showing Fiel partnered with Leon and Almira(not shown in the screen)
In The Sword of Etheria the player controls Fiel as the protagonist where he will be partnered by Almira and Leon, who are both AI-controlled characters but each given their own individual HP gauge. The Sword of Etheria offers a new distinct battle system to the Beat 'em up genre; the player has to perform launch attacks on enemies in order to perform multi-hit aerial combos while the enemy is in thin-air as if juggling them in the air. These combos could be utilized with the aid of Almira and Leon for additional hits.
Fiel performing a Deathblow. A decreased Tension gauge is shown on the right.A 'Tension gauge' is shown in right part of the screen which will be indicating the player's performance with combos. It increases by chaining aerial combos and decreases if a large delay gap is present in-between attacks. In addition to this, a 'Deathblow' could be performed altogether by the party as a final blow to multiple enemies when a 'hint' displays on the screen; as a result, the accumulated points decreases. As the game progresses, the Tension gauge levels up and will be longer, thus given the ability to use more powerful Deathblows. If the gauge reaches Level 3, maxing out the gauge will display "Over Zenith" the strongest Deathblow that could be performed.
The Sword of Etheria focuses deeply in its battle system and storyline which is divided by Chapters and presents anime looking characters. Stages vary from typical forest fields, villages to different kinds of dungeons.
A special/alternate version of Chapter 9 is playable when certain requirements are met. In that chapter, the storyline will be somewhat different and the three main characters will portray some of the The Wonderful Wizard of Oz characters; Fiel as Tin Man, Almira as Scarecrow and Leon as Lion. There is also an additional unlockable story which can be played with Fiel's sister, Dorothy, as the main character.
The game also included a feature of changing the characters' costumes which could be bought in-game. These costumes were cameos from various games made by Konami which includes Suikoden III, Castlevania: Lament of Innocence and Silent Hill 3.[2]
Characters
The story revolves around the three main characters. Fiel the main protagonist, Almira and Leon who are Katenas. Their mission is to save Dorothy, Fiel's sister who was kidnapped by the monsters. Fiel could use an extraordinary power with the help of Toto, their cat who could transform into Lex, which can be used as a weapon.
However, they will be opposed by Vitis, Galumn and Juju. Three other Katenas who are under the influence and control of the gods.
Some characters bear the name after the story The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Namely Dorothy, Almira, Leon (Lion) and Toto. Which could be a pun added to the game.
Character design
The game features characters designed by Fumi Ishikawa, character designer from the Suikoden series.
Music
The game's intro song is an arranged version of "Polovtsian Dances and Chorus" which also bears the same title and was performed by Martha Matsuda. A remix version of the song was featured in Dance Dance Revolution EXTREME 2, another game by Konami showing different scenes from the game.
An original soundtrack which was composed by Michiru Yamane and arranged by Naoto Suzuki was released on July 20, 2005 in Japan with a catalog number of GFCA-3~4.
Although all music were originally made for the game, the music in Chapter 6 of the game is rather a remix or an arranged version of Suikoden IV OST's "Epilogue ~For the 108 Stars~".
Voice cast
The list of the Japanese and English(PAL) voice actors of The Sword of Etheria. However, the English voice actors were not credited for their portrayals.[3]
Japanese
- Atsushi Kisaichi as Fiel
- Atsuko Tanaka as Almira
- Go Shinomiya as Leon
- Tetsu Inada as Vitis
- Noriko Minagawa as Juju
- Hisao Egawa as Galumn
- Ikuji Nose as Cain
- Minoru Inaba as Toto
- Akane Ōmae as Dorothy
English
- Johnny Yong Bosch as Fiel
- Dave Wittenberg as Leon
- Wendee Lee as Almira
- Steven Jay Blum as Vitis
- Peter van Hoof as Galumn
- Michelle Ruff as Juju
References
- ^ "OZ News". Play-Asia.com. http://www.play-asia.com/paOS-17-71-8l-74-tw-49-en.html.
- ^ "FAQ". Oz FAQ. GameFAQs. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/ps2/file/924507/40664.
- ^ "Oz at IMDb". IMDb. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0959570/.
External links
- Official Konami OZ Site (Japanese)
- Oz at GameFAQs
- OZ at the Internet Movie Database
Categories:- Beat 'em ups
- 2005 video games
- PlayStation 2 games
- PlayStation 2-only games
- Konami games
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