Nippon Ichi Reveals More Info and Screenshots of The Witch and the Hundred Cavalrymen

Giuseppe Nelva January 18, 2012 10:00 AM EST

Nippon Ichi Software released today a large batch of information, art and screenshots of the upcoming PS3 exclusive “Dark Fantasy” action RPG The Witch and the Hundred Cavalrymen, that will be released in Japan on June the 28th. This is the second sizable reveal about the game. You can read about the contents of the first here.

The details provided today focus primarily on three new characters and on some peculiar mechanics. You can head past the cut to read all about them and check out the new screenshots.

As usual remember that character names are transliterated from Katakana, so the final translation (if the game will ever reach the western shores) may be slightly different.

Visco the Inquisitor

Visco is a member of the Holy Inquisition. She has strong pride and sense of integrity, but she’s been cursed by Metallica the witch (the protagonist of the game), causing parts of her body to turn into those of a dog. Nicknamed “Princess dog”, she’s extremely loyal to the Inquisition, and she’s determined to capture and prosecute Metallica and rid herself of her curse.

Lana Nia Lucchini the Astrologist Shepherd

Lana is a gentle and cheerful shepherd that lives on the nearby highlands. She’s extremely skilled at “star reading”, the art of predicting the future in the flowing movement of the stars. Her secret dream is to become a witch herself.

Wonder Kamamiru (AKA Miru)

She’s a western doll that manages a strange museum named “WonderKanma”. She’s able to talk and everyone calls her just Miru. She earned her position by killing the previous owner.

More information has been shared about the battle system that will drive the game. First of all Hundred Cavalrymen (the undead adjutant of Metallica, that acts as her personal bodyguard and will be the one controlled by the player in battle) will be able to equip five weapons at a time. All five can be used in any order to create powerful combos.

Different weapons deal different damage, with a different speed, at a different range and with a different area of effect. It’s also possible to slot the same weapon multiple times, but this will gradually decrease the power of the weapon. That’s why the player will be encouraged to slot different weapons and try them in different combinations, in order to create various combos according to the situation and the enemy that needs to be defeated.

There will be more than ten different weapon types, four of which are introduced today:

Scythe: it has a long range and deals a lot of damage, but it’s also slow, so it’s not very effective against fast enemies.

Lance: it’s a long range weapon and can hit multiple enemies in a straight line, but its area of effect is very narrow, requiring precision when attacking with it.

Axe: Axes require a longer time to initiate the blow, but hit a wide area and cause a lot of damage.

Magic Torch: It’s quite slow, but it’s empowered by magic and can unleash fire and several different magical effects.

Hundred Cavalrymen will also be able to use two peculiar powers: Mystical Dodge and Extra Chain.

Mystical Dodge is activated when an attack is evaded at the last possible moment. When that happens Hundred Cavalrymen becomes invincible and time slows down. By growing in level the duration of this skill will also increase.

Extra Chain becomes active whenever an enemy is killed in a single strike. Hundred Cavalrymen can immediately land a second attack on another enemy. If that one is killed as well the chain continues and the power of each attack increases with each subsequent enemy killed.

When Hundred Cavalrymen is away from Metallica he needs energy to survive. That energy is provided by “Giga Calories”, displayed on the top left of the screen. Hundred Cavalrymen recovers HP automatically (he’s basically immortal), but this consumes Giga Calories, that can also be used (at a higher cost) to recover HP more quickly than usual.

If the Giga Calories are completely depleted and HP are reduced to zero, Hundred Cavalrymen collapses, losing all the items accumulated during the mission. Keeping the level of Giga Calories under control is crucial to for a mission to be actually rewarding treasure-wise.

When an enemy is near death, the player can press the triangle button in order to activate the “predatory” mode. When that happens Hundred Cavalrymen will literally eat his opponent (gaining Giga Calories in the process), however eating enemies will also take time, so it’ll be important to make sure that there aren’t others nearby that could attack our little knight.

Alternatively Hundred Cavalrymen can also try to capture the weakened enemy, gulping them down and storing them in his stomach.

During his missions Hundred Cavalrymen will also encounter villages and hamlets. He can try to conquer buildings on Behalf of Metallica. The player is prompted to execute a series of quicktime events as the knight subdues the inhabitants of the house. If he’s successful the building will be conquered and the influence of the witch will be extended with several effects, including the theft of the heirlooms that were stored inside the house.

Out of battle it will be possible to shop for items and weapons at several different shops, that will offer different exchange rates and discounts based on several conditions. Fishing in the swamp will also be an option, allowing Hundred Cavalrymen to actually recover useful items with his rod. Finally there will be a gambling parlor, but given that the protagonist of the game is an evil witch, cheating will play an important role in deciding the winner of each game.

You can check out the whole gallery with the artwork pieces and the screenshots released today below: