Knights in the Nightmare

Infobox VG
title = Knights in the Nightmare


developer = Sting
publisher =
designer = Shinichi Itou (Game Design)
Satoko Kiyuduki (Design Creation)
Sunaho Tobe (Illustration)
Etsunori Shiwanaga (Illustration)
Shigeki Hayashi (Music)
engine =
released = ^JPN September 25 2008
genre = Role-playing
modes = Single player
ratings = CERO: A (All Ages)
platforms = Nintendo DS
media =
requirements =
input = Touch Screen

nihongo|Knights in the Nightmare|ナイツ・イン・ザ・ナイトメア|naitsu in za naitomea is a recently released "turn-based RTS" from Sting Entertainment, and the fourth episode in the Dept. Heaven saga.

Sting released a special edition version of Knights in the Nightmare, called the "Knights in the Nightmare DHE Series Special Pack", and it includes a copy of Yggdra Union for Game Boy Advance. [ [http://www.sting.co.jp/knights/sp/sppac/index.htm Sting Announcement] for the Knights in the Nightmare DHE Series Special Pack. Retrieved May 19, 2008]

Gameplay

Battles take place in real time on an isometric grid. The wisp, controlled via the touchscreen, moves around and is how the player gives orders to allied units. When the wisp comes into contact with a unit that can act, an item can be selected, and the attack must be aimed by moving around the wisp. However, the wisp will be under constant enemy fire, making the screen seem almost like something out of a bullet hell game. The player must guide the wisp to dodge the shots as well as order the allied units to attack.

However, despite having a timer, time is only deducted for charging attacks and when the player's wisp takes damage. Thus the player has "unlimited" time to plan strategies and in this manner resembles other Strategy RPGs.

Permadeath exists as characters have a vitality stat which decreases when they use skills and other special circumstances. Vitality is replenished through leveling up, Transoul System, and other special circumstances.

Plot and Setting

tory

The story in Knights is told in both a forward and reverse fashion, with the revelation of past events - what happened at castle Avenheim - being used to decide and explain the events of the present. The plot follows the player's wisp and a Valkyrie, and along the way recruits fallen knights as allies to battle against monsters. These allies' pre-death stories are shown as glimpses of the Before Crisis events.

Characters

*Wisp: The player controlled character. Possesses Knights in order to take part in battle.
*Maria: A mysterious armor-clad warrior whom the Wisp runs into often over the course of the story.Sting claims the game to have over two hundred characters, with a great number of them already shown on the official website for the game. The vast majority are met during battle and recruited by using key-items obtained from previous levels.

Development

Screenshots, artwork and music clips for Knights in the Nightmare have appeared at various times over the past two years on the blog of JaJa, one of the developers of the game.

Satoko Kiyuduki reprises her design role from , and Sunaho Tobe, having worked on the first two Dept. Heaven titles, and Etsunori Shiwanaga, having done the monster designs for the initial release of Riviera also return for Knights' illustrations. Shigeki Hayashi, having composed music for both Riviera and Yggdra Union returned to compose the soundtrack for Knights in the Nightmare.

External links

*ja icon [http://www.sting.co.jp/knights/index.htm Official Site]

References

* [http://www.famitsu.com/game/coming/1213583_1407.html First Famitsu] article for Knights in the Nightmare.
* [http://blog5.fc2.com/jajanote/ JaJa's Development Blog]