Pandora's Tower Trailer is Very Japanese in A Good Way
Posted by James Newton
Chains of love
Wii adventure Pandora's Tower may be Japan-only for now, as neither Nintendo's American or European arms have revealed any plans to bring the game to the West. Whether or not the game stays in Japan, the trailer below is too good not to share.
Key to Pandora's Tower is hero Ende's chains, which can be used to attack enemies, scale walls, grab items and carve up monsters to feed their meat to cursed companion Ceres. They're not the only tools at Ende's disposal though, with upgradeable weapons including a giant scythe and twin daggers letting the hero slash through enemies in double-time.
[via siliconera.com]





























#1
Graph said:
Wow, this looks great!
#2
Kid_A said:
Everything I've seen from this game looks dark, disturbing and wonderful. I really hope Nintendo decides to localize it, despite its Japanesey-ness (that's a real word by the way. I'm trademarking it)
#3
TikiTong said:
Another Japanses Materpiece!!!!!
#4
Machu said:
I need this bad, but am scared it won't leave Japan. :/
Nintendo... just slap some subtitles on it and send it my way, pls~
#5
NintendoLee said:
Oh nice, I saw a gameplay trailer the other week, this just adds to it. I very much want to play this game.
#6
LEGEND_MARIOID said:
That looks epic
#7
Late said:
This game looks wonderful! I'm pretty sure that I'd buy this if it ever comes to Europe.
#8
pixelman said:
This game looks so weird. Not interested.
#9
Radbot42 said:
This game would sell well if advertised. It looks a lot like Gears of War, and we all know how well that game does in America
#10
Hokori said:
theirs a bad way to be japanese style????
#11
Faron said:
The main character should go to barber, or grow it out of shape. Also, i really hope that the battle is not waggling the wii remote, otherwise it's ruined.
#12
WhiteTrashGuy said:
Been waiting for a hardcore action title for the Wii. Was really hoping that PROJECT HAMMER would actually have come out, and that DISASTER: DAY OF CRISIS would come out here in the states. I liked MADWORLD and I love the NO MORE HEROES titles, but most of my action/adventuring has been done on my 360 with the likes of PRINCE OF PERSIA, MIRROR'S EDGE, ARKHAM ASYLUM, BAYONETTA, WOLVERINE, and CASTLEVANIA: LORDS OF SHADOW. Please let PANDORA'S TOWER come out ASAP!!!!
#13
Shiryu said:
Hope this makes it to EU/USA! The Wii's final year will be filled with amazing japanese games: Last Story, Xenoblade Chronicles, Zelda TP and this one. Who knows what else lurks around. e3 can't come quick enough. By the way, this slightly reminds me of "Zangeki no Reginleiv" never made it to the west. A shame, it's an amazing game.
#14
Hokori said:
@11 sorry to disappoint Im actually from USA
sorry I just liked to change my Flag Icon
#15
The_Fox said:
Out of curiosity are the main characters male or female? I still can't tell.
Anyway, the more I see of the game the less interested I become.
#16
Assassin87 said:
I WANT DISASTER: DAY OF CRYSIS, THE LAST STORY, HAMMER AND NOW THIS TO EITHER COMEOUT OR TO BE LOCALIZED!!!! WHY R ALL THE GOOD GAMES FOR WII NOT IN THE US???
#17
Sean_Aaron said:
This looks far too good to stay only in Japan; especially in the Wii's twilight.
#18
LEGEND_MARIOID said:
Think I'd devour that game
#19
FonistofCruxis said:
This game looks awesome!!! I hope this gets localized, the same goes for the last story and earth seeker. Why is everyone forgetting earth seeker?
#20
MasterGraveheart said:
Please, please, PLEASE let this come to the US! Oh, yeah, help out those other guys we apparently share a planet with.
just kidding with my international breatheren.
#21
NapalmHornet said:
I personally hate the art style of the game. It dosn't bother me one bit that it probably will never be localised.
#22
Peacock said:
This game will only sell if they put that smexy girl on the cover :3
#23
DkFluttershyGuy said:
@The_Fox
Here's another gorgeous game, along with Xenoblade and The Last Story, that I'll cross my fingers (but not hold my breath) for at E3 to make for a memorable Wii swan song!
My curiosity is if Ende's last name is Belmont.
#24
pikku said:
meh not for me, methinks. But I'll gladly be proven wrong if it gets a NA relaese date and I see some EWnlgish videos and stuff D: plus the art style looks kinda bland imo. I just want The Last Story.
#25
Hokori said:
@24 smexy Girl on the Cover?
/me runs to go buy it
#26
RudyBelmont said:
@BetelgeuseWC77
It does look a lot like Castlevania Lords of Shadow.
#27
zionich said:
And now more wait to add to the wait of all the games I want =(
#28
DrCruse said:
YES!!!
#29
Ren said:
Wow, I'd almost exclaim how stupid it seems to think that it couldn't be released here. Why would they NOT release a game that looks that good here, but then you guys reminded me that it happens; Project Hammer, Disaster: Day of Crisis.
Why? Is it too costly to market? To translate? I don't get it. I've been digging up Gamecube adventures that I missed since theres so few on Wii. Where are the good adventure games?
#30
castor said:
Ending the Wii last year with a flourish... proud tears
#31
armoredghor said:
I really hope this comes to america. This along with the last story makes me want to import. I need to brush up on my japanese.
#32
thebluelight1 said:
@Ren hmm, never knew Disater: Day of Crisis never came out in America, that's strange.
It would cost a lot to translate and dub a story heavy game like this and one that's a bit of a gamble saleswise probably isn't worthwhile from a buisness point of view...sigh, this and Last Story would be purchases for me.
#33
Stine said:
Please don't just stay in Japan...
#34
Malkeor said:
Depending on the Time Limit aspects, which it looks like it sort of has.
I might be slightly put off by it. We'll see if it comes.
#35
Sean_Aaron said:
@bluelight1: they could just subtitle the cutscenes if cost was a big issue, but given this seems like more action than RPG I should think it would be an easy sell.
#36
Gameday said:
Cross ur fingers and ur toes Again...
#37
thesignpainter said:
if they're afraid LS wouldn't sell well over here all they would have to do is slap a "from the creator of final fantasy" sticker on and it would sell gangbustas
#38
Henmii said:
Nice trailer!
#39
cecesigue said:
does anyone else thinks like me that those graphics look like HD graphics, more like a early xbox360´s? maybe they are showing the next console... toned down?
#40
The_Fox said:
@comefrutas
Not really.....but it still looks pretty good.
#41
sketchturner said:
What makes me sad is that this trailer is FAR more interesting than any trailer we've seen for SKYWARD SWORD.
#42
zeeroid said:
I'm really impressed with what I've seen so far. I just hope it can differentiate itself somehow with its gameplay, since obviously it won't be winning any awards in the graphics department. For a Wii game though, it does look quite striking. The environments are very nice.
#43
millarrp said:
this looks interesting, I wish more developers would have put this much effort into their Wii games. Here's hoping that Nintendo localizes it
#44
leon_x said:
Epic!
#45
siavm said:
This is way better than the first trailer. Now I am hoping for a release outside of japan.
#46
TheGreenSpiny said:
This looks like Prince of Persia the Forgotten Sands with a little God of War thrown in. It may be cool, but I really don't like the half-ed, almost cartoony Final Fantasy style.
#47
Vinsanity said:
If this comes out, I will buy it. I recently moved my Wii out of my room, in favor of just having my PS3 hooked up to my HDTV. I've had nothing of interest to play on it since Epic Mickey, Sonic Colors and Kirby's Epic Yarn. Even picking up older games like Lost in Shadows, Rune Factory and Sakura Wars on the cheap, there's very little there. And I don't care about Skyward Sword coming, at all (it looks super cheap. They can't just make an ugly game under the guise of "it's artistic style" when there are games like Okami on your console, and titles like Journey and El Shaddai out there on competitor's consoles, totally rocking the "artistic style" thing). But if Xenoblade, Last Story and Pandora's Tower come out, I'll gladly pick up 3 more titles this year before retiring my Wii for good
#48
Vinsanity said:
@TheDarkness: There's nothing half ed about the games' visuals. If you don't dig Final Fantasy-style anime graphics, that's your deal. But there's a huge difference between, "This looks bad" and "I don't like this". This game is very, very detailed (for Wii tech) with beautifully modeled characters, bro.
#49
Ultra128 said:
There's no reason a game should look this epic and be Japan-only!
#50
Token_Girl said:
I'd love to see this game released here, though I can't see it coming out un-dubbed to save $$ in the US (though I'd buy it with just subs). The translators cost more than the voice actors. Also, Americans in general don't like to read. Foreign films rarely do well here, unless they are dubbed compared to other countries. It'd really be only niche. I hear Europeans are generally a little more amenable to subtitles, so maybe there.
Hopefully, we'll hear something at E3!
#51
Vinsanity said:
@comefrutas: no dude. That's what art direction is all about. A game with style, that emphasizes art instead of "looking realistic" is ALWAYS going to look good. This is why Shadow of the Colossus and God of War II looked amazing even with the PS3 out. The wii doesn't have enough of these games, thanks mostly to Nintendo establishing a method of success with their Wii Sports games, starring those lazy, ugly Miis. Sent kinda the wrong message to third parties.
But art is always better than realism. People may be losing their sh** over games like Battlefield 3 now, but don't forget that they thought Doom 3 and Far Cry looked realistic too back in the day. Now they just look silly, boring and plasticy. Meanwhile, Final Fantasy IX and X are STILL great looking to this day. Gamers in general need to grow up, and stop losing their sh** for boring, realistic games and start valuing games with great art. Pandora's Tower, were it to up-res it's textures to HD resolutions, would look perfectly at home on an HD console. Even though it lacks the advanced lighting and mutli-material assets of a proper HD game. That's how good it looks.
#52
Wheels2050 said:
@Vinsanity: for someone extolling the virtues of good art direction (with which I completely agree) it's a bit hypocritical to turn around and say that Zelda: SS is "ugly". I'm by no means a devout Zelda fan (I've never really played a Zelda game, to be honest) but I quite like the way they've gone with the art. The soft, pastel-coloured backgrounds help the characters and enemies stand out which, coupled with the cel-shaded style, gives it an old cartoon look. It's not for everyone, but I think you need to stop making objective statements about game visuals while telling others not to do so.
Anyway, on topic, I really like what I saw in this trailer. It tells a nice story about Ende looking after Ceres (even without me speaking Japanese), and the gameplay has a very Prince of Persia (Sands of Time, Warrior Within and Throne of Darkness) feel about it - I'll keep an eye out for more info!
#53
neepy said:
I got bored about a minute into the trailer and stopped'
come at me bro
#54
dangermouseuk78 said:
looks good keep an eye out for this one, did America really not get Disaster Day of Crisis was released here in the UK and wasnt all that good from what i hear. Project Hammer wasnt released at all in any country from what i recall.
#55
GamersCorner said:
I really hope that this and The Last Story get released over here. They're two games out of three that I've really been hyped for on the Wii.
#56
WaveBoy said:
Meh.....Too Japanese, which aint my thang' Not a big fan of anime you could say, it kind of leaves me feeling cold. Although there are a few exceptions. The graphics look nice, but I'm just not a fan of Beat em ups which this is pretty much looking like.....But the Wii Pointer controls do a look a bit interesting.
#57
rubikon said:
Generic Bossmonsters in red, blue and green...
No, seriously it looks great
But i doubt it will be released in the west, especially Europe. Not enough demand for hardcore titles to make a localisation for five+ languages worthwile.
If there was no region lock everything would be so easy... But well, nintendo has monetary reasons for this...
#58
daznsaz said:
is it been made by square or have some of there staff working on it got that look about it
#59
Raylax said:
Very, very interested.
@Otak (10): Several. This isn't one of 'em though
#60
Blk_Mage_Ctype said:
It looks good, but I'm not gonna get too excited. Hate to be a pessimist, but NoA has let so many promising-looking Japanese games come and go that I have little faith in them to localize any game that doesn't have Mario, Link, Kirby, Pikachu, or Samus Aran in it...
#61
Shmavey said:
They better bring this Last story and Xenoblade to america!
#62
motang said:
Looks awesome, I hope we can get it here.