Having published games as varied and eccentric as Lollipop Chainsaw and Killer Is Dead, Kadokawa Games took to the stage during Sony’s pre-TGS conference to detail their new project: a strategy RPG entitled Natural Doctrine. Slated to launch on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita, the Japanese publisher revealed a horde of screenshots for the game on its official website, which is expected to hit retail in tandem with the indigenous PS4 release date; i.e. February 22nd, 2014.
The game itself takes place in a land ravaged by warring factions and other non-human sub species. Naturally, players will assume the role of the human caught amidst the fight, wherein your over-arching goal is to accompany a convoy of miners in their quest to build a utopian city. With a sword and sorcery slant to the game, we can readily expect a fantastical world riddled with all sorts of mystical beasts and foes. However, the developer has since hinted toward the consequential nature of the titular Natural Doctrine; though it’s unknown how exactly this caveat will impact the in-game story.
Given that the screenshots are in Japanese, it’s difficult to interpret the game’s user interface; though it appears that Natural Doctrine will imply some form of timed battle system, with the turn order occupying the top of the screen. Furthermore, it appears that the game will be played in third-person judging by the images, but the mechanical details remain shrouded in secrecy.
What’s interesting, though, is that Natural Doctrine will take full advantage of the PlayStation ecosystem; from Vita to the home consoles, the cross-play feature will serve as the foundation for the game’s online multiplayer mode.
At this time, there isn’t much information to go on; however, Kadokawa Games’ new project is expected to make an appearance on the show floor when TGS grinds into motion next Thursday. Until then, check out the gallery for yourself and be sure to give us your early impressions of the game below.
