TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll

TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll (トリニティ ジルオール ゼロ, TRINITY Zill O'll Zero) is a title that was announced at E3 2009 by Koei. The game is a prequel that takes places before the original game. The producer for the game is the same producer for several Dynasty Warriors titles, Akihiro Suzuki. The character designer is Jun Suemi, who is best known for his artwork in the Wizardry series and other fantasy themed titles.

The game is using a new artistic style dubbed "Tablo" by the developers. The effect is described to be an oil painting in motion and not to be confused with cel-shaded animation. TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll will also be presented by the game's director and sound manager for three sessions at CEDEC 2010.

Story
The leader of the country Rostool has challenged the leader of Deingull for the right of the throne. However, Rostool loses the war and Deingull reigns supreme. King Balor, the ruler of Deingull, uses the victory to expand his country's respective borders and conquers the mighty cities - Ancient and Rocen. Chancellor Zofor then proclaims a prophesy that King Balor will die by the hands of his own offspring.

During the Deingull-Rostool War, a boy loses his father and runs with his mother away from the chaos. He is named Areus, a half-elf who spends his childhood living quietly in the forest. Having suffered discrimination for his mixed heritage, he hardened his heart and followed the advice of his sword instructor, Dalkina. Nineteen years later, Areus accepts his master's sword to become a gladiator in the popular city of commerce, Liberdom. With his fellow comrade and friend, Dorado, Areus aims to become the best gladiator of the age.

Gameplay
It will feature a three character party system; the player is allowed to only control one character but can freely switch between each of them with a single button to perform a variety of setups and combos. For example, one character can be set to cast a spell and the player can immediately switch to another to defend the magic caster. When the character controlled by the player leads the party into a group of monsters, the two other characters may automatically assist the player's character. Their assistance may help target a monster's weak points automatically. If a character runs out of health, they will temporarily be unavailable until they naturally restore themselves back on their feet. However, their attacks will be weakened upon recovery and certain segments of the game permit this occurrence on a limited basis.

All three characters can perform two group attacks: the Trinity Attack or the Soul Burst. Like the musou feature found in several Warriors games, the party will gradually build a gauge -called a Trinity Gauge- that is adjacent to their characters' face icons. The party can unleash a Trinity Attack, a destructive attack in a wider range than usual, once the gauge is filled. Trinity Attacks can be strengthened as it possesses its own leveling system. Soul Bursts are stronger attacks unleashed by the entire party, but they are trickier to take effect. It advocates for each character to attack a foe simultaneously. If their timing is correct, they may have a chance to perform a Soul Burst. This particular technique is made to help the player's fight against harder opponents.

Each character has a different job class (warrior, mage and assassin) or Souls. Souls are packed with the technique and abilities that vary based on the character. When a particular Soul runs out of abilities to learn, a new Soul may replace it. Skills from various Souls can cross over to create different techniques. Skills are separated into two basic categories: Action (used in battle) or Auto (passive). Action Skills are assigned to the PS3 buttons and are the main method of attacking; Auto Skills may affect a character's stats or allow them to perform other tasks -such as hunting for items. These abilities can either be bought at a Sorcerer's Guild within a town, found as a treasure in dungeons, or earned by acclimating Skill Points (SP) from defeated enemies in battle. Trinity Attack or Soul Burst finishes will double the normal amount of experience and SP dropped.

Environments are to be fully interactive which will allow players to destroy it, pick up items on the field and unlock new pathways. For example, the effects cast by a magic spell may remain permanent instead of tracking a single monster. If the player is in a water filled area and casts an ice spell, then the room will freeze as well. Cutting away the field in such a fashion can be used to the player's advantage during battles with monsters. Players will encounter various mythical creatures such as a cyclopes and gremlins.

Towns offer four basic needs for the player: a shop to replenish and replace goods, a bar to hear the latest gossip, the Sorcerer's Guild to stock up on character abilities, and an Adventurers' Guild for the side quests. Progression through the game will be non-linear, allowing the player to take part in numerous side-quests. When they play through the story, new areas of a town may become available to them. Downloadable content has been hinted to appear in the game as well.

Main Party

 * Areus - voiced by Takuya Kirimoto
 * Dagda - voiced by Daisuke Gōri
 * Selene - voiced by Misa Watanabe

Adventurers

 * Nemea - voiced by Rikiya Koyama
 * Orphaus - voiced by Hirofumi Nojima
 * Kheryuneia - voiced by Kaya Matsutani

Gladiators

 * Dorado - voiced by Hisao Egawa
 * Reig - voiced by Kazuya Nakai

Bounty Hunters

 * Xenetes - voiced by Makoto Yasumura
 * Zelashell - voiced by Kenji Nojima
 * Sheelagh - voiced by Yuka Komatasu