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 five years 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 theme of this title is "bonds", as in the ties shared between people.

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 was also presented by the game's director and sound manager for three sessions at CEDEC 2010. Though Omega Force is known for its Warriors games, the producer remarks that Souls of Zill O'll was made entirely from scratch. The director later added that their enthusiasm while developing the "picturesque, orthodox fantasy world" got so intense that they had to cut themselves short in order to finally finish the game. It is likely one of the reasons why the release date for this title was pushed back twice.

In respect to the Zill O'll universe, the producer and director stated that creating the world as a prequel was very challenging -particularly the history of King Balor and Dyneskal since they are in ruins by the time the original game takes place. A massive effort was made by the team to recreate a world believable in the game's universe without contradicting or breaking the mood set within Zill O'll. At the same time, the developers also wanted Souls of Zill O'll to have a strong presentation on its own merit, so players who have no prior knowledge of the previous product could still enjoy it. Though a tricky balance, they believe they made an interesting game that is a solid prequel in every respect. The producer especially hopes fans of Zill O'll appreciate the effort taken into the story and the overall preservation of the universe. Even with their knowledge of what happens in this title, he thinks they will still feel satisfied with the ending.

The Premium Box set will include a detailed visual book, a copy of the original soundtrack, and two posters drawn by Jun Suemi. Early buyers can enter their product code online to gain permission to download original outfits for the main party. A trial version of the title is also on Japanese Playstation networks on November 11, 2010.

Story
The leader of the country Rostorl has challenged the leader of Dyneskal for the right of the throne. However, Rostorl loses the war and Dyneskal reigns supreme. King Balor, the ruler of Dyneskal, 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 Dyneskal-Rostorl 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, Darqin. Nineteen years later, Areus accepts his master's sword to become a gladiator in the popular city of commerce, Liberdam. With his fellow comrade and friend, Dorado, Areus aims to become the best gladiator of the age.

Gameplay
The game features 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. Similar to Warriors Orochi, characters can also perform a switch during combos (or Switch Combo), letting the player swap the places of two characters instantaneously during an attack.

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 techniques 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. Magic is learned in this manner and is categorized as either air, fire, earth or water. 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 fully interactive to 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 is 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. A mini game called "Devil's Treasure Box" may be also found in towns to potentially increase their gold. Players gamble a portion of their income and try to open a treasure with careful button timing.

Downloadable content includes specially marked quests and alternate costumes for the main party. These special quests will also be related to the game's illustration contest. DLC is only available in Japan and will not be translated for other regions.

Characters
Unlike the first title, the player cannot create their own character nor can they shape their characters' growth or starting strengths. They will be following Areus's adventure and origins throughout the game.

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 Komatsu

Dyneskal Empire

 * Zofor - voiced by Kouji Yada
 * Angeerdan - voiced by Eiji Takemoto

Related Media
During the Neoroma & Musou radio program, a pre-recorded commercial for the game routinely plays at breaks. The director attended a live broadcast to answer basic questions of the gameplay. He also performed a similar task at the twentieth episode of Niconico Live Game no Jikan.

On November 11, 2010 Omega Force announced an illustration contest for TRINITY: Souls of Zill O'll as a collaboration project with Nico Nico Seiga. Interested participants may either draw any character of the game they want (Free) or illustrate a picture that emphasizes a bond shared between any of the characters (Kizuna). The "most excellent" and "notable" pieces will be entered as guest illustrations with full artist recognition. Players need to complete specially marked quests to see the fan created pictures, but their art will be in the game's actual gallery. The "most excellent" winner will additionally win Zill O'll merchandise for their efforts, which sets them apart from other winners. The contest lasts until January 10th, 11:59 PM. Contest winners can now be seen on the contest page.

The image song will be on Dream's album Hands Up!, which also has an alternative TRINITY: Zill O'll Zero version. This printed version comes with a DVD digest for the game and cuts down the track list of the original album to seven songs. If the player inputs the specially marked number code on their booklets in the game, they will gain three exclusive weapons for their party. Players can do this until March 31, 2011.

Image Songs

 * Promise
 * Change
 * Performed by Dream

* used for commercials and ending theme. Dream's collaboration for the game was revealed at TGS 2010, where they performed their songs, Breakout and My Way ~ULala~ on stage. The ladies also demonstrated the title's Time Attack event for those in the audience. The musical unit also had a video message for fans at the October 20, 2010 talk show event, stating they feel closely to the game's theme in their own group. Attendees also played a "rock-paper-scissors" contest with the producer for CD signed by the group members.