I don’t know what’s more surprising about this news – the fact that El Shaddai, a relatively cult and obscure game, is getting a sequel or the idea that a new game is set to launch on the Vita.
Kadokawa Games has just announced that they’re set to launch The Lost Child, which will be a spiritual successor to El Shaddai. The Lost Child will take place in the same world and continue the story of El Shaddai but will replace the brawling combat of the original with turn-based RPG gameplay instead.
This is a sequel that’s been on the cards for some time with the director of the original doing his best to get a new El Shaddai made way back in 2013. The director, Sawaki Takeyasu, went and acquired the rights to the IP but nothing seemed to become of that transaction. Fans will be pleased to hear that Sawaki Takeyasu is working with Kadokawa Games on The Lost Child, so you can rest assured that this will be a true sequel, even if the gameplay will be totally different.
Thanks to the folks at Gematsu we even have a brief synopsis of the story;
Magazine writer Hayato Ibuki was chasing the story of the suicide a person who jumped in front of a train in Shinjuku Station. In the middle of his pursuit, he falls onto the platform as if he was pushed by a mysterious black shadow. A mysterious, beautiful woman named Barcia (voiced by Miyuki Sawashiro) saves him by the skin of his teeth, and hands him a suitcase. It was a Pandora’s Box that should not have been be opened. Inside was the “Demon Gun Gangour,” a tool that can capture and enslave demons and fallen angels. Using this ability, Hayato successfully took on his own demon subordinates. Together with a woman named Rua (voiced by Rikako Yamaguchi), who calls herself an angel, Hayato will pursue the mysteries that occur in various places and find the beautiful woman who gave him the suitcase.
And what’s even better than a brief story synopsis? A teaser trailer!
The Lost Child will be launching in Japan before the end of the year for PS4 and Vita(!), though there’s no word of an English version just yet. Perhaps if we make enough noise we’ll get a translation?
Let’s hope so – I need a reason to dust off my Vita.