Heroes Of Ruin announced for 3DS

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Today, Square Enix officially announced a new role-playing game in development for the Nintendo 3DS. Titled Heroes of Ruin, this multiplayer adventure will use both StreetPass and SpotPass to expand on its traditional cooperative modes.


Heroes of Ruin features a band of unlikely heroes coming together in the name of questing. Players can use the Nintendo 3DS' StreetPass functionality to access the "Traders Network" and exchange in-game items with other 3DS owners. Square Enix will also be supporting a community website that will provide players with additional content.


We talked with Square Enix Producer George Wright to hear more about Heroes of Ruin and what players can expect from the game when it launches in early 2012.
IGN: Thank you very much for corresponding with us! Please introduce yourself and your role on the Heroes of Ruin project.


George Wright: Hello and thank you. My name is George Wright and I'm the Square Enix Producer on Heroes of Ruin.



IGN: Why did your team decide to develop a game for the Nintendo 3DS?


George Wright:The 3DS is a great new console. We were excited to make a game specifically for it that makes use of its great connectivity and social features.


IGN: How long has Heroes of Ruin been in development?


George Wright: About 6 months so far.


IGN: Would you say Heroes of Ruin has been inspired by Japanese role-playing games, or western role-playing games? Or perhaps something else?


George Wright: Heroes of Ruin combines elements from action adventure and action RPG games. It takes inspiration from a wide range of games, including Western and Japanese adventure games, but it also brings its own take on the genre.


IGN: Tell us about the story.


George Wright: Four mercenaries, each with their own strengths, weaknesses and motivations, answer a call to find a cure for the dying ruler of the city of Nexus. These unlikely heroes can choose to create a fearsome alliance or venture forth from the city alone. Beyond the safety of the city the land is filled with strange and dangerous creatures, but none as deadly as the evil force behind the curse, which the heroes must eventually confront and destroy.


IGN: The announcement doesn't mention much about the battle system. How, specifically, does it work?


George Wright: The combat is all done in real-time so you don't wait for your turn to attack. The combat experience will also be different if the player decides to play alone or with other heroes. There is a wide range of enemies and they attack with several different behaviors which include ranged attacking from snipers, unblockable attacks from hulking beasts, and evasive and fencing attack behaviors. This keeps the combat interesting and varied.



IGN: Can you describe to us how the SpotPass connectivity works?


George Wright: Your 3DS will connect to SpotPass whenever you are within reach of an open WiFi connection. In Heroes of Ruin we will send daily challenges to players which they can choose to complete. These will reward the players with special in-game items and extra gameplay.


IGN: Tell us about this "Traders Network." How does it use StreetPass and what will it do for players?


George Wright: Items that the player has sold to their Traders Network shop will be made available to every player they pass who has the game. The player gets special points which scale with the rarity of the item. Accumulation of these points will grant access to special items in the shop like legendary weapons. Therefore if you get an item for another class that is of high level you can benefit from it by selling it in the Traders Network!


IGN: How will the community site play into the user experience? What can we expect out of it?


George Wright: The community site ties in directly with the challenges sent through SpotPass. The player can keep track of their challenge progress on the website. There are also challenges unique to the website which will level up the player's website profile.


IGN: Tell us one thing that will convince us to run out right now and pre-order this game!


George Wright: Fun drop in/drop out co-op campaign against over 200 enemies in 3D!


IGN: Thank you for your time!