I cannot help but think that the pool of candidates would be very different if all head of states had to pilot giant robots into combat.

When Level 5′s unique 3DS title Guild01 was first unveiled last April, the chances of the then Japanese only title getting an international release seemed slim at best. After all, this was a game that was really four smaller and completely unrelated games (both in story/setting and in genre) with the only unifying factor being each game coming from the mind of a gaming great. Something of a hard sell to the larger international video game audience in other words to say the very least. And so it was that most of us outside of Japan actually interested in Guild01 looked at it wistfully before shaking our heads with a sigh and moving on with our now slightly emptier and less meaningful lives.

Now however comes an announcement that changes all that: Guild01 is getting an international release! Sort of. To be more accurate, three of the four games that composed Guild01 have been announced for release in North America and the UK/Europe via the Nintendo eShop as separate releases. The three games to get the nod are as follows: first is Suda51′s Liberation Maiden, a shooter featuring animated cutscenes created by Studio BONES and the unusual set-up of a high school girl who becomes President of Japan after her father, the former President, is assassinated. And part of her duties are to pilot the only giant robot capable of saving the country into battle because why not apparently.

The next game is Yoot Saito’s Aero Porter, a simulation game with a far more saner premise than LM, not that the bar is set real high for that particular milestone. AP features a setup that casts players as the manager in charge of an airport and charges them with getting baggage moved about quickly and ensuring that the airplanes are able to depart on time. Success, as it often does in these kind of game, brings with it more funds which will allow players to purchase new airplanes and expand their airport among things.

Finally, there is Yasumi Matsuno’s (he of Final Fantasy Tactics and Vagrant Story fame) Crimson Shroud which is easily the game that most intrigues me from the titles released originally released at part of Guild01. That is because it has been labeled as an adventure-RPG with a distinct throwback to the classic pen, paper, and dice affairs that dominated that name before the advent of the video game medium. And a game with that setup and that creator… Well it is one sure to get my attention is what I am saying. Check out a trailer and the official descriptions of the the games below.

The reason behind the fourth title in the collection Rental Bukiya de Omasse (a fantasy rhythm-RPG which casts players as a father and son pair who craft weapons for heroes via rhythm driven gameplay sequences) currently not being similarly set for international eShop release has yet to be confirmed. Meanwhile, a followup title in Japan name Guild01 and featuring a similiar approach of four seperate smaller games has also been announced.

Liberation Maiden is available for the eShop in Europe now with the remaining two games set to follow before the end of this year. A North American release of the three games, also starting with LM, is similarly promised before 2012 reaches its end. Stay tuned to Blistered Thumbs for continuing coverage of these games, including our official reviews, and be sure to share your thoughts and opinions in the comments section below.

Source(s): Level 5.

Shaun K.

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