http://ign.com/articles/2015/08/05/scalebound-isnt-the-game-you-think-it-is [quote][i]Scalebound is Platinum’s first action RPG[/i],” says Scalebound’s Creative Producer Jean Paul Pierre Kellams, “[i]so we’re making a game that brings all of our core competencies in action gameplay to the RPG genre and placing it in a very large non-linear world[/i].” The spice Platinum is adding to this formula to make it truly unique is Thuban, a “[i]dragon who is bonded to you[/i],” and who behaves as an independent creature alongside Drew, rather than a strictly responsive vessel for your button prompts. Still a strong, majestic beast, then, but one that fits a young Kamiya’s vision of what a dragon could be. [i]“There’s a level of intelligence to dragons to the point where they’re almost godlike[/i],” he says. Again, that boyish smile: “[i]there's something very special about them.”[/i] With headphones slung around his neck and an outfit that wouldn’t look out of place in modern day Tokyo, pretty-boy Drew stands out like a sore thumb in the enormous, fantastical world Platinum is calling ‘Draconis.’ “[i]I didn’t want it to be this typical, expected fantasy world,”[/i] says Kamiya, “[i]so to put a twist to that, this human, Drew, comes from our modern world, which would allow us to tell a story that has maybe not been told before, but yet is still believable.”[/i] The bond between the pair is, from every angle, the beating heart of Scalebound. They share the same life stream (if Thuban dies, Drew dies), and a soft, blue string that floats gently between them, while Drew possesses a scaly arm - of mysterious origin, for now - the colour of Thuban’s skin. And while the relationship between them informs the central story, it’s also used as the basis for multiple play mechanics. As you grow to understand your dragon, more complex interactions with him - across both land traversal and combat - will open up to you. [i]You will eventually be able to ride thuban[/i],” explains Kamiya, “but maybe in the beginning, in the earlier stages, your understanding of each other is not enough to allow Drew to ride him. As the story progresses, joint attacks will also open up, or in-game actions with a little more meaning: Thuban might have more of an interest in saving a flailing Drew as he topples off a cliff, for example, or be more inclined to lend him a helping tail to reach a high ledge. In combat, the dance between Drew, a very mortal human, and Thuban, an enormous fire-breathing dragon, needs to be delicately choreographed. How do you work with your dragon? Is he going to be aggressive while you take a step back and wait for an opening? Or will you be more proactive while he takes the brunt of the damage? Platinum is putting a great deal of stock into Thuban’s actions in battle as an independent character. As we watched the pair fight a giant praying mantis, Platinum onlookers murmured “I’ve never seen him do that before.” [i]Even though Drew can give orders to Thuban, the dragon can act independently,”[/i] says Kamiya. “You don’t always know exactly what the outcome of his actions will be. You can say ‘go there’ but you can’t always predict what is going to happen - you have to make your own assumptions. And I think that’s a big part of what makes fighting in this game fun.” Although Thuban may deal the brunt of the damage in any given fight, Drew has his own bag of tricks. During this particular skirmish, his multipurpose ‘dragon arm’ was used to scan the mantis for information on its properties, unleash pulse energy attacks from afar and, curiously, heal Thuban with the same energy. “If Thuban is close to death, Drew’s arm will change colour; it will notify you. You will know you’re not in the healthiest condition. So you’ll want to heal him.” We also saw Drew switch to ‘dragon form’; a super-charged ability that allowed him to scale the mantis and unleash a devastating attack with his sword. With the frenzied beat of The Prodigy’s “Wild Frontier” pulsing through his headphones and skill points scattering across the screen at every blow, Platinum’s pedigree was brought home with an industrial boom. “[i]We want to give players a chance to show off,[/i]” says Kamiya of this ability. “It’s a bit of stress relief during this intense combat. So for a short amount of time - as long as you have enough energy - you can transform Drew... it’s like his superpower.” Unlike the majority of Platinum’s previous games, however, the fight doesn’t begin and end with each battle. Scalebound is less about pulling off combos with bleeding edge flair (“I’m not focused on that in Scalebound at all,” says Kamiya) and more about the long game. “[i]It’s not just about that one encounter. There’s a lot of player management and dragon management that you have to do.[/i]” As the battle against the mantis ends, Drew uses his dragon arm to freeze its carcass until it explodes into a multitude of colourful gems, which are then absorbed into a meter. These gems can then be later used to upgrade Thuban - in appearance and ability - into the type of fighting dragon you want him to be. The scope of customisation Platinum is promising here is impressive. We saw a lighter Thuban with tiger-striped scales, and a heavier one, decked out from head to tail in armour. “[i]There are a lot of customisation options that we’re planning for your dragon[/i],” says Scalebound’s game designer Yusuke Miyata. ”[i]It’s not just the armour, it’s broken down into several different parts of the dragon. The parts themselves have a transformation quality, and on top of that you can pick and choose the armour you can slot into these parts[/i].” This all affects the way Thuban fights. A lighter Thuban with a spear-like weapon attached to his tail will make for a faster, offensive character, while an armoured Thuban with a weighted weapon on his tail will be a better damage-sponge. “[i]There’s always going to be that kind of risk/reward balance[/i],” explains Miyata. “[i]How do I want my dragon to behave and will this be advantageous for me for the next battle? You’ve got to look at each situation that you’re in and assess.[/i]” Though multiple weapons will be available for Drew to use throughout his journey, Kellams says that he’ll remain a comparably static character. “[i]We want you to play in the role of Drew, but we want you to customise Thuban[/i].” So skill points gained in battle will broadly level Drew up, but Platinum has an unwavering eye on the story it wants to tell. As Drew and Thuban push forward, we get more of a sense of Draconis itself. It’s a huge, green, wet place, immediately evocative of Pandora in James Cameron’s Avatar, and shot through with a fantastic fluorescence that brings an odd twist to the architecture; a tree branch that spirals outward impossibly, a giant mushroom that glows with life. This is “The Pulse’’; the life-force of everything in the world. As we near the end of the demo, however, we’re teased with a hint of something a little more… out there. Drew and Thuban enter one of the game’s dungeons (“The Shrine of The Great Tree”) and are greeted by an enormous, seven-headed-hydra. Such creatures, says Kamiya, will be a staple of every dungeon in the world of Draconis. “[i]The hydra is just one example. There’s a good reason why they’ve developed in this way and what their role is in the dungeon. What are they protecting or hiding? What are they guardians of[/i]?” And then, another surprise, as two other players join the fray: two Drews with different dragon types and different weapons. Although we asked about that co-op tease, Platinum is remaining tight-lipped, for now. “[i]There are many scenarios in which having multiple players in this world would create exciting and fun combat situations,[/i]” is all Kamiya says. There’s still a lot of work to do on Scalebound - Kellams mentions “a few more challenges than we might like” - but the sense of excitement in the studio around the project is very real (“it’s taking what we know and what we do well and pushing it into new directions” he says)[/quote]. Thoughts: Well i am definitely looking foward to Scalebound now, i like how the game gives more consideration to your dragon partner while still making drew the main protagonist. While information regarding the Co-Op are still tight-lipped, it seems that besides the giant dungeons with treasure you can also free roam aroun with friends and that could alter how the world of Draconis will react. You also fully customize both Thuban and Drew to have different looks, weapons (yes thuban can have some attached weapons) and armor and maybe even more since the game is still in production. I like the direction is going and how Platinum is going to introduce us to this new Action RPG. There's more info in the article ( i don't understand that pathetic article title) What are your thoughts?