Atlus announces new games…in Japan

And they get to share a post until they’re announced in America.

On the plus side, they look to be pretty fascinating titles. The one getting all the press everywhere is Catherine (whose Famitsu preview was lovingly translated by the good folks at andriasang, so those of us who speak English could comprehend them), which looks like….something, all right. It’s supposedly an “adult” game, which one could read entirely the wrong way but seems to reference the fact that the main character is not only over 25, but over 30. Which, really, doesn’t happen in video games. Then again, the main character Vincent seems to have been included in Persona 3 PSP. Mystery! Intrigue!

It’s also both HD and an action-adventure game, neither of which Atlus are known for. Even more mystery!

The other game they announced, however, deserves more attention (which is why I made it the header! See what I did there?). Radiant Historia, a game not particularly related to Radiata Stories (though featuring a couple of the same staffers, but Japanese RPG development is incestuous like that), is a DS RPG that features choices! And a time travel mechanic! And meaningful choices! And a pretty rocking art style that doesn’t do the whole ugly 3D thing that Square Enix, in particular, seem to be in love with.

Again, I’ll turn to andriasang for details, because…honestly, describing time travel mechanics, and living the same events multiple times, is more complicated than I’m up for right now. Suffice it to say, an innovative combat system plus a cool storytelling mechanic? Sounds like a winner to me.

And when you announce localization dates, Atlus, your games will get separate posts!