XHitoshuraX
Banned
![wallpaper_03.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/wallpaper_03.jpg)
General Information
Published by: Sony Computer Entertainment
Developed by: Gaia / Game Republic (JP)
Genre: Adventure/RPG
Release Date:
US: October 9, 2007 (tentative)
Japan: June 26, 2007
Europe: October 12, 2007
Australia: October 18, 2007
MSRP: $59.99
Media Size: 1 Blu-Ray Disk
ESRB Rating: T (Teen)
ESRB Content Descriptors: Alcohol Reference, Blood, Fantasy Violence, Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes
Official North American Website
Official European Website
Official Japanese Website
Japanese Folksoul Boxart
![FOLKbox1.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/FOLKbox1.jpg)
North American Folklore Boxart
![folkbox2.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkbox2.jpg)
European Folklore Boxart
![folkbox3.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkbox3.jpg)
Overview
Folklore, also known as FolksSoul in Japan (formerly Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms, Unknown Realms) is an exciting new video game exclusively for the PLAYSTATION®3 entertainment system. Folklore is a real time action adventure game with unique RPG elements that blend into an experience that can only be achieved with the power of the PLAYSTATION®3.
The vision of legendary game creator Yoshiki Okamoto (executive producer for Onimusha, Devil May Cry and Resident Evil), Folklore is a brand new action adventure title for PS3.
A letter from a dead mother, a mysterious phone call and a forgotten childhood lead Ellen, a young woman, and Keats, a journalist working for a paranormal magazine, to Doolin - a sleepy Irish village that hides a gateway to the Netherworld and the answers to a 17-year-old mystery.
You play as either of the lead characters as you venture into a series of seven outlandish realms, each packed with nightmarish creatures. Your goal is to speak with the dead, whose memories hold the key to unraveling the past.
The key to progressing in the game is to capture the various Folks - the nightmarish creatures that inhabit the Netherworld - harnessing and combining their powers to defeat strong enemies.
Will they have the courage to survive the adventure that awaits them?
![Folkart1.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/Folkart1.jpg)
Game Features
Play as either Ellen or Keats and become a "Netherworld Traveller". Control both characters and experience two different gameplay styles. Ellen uses tactics and strategy, while Keats leans on the force of his powerful attacks. See both characters' storylines intertwine as this epic tale unfolds.
![FolkloreSS1.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/FolkloreSS1.jpg)
* There are seven unique realms; players will travel from the ruins of the Undersea City to the never-ending maze of the Endless Corridor.
* There are over a hundred creatures, characters, and monsters to interact or battle with.
* Using the SIXAXIS wireless controller, the player must battle monsters and literally "shake" them into submission and "yank" their powers from them. The absorbed powers will be used to capture or defeat the monsters that lie ahead.
* Players can choose between playing as Keats or as Ellen. They have different play styles as Keats uses traditional direct attacks while Ellen uses strategic methods to trap her enemies.
* Decisions made in one story line will directly impact the story path of the other.
* User created dungeons that can be posted for others to play with.
![FolkloreSS2.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/FolkloreSS2.jpg)
Online Features
Extend your Folklore adventure with the online Dungeon Trial feature and Folklore downloads packs. Design custom Folklore dungeons and share with players online. Populate your levels with creatures you collect during your single player campaign. Look out for additional Folklore Download packs as well. Each pack will have 3-4 hours of gameplay with 4 quests, a new Folk to use in-game, and a new costume.
The Netherworld
![Folkworld.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/Folkworld.jpg)
There are a total of seven vast spirit realms you'll encounter in your journey to learn the secrets of the Netherworld. Through the ages of time, man has had many concepts of the afterlife. Some of these concepts were so strong they materialized within the Netherworld as different realms.
Doolin/Lemrick
Doolin is a remote seaside village on the west cost of Ireland. In some ways, Doolin seems isolated from the outside world - roads leading to the village are ruined and even the fishermen from nearby townships dare not approach it's rugged shores by sea. Although perhaps it is not the craggy cliffs that keep them away; could they be frightened by the rumors of apparitional appearances and ghostly goings on? For according to village folklore, if you want it badly enough, in Doolin you can commune with the dead...
![folkworld2.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkworld2.jpg)
Characters
Folks
In the various realms live spirits, creatures, faeries, and monsters called "Folks". These folk all have fierce attacks and should not be underestimated. Folk have powerful souls or "ids" that can be collected by beings called Netherworld travelers, who can make the folk's power their own. Its these travelers who soon learn, Folks do not always welcome strangers.
![Folkbuga.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/Folkbuga.jpg)
![folkbuga2.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkbuga2.jpg)
![folkbuga3.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkbuga3.jpg)
![folkbuga4.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkbuga4.jpg)
A Tale of Two Strangers
Two strangers are drawn to the mysterious town of Doolin, where it is said, the living can meet the dead. Ellen, a young student, searches for a mother who she thought died 17 years ago. Keats, a reporter for an occult magazine named Unknown Realms, is investigating a possible murder. The two meet each other and soon learn that the answers they seek lay in the realms of the Netherworld...a place where certain Folks have plans of their own.
Ellen
![folkellen.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkellen.jpg)
Keats
![folksKeats.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folksKeats.jpg)
Demo
A playable demo was first released on the Japanese PlayStation Network (PSN) on May 30th, 2007. The demo features the two playable characters Keats and Ellen, with the ability to choose from either of them. The demo includes a series of short comic-style cut scenes, exploration of a sea-side village and a trek through a series of playable areas where a player is introduced to the gameplay basics (i.e. fighting, how to acquire new IDs, etc.). This demo was all in Japanese aside from the lines in English that both protagonists would occasionally exclaim during combat.
An English language demo was released on the European PlayStation Network on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007; as a limited time offering, it was removed from the PlayStation Store on August 31st. This demo was released to the North American PSN on Thursday, August 23, 2007. An English/Traditional Chinese language version demo was released on the Asian Playstation Network on Tuesday, September 4th, 2007.
A final demo was just recently released on September 27th in Europe. The content of the demo is identical of that in the initial Japanese release beta save for the fact that it is entirely in English.
Folklore PSP
kikizo.com said:Sony is drumming up support this week for Folklore, its new monster-collection game for the PlayStation 3. The company will be showing off the game to attendees at this year's Games Convention in Leipzig. What the assembled masses won't see is the PSP edition, which Sony has told Kikizo is in the works in Japan already.
Early reports on Folklore - then called Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms - mentioned the involvement of Shin Megami Tensei creator Kouji Okada. But it's Game Republic's Yoshiki Okamoto who is showing off the game this week. So we wondered whether Okada was still playing a part.
"Yes he is," Sony's Bill Ritch told Kikizo at an event in London on Monday. "We've got a PSP version [of Folklore] and Kouji Okada is working on that."
Okada is working exclusively on the PSP edition of Folklore and is not involved with the PS3 game.
Sony was reluctant to elaborate on the PSP edition of Folklore and refused to comment on the possibility of any sort of link-up capabilities between the two games.
Interviews
![folkloreinterview.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkloreinterview.jpg)
By Alex Wollenschlaeger
It was less than six months ago that Game Republic founder (and Street Fighter II creator) Yoshiki Okamoto was last at Sony's 3Rooms brand space, located just a gourmet-coffee-cup throw away from London's delicious Spitalfields Market.
At that time he was helping launch the PlayStation 3 with a second game in the Genji series. Genji: Days of the Blade didn't win many fans, mostly because, while it all looked good, the camera made it hard to follow what was going on onscreen, leaving many to eschew the spectacle altogether and instead focus their attention on the tiny map in the corner of the screen. It's mistakes like these that Okamoto is keen to avoid making again in his new game, the Irish mythology action-adventure Folklore."The camera is something I really wanted to change," Okamoto said during an interview with Kikizo at 3Rooms. He said that for Genji his team wanted to emphasize how well they had manage to coax early performance out of the fledgling console.
![FolkSS6.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/FolkSS6.jpg)
This time, for Folklore, a less hands-on but no less fast paced game out of a wholly separate studio in Japan, Okamoto has mercifully pulled back the camera, allowing us to not only see how colourful and vibrant the world is but also who the heck it is that is attacking us from behind.
In this particular case, that someone is a Fraxinus, a blue, bull-like folk or creature. There are more than 100 folks in Folklore and the majority of them are straight out of Irish lore. The researchers on the project ensconced themselves in Irish mythology so that their fantastic game would nevertheless bear a sense of authenticity, adding their own creations to the ranks only later in development. But why would a studio based in Japan deliberately set a game in Ireland of all places? Well, why not. "Irish folklore is not as well known as Roman and Greek mythology, but these Irish characters and Irish folklore are actually quite famous," says Okamoto.
The story is centered on a bold blonde named Ellen. Orphaned at a young age, Ellen gets a message from her supposedly dead mother one day, calling her to a town known as Doolin in Ireland. She gets to Doolin just in time to see an unidentified woman sitting at the edge of a cliff before taking a dive down said precipice. Theres a second character too, a journalist named Keats. Keats is a writer for a third-rate occult magazine. He gets a call from a young girl asking him to go to Doolin. He promptly makes the trip only to find her dead when he gets there. With no girl to speak to, Keats takes up the case of the dead girl to try to find her killer.
![folklSS3.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folklSS3.jpg)
For the most part the story in Folklore is split between the two characters. Ellen and Keats have separate opening chapters, coming together only for the last three of the 10-or-so chapters that make up the game. Even though Okamoto insists it hasn't been, Folklore seems designed to capture the senses of Japanese gamers - particularly those of the type that made the Monster Hunter series so popular in Japan. In fact, the game was formerly known as Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms, when it was shown at the Tokyo Game Show in 2006. Sony later dropped the link to PSP creature collection game Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner. But Okamoto points to the gameplay, the game's focus on action and the its setting - including English voices in all versions of the game - as proof that Folklore has a much broader target audience. So what about that gameplay?
Basically, playing the game involves fighting and collecting Ids (spirits) from defeated enemies and using these in battles to help you defeat folks and collect other Ids. There's a kinetic element to the proceedings too, as Folklore makes extensive use of the Sixaxis controller.
To collect an Id you need to extract it from a folk and there are a handful of ways you can do this. There's the straightforward way, where you simply pull up on the controller, ripping out the soul (or multiple souls, in some cases) from your enemy. But there are more advanced mechanics too, indicated onscreen, telling you, for instance, that you need to tilt the controller side to side, balancing a glowing soul on top of your enemy as you weaken it. Ellen has no physical attacks, but Keats is able to fuse folks with his arm, creating a physical weapon he can use. It's all part of the supernatural elements associated with the Netherworld, where the folk live.
![FolkSS7.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/FolkSS7.jpg)
Keats is able to assume a second form through a process Game Republic is calling transcension. Once you've earned enough energy to cross over, Keats takes on a darker, tattooed form that acts as a god mode, making him invincible for a while.
Ellen's powers, on the other hand, are directly related to her various costumes. There are seven of these and they're related to the realms in the game. There's a saucy black number for the Hell Realm, something woodsier for another and so on. These are more than just eye-candy too, since they alter Ellen's parameters. If any of the collecting parts of Folklore sound vaguely Pokémon-esque to you, you're not alone. But trading characters is something that's not going to happen. Okamoto said that while players will be able to create and share dungeons, allowing them to trade creatures over the internet would "destroy the balance" the team worked so hard to reach.
![FolkSS5.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/FolkSS5.jpg)
There's another facet of the game that may seem like something straight out of Nintendo's playbook: link-up.
As mentioned earlier this week, Sony confirmed during our visit that Folklore is also coming to the PSP, courtesy of Shin Megami Tensei creator Kouji Okada. That opens up the possibility of transferring folks from the PS3 version to the one on the PSP and vice versa. But is it going to happen? It seems likely but Sony made sure to avoid confirming or denying anything. What needs no confirmation is that the PS3 game is, at least, looking like something quite different for the console's current audience. But don't take our word for it. There's a playable demo of the game up right now on the PlayStation Store.
Soundtrack
Composers
Kenji Kawai
Shinji Hosoe (Super Sweep Co.,Ltd.)
Ayako Saso (Super Sweep Co.,Ltd.)
Hiroto Saitoh (STUDIO MINSTREL)
Yuriko Mukoujima
![folktrack.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folktrack.jpg)
Musicians
Strings : Uchida Group (Concert Master Michiko Miyauchi)
Irish Flute : Mari Yasui
Flute : Mayumi Okusawa
Violin / Viola (Solo) : Yuriko Mukoujima
-Tracklist-
Disc 1 (50:12)
1 The Beginning of the Journey
2 A Mysterious Door
3 The Netherworld
4 Solitude
5 Resolution
6 Awakening
7 Rumbling
8 Mystery
9 The Fairy Waltz
10 Crisis
11 Escaping the Myth
12 Where the Flowers are Scattered
13 A Voice from the Past
14 Resurfacing Past
15 Speaking With the Dead
16 Endless Battlefield
17 Menace
18 Avalon
Disc 2 (54:09)
1 Ancient Breath
2 An Undertaking
3 Impact
4 Visited Tragedy
5 Land of the Gods
6 An Arranged History
7 Trial
8 The Serpent's Lair
9 Sorrow
10 Distant Memories
11 The Forgotten Village
12 IRISH LULLABY
13 DANNY BOY
14 Between Life and Death
15 Rest
Disc 3 (1:07:55)
1 To the Unknown World
2 Engraved Time
3 Map of Penfield
4 In the Land of Judgement
5 Courtroom
6 The Judge and the Judged
7 The End of the Memories
8 Showdown
9 The Darkness Within
10 Truth
11 Determination
12 Under a Falling Star
13 Sovereign Vessel
14 Skilled Spear
15 Transfiguration
16 Those Who Must Fear
17 The Beginning of the End
18 Collapse
19 Where the Soul Goes
-------------------------
Play Time: 2:52:16
Click on the bolded titles to listen to a sample of that track!
It should be noted that there is absoluetly no electronica use in Folklore. Every and all tracks are orchestrated and no midi-files were ever used (or for that matter considered).
Previews
IGN August 27th Preview
IGN.com said:The joy of the game for us has come from the atmospheric execution of the game's finer details. We've already noticed several, completely trivial elements that could be easily missed, unless you have a sharp eye to catch them. For example, one frequenter of the ghostly pub, Jimmy, is a large pig-like creature with a small hat. He seems oddly nervous when talking to Ellen, which made us wonder if he had a thing for human girls (hey, you never know). This curiosity was emphasized when we came to realize that Jimmy had tattoos lining his right arm. Each marking depicted a heart with a girl's name written across it, and each tattoo was, regrettably, crossed out. This mild and incredibly minute detail expanded the value of the character, even though he's almost completely inconsequential to the story. Folklore is brimming with details such as these, and if you're looking forward to a game in which you can discover new and enthralling details each time you sit down, this may very well be the title for you.
1up.com July 24th Preview
Gamespot August 24th Preview
Gamepro September 11th Preview
Gamespy September 4th Preview
Videos
Coming Soon
Reviews
Eurogamer - 5/10
The only aspect of the game that rises above the mundane is its technical polish and the vibrant creativity with which its imaginary worlds have been created - the vivid luminescence of the Fairy World, or the scratchy, Ian Miller-esque authenticity of the War World for example. Apart from that, it's totally average (and in case you're thinking of importing: if you don't read kanji you'll need a translator or to wait for the US/UK version, because the occasional - impressive - cut-scenes are the only bits in English).
C&VG UK - 8/10
After the lavish but corny opening sequence, the rest of Folklore is a real surprise. Think big box under the Christmas tree rather than floater in the bog, or Beyond Good and Evil as opposed to Driv3r. It's a game with high production values throughout, and although the game can easily be split into two main strands - netherworld sections and those which have you running around Lemrick - the visual quality on offer and the range of creatures makes the game a delight, despite things being rather linear. Still, any tedium is overcome by the beauty of the game. It seems like PlayStation 3 has its first gem
Play Magazine 9/10
Evoking a sense of otherworldliness is, I am assuming, the reason Folklore exists, and it succeeds at this in an almost heartbreakingly beautiful way no other game ever has.
IGN 9.0
Though the game is very enjoyable to play, the menu load time, framerate, and level repetition issues can detract from the gameplay experience. But we strongly recommend that you don't let these concerns stop you from playing Folklore. This is one of the best titles to hit the PlayStation 3, and its eccentricity and charm are undeniable. Unless you're just a straight adrenaline junkie, don't miss your opportunity to witness the poetry and magic of this ethereal hit.
Video Review
Gamernode 8.5
Underground Online B+
Gamespy 4/5
GameZone 9/10
Famitsu 8 / 9 / 8 / 8
OPM Italy 8.0
Game Trailers 7.2
Play UK 66/100
PSM3 Magazine UK 69/100
GamesTM 6/10
Design a Folk Contest
To celebrate the launch of Folklore this October, were offering you the once-in-a-lifetime chance to design a new character that will be included in the game!
For more information about Folklore, visit the official Doolin Tourist Information Centre at www.folklore-game.com , or check out the game details page.
Folklore Design-A-Folk Contest
Think you can create a new and unique creature to sit alongside the gelatinous Agar Agar and the spike-furred Bugaboo?
All you have to do to take part is
1. Create an illustration of your new Folk character
2. Give your Folk a name
3. Describe your Folk and the unique attack the player can absorb from it.
4. Either post your character design into this thread or email it to us at [email protected] before noon on Monday 22 October.
Prizes
The winning design will be turned into a real Folk, downloadable from the PLAYSTATION®Store, that other players will be able to fight and capture in-game.
Our one winner plus four runners-up will also receive their own copy of Folklore for PLAYSTATION 3 and a Folklore goody bag. Entries will be judged by a panel from Japans Game Republic studios that will include Okamoto-San.
Rules
* All entries must be received by 12:00 GMT on Monday 22 October 2007.
* All contest participants must be aged 12 or over and be permanent residents of one of the following countries: Austria, Australia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Portugal, Republic of Ireland, Slovakia, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.
U.S. Design a folk Contest Winner and Runner Up
Winner: Lisa K.
![Folkwinner1.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/Folkwinner1.jpg)
Runner Up Design
![folkwinner2.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/folkwinner2.jpg)
For the rest of the Runner Ups and more, check out Methane47's Topic.
![930085_20070825_screen005.jpg](http://i194.photobucket.com/albums/z98/HitoshuraX/930085_20070825_screen005.jpg)