When Nintendo releases or publishes an RPG in the States, my default position is "sit up and take notice." So it was with Glory of Heracles, the latest entry in a revived series that has had a bit of a history in Japan on the Famicom, Super Famicom and Game Boy, originally a Data East property but bought up by oft-Nintendo-partner Paon, where a number of the former Data Easters had gone.

Glory of Heracles was brought to Japanese players first in 2008, then shown at E3 last year and released a few months ago here. I found myself enjoying its world, story, script (localized by the team at 8-4, who are fast becoming one of my favorites), and the unique way in which its battle system works; so I pitched some questions Nintendo-ward about the game which NCL producer Kentaro Nishimura and 8-4 executive director Mark MacDonald were kind enough to answer.

Thanks for taking the time to talk Glory of Heracles with us today.  Let's start off with a bit of history: this is the first time the series has seen the light of day in the West, but the series has been running since 1987 on the Famicom, I understand.  Can you talk a little bit about its history?
Kentaro Nishimura, Assistant Producer, NCL:Sure. It was in 1987 when Tojin Makyo Den: Heracles no Eiko, the first title of the Glory of Heracles series, was released for NES in Japan. The following sequels including Heracles no Eiko II: Titan no Metsubo for NES in 1992, Heracles no Eiko III: Kamigami no Chinmoku for SNES in 1994, and Heracles no Eiko IV: Kamigami kara no Okurimono were released in Japan. [Editor's note: We think something was mixed up in translation here; as far as we know, Heracles II released in 1989, III in 1992, and IV in 1994 for the Super Famicom.]

It is our great honor to deliver Glory of Heracles, or the fifth Heracles no Eiko in Japan, to people in North America for the first time!


What made Nintendo decide that now was the time to bring this series stateside?
Nishimura:As the demographic of the Nintendo DS user varies so much, we believe we have to deliver varied kinds of games accordingly.

Even though we do not have a large number of RPGs at Nintendo, we have a huge amount of RPG fans among our customers. Considering the balance of our software library, we decided to release this game at this time.

For me, personally, what generally draws me to an RPG is its battle system.  I've had some time with Heracles now, and have been playing it on and off since launch.  It seems to me to be an edge innovator, taking tried and true turn-based systems and doing new things around the edges.  What sorts of things do you think sets Heracles apart in this regard?
Nishimura:I think it is the idea of Front Row and Rear Row, which the series has been applying since the first title.

I believe it sets Glory of Heracles apart from general RPGs where you have no idea of plural rows or distances and characters are standing in one same row.

For this title, we have expanded the idea into a more strategic system where you can more effectively advance by considering positions of characters, formation of your party, magic spells, and a combination among them. It might be more similar to SRPG than general RPGs. This title is a natural fusion of the two.