Popolocrois: Narcia’s Tears And The Fairy’s Flute’s Gameplay Is ‘Simple’ But ‘Strategic’

New gameplay for PoPoLoCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute was shown off in Taiwan recently, where Representative Director and CEO of epics Inc. Tetsuji Yamamoto sat down for an interview with Bahamut.

Here are the highlights:

GNN: What is the defining feature of PoPoLoCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute?

Tetsuji Yamamoto, CEO: “It has got to be the scenario. There are already seven previous entries in the PoPoLoCrois series, and while in the first game Prince Pietro is ten years old, he grows up and by the next game he’s already 30 years old, with his son being the protagonist. PoPoLoCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute aims to fill in the gap of time between the two games. How did Pietro and Narcia continue to grow after the events of the first game, and what happened before their marriage?

In the latest trailer, there are some plot events shown off in 3D style, compared to the portraits and dialog boxes from before. There are roughly around 900 such events in the game. Just going through these events will take roughly 20 hours.”

GNN: PoPoLoCrois this time is split into ‘Main Stories’, ‘Side Stories’, and ‘Brave Stories’. What’s the difference between the three?

Yamamoto: “This game is billed as an ‘Ensemble RPG of Love and Friendship’. The Main Story details Pietro and Narcia’s adventures, and Side Stories detail what other people are up to during that same period of time. The Main and Side Stories could cross paths at any time, and will lead into a major incident that involves the entire world. Brave Stories show the inner thoughts of different characters, or personal stories not shown in the Main Story or Side Stories.

GNN: This is the first time battle gameplay has been shown off. What elements did you consider when designing the battle system?

Yamamoto: “The keywords are ‘simple controls’ and ‘strategic elements’. Mobile games aren’t meant to be played in the living room, so it was crucial to emphasize ‘simple controls’. While the battle gameplay doesn’t require complicated motions, but players still need to be engaged, which is why the battle system is full of strategic elements.”

PoPoLoCrois: Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute is in development for iOS and Android. It will release in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau. You can pre-register for the game by following the Twitter account here.