Danbol Senki Update

Earlier at IGNDS, we shared details on Ni no Kuni: The Another World as provided in this week's Famitsu. Now, a small update on Level-5's other big RPG, Danbol Senki, also provided through this week's issue.

As previously announced, Danbol Senki is being developed for the PSP and features animation from OLM. The game doesn't appear to have an official English name yet, so we've previously referred to it as Cardboard Senki, or Cardboard Battle Machine.

The game takes place in the year 2050 as small battle machines known a LBX (Little Battle eXperience) have become a hit amongst kids. Ban Yamano, the game's 13-year-old main character, loves mechs and models, and plays with his LBX in secret from hits parents. One day, a mysterious lady gives him a high end AX-00 LBX, telling him that within the device resides the hope and despair of humanity. Ban takes the LBX and quickly customizes it into his very own Achilles/V LBX. This is where things go horribly wrong.

We're not sure just yet what exactly it is that goes wrong. It does appear that a mysterious group of three masked agents were watching Ban take possession of the LBX, so perhaps our hero has gotten himself involved in something deep.

Ban lives in Misora Town, a city by the sea. He frequently -- as in every day -- visits the Misora Model Shop.

The game's battles don't exactly take place in Misora, though. As previously detailed, combat in Danbol Senki takes place inside cardboard boxes. Players put their LBX units up against one another within the confines of boxes which are apparently fortified with a forcefield that keeps the happenings of the battle on the inside. There are a variety of battle fields represented by different dioramas, including a volcano area and a ruins area.

Serving as friends, or possibly rivals, to Ban are Ami Kawamura and Kazuya Aoshima. Ami is a 13-year-old top student who serves as the game's heroine. She makes use of a ninja-like LBX known as Kunoichi. Kazuya is a 14-year-old who looks somewhat like a thug, but is actually a good guy. He makes use of a wolf-like LBX named Soldier.

We'll hopefully find out how the story comes together and how the battles play out as Danbol Senki's 2009 Japanese release draws near.

http://uk.psp.ign.com/articles/984/984878p1.html