Most hardcore Japanese gamers are already afflicted with a cocaine-like addiction to Capcom’s Monster Hunter series, but Capcom isn’t satisfied just yet; today they announced that they plan to go after the nation’s children with a brand new (and hopefully just as addictive) multiplayer RPG entitled Gaist Crusher.
Capcom says Gaist Crusher is a “custom armor action game,” which is basically a fancy way of saying it’s a loot-driven action RPG a-la Monster Hunter or Phantasy Star Online. Players create their own Saint Seiya-ish transforming hero, who they can then customize with new armor parts and weapons earned by defeating enemies. Capcom says Gaist Crusher will combine the company’s expertise with creating franchises that have all-ages appeal (like Mega Man) with the infamously addictive multiplayer formula of Monster Hunter.
Capcom has big plans for Gaist Crusher: in addition to the game, Capcom is also producing a tie-in anime and manga series. Capcom considers Gaist Crusher to be one of their new “major franchises,” and they plan to support the series with a continuous stream of new content over the next few years.
Capcom seems to think that Gaist Crusher will be the next Pokemon, and while I’m not quite sure it will ever achieve that level of popularity, the game certainly looks interesting. Capcom’s developers have already proven that they’re a master of this style of game, and the “tokusatsu”-ish theme (think Power Rangers or Masked Rider,) of the game is a perfect fit for the Monster Hunter formula. Gaist Crusher is scheduled to come out in Japan sometime this year, but despite Capcom’s ambitious plans for the series, they have yet to confirm an international release for the title.
