After teasing the game for some time, Sega has revealed its new mobile RPG, Sin Chronicle – a game based on player decisions that can only ever be made once.
The centerpiece of Sega's Tokyo Game Show 2021 showcase – a game teased ahead of time as a "new RPG" emphasizing player choice and unique experiences – Sin Chronicle is a mobile RPG for iOS and Android devices. It's is scheduled to launch on December 15 in Japan as a free download with in-app purchases. Pre-registration and closed beta registration has already begun. We've not yet heard word about a western release.
General director Jun Matsunaga introduced the title as a "successor, not a sequel" to Chain Chronicle, a mobile RPG which launched in 2013 and later came to PlayStation Vita. He explained that this new game would be accessible even to players who did not experience that game, which was translated and launched overseas, but the global version shut down in 2016.
Matsunaga's main selling point for Sin Chronicle is that this game rests on decisions that the player must make. He stressed that all the choices were one-time only, as all selections are saved on the server so players cannot go back and undo actions already taken. He promised that every chapter, which could take 10 hours to complete, would end with an "ultimate choice."
As an example, Matsunaga introduced a few characters and pointed out that there are two heroines the main character will encounter early in the game. Both will join the party and both can potentially be major characters, but players will have to choose between them at some point. Of course, the members of your party will have an impact on the story, so this one decision will affect every subsequent event. By making a series of such choices throughout the game, Matsunaga believes that each playthrough will be unique.
In a live gameplay demonstration, voice actor Taito Ban (who plays the protagonist) showed how the adventure unfolds. The graphics are on par with other 3D mobile JRPGs, and dragging a finger on the screen moves the party around the overworld. Ban had to choose between two paths; he selected the one with visible treasure—and visible enemies.
Touching an enemy leads to combat, but if you can land an attack on the overworld before combat, all the enemies will take damage at the start. Battles are turn-based but feature dynamic movement, as getting too close to enemies leaves characters vulnerable to melee strikes. Each turn allows for a limited number moves based on available "BP". Chaining different characters' attacks together creates a combo and grants extra damage.
Based on the outcomes of the battle, an MVP is selected and this can strengthen your relationship with other party members. Campfire scenes are also an opportunity to befriend teammates, as the player can choose who to talk to while at rest.
For more from Tokyo Game Show, check out our regularly-updated article on the biggest announcements from the show.
Diamond Feit is a writer/podcaster in Osaka, Japan who uses Twitter and Twitch as feitclub.