UPDATE: Pandora’s Tower has been announced for North America, published by XSEED Games, and scheduled to be released Spring 2013!
~ Pandora’s Tower Tidbit #1 ~
Did you know Pandora’s Tower shows a Curse Gauge in the lower left screen while you’re playing the game?
If you do not get the flesh from the master of the tower you’re in by the time it empties then the game ends. However, if you are noticing the gauge getting closer to zero and it’s in the blue range you may want to take some flesh from a smaller servant of said tower in order to go feed Elena. This will temporary reverse the effect of the curse so you don’t run out of time. Getting to the master of the tower is not the simplest task since the door which leads to the master is sealed away in the depths of the tower. In order to achieve this, one must clear various obstacles in the tower to unlock the door which seals the master away.
Source: Andriasang
~ Pandora’s Tower Tidbit #2 ~
Pandora’s Tower was revealed on January 28th, 2011 at an investor presentation in which Nintendo president Satoru Iwata stated “Also for Wii, we are planning to launch a new title called “Pandora’s Tower”. The development of the software is nearing the end, and we are scheduled to launch this title in the early half of this year. Please look forward to further news as we will make additional announcements later.”
A teaser website for the game then went live with very little information; on the site was character art of a girl’s back with a large tattoo like mark, a variation of Franz Liszt’s Liebesträume performed on piano, a spoken line of dialog which when translated read as “Dying with beauty, or living with ugliness. Which would you be happier with?”, and the promise of a spring 2011 release in Japan.
~ Pandora’s Tower Tidbit # 3 ~
In combat, you can use the IR pointer on the Wii Remote to aim the chain and target parts of your foes’ bodies, allowing you to trip enemies or swing them into each other. Like in God of War you can build the strength of your chain when you pull on foes you have latched onto. You must find clever use of your chain against each boss, as you would use your various items in the Zelda franchise. The use of blades is enacted by button presses as is typical in an action game. You must balance between the use of your chain and bladed weapon for the beat strategy possible.
There are multiple weapons waiting to be unlocked in Pandora’s Tower. Each weapon can be used differently, allowing the player to choose which best suits their playstyle. Among them are the Oraclos Chain, Aeron’s sword and the twinblades. Weapons can be upgraded with items found in each of the 13 towers, which may end up unlocking some special moves.
~ Pandora’s Tower Tidbit #4 ~
Time to talk weapons! Besides the chain, Aeron will wield a multitude of bladed weapons including swords, spears, and scythe. These weapons can be upgraded by the mysterious merchant Mavda with materials found throughout the towers.Each weapon can only be upgraded a certain amount of times, so pick the upgrades that give you the most of what you want. As theyare used, the bladed weapons will take damage and need to be repaired as well. Once a weapon breaks it will do less damage to enemies. The money to pay for upgrades and repairs is earned by selling the flesh of monsters you take in combat. You must balance what meat you will sell against what you will feed Elena to stave off her monstrous curse.
~Pandora’s Tower Tidbit #5 ~
Today, we discover more about the developer of Pandora’s Tower, Ganbarion.
They primarily worked on anime and manga license games such as One Piece and Azumanga Daioh. They are best known, perhaps, for their crossover mascot brawlers Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars. The “Jump” series featured characters from the famous Japanese manga anthology Weekly Shounen Jump which is home to such mega hit manga franchises as Dragon Ball, One Piece, Naruto, Rurouni Kenshin, Yu-Gi-Oh!, Fist of the North Star, and Death Note.
In the games, which were on the Nintendo DS system, you used manga panels (called koma in Japan) as puzzle pieces on a grid on the bottom screen. You could add panels that gave you playable characters, panels that acted as special abilities, and more. Once you fill out your grid you battle it out Super Smash Bros style with local and online (only in ultimate) multiplayer. While the games were will received and heavily imported, release outside of Japan was nearly impossible due to the way the franchises were individually licensed out in foreign regions. Capcom’s Tatsunoko Vs. Capcom faced a similar hurdle, but as the Tatsunoko franchises were not nearly as popular outside of Japan as the various Jump franchises were, they were able to accomplish it with only a few character omissions. Pandora’s Tower is Ganbarion’s first original IP and it’s one of the more mature titles for the Wii system.
