Animation studio GONZO and video game publishing unit GONZO Rosso have teamed with game company Q Ent. to launch a multi-platform project based on the classic arcade game The Tower of Druaga. Under the supervision of the game’s creator, Masanobu Endo, the entities will revive the property as an animated television series and as a massively multi-player online role playing game. The game, The Tower of Druaga: The Recovery of BABYLIM is slated to go online in January of 2008, followed by the Japan premiere of the television show, The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of URUK, next spring.
Directed by Koichi Chigira (Brave Story), the The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of URUK will take place several decades after the time of the original game. In a world of chaos, long abandoned by gods and heroes, unimaginable battles and fantastic adventures will unfold in the immense labyrinths of the dark tower of Druaga. The anime series will feature scripts by Shoji Gatoh (The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya), character design by Ugetsu Hakua, production design by Makoto Kobayashi, and music by Hitoshi Sakimoto.
Designed to appeal to both novice and hardcore online RPG enthusiasts, the new video game will have players out to conquer the notorious Tower of Druaga, with all of its intricate mazes and traps. Gamers will be able to form a party with other players to improve their strategic strength. The ‘Enigma System’ will ensure that traps are always different, and fresh content will be added continually by way of an advanced user support system.
In addition to the series and game, comic books, novels and other cross-media developments will expand the world of Tower of Druaga, which Namco first released to arcades In 1984. Endo’s original game ran on Super Pac-Man hardware and had players navigating various levels of mazes to rescue a fair maiden.
