If someone doesn't bring Beyond the Labyrinth to the States, I'm going to bust some skulls

Thanks to the 20 minutes of gameplay footage (below) of Beyond the Labyrinth that hit the Interwebs over the weekend, I'm once again frothing at the mouth for an English localization of this tri-Ace-developed, Konami-published, dungeon-crawling RPG.





Although I'm still a smidge unsure about this 3DS game's battle scenes--what's with all of the shifting around of those blue, green and red tabs on the bottom screen?--I'm feeling the exact opposite about the rest of it. I especially like the seeming omnipresence of its chatty, white-haired (or is it blue?) protagonist.

Are any of you also hoping Beyond the Labyrinth makes its way westward sometime this year? If so, why?

See also: 'Beyond the Labyrinth's battle scenes are as beautiful as its box art' and 'Konami's Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS) has some classy box art'

Beyond the Labyrinth's battle scenes are as beautiful as its box art

The latest trailer for Beyond the Labyrinth, the 3DS RPG being developed by tri-Ace and published (on Jan. 19 in Japan) by Konami, is a real looker.

Unfortunately, I'm a bit confused about what's going on in the video below. I mean, it's obviously showing off the game's glorious (in my opinion) battle scenes, but we still don't know how those battles "work" or why the white-haired girl is standing in the player's way throughout most of them.



Still, this teaser is the one that put me over the edge for Beyond the Labyrinth. Earlier ones were enough to pique my interest in the title to the point that I thought, "Eh, it'd be nice if someone brought it to North America," but this one has me thinking, "If this game isn't released here next year I'm going to pluck out my eyelashes and eat them for lunch."

See also: 'Konami's Beyond the Labyrinth has some classy box art'

(Via andriasang.com and gonintendo.com)

Konami's Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS) has some classy box art

I've had my eye on Beyond the Labyrinth since it was announced earlier this year. Not because it's being made by the folks at tri-Ace, mind you, but because it's supposed to be some sort of dungeon-exploring RPG.

I say "supposed" because a lot of the game is still a mystery--despite the fact that it's due to be released in Japan on Jan. 19.

Anyway, I'll continue to be interested in the game even if it ends up being nothing more than a slightly interactive 3D movie--thanks in equal parts to its cheery protagonist and its classy cover art (above).

Here's hoping that classy cover art appears on the North American version of Beyond the Labyrinth, should, you know, Konami decide to bring the game to our shores at some point.

(Via andriasang.com)

I'm curious about Beyond the Labyrinth (3DS) despite the fact that it looks kind of crappy

Why? Before I reply, watch this recently released trailer:  



Admittedly, the trailer above doesn't give us much of an idea as to what we'll be doing while playing this tri-Ace-developed title. I mean, will we actually battle baddies and such, as is typically the case in dungeon crawlers, or will be simply bound through the titular labyrinth (labyrinths?) like lost puppies?

I'm likely alone (or almost alone) in feeling this way, but I wouldn't mind at all if Beyond the Labyrinth, which will be published by Konami at some future point in time, were more about the latter than the former--or, to put it another way, if it focused more on puzzles and exploration (à la Fragile Dreams: Farewell Ruins of the Moon or even ICO) than on combat.

Anyway, back to my answer to the question raised by this post's headline (Why am I curious about Beyond the Labyrinth despite the fact that it looks kind of like a regular ol' DS game?): I'm curious about it because of the sense of wonder and even whimsy suggested in the teaser above.

Speaking of which, I can't be the only guy who let an "awwww" escape his lips after seeing what I believe to be the game's protagonist stumble in the trailer's final seconds, can I?

(Via andriasang.com and tinycartridge.com)