Upcoming puzzle/RPG smartphone title Divine Gate from GungHo Online Entertainment has shown off some of what its unique “Resonant Evolve” mode entails. GungHo previously said that the mode is a twist on the current crop of RPGs, such as its flagship Puzzle & Dragons, which relies on players fusing specific monsters together to create the next, more powerful version of the monster. Think Pikachu to Raichu, Sonic to Gold Sonic and so forth.
Close examination at first suggests that there really isn’t that big of a change. In the video above, the player selects the character they wish to evolve, chooses monster materials that go into the fusion, and then picks a friend to fight alongside them.
That part about picking a friend is the first main difference, according to Famitsu.
Allies you choose to fight with you have to have the same specific attribute, race and be at least the same level as players before they can be picked. At first, pretty much anyone will do, but later evolutions will require allies to actively work with each other to ensure they are all on the same page of evolution and characters to progress.
The next obvious change is that players have to actively complete a dungeon map. Where other titles might then allow players to spend a little bit of in-game gold and then combine monsters together for the result, players will have to finish the dungeon proper to even have a hope of evolving their troops. This means deciding which troops to evolve, and how, becomes much more of a strategic option.
Watching the video closely also shows some of the dangers lurking within the Divine Gate. Foes sitting on panels next to the one players step on will also be drawn into the fight, which could lead to some downright nasty combinations of enemies with no break in between to rest and heal up. Of course, with battles only lasting five-seconds a turn, things can still progress rather quickly. At the end of the map, all panels get unveiled, which showed off treasure sitting on some tiles for the risk-taking adventurer who’s willing to explore the map rather than gun for the exit.
Divine Gate’s Android edition goes up September 30th, with iOS to be announced later.
