Dragoneer's Aria fires up PSP

Hertfordshire, UK- November 13, 2007 - KOEI, today announced the release of Dragoneer's Aria. Designed from the ground up for the PSP this epic fantasy RPG combines everything that has made top quality traditional RPGs so compelling while adding some clever new ideas to the mix. Developed by renowned Japanese Strategy RPG specialists, Nippon Ichi, in partnership with Hitmaker, Dragoneer's Aria is set for release on Sony's PSP across Europe in February 2008.

"When you can combine the talents of some of the world's most experienced RPG developers, with the man responsible for the awesome character design in Lineage II and the genius of Johann Sebastian Bach then you clearly have something worth getting excited about. Dragoneer's Aria is shaping up to be the first essential PSP release of 2008. " said Will Curley, Sales Manager for KOEI Ltd.

About DRAGONEER'S ARIA

The world was at peace thanks to the six elemental dragons of fire, water, thunder, earth, wind, and ice. In this world, dragons control both nature and the climate and they are worshiped by both humans and humanoids as the guardians of the world. Because of their significance, elite knight corps known as dragoons protect the dragons from harm. When a mysterious black dragon suddenly appears and begins destroying the kingdom the dragoons fight back, but are powerless against the black dragon's fearsome strengths. Now a young knight recruit called Valen must fight together with the brave warriors he meets on his journey to save the guardians of the world.

Dragoneer's Aria takes the concept of the traditional RPG and gives it a timely new spin with a brand new turn system that enables players to select the order of each character's attack. This gives players much more control and more of a strategic grasp in battle. Players can even have all 4 characters attack in a row, before the enemy attacks. This new approach to battle allows players to "chain" attacks that can trigger powerful "Chain Skills". These special attacks get exponentially stronger if "chained" longer.

Forget trudging back and forth across the map and being forced to engage in countless random encounters. Dragoneer's Aria introduces visual enemies and field skills for a role playing experience where action is at the forefront and there is seamless transition between adventure and battles. Character ability also plays an important role in Dragoneer's Aria. Depending on who is leading the team on the field, their team ability changes. For instance one character may have the ability to heal as they walk and if that character is set as the leader, then the entire team takes on that ability.

For Dragoneer's Aria, there is a whole new way to guard enemy attacks. The ordinary guard is replaced by a rhythm based clicking game similar to that of a musical rhythm action title. The player's success rate in this mini game will determine the amount of damage they receive.

Dragoneer's Aria is the latest blockbusting RPG from Nippon Ichi in partnership with Hitmaker. It follows in the footsteps of hugely popular titles Makai Kingdom, Phantom Brave, La Pucelle: tactics and of course the critically acclaimed Disgaea and its stunning sequel. With a wealth of new ideas to freshen up the whole RPG experience, a tale that begs for just one more go, and a soundtrack that includes music from the legendary JS Bach, Dragoneer's Aria is already looking like being one of the essential PSP purchases of 2008.

About Nippon Ichi Software, Inc.

Nippon Ichi Software was founded in 1994 in Gifu, Japan as an entertainment software company. Since then Nippon Ichi Software has grown into an international company focused on creating innovative video game products.

About Hit Maker Co., Ltd.

Hit Maker Co., Ltd. was established in 1998 in Tokyo as a developer specializing in the design and production of console-based entertainment software. Previous titles developed by Hit Maker include "Dino Crisis 3" for the Xbox, "Cyber Formula" for the PlayStation 2 and "Blade Dancer" for the PlayStation Portable computer entertainment system.

About Koei Ltd.

KOEI Ltd. is a subsidiary of Japanese company KOEI Co., Ltd. and has had offices in Hertfordshire, UK since 2003. KOEI maintains operations in Japan, the US, UK, Canada, China, Korea, France, Taiwan, Singapore, and Lithuania. KOEI employs over 900 people worldwide with sales exceeding $250 million. The company constantly seeks to achieve a fine balance between entertainment, technology, art and education and provides games that will mesmerize gamers globally.