Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga

Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga
The North American boxart for Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier.
General Data
Genre	Console role-playing game
Developer	Banpresto, Monolith Soft
Publisher	Namco Bandai Games Atlus
Mode(s)	Single-player
Real World Info
Series	Endless Frontier

Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier (無限のフロンティア スーパーロボット大戦OGサーガ, lit. Endless Frontier: Super Robot Wars OG Saga) is a console role-playing game spin-off of the Super Robot Wars: Original Generation series for the Nintendo DS. The game was co-developed by Banpresto, the studio behind the Super Robot Wars franchise, and Monolith Soft, the studio behind the Xenosaga series and the Japan-exclusive Namco X Capcom. The game is published by Namco Bandai Games in Japan was released on May 29, 2008; it was licensed and published by Atlus for North American distribution and was released on April 28, 2009 as Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier. The title is a departure from the traditional tactical role-playing game elements of the series, which the Super Robot Wars franchise is known for, and opts for a turn-based style of gameplay instead.

On February 26, 2008, a manga series based on Endless Frontier began serialization in the fourth volume of the Kerokero Ace magazine.

A sequel entitled Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier EXCEED is currently in development and stated to be released on February 25, 2010.

Gameplay

Unlike the other games in the Super Robot Wars franchise, Endless Frontier is a turn-based, console-style role-playing game with random encounters, boss battles, and exploration. Four members of the party are active on the front-lines while the others are in reserve for support attacks. The active characters fights an enemy individually by using timed button presses similar to that of Namco X Capcom. The objective is to use your characters' fighting skills to juggle the enemy in the air as long as possible. Successive juggling increases the chances of scoring critical hits, but if the enemy touches the ground during a combo animation, they may enact a "Forced Evasion," which will cause the reminding hits to miss and do no damage at all and end that character's phase of the turn while they have a chance to counter-attack the character. Combos can be strung together with a character's fighting skills, calling in the next character in line of that turn for Chain Attacks, and/or calling in a party in reserve for Support Attacks (which costs that character's SP), or the play can end the active character's phase into the next.

Before attacking an enemy, the player can chose to use that character's Spirit skills at the cost of their SP (Spirit Points), which plays similarly to Spirit skills in the main Super Robot Wars franchise. Spirits skills be used to restore HP (Hit Points), lifting status abnormalities amongst themselves, adding buffs (like rising stats, increasing how high you can lift the enemy, and so forth), and inflict status abnormalities to enemies. Each character have their on Mentality skills, which can either positively or negatively affect them in battle.

Characters

In addition to the original characters created by Banpresto, many of which bearing references to other characters from the Super Robot Wars franchise, Endless Frontier also features characters from Namco X Capcom and the Xenosaga series.

Protagonists

Original

Haken Browning (ハーケン・ブロウニング,, Haken Browning)
Voice Actor: Nobuyuki Hiyama

The protagonist of Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier, Haken is a 23-year-old bounty hunter and relic-hunter from the world of Lost Herenica. He is a cool, chivalrous male with somewhat of a perverted nature towards women. The only exception to his perverted mannerisms is Aschen Brödel, whom he considers family. Haken was originally found by John Moses on the Mai Tierra being cradled by Aschen and they are both adopted by him, upon growing up he takes over Moses's job of managing the ship Zeit Krokodil (Time Crocodile in German), serving as its captain. His arsenal consists of the Night Fowl, a customized assault rifle with a built-in stake-driver mounted under the barrel and a blade folded onto the stock, the Longtomb Special, a long-barreled revolver whose barrel can split open to fire a powerful energy cannon, and an explosive set of playing cards.

Aschen Brödel (アシェン・ブレイデル,, Ashen Bureideru)
Voice Actress: Kaori Shimizu

First of the three female protagonists of Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier, Aschen is a combat android from Lost Herenica and Haken's subordinate. She possesses a split-personaility; Aschen, for the most part, has a stoic and emotionless personality; but whenever she activates a protocol called "Code DTD" (Dust-to-Dust) or her body temperatures rises high enough, she becomes a cheerful and upbeat woman whom some characters in the game refer her as "Party Girl". While Code DTD is active, the green portions of her uniform temporarily dissolves, exposing her legs and bust for comical effect, which makes Haken uncomfortable around her. Aschen has "mothered" Haken since he was an infant, has no memories of her past and unconsciously follows her command as W07 to protect W00. Aschen's fights in combat by using striking attacks while utilizing a variety of armaments located inside her mechanical body.

Kaguya Nanbu (楠舞・神夜,, Nanbu Kaguya)
Voice Actress: Yukana

Second of the female protagonists of Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier, Kaguya is a well-endowed, 18-year-old princess of the imperial Nanbu Clan from the world of Kagura Amahara with a care-free, naive personality. She is the daughter of Emperor Sanuki Nanbu and currently on a pilgrimage that every woman in the family bloodline must take when they come of age. Kaguya was discovered sleeping in the crew quarters on-board the Mal Tierra by Haken and Aschen after she ran away to explore the worlds and gotten sleepy checking out the ship. Her large breasts (estimated to be about 100cm by Aschen) often becomes a subject for many of the game's sexual innuendos and has earned her nicknames such as "Were-Cow" and "Dairy Princess". As a noblewoman, Kaguya is a master of the Jinraku Tengen style of kenjutsu and carries the Goushiki Zankantō, a spiritual single-edged longsword that is tall as she is with a number of detachable crescent-shaped blades called "Moon Cutters" stored on the blunt edge of her sword. She also styles herself as "The Sword That Cleaves Evil".

Suzuka-hime (錫華姫,, Princess Suzuka)
Voice Actress: Mamiko Noto

The last of the female protagonists of Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier, Suzuka-hime is a Shiki-Oni princess Kagura Amahara who is also Kaguya's childhood friend and mentor. Although she may appear to be a teenager, Suzuka is actually over one-hundred years old. She travels alongside Haken and the others to find out about the truth behind the sudden appearance and rapid growth of the "Mild Keil" crystals in the Shiki-Oni's Megi Castle. She has an interest in androids, though she develops a something of a rivalry between Aschen, often insulting and challenging each other which leaves Haken and Kaguya to break up the fight. Suzuka primarily fights using a unique form of puppetry by using special wires in her fans to control a battle karakuri called Jyaki-GUN-Oh.

Cross-overs

Reiji Arisu (有栖零児,, Arisu Reiji)
Voice Actor: Kazuhiko Inoue

The male protagonist of Namco X Capcom. Reiji serves as an agent of the Shinra organization along with Xiaomu from the Substance World. He and Xiaomu were originally on the pursuit of Saya after they were thrown into the Endless Frontier. However, Saya encountered Haken's group and tricked them into believing that Reiji and Xiaomu were apart of the Orchestral Army due to their clothes being similar to them. After their scuffle, the two groups resolved their issues and banded together because of their common goals. Reiji fights using a revolver called "Gold", a shotgun called "Hollywood", a fire-based katana called "Karin", and a lightning-based wakisashi called "Chirai"; all of which are carried in a customized, hand-held weapon rack.

Xiaomu (小牟,, Shaomu)
Voice Actress: Omi Minami

The female protagonist of Namco X Capcom. Xiaomu is a 765-year-old, cheerful and flirty Chinese Sage Fox assisting Reiji in his agent duties. Along with her partner, she was assumed by Haken's group as a member of the Orchestral Army as well due to the similar clothing after being fooled by Saya. Because of her age, she sometimes referred as "Old Woman" or "Grandma". Xiaomu fights using a pair of handguns called "Silver" and "Platinum" and ice-based cane-sword styled after a Shakujo staff called "Suiren" in addition to her magic.

KOS-MOS (KOS-MOS,, KOS-MOS)
Voice Actress: Mariko Suzuki

KOS-MOS is one of the major characters in the Xenosaga series. Her design used in this game is Version 4 from Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra. Her pod was transported to the Endless Frontier shortly before her final checks before her official activation and was accidentally awakened when the team stumbled upon her pod, after activating she joins Haken and his team, both to hunt down T-elos and find a way to return to her own dimension. She possesses an almost emotionless personality, but sometimes her express seeps out of her metallic soul. KOS-MOS is able to use a wide variety of weapons, such as pistols, gatling guns, and energy swords.

Antagonists

Original

Shuten ({{{2}}}, Shuten)
Voice Actor: Tetsu Inada

Shuten is a male Shiki-Oni, said to be the fiancee of Suzuka. He is seeking a way to restore the Shiki-Oni to their full power and will do anything to ensure their tribe's stability, going so far as to side with the enemy despite already being brainwashed by them once. He ultimately sees the error of his ways and cheefully accepts his defeat and promising to give up on defeating the humans. In battle Shuten primarily relies on using a large spear and his incredible physical strength to overwhelm his enemies, during battle he can also call down a bolt of thunder to strike down his foes

Katze Kotolnos ({{{2}}}, Katze Kotolnos)
Voice Actor: Ryotaro Okiayu

Katze is an anthropomorphic feline character and the chief of "Dunopolis", a town built on a colossal tank named the Grand Marquis shaped like a cat in the desert region of Southern Elfetale. According to him, during the "Ten Year War" between Elfetale and Formido Heim, he was a death merchant, selling arms to both sides of the conflict and is later revealed to have been a high ranking member of the Orchestral army. Due to his time in war Katze is a proficient fighter who uses a kick style kenpo and high speed movement to get the edge in battle, at one point holding off the entire cast of protagonists by himself.

Cardia Basirissa ({{{2}}}, Cardia Basirissa)
Voice Actress: Mariko Suzuki

Cardia is a pink female android, who reveals herself as "W06", the predecessor to "W16" (Echidna Issaki from Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2). It is in her interests to preserve the information and secrets aboard the "Mai Tierra" battleship, a vessel that mysteriously crashed into Lost Herencia 23 years ago and terminates anyone who finds out too much information, she is also trying to regain her lost memory like Aschen. Because of her status as an android, she is incredibly resilient to damage and fights using several blades hidden throughout her body.

Otone ({{{2}}}, Otone)
Voice Actress: Sayaka Ohara

Dressed in the style of a Japanese kunoichi, Otone is the young leader of the Ura Genbu ninjas in Kagura Amahara charged with the protection of the Nanbu Clan, as well as being Kaguya's master. Despite this it appears as though she cares more about Kaguya then the Nanbu Clan as when she confronts Haken and his group, and despite orders by King Nanbu to return Kaguya at any cost she allows them to leave as she does not want Kaguya to make the same sacrifice as her mother. In battle Otone uses several razor sharp, virtually invisible wires for battle but also carries a variety of bladed kunai knives and explosives.

Ezel Granada ({{{2}}}, Ezel Granada)
Voice Actor: Tetsu Inada

Ezel is a mysterious man with the head of a horned skull. Hailing from the chaotic world of Formido Heim, he leads a group named the Orchestral Army, an elite battalion once part of the frontlines of Formido Heim during the "Ten Year War". Although he looks menacing, he is actually a noble soldier at heart and is the one who revealed the Einst to be the ones behind the 10 year war which Ezel stops by killing the Einst impersonating their king. In battle he uses a large Battle-Axe, which he wields one handed, and a variety of explosive based attacks.

Kyon Feulion ({{{2}}}, Kyon Feulion)
Voice Actress: Mayumi Iizuka

A cheerful, yet pessimistic little witch, Kyon is the second new member of the Orchestral Army. She has a black demonic tail and pointy ears, so her race must be imp-like demons. She uses a mechanical broomstick called Pronte Craft in battle, as well as her hat that fires homing lasers and missiles, plus small satellites that fire laser beams.

Henne Valkyria ({{{2}}}, Henne Valkyria)
Voice Actress: Natsuko Kuwatani

A serious winged female knight, Henne is one of two new members of Ezel's "Orchestral Army" and appears to be a high ranking member, after the Endless Frontier fused together Henne Valkyria was forced to work more and more to make up for the war and later makes Aschen and Otone an offer to join the Orchestral army. During battle she fights using a laser sabre while using her natural flight ability to aid in battle, her feathers can also be launched as projectile attacks and she can also rapidly spin to create a red tornado to blow away enemies.

Koma ({{{2}}}, Koma)
Voice Actress: Mayumi Iizuka

A catgirl merchant who frequently interferes with the protagonists, Koma also provides the group with various items and equipment in her traveling store "Caterwaul".

Anne Sirena ({{{2}}}, Anne Sirena)
Voice Actress: Sayaka Ohara

A pirate mermaid, Anne is the leader of the pirate group "Silent Works", from the underwater world of Varna Kanai, and commands the ship "Silent Vox". She is an expert on bombs, and as such, she also has a tendency to blow things up to solve her problems.

Bonny Maxmad ({{{2}}}, Bonny Maxmad)
Voice Actor: Kenta Miyake

An anthropomorphic merman, Bonny is Anne's first mate aboard the "Silent Vox". He shares his captain's interest in bombs and explosions.

Dorothy Mistral ({{{2}}}, Dorothy Mistral)
Voice Actor: Natsuko Kuwatani

An inventor and bandit from Elfetale who often raids Lost Herincia for technology. Most of her character design is based on The Wizard of Oz (for example, a yellow brick road leads to her (green-hued) fortress, and the player is often attacked by a scarecrow, saw-wielding robot, and were-lion when traveling down it).

Rubor Cucullus ({{{2}}}, Rubor Cucullus)
Voice Actor: Ryotaro Okiayu

An anthropomorphic red wolf who is well-dressed and wears a crown on his head, he is very aggressive and would like nothing more than to get back at Ezel and the Orchestral Army for what they did to his kingdom. He fights using an over-sized lance whose point can open up to blast at opponents.

Wahrschein Lichkeit ({{{2}}}, Wahrschein Lichkeit)
Voice Actor: Taiten Kusunoki

• Wahrschein Lichkeit

A resident of the Einst world, he is the creator of the Einst that invade the Endless Frontier, as well as the Frontier itself. It and the Einst are the remains of the Stern Regisseur from Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2, after it was defeated at the end of that game.

Cross-overs

Saya (沙夜,, Saya)
Voice Actress: Ai Orikasa

The main antagonist of Namco X Capcom, Saya is a werefox and works under the organization "Ouma", the counterpart to the "Shinra" organization. Saya is the one who gave Reiji the pulsating scar on his forehead. She is accompanied by her two henchmen, Dokumezu and Dokugozu.

T-elos (T-elos,, T-elos)
Voice Actress: Mariko Suzuki

T-elos is KOS-MOS' counterpart and rival in Xenosaga Episode III: Also sprach Zarathustra. She seeks to settle the score with KOS-MOS once and for all.

Mecha

Unlike the other games in the Super Robot Wars series, the mecha in Endless Frontier are actually either mechanical puppets called Karakuri, or autonomous robots about three meters tall. Most of them are based on full-sized mecha previously seen in the series.

• Gespenst
  • Meaning Phantom in German, this machine is used specially by Haken to execute the "Ultimate Gespenst Kick". Along with this technique, the Gespenst carries an assortment of cutting weapons, and a heavy energy cannon in its torso. During the events of the game, its real full name is revealed to be the Gespenst Haken, named so because it was made specially to work with Haken himself. It is based on a series or mecha of the same name that has appeared in many Super Robot Wars games, as well as Another Century's Episode and Hero Senki: Project Olympus.
• Alteisen Nacht
  • Meaning Scrap Metal Night in German, this bulky, blue machine is capable of entering a "rage mode", where it turns red. The Nacht is armed with a five-barreled machine cannon on its left arm, a pile-bunker-like "Revolving Breaker" mounted on its right arm and a set of titanium, ball bearing-launchers rested on its shoulders named "Layered Claymore". The Nacht is based on a version of the Alteisen, a mecha that first appears in Super Robot Wars Compact 2.
• Weissritter Abend
  • Meaning White Knight Evening in German, like the Nacht, the Abend starts out red, but is similarly able to enter a "rage mode", turning blue. This machine carries a customized rifle called the "Partisan Launcher X" that fires solid- and energy-based projectiles. With the Nacht, the Abend can execute a deadly, dual manuveur called "Rampage Specter". It is based on the Weissritter, another mecha from Compact 2.
• Jyaki-GUN-Oh
  • Also known as the Devil Gun King, it is classified as a Choukijin and holds multiple solid-based weaponry within its body. Suzuka is the only one who can summon this mech in battle.
• ArcGain
  • This mysterious robot can execute strings of melee combinations, alongside use of its razor-sharp elbow blades. Based on the Soulgain, which appeared in Super Robot Wars Advance.

Audio

A premium package of Super Robot Wars OG Saga: Endless Frontier was released with a bonus soundtrack CD featuring ten remixed tracks from the game. A drama CD bonus gift, where events in the extra scenarios of Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation 2 from the Super Robot Wars Original Generations series are revealed, was given to consumers who pre-ordered the game in Japan.

Sequel

A sequel to the game, entitled Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier EXCEED has been accounced. All the characters from the prequel will be returning as well. The game also features Axel Almer, Einst Alchemie and Fighter Roar, three characters from the main Super Robot Wars series (SD The Great Battle, Advance and Impact respectively) who also appeared in the Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation series; and two original characters completely new to the series, Alady Na'ash and Neige Hausen. The Opening song will be performed by Mizuki Nana titled "UNCHAIN∞WORLD" and the movie sequences will be done by the Animation Studio XEBEC. The game will be released in Japan on February 25th, 2010. As yet there has been no word of a US release. Although with the prequel's success in the States, the possibility of one is very likely, albeit, probably after at least 11 months like the first one.

Trivia

• Along with references to characters from the Super Robot Wars franchise, several references to fairy tales were made.