Left Alive is a third-person shooter set in the world of Front Mission [Update]

The latest issue of Weekly Famitsu has first details on Left Alive, Square Enix‘s newly announced survival action shooter for PlayStation 4 and PC.

Left Alive is a new title prdouced by the Front Mission series’ Shinji Hashimoto, directed by the Armored Core series’ Toshifumi Nabeshima, and featuring character designs by the Metal Gear series’ Yoji Shinkawa. Some Wanzer (mecha) designs will be done by Mobile Suit Gundam 00‘s Takayuki Yanase.

Here are the bullet points:

• Left Alive is a survival action game featuring shoot outs and traps set up with varied placements.
• The game uses the same world and setting of the Front Mission series, chronologically taking place between Front Mission 5 and Front Mission Evolved.
• There are three protagonist, starting with a young protagonist. Next, you’ll become a female protagonist, and switch among the three protagonists as you progress.
• The progression route is up to the player.
• There are replayability elements.
• There is only one ending, but the outcome of the character changes depending on the course you take.
• It uses a stage-based structure.
• There is no Wanzer customization, but you can craft by obtaining weapons and materials.
• It is mainly offline, but that isn’t to say there won’t be any online elements.
• A few Front Mission staff are working on the game.
• There are also robots designed by Yoji Shinkawa.
• Director Toshifumi Nabeshima first joined Square Enix in 2015.

Here are some tidbits from Weekly Famitsu’s interview:

• Producer Shinji Hashimoto: “We wanted to make a Front Mission with a new lineup. We started this new title to see Front Mission in a slightly different perspective.”
• Director Toshifumi Nabeshima: “It’s a third-person shooter. There’s also Wanzer-riding action and stealth elements. How the game is cleared is up to the player.”
• Producer Shinji Hashimoto: “Square Enix wanted to convey the feeling that we cherish Front Mission.”

Left Alive is due out for PlayStation 4 and PC in 2018.

Thanks, Ryokutya2089.

Update 3:20 a.m.: More details have come in.

• The three protagonists are the people featured in the key visual. All three are isolated in the city where the game is set, and each act independently in order to survive.
• Keyword: “The One Day Incident” – The setting is a city in Russia. The game depicts a one day incident that occurs there. A war is happening in the city, and the protagonist will inevitably get caught up in the conflict.
• Wanzer – Since Left Alive is set in the same world as the Front Mission series, the walking-type mobile weapons known as “Wanzers” will appear. Although you will mainly confront Wanzers as enemies, you can also steal a Wanzer away from the enemy.
• Survival Action – The primary objective is survival. The game will have a varied setup, including traps laid out to stir up the battlefield. There is also a crafting element, which allows you to use the materials you obtain to craft items.
• The Route You Take is Up to You – For example, if you head straight to your destination, you may be in danger of having to fight enemies, but you can also take hidden paths and stay out of the enemy’s line of sight, or take a big detour far away from that area. How you progress is up to you.

And here are some more quotes:

• Director Toshifumi Nabeshima: “Since I always place emphasis on things that might give me a sense of accomplishment, it probably is not going to be very easy. (Laughs.)”
• On downloadable content: “We have ideas, so maybe we can do it if the main game does well.”

The rest of the quotes are mixed from producer Shinji Hashimoto, director Toshifumo Nabeshima, and character designer Yoji Shinkawa:

• “I wanted to create a new Front Mission world with a new lineup.”
• “We didn’t do a sequel because we wanted Front Mission to be seen in a different perspective, rather than the so-called ‘robot thing.'”
• “It inherits the world and setup [of Front Mission] without any changes.”
• “The genre is stylistcally a third-person shooter. There are shooting elements, but it’s difficult to clear if you’re only shooting. Wanzer-riding actions and stealth elements are also being put in.”
• “You won’t always be fighting in Wanzers.”
• “The maps are built with limited space, but they’re laid out so that the route to your destination is wide.”
• “The setting is the year 2127. Chronologically, that is between Front Mission 5 and Front Mission Evolved.”
• (Regarding character designs) “When we initially started the Left Alive project, we consulted with Hideo Kojima, Kenichiro Imaizumi, and Yoji Shinkawa, and got their consent.”
• “There are also replayability elements. There aren’t multiple endings, but depending on how you proceed, the outcome the characters meet will change. Depending on your choices, they may be happy or unhappy, may find a solution to a mystery or may not…”
• “There are changes depending on choices that appear in conversation, or whether you abandon or rescue an NPC in need of help.”
• “The game uses a stage-based structure.”
• “There is no Wanzer customization.”
• “We’re not saying there aren’t any online elements, but they’ll be a bonus if we have them.”
• (Regarding Nabeshima joining Square Enix) “I heard when he left FromSoftware three years ago, so I used that opportunity to invite him to make something together.”

Development on Left Alive is currently 50 percent complete.

Thanks, Hachima Kikou.