Anime Expo Coverage of Rusty Hearts
By Darren Henderson (DizzyPW), OnRPG Editor-in-Chief
At Anime Expo last week, OnRPG got yet another first look at Perfect World’s stellar upcoming title, Rusty Hearts. Well today we are going to unveil what we learned through a character introduction article, and another interview video with Mark Hill!
The characters in Rusty Hearts have their own backgrounds, weapons, and skills that are as unique and vibrant as the game itself. Where they came from, how they got their special powers, and what motivates them in their quest against the evil armies of Lord Vlad are integral the Rusty Hearts story, and their arsenals of devastating weaponry will keep you happily hacking and slashing through dungeons for a long, long time.
Allow us to introduce two character from the Rusty Hearts team. Angela, an apprentice witch with a sharp tongue and an even sharper sword, and Tude, a reluctant hero with unmatched speed and ferocity.
Angela
Deep in the Fog Forest of Rumania lies a small village. This village has survived for hundreds of years under the protection of the witches who are trained there. Now, in these dark times, a young witch apprentice named Angela has been sent to the city of Bramunez to aid in the siege on Curtis Castle. To gain the power she would need to survive the coming conflict, Angela fused her soul with that of Graestra, an ancient blade possessed by an evil spirit. This turned her hair fiery red and spiky, as well as granted her the sorcerous abilities of a witch many times her age.
Angela is foul-mouthed and tough, but a bit naïve having been raised in a small village in the forest her entire life. Still, no one can match her powerful spells.
Angela’s Arsenal:
Magic Sword
This wicked blade is Graestra’s original form, though it shifts and grows as Angela becomes more skilled with it. The Magic Sword form is hard hitting but slow and has a short range. Its real power is its effect on Angela’s own magic. She can summon fire and orbs of arcane energy to blast all who stand in her way. As Angela grows in power, she can master all the elements, heal her allies and even learn some abilities Lord Vlad’s own minions use against her.
Magic Scythe
It has been a long time since Graestra tasted blood and the thought of doing battle with the countless minions of Vlad within the halls of Curtis Castle has the spirit bound within the blade absolutely giddy. If Angela will allow it, the spirit’s bloodlust will manifest in the weapon of death itself, a large and wicked scythe. Slower even than the Magic Sword form, Graestra’s scythe form trades magical superiority for long range, brutal attacks. The weapon seems to have a will of its own as it leaps from Angela’s hand to seek out new prey. This weapon form makes Angela’s spells more violent, but less precise, and has fewer support or healing abilities.
Tude
Tude Macleod is a lifelong wanderer. In his travels he was attacked by a wolf. He managed to slay the beast, but not after it broke off one of its huge teeth inside his chest. Strangely, the wound healed quickly, sealing the tooth within his body. Before long, Tude discovered that the wolf’s bite and its tooth were having an effect on his body. His arm turned into a wicked claw that he keeps hidden within a bulky gauntlet. He was traveling from town to town to avoid arousing suspicion when he stumbled into Bramunez on a whim. In a serious case of wrong place at the wrong time, Tude was sealed within Curtis Castle when the Golden Seal team erected the barriers to trap Vlad inside. He joins up with Frantz and Angela once they enter the main levels of Curtis Castle (although you may play as Tude from the beginning of the adventure, he doesn’t make his storyline appearance until later levels).
Tude’s Arsenal:
Gauntlet
At a young age Tude learned that the only weapon you can trust completely is your own fist. Except maybe your foot, knee, elbow or any other part of you that can break a bone or bloody a nose. Since his encounter with the ancient wolf, his style of in-your-face combat has only grown more vicious. Tude’s gauntlet is the fastest weapon on the Golden Seal team, able to uppercut enemies into the air and kill them twice before they hit the ground. It is an extremely short range weapon, and Tude wouldn’t have it any other way. He never had the patience for all that magic stuff, anyway. In combat, he is the perfect combination of man and beast; ducking and weaving like a boxer before pouncing like a ravenous wolf.
Claw
After seeing what Vlad’s minions are capable of, Tude has the option of choosing a weapon that more suits his animalistic tendencies. His claw sacrifices the quick and precise strikes of the gauntlet in favor of wide, reaping arcs of razor-edged death. Although slower and much bulkier than the gauntlet, the claw has the ability to charge up even its most basic attack in order to unleash a frenzy of strikes against all foes that stand in his way. As with the gauntlet, the claw abilities favor close combat strikes and charging attacks over fancy spells.
Frantz
Although not much is revealed yet on Frantz, Mark Hill revealed at Anime Expo that he is a partially transformed vampire that carries one of the strongest grudges against Lord Vlad. Refusing to allow his thirst for blood to overwhelm his judgement, Frantz holds the initial blood from his first victim within his body to sustain himself.
Blade
Frantz Primary weapon is a long blade that he sheaths and unsheaths at a lightning pace. To say this is the source of his true power would be false. Combining his blade as a focal point, Frantz unleashes powerful blood magic to devastate enemies in a large circumference around his character.
Having played as Frantz at Anime Expo, I can best describe him as a rouge type character, bringing intense melee DPS damage at short bursts, and specializing in disabling his foes for the duration of powerful combos. We look forward to learning more about the back story of Frantz and other Rusty Hearts characters in the coming months!
