Developer Sting has announced that it will be releasing its unique Japanese role playing game Riviera: The Promised Land on November 28 for the Nintendo Switch. The game was originally released on WonderSwan in 2002, was ported to Game Boy Advance in 2004, then to the PlayStation Portable in 2007; the game was finally released for PC in July of this year according to Nintendo Life.
Riviera: The Promised Land is the first installment in the Dept. Heaven series of games from Sting but the second installment to receive a modern port, this honor goes to Yggdra Union: We’ll Never Fight Alone which also received a Nintendo Switch and PC port, reported by RPGSite. In Riviera: The Promised Land you’ll assume the role of Ein, grim angel and amnesiac living in the town of Elendia, a land of spirits. Some of the other playable characters in this title include Serene, Fia, Cierra, Ledah, Lina, Rose, Malice, and Ursula.
While the game retains much of its original content, new quality of life features have been added to enhance the experience. You’ll be able to change the in-game background music denoted by the “BGM change function” option, auto-saving, skipping in-game events, a five times speed-up mode, and difficulty settings have been added as well. Gematsu reports that high-quality illustrations will be included in this port, a new boost function that allows players to learn new abilities more quickly and the option between Japanese and English voices.
Riviera streamlines Japanese role playing games by eliminating travel mechanics in favor of a simplistic navigation system. While the game is unlike most of its contemporaries it has still remained present in nearly every main console refresh for the past twenty years. The game is releasing at a reduced price of $34.99 for the Nintendo Switch, which may push sales for the game and spark interest in other ports in the Dept. Heaven series.