Hands On: Monster Tactics

Monster Tactics for the Game Boy Color is a mix between turn-based strategy-simulation and RPG. The game progresses in RPG format - you'll roam around villages and talk to different people. Each mission consists of battles against up to five enemy monsters. An indicator, displayed as dots surrounding the main character, represents the time limit for you to move around and execute a command. When near an enemy, you can choose to attack or cast magic spells. While this is going on, the gauge does not move. You can only attack once per turn so you can spend the remaining dots on your gauge to keep a safe distance from the enemy. After the gauge is empty, you select which way you will face, since it will be a factor in the damage effects of attacks. More damage can be induced when an attack is executed from the side or behind. This continues until you or the monster is defeated. If you win, you get to scan the enemy and acquire new attacks or spells. You have a skill bracelet where you can equip up to eight different attacks and spells. You can interchange them depending on the situations. What makes the battle interesting is that although a lot of the battles are turn-based, the game actually runs in active time during your turn.

Monster Tactics for the Game Boy Color is scheduled for a December release in Japan at a price of 3800yen.