Code Age Commanders E3 2005 Preshow First Look

The studio that unleashed Final Fantasy upon the world has a new franchise up its sleeve, titled Code Age Project. The PS2 entry in the franchise is called Code Age Commanders, and Square Enix bills it as a "completely original action role-playing game with a fresh new battle system." Square Enix let slip a handful of details shortly before the show, so here's what we know.

Code Age Commanders will feature customizable characters and a real-time battle system that takes place on a 3D battlespace. The character creation system will allow you to customize your character's abilities, and the decisions that they make affects their growth patterns. The company also says that the game will "usher in a new era of graphics" and its "cruelly, dramatic story is completely engrossing."

The game is set in a world that is closed off, what Square Enix describes as "intraglobular." The company's press release states: "One day, man learns that Central Code, the foundation of all creation, triggers a phenomenon every 10,000 years called 'rebirth.' This is when the earth is destroyed and then reincarnated. The human race builds a massive arc to sleep in, in order to escape this disaster, with the hopes of a brand new world that would welcome them when they awake.

"Alas, the order of the world frowned upon this. Such is the will of the people that they respond to surviving the end of the world by creating war. As the world gradually dies, people spread the seeds of death. This is the story of those who live in this world."

Another game in the franchise, Code Age Brawls, is being aimed for mobile platforms. It will feature characters such as Gene, who is a warhead. Warheads are a subspecies of humankind that can change and evolve bodies. Gene was a young boy who was sleeping in the arc to avoid death. He awoke on Earth and is thrown into a battle between unknown creatures. Then a soldier brought him back as a warhead. Then there's Pake, a mobile that Gene awoke and who acts as a navigator. Finally, there's Aliz, Gene's sister who remains human.

Code Age Commanders definitely sounds interesting, but we'll need to learn more about the game. For example, we have yet to learn when the game will ship, as Square Enix hasn't revealed that information quite yet. We'll bring you more as soon as we can.