Zangeki no Reginleiv
Norse-themed action with dismemberment and co-op on Wii.
Sandlot developed this 2010 Wii action game, which Nintendo published only in Japan. Its story draws from Norse myth, following Freyr and Freyja battling the Jötunn as Ragnarok approaches. Players complete missions solo or with up to three others, using standard controls or the Wii MotionPlus. It was Nintendo’s first published title to earn a CERO D rating.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Sandlot
- Publisher
- Nintendo
- Director
- Takehiro Homma, Kazuhiro Yoshikawa
- Producer
- Shiro Kuroda, Hitoshi Yamagami
- Artist
- Masatsugu Igarashi, Haccan
- Programmer
- Noguchi Toshio
- Writer
- Takehiro Homma
- Composer
- Masafumi Takada
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Zangeki no Reginleiv is an action game set in a world inspired by Norse mythology. Players control sibling deities Freyr and Freyja, completing missions that involve defeating waves of enemy troops. The game offers two control options: the Classic Controller or the Wii Remote and Nunchuk, the latter supporting the Wii MotionPlus expansion to mimic actions like slashing a sword or drawing a bow. There are five difficulty settings: Easy, Normal, Hard, Hardest, and Inferno, each unlocked by clearing a mission on the next lowest setting. The game is divided into 63 missions, some capped by story cutscenes, set in open areas populated by enemies. Freyr is a melee-based character who primarily wields swords, while Freyja excels with ranged weapons and magic. Before each mission, the player selects up to two weapons and receives a story summary and win conditions; some missions lock the player to one character, while others allow either. The player character wears armour and has health (HP) and magic points (MP) meters. Movement includes a standard walk and a dash triggered by shaking the Nunchuk. Combat involves using equipped weapons to defeat enemies and bosses, with dismemberment being a key tactic against larger foes. Up to 300 weapons are unlocked by collecting crystals dropped by enemies; weapons range from swords and axes to bows and magic staves, and have skill trees requiring crystals to unlock abilities. Using some weapons drains MP, which can be replenished with specific crystal types.
Development
Sandlot, the studio behind the Earth Defense Force series, brought two game ideas to Nintendo in 2004: Zangeki no Reginleiv and a Nintendo DS title called Chōsōjū Mecha MG. Nintendo producer Hitoshi Yamagami found the scope of the pitch overwhelming, so he had the team finish the DS project first, which wrapped up in 2006, before giving the green light for Zangeki no Reginleiv. Both sides remained cautious about its size. The initial plan called for 100 weapons, but as the developers grew comfortable with the Wii hardware, that count tripled. In 2009, a year before launch, Nintendo asked for online co-op—something the team had never done—plus support for the Classic Controller and Wii MotionPlus. These demands strained the team heavily, with Yamagami calling it a "dark year." During the final six months, a major dispute arose over whether players could dismember enemies. Sandlot and Nintendo eventually agreed that because the violence targeted hostile supernatural beings, it didn't break Nintendo's rule against excessive violence toward humans. Writer and director Takehiro Homma first considered ancient Japan or a modern setting, but chose a mythological world to justify the superhuman feats. Norse mythology won out over Greek because it lacked a strong visual identity. Level designs mirrored the mythos's geography. Haccan, brought in by art director Masatsugu Igarashi, designed the main characters. Optimo Graphico, which also worked on Xenoblade Chronicles, helped with character models. Masafumi Takada composed the music. Voice actors recorded separate clips for different battle scenarios, and the sheer number and intensity of the lines left them hoarse by the end.
Release
Zangeki no Reginleiv was first shown at a Nintendo press event in 2008 under the working title Dynamic Zan, with a launch planned for the following year. It was later revealed with its final name in November 2009 and hit Japanese stores on February 11, 2010. To build interest, Nintendo worked with the retailer Tsutaya to lend out trial copies to customers from January 21 until the game came out. This was the first time Nintendo had ever put out a demo or trial version of a game. The title was later re-released for Wii U via the Virtual Console on February 18, 2015. It never saw a Western release and stayed exclusive to Japan. No official explanation was given, but people guessed it was because of the high level of violence and Sandlot's limited appeal in Western markets. This game was also the first Nintendo-published title to get a "D" rating from Japan's CERO board, which is similar to an ESRB "Mature" rating. Because more mature games were appearing on the Wii, Nintendo created new black-edged packaging to help shoppers spot them easily, and Zangeki no Reginleiv was the first game to use that design.
Reception
Zangeki no Reginleiv sold nearly 23,000 copies in its debut week, landing at ninth place on the sales charts with a high sell-through rate. It became one of the most-played titles on the Wii and earned a "Platinum" player ranking. By the end of 2010, it was the fourteenth best-selling Wii game, moving over 53,000 units. Famitsu's four reviewers liked how the game used the Wii MotionPlus and the general flow of combat, but they all pointed out problems with the camera, controls, and growing repetitiveness. Game Watch Impress also praised the gameplay but noted shallow depth and frequent control hiccups. Eurogamer's Keza MacDonald gave a mixed take, enjoying the style despite control issues, but calling the story weak and criticizing the graphics and cutscenes. NGamer felt the game didn't make a strong case for the MotionPlus, but described it as mindless fun for those who could import it. Siliconera's Spencer Yip struggled with the controls but liked the co-op multiplayer and overall gameplay. Cubed 3, in a list of anticipated Wii titles, highlighted the game's potential and predicted players would enjoy its style and combat system.
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