Code Age Commanders

Code Age Commanders is an action role-playing game divided in missions, in which the goal is to fight enemies called "Coded" to reach a certain area of the map, where a boss must sometimes be defeated. The player controls one character while other allies are computer-controlled and must not die for the mission to be successful.[1] Between two missions, the player can select in a menu numerous optional cut scenes to watch and which reveal the memories of the Coded defeated,[2] while stages already completed can be re-explored. The game features four successive main playable characters, and items and skills learned by one is each time passed to the next.[3]

Gene battles against two enemies

Weapons are equipped on both hands of the characters and are used with the circle and cross buttons. Pressing both buttons in succession is necessary to execute combos. The other buttons are used to lock focus onto an enemy, guard, dash, or manually change the camera angle. The number of attacks and blocks is limited by an energy meter for each arm, which decreases after each move but replenishes with time.[2]

A third meter increases after each combo and allows when maxed out to perform a "Code Drive" attack. Executed with the triangle button, a Code Drive triggers a brief close-up sequence in which a blue circle appears around the character. If the player presses a second button before the circle shifts to red, a powerful special attack will be unleashed. If the enemy blocks the Code Drive, a second, shorter close-up sequence is triggered. Enemies can also perform Code Drives, in which case the player's button press allows for protection rather than attack. Executing Code Drives frequently can cause the weapon used to upgrade, or the character to go into a "Code Crisis"; a mode which reduces speed and renders immune to attack, but slowly drains hit points.[3]

Artist Yusuke Naora created the concept for Code Age in 2002, wanting to create something unlike his work Final Fantasy and SaGa; a world which could play host to multiple stories. He created the concept prior to the 2003 merger of Square and Enix to become Square Enix.[7][9] Code Age formed part of Square Enix's plan to develop "polymorphic content", a marketing and sales strategy to "[provide] well-known properties on several platforms, allowing exposure of the products to as wide an audience as possible"; this approach included Compilation of Final Fantasy VII and the World of Mana.[9][10] Naora's concept was created independent of this policy, and he later said that while there was pressure from the company when creating Code Age as a multimedia franchise, the greater pressure was finding the right staff.[9]

The development team was nicknamed "Warhead" and specifically assembled for the game, with its lead developers Naora and Toshiyuki Itahana belonging to the art field rather than project management.[11] The production team of Commanders shared multiple staff with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles.[12] Naora acted as producer and concept artist.[13] Itahana acted as both director and character designer, with Code Age Commanders being his debut as a director.[14] Additional character designs were created by Yasuhisa Izumisawa. Kazuhiko Aoki acted as planning director, the lead programmer was Mitsuru Kamiyama, and the event planner team was led by Masato Yagi.[15] Kazuko Shibuya worked on the UI design.[12] Akitoshi Kawazu acted as executive producer.[13]

Naora wanted to create a unique world, with the main narrative theme being how people react and behave when terrible events happen around them; he was inspired by a phenomenon he saw of people having detached attitudes to car accidents and natural disasters not experienced in person.[9] The non-optional event scenes of the game are fully voiced. Several connections to the mobile phone game Code Age Brawls and the manga Code Age Archives were put throughout the game, so that information learnt from it could be used by players and readers of the other installments to understand the full picture.[7] The character designs began with creating a character's hair, with their clothing incorporating contemporary references.[9] The complex control system was intended to mimic the feeling of dual-wielding weapons in each hand. The focus on customization features in the gameplay was designed by Naora to appeal to the American market.[7] The CGI cutscenes were created by Digital Media Lab.[16]

A trademark for Code Age Commanders was registered by Square Enix in September 2004 alongside other trademarks relating to the Code Age project.[24] The game was announced in March 2005 through an issue of Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu, at which time the game was 50% complete.[11] The Code Age website was opened the following month.[25] As with the Compilation, each project was abbreviated using a lettering formula; "CAA" stood for Archives, "CAB" for Brawls, and "CAC" for Commanders.[9] Commanders was released on October 13, 2006. The initial pre-order bonus was a 40-page full color setting collection dubbed "Visual Code" and a clear. Later two more items were added; a book containing a previously-unpublished prequel chapter of the manga Archives called "Genetic Code" and the full color version of the first issue, and two postcards featuring Code Age project art.[26][27] A strategy guide was published on November 30.[28]

A subtitled trailer for the Code Age project was shown off by Square Enix at E3 2005.[29] In another interview where concern was raised about it not appearing in Square Enix's Western release schedule, Naora said the team had concerns about launching it within the release window of the PlayStation 3.[30] While at one point Commanders was reported as being scheduled for a 2006 North American release,[31] none of the Code Age projects ultimately left Japan.[32] Localization staff member Christopher "Koji" Fox, who later notably worked on Final Fantasy XIV, said that he completed the translation of Commanders before Square Enix decided not to release the game outside Japan.[33]

Code Age Commanders sold 37,000 units in its first week of release in Japan, a strong start for a new franchise; debuting at number two in the charts behind Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi.[37] It sold over 61,000 copies in Japan by the end of 2005.[38] The game scored 32 out of 40 in the Japanese gaming magazine Famitsu; 7.5 out of 10 in the American Play Magazine; and 78 out of 100 on the gaming website GameBrink.Com.[4][35][39] Nevertheless, the gaming site Siliconera reported overall low sales in Japan and attributed the absence of a North American release to this lukewarm response.[40]

GameBrink.Com highly praised the quality of the graphics and animation of the game, and compared them to those of the Kingdom Hearts titles. The site greatly lauded the music and sound effects, stating that they set the mood well and tie in with the visuals; and comparing their style to that of "Final Fantasy and Phantasy Star mixed together". Siliconera also considered the character design interesting and original, although they felt the textures were "blocky sort" and the environments consisted mostly of wide fields.[4][40]

However, GameBrink.Com felt that the gameplay, user-friendly even to non-Japanese players, consists of too much repetitive button mashing despite featuring characters with different abilities. The Code Extension mode was considered imperfectly implemented, seeming as if it were "tacked on […] late in development", being totally optional yet difficult not to use to survive in the later missions. Calling the gameplay "shallow", the site stated that "the soundtrack would probably be a better purchase than the actual game".[4] On its part, Siliconera noted that while the gameplay may seem complex for using every button on the controller, thirty minutes were enough to grasp how to play the game. The site felt the missions were designed with good pacing and replayability value, but added that hardcore role-playing game fans could dislike the lack of exploration, puzzle, and standard role-playing game principles.[40] Siliconera praised the story and did not report any issue concerning it, although it regretted that playing and reading the other installments of the franchise was necessary for a thorough understanding of all plot points.[40]

• Official website (in Japanese)