The Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces will be released for Wii on January 12, 2010 in North America and in February for Europe.
In development exclusively for the Wii by Namco Bandai, this flight action game is based on the acclaimed 2008 Japanese anime feature film from internationally renowned director Mamoru Oshii. The game promises to bring a “unique blend of high altitude fighter action and beguiling Japanese anime production values” when it hits next month.
Developed by Project Aces, the team at Namco Japan who’s made a name for themselves with the Ace Combat series, Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces promises to push the Wii hardware to the extremes of its capabilities, by delivering an impressively hi-fidelity rendition of intense arcade-style aerial combat. The Wii Nunchuk is used as a joystick to control the planes in flight, and the high altitude action is supplemented with over 30 minutes of gorgeous anime cinematics. The brand new story has been created by the Project Aces team in close collaboration with the licensor, keeping faithful to the Sky Crawlers universe.
Here is the official synopsis:
In a world where there is no more war, corporations stage fictional war ‘shows’ on a massive scale to make people truly feel at peace. In Sky Crawlers: Innocent Aces, the player takes the role of a top ranked pilot transferred from another base and newly enlisted in the Rostock Corporation, an enterprise of war that has recently welcomed a batch of intriguing new pilots into their ace squadron. Not even the officers at the base are able to hide their confusion at these new recruits who appear to be mere children. One girl, Maumi Orishina, stands out from the rest. In the sky reflected in her eyes, the dogfight begins.
“The talented Project Aces team here in Tokyo have worked very hard to make the best possible flight game on Wii and we are very proud with what we have achieved,” said Daisuke Uchiyama, producer NAMCO BANDAI Games Inc. “The control system lets players handle the game like a real aircraft using the Wii Nunchuk as a joystick, which is really a lot of fun for anyone who likes flight games.”
The Production I.G. anime film, directed by Mamoru Oshii, has been highly acclaimed both in Japan and overseas, winning the Future Film Festival award at the 65th Venice International Film Festival among other prestigious awards.