To Aru Majutsu to Kagaku no Ensemble

In celebration of Ascii Media Works' 20th year, there's going to be a movie version of the hit TV anime series "To Aru Majutsu no Index" under the banner "To Aru Majutsu no Index Endymion no Kiseki", which will hit theaters this Saturday across Japan but before that, there's a new PSP game that combines all of your favorite characters from two To Aru series. That's right, your favorite characters from To Aru Majutsu no Index and To Aru Kagaku no Railgun joined forces for this one-of-a-kind video game that some say it took place before the film.

To Aru Majutsu to Kagaku no Ensemble is an icing in the cake that really sums it up for Ascii Media Works' 20th birthday but this is just more than just a birthday present to ASCII. Aside from meeting up with your favorite characters from the To Aru franchise such as Index, Toma Kamijo, Mikoto Misaka, Kuroko Shirai, Styil Magnus, Kaori Kanzaki, Kazari Uiharu, Ruiko Saten, Accelerator, Last Order, Sisters, and other characters from the franchise, you can also expect original in-game characters as well. If that wasn't surprising, there's a special character waiting in the game and Alisa Meigo from the upcoming Endymion no Kiseki film makes a very special appearance on Ensemble.

Ensemble takes place before Endymion no Kiseki and the storyline made by the series creator Kazuma Kamachi were purely original meaning that this is an all-original storyline made for this game. While the game begins at their respective routes of the Science Side and the Magic Side, the two routes intertwine at a certain point. Like most games, Ensemble is depend on the player's decision because it has choices, multiple approaches, multiple paths, and multiple tools you can expect on this game. Choose your path and you'll be facing some crucial consequences of your actions and it's up to you how the Ensemble story unfolds.

As a headsup, To Aru Majutsu to Kagaku no Ensemble was developed by the same blokes behind Toradora Portable and Oreimo Portable. We're talking about Guyzware, the developer. Which means that there's a bit of a clever Live 2D System that you expect from other games, the Live 2D System lets the character change moods as you scroll your way to the story so far.

A good effort all round and for a To Aru fan, I think that the Ensemble PSP game is the biggest treat for any To Aru fan who just can't wait for Saturday's big movie.

LIMITED EDITION:

Although the game may cost you 6,280 Yen, there's a limited edition offered for 9,980 Yen as well. For the Limited Edition, which is a must have for any To Aru fan around here, not only you can get the PSP game but also comes with 4 Chibi-Kyun mini-figures: two of the returning heroines Misaka and Index, and the other two of Urepady Exica and Hibiki Kukimoto. It will also bundle a stage set for the figures and come in a box with an exclusive illustration by the animators at J.C. Staff.