RPGamer stopped by the Aksys Games booth at PAX East and was able to chat with Marketing Coodrinator Mary Sue To, who cheerfully answered our questions about Record of Agarest War Zero. Part strategy RPG, part dating sim, the Agarest War games allow players to choose spouses and create several generations of soldiers through the "Soul Breeding" system. We were able to learn a number of things about the changes between the original Record of Agarest War and its prequel.

For starters, decisions made by players in Agarest War may affect their game of Agarest War Zero. This is unusual for a prequel, though since both games span generations, perhaps their timelines intersect a bit? Other minor changes include animated portraits for the characters when they're in conversation, character class selection for the main character in the beginning of the game, and plenty of new moves added to the combat system.

The Free Intention System is one of the most interesting additions to the game. It is basically a "town" mode for the game which allows the main character to kick back a bit, visit various town locations, and socialize with party members. The town will have a day and night cycle, with different locations and events available at different times. Not only can the main character earn items and learn about companions in this mode, it gives the player more freedom to raise their character's affection level with the various available bachelorettes.

Finally, as there is downloadable content available for Agarest War Zero in Japan, we asked about and learned that there will be DLC available for the North American version. We would like to thank Ms. To for taking the time to chat with us. More information and media from PAX East is coming soon, so keep an eye on our PAX East coverage page.