Konami of America announced July 10th that Ephemeral Fantasia, Konami's first PS2 RPG, is now available for the suggested retail price of $49.99.

Although better known for more action-oriented games such as Metal Gear Solid and Castlevania, Konami has proved themselves capable RPG developers with the entertaining Suikoden series. As the first PS2 RPG written in Japan, many gamers have high hopes and even higher expectations for this new game.

Ephemeral Fantasia follows the story of Mouse, a spoony bard, and Pachimo, his talking guitar. Hired to sing at the royal wedding, Mouse has only five days to compose a song for the event. However, what RPG would be complete without some sinister plot to overcome. Much like The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask, Ephemeral Fantasia deals with the theme of a time loop--the five days leading up to the wedding repeating--caused by an evil sorcerer's magic spell. Mouse, the classic nice guy forced to become a hero, must find a way to save the day.

Konami hopes to add some unique aspects to Ephemeral Fantasia including their "surround battlefield system," with which parties can be attacked from all sides by one of 160 different breeds of monster. Hopefully, Konami can repeat past successes with Ephemeral Fantasia and provide PS2 owners with a title worth purchasing. Check back with RPGamer for further information and a review very soon.