Lucas Arts has announced a new RPG for PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube called Gladius. Ursula and Valens, the game's protagonists, set out on an epic quest revolving around the infamous ancient gladiator fights. The two heroes' mission is to recruit and train a team of gladiators to successfully compete in those bloody show battles.At the beginning of the game you select your protagonist; either Ursula, the daughter of a great barbarian king from Nordagh, or Valens, son of one of Imperia's greatest gladiators. The two protagonists' countries had been at war with each other in the past and the bloodshed gave rise to an evil god that almost wiped out mankind. With the help of the revered Valkyrie, that evil entity was defeated; however, only an instable peace followed. While trying to avoid another disastrous war, the two protagonist will eventually join forces and try to prevent the planned resurrection of the evil god.
At first, the player's job is to manage a gladiator school and teach your students all the useful abilities it takes to survive in the arena, ranging from weapon skills over magic to combat tactics. The other side of the gameplay is arcade-style fighting in the arena. The game will feature 20 arenas and 12 other locations, as well as 16 different gladiator classes and more than 400 weapons and accessories.
Gladius is currently set for a spring 2003 release for all three systems.
