The Game Factory recently announced that it would be publishing Legend of the Dragon, the forthcoming 3D fighting title, for the Nintendo Wii. The game is set to be released in the second quarter of 2007.

The game, based on a popular children’s TV show, will be the publisher’s first release for the Wii. “We are delighted to be publishing for the Nintendo Wii,” said Henrik Mathiasen, Game Factory’s President. “While the Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 next-gen consoles have really captured the imagination of the more mature gamer, at Game Factory we’re really excited about the potential impact Nintendo’s Wii will have on the children’s market, as this is obviously our forte.”

Legend of the Dragon has enjoyed immense success, both on BBC and with the subsequent launch of the first thirteen episodes on DVD. The series has also enjoyed success across Europe with television partners across Germany, Italy and Spain also airing the series. Allen Bohbot of BKN Group CEO commented that

“the Game Factory have proved to be masters at translating the action, drama and excitement of Legend of the Dragon into brilliant videogames, and the Wii version will take this to the next level.”

A Golden Dragon is chosen

The story begins against the backdrop of China’s sacred temples as a new Golden Dragon is chosen. The Golden Dragon is the honourable title which is given to the warrior who is chosen to fight Woo Yin, the evil Zodiac Master. Each of the twelve Chinese zodiac signs has its own temple protected by a guardian. The guardians each have individual powers which are unique to their zodiac symbol in order to help them defend their temple. The Zodiac Master seeks to capture the powers because he knows that if he has them he will be unstoppable in his fight for the dark side to reign over China.

The new Golden Dragon is Ang Leung, who is chosen over his twin sister, Ling, who quickly defects to the dark side because of the shock and disgrace of this decision. She becomes the Shadow Dragon, fighting against her brother to take revenge.

Special powers

Players can play as one of nineteen characters, each of whom has unique fighting skills, powers and movements. The magical wristbands that characters wear enable them to transform into mystical warriors. Each character takes on the likeness and powers of the zodiac creature they represent once transformed.

The fighting arcade style of game play is enhanced by the real time spell casting system and RPG elements are blended through a variety of power-ups. The game features dramatic fighting scenes and the use of cell shading technology has captured the compelling story of the cartoon series. The game even mirrors various locations which were featured in the cartoon series (including Hong Kong Bay, The Dragon Dojo and The Great Wall of China), depicting them as destructible combat areas.