The Last Story blends beautiful visual design with an innovative real-time battle system and captivating tales of camaraderie. Players will explore secret-filled locations scattered across Lazulis Island, the heart of a human empire and scene of an unfolding drama that will bring hostilities between two ancient races to a head. Among the band of mercenaries under your control is Zael, a warrior imbued with rare powers and intrigued by the notion of one day becoming an honourable knight. But as Zael and his mercenary friends reach the island’s capital city and find themselves drawn into official affairs, they discover that honour is one quality that can never be taken for granted. Central to gameplay in The Last Story is a combat system that calls on players to take the lead in employing tactical teamwork. By using the special Gathering ability, the character under your control will become the focal point for enemy aggression, freeing team-mates up to perform specific tasks or attacks and recover their health. Balancing out your use of Gathering is key, as constantly taking the hits for your team is not an option! The Last Story draws you deeper into the drama of each battle by seamlessly blending cinematic cut-scenes with the combat, and also keeps things flowing by having characters discuss key plot points during normal gameplay – advancing the story without breaking from the action. The option of using either an automatic or manual attack system means players of all skill levels can alter the level of challenge to suit their abilities. And once you feel confident that you’ve mastered the finer points of fighting, there’s a whole other arena in which to test your skills, with The Last Story offering cooperative and competitive online battles for 2-6 players. Exclusively for Wii, The Last Story draws you into a world of beauty and breathless action, inviting you to become part of a band of friends at the centre of an unforgettable adventure. We asked our visitors to vote for their favourite alternative cover art. The winning artworks will be featured on the back of the reversible covers when the games are launched in Europe in 2012. Check out the winning alternate cover art! Features: During The Last Story you take control of Zael and from time to time his partners, a band of mercenaries in search of their fortune. You undertake a series of missions and explore Lazulis Island and its sprawling medieval capital Lazulis City, while trying to help Zael achieve his ultimate goal of leaving his life as a mercenary behind and becoming a true knight. The Last Story features a high level of customisation for both items and characters appearance. There are two main ways of customising your party's equipment including visiting blacksmiths to increase their abilities and using dyes to change their colour. By visiting the various blacksmiths who are situated within Lazulis City and within some dungeons you can upgrade your weapons and armour. Unlike many other RPGs, The Last Story not only features a thrilling single player campaign with an engaging story, but also Online Multiplayer options including Deathmatch, Team Deathmatch and Co-Op modes. Now you can battle against or alongside up to five other RPG fans from across Europe using your own customised character from the Single Player game. Master the innovative combat system, customise your character and gather items you discover throughout the game, and by utilising new features in The Last Story you will be able to take on the many enemies and bosses that can be found across Lazulis Island. Combat mixes traditional melee, ranged and magic attacks that are often found in RPGs with an innovative cover system and unique magical abilities. You will have to master a mysterious ability called The Gathering to help Zael and his band of mercenaries complete their missions and battle vast bosses by discovering their weak spots, picking a suitable strategy and using team work to bring them down.