NIS America has been very active lately. Besides hosting a fan poll to decide which cover art to use for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox and temporarily making Disgaea 5 free to play, the company has also just announced its newest title, Poison Control. The game is an action RPG that will launch early 2021 for the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.
Most of what is known about the game comes from its freshly released announcement trailer and store page. Poison Control is set in a world where peoples’ worldly desires can manifest as monsters known as Kleshas, who in turn bring hell; literally. Humans who are overcome by their desires and the Kleshas' machinations have their souls trapped in personalized purgatories known as Belles’ Hells, which are created by their distress and despair.
The game centers around an ex-Klesha named Poisonette and the protagonist, a living being of determinable gender who finds themself in the Belles' Hells. The story begins when the protagonist has their body hijacked by Poisonette. In order to get out of the Belles’ Hells, you’ll need to work together to free the spirits who've been trapped in their personal purgatories.
From the announcement trailer, this seems to involve a great deal of shooting enemies, as well as rolling, dodging, and purging the noxious, eye-searing pink of the Belle’s Hells with blue patterns to reveal images beneath. Some NIS fans are comparing the game to Splatoon and Persona 5, which share Poison Control’s “painting” mechanic and “defeat the physical manifestation of the mind” theme, respectively.
Poison Control features a colorful cast that players will get to meet as they work through the Belle’s Hells. As expected of a NIS America property, the cast looks to be entirely made up of girls, with the possible exception of the protagonist. The four spirits who constructed and were subsequently trapped in the Belle’s Hells have had their sprites revealed in the trailer.
In addition to these girls and Poisonette, players will also be able to get to know the Kleshas residing within the Belle’s Hells. The announcement trailer also advertises “heart to hearts” as part of the game and claims that bonding will allow the player character to grow stronger. What this translates to—a romance? An actual mechanic?—is not revealed in the trailer, but building relationships will clearly be an important part of Poison Control.
Keep an eye on NIS America for more information about the game!