| Another Century's Episode | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | FromSoftware |
| Publisher(s) | Banpresto |
| Director(s) | Tomohiro Shibuya |
| Designer(s) | Yui Tanimura |
| Programmer(s) | Yoshiyuki Naito |
| Writer(s) | Yui Tanimura Ayaka Ieki |
| Series | Another Century's Episode |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release |
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| Genre(s) | Third-person shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player, multiplayer |
Another Century's Episode[a] is a 2005 third-person shooter video game published by Banpresto in Japan for the PlayStation 2. The player controls a mech from one of nine different anime robot franchises to destroy opposing forces before they steal a prized energy source for devious purposes. The game is divided into several different missions, where players use their mech and arsenal of weapons to fulfill mission objectives, ranging from destroying enemy machines to protecting a specific target.
Banpresto enlisted the help of FromSoftware, a Japanese developer known for its Armored Core series, to assist in the game's production. As Banpresto held the exclusive video game rights to several popular robot series, it envisioned the idea of a large crossover similar to Konami's Zone of the Enders games. It was designed by Yui Tanimura, who later directed Dark Souls II and co-directed Dark Souls III and Elden Ring, and incorporated music performed by singer Hitomi Shimatani.
Another Century's Episode was released to strong sales, and was one of the year's top-selling video games in Japan. Critics favorably compared its gameplay to Zone of the Enders, and enjoyed its wide selection of mechs and mission objectives. The game's success led many of the series represented, such as Metal Armor Dragonar, to see a renewal in popularity. It spawned a new franchise that includes soundtrack albums, merchandise, and four sequels.
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