September 2, 2011 RPGFan had a chance to send some questions to D3 Publisher of America's Producer for White Knight Chronicles II, Miki Takahashi. Read on to find out a little more about LEVEL-5's next game!

RPGFan: The first game received a somewhat polarizing response. What kinds of changes are expected in this sequel?

Miki Takahashi: The developer, LEVEL-5, listened to the fans' requests from the original to improve the sequel. Many improvements have been made to the sequel by speeding up the battles, fine-tuning weapons and re-evaluating skills. Regarding the graphics in the cut scenes, they have been restructured to the quality level of White Knight Chronicles Il. Even the users who played the original will feel as if they are playing a different title.

Also, the multiplayer can now be played with up to six players, instead of four in the original. We believe WKC ll can bring a new experience, even to those who already played WKC1. In the first title, single player didn't allow you to take any AI characters with you, but now it's possible in the sequel. Leonard and his team will help you clear quests.

The new features such as Bounty Quests and Errands have also been added. You can accept a Bounty Hunting quest at the Adventurer's Guide to beat specific monsters. When you beat it and report to the Guild, you can earn money and items. To accept an Errand, talk to any citizens marked with an exclamation icon. The rewards for Errands include many rare items or guild points. It's a good way to earn Guild Points easily, because some Errands can be completed just by talking to a few citizens.

The story continues one year after White Knight Chronicles: International Edition. The battle in the last new level "Redhorn Isle" is a must-see! WKC II will include WKC 1 so you can explore the world of White Knight Chronicles from the beginning to the end all on one disc.

RPGFan: Is there anything that you can tell us about US-exclusive content?

MT: Compared to the Japanese version, the EU and NA versions include additional quests that were distributed online in Japan by the end of January 2011.

RPGFan: Do you think that the customization options added to the Avatar character will help players connect with their player more in WKC II?

MT: The ability to create and upgrade a unique Incorruptus (knight) for your avatar will definitely attract players. When you create your own Avatar, it's natural that you have a strong attachment to it and want to use it as your primary playable character. However, in the first title, it was difficult to do so, because your avatar couldn't turn into the Incorruptus. This new ability will give you the option to use your Avatar as your primary playable character even when you have to fight with the boss enemies.

RPGFan: What sort of changes can we expect in the Georama system?

MT: The Georama system is basically the same as in the first title but we've added the ability to carry over all the settings of the Georama system from the first title into the sequel.

RPGFan: Do the new battle mechanics implemented in the "remastered" version of WKC included in the WKC2 disc make for a better playing experience, or do you think familiar WKC players will prefer the original system?

MT: The Battle System has been drastically improved making battles faster paced, interactive, and more strategic. To launch your attack, the Action Gauge now can be charged twice as fast as in the original game. The new commands such as dash and charge are added and the battles are now faster paced. The Action Chips, that are used to turn your avatar into an Incorruptus, can now be obtained more easily.

When transformed into an Incorruptus, new commands such as Turn Break and Guardian Auras are now available. You can execute a Turn Break whether the Action Gauge is full or not! With this attack, you could cancel your foe's charging attack, or knock your enemy off balance. Guardian Auras make all nearby allies impervious to attack. This defense can be used only when the Incorruptus has a Shield. While using this command, iron-tight defense is guaranteed, but 5 MP will be consumed every two seconds. This gauge depletes as you take damage. Once it runs out you'll be knocked down, so be careful! Usually you can use either Turn Break or Guardian Auras only once per transformation, but the weapons like Falcyos for White Knight, Lagus-Guine for Dragon Knight, and Arslese for Moon Maiden will allow two Turn Breaks per transformation. These commands make your battle more strategic.

Also, when you consume lots of HP (Health) and MP (Mana Potion) in battle and you start running low, you can take advantage of Pray and Sit in the Emotions menu. When you "Sit" or "Pray", you can recover your HP and MP. Your allies can execute the same action for similar effect.

Despite of all these improvements, the basic controls are the same as in WKC1, so there wouldn't be any problem for WKC players to jump into WKC II.

RPGFan: When localizing WKC II, did you revisit the translation to the first game, or was SCEA's translation used? When looking at the second game, did you try and keep the same tone as SCEA?

MT: We tried to keep the same tone as SCEA's International Edition.

RPGFan: LEVEL-5 recently opened an American branch - did you work with their new US branch in the localization of WKC2?

MT: For this project, we worked with LEVEL-5 in Japan on localization and not the US branch but would love to perhaps work with them in the future. We are huge fans of LEVEL-5!

RPGFan: SCEE released White Knight Chronicles: Origins for the PSP around the time that they released WKC2 - do you think that this title would do well in North America?

MT: We prefer not to comment on a game we didn't publish. D3Publisher currently has no plans to release White Knight Chronicles: Origins.

RPGFan would like to thank Miki Takahashi and D3 Publisher of America for taking the time to answer our questions. White Knight Chronicles II will be available on September 13 for PlayStation 3.