The prequel introduces a 'Free Intention' aspect of play, which allows the hero to explore towns, confer with other party members, converse with local villagers, and spend more time finding and winning over the mate he most desires. The offspring of their union becomes the hero in the second half of the adventure. Her receptiveness to the hero's advances may be shown in the clothes she wears on her outings with him, as well as in their RPG-style dialog-tree discussions. Players lead their male hero to woo one of several female non-player characters.

Although the prequel covers just two generations of legend (instead of five, as in the previous release), the 'Soul Breed' dating sim sub-game is more detailed and sophisticated in Zero. In the game's turn-based tactical battles, characters can position themselves to team up and execute powerful combo attacks.

The newer game proceeds similarly to its inspiration, with minor refinements to major play mechanics, while its narrative reveals character origins and other back-story details.

Record of Agarest War Zero is a 2011 prequel to developer Idea Factory's original strategy RPG, which was released in North America one year earlier.

Xbox 360 disc cleaner