Eden to GREEEEN preview first-look at the next game from the creator of Gitaroo Man

Even if you’ve never heard of Keiichi Yano, we’re sure you’ve heard of his games. Best known for rhythm hits, such as Gitaroo Man, Elite Beat Agents, and the Japan-only Ouendan series, Yano and the development team at iNiS are looking to take the tower defense genre for a spin with their latest title, Eden to GREEEEN.

What is it?
It’s all about plants versus machines in Eden to GREEEEN. With a strong dislike for clean, renewable energy sources and an unquenchable thirst for Euphoria, Eden’s natural energy, alien machines have invaded the once lush world – and it’ll be up to you to stop them with some strategic flower power.

Who is the developer?
Co-founded by Yano, developer iNiS struck a strong chord with rhythm game fans with the release of Gitaroo Man and Elite Beat Agents – and has stayed true to its musical roots with the Lips series and The Black Eyed Peas Experience. You’ve probably also heard of the excellent iOS title Infinity Blade Cross, which was co-developed by iNiS in collaboration with DeNA and ChAIR entertainment.

“Music is in our DNA,” explained Keiichi Yano, who expressed interest in working on more music and rhythm games in the future.

How does it look?
Inspired by the Firebird Suite segment in Fantasia 2000, Eden to GREEEEN’s art style is both bright and gloomy – depending on whether a given area of the map is controlled by your army of plants or the enemy alien machines.

The game’s cute character design may not be appealing to some. But take a closer look, and you’ll see that there’s a high level of detail in the textures on the maps and the visual effects that take place during battles. Built with the Unreal Engine, Eden to GREEEEN looks like a step up from most other games we’ve seen on Android devices and tablets.

How does it play?

Billed as a “tower offense” game, Eden to GREEEEN is a turn-based strategy game that will be free-to-play. Like a traditional tower defense title, you spend your turn placing units to defend your base against enemies that will attack you on the following turn. You can also place special units that will increase your area of control, which will cover the machines’ territory with verdant fields of grass, allowing you to place units over a wider area.

But as the turns progress, you’ll have to think more offensively, placing attacking units to take out enemy spawning grounds as you press forward to take over the enemy base, clearing the map.

A three-player co-op mode that pits you and a few friends against a triple threat of machines will also be available. Eden to GREEEEN will launch first for Tegra 3 Android mobile devices. But as it becomes available on other platforms, including iOS and PC, you’ll be able to join games with friends no matter what they’re using to run it.

Eden to GREEEEN will feature 3 world areas with 20 maps in each area. These will be free at launch and iNiS plans to release additional maps, areas, and enemies for free in future updates. In some maps, certain units will have a slight element of advantage over your other units, and these specialized units will be available to purchase. But in the spirit of rewarding players who take the time to truly master the game, these special units can also be acquired by collecting in-game currency by playing.

When is it out?
Expect to find Eden to GREEEEN on Android mobile devices powered by Tegra 3 first when it launches sometime in late July this year. iNiS also has plans to make Eden to GREEEEN available on iOS, PC, and Mac.