Phantasy Star Portable 2 Ties up with Castle Shikigami

Sega's not done yet with the Phantasy Star Portable 2 collaborations! Over the weekend, the company announced the latest tie-up property for the online RPG: bullet hell shooter Castle Shikigami (Shikigami no Shiro).

In Phantasy Star Portable 2's main city, you'll find a shop called "Kitoushi Sayo-chan," or "Faith Healer Sayo-chan." Working at this shop is Sayo Yuki, one of the characters from Castle Shikigami. She sports her trademark robes, and should be easily recognizable among the more futuristic clothing of the other Phantasy Star Portable 2 characters.

Sayo-chan stands out just a bit.

This tie-up isn't just for show. You'll be able to pay Sayo your hard-earned Meseta money to have her pray for you. This will result in a variety of effects, including an increase in your rare drop rate. There will be other effects as well.

During local and internet multiplayer modes, only the leader will have to visit Sayo. Everyone in the leader's party will then see the effects.

Thus far, Sega has teamed Phantasy Star Portable 2 with such totally unrelated properties as Evangelion, Hatsune Miku, Fanta, and Pizza Hut. Castle Shikigami actually has closer ties to the game than these properties, as both titles were developed by Alfa System.

The timing for the announcement also seems to be deliberate. Over the weekend, Sega demoed the game at the Kyushu Game Show. Alfa System is based in Kyushu.

The demo on display at the event was different from the Tokyo Game Show demo. Sega instead decided to give players an early glimpse at the demo that's due for release on November 11.

According to the Phantasy Star Portable 2 blog, Sayo-chan's shop will be inaccessible in the demo version. Those who want to witness this particular crossover will need to pick up the final version on December 3.