Source: IGN

The past couple of years have seen a rush of independent publishing startups formed by producers of some of the most well-known game series of gaming yesteryear. While most of the startsup, including Game Republic, Craft & Meister and Q Entertainment have revealed or even released games under their label, there was one exception: Gaia, a studio formed by Kouji Okada, the father of the Shin Megamitensei series. At long last, Gaia has revealed its first project, Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner, set to be published for the PSP by Sony Computer Entertainment. Okada is serving as producer on the project.

Monster Kingdom has seen its full unveiling in the latest issue of Famitsu. An RPG with a fantasy setting, Monster Kingdom focuses on monster collection and battles. You play as Vyse, a Jewel Summoner. Jewel Summoners are people who can summon monsters that have been changed into jewel form. While Vyse never underwent the training required to become a Jewel Summoner, he did inherit a charm from his mother which gave him the summoning abilities. Vyse heads off on a quest to find Shenah, the killer of his mother.

Vyse has some support characters at his side. He travels alongside a monster, Shateen, whose name is German for shadow. Other Jewel Summoners, including Grey and Lin, will join in on the adventure. Grey is the son of the former head of parliament. Lin is a prophet who forsaw the destruction Shenah would bring to the world.

Monster Kingdom promises over 100 monsters. While specifics on the gameplay systems have yet to be revealed, you can expect lots of monster battles, with the game promising to make full use of the PSP's wide screen. The game will even offer an Ad-Hoc connectivity mode where you can battle other players and trade your monsters.

Sony is planning a Winter 2005 release for Monster Kingdom in Japan, suggesting that the game could show face at the Tokyo Game Show in a couple of weeks.