The latest addition to Dept. Heaven's Union subseries, Gloria Union hit the PlayStation Portable in late June 2011.
Unlike the other Episode II games, Gloria takes place on an entirely new world. After rumors surfaced of the treasure of the lost kingdom of Euforia, a crystal containing a large amount of their main source of power, various pirates started searching for it. One such band of pirates, led by the naive young boy Ishut and his catgirl friend Pinger, has also embarked on this adventure. Unlike most other crystal-hunting pirates, however, Ishut and Pinger have a mysterious guide named Ruru who can sense the crystals and promises to lead them to the treasure.
However, at the same time their adventure begins, the Lukia Empire—the dominant world power—places a huge bounty on Ishut, causing pirates and mercenaries everywhere to chase after him. Ishut's newbie adventuring band seems doomed, but is rescued at the last moment by Elisha, a sharpshooter Pirate Girl who belongs to the famous Gloria band. She and her father Zazarland know what Lukia is up to, and are determined to keep Ishut and Ruru out of its leader's hands at all costs.
Many of the usual culprits are involved with the game's production, although the new main artist is Radiant Historia's Hiroshi Konishi rather than Satoko Kiyuduki or Rui Kousaki.
Due to its fresh setting and various subtle changes to the classesnote and cardsnote , Gloria remains an Epileptic Tree farm even after its release.
Provides examples of the following tropes:
- The Cavalier Years: Fantasy Version. Bows are no longer used and pistols take their place instead (i.e. cards that were tied to bows are now tied to pistols). Pirates fight each others for wealth and fame. Obscure tropical islands are explored and delicious fruits are found. Ships are devastating artillery platform that plays great role in battles.
- Karma Meter: There's a measure of your notoriety, called Fame. It can go into negative, if you keep picking fights with the authority.
- Locked Out of the Loop: You could make a drinking game over the number of times Ishut is mocked for being kept in the dark.
- Ragtag Bunch of Misfits: Gloria. This comes with the usual self-aware jokes about the entire party being a wacky band of weirdos.
- Support Power: The cannons aboard the Gloria have different effect depending on the ship's captain. Zazarland gives more range, Raspberry allows night volleys, and Minnesota packs extra firepower, for example.
- Swashbuckler: The entire game plays like an over-the-top swashbuckler adventure through the high seas. As far as swordplay goes, Ishut and Blackmore fit.
- Talking Is a Free Action: Averted. The party is taken by surprise several times when they're sitting around jawing, most egregiously in chapter 6. Perhaps most horribly of all, in the A ending Ishut spends so much time arguing to the rest of the party about why he wants to save Ashley instead of just doing it that said character gets up and walks off in the middle of the discussion to go take some actions that force the party to Shoot the Dog anyhow.
