''Elemental Master'' (エレメンタルマスター) is a top down

scrolling shooter Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs) are a subgenre of action games. There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character m ...

developed by

Technosoft was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based headquartered in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Also known as "Tecno Soft", the company was founded in February 1980 as Sasebo Microcomputer Center, before changing its name to Technosoft in 1982. The co ...

for the

Sega Genesis The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Sys ...

and released in 1990 in Japan and in 1993 in North America by

Renovation Products was a Japanese video game and software developer founded in October 1983 by Kazuyuki Fukushima. The company had several video game divisions including: Wolf Team, Laser Soft, Renovation Game (Japanese publishing division), Renovation Products ( ...

Gameplay

The game is autoscrolling upwards. The player can choose to either shoot up or down. There are different weapons (types of magic) available, based on (naturally) the elements. Of the seven levels the game has, the player can choose the order of the first four.

Plot

Long ago in the fantasy kingdom of Lorelei, the followers of an evil being called Gyra were sealed underneath the city's castle. However, a seemingly heroic sorcerer known as Aryaag betrayed the king's trust and unleashed the power of Gyra on the kingdom with the intention of letting the evil influence spread. Laden, the strongest sorcerer in the kingdom, was ready to attack Aryaag, but was stopped in shock when Aryaag revealed himself to be Laden's brother Roki. Backed by Gyra's most dedicated followers, Roki banished Laden from the conquered kingdom, but Laden vows to stop Gyra's influence from spreading and to stop Gyra's ambitions.

Development

The soundtrack was composed by Toshiharu Yamanishi, who also worked on ''

Thunder Force III ''Thunder Force III'' (サンダーフォースIII) is a 1990 Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters, scrolling shooter game developed by Technosoft for the Sega Genesis. It is the third chapter in the Thunder Force series. It was then retooled into an ...

'', ''

Thunder Force IV known in North America as ''Lightening Force: Quest for the Darkstar'', is a shoot 'em up video game developed and published by Technosoft for the Sega Genesis, Mega Drive in 1992. It is the fourth installment in Technosoft's ''Thunder Force'' ...

'', and '' Dragon's Fury'' (one song from ''Elemental Master'' was remixed into a new version in ''Dragon's Fury'').Project 2612 - The Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive Music Archive
/ref> The style of the soundtrack is synthrock with classical vibes.

Reception

''Elemental Master'' received a 7.4723/10 score in a 1995 readers' poll conducted by the Japanese ''

Sega Saturn Magazine ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' (originally known as ''Sega Magazine'') was a monthly magazine from the United Kingdom covering the Sega Saturn, a home video game console. It held the official Saturn magazine license for the UK, and some issues incl ...

'', ranking among Sega Mega Drive titles at number 210. The game received generally favorable reviews from critics. ''

MegaTech ''MegaTech'' (sometimes styled with the katakana メガテケ) was a publication from EMAP aimed specifically at the Sega Mega Drive gaming market. The magazine was started in 1991. The launch editorial consisted of a small team including Pa ...

'' praised the game's audiovisual presentation and gameplay, but criticized its easy difficulty. ''

Console XS Paragon Publishing Ltd (or Paragon for short) was a magazine publisher in the UK, which published computer games and other entertainment titles from 1991 to 2003. Brief history Paragon Publishing Ltd was formed in a small office in Trowbridge, ...

'' called its gameplay "addictive", but criticized the game for having too few levels and its easy difficulty. ''MAN!AC'' highlighted the game's synth soundtrack and exceptional level design.

References

{{Reflist

External links

''Elemental Master''
at

MobyGames MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video game A video game or computer game is an electronic game that involves interaction with a user interface or input device (such as a joystick, game controller, controlle ...

''Elemental Master''
at

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1990 video games Fantasy video games Sega Genesis games Sega Genesis-only games Shoot 'em ups Technosoft games Video games developed in Japan Single-player video games