is a

role-playing video game Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...

developed and published by

Riverhillsoft was a Japanese video game manufacturer in operation from 1982 to 2004. The studio focused in the 1980s developing games for Japanese home computers, in the 1990s shifted to console game development, and in the 2000s to mobile games. They also pu ...

for the

NEC PC-9801 The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or simply , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit Personal computer, personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2003. While based on Intel processors, it uses an in-house architecture making it inc ...

in 1992 in Japan only. An

original video animation , abbreviated as OVA and sometimes as OAV (original animation video), are Japanese animated films and special episodes of a series made specially for release in home video formats without prior showings on television or in theaters, though the ...

Group TAC was a Japanese animation and computer graphics studio located in Shibuya, Tokyo, and founded in 1968 from former Mushi Pro staff. They worked on movies, videos, TV shows, and commercials, and contributed to all stages of the process, including ...

was originally released by

Toho is a Japanese entertainment company that primarily engages in producing and distributing films and exhibiting stage plays. It is headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, and is one of the core companies of the Osaka-based Hankyu Hanshin Toho Group. ...

in May 1995 in Japan; it was later released also in the United States. The extended franchise also includes a

manga are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...

series, an illustrated serial novel, and other media.

Development

''Princess Minerva'' was developed by

and published by Riverhillsoft and Vic Tokai Corporation for the

PC Engine The TurboGrafx-16, known in Japan as the , is a home video game console developed by Hudson Soft and manufactured by NEC. It was released in Japan in 1987 and in North America in 1989. The first console of the fourth generation, it launched ...

and

Super Famicom The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, commonly shortened to Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a Fourth generation of video game consoles, 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan, 1991 in No ...

Story

In the game, the evil sorceress Dynastar (ダイナスター) (voiced by

Yōko Matsuoka is a Japanese actress, voice actress and narrator from Tokyo. She is affiliated with 81 Produce. Filmography Television animation ;1970's *''The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee'' (1974) (Denta) *'' Wakakusa no Charlotte'' (1977) (Jim) *''An ...

) challenges Princess Minerva (voiced by Miki Itou), threatening to kidnap all the girls in the world and turn them into monsters. Minerva leaves with her eight personal female bodyguards to defeat Dynastar and her six also female demon generals. The game starts when all their weapons, armor and money gets stolen.

Release

''Princess Minerva'' was released for the PC Engine on March 25, 1994, and the Super Famicom on June 23, 1995. A five-issue shounen manga series and a nine-volume illustrated serial novel were also released, written by the game's writer Maisaka Kou and published by ASCII comix and

Shueisha is a Japanese publishing company headquartered in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Shueisha is the largest publishing company in Japan. It was established in 1925 as the entertainment-related publishing division of Japanese publisher Shogakukan. The ...

, respectively, during the 1990s. An original soundtrack /

drama CD Radio drama (or audio drama, audio play, radio play, radio theatre, or audio theatre) is a dramatised, purely acoustic performance. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine ...

compilation was released by Futureland in 1995. Other released included a regular original soundtrack and a CD collection of graphics. In 2018, the Super Famicom version got a fan translation into the English language.

Reception

On release, ''

Famicom Tsūshin , formerly , is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly formats as well as in the form of special to ...

'' scored the PC Engine version a 21 out of 40 score, and the Super Famicom version of the game a 23 out of 40.

Anime

The

''Princess Minerva'' was produced by

was released by

in May 1995 in Japan. It was released by

A.D. Vision A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Gr ...

in the United States in September 1995 and then again in 1998. The OAV serves as a prequel to the game, telling how Minerva assembled her team of the most beautiful and powerful women warriors, and how she first run into Dynastar who tried to kidnap her and her friends.

Dave Halverson Dave Halverson is an American video game journalist who has been the founder, publisher, and editor-in-chief of ''GameFan'' (where he wrote reviews as E. Storm, Skid and Takahara), ''Gamers' Republic'', ''Play'', and currently the new versions o ...

gave the anime version a rating of C. Chris Beveridge of Mania.com gave it a B−.

Cast

* Princess Minerva; * Blue Morris Rui Elmitage; * Whisler; * Yurisis Cheloria; * Tua; * Dynastar; * Precission; * Lakuroa Balbis; * Kessley; * K-2; * Orlin; * Linealter; * Hagan; * Yamaha;

References

External links

*
''Princess Minerva''
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 ...

{{Group TAC 1992 video games 1995 anime OVAs ADV Films Fantasy anime and manga Fantasy video games Group TAC Japan-exclusive video games Japanese fantasy novels Japanese serial novels Japanese role-playing video games Mass media franchises NEC PC-9801 games Shōnen manga Super Dash Bunko Super Nintendo Entertainment System games TurboGrafx-CD games Top-down video games OVAs based on video games Video games about princesses Video games adapted into films Video games developed in Japan Video games featuring female protagonists Riverhillsoft games