, also known as ''Dragon Slayer Jr.'', is an

action-adventure game An action-adventure game is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Definition An action adventure game can be defined as a game with a mix of elements from an action ...

developed by

Nihon Falcom is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their '' Ys'', '' The Legend of Heroes'', and '' Trails'' series. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the u ...

. It is the third installment in the '' Dragon Slayer'' series, preceded by '' Xanadu'' and followed by '' Dragon Slayer IV''. ''Romancia'' is a simpler and brightly colored game in comparison to the other ''Dragon Slayer'' titles, hence the name "Dragon Slayer Jr."

Story

The game begins with Prince outside the castle. As in ''Xanadu'', Fan can speak with the king for some free equipment. The goal is to rescue Princess within 30 minutes. Princess Selina is the princess of the Kingdom of Romancia. She becomes a prisoner in the Kingdom of Azorba.

Gameplay

''Romancia'' is an

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a video game genre that combines core elements from both the action game and Role-playing video game, role-playing game genres. Definition Action role-playing games empha ...

. Movement is controlled with the arrow keys, and attacking is done with the action key. Unlike ''Xanadu'', there are almost no statistics, and zero customization. The game consists largely of two screens with a few small sub-areas. The player has only thirty minutes to complete the game, further illustrating the light and accessible nature of the title versus the oppressive underground complexes of ''Xanadu''. If the player can't make progress in time they will have to start all over again. In the MSX / MSX2 version, there is a mode in which the players can play Princess Serina as the main character with a hidden command. There is a weapon called the ''Dragon Slayer'' sword which can be found in the game.

Development

''Romancia'' is part of the '' Dragon Slayer'' series, that also includes '' Legacy of the Wizard'', '' Xanadu'', and '' Sorcerian''. Yuzo Koshiro contributed tracks to the game.

Release

The first release was in 1986 for the

PC-8801 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the four major Japanes ...

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 ...

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, the director at ASCII Corpo ...

, and

Sharp X1 The , sometimes called the Sharp X1 or CZ-800C, is a series of home computers released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It is based on a Zilog Z80 CPU. The RGB display monitor for the X1 had a television tuner, and a computer screen ...

computers. A later

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit home video game console developed and marketed by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan on 15 July 1983 as the and was later released as the redesigned NES in several test markets in the ...

version was published by

Tokyo Shoseki is a Japanese company engaged in the textbook and other publishing businesses. The company is well known as the largest publisher of textbooks in Japan, but also publishes reference books and Digital textbooks, educational Educational assessme ...

and developed by Compile. An

enhanced remake A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software sh ...

was released for

Windows Windows is a Product lining, product line of Proprietary software, proprietary graphical user interface, graphical operating systems developed and marketed by Microsoft. It is grouped into families and subfamilies that cater to particular sec ...

in 1999 by Unbalance. In 2014, the PC-88 version was released along with '' Sorcerian'' for the retro game distribution service EGG.

Reception

Upon release, four reviewers from ''

Famitsu , formerly , is a line of Japanese Video game journalism, video game magazines published by Kadokawa Game Linkage (previously known as Gzbrain), a subsidiary of Kadokawa Corporation, Kadokawa. ''Famitsu'' is published in both weekly and monthly f ...

'' gave it a score of 19/40. ''Romancia'' has become notable for being cute but highly difficult. Subsequent reviewers complained about the lack of direction in the game given to the player and

trial and error Trial and error is a fundamental method of problem-solving characterized by repeated, varied attempts which are continued until success, or until the practicer stops trying. According to W.H. Thorpe, the term was devised by C. Lloyd Morgan ( ...

approach. There is no save function and the player may not be aware they have made a mistake. Starting over multiple times is required to advance in the game.

References

{{Dragon Slayer series 1986 video games MSX games MSX2 games Action-adventure games NEC PC-8801 games NEC PC-9801 games Sharp X1 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Tokyo Shoseki games Windows games Dragon Slayer (series) Japan-exclusive video games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Yuzo Koshiro Single-player video games Compile (company) games Nihon Falcom games