role playing game
A role-playing game (sometimes spelled roleplaying game, RPG) is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal ac ...
published by
Taito
is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It ...
for the
Family Computer
The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...
''Minelvaton Saga'' takes place on the world Minelvaton, in the area known as Southern Ofelia. In the kingdom of Palmeccia both the King and Queen have been murdered by the hands of a servant of Ragon, son of the Zuhl. The player takes control of the Prince of Palmeccia in a quest for revenge and to kill the evil Ragon.
Gameplay
In the first few minutes of gameplay, ''Minelvaton Saga'' plays and looks like ''
Dragon Quest
previously published as ''Dragon Warrior'' in North America until 2005, is a franchise of Japanese role-playing video games created by Armor Project ( Yuji Horii), Bird Studio (Akira Toriyama) and Sugiyama Kobo ( Koichi Sugiyama) to its pu ...
'': an open-world role-playing game with top-down perspective. As soon as a battle starts, though, the fundamental difference becomes apparent: ''Minelvaton Saga'' is an action-based RPG, while ''Dragon Quest'' is a turn-based RPG. However, the two sequels '' Silva Saga I and II'' feature turn-based combat.
The player is given control of a single character and can explore a number of towns, dungeons, and the world surface itself. Once the player receives the ship for sailing, the game world becomes truly open, as the player can explore almost anywhere that can be reached.
Like a typical role-playing game, there are random battles, but actual combat is action-based. In battle, the player starts at the bottom of the screen facing the enemies that are at the top. In order to defeat enemies, the player must run into one in order to exchange blows. This system was already used in other early series of Japanese role-playing games, e.g. '' Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II'' and the '' Ys series''.
Beyond that, the basic plot and some of the battle system concept seems to have been co-opted by Sega's ''
Sword of Vermilion
''Sword of Vermilion'' is an action role-playing game developed and published by Sega for the Mega Drive console in 1989.Ramon Yūto
*Design Works (Illustrator?):
Hitoshi Yoneda
Hitoshi (written: , , , , , , , , , or in hiragana) is a masculine Japanese given name. Notable people with the name include:
*, Japanese politician
*, Japanese manga artist
*, Japanese baseball player
*, Japanese photographer
*, Japanese baseba ...
*Music: Yō Ōyama (leader of the progressive rock band
ASTURIAS
Asturias (, ; ast, Asturies ), officially the Principality of Asturias ( es, Principado de Asturias; ast, Principáu d'Asturies; Galician-Asturian: ''Principao d'Asturias''), is an autonomous community in northwest Spain.
It is coextensi ...
),
Haruhiko Tsuda
Shingetsu ( ja, 新月) is a Japanese progressive rock band from the 1970s. A band with an originally short career, they have typically been categorised as one of the most notable Japanese progressive rock bands.
Shingetsu ('new moon') arrived ...
(guitarist of
Shingetsu
Shingetsu ( ja, 新月) is a Japanese progressive rock band from the 1970s. A band with an originally short career, they have typically been categorised as one of the most notable Japanese progressive rock bands.
Shingetsu ('new moon') arrived i ...
)
Legacy
Although never released outside Japan, the game was
fan translated
Fan translation (or user-generated translation) refers to the unofficial translation of various forms of written or multimedia products made by fans (fan labor), often into a language in which an official translated version is not yet available ...
Giant Bomb
''Giant Bomb'' is an American video game website and wiki that includes personality-driven gaming videos, commentary, news, and reviews, created by former ''GameSpot'' editors Jeff Gerstmann and Ryan Davis. The website was voted by ''Time'' ma ...