is an

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

for the

Sega Saturn The is a home video game console developed by Sega and released on November 22, 1994, in Japan, May 11, 1995, in North America, and July 8, 1995, in Europe. Part of the fifth generation of video game consoles, it was the successor to the succ ...

console, developed by T&E Soft, published by

Sega is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. Its international branches, Sega of America and Sega Europe, are headquartered in Irvine, California and London, r ...

in Europe and Japan, and Atlus Software in North America. It is a remake of the original '' Hydlide'', the first game in the series, but incorporated full

3D graphics 3D computer graphics, or “3D graphics,” sometimes called CGI, 3D-CGI or three-dimensional computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data (often Cartesian) that is stored in the computer for the ...

and a player character digitized from a live actor. On release, it received mixed reviews for its graphics, 3D environment and music, while receiving criticism for its gameplay.

Plot

The player takes on the role of a hero named Jim on a quest to defeat an evil demon named Varalys who has turned the princess of Hydlide into three

fairies A fairy (also fay, fae, fey, fair folk, or faerie) is a type of mythical being or legendary creature found in the folklore of multiple European cultures (including Celtic, Slavic, Germanic, English, and French folklore), a form of spirit, o ...

. Before confronting Varalys, the hero must find the fairies and three magical jewels to restore the princess to her regular self.

Gameplay

The game involves typical role-playing (RPG) fare, in which the player roams the world (the titular Hydlide), searching through dungeons for weapons and armour. ''Virtual Hydlide'' differs by leveling the player character up only after completing certain objectives of the game, whereas most RPGs level the player character up once they have obtained a certain amount of experience points. A different game world is generated each time a new game is started; instead of traditional random dungeons, the developers of ''Virtual Hydlide'' actually designed more than 20 different

level Level or levels may refer to: Engineering *Level (instrument), a device used to measure true horizontal or relative heights *Spirit level, an instrument designed to indicate whether a surface is horizontal or vertical *Canal pound or level *Regr ...

maps for each of the seven dungeons, as well as more than 20 different maps for the overworld. When starting a new game, the maps for the dungeons and overworld are randomly selected from their designated level sets. Thus, though every dungeon design was created by a human designer rather than a random level generator, there are more than 25 billion possible game worlds. Moreover, each game world is identified with an alphabetic code which may be entered when starting a new game, allowing players to replay favorite level designs or compete for high scores on identical worlds. Non- boss enemies do not appear in set locations, and continuously respawn in randomly determined locations.

Reception

On release, '' Famicom Tsūshin'' scored ''Virtual Hydlide'' a 27 out of 40.NEW GAMES CROSS REVIEW: VIRTUAL HYDLIDE. Weekly Famicom Tsūshin. No.333. Pg.31. 5 May 1995. A critic for ''

Next Generation Next Generation or Next-Generation may refer to: Publications and literature * ''Next Generation'' (magazine), video game magazine that was made by the now defunct Imagine Media publishing company * Next Generation poets (2004), list of young ...

'' gave it two out of five stars, saying that the game is "visually stunning" with its over-the-shoulder viewpoint and fully 3D environments, but suffers from awkward and "more-or-less tedious" gameplay. Tommy Glide of ''

GamePro Gamepro.com is an international multiplatform video game magazine media company that covers the video game industry, video game hardware and video game software in countries such as Germany and France. The publication, GamePro, was originally la ...

'', in contrast, said the visuals take time to get used to due to confusing camera angles, clunky scrolling, and graininess which makes it hard to spot items. He also criticized the outdated sound effects during combat and the difficulty in judging how distant enemies are. However, he praised the medieval orchestrated soundtrack and said the game "kind of grows on you", concluding that though most gamers would be put off by ''Virtual Hydlide'', some would find it worthwhile for its compelling next generation elements. ''

'' gave ''Virtual Hydlide'' an overall score of 3.25 out of 5.

References

External links

Official website
via Internet Archive * {{mobygames, /saturn/virtual-hydlide 1995 video games Action role-playing video games Atlus games Sega video games Sega Saturn games Sega Saturn-only games Video game remakes Video games using procedural generation Video games with 2.5D graphics Video games with digitized sprites Video games developed in Japan ja:ハイドライド#ヴァーチャルハイドライド