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is a 1998 Japanese simulation role playing game. It was developed by TNS Co., Ltd. and published by Sega 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 is the successor to the succes ...
. It was never released outside of Japan.


Gameplay

''Wachenröder'' is a simulation role playing game. Most of the game is presented in an
isometric perspective Isometric projection is a method for visually representing three-dimensional objects in two dimensions in technical and engineering drawings. It is an axonometric projection in which the three coordinate axes appear equally foreshortened and t ...
, similar to the genrelike games
Shining Force ''Shining Force'' is a 1992 turn-based tactical role-playing game for the Sega Genesis console. It is the second entry of the '' Shining'' series of video games, following '' Shining in the Darkness''. While primarily a traditional fantasy-them ...
,
Vandal Hearts Vandal Hearts, known in Japan as is a turn-based tactical role-playing video game developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Tokyo for the PlayStation and later ported to the Sega Saturn by Konami Computer Entertainment Nagoya. The PlayStation ...
,
Front Mission is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square (video game company), Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and existed withi ...
or
Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America in January 1998 by Sony Computer Enterta ...
, and consists of several turn-based fights separated by cutscenes. Some cutscenes are preceded by the playable character ''Bellebete'' narrating the story. The stages consist of 3D maps, which can be turned in all directions, as well as zoomed in to get a closer look at the gameplay. Combat in the game consists of
turn based Timekeeping is relevant to many types of games, including video games, tabletop role-playing games, board games, and sports. The passage of time must be handled in a way that players find fair and easy to understand. In many games, this is done u ...
battles. The story advances through use of pre-rendered computer generated movies.


Plot

Many tactical role playing games were set in medieval settings, while Wachenröder is instead set in the
Victorian era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the reign of Queen Victoria, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. Slightly different definitions are sometimes used. The era followed the ...
. The setting has been described as "
steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
". The story takes place in a dark future on the island Edward, which is ruled by the noble and magnanimous King Wizar (who is imprisoned by the evil prime minister Vlad at the time which the game begins). In this
alternate history Alternate history (also referred to as alternative history, allohistory, althist, or simply A.H.) is a subgenre of speculative fiction in which one or more historical events have occurred but are resolved differently than in actual history. As ...
,
steam power A steam engine is a heat engine that performs mechanical work using steam as its working fluid. The steam engine uses the force produced by steam pressure to push a piston back and forth inside a cylinder. This pushing force can be transf ...
is very sophisticated and the people hold it dear: vehicles, gadgetry or weapons are driven by
vapor In physics, a vapor (American English) or vapour (Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is a substance in the gas phase at a temperature lower than its critical temperature,R ...
in place of
electricity Electricity is the set of physical phenomena associated with the presence and motion of matter possessing an electric charge. Electricity is related to magnetism, both being part of the phenomenon of electromagnetism, as described by Maxwel ...
. This links ''Wachenröder'', based on its contents and its overall design, to the
steampunk Steampunk is a subgenre of science fiction that incorporates retrofuturistic technology and Applied arts, aesthetics inspired by, but not limited to, 19th-century Industrial Revolution, industrial steam engine, steam-powered machinery. Steampun ...
genre. Since the building of several
wastewater treatment plants Wastewater treatment is a process which removes and eliminates contaminants from wastewater. It thus converts it into an effluent that can be returned to the water cycle. Once back in the water cycle, the effluent creates an acceptable impact on ...
for the rich upper class, the citizens of Edoalds suffer more and more from diseases caused by
hazardous waste Hazardous waste is waste that must be handled properly to avoid damaging human health or the environment. Waste can be hazardous because it is Toxicity, toxic, Chemical reaction, reacts violently with other chemicals, or is Corrosion, corrosive, ...
and contaminated drinking water. The player assumes the role of Lucian Taylor, who is in search of Imperator Duran, to avenge the illness-caused death of his younger sister, which he holds him responsible for.


Development

Many of the game's artists were recruited from the anime industry. Anime and manga artist
Range Murata is a Japanese illustrator and manga artist, known for his unique style combining dieselpunk and japanese Moe (slang), moé elements. He is best known for his conceptual design work on anime series ''Last Exile'' and ''Blue Submarine No. 6''. He ...
was an artist for the game. Artist Takeyuki Takeya worked on '' Iria: Zeiram The Animation''.
Katsumi Yokota is a Japanese video game designer and amateur musician who has contributed to the visual design and music of the ''Lumines'' series of games. He served as the art director of the original PSP game and as the director of ''Lumines Supernova'' for t ...
worked on character designs for the game. He also worked on ''
Panzer Dragoon Saga ''Panzer Dragoon Saga'', known in Japan as ''Azel: Panzer Dragoon RPG'', is a 1998 role-playing video game (RPG) developed by Team Andromeda and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn. The third entry in the ''Panzer Dragoon'' series, it replac ...
'', and ''
Front Mission Alternative is a real-time tactics video game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square, and was released in Japan on December 18, 1997. ''Front Mission Alternative'' is the second spin-off entry and the fourth entry overall in the ''Fr ...
.'' The game was previewed at the 1998
Tokyo Game Show , commonly known as TGS, is a video game trade fair and convention held annually in September in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association (CESA) and Nikkei Business Publication ...
. The game was developed at a time when there was growing interest in the simulation RPG genre for four years in Japan. Musician Ian McDonald (a member of Foreigner and
King Crimson King Crimson were an English progressive rock band formed in London in 1968 by Robert Fripp, Michael Giles, Greg Lake, Ian McDonald (musician), Ian McDonald and Peter Sinfield. Guitarist Fripp remained the only constant member throughout the ...
), contributed two tracks to the game's musical score. This is part of a larger trend in the late 1990s, where established musicians compose music for video games. Other examples
Stewart Copeland Stewart Armstrong Copeland (born July 16, 1952) is an American musician and composer. He is best known for his work as the drummer of the British rock band the Police from 1977 to 1986, and again from 2007 to 2008. Before playing with the Polic ...
composing the music for the ''
Spyro the Dragon ''Spyro the Dragon'' is a 1998 platform game originally developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The first game in the ''Spyro'' series, it stars the title character, a young purple dragon ...
'' games,
Ronnie Montrose Ronald Douglas Montrose (November 29, 1947 – March 3, 2012) was an American musician and guitarist who founded and led the rock bands Montrose and Gamma. He also performed and did session work with a variety of musicians, including Van Morri ...
composing the music for '' Mr. Bones'', or various techno artists contributing to the soundtrack of the ''
Ghost In The Shell ''Ghost in the Shell'' is a Japanese cyberpunk media franchise based on the manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Masamune Shirow. The manga, first serialized between 1989 and 1991, is set in mid-21st century Japan and tel ...
'' PlayStation game. The
Wiener Werkstätte The Wiener Werkstätte ("Vienna Workshop"), established in 1903 by the graphic designer and painter Koloman Moser, the architect Josef Hoffmann and the patron Fritz Waerndorfer, was a productive association in Vienna, Austria that brought to ...
logo is printed on the game's cover, the
CD-ROM A CD-ROM (, compact disc read-only memory) is a type of read-only memory consisting of a pre-pressed optical compact disc that contains computer data storage, data computers can read, but not write or erase. Some CDs, called enhanced CDs, hold b ...
, and used in the actual game itself.


Release

The game was released in Japan on August 6, 1998 for the Sega Saturn, and published by Sega. The game received a television commercial featuring the character
Segata Sanshiro is a character created by Sega to advertise the Sega Saturn in Japan between 1997 and 1998. He is a parody of Sugata Sanshirō, a legendary judo fighter from Akira Kurosawa's 1943 film ''Sanshiro Sugata''. In television and radio advertisements ...
. The little
artbook Artists' books (or book arts or book objects) are works of art that engage with and transform the form of a book. Some are mass-produced with multiple editions, some are published in small editions, while others are produced as one-of-a-kind ob ...
that comes packed with the game, begins with a longer
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
text that tells the background story in
lyric poetry Modern lyric poetry is a formal type of poetry which expresses personal emotions or feelings, typically spoken in the first person. The term for both modern lyric poetry and modern song lyrics derives from a form of Ancient Greek literature, t ...
. The game's soundtrack, ''Wachenröder Original Game Soundtrack'', was published by
Marvelous Entertainment (MMV) was a multinational corporation that produced animation, music, video games and television series. MMV is known for its involvement in the Story of Seasons (series), ''Story of Seasons'' series. They merged with AQ Interactive in 2011 an ...
. The game received previews in various magazines in Europe and North America, however it was never released outside of Japan.


Reception

''
Weekly Famitsu , 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 top ...
'' gave the game a score of 29 out of 40. Reviewers compared the presentation and graphics to ''
Final Fantasy Tactics is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square (video game company), Square for the PlayStation (console), PlayStation. It was released in Japan in June 1997 and in North America in January 1998 by Sony Computer Enterta ...
''. The German magazine ''Video Games'' praised the quality of the use of the German that exists in the game. Three reviewers for the Japanese ''Sega Saturn Magazine'' gave the game scores of 7, 6, and 8 respectively. ''Gamers' Republic'' gave the game a B−, while praising the artwork and music, but were highly critical of the gameplay and graphics. The reviewer instead recommended '' Shining Force III: Scenario 2'' as a better import title to play. In a separate review for the game's soundtrack, ''Gamers' Republic'' gave the score a B and recommended the music for fans of rpg music. In 2001, ''
IGN ''IGN'' is an American video gaming and entertainment media website operated by IGN Entertainment Inc., a subsidiary of Ziff Davis, Inc. The company's headquarters is located in San Francisco's SoMa district and is headed by its former e ...
'' writer David Smith listed the game as the second most wished game he would like to see ported to the
PlayStation is a video gaming brand owned and produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), a division of Japanese conglomerate Sony. Its flagship products consists of a series of home video game consoles produced under the brand; it also consists ...
. He praised the artwork of the game saying "the character design and world art have a wonderfully grim, clammy, sepia-toned neo-Victorian sort of quality to them."


Notes


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wachenröder 1998 in video gaming Japan-exclusive video games Sega Saturn games Sega Saturn-only games Single-player video games Tactical role-playing video games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Satoshi Miyashita Video games scored by Takayuki Negishi