''The Ring: Terror's Realm'' (known simply as in

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

) is a

survival horror Survival horror is a Video game genre, subgenre of horror games. Although combat can be part of the gameplay, the player is made to feel less in control than in typical action games through limited ammunition or weapons, health, speed, and visio ...

video game developed and published by

Asmik Ace Entertainment , formerly , is a Japanese film production and distribution company. In the past, the company has distributed video games. It was formed in 1997 through a merger between the Asmik Corporation and Ace Entertainment, both in Japan. The name Asmi ...

in Japan and published by Infogrames North America in North America. It was released for

Dreamcast The is the final home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was released in Japan on November 27, 1998, in North America on September 9, 1999 and in Europe on October 14, 1999. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, prec ...

on February 24, 2000 in Japan and September 26 in North America (it was originally set for a June 28 release date, but was delayed for unknown reasons). It is based on the ''Ring'' series of novels by Japanese author

Koji Suzuki is a Japanese writer, who was born in Hamamatsu and lives in Tokyo. Suzuki is the author of the Ring (novel series), ''Ring'' novels, which have been adapted into other formats, including films, manga, TV series and video games. He has written ...

, which also inspired the Japanese film ''

Ring (The) Ring(s) may refer to: * Ring (jewellery), a round band, usually made of metal, worn as ornamental jewelry * To make a sound with a bell, and the sound made by a bell Arts, entertainment, and media Film and TV * ''The Ring'' (franchise), a ...

'' (1998) and its American remake, ''

The Ring The Ring may refer to: Arts and entertainment *The Ring (franchise), ''The Ring'' (franchise), a Japanese horror media franchise Literature * ''The Ring'', a 1967 novel by Richard Chopping * ''The Ring'', a 1988 book by Daniel Keys Moran * ''The R ...

'' (2002).

Plot

Meg Rainman is a newly-hired researcher at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States. Her boyfriend Robert is among four workers at the CDC who have died mysteriously on the same day, and the only thing that connects them is a program found in their computers, called "RING". When the CDC is put under lockdown, Meg finds herself imprisoned in the center with her co-workers, and inside the CDC Meg must find out the truth behind Robert's death and the "RING".

Characters

''Meg Rainman'' The game's protagonist and main character, takes Robert's position at the

CDC The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is the national public health agency of the United States. It is a United States federal agency under the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and is headquartered in Atlanta, ...

after he dies at the start of the game. ''Robert'' Researcher at the CDC, was working on the Ring virus before he and three other colleagues die on the same day. ''Jack Nikson'' Works as a reporter, neighbour and friend of Meg and Robert. ''John Brad'' Boss at the CDC. ''Chris'' Co-worker at the CDC, works on the ground floor. ''Kathy'' Co-worker at the CDC, has a striking resemblance to

Tina Turner Tina Turner (born Anna Mae Bullock; November 26, 1939 – May 24, 2023) was a singer, songwriter, actress, and author. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Queen of Rock 'n' Roll", her vocal prowess, raspy voice, and electrifyin ...

, likes to cause trouble and is the girlfriend of Lukino. ''Timothy'' An old doctor working at the CDC. ''Lukino'' The CDC's security chief, has six piercings, two on both ears and one on the nose and left eye, and is the boyfriend of Kathy.

Reception

The game received "unfavorable" reviews according to the

review aggregation A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...

website

GameRankings GameRankings was a video gaming review aggregator that was founded in 1999 and owned by CBS Interactive. It indexed over 315,000 articles relating to more than 14,500 video games. GameRankings was discontinued in December 2019, with its staff bei ...

. In Japan, ''

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 24 out of 40. In a review submitted to "the ringworld", a fansite dedicated to ''Ring'', contributors C. Gavlas and K. Gavlas called it "a crude, clumsy ''

Resident Evil ''Resident Evil'', known as in Japan, is a Japanese horror game series and media franchise created by Capcom. It consists of survival horror, third-person shooter and first-person shooter games, with players typically surviving in environments ...

''-style survival horror video game" and "a pretty depressing homage to ''Ring''." Those unfamiliar with Suzuki's works were equally unimpressed. Jeremy Dunham of ''

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 ...

'' said, "The lowest rung on the ladder of

survival horror games, ''The Ring: Terror's Realm'' is just an average jaunt into the dark side," while a contributor to the PlanetDreamcast website (a part of

GameSpy GameSpy was an American provider of online multiplayer and matchmaking middleware for video games founded in 1999 by Mark Surfas. After the release of a multiplayer server browser for Quake, QSpy, Surfas licensed the software under the GameS ...

) declared it "hands-down the worst thing I've ever experienced on the Dreamcast." ''

GameSpot ''GameSpot'' is an American video gaming website that provides news, reviews, previews, downloads, and other information on video games. The site was launched on May 1, 1996, created by Pete Deemer, Vince Broady, and Jon Epstein. In addition ...

'' concluded in the review of the Japanese import that "Die-hard survival-horror fans might possibly get a quick fix from this game, but even that's questionable. You'd really be better off playing through '' Code Veronica'' again." Jim Preston of '' NextGen'' said of the game, "If it were a hamster, we would bury it in a shoebox in the backyard."

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Ring: Terror's Realm, The 2000 video games 2000s horror video games Asmik Ace Entertainment games Dreamcast games Dreamcast-only games Infogrames games The Ring (franchise) Single-player video games Survival horror video games Video games based on films Video games developed in Japan