Game:

Seiya Monogatari: Anearth Fantasy Stories (1995)

Duration: 1:45:14

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If people wanted a showcase of just what a PCE RPG title can accomplish when a major effort is made, look no further than the last game Hudson and Media Works produced for the system: Seiya Monogatari is a highly ambitious PCE-CD title that was part of a planned trilogy but tragically encountered numerous setbacks, budgetary issues and delays before its release shortly before Christmas of 1995. Appropriately named, Seiya Monogatari (which means "Holy Christmas Eve Tale") deals with a chosen child dropped off in front of a church in the dead of winter by the spirit of a saint who refused to let him die in a satanic ritual with only a basket and a few holy artifacts in an alternative version of Earth. Even as a baby, the player can interact with their surroundings by crying, which will determine who raises him when they walk by, leading to one of four classes (Mage, Thief, Swordsman and Monk) and introductory plots that unfold over the characters first fifteen years of life, which was a really cool addition (most games offer classes with no change to the plot whatsoever). There are also other differences in the story from choices and class, but they are more subtle for the most part. You go on a pilgrimage to save the world from an evil cult before they awaken a deity who destroys the world.

I want to stress that "ambitious" doesn't automatically equate to "good", but there is an undeniable amount of polish and loving attention to detail here. The first thing most people will notice is that it hardly LOOKS like your average PCE RPG; it looks more like a title late into the life-cycle of the Mega Drive or Super Famicom; the game uses almost masterful tiling, vibrant colors, tons of environmental touches (rain, footprints that fade in snow, butterflies floating about, water streaming, etc.), battle backgrounds with parallax scrolling, and tons of little accents (houses, for example, with way more objects than your standard RPG, from cups to books, armor, plants, candles, etc.) to breathe life into the game. It's not quite as spectacular as top-tier titles from the competition, but it's one heck of an effort for hardware from the 80s. The soundtrack is also delightful, having ambiance and evoking suspense, mystique, and adventure when necessary. The PSG audio is also pretty good in its composition and the voice-work is top-notch (it's compressed quite a bit, but it's understandable for a game of this scale).

The gameplay is, for lack of a better word, experimental, and something you will either appreciate or scoff at. Even though it has a number of systems typical to JRPGs and secrets to uncover, it is just as much a top-down adventure game as it is a JRPG. For starters, there is no leveling: characters get stronger strictly through events and different actions the player makes. Reading books can raise intelligence, joining a family for a hearty meal can raise HP, grabbing scrolls can teach skills, a multitude of parameters can be tweaked through actions in combat, items, and the games "Holix" system, etc. It draws some similarities to Super Famicom's "Traverse: Starlight & Prairie" in this regard (though this predates it) as both games use this mechanic to really incentivize exploring and interacting with the world and lore the designers created. This game is rougher because you can't even accomplish basic tasks without exploring, like getting money, until much later when you can fish, mix herbs, do mini-games and such (you gotta sell precious minerals for a while), though the game is seldom challenging.

Why? Because enemies can be seen on the map, battles are preset (meaning enemies you kill don't come back), and healing can be done for free in a lot of places. Additionally, "Holix" are artifacts you combine to cast spells or use to gain experience to different stats, but they can be farmed from certain locations and "Permanent Holix" can last forever, making them well worth finding. While there are a few additional nuances to round out the package (solving puzzles, combat techs, etc.), the game as a whole is a fascinating showcase for the system and it's a shame the trilogy was never finished, though there was an upgraded port released for the Sega Saturn at least. It's not perfect (combat and menu management is slower-paced than your average RPG, some Japanese knowledge helps, etc.), but it's one of the better PCE RPGs.

This is one of our longest videos, showing different environments, combat, etc. (the upside-down magic dungeon is trippy). Enjoy.

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