ActRaiser
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| ActRaiser | |
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| Developer(s) | Quintet Co., Ltd., Macrospace Ltd |
| Publisher(s) | Enix Corporation |
| Designer(s) | Tomoyoshi Miyazaki |
| Release date(s) | JPN December 16, 1990 NA November, 1991 EU 18 March 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Action Simulation |
| Mode(s) | Single Player |
| Platform(s) | Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Mobile Phone, Virtual Console |
| Media | 6-megabit Cartridge |
ActRaiser (アクトレイザー Akutoreizā?) is a 1990 Super Nintendo Entertainment System Action-Simulation game developed by Quintet Co., Ltd. and published by the Enix Corporation (now Square Enix Co., Ltd.) that combines traditional side-scrolling platform game sections with urban planning simulation sections. In 1992, Enix & Quintet released Soul Blazer, a top-down Super Nintendo adventure title with similar themes. The true sequel, ActRaiser 2, was released for the Super Nintendo in 1993.
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[edit] Story
According to the instruction booklet, the world is maintained by a deity known as "The Master." Tanzra, referred to as "The Evil One", is the eternal enemy of The Master and wishes to conquer the world. His six Guardians attacked The Master in a battle that lasted several days. After the battle, The Master retreated to his Sky Palace, which floats in the sky atop a cloud, to tend to his grave injuries. He erected a barricade and fell into a long and deep sleep. With The Master incapacitated, Tanzra divided the world into six lands, each ruled by one of his guardians. The Master awoke several hundred years later with his injuries completely healed, but his power had been removed as the people turned towards evil. He removed his barrier from the Sky Palace, determined to free the world from The Evil One.
[edit] Religious subtext
The game is a holy allegory based around Judeo-Christian beliefs; as the Japanese text for the prequel, ActRaiser 2, reveals, the main character's original name was God, with the main villain of the game being Satan. As Douglas Crockford's Expurgation of Maniac Mansion revealed, Nintendo of America had a strict policy regarding game content in the early 1990s, especially in regards to material which could be deemed offensive, a blanket category which prohibited the inclusion of any overtly religious themes or plotlines in a game. Hence, the main character of the game became "The Master," although the allegory remains obvious, as he travels the globe in a palace on a cloud, accompanied by an angel; slays demons; creates life; performs miracles; and is prayed to by the populace of the world. The second boss of one village in the game is a false god--in actuality a demon with the head of a cobra--to whom the villagers have been praying. The "Master" must invade the unholy temple and kill the false god to restore peace to the village. The allegory becomes much clearer in the final moments of the game, when the Angel and "Master" discover that the churches of the world have become empty, people having lost their concept of faith and need for a deity now that their lives have had all suffering removed. Saddened, but awaiting the day when he might be needed again, the master's sky palace swirls upward into the Heavens and vanishes.
[edit] Gameplay
The player controls The Master in his mission to restore the world. The gameplay of each land is divided between side-scrolling platforming sections and simulation sections. The Master must reclaim six lands: Fillmore, Bloodpool, Kasandora, Aitos, Marahna, and Northwall, which can all be reached from the Sky Palace. The gameplay in each land follows a basic pattern.
First, in Act I, The Master descends into the land and possesses the statue of a warrior. He then proceeds through a platforming section armed with a sword and limited magic use. At the end of this section, he faces a boss. When the boss has been defeated, The Master's spirit returns to the Sky Palace.
The game then begins a simulation section. The Master's purification of the land results in a temple with two town leaders who ask The Master for direction. The Master must guide the city and protect the people from monsters coming from lairs scattered across the map. Monsters can kidnap followers, burn fields, destroy houses, or even cause earthquakes. To protect the people, the player controls The Angel, who can defeat monsters with a bow and arrows.
When the city has been directed to build over a square containing a monster's lair, the people will seal the lair if the population of the town is at least eight. As more lairs are sealed, the cultural level of the population increases, enabling them to build houses that hold more people, allowing for a greater overall population. When the cultural level reaches three, the highest level, new houses cannot be destroyed by earthquakes. The player can also use the miracles of lightning, rain, sun, wind, and earthquake to help the town develop: unusable brush land can be cleared by lightning, burned fields can be restored by rain, swamp land and snow can be melted by the sun, monsters can be blown away by the wind, and earthquakes can be used to destroy houses from lower cultural levels to make room for more advanced houses. Certain lands also have special uses for miracles: rain is used to grant a dying man's wish to be washed in The Master's tears, and an earthquake is used in Marahna to create a connection to an island. In addition, The Master also receives offerings from the people, which can be used to help other lands, enhance the Angel's arrows, or give the Master extra lives or magic abilities. When the world's population reaches certain levels, The Master levels up, increasing the lifeline used by The Angel and The Master and increasing the amount of magic power The Master has available for miracles.
Once all of monster lairs have been sealed, the true source of the evil of the land will be discovered. At any point after the discovery, The Master can descend into the land for Act II. The Master again inhabits a statue and proceeds through another platforming section, defeating one of Tanzra's Guardians at the end. After this section, The Master may return to the simulation portion of a land to further its development. Every land has a maximum population that can be reached. Sometimes the Master may need to move to the next land and begin its development in order to receive an offering to help a previous land obtain its maximum population.
After all six lands have been reclaimed in this manner, Death Heim rises from the ocean. When The Master descends into Death Heim, he must face all six Guardians one at a time followed by Tanzra. After defeating Tanzra, The Angel takes The Master to each land, showing him the good work that has been done. When The Master visits a temple, he finds it empty; The Angel wonders if the people will ignore and even forget about The Master now that Tanzra does not threaten them any longer.
After completing the game, the menu option "Professional" appears. This mode consists of the platforming sections with no simulation sections or chances to save. When this mode is completed, the player receives the message "You are the best player!!"
[edit] Version Differences
Besides the obvious language difference, there were some drastic changes between the Japanese and other versions. Several graphic and musical changes were made, and both the action and simulation sections are much more difficult in the Japanese version. In the PAL release, the "Professional" mode (without simulation levels) is available from the menu screen, with varying difficulties.
In 2003, Square Enix made an EZWeb port of the original ActRaiser for cellular phones. It consists of the first three side-scrolling levels of the game, with the town-building portions completely omitted, and is generally seen as inferior to the original game.
On February 24, 2007, Square Enix announced that ActRaiser will be made available for the Virtual Console of Wii.
[edit] Awards and Recognition
On December 12, 2003 ActRaiser was inducted into Gamespot.com's Greatest Games of All Time. [1]
Among many things, the game is recognized for its score. In 2004, a medley of music from the game arranged by the original composer, Yuzo Koshiro, was performed live at the second annual Symphonic Game Music Concert in Leipzig, Germany.
