Destiny of an Emperor
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Destiny of an Emperor | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Developer(s) | |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Release date(s) | 1989 |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Platform(s) | NES |
| Media | Cartridge |
Destiny of an Emperor (Tenchi o Kurau) is a fairly traditional RPG for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in America by Capcom in 1989.
Destiny of an Emperor utilizes a number of features that made it stand above and beyond other traditional RPGs of its time. The party consisted of up to 7 members, 5 of which actively participated in combat, 1 who served as back-up to replace any dead generals following combat, and 1 toserve as both back-up and party tactician. The tactician provided spell-like effects that anyone in the party could use. Additionally, the player could capture or recruit somewhere around 120 different generals to add to his party over the course of the game.
At one point, the storyline splits, and the player is free to choose which path to pursue. Both paths rejoin shortly, but at that time it presented a unique experience that other RPGs (Final Fantasy, Dragon Warrior) did not offer.
The game is based on Hiroshi Motomiya's manga Tenchi o Kurau, which story follows the story of Liu Bei and is loosely based around the events recorded in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a historically-based novel set at the end of the Han Dynasty in China.
In short, Liu Bei, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu form an army to defend their village from the Yellow Scarves, the followers of a magician called Zhang Jao. Liu Bei gathers other followers from the nearby villages and camps, and eventually defeats Zhang Jao. Tao Qian, the ruler of the area, falls ill and begs Liu Bei to become the ruler of the area. Liu Bei has no option but to agree, and begins his rise to fame in the era.
The game follows the events found in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, although in many cases, the outcome of the events is changed to favor Liu Bei over the other warlords of the time period. Most of the deviations occur late in the game, particularly involving the invasions of Wu and Wei.
The sequel to DoaE is Destiny of an Emperor II (DoaE2), though was released only in Japanese. However, there is an English ROM patch that can translate the Japanese phrases into English phrases, for those using the emulator to play the game.
[edit] Battle System
Destiny of an Emperor has an unusual battle system that is not found in many other games. There is the normal attack option available in most games, and the tactics option which resembles magic use. But the thing that sets it apart from other battle systems is the All-Out Option. When chosen, all characters that are alive (Allies and Enemies) run to the middle of the screen and battle. Each character attacks and there is a chance for a tactic to be used. All-Out is not recommended for boss battles.
