The Tower of Druaga
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Tower of Druaga | |
|---|---|
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| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | Masanobu Endoh |
| Release date(s) | 1984 |
| Genre(s) | Maze |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Platform(s) | |
| Input | 4-way joystick; 1 button |
| Arcade cabinet | Upright, cabaret, and cocktail |
| Arcade system(s) | Namco Super Pac-Man |
| Arcade CPU(s) | 2x M6809 @ 1.536 MHZ |
The Tower of Druaga is an arcade game released by Namco in 1984. It runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware but with a video system like that used in Mappy. It was later ported to the MSX, Famicom and remade for the PC Engine platform. Although Tower of Druaga is still very popular in Japan, many Americans dislike the game, due to its overwhelming difficulty.
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[edit] Gameplay
The player assumes the role of the hero Gilgamesh (also known as Gil), whose goal is to rescue the maiden Kai from the demon Druaga. In order to do this, he must traverse through 60 floors of an immense tower. Each floor consists of a randomly generated maze filled with monsters, and a locked door leading to the next level. The player must navigate through the maze in order to find a key that unlocks the door. In addition, each floor contains a hidden treasure, which appears once the player has performed a specific requirement. Some of the treasures contain merely helpful items, while some contain items essential to completing the game. Gilgamesh comes equipped with a sword, which he can use to defeat monsters, and a shield, which can be used to block magical attacks. The monsters get progressively more difficult as the game progresses, beginning with simple slimes and culminating with Druaga himself.
The regular enemies are slimes, magicians, ghosts, knights, lizard men, ropers (which look like huge blobs with tentacles), and dragons.
In the third Namco Museum game, there is a small handbook telling how to get the treasures. There is also a hidden version far more difficult than the regular. The treasures (save the first one) are all alternated in how to get. In the museum's library, there are three books containing illustrations of the game's characters.
[edit] Sequels
Several sequels were later made, further chronicling the feats of Gilgamesh and Ki. These were
- The Return of Ishtar (1986): Arcade, MSX2
- The Quest of Ki (1988): Famicom
- The Blue Crystal Rod (1994): Super Famicom
- Seme COM Dungeon: Drururuaga (2000): Game Boy Color
- The Nightmare of Druaga (2004): PlayStation 2.
The sequels were not as successful as the first game, although Return of Ishtar came very close.
[edit] The Return of Ishtar
It picks up where Tower of Druaga left off, and was released on the fourth Namco Museum game. The player controls two characters: Ki as well as Gilgamesh. It can also be noted in this game that Ki is a warrior, not a damsel in distress like many people believe. The tower now has a few different ways to exit, and the aggregate total of levels is 128 (covering the 60-floor tower).
In the fourth Namco Museum game, you control Ki with the directional pad and Gilgamesh with the buttons. Because the latter draws his sword whenever an enemy is near, it is recommended by most that you mainly control Ki. There is also a small handbook included which shows you passwords and floor maps that make it easier to win.
[edit] The Quest of Ki
It is basically a prequel to Tower of Druaga. See the Quest of Ki article for more explanation.
[edit] The Blue Crystal Rod
The least well-known of the sequels, this picks up where Return of Ishtar left off and is the final game in the Tower of Druaga series, according to Namco.
[edit] The Nightmare of Druaga
This game is set three years after the original Tower of Druaga tetrology. In it, Ki and Gilgamesh are about to be married, however, Ki is kidnapped by an evil sorceress, Skulld, and Gilgamesh has to save her again. The game is known for its unforgiving difficulty, as death in the game results in losing all your items and half your gold. In terms of actual gameplay, this game actually has more in common with the Mysterious Dungeon series (see third paragraph).
In this game, Ishtar (who is good-natured in earlier games) is portrayed as bossy, and whoever resets the game gets yelled at by her for "meddling with the flow of time".
Nightmare was not made by Namco, but by two other companies called Arika and ChunSoft. It was far less successful than the prior games, and was even given a low rating in a video game magazine. This game is the fifth in the "Druaga series" (not counting "Drururuaga"), and the eighth in the aforementioned Mysterious Dungeon series.
[edit] Seme COM Dungeon: Drururuaga
This game is placed about 100 years after the original Druaga timeline and stars Gilsh, a descendant of Gilgamesh. Gameplay is best described as a dungeon-building capture the flag with collectible cards. Use cards to equip your character with weapons and spells, and to populate your dungeon with monsters. Then battle against an opponent and his dungeon (AI or link cable). Enter opponent's dungeon via linked teleporters, find the three keys to unlock the crystal, and return it to your home base before your he does the same. Success yields additional cards. Each item or monster is highly specialized, allowing for different strategic combos. Features many Namco cameos, such as Soul Calibur's Nightmare and the sword Soul Edge, Valkyrie, Pac-Man, and even enemies from Dig Dug.
[edit] Remake
The game was remade for the PC Engine in 1992. The game sports new graphics, a password feature, difficulty levels (easy, normal, hard and pro). The levels themselves are completely different, the conditions to get the secret treasures are changed, some treasures have been removed and some have been added, there are new enemies. You also have an item screen where you can use the collected items and equip armor. At the end of each level you get ability points which you can use to raise your speed, sword speed, Pickax uses and more.
[edit] Trivia
- The series has been often referenced in other Namco games.
- Ropers have appeared in many different games, from Tales of Symphonia to Guardian Heroes and D&D.
- In Tales of Phantasia much of the equipment used by Gilgamesh could be obtained.
- Tales of Destiny contained an optional dungeon based directly off of the original Tower of Druaga (but with different treasures).
- In Tales of Symphonia, the equipment used by Gilgamesh could be obtained, and the character Zelos could gain a special title by wearing it.
- Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3 also contains a variation of the dungeon. The game also contains costumes for Gilgamesh, Ki and Druaga which allows the heroes to become them in battle, and wearing the Gilgamesh costume is necessary to access the dungeon in the first place.
- In Tales of Legendia, one of the "Rare Monsters" that you can find and battle is the Quox, the dragon enemies from the Druaga games.
- Mr. Driller: Drill Land has 5 worlds and one of them is called Hole of Druaga featuring Mr Driller game with RPG elements.
- Mr. Driller Ace featured two levels named after Druaga characters: the "Druaga Ruins" and the "Quox Ruins".
- Several characters from the series appear in Namco x Capcom
- In Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, the Tower of Druaga makes an appearance as a puzzle in Mira, complete with slimes and tools. Baten Kaitos also contains some of Gilgamesh's equipment as obtainable items.
- Japanese gamers that pre-ordered Baten Kaitos also got a bonus disc containing the Famicom version of the original Tower of Druaga.
- In Soul Calibur II, one of Sophitia's alternate costumes was based off of Ki's design. In addition, one of her weapon sets was the Blue Crystal Rod and Blue Line Shield, equipment formerly used by Gilgamesh and Ki. The Red Crystal Rod and Red Line Shield are also available as bonus weapons for Cassandra.
- The song "Taiko March" in the game Taiko: Drum Master is comprised of music from several Namco games, including the Tower of Druaga.
