Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

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Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure

Developer(s) Nippon Ichi
Publisher(s) Atlus
Designer(s) Koichi Kitazurri (game director)
John Yamamoto (game producer)
Tenpei Sato (music)
Platform(s) PlayStation, Nintendo DS
Release date JPN December 17, 1998
NA July 30, 2000
Genre(s) RPG
Mode(s) Single player
Rating(s) ESRB: E for Everyone
Media CD-ROM, Nintendo DS game card

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure, known in Japan as Marl-ōkoku no Ningyō-hime (マール王国の人形姫 Māru-ōkoku no Ningyō-hime?, literally "The Puppet Princess of Marl Kingdom") is an RPG for the PlayStation console from Atlus USA and Nippon Ichi Software, the creators of Disgaea, and is part of the Marl Kingdom series.[1]

It was released three times in Japan — once in 1998, then again as The Adventure of Puppet Princess + 1 in 1999, and then again as The Adventure of Puppet Princess (PSOne Books) in 2001,[1] and will be released a fourth time for the Nintendo DS on June 6, 2008. The game was released in the USA, in 2000 and is the only game in the series to be released outside Japan.

Rhapsody, along with its sequels, are considered musical RPGs,[2] meaning in place of FMV cutscenes, there are musical numbers, complete with vocals. The game is also known for its "overwhelming cuteness"[1] and low level of difficulty.[2] Although this may make the game seem geared towards a younger audience, in Japan, the game and series in general has seen much success.[1] In North America, the game has seen much less success, viewed as a girl-only game,[1] although there is a strong cult following for the offbeat title.

Contents

[edit] Story

The game centers on the adventures of Cornet, a girl who can talk to puppets and has a magical horn that grants wishes, and Kururu, a puppet that has the soul and heart of a person that was Cornet's best friend. The majority of the game is about Cornet and Kururu trying to save Prince Ferdinand Marl E. (whom Cornet has a crush on) after he has been turned to stone by the self-proclaimed "most beautiful witch in the world."[1] The witch, Queen Marjoly, also has a crush on the prince and had meant to transport him to her castle, but messed up the spell and accidentally turned him to stone.

[edit] Characters

  • Cornet Espoire: Cornet is the outgoing heroine of the game. She can sing, play the horn, and even talk to puppets. Cornet longs for a passionate relationship and despises toads.[3]
  • Kururu: She is a puppet and Cornet's best friend. She follows Cornet throughout the game, often making humorous comments on Cornet's behavior.[4]
  • Cherie: Cherie is Cornet's mother. She likes cherries, and doesn't like anything sour. [5]
  • Ferdinand Marl E.: He is the soon to be king of the Marl Kingdom. He often sneaks out of the castle to hunt or visit the city. Cornet and Etoile find him extremely handsome.[6]
  • Etoile Rosenqueen: She is Cornet's arrogant rival. Etoile often makes sarcastic remarks about Cornet. She is from a rich background and loves being the center of attention. [7]
  • Marjoly: Marjoly is the antagonist of the game, but is hardly the typical evil mastermind bent on world destruction. It is believed that she lies about her age (if her appearances in the Disgaea games are any indication, she most certainly does!). She often calls herself the most beautiful witch in the world.[8]
  • Gao: Gao is one of Marjoly's lackies. She is built like a man and acts like a man. It is said she has the strength to fight a dragon with her bare hands.[9]
  • Crowdia: Crowdia is another of Marjoly's lackies. She is very beautiful, but very narcissistic. She has large black wings, like an angel, and fights with a sword.[10]
  • Myao: Myao is Marjoly's third lacky. She appears to be a child. She often acts childish and selfish, and she can cast powerful magic to summon dragons.[11]

[edit] Gameplay

Kururu getting upset
Kururu getting upset

When starting a new game, the player can select a game difficulty (easy, normal, or hard), which affects how long it will take to finish the game. The player selects different places on the world map and encounters random encounter battles, such as in the Dragon Quest series. Unlike most RPGs, the player can save at any time, except during battle.[12]

An oft-mentioned point of appreciation is its relatively unique plot premise and flow. Rhapsody is a theatrical musical in regard to its presentation style, containing frequent cut scenes that are sung, rather than simply spoken and acted. Players are given the option of listening to the lyrics and voice-overs in Japanese, English, or muting them entirely.[12]

[edit] Battles

The battles are fought in a tactical role-playing game fashion. However, unlike other games in this genre, the battles tend to last less than a minute, with the exception of boss battles, and require little tactics. This makes the game stand out in its genre and may have also led to its limited mainstream success with more hardcore players of the genre.[1]

Battle scene
Battle scene

Cornet is the main fighter in the battles, but other puppets are found throughout the game that also join in the battle. Kururu never actually fights in any battles. Each character learns different skills as they level up, except Cornet, who has attacks called Rewards. Cornet can blow her horn during battle to gain appreciation points, which allow her to unleash these devastating techniques. Most Rewards are represented by foods, such as flan, cake, and candy.

Like in most TRPGs, each character has a certain move number and can attack at a certain distance. Most party members can only attack at close range, unless he or she has a long range skill. Each character can also equip three accessories and use items. The game features some normal status problems (sleep, paralysis, etc) like in most RPGs, but has some original ones too, such as frog and philanthrophy. Each enemy also has an element (thunder, wind, earth, fire, water, dark, holy) and a weakness to the opposite element.[13] Each element has its own set of spells, which can be used to take advantage of such weaknesses.

Unlike in most TRPGs, instead of gaining experience points each turn, all the characters get the same amount of points at the end of battle. After earning enough experience points, the character will level up and become stronger and possibly learn a spell.[13] There are also skill points, gained when a character strikes the finishing blow. The more of these points a character has, the higher his or her critical rate becomes.[13] Inotium, the in-game money, is also won after every battle. Occasionally monsters will join Cornet after they are defeated. These monsters can then be used in battle, like puppets, and can use special monster abilities.

[edit] Extra

Hidden throughout the game are high quality illustrations of characters, which can be viewed any time through the item menu.[1]

[edit] Legacy

Review scores
Publication Score Review
GamePro
3.5 of 5
→
GameSpot
5.9 of 10
→
IGN
7.3 of 10
→
RPGFan
75 of 100
→
Game Revolution
D+
→

Considered to be a sleeper hit and cult classic among role-playing games, Rhapsody appeals largely to a small demographic within the larger console RPG fanbase, even considered a novelty of the genre.[2] Its lighthearted approach, distinctly female perspective, relatively brief playtime (it can be completed in approximately 10 hours normally, and in 5 hours if rushed, whereas most RPG's span 30+ hours) and generally challenge-soft gameplay are factors that have contributed to both its limited success among the mainstream,[14] and intense popularity within its smaller fanbase.[1]

[edit] Sequels

Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure has a sequel, Little Princess: Maru Oukoku no Ningyou Hime 2, which has been fan-translated on GameFAQs. There is also a third game Tenshi no Present - Marl Oukoku Monogatari, also known as Angel's Present: Chronicles of the Marl Kingdom by some fans of the series. A Nintendo DS port has been revealed by Famitsu. Details about the port are sparce other then the fact it's going to be the same game.

Japanese cover
Japanese cover

[edit] Influence

Rhapsody's influence has extended into Nippon Ichi's subsequent series' of Tactical Role-playing games. One of the characters of La Pucelle: Tactics is a descendant of the characters in the game, while the shops named after Cornet's Rival, Etoile Rosenqueen, have spread even to the Netherworlds of Disgaea.[1]

[edit] Extra

After the first release of the game, a cheaper edition called The Adventure of Puppet Princess + 1 was published, which featured an art gallery, sound test, and a bonus CD. The American release of the game had these features, but instead of the bonus CD was a soundtrack CD, with vocal and instrumental songs from the game. The third release (The Adventure of Puppet Princess (PSOne Books)), did not come with any extra CD.

There was also a Rhapsody calendar released.[15]

[edit] Soundtrack

Rhapsody - A Musical Adventure (USA soundtrack)
Rhapsody - A Musical Adventure (USA soundtrack)

Bundled with the US game was an original soundtrack CD (Rhapsody - A Musical Adventure USA Soundtrack). All songs were composed by Tenpei Sato.[16]

Tracklist:

  1. Someday - Cornet (Sara Thomas) /Kururu (Jody Fleischer) - (3:09)
  2. Let's Go On (Contest) - Cornet (Sara Thomas) /Etoile (Jody Fleischer) - (4:53)
  3. Let's Go On (Cherie) - Cherie (Jody Fleischer) - (2:40)
  4. Our World - Cornet (Sara Thomas) /Ferdinand (Josh Synard) - (3:00)
  5. Amphibian Paradise - Michael (Josh Synard) /Frog Dancers (Rachel Quaintanes) /(Glenn Wissner) /(Keith Arem) - (3:28)
  6. Evil Queen - Marjoly (Camie Gordon Lowrey) /Myao (Sara Thomas) /Gao (Rachel Quaintanes) /Crowdia (Jody Fleischer) - (2:40)
  7. True Courage - Cornet (Sara Thomas) /Kururu (Jody Fleischer) - (2:46)
  8. Thank You - Cornet (Sara Thomas) - (6:08)
  9. Mountainmen's Song - Gilbert (Josh Synard) /Chorus (Glenn Wissner) /(Keith Arem) - (1:54)
  10. Amazing Pirates - Pirates (Josh Synard) /(Glenn Wissner) /(Keith Arem) - (1:39)
  11. Puppet Princess Theme - (2:58)
  12. Little Love - (2:39)
  13. Adventurer - (1:35)
  14. Welcome To the Dungeon - (2:45)
  15. Spirit Wind - (2:57)
  16. Marjoly Family Anthem - (2:24)
  17. Mothergreen - (2:00)
  18. Castle Evening - (1:59)
  19. Lady's Barrette - (2:41)
  20. Fear - (2:11)
  21. Shooting Star - (2:05)
  22. Rhapsody Afar - (2:05)
  23. Dream Hunter - (2:49)
  24. The Wanderer - (3:04)
  25. Last Waltz - (3:58)
  26. Mother's Lullaby - (2:19)

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j http://hg101.classicgaming.gamespy.com/marl/marl.htm Retrieved 2007-22-4
  2. ^ a b c http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/rhapsodyamusicaladventure/review.html Retrieved 2007-13-7
  3. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/cornet.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  4. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/kururu1.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  5. ^ http://psx.ign.com/articles/133/133954p1.html Retrieved 2007-7-13
  6. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/ferdinand.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  7. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/etoile.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  8. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/marjoly.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  9. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/gao.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  10. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/crowdia.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  11. ^ http://www.rpgdreamer.com/rhapsody/myao.html Retrieved 2007-7-10
  12. ^ a b (1999) in Atlus staff: Rhapsoday: A Musical Adventure instruction manual (in English). Atlus, 8. SLUS-01073. 
  13. ^ a b c (1999) in Atlus staff: Rhapsoday: A Musical Adventure instruction manual (in English). Atlus, 16-19. SLUS-01073. 
  14. ^ http://www.rpgland.com/games/rhapsody/review.html Retrieved 2007-13-7
  15. ^ http://www.rpgamer.com/games/other/psx/rhapsody/rhapprop.html Retrieved 2007-12-7
  16. ^ http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/rhapsody/ Retrieved 2007-11-7

[edit] External links

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