Magi Nation
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| Magi Nation (Game Boy Color game) | |
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| Developer(s) | Interactive Imagination |
| Publisher(s) | Epoch Co. |
| Platform(s) | Game Boy Color |
| Release date | USA March 15, 2001 JPN December 12, 2002 |
| Genre(s) | Role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
| Rating(s) | ESRB: E (Everyone) |
| Media | Cartridge |
Magi Nation is a video game released in 2001 for the Game Boy Color. The game, published by Interactive Imagination, is based on the collectible card game of the same name.
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[edit] Overview
Magi Nation was released in the twilight of the Pokémon craze, when the effects of the fad were just starting to dwindle away. Despite some of the game's innovations, it was largely ignored and gathered only a small cult following after its release. The game itself was a marketing advancement in order to give attention to Interactive Imagination's flagship card game, Magi-Nation Duel.
The game was originally released in the U.S., and included a promo card of the game's protagonist, Tony Jones, who becomes a hero in the card game's canonical mythology. The game was later released in Japan, with some major details changed - the main character was instead named "Dan" and was given spiky black hair, as opposed to Tony's messy blond hair. This was done to give the hero a more Asian-friendly appearance, as Tony Jones represented stereotypical Western teenagers.
The game keeps a light-hearted mood; the dialog is filled with jokes and references, but maintains seriousness in key situations.
[edit] Synopsis
Magi Nation follows Tony Jones, a timid human teenage boy, who has just recently moved into a new town. Upon meeting the local kids, they coerce him into entering a cave that they themselves are too frightened to enter. Tony explores the cave, and upon picking up a crystal, the cave collapses, and when he awakes from unconsciousness, he finds himself in a new, strange world. In a forest area, he summons a dream creature from the crystal and meets a man named Eidon. He is escorted to the city of Vash Naroom, located in a network of tree canopies and constructed of wood. His basic questions of the nature of this world are explained. Soon after his arrival, a menacing dungeon erupts from the ground in a nearby forest (called Shadow Geysers), and in the events following, he is mistaken for a prophesied hero named "Magus Kyros".
With no other option, Tony ventures across this new world, searching for the means by which he can return home.
[edit] Gameplay
Magi Nation features many archetypical RPG elements such as levels gained through earning experience points and simple, linear story progression. It does however transcend many of these and contains various unique elements.
[edit] Battle
Similarly to Pokémon, Magi Nation involves "taming" wild creatures (called dream creatures) and using them to fight. Whenever a creature is defeated, the player may receive that creature's animite, a magical stone containing that creature's essence. These can later be used these to forge rings which allow the player to summon that creature into battle. Each Magi (or group when in a wild battle) may summon up to four dream creatures at a time. Magi may have up to ten rings equipped, thus ten total dream creatures at their disposal.
Unlike Pokémon Trainers, Magi actually fight on their own, casting spells or regenerating energy. It is even conceivable that one could beat the game without using dream creatures at all (but would be virtually impossible due to Tony's severe offensive limitations).
[edit] Dream creatures
There are six areas which creatures may be native to: Naroom, The Underneath, Cald, Orothe, Arderial and The Core.
- Naroom: A great plains area, interspersed with forests. The creatures have elements of foliage and grass. Most of the Naroom creatures are based on generic forest animals and plants, the rest being abstract relations of vegetation.
- The Underneath: A large, possibly continent-sized system of caves, filled with mushrooms and crystals. Underneath creatures are mostly based on mushrooms, insects and burrowing animals.
- Cald: Cald is the only area in Magi Nation to exist in a nonterrestrial climate. Cald is encompassed with volcanoes and barren, red plains, dotted with lakes of lava. Cald creatures are mostly abstract forms of lava or fire, though there are several Cald creatures that are animated bodies of armor, and several are based on jungle animals, such as lions and alligators.
- Orothe: A tropical, reef filled ocean. Deep within it are cities, situated on enormous sea turtles, populated by people who can (by various means) breathe underwater. Orothe creatures are, unsurprisingly, mostly sea animals, fish, and invertebrates.
- Arderial: Several interlinked cities and castles that float among the clouds. The inhabitants can access this location because they have wings, though Tony must obtain a magical artifact in order to fly. Creatures are embodied formations of wind, and birds.
- The Core: Little information about the Core is revealed throughout the game. Only a very small area of the Core is accessible. All that is observed is a dark, desolate cliff-side, and a large clock tower. The Core creatures are encountered in the shadow geysers, and cannot be obtained by normal means. In order to get a Core ring, the player must go through a long process.
[edit] Hyrens
Hyrens are extremely large, powerful Dream Creatures located in secret areas throughout the world. They all begin at level 50, and come with four very powerful moves. They can be easily identified by their nomenclature structure (i.e. "Flame Hyren" or "Cave Hyren"), and their comparatively large size (some of them even go off-screen during their attack animation). Most hyrens are dragonesque in appearance.
The Cave Hyren is featured on the cover art (shown above), and other Hyrens are depicted through out the game manual.
