Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of the NEC PC-6001 version |
|
| Developer(s) | Yuuji Horii / Armor Project Chunsoft (Famicom, mobile) |
| Publisher(s) | Enix Square Enix (after 2003-04-01) |
| Designer(s) | Yuuji Horii |
| Platform(s) | NEC PC-6001, Famicom, mobile phones (i-mode, EZweb, Keitai) |
| Release date | PC-6001 JP June 1983 Famicom JP 1985-11-29 First mobile version JP 2003-04-03 (EZweb) JP 2003-05-01 (Keitai) Second mobile version JP 2005-01-13 (EZweb) JP 2005-07-19 (i-mode) JP 2006-01-18 (Keitai) |
| Genre(s) | Adventure game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
| Input methods | Keyboard (PC-6001), gamepad (Famicom) |
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (ポートピア連続殺人事件? literally The Portopia Serial Murder Case), is a Japan-exclusive adventure game designed by Yuuji Horii and published by Enix (now Square Enix). It was first released on the NEC PC-6001 in June 1983, and later ported to other personal computers. Chunsoft ported the game to the Famicom on November 29, 1985, and to different mobile phone services starting in 2001.
The game is a basic investigation adventure in which the player must resolve the mystery of a murder by searching for clues, interacting with characters, and solving item-based puzzles. The game, especially its Famicom version, was received positively by players in Japan. An unofficial English fan translation of the Famicom version was released on June 16, 2006 by DvD Translations.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken follows a first-person perspective. The various events are described with still pictures and text messages. The player interacts with the game using a verb-noun parser which requires typing precise commands with the keyboard. Finding the exact words to type is considered part of the riddles that must be solved. While sound effects are present, the games lacks music and save function.[2]
[edit] Setting and characters
Although the story of the game is fictional, it is set in real Japanese cities; mainly Kobe, in addition to a few sequences in Kyoto and Sumoto.[2] The president of a successful bank company, Kouzou Yamakawa (山川耕造?), is found dead by his secretary Fumie Sawaki (さわき ふみえ?) inside a locked room in his mansion. Signs seem to indicate that Kouzou stabbed himself; however, the police sends a detective to investigate further.[3]
The detective in charge of the case is an unnamed, unseen, and silent protagonist who essentially embodies the player. He works with an assistant named Yasuhiko Mano (間野康彦?), nicknamed Yasu (ヤス?), who is the one who actually speaks and executes most of the player's commands.[2] Other characters include, among others, Yukiko (ゆきこ?), daughter of a man named Hirata (ひらた?); and Toshiyuki (としゆき?), Kouzou's nephew and heir.[3]
[edit] Re-releases
The game was ported to various Japanese personal computers.[4] A Famicom port was also released in 1985 and was the first adventure game to be released on that platform. The Famicom version was also the first collaboration between Yuuji Horii and Koichi Nakamura of Chunsoft, before Dragon Quest.[5] With no keyboard, the Famicom version replaces the verb-noun parser with a list of set commands selectable with the gamepad. A cursor can be moved on the screen to look for clues and hotspots. Additional sequences were also added, notably an underground dungeon maze reportedly inspired by Wizardry.[2]
The first mobile phone version of the game was branded as a part of a Yūji Horii Gekijō (堀井雄二劇場? "Yuuji Horii Theater") trilogy along with mobile versions of Hokkaido Rensa Satsujin Ohōtsuku ni Kiyu and Karuizawa Yūkai Annai. It was released in 2003 on EZweb and Yahoo! Keitai services. It features a list of set commands similar to the Famicom version but also improved graphics, no free-moving cursor, and a save function.[4]
The games of the trilogy, which was retitled Yuuji Horii Mysteries (堀井雄二ミステリーズ?), were re-released in 2005 and 2006 on the same services. The second Portopia version possesses the same content as the first mobile one, in addition to updated graphics, background music, a bonus function obtained after completing the game, and a hint option which nullifies the ending bonus if it is used too frequently.[2][3]
[edit] Reception
The Famicom version of the game sold 700,000 copies.[2] The game, along with Super Mario Bros., inspired Hideo Kojima to enter the video game industry.[6] In 2003, Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken ranked 19th in a poll to determine the thirty best Famicom games; the poll was conducted by the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography as part of its "Level X" exhibition.[7] The English-language webzine Retrogaming Times Monthly compared the game to the later-released Shadowgate, and recommended it to fans of "slower paced games that require [players] to think through puzzles".[1]
[edit] References
- ^ a b Jacobi, Scott (October 2006), “Nintendo Realm - November to December 1985”, Retrogaming Times Monthly (no. 29), <http://my.stratos.net/~hewston95/RTM29/RTM29.html>. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ a b c d e f Gameman (2005-09-06). 「ポートピア連続殺人事件」の舞台を巡る (Japanese). ITmedia +D Games p. 1. ITmedia. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ a b c ポートピア連続殺人事件 (Japanese). Square Enix. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ a b 事件だヤス! iモード「ポートピア」配信開始 (Japanese). ITmedia +D Games. ITmedia (2001-11-26). Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ Ryozo, Ota (2005-01-13). 「ポートピア連続殺人事件」にグラフィックなどを一新したBREW版 (Japanese). ケータイ Watch. Impress Group. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ Kasavin, Greg (2005-03-21). "Everything is Possible": Inside the Minds of Gaming's Master Storytellers. GameSpot p. 2. CNET Networks. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
- ^ Smith, David (November 2003). Japanese Famicom Top 30. 1UP.com. Ziff Davis. Retrieved on 2007-08-15.
[edit] External links
- Famicom version official page (Japanese)
- First mobile version official website (Japanese)
- Second mobile version official websites: EZweb, i-mode, Keitai (Japanese)
