Princess Maker
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| Princess Maker 2 | |
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| Developer(s) | Gainax |
| Publisher(s) | Gainax |
| Platform(s) | MS-DOS, NEC PC-9801 |
| Release date | 1993 |
| Genre(s) | Life simulation game |
| Mode(s) | Single player |
Princess Maker is a series of Japanese life simulation bishōjo games by the computer game and anime production company Gainax. The first Princess Maker, while popular enough to be translated into Chinese, was never released in the United States of America. Princess Maker 2 was translated by SoftEgg for a North American release, but this release was cancelled because publisher Intracorp went bankrupt. Princess Maker 3, Princess Maker 4, and Princess Maker 5 have subsequently been released. The series has been translated and released in Korea (Fujitsu) and Taiwan (Kingformation). No English translation have been made after the failed attempt of Princess Maker 2.
An anime loosely based on the third game, but with characters from all of the games, called Puchi Puri Yuushi (Petite Princess Yucie in the English release) has aired.
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[edit] Princess Maker 1
There are 74 possible endings, ranging from humble jobs such as a soldier or a mason, to prestigious jobs such as Archbishop or Prime Minister, to "dark side" jobs such as a prostitute or a crime lord. In addition, numerous factors decide whether or not the daughter is successful at her job, whom she marries, and whether she has children of her own.
[edit] Princess Maker 2
In Princess Maker 2, the second game in the series, you play a swordsman who adopts a ten-year-old girl and raises her to the age of 18. The player controls the girl's schedule from the age of 10, filling it with activities such as education, part-time work, adventure and free time. During 'adventures', the player controls the girl directly, using a top-down view similar to that seen in RPGs of that period. As with the other games in the series the girl's eventual fate is decided when she reaches 18 years of age, based on her experience and statistics. Princess Maker 2 is the only game of the series to have been translated into English. However, the translation was never finished and the game was never officially published. The translation was leaked onto the internet and is considered abandonware, despite a statement from SoftEgg requesting that it not be distributed.[1]
[edit] Princess Maker 3
In Princess Maker 3, which some say[citation needed] is actually the fourth entry in this series, your daughter is a young Faery who desires to become a human Princess. She is left in your care, and your task is to help her reach adulthood. In this version, everything said to your daughter and done will help determine your daughters attitude, social status, and outlook on life. Unlike the previous game, you get to choose your job from a list of six possibilities at the start of the game.
This choice in job will help to rank your social status in the kingdom and also determine your starting money and yearly wages if you get any yearly wage. As you can choose a different job at the start of each game, that choice will affect various factors in raising your daughter, starting with the attitude with which she begins. Along these lines, unlike the previous games where your daughter was basically either happy, sick, or rebellious, in Princess Maker 3 your daughter's attitude can range from happy, to average, to worried, to spoiled. Her attitude will be determined based on both your job starting off and how well your treat her during the game. Your choice of jobs starting out are, Merchant, Performer, Fallen Nobleman, Priest, Retired Knight, and Bard. There are 60 endings in this game ranging from the typical ones like general and hero, to some more distinctive like gambler and freelancer. There are also many "magical" endings, with not only the princess ending, but princess of darkness, cats, etc. She can also marry a variety of people. This version of Princess Maker has the most varied endings.
[edit] Princess Maker 4
Unlike past installments, Princess Maker 4 was developed by GeneX, although Takami Akai (original series creator) remained on hand as a supervisor. This time, character illustrations were handled by Tenhiro Naoto, the creator of Sister Princess.
Structurally, Princess Maker 4 draws much inspiration from Princess Maker 2, although an adventure mode does not exist anymore. As with PM3, full voiceovers have been recorded, including contributions from famous voice actors like Sakurai Takahiro (Prince Sharul/Charles).
PM4 is highly drama-oriented. Throughout the game, there are various event scenes that offer clues about your daughter's past, not to mention the war between humans and non-humans and her demonic roots. This is probably what differentiates it the most from previous PM games.
The story begins when the player is a soldier. The player falls in love with a mysterious woman. However, she disappears, only to be found by the player few years later. She hands you the child along with Cube (The butler). And so the journey to fatherhood begins...
A Japanese PC version of Princess Maker 4 was released on the 28th of July, 2006. It contains many more endings and events compared to the original.[1]
A PlayStation Portable version of Princess Maker 4 was released in Japan on October 12th, 2006.
Earlier, there was an entirely different Princess Maker 4 in the works. Under development at Ninelives, the game was to take place in modern Tokyo rather than the medieval world featured in the final game. This project was eventually abandoned. However, the concept went on to be the basis of Princess Maker 5, for example - the modern Japan setting and the fact that Cube can transform himself into a dog.
[edit] Princess Maker 5
Princess Maker 5 is the newest Princess Maker title. This version has been set to play in Modern Japan. It was released on March 3, 2007.
It has several differences from previous titles in the series. The environment has become a modern setting presumably in a fictitious city somewhere in Japan, and instead of being only able to take on the role of a father, the player can now play as a mother or a father.
The gameplay has received several major changes as well, including changes to the scheduling of her courses/work, which no longer follows the monthly timeline but follows a more lengthy weekly timeline. More detailed choices are available on how lenient you are on her diet, curfew, allowance and her disposition towards school, people around her, and how she should think. RPG elements have been implemented as well, though nowhere as intensively as Princess Maker 2, the player can now let his/her daughter go explore in the worlds that are parallel to her own.
The player in this game is a retired hero of a human realm parallel to the modern world. The daughter is a girl from a royal heritage, and one of many candidates to assume the role of princess. However, following the assassinations of the other candidates, she became the target as well. Her entire family is killed during the attempt on her life. As her protector, Cube saved the player's daughter and requested the player to take care of the daughter until she reaches the age of 18. So the journey of parenthood unfolds with Cube's help.
[edit] Petite Princess Yucie
The anime, Petite Princess Yucie which is loosely based on all the Princess Maker games, has the character of Cube from Princess Maker 2 appearing as Yucie's steward in the anime, looking nearly identical in style and design to how he appears in the game. Yucie herself looks almost identical to the character of Lisa from Princess Maker 3, including the hairstyle, hair color, and unusually large forehead. The final "villain" of the anime share the same appearance of Maria, the daughter from Princess Maker 1. Ket Shi the demon cat, a minor villain in one episode, is also from Princess Maker 2, although in the game he is the god of the Wildcat tribe, and can be helpful to the player rather than harmful. Other characters in Petite Princess Yucie can undoubtedly also be found in other Princess Maker games.
[edit] See also
- Petite Princess Yucie (Platina Princess Yucie)
- Cute Knight
- Angelique
