Rodland

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Rodland

Developer(s)	Jaleco, Eurocom
Publisher(s)	Jaleco
Platform(s)	Arcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Game Boy, NES, ZX Spectrum
Release date	1990 April (Japan)
Genre(s)	Platform, Action
Mode(s)	Single player
Rating(s)	everyone
Media	Cartridge, Cassette Tape, Floppy Disk
Input methods	NES controller, Joystick (Digital), Keyboard

Rodland is a game which was released in Japan in April of 1990 by Jaleco. Its Japanese name Yousei Monogatari Rod Land translates as "Rod Land, a Fairy Tale", but the English language version is simply called "Rodland".

[edit] Gameplay

Screenshot of Rodland, showing Monster in magic forcefield.

The player(s) control one or two fairies called Tam and Rit armed with a magic wand (rod). Following the concept of Bubble Bobble, the rod doesn't kill the monsters directly, but only leaves them immobilized crying. To kill them, the rod can grasp them in a magic force-field and the player can smash them down over her head until they disappear and leave a power-up behind.

Each level is only one small screen composed of monsters, platforms, ladders and, later, tunnels. Unlike other games of the genre, the players can never jump, but have to use ladders. They can conjure one custom ladder above or below them in order to go to the appropriate platform. There can be only one such 'custom' ladder; therefore if the fairy summons it again, it will disappear from its previous position in order to appear again next to the fairy. This can be beneficial for the player, if a monster is climbing that ladder to approach her.

The fairies' quest is to rescue their mother, trapped in a tower. In the sequel (part of the original arcade machine) they must venture into a pyramid, to stop an evil force that is building a mobile fortress. The spirit of their departed father "guides" them at a couple of points. (The ending implies that the evil in the pyramid was somehow responsible for their father's death)

[edit] History

Originally a coin-op arcade game it has since been ported to virtually every platform around in the early nineties, the first being the Amstrad CPC version in 1990, the last being the Nintendo Game Boy version in 1993.

All of these versions differ in some way but by far the biggest difference is that the arcade version includes a totally different 'sequel' (with new graphics, levels, bosses and storyline) on completion of the original game. The enemies in the "second story" are more robotic. This sequel can be accessed directly at the start of the game, if the joystick is moved down three times between inserting a coin and pressing the 1P or 2P button.

In the Game Boy version specifically, the player can strike enemies with the wand even while climbing a ladder, making the game slightly easier to play.