| The Tower of Druaga | |
|---|---|
Japanese arcade flyer of The Tower of Druaga. |
|
| Developer(s) | Namco |
| Publisher(s) | Namco |
| Designer(s) | Masanobu Endō (遠藤雅伸) (designer)[1] Yūichirō Shinozaki (篠崎雄一郎) (character designer) Satoshi Naitō (内藤智) (game programmer) |
| Composer(s) | Junko Ozawa (小沢純子)[2] |
| Platform(s) | Arcade, MSX, Famicom, Game Boy, Sharp X1, PC Engine, Virtual Console |
| Release date(s) | Arcade
Famicom
|
| Genre(s) | Maze, Action RPG |
| Mode(s) | Up to 2 players, alternating turns |
| Rating(s) | |
| Cabinet | Upright, cabaret, and cocktail |
| Arcade system | Namco Super Pac-Man |
| CPU | 2x M6809 @ 1.536 MHz |
The Tower of Druaga (ドルアーガの塔 Doruāga no Tō) is a maze-based action role-playing arcade game released by Namco in 1984,[3] in Japan[3] and the United States.[4] It is the first game in the Babylonian Castle Saga series of games.
The game runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware but with a video system like that used in Mappy. It was later ported to the MSX, Famicom and remade for the PC Engine platform by Game Studio. Its first appearance outside Japan was in the third compilation of the Namco Museum series for the PlayStation and also appears on the Nintendo DS and Xbox 360 version of said series.
Originally the game and its sequels had no specific setting other than "the tower". However, in recent years, the series has been retconned as being set in the fantasy kingdom of "Babylim".
A 2008 anime series, beginning with The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk, uses the game as its back story, though is set many decades later.
Contents |
The player assumes the role of the hero Gilgamesh, whose goal is to rescue the maiden Ki (カイ Kai) from the demon Druaga. To do this, he must traverse through 60 floors of an immense tower. Gilgamesh comes equipped with a sword, which he can use to defeat monsters, and a shield, which can be used to block magical attacks. The monsters get progressively more difficult as the game progresses, beginning with simple slimes and culminating with Druaga himself. Each floor consists of a maze filled with monsters, and a randomly placed locked door leading to the next level. The player must navigate through the maze to find a randomly placed key that unlocks the door. In addition, each floor contains a hidden treasure, which appears once the player has performed a specific requirement. The player's starting position is also randomly determined; however, the hidden treasure always appears in the same position the player starts from when revealed. The mazes themselves are not random, but there are various predetermined patterns. Some of the treasures are merely helpful items, some are detrimental, and some are essential to completing the game including the Blue Crystal Rod, the game's most important item; without it, Druaga will not appear and the player will be forced to return to an earlier floor.
The regular enemies are slimes, magicians, ghosts, knights, lizard men, ropers (which look like huge blobs with tentacles), and dragons (the main being Quox).
In the third Namco Museum game, there is a small handbook explaining how to get the treasures. There is also a hidden version far more difficult than the regular. The treasures (save the first one) are all alternated in how to get. In the museum's library, there are three books containing illustrations of the game's characters. The Namco Museum DS version does not have a physical handbook, but the actual game does feature a "hint mode" for getting the treasures.
On some early releases of the arcade version there is a glitch that makes the last level unbeatable.
Gilgamesh (ギルガメッシュ Girugamesshu), also known as Gil, the destined hero of this game. He has been charged by the goddess Ishtar to ascend the Tower of Druaga and rescue the maiden Ki from the demon Druaga. Not only must Gil use his sword and shield to navigate through the labyrinthine floors of the tower, he must use his wit and memory to reveal the locations of the treasures contained on each floor, some of which are absolutely necessary for Gil's success. Gil is patterned after the Gilgamesh of Sumerian legend. Gil was also absent in The Quest of Ki.
Ki (カイ Kai) a priestess who has unfortunately been captured and rendered powerless by the demon Druaga, turning her into a stone to lure the greatest warrior in Ishtar's realm into his trap. Ki goes on to be a tremendous asset in Gil's future adventures, but first she must be rescued from Druaga's grasp.
Ishtar (イシター Ishitā), based on the goddess of love by the same name, assigns Ki to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod. After Ki is captured, Ishtar tells Gil to save Ki; she is unable to meddle directly in the affairs of mortals on earth, and can only sit by and watch as Gil answers her call to service. In the PC engine remake, she gives hints to the player about retrieving the treasures.
Druaga (ドルアーガ Doruāga) is the demon that resides in the tower that is called the Tower of Druaga. He is portrayed as a huge, green monster with eight arms, four legs, and yellow eyes. He will eventually be defeated by Gil. He has hidden the Blue Crystal Rod and kidnapped Ki to lure Ishtar's greatest instruments of good into his trap so he can dispose of them forever, and lay claim to the world. For Druaga's plan to succeed, Gil must die. Should Gil survive the climb through all 60 monster ridden floors of the tower, he must face Druaga himself. Without the proper equipment and enhancements, Gil will be no match for Druaga's brutal destructive strength.
The game has been ported to the following platforms:[5]
The game was remade for the PC Engine in 1992. The game sports new graphics, a password feature, difficulty levels (easy, normal, hard and pro). The levels themselves are completely different, the conditions to get the secret treasures are changed, some treasures have been removed and some have been added, there are new enemies. You also have an item screen where you can use the collected items and equip armor. At the end of each level you get ability points you can use to raise your speed, sword speed, Pickax uses and more.
There are four games in the main series.
Also, some side stories were made, including:
The sequels were not as successful as the first game, although Return of Ishtar came very close.
An anime series titled "Druaga no Tō ~the Aegis of URUK~" (The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis Of Uruk) premiered on April 5, 2008 with simultaneous streaming on YouTube, Crunchyroll and Bost TV. The series is set 60 years after the events of the original arcade game (and by extension, its sequels) and features an all new story, with a new cast of characters (although Gil now appears as an elderly king; Ki first appeared in a flashback, and later appears as a "ghost of the tower").
|
||||||||