| Taiko Risshiden | |
|---|---|
Cover art for Taiko Risshiden V for the PlayStation Portable |
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| Developers | Koei |
| Publishers | Koei |
| Year of inception | 1992 |
Taikō Risshiden (太閤立志伝) is a Japanese video game series produced by Koei. It was later re-released on the Wii Virtual Console on September 1, 2009, ported from the Super Famicom version.
The name of the game roughly means "the Taikō's success story". The games involve the player taking on the role of a character from the era in one of seven roles (samurai, warrior, pirate, ninja, businessman, doctor, tea man and blacksmith) and living that life during the Momoyama period through minigames, resource management, and strategic thinking. A good player will meet various historical figures who lived during that era.
The latest incarnation, Taiko Risshiden V, was released for PC and PlayStation 2 in August 2004. Its starting scenario is 1560 AD (although the earliest starting scenario that can be unlocked is 1554 AD), with the starting characters being Toyotomi Hideyoshi (under the name Kinoshita Tokichiro), Yagyū Munetoshi (Sekishusai in 1598), Hattori Hanzō, and Kuki Yoshitaka. In the PC version, playing and saving the game as any three of the above unlocks the option to create a custom characters on the main menu. Unlocking more characters will also lead to new starting scenarios, while unlocking events and endings also unlocks the CGs associated with them. A Sound Mode, special CGs, a Minigame Mode and a Character Edit Mode (editing the stats of any single character in-game) can also be unlocked eventually.
Two of the four main characters in Daikōkai Jidai 4, Rafael Castor and Lil Argot, also make notable cameo appearances in the latest installment as Western Items shop owners. In the PS2 port of the game, it is even possible for the player to marry the latter.