Slayers Royal

Slayers Royal

PlayStation cover art
Developer(s) Onion Egg
Japan Art Media[1]
Publisher(s) Kadokawa Shoten
ESP
Platform(s) Sega Saturn, PlayStation
Release date(s) July 25, 1997 (Saturn)
April 23, 1998 (PlayStation)
Genre(s) Tactical role-playing game
Mode(s) Single player
Distribution CD-ROM

Slayers Royal (スレイヤーズろいやる Sureiyāzu roiyaru) is a 1997 tactical role-playing game developed by Onion Egg and Japan Art Media and published by Kadokawa Shoten and Entertainment Software Publishing only in Japan. It was originally released for the Sega Saturn on July 25, 1997,[2] and its PlayStation port was released on April 23, 1998.[3]

Slayers Royal was the third video game adaptation on the Slayers franchise and the first that featured the full motion video cut scenes and voice actors from the anime versions. The well-received game was followed by a sequel Slayers Royal 2 in 1998.

Gameplay

Combat mode gameplay in Slayers Royal for the Sega Saturn

Contrary to its two purely role-playing predecessors in the Slayers comic fantasy franchise's video game adaptation series, Royal is a tactical role-playing game. The use of CD-ROM as media enabled addition of FMV cutscenes and a large amount of digitized voice sampling, featuring the voices of Megumi Hayashibara, Maria Kawamura, Yasunori Matsumoto, Masami Suzuki, Hikaru Midorikawa and other main actors from Slayers anime productions. The PlayStation has some new features such as an improved FMV quality, five minigames, and the DualShock controller vibration feedback compatibility.[3]

The game is split between Adventure Mode and Battle Mode. Adventure Mode itself has two components, conversation and travel (including visiting town locations such as stores and inns). Battle Mode features an isometric-view perspective and is round-based for selecting orders (including various spells and character-specific special moves), followed by real-time combat sequences ending with the next turn.

Plot

Slayers Royal is notable for bringing together Naga the Serpent (Lina Inverse's companion in the prequel stories) with Gourry Gabriev, Amelia and Zelgadis Greywords (Lina's companions in the main storyline) at once for the first time. In the game's storyline, Lina, Gourry and Naga encounter an elf boy named Lark (ラークの) being attacked by the mazoku demons. After rescuing him, they find that the mazoku have kidnapped Lark's sister in order to gain an ancient amulet that is now in hands of Lark. Eventually, they discover the real power of this legendary relic: with it, the mazoku can resurrect the demon king Ruby-Eye Shabranigdu and destroy the world.

Reception

Slayers Royal was a big commercial success in Japan, where the original Sega Saturn release became #2 best-selling game on any platform during August 1997.[4] Dave Halverson listed it among the untranslated Japanese games "that any Saturn user would have been proud to own."[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.jam1989.co.jp/contact/index.html
  2. ↑ "Slayers Royal Release Information for Saturn". GameFAQs. Retrieved June 11, 2009.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 PSM issue 8 (April 1998), page 22.
  4. ↑ Computer and Video Games issue 191 (October 1997), page 101 (Freeplay 2).
  5. ↑ Gamers' Republic issue 5 page 5.

External links