tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post7901093192455858314..comments2024-03-29T09:18:29.803-04:00Comments on The CRPG Addict: Game 414: Tritorn (1985)CRPG Addicthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comBlogger43125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-41822327043668345082021-05-28T19:49:34.083-04:002021-05-28T19:49:34.083-04:00I was going to suggest "Xanatype", but I...I was going to suggest "Xanatype", but I think this comfortably trumps it!Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09555164129781347046noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-76973767027855565422021-05-28T18:12:50.620-04:002021-05-28T18:12:50.620-04:00Google gives me your post on Minelvaton Saga, whic...Google gives me your post on <i>Minelvaton Saga</i>, which had a town called "Arkasas"? You pointed out the similarity to "Arkansas" there. <br /><br />I've also seen the name "Arkasas" as the setting of a 90s non-RPG called <i>Arcus</i>, incidentally. NLeseulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10470251242004226908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-39680538881309524832021-05-28T15:15:08.031-04:002021-05-28T15:15:08.031-04:00I'm pretty sure that the name is supposed to b...I'm pretty sure that the name is supposed to be pronounced "Fazanadu" (as in "Famicom Xanadu"), but you've now ensured that I won't ever say it the correct way.Kearudanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-59417587851449005342021-05-28T13:42:27.331-04:002021-05-28T13:42:27.331-04:00Didn't we have a game where the hero was from ...Didn't we have a game where the hero was from "Arkansas"? I'm trying to find it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-14533606008347355662021-05-28T09:58:44.141-04:002021-05-28T09:58:44.141-04:00Japanese fantasy names that accidentally overlap w...Japanese fantasy names that accidentally overlap with real-world country names are one of those things that I see crop up occasionally. The third Zelda game has a "Cane of Somalia." (Called "Somaria" in the English translations, understandably.) The SNES evolution RPG <i>E.V.O.</i> has magic crystals that were called "Costa Ricas" in the Japanese text (a name that didn't make the cut in the English release; I went with "Costallica" in my re-translation). <br /><br />I really wonder if this is a common issue for Japanese writers, having to try really hard to avoid naming collisions. Seems like it could be a challenge, given the relatively limited set of sounds Japanese has to represent foreign or made-up words.NLeseulhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10470251242004226908noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-67381413273093412382021-05-28T03:34:04.563-04:002021-05-28T03:34:04.563-04:00Nah. Then you'd just get people arguing that S...Nah. Then you'd just get people arguing that Space Quest IV is not an adventure-like because it's really nothing like ADVENT, or that Cave Story is an adventure-like because it takes place in a colossal cave.Radianthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03866535042372152723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-1870396697052755302021-05-27T20:59:08.042-04:002021-05-27T20:59:08.042-04:00In literal Interpretation, every game that isn'...In literal Interpretation, every game that isn't an abstract puzzle game is an adventure game, too. RPGs? You definitely go on adventures there! FPS? Those are pretty adventurous! Strategy games? Well, the soldiers you command are certainly going through some adventurous situations!<br /><br />It's unfortunate that many genres have such broadly interpretable names. There would be way fewer discussions about genre definitions if we just referred to them by lineage. So RPGs would be D&D-likes, adventure games would be... well, Adventure-likes, and so on. JarlFrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139422412722665286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-40142470776329103382021-05-27T20:53:57.239-04:002021-05-27T20:53:57.239-04:00Sierra adventure games were notorious for that. Di...Sierra adventure games were notorious for that. Difficult puzzles with no hints, and you could easily get yourself stuck without knowing it just by failing to pick up a one pixel tall pebble that appears on a screen you only visit once and can't return to...<br /><br />I find it ironic when Roberta Williams claimed that FPS games like Doom and Quake killed adventure games because gamers became less interested in "intelligent" games and more into action. There's a lot more logical thinking involved in maneuvering around a Quake map and choosing which weapon to use against which enemy, than there is in your average King's Quest game with its nonsensical puzzles and punishing pixel hunts. JarlFrankhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08139422412722665286noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-69452858580763341042021-05-27T14:08:18.659-04:002021-05-27T14:08:18.659-04:00A bit of both. I don't like the genre much in ...A bit of both. I don't like the genre much in the first place, so naturally it's not going to perform well on a scale tailored to what I like most about RPGs. But I also think it's just a bad game. At best, it's indistinguishable from a dozen other titles doing the same thing.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-83565954701074573002021-05-27T09:08:41.308-04:002021-05-27T09:08:41.308-04:00Let me expand on the term a little, as I think the...Let me expand on the term a little, as I think there's a bit more to it than people are saying.<br /><br />There are two "pieces" of being a Metroidvania. First, a game needs to be a side-scrolling action-adventure game. Action Adventure games are games that mix action, exploration, puzzle solving, and (typically) character progression, like Zelda-likes and Hydlikes/etc. Not all side-scrolling action adventure games are Metroidvanias! A good example would be Milon's Secret Castle. (Action Adventure games can also be RPGs, but not all are. Zelda 2 and Symphony of the Night are RPGs, but Metroid and Zelda 1 are not.)<br /><br />Second, a game needs to have metroidvania-style skill/ability/item unlocks. Basically, at a bare minimum, you want at least 1-2 skills/abilities/items in your side-scrolling action adventure that both: 1. make it possible to explore new areas and reach previously unreachable secrets and 2. impact your ability to deal with the action challenges, such as platforming and combat. The double jump is a good example of a classic Metroidvania unlockable (along with a number of other expanded jumping mechanics: gravity boots, triple jump, dashes, floating, flying, jumping off of enemies, etc.)<br /><br />The "Metroidvania experience" is exploring a character, getting skill unlocks, finding new areas and secrets, getting new action challenges that will test your new skills, and then getting new skill unlocks/etc.<br />killias2https://www.blogger.com/profile/00398131197947456691noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-47117970625800327122021-05-26T23:57:27.004-04:002021-05-26T23:57:27.004-04:00In case it hasn't yet been mentioned, one inte...In case it hasn't yet been mentioned, one interesting game to keep in mind might be <a href="https://www.mobygames.com/game/curse-of-babylon" rel="nofollow">Curse of Babylon</a> on C64, which is actually a localized conversion of Babylon for FM-7 and PC-88. Thanks to the C64 release, there already exists official <a href="http://sfodb.com/index.php?page=detail&program=1198" rel="nofollow">English documentation</a> for the game.DamoclesAlphanoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-17871972999383188602021-05-26T23:10:33.692-04:002021-05-26T23:10:33.692-04:00Is Tritorn a bad game, or does it just have insuff...Is Tritorn a bad game, or does it just have insufficient RPG characteristics to score much?Tristan Gallhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16769219573533545742noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-73493121736321606512021-05-26T20:46:20.199-04:002021-05-26T20:46:20.199-04:00I think the later game Faxanadu's name could s...I think the later game Faxanadu's name could sub in as a genre name - it sounds like it should be a scanned copy of xanadu that fell on the floor and is waiting for you to pick up.<br />Gamerindreamsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-62384379496431086422021-05-26T20:45:20.726-04:002021-05-26T20:45:20.726-04:00I doubt the clues that are simply ungrammatical ar...I doubt the clues that are simply ungrammatical are intended to be lies.Danielhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08236674968994362673noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-72587991764917131412021-05-26T20:21:07.408-04:002021-05-26T20:21:07.408-04:00That's an interesting bit of intel on the comp...That's an interesting bit of intel on the company. The idea that anyone didn't go home for weeks and got kicked over <i>Tritorn</i> is pretty heartbreaking.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-4779289851177800232021-05-26T20:19:26.720-04:002021-05-26T20:19:26.720-04:00It natively allows you to save anywhere, but I use...It natively allows you to save anywhere, but I used emulator save states except when I had to shut down for the night.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-31646373807187227412021-05-26T20:10:49.825-04:002021-05-26T20:10:49.825-04:00When you talk about "saving", does the g...When you talk about "saving", does the game inherently and natively allow you to save anywhere? Or do you mean that you're using save states via the emulator?GregThttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01532920274312703426noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-64054571309413551202021-05-26T20:06:48.243-04:002021-05-26T20:06:48.243-04:00It is a mix of bad translation and lying character...It is a mix of bad translation and lying characters, apparently. Source: https://bisqwit.iki.fi/cv2fin/diff#t37Abacoshttps://strategywiki.org/wiki/User:Abacosnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-26076573672781824142021-05-26T19:08:20.081-04:002021-05-26T19:08:20.081-04:00That's not bad translation. Most of the "...That's not bad translation. Most of the "garbled clues" were people lying to you because they want your quest to fail - the whole plot of Castlevania II is that you are trying to resurrect Dracula so you can kill him again.Gnomanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13920812227941556716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-71136558088520164742021-05-26T18:55:29.326-04:002021-05-26T18:55:29.326-04:00Very cool to see these classic Japanese games get ...Very cool to see these classic Japanese games get featured here! It's interesting to read about and see the different origins of RPGs around the world, with different cultures having entirely different ideas as to what constitutes a "Role-Playing Game" and how to express those ideas in a computer program. <br /><br />Sein/Zain/Xainsoft is a notoriously shady company with quite the laundry list of, for lack of a better term, bad stuff going on at their office. I'm not an expert, so I highly recommend John Szczepaniak's book "The Untold History of Japanese Game Developers: Volume 2" where he manages to transcribe a rare interview with a former employee of Xain. In short: abysmal wages, extraordinarily long hours (20 hour work-days, sleeping at the office, not going home for weeks), physical abuse (punching, kicking, things being thrown, etc) from the company's President, Yakuza ties, and more. <br /><br />On a lighter note, there is a 3rd Tritorn game as well, Tritorn Final, released for the Sharp X68000 in 1989. There's precious little information about the game online, but it is real! <br /><br />https://refuge.tokyo/x68k/x68000/00288.html has some screenshots and release information on Tritorn FinalBillBullhttps://www.twitch.tv/billbullnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-54661740120278488762021-05-26T18:17:46.121-04:002021-05-26T18:17:46.121-04:00Definitely made me giggle.Definitely made me giggle.Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17469733830517678716noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-79027889159323470262021-05-26T16:14:14.530-04:002021-05-26T16:14:14.530-04:00It's too bad a term already exists, because I ...It's too bad a term already exists, because I think this is a winner.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-9548112479477306872021-05-26T15:59:17.149-04:002021-05-26T15:59:17.149-04:00Thanks for cluing me in to that term. I have no ex...Thanks for cluing me in to that term. I have no experience with those games and wasn't aware of it.CRPG Addicthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01238237377918550322noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-84919291916397793172021-05-26T13:23:48.549-04:002021-05-26T13:23:48.549-04:00Because perspective is a big part of gameplay, I&#...Because perspective is a big part of gameplay, I'd say Ultima 8 fits more in the line of Solstice, Landstalker, and Cadaver. Basically, isometric platform games; another subgenre of action adventure. Granted, such games have way less dialogue and equippable items than U8, but metroidvanias usually don't have much of those, either.Radianthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03866535042372152723noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6162314467762792782.post-50314431074905336452021-05-26T12:54:03.288-04:002021-05-26T12:54:03.288-04:00metroidvania*metroidvania*Joshuahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05221709065580128004noreply@blogger.com