|
Vanillaware
is a Japanese video game developer based in Osaka. An independent company, it was founded in 2002 under the name Puraguru by George Kamitani, a game developer who had previously worked at Capcom and Atlus, and directed '' Princess Crown'' (1997) for the Sega Saturn. Beginning as a small studio developing '' Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion'' for Enix, in 2004 the company moved to Osaka, Kansai, and changed its name. Kamitani wanted Vanillaware to create successor projects to ''Princess Crown'', beginning with '' Odin Sphere''. The company is noted for their use of two-dimensional artwork, with character models having jointed hand-scripted movements similar to Flash animation. Later titles have experimented with layered levels and 2.5D graphics. Kamitani based many of his games on the classic beat 'em up game titles he worked on while at Capcom, which had similarly influenced ''Princess Crown''. Vanillaware debuted with two games in 2007; ''Odin Sphere'', which was delay ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aegis Rim
''13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim'' is a 2019 video game developed by Vanillaware and published by Atlus. It was released for the PlayStation 4 in Japan in November 2019 and worldwide in September 2020, with a Nintendo Switch version released in April 2022. The game is divided between side-scrolling adventure segments and real-time strategy (RTS) battles, and follows thirteen high-school students in a fictionalized 1980s Japan who are dragged into a futuristic war between mechas and hostile Kaiju in a nonlinear narrative. Director and writer George Kamitani conceived the game in 2013 following the completion of ''Dragon's Crown'', originally pitching it for a toy line. ''13 Sentinels'' began production two years later, discarding the toy line element under Atlus. The production proved challenging for Vanillaware, as the studio dealt with workload and development challenges. Contrary to previous works, Kamitani both worked on the script alone and handed character design duties to Yukik ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Odin Sphere
''Odin Sphere'' is an action role-playing game developed by Vanillaware for the PlayStation 2. It was published by Atlus (Japan and North America) in 2007, and by Square Enix (Europe) in 2008. A remake, titled ''Odin Sphere Leifthrasir'' (stylized as ''Leifþrasir''), was released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation Vita in 2016: Atlus handled publishing duties in Japan and North America, while NIS America published the title in PAL territories. Using a two-dimensional side-scrolling perspective, gameplay focuses on a beat em up-style fighting system while incorporating role-playing elements — ''Leifthrasir'' expands upon and refines these elements. The story, shared between both versions, follows five characters on the fantasy continent of Erion during a war between the nations of Ragnanival and Ringford over a weapon called the Crystallization Cauldron, and their roles in the Armageddon, a catastrophe which will destroy Erion. The game was conceived by Geor ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Demon Blade
''Muramasa: The Demon Blade'', known in Japan as , is an action-adventure hack and slash video game developed by Vanillaware for the Wii, and later the PlayStation Vita. The game was published in 2009 by Marvelous Entertainment (Japan), Ignition Entertainment (North America), and Rising Star Games (Europe). The Vita version was published in 2013 by Marvelous AQL in Japan and Aksys Games in Western territories. Using a 2D side-scrolling perspective, the gameplay revolves around a beat 'em up fighting system, while incorporating role-playing elements such as leveling and questing. ''Muramasa'' takes place during the Edo period on Japan's main island of Honshu. Due to ruling ''shōgun'' Tokugawa Tsunayoshi's thirst for power, conflicts have arisen over ownership of the Demon Blades, samurai swords that force their wielders to kill others before bringing tragedy and madness upon them. The story revolves around two different protagonists related to this conflict — Momohime, a wom ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dragon's Crown
''Dragon's Crown'' is a 2013 action role-playing game developed by Vanillaware for the PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita. It was published in Japan and North America by Atlus and in PAL regions by NIS America. A high-definition port for PlayStation 4, ''Dragon's Crown Pro'', was released by Atlus in 2018. Players navigate environments from a side-scrolling perspective, choosing from six character classes to fight in the style of a beat 'em up and acquiring loot through repeated dungeon exploration. The storyline follows adventurers as they journey across Hydeland and become involved in the search for the magical Dragon's Crown. Director and lead artist George Kamitani originally planned ''Dragon's Crown'' as a Dreamcast sequel to the 1997 Sega Saturn title '' Princess Crown''. Following Vanillaware's successes with '' Odin Sphere'' and '' Muramasa: The Demon Blade'', Kamitani restarted the project. Originally set to be published by UTV Ignition Entertainment, that company ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
GrimGrimoire
is a 2007 real-time strategy video game developed by Vanillaware and published by Nippon Ichi Software (Japan, North America) and Koei (Europe) for the PlayStation 2. The story follows Lillet Blan, a trainee witch who is sent into a repeating cycle of five days after her school is attacked by an evil wizard seeking the hidden Philosopher's Stone. The player commands units called familiars, each having strengths and weaknesses against the other, with the goal of either destroying the opponent's bases or surviving waves of enemies. ''GrimGrimoire'' was born from Vanillaware staff wanting to create their version of ''StarCraft'', beginning development after completion of their first title ''Odin Sphere''. Due to various factors, ''GrimGrimoire'' released before ''Odin Sphere'', becoming the company's Japanese debut while also draining its funds. Writer and director George Kamitani based the setting on '' Atelier Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg'' and the ''Harry Potter'' series. The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Princess Crown
''Princess Crown'' is an action role-playing game developed by Atlus and published by Sega that was released only in Japan. Originally released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn, it was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2005. Using a two-dimensional side-scrolling perspective, gameplay focuses on a beat 'em up-style fighting system, incorporating role-playing elements. Set in the fantasy kingdom of Valendia, the player controls queen Gradriel De Valendia, as her wish to aid the people in person leads into a quest to prevent the resurrection of the demon lord Lalva. Additional character scenarios are unlocked by completing Gradriel's quest, with completion of all story routes leading to the true ending. The game began development in 1995 at an unnamed company, with Capcom veteran George Kamitani as director. After the company went bankrupt the following year, the team were absorbed into Atlus' Osaka studio to complete development. Initially planned as a life simulation game simila ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Fantasy Earth Zero
''Fantasy Earth Zero'' was a 2006 massively multiplayer online role-playing game developed for Microsoft Windows. Originally developed by Puraguru (now known as Vanillaware) and Multiterm under the title ''Fantasy Earth: The Ring of Dominion'', it was released by Square Enix as a paid product through its PlayOnline service. It relaunched under Gamepot as a free game, and was later handled by developer SoftGear and publisher Square Enix. Under the premise of a world where rival kingdoms engage in frequent conflicts, players choose an allied kingdom and fight against each other in groups of up to fifty players. The game closed down in September 2022. ''Fantasy Earth'' began in 2001 as a project under Enix, with Puraguru founder George Kamitani steering the project away from its initial concept of humans fighting vampires to its current kingdom-based aesthetic. Kamitani and Puraguru left the project in 2004 due to differences with Square Enix, with Multiterm taking over production du ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nippon Ichi Software
is a Japanese video game developer and publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mascot is the penguin-like ''Disgaea'' character Prinny. NIS America, a localization and global publishing branch of the company, was founded in 2003. It originally focused solely on the North American market until being expanded to include Europe and other regions in 2007 and has also published anime. History Nippon Ichi Software was founded in September 1991 in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, as an entertainment software company. It was relocated and reincorporated on July 12, 1993. The company has made several acquisitions, mergers, and forming new subsidiaries. In the early 2010s, the company formed Nippon Ichi Software Asia Pte. Ltd and Nippon Ichi Software Vietnam Co., Ltd. In 2016, NIS merged with System Prisma Corporation and acquired developer FOG Inc. In 2012, the company was awarde ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Beat 'em Up
The beat 'em up (also known as brawler and, in some markets, beat 'em all) is a video game genre featuring hand-to-hand combat against a large number of opponents. Traditional beat 'em ups take place in scrolling, two-dimensional (2D) levels, while a number of modern games feature more open three-dimensional (3D) environments with yet larger numbers of enemies. The gameplay tends to follow arcade genre conventions, such as being simple to learn but difficult to master, and the combat system tends to be more highly developed than other side-scrolling action games. Two-player cooperative gameplay and multiple player characters are also hallmarks of the genre. Most of these games take place in urban settings and feature crime-fighting and revenge-based plots, though some games may employ historical, science fiction or fantasy themes. The first beat 'em up was 1984's '' Kung-Fu Master'', which was based on Hong Kong martial arts films. 1986's ''Nekketsu Kōha Kunio-kun'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Real-time Strategy
Real-time strategy (RTS) is a subgenre of strategy video games that do not progress incrementally in turns, but allow all players to play simultaneously, in "real time". By contrast, in turn-based strategy (TBS) games, players take turns to play. The term "real-time strategy" was coined by Brett Sperry to market ''Dune II'' in the early 1990s. In a real-time strategy game, each participant positions structures and maneuvers multiple units under their indirect control to secure areas of the map and/or destroy their opponents' assets. In a typical RTS game, it is possible to create additional units and structures, generally limited by a requirement to expend accumulated resources. These resources are in turn garnered by controlling special points on the map and/or possessing certain types of units and structures devoted to this purpose. More specifically, the typical game in the RTS genre features resource-gathering, base-building, in-game technological development, and indire ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dreamcast
The is a home video game console released by Sega on November 27, 1998, in Japan; September 9, 1999, in North America; and October 14, 1999, in Europe. It was the first sixth-generation video game console, preceding Sony's PlayStation 2, Nintendo's GameCube and Microsoft's Xbox, and it was Sega's final console, ending the company's eighteen years in the console market. The Dreamcast was developed by an internal Sega team led by Hideki Sato. In contrast to the expensive hardware of the unsuccessful Saturn, the Dreamcast was designed to reduce costs with "off-the-shelf" components, including a Hitachi SH-4 CPU and an NEC PowerVR2 GPU. Sega used the GD-ROM media format to avoid the expenses of DVD-ROM technology and a custom version of the Windows CE operating system to make porting PC games easy. The Dreamcast was the first console to include a built-in modular modem for internet access and online play. Though released in Japan to a subdued reception, the Dreamcast had a su ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Racjin
Racjin, (株式会社ラクジン ''Kabushiki-Gaisha Rakujin'') formerly known as , is a Japanese video game development company located in Yodogawa-ku, Osaka, established in 1995. Its name was changed in 2000 to make it more easily pronounced to the Japanese. Their first game was titled Kabuki Klash in 1995 for the Neogeo. They weren't well-known until 1997, when Atlus published the Snowboard Kids game. They have worked on existing franchises, such as Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach or Bomberman. In 2007, they worked on Mistwalker's project, ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat. Games developed *'' ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat'' *'' Bleach: Blade Battlers'' *'' Bomberman 64'' (2001) *'' Bomberman Land 2'' *''Bomberman Land 3'' *'' Bomberman Land (PSP)'' *''Bomberman (Nintendo DS)'' *'' Bomberman Land Wii'' *'' Bomberman Kart'' *'' Bomberman Kart DX'' *'' Critical Blow'' *'' SaGa 2: Hihō Densetsu Goddess of Destiny'' *'' Far East of Eden: Kabuki Klash'' *'' Final Fantasy Explorers'' *'' Fullm ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
