is a series of
RPGs RPG may refer to:
Military
* Rocket-propelled grenade, a shoulder-launched anti-tank weapon
**''Ruchnoi Protivotankoviy Granatomyot'' (Russian: ''Ручной Противотанковый Гранатомёт''), hand-held anti-tank grenade launc ...
developed by
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 ...
. The three main games in the series are ''
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure'', ''
Little Princess: Marl Ōkoku no Ningyō Hime 2'', and ''
Tenshi no Present: Marl Ōkoku Monogatari''.
The first two games were released on the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
, whereas the latter was for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
. Only ''Rhapsody'' was translated to English, and was published by
Atlus
is a Japanese video game developer, publisher, arcade manufacturer and distribution company based in Tokyo. A subsidiary of Sega, the company is known for video game series such as ''Megami Tensei'', ''Persona'', ''Etrian Odyssey'' and ''Trau ...
in
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
. The other two games' scripts have been translated to English by fans.
Characteristics
Like most
Nippon Ichi
is a Video gaming in Japan, Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mas ...
games, the ''Marl'' games feature bright,
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
influenced graphics. All the games use 2D backgrounds and sprites, with the exception of ''Tenshi no Present'', which has 3D backgrounds with 2D sprites. Each of the games were created by Yoshitsuna Kobayashi and feature the artwork of Yoshiharu Nomura,
whereas the music was composed by
Tenpei Sato, a regular for handling Nippon Ichi games. Sato described ''Rhapsody's'' music as a "complete musical with both solos and choruses" and said "...it was a fun and refreshing experience."
The ''Marl'' games, similar to other Nippon Ichi video games, feature goofy senses of humor, tongue-in-cheek melodrama, and quirky casts of heroes and villains. For instance, Cornet, in ''Rhapsody'', attacks enemies with monstrous storms of confectionery foods, while her rival, the seemingly polite Etoile, pulls out machine guns on her enemies. Along with the humor, there is a certain level of
girlishness to each game, the plot often focusing on issues of love rather than complex politics and demon lords. Each game also features musical numbers.
Each of the ''Marl'' video games, with the exception of the puzzle games, are
role-playing video game
A role-playing video game (commonly referred to as simply a role-playing game or RPG, as well as a computer role-playing game or CRPG) is a video game genre where the player controls the actions of a character (or several party members) immers ...
s. ''Rhapsody'' and ''Little Princess'' are geared to be simpler RPGs, focusing more on story than complex gameplay, while ''Tenshi no Present's'' gameplay has more depth in it.
Games
Rhapsody
''
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure'' (''Marl Kingdom: The Adventure of the Puppet Princess'' in
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
) was the first Marl Kingdom game. It was released on
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
on December 17, 1998, in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
and on July 30, 2000, in the
USA
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
and was remade for the
Nintendo DS
The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens working in tan ...
in
2008
File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...
. The game became an instant
cult classic
A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
among fans and never gained much popularity in the mainstream.
This game was also one of the first
Nippon Ichi
is a Video gaming in Japan, Japanese video game developer and video game publisher, publisher. The company was founded in 1991 and has developed several role-playing video games, most notably the ''Disgaea'' and ''Marl Kingdom'' series. Its mas ...
games to feature the
anime
is Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside of Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, in Japan and in Japane ...
art style and to have an offbeat sense of humor that has become a staple for the games Nippon Ichi has released.
In this game, Cornet, a young puppeteer, and her puppet friend Kururu face off against the almost menacing Marjoly and her minions in a battle over the prince. Battles are fought in a
tactics
Tactic(s) or Tactical may refer to:
* Tactic (method), a conceptual action implemented as one or more specific tasks
** Military tactics, the disposition and maneuver of units on a particular sea or battlefield
** Chess tactics
** Political tact ...
fashion. This is the only Marl game to use this style. There are also a few musical numbers featured in the game, sung by various characters.
Little Princess
''
Little Princess: Marl Ōkoku no Ningyō Hime 2'' (''Puppet Princess of the Marl Kingdom 2: Little Princess'' in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
) was the second in the series. It was released on November 25, 1999, and was only released in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
for the PlayStation. Like the game before it, Little Princess was released three times.
After ''Rhapsody'', Cornet and her prince have a child and call her Kururu, after Cornet's friend. The game follows Kururu's adventures. ''Little Princess'' dumps the tactics battles for a more traditional RPG system. Musical numbers are also included.
''Little Princess'' is also the first of the ''Marl'' series to be featured for download via the
PlayStation Store
The PlayStation Store (PS Store) is a digital media store available to users of Sony's PlayStation 3, PlayStation Vita, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 game consoles via the PlayStation Network.
The store offers a range of downloadable content ...
in Japan. The download became available on May 31, 2007. This version can be played on either the
PSP or
PlayStation 3
The PlayStation 3 (PS3) is a home video game console developed by Sony Interactive Entertainment, Sony Computer Entertainment. The successor to the PlayStation 2, it is part of the PlayStation brand of consoles. It was first released on Novemb ...
.
Tenshi no Present
''
Tenshi no Present: Marl Ōkoku Monogatari'' (''Angel's Present: A Marl Kingdom Story'' in
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
) was the third game in the Marl series. It was released on December 21, 2000, in Japan for the PS2. This was the only main Marl game to come out on the PS2 and was the last Marl game, and unlike the other two games, Tenshi no Present has only one release date. Upon release, there was a limited edition version, however.
''Tenshi no Present'', instead of focusing on just one story, is broken up into chapters similar to ''
Dragon Quest IV
''Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen'', titled ''Dragon Warrior IV'' when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game, the fourth installment of the '' Dragon Quest'' video game series developed by Chunsoft and publish ...
'', each with its own story and characters, including ones from previous games.
The battle system recycles the traditional RPG one, adding the ability to have characters on the side lines, aiding the main party.
Marl Kingdom: Happy Hunt
Marl Kingdom: Happy Hunt, is considered a minor sequel to Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. It is a Japanese only Mobile Web game released on June 4, 2001, and ran until it's discontinuation in 2005.
It had a monthly fee of 300 yen (approximately 3 US dollars) and consisted of three chapters and one post-game bonus chapter. There was reportedly no music or sound. The story takes place after the original Rhapsody: A Musical adventure, where Cornet has been crowned Queen of Marl Kingdom. And follows a similar plot to the original. It follows a new character, Chocolat, who lives with her Grandmother Cocone in a wax figure museum in the Bavarois Plateau and tries to find her own prince(Prince Lunin of Carrot Kingdom) with the help of her puppet friend, MIG. The players visit Mother Green, Panna Cotta Village, the Rain Festival, and a cooking competition to get the prince's attention.
This game has been long considered
lost media Lost media are pieces of media that are nonexistent, missing, or unavailable to the general public. The term ''lost media'' primarily encompasses visual, audio, or audiovisual media such as films, television and radio broadcasts, music, and video ga ...
, as the game disallowed replaying chapters- and was then lost completely when it was eventually replaced with previous games in the series. Due to how primitive social media was at the time, any screenshots posted by former players and news sites have since broken,
and walkthroughs/description of the third chapter and post game chapter are lost entirely. With the only existing details of the games plot and chapters having come from players that have posted it online.
Puzzle games
Two other Nippon Ichi games, ''Marl Jong'' and ''Marl de Jigsaw'', featured Marl Kingdom characters. Marl Jong, for the
PlayStation
is a video gaming brand that consists of five home video game consoles, two handhelds, a media center, and a smartphone, as well as an online service and multiple magazines. The brand is produced by Sony Interactive Entertainment, a divisi ...
, is a
Mahjong
Mahjong or mah-jongg (English pronunciation: ) is a tile-based game that was developed in the 19th century in China and has spread throughout the world since the early 20th century. It is commonly played by four players (with some three-play ...
game with Marl elements. Marl de Jigsaw, for the
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 (PS2) is a home video game console developed and marketed by Sony Computer Entertainment. It was first released in Japan on 4 March 2000, in North America on 26 October 2000, in Europe on 24 November 2000, and in Australia on 3 ...
, is a
puzzle game
A puzzle is a game, problem, or toy that tests a person's ingenuity or knowledge. In a puzzle, the solver is expected to put pieces together ( or take them apart) in a logical way, in order to arrive at the correct or fun solution of the puzzle ...
, where the player must assemble jigsaw puzzles, along the lines of ''
Pieces''. Similarly to most games in Japan, games with Marl characters could be played on cellphones.
Other games
Several games developed by Nippon Ichi are often considered to be part of the ''Marl Kingdom'' world, such as ''
Disgaea: Hour of Darkness'' and ''
Makai Kingdom''.
In particular, ''
La Pucelle: Tactics'' takes place in the same world, but at a different time in history and location and features the grandson of Cornet. A grown-up version of Elly from ''Angel's Present'' also makes an appearance.
Antiphona no Seikahime: Tenshi no Gakufu Op.A, a musical RPG for the PSP, also takes place in the same world. Players can travel to Marl's Kingdom, and Marjoly and the Nyankos make an appearance.
Merchandise
''The Adventure of Etoile Rosenqueen from Marl Kingdom'' is an "audio book" that chronicles the rivalry between Cornet and Etoile in between the first and second games which was released in 2006. Tenpei Sato composed the music for it and it was only released in Japan.
RosenQueen.com, named after Etoile Rosenqueen from the ''Marl'' games, was an online division of NIS America that sells various games and merchandise concerning the NIS games. In late 2010, however, they closed down RosenQueen, and made the merchandise shop a generic part of the NIS site.
The series also has calendars, soundtracks, phone cards, novels, comics, and plushies.
Reception
''Rhapsody'' has retained a cult following, but remains mostly unheard of in mainstream video gaming.
With an emphasis on girlish themes and musical numbers, Rhapsody gained little popularity with the gaming industry in America.
However, in Japan, the series went on to have two sequels and sold well. Examples such as the cellphone gaming indicate that the ''Marl'' series is treated just as any other RPG series in Japan, whereas more of an oddity in North America.
Other Nippon Ichi games such as the ''
Disgaea
is a series of tactical role-playing video games created and developed by Nippon Ichi. The series debuted in Japan on January 30, 2003, with '' Disgaea: Hour of Darkness'', later re-released as ''Disgaea: Afternoon of Darkness'' and ''Disgaea DS ...
'' series, which are sometimes considered to be part of the ''Marl Kingdom'' world, have gained a large amount of popularity in America, years after ''Rhapsody'' was released.
These games continue with the humorous approach to story telling and feature similar sugary character designs.
See also
*
Cultural differences in role-playing video games
References
{{Marl Kingdom
Video game franchises
Video game franchises introduced in 1998