is a 1984

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 ...

released in Japan, developed by

Bullet-Proof Software Blue Planet Software, Inc. is an American video game developer and publisher. Established as Bullet-Proof Software, Inc. in Japan, Blue Planet Software became a separate company founded by Henk Rogers in Honolulu, Hawaii Hawaii ( ; h ...

, with development led by

Henk Rogers Henk Rogers (born 24 December 1953) is a Dutch video game designer and entrepreneur. He is known for producing Japan's first major turn-based role-playing video game ''The Black Onyx'', securing the rights to distribute ''Tetris'' on video game c ...

. It was originally released for the

NEC PC-8801 The , commonly shortened to PC-88, are a brand of Zilog Z80-based 8-bit home computers released by Nippon Electric Company (NEC) in 1981 and primarily sold in Japan. The PC-8800 series sold extremely well and became one of the three major Japane ...

, and ported to several other platforms. The

Famicom The Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) is an 8-bit third-generation home video game console produced by Nintendo. It was first released in Japan in 1983 as the commonly known as the The NES, a redesigned version, was released in American ...

version featured completely redesigned gameplay, a new map, and was retitled ''Super Black Onyx'' (スーパーブラックオニキス). The Game Boy Color port was developed by Atelier Double and published by

Taito is a Japanese company that specializes in video games, toys, arcade cabinets and game centers, based in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The company was founded by Michael Kogan in 1953 as the importing vodka, vending machines and jukeboxes into Japan. It b ...

. The Game Boy Color port added enhanced visuals and included an option to play through the game with the original game's visual style. Because of memory limitations, another part of the game was released separately on some platforms as (which added a magic system). Two other parts were announced, (which allowed the party to explore the wilderness), and (which allowed the party to take part in Arena battles). The

SG-1000 The is a home video game console manufactured by Sega. It was Sega's first entry into the home video game hardware business. Developed in response to a downturn in arcades starting in 1982, the SG-1000 was created on the advice of Hayao Nakay ...

version was one of the last releases for that console, succeeded by ''Portrait of Loretta''.

Gameplay

The player can create a five-member party (4 members on GBC), or can ask friendly encounters to join the party to fill empty slots. The party will explore the dungeons under the town of Utsuro (ウツロ) to obtain the legendary Black Onyx. Doing so will break the curse which binds the town in eternal night. The combat system has no concept of distance, so there are no bows or similar missile weapons. There are melee weapons, shields, and armor, however. The hospital in town can offer "examinations" which display the PCs' stats. The game displays a

health meter Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...

to represent

hit points Health is an attribute in a video game or tabletop game that determines the maximum amount of damage or loss of stamina that a character or object can take before dying or losing consciousness. In role-playing games, this typically takes the for ...

. There is a bank in town where the heroes can deposit money. This protects money from thieves; but there is no interest on the deposits, since there is no time system. The labyrinth under the town has several entrances, each hidden in one of the locations of the town. The labyrinth has six floors corresponding to the six colors the computer can display. These must be solved in the proper order (which depends on the

platform Platform may refer to: Technology * Computing platform, a framework on which applications may be run * Platform game, a genre of video games * Car platform, a set of components shared by several vehicle models * Weapons platform, a system or ...

) in order to create the stairway to the Black Tower, where the Onyx resides.

Reception

It was one of the first successful Japanese-language RPGs, having sold 150,000 copies, and helped familiarize the Japanese public with RPGs.

Legacy

T&E Soft was a Japanese-based video game developer founded in 1982. Although they have made games with a wide variety of genres, they are primarily known in the U.S. for their golf and puzzle video games. The original company exists today under the name ...

's Tokohiro Naito, the creator of

action role-playing game An action role-playing game (often abbreviated action RPG or ARPG) is a subgenre of video games that combines core elements from both the action game and role-playing genre. Definition The games emphasize real-time combat where the player h ...

Hydlide is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year. ...

'' (1984), was influenced by ''The Black Onyx'', combined its RPG elements with the

action game An action game is a video game genre that emphasizes physical challenges, including hand–eye coordination and reaction-time. The genre includes a large variety of sub-genres, such as fighting games, beat 'em ups, shooter games, and platform gam ...

play of ''

The Tower of Druaga is a 1984 Arcade game, arcade action role-playing maze game developed and published in Japan by Namco. Controlling the golden-armored knight Gilgamesh, the player is tasked with scaling 60 floors of the titular tower in an effort to rescue the ...

'' (1984). ''Hydlide'' also borrowed the

mechanic from ''The Black Onyx'', and took it a step further with a regenerating health meter. An English-language fan-translation was made available for the SG-1000 version in 2010 by back-porting from the abandoned source files for an incomplete 2007 hobby conversion project for the

ColecoVision ColecoVision is a second-generation home video-game console developed by Coleco and launched in North America in August 1982. It was released a year later in Europe by CBS Electronics as the CBS ColecoVision. The console offered a closer expe ...

system. Another group later used those same source files to complete the project and released an unofficial English-language ColecoVision game in 2013. ''The Black Onyx'' was adapted as a manga titled , published in the Gamest Comics collection from April 1999, drawn by Kouta Hirano.

References

External links

*
The Dragon Invasion: How the role-playing game came to Japan
{{DEFAULTSORT:Black Onyx, The 1984 video games Atelier Double games Blue Planet Software games FM-7 games Game Boy Color games MSX games NEC PC-6001 games NEC PC-8001 games NEC PC-8801 games NEC PC-9801 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Role-playing video games SG-1000 games Sharp MZ games Sharp X1 games Single-player video games Video games developed in Japan