Arsys Software (アルシスソフトウェア), later known as Cyberhead (サイバーヘッド), was a Japanese
video game
Video games, also known as computer games, are electronic games that involves interaction with a user interface or input device such as a joystick, controller, keyboard, or motion sensing device to generate visual feedback. This fee ...
software development
Software development is the process of conceiving, specifying, designing, programming, documenting, testing, and bug fixing involved in creating and maintaining applications, frameworks, or other software components. Software development invol ...
company active from 1985 to 2001.
Overview
The company was founded as Arsys Software by former
Technosoft staff members Osamu Nagano and
Kotori Yoshimura on 11 November 1985.
They were primarily involved in
PC game
A personal computer game, also known as a PC game or computer game, is a type of video game played on a personal computer (PC) rather than a video game console or arcade machine. Its defining characteristics include: more diverse and user-deter ...
development, having previously created the original ''
Thunder Force
is a series of nonlinear gameplay, free-roaming Shoot 'em up#Scrolling shooters, scrolling shooter type video games developed by the Japanese software company Technosoft and published by Sega. The franchise is recognized for its distinctive gam ...
'' (a 1983
free-scrolling shooter game
Shooter video games or shooters are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is almost entirely on the defeat of the character's enemies using the weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range ...
)
and ''
Plazma Line
was a Japanese video game developer and publisher based headquartered in Sasebo, Nagasaki. Also known as "Tecno Soft", the company was founded in February 1980 as Sasebo Microcomputer Center, before changing its name to Technosoft in 1982. The ...
'' (a 1984 space
racing game
Racing games are a video game genre in which the player participates in a racing competition. They may be based on anything from real-world racing leagues to fantastical settings. They are distributed along a spectrum between more realistic rac ...
considered the first computer game with
3D polygon graphics) at Technosoft. In 1986, Arsys debuted with the 3D
role-playing shooter ''Wibarm'', followed by the
free-roaming adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
''Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure'' in 1987 and the 3D
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
role-playing game ''Star Cruiser'' in 1988.
When ''Star Cruiser'' was released in 1988, the company only had two employees, which grew to a dozen employees by 1991, when development began on ''Star Cruiser 2''; by 2001, the company had reduced to three employees.
In addition to its own products, they also
ported games to Japanese computer platforms, such as ''
Prince of Persia
''Prince of Persia'' is a video game franchise created by Jordan Mechner. It is built around a series of action-adventure games focused on various incarnations of the eponymous Prince, set in ancient and medieval Persia.
The first two games i ...
'' and several
SystemSoft
SystemSoft Alpha Corporation is a Japanese software development company.
Formerly just "SystemSoft", they have a long series of mainly military strategic simulation games (generally hex-based) popular in the Japan market. Notable among these ...
games.
Their ''Prince of Persia'' port for the
NEC PC-98
The , commonly shortened to PC-98 or , is a lineup of Japanese 16-bit and 32-bit personal computers manufactured by NEC from 1982 to 2000. The platform established NEC's dominance in the Japanese personal computer market, and, by 1999, more ...
featured
enhanced visuals, introducing the
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. Th ...
's classic
turban
A turban (from Persian دولبند, ''dulband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Communities with promine ...
and
vest look, and became the basis for later ''Prince of Persia'' ports and games by
Riverhillsoft
was a Japanese video game manufacturer in operation from 1982 to 2004. The studio focused in the 1980s developing games for Japanese home computers, in the 1990s shifted to console game development, and in the 2000s to mobile games. They also pub ...
and
Broderbund. They also contributed to the development of several games from other companies, such as the
Namco
was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
's 1995
combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and mili ...
''
Air Combat
''Air Combat'' is a 1995 combat flight simulator developed and published for the PlayStation by Namco. Players control an aircraft and are tasked with completing a series of missions, with objectives ranging from destroying formations of enemie ...
'' and
Sony Computer Entertainment's 1997
racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
simulator ''
Gran Turismo'' both 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 ...
.
They also released the
chiptune
Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is a style of synthesized electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles.
The t ...
video game music
Video game music (or VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to ...
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
''Arsys Best Selection'' (アルシス・ベストセレクション) in 1990. The company eventually closed down in 2001.
Notable releases
''Wibarm''
''Wibarm'' (1986), stylized as ''WiBArM'' (ウィバーン), is an early
role-playing shooter released by Arsys Software for the
NEC PC-88 computer in Japan and ported to
MS-DOS
MS-DOS ( ; acronym for Microsoft Disk Operating System, also known as Microsoft DOS) is an operating system for x86-based personal computers mostly developed by Microsoft. Collectively, MS-DOS, its rebranding as IBM PC DOS, and a few ope ...
for
Western release by
Broderbund. It combines
run and gun shooter game
Shooter video games or shooters are a subgenre of action video games where the focus is almost entirely on the defeat of the character's enemies using the weapons given to the player. Usually these weapons are firearms or some other long-range ...
play with
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 ...
elements, and was also the first
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 ...
to feature
3D polygonal graphics. In ''Wibarm'', the player controls a transformable
mecha robot that can shift between walking mode, a
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engin ...
, and a
flying jet. The viewpoint switches between several different perspectives: a
2D top-down perspective
A variety of computer graphic techniques have been used to display video game content throughout the history of video games. The predominance of individual techniques have evolved over time, primarily due to hardware advances and restrictions ...
while flying, a
side-scrolling view during on-foot outdoor exploration, a fully 3D polygonal
third-person perspective inside buildings, and arena-style 2D
shoot 'em up battles during
boss
Boss may refer to:
Occupations
* Supervisor, often referred to as boss
* Air boss, more formally, air officer, the person in charge of aircraft operations on an aircraft carrier
* Crime boss, the head of a criminal organization
* Fire boss, a ...
encounters.
[
The game features a variety of weapons and equipment as well as an ]automap
A mini-map or minimap is a miniature map that is often placed at a screen corner in video games to aid players in orienting themselves within the game world. They are often only a small portion of the screen and must be selective in what details ...
, and the player can upgrade equipment and earn experience
Experience refers to conscious events in general, more specifically to perceptions, or to the practical knowledge and familiarity that is produced by these conscious processes. Understood as a conscious event in the widest sense, experience involv ...
to raise stats.[ (Reprinted from '' Retro Gamer'', Issue 67, 2009)]
Translation
In contrast to first-person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90-degree movements, ''Wibarm's'' use of 3D polygons allows full 360-degree movement.[ It won the 1986 Game of the Year award from the Japanese ]computer game magazine
A computer is a machine that can be programmed to carry out sequences of arithmetic or logical operations (computation) automatically. Modern digital electronic computers can perform generic sets of operations known as programs. These program ...
'' Oh!MZ'', later known as ''Oh!X''.
''Reviver''
''Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure'', also known as ''Reviver'' (リバイバ), is an adventure game
An adventure game is a video game genre in which the player assumes the role of a protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and/or Puzzle video game, puzzle-solving. The Video game genres, genre's focus on story allows it to draw ...
designed by Kotori Yoshimura and released by Arsys Software in July 1987, for the NEC PC-88, FM-7, Sharp X1
The , sometimes called the Sharp X1 or CZ-800C, is a series of home computers released by Sharp Corporation from 1982 to 1988. It is based on a Zilog Z80 CPU.
The RGB display monitor for the X1 had a television tuner, and a computer screen c ...
, Sharp MZ
The Sharp MZ is a series of personal computers sold in Japan and Europe (particularly Germany and Great Britain) by Sharp beginning in 1978.
History
Although commonly believed to stand for "Microcomputer Z80", the term MZ actually has its ...
and MSX2 platforms. The sub-title, ''The Real-Time Adventure'', is a reference to the game's introduction of a real-time
Real-time or real time describes various operations in computing or other processes that must guarantee response times within a specified time (deadline), usually a relatively short time. A real-time process is generally one that happens in defined ...
persistent world, where time continues to elapse, day-night cycles adjust the brightness of the screen to indicate the time of day, and certain stores and non-player character
A non-player character (NPC), or non-playable character, is any character in a game that is not controlled by a player. The term originated in traditional tabletop role-playing games where it applies to characters controlled by the gamemaster o ...
s would only be available at certain times of the day. The game also gives players direct control over the player character
A player character (also known as a playable character or PC) is a fictional character in a video game or tabletop role-playing game whose actions are controlled by a player rather than the rules of the game. The characters that are not control ...
. The game also features a fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving Magic (supernatural), magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy ...
story, full-colour 2D overhead scrolling graphics, and 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 ...
elements.[Alt URL]
/ref> It won the 1987 Game of the Year award from Japanese gaming magazine '' Oh!X''.
''Star Cruiser''
''Star Cruiser'' ( スタークルーザー) was a first-person role-playing shooter released for the PC-88 in 1988. The game is considered innovative and ahead of its time, for being an early example of an 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 ...
with fully 3D polygonal graphics,[スタークルーザー]
translation
, 4Gamer.net combined with early first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
gameplay,[ which would occasionally switch to space flight simulator gameplay when exploring the open-ended ]outer space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
with six degrees of freedom. All the backgrounds, objects and opponents in the game were rendered in 3D polygons, many years before they were widely adopted by the video game industry
The video game industry encompasses the development, marketing, and monetization of video games. The industry encompasses dozens of job disciplines and thousands of jobs worldwide.
The video game industry has grown from niches to mainstream. , ...
.[ The game also emphasized storytelling, with plot twists and extensive character dialogues,][ taking place in a futuristic ]science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
setting.
It won the 1988 Game of the Year awards from the Japanese computer game magazines ''POPCOM
Popcom (an abbreviation of Popular Communications) was a line of modems marketed by the Prentice Corporation of Sunnyvale, California, introduced in 1984. The line comprised six models—X100, X150, C100, C150, C200, C250—the ''C'' models bei ...
'' and '' Oh!X''. The game was later ported to the Sharp X68000
The is a home computer created by Sharp Corporation. It was first released in 1987 and sold only in Japan.
The initial model has a 10 MHz Motorola 68000 CPU, 1 MB of RAM, and lacks a hard drive. The final model was released in 1993 wit ...
computer platform in 1989, and the Sega Mega Drive
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
(Genesis) video game console
A video game console is an electronic device that Input/output, outputs a video signal or image to display a video game that can be played with a game controller. These may be home video game console, home consoles, which are generally placed i ...
in 1990. The game's sequel, ''Star Cruiser 2'', was released in 1992,[でんげき~別館~](_blank)
'' Dengeki'' for the PC-9821 and FM Towns
The is a Japanese personal computer, built by Fujitsu from February 1989 to the summer of 1997. It started as a proprietary PC variant intended for multimedia applications and PC games, but later became more compatible with IBM PC compatibles. ...
computers. Seven chiptune
Chiptune, also known as chip music or 8-bit music, is a style of synthesized electronic music made using the programmable sound generator (PSG) sound chips or synthesizers in vintage arcade machines, computers and video game consoles.
The t ...
video game music
Video game music (or VGM) is the soundtrack that accompanies video games. Early video game music was once limited to sounds of early sound chips, such as programmable sound generators (PSG) or FM synthesis chips. These limitations have led to ...
soundtrack album
A soundtrack album is any album that incorporates music directly recorded from the soundtrack of a particular feature film or television show. The first such album to be commercially released was Walt Disney's ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' ...
s of both ''Star Cruiser'' games, composed by Toshiya Yamanaka, have been released from 1992 to 2008.
''Air Combat'' and ''Gran Turismo''
The company contributed to the development of several games from other companies. These include Namco
was a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational video game and entertainment company, headquartered in Ōta, Tokyo. It held several international branches, including Namco America in Santa Clara, California, Namco Europe in London, Na ...
's 1995 combat flight simulator
Combat flight simulators are vehicle simulation games, amateur flight simulation computer programs used to simulate military aircraft and their operations. These are distinct from dedicated flight simulators used for professional pilot and mili ...
''Air Combat
''Air Combat'' is a 1995 combat flight simulator developed and published for the PlayStation by Namco. Players control an aircraft and are tasked with completing a series of missions, with objectives ranging from destroying formations of enemie ...
'' and Sony Computer Entertainment's 1997 racing
In sport, racing is a competition of speed, in which competitors try to complete a given task in the shortest amount of time. Typically this involves traversing some distance, but it can be any other task involving speed to reach a specific goa ...
simulator ''Gran Turismo'' both 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 ...
.
List of video games
The following games were developed by the company:
References
External links
*
*
Translated
*
*{{cite web, title=Arsys Software, Inc., url=http://www.mobygames.com/company/arsys-software-inc, publisher=MobyGames
MobyGames is a commercial website that catalogs information on video games and the people and companies behind them via crowdsourcing. This includes nearly 300,000 games for hundreds of platforms. The site is supported by banner ads and a small ...
, accessdate=30 August 2012
Defunct video game companies of Japan
Video game development companies
Video game companies established in 1985
Video game companies disestablished in 2001
Japanese companies established in 1985
Japanese companies disestablished in 2001