, also known as ''Dragon Slayer Jr.'', is an

action-adventure game The action-adventure genre is a video game hybrid genre that combines core elements from both the action game and adventure game genres. Typically, pure adventure games have situational problems for the player to solve to complete a story ...

developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the third installment in the '' Dragon Slayer'' series, preceded by ''

Xanadu Xanadu may refer to: * Shangdu, the ancient summer capital of Kublai Khan's empire in China * a metaphor for opulence or an idyllic place, based upon Coleridge's description of Shangdu in his poem ''Kubla Khan'' Other places * Xanadu (Titan), ...

'' and followed by '' Dragon Slayer IV''. ''Romancia'' is a simpler and brightly colored game in comparison to the other ''Dragon Slayer'' titles, hence the name "Dragon Slayer Jr."

Story

The game begins with Prince outside the castle. As in ''Xanadu'', Fan can speak with the king for some free equipment. The goal is to rescue Princess within 30 minutes. Princess Selina is the princess of the Kingdom of Romancia. She becomes a prisoner in the Kingdom of Azorba.

Gameplay

''Romancia'' is 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 ...

. Movement is controlled with the arrow keys, and attacking is done with the action key. Unlike ''Xanadu'', there are almost no statistics, and zero customization. The game consists largely of two screens with a few small sub-areas. The player has only thirty minutes to complete the game, further illustrating the light and accessible nature of the title versus the oppressive underground complexes of ''Xanadu''. If the player can't make progress in time they will have to start all over again. In the MSX / MSX2 version, there is a mode in which the players can play Princess Serina as the main character with a hidden command. There is a weapon called the ''Dragon Slayer'' sword which can be found in the game.

Development

The game is part of the '' Dragon Slayer'' series, that also includes '' Legacy of the Wizard'', ''

'', and ''

Sorcerian is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom as the fifth installment in the ''Dragon Slayer'' line of games. Originally released for the PC-8801 Personal Computer, it has since been released on a wide variety of platforms. Game ...

''. Yuzo Koshiro contributed tracks to the game.

Release

The first release was in 1986 for the PC-8801, PC-9801,

MSX MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by Microsoft and ASCII Corporation on June 16, 1983. It was initially conceived by Microsoft as a product for the Eastern sector, and jointly marketed by Kazuhiko Nishi, then vice-p ...

, and Sharp X1 computers. A later Famicom version was published by

Tokyo Shoseki is a Japanese company engaged in the textbook and other publishing businesses. The company is well known as the largest publisher of textbooks in Japan, but also publishes reference books and Digital textbooks, educational assessment question, ...

and developed by

Compile In computing, a compiler is a computer program that translates computer code written in one programming language (the ''source'' language) into another language (the ''target'' language). The name "compiler" is primarily used for programs that ...

. An

enhanced remake A video game remake is a video game closely adapted from an earlier title, usually for the purpose of modernizing a game with updated graphics for newer hardware and gameplay for contemporary audiences. Typically, a remake of such game software sh ...

was released for Windows in 1999 by Unbalance. In 2014 the PC-88 version was released along with ''

'' for the retro game distribution service EGG.

Reception

Upon release, four reviewers from '' Famitsu'' gave it a score of 19/40. The game has become notable for being cute but highly difficult. Subsequent reviewers complained about the lack of direction in the game given to the player and trial and error approach. There is no save function and the player may not be aware they have made a mistake. Starting over multiple times is required to advance in the game.

References

{{Dragon Slayer series 1986 video games MSX games MSX2 games Action-adventure games NEC PC-8801 games NEC PC-9801 games Sharp X1 games Nintendo Entertainment System games Tokyo Shoseki games Windows games Dragon Slayer (series) Japan-exclusive video games Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Yuzo Koshiro Single-player video games Compile (company) games Nihon Falcom games