is a

visual novel A , often abbreviated as VN, is a form of digital semi-interactive fiction. Visual novels are often associated with and used in the medium of video games, but are not always labeled as such themselves. They combine a textual narrative with sta ...

video game developed by Light, originally released in 2007 in Japan. A TV

anime is hand-drawn and 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 Japanese, (a term derived from a shortening of ...

adaptation, '' Dies Irae'', premiered in October 2017.

Gameplay

As in most

s, the

gameplay Gameplay is the specific way in which players interact with a game, and in particular with video games. Gameplay is the pattern defined through the game rules, connection between player and the game, challenges and overcoming them, plot and pl ...

mostly consists of reading text on the screen (representing narration or dialogue) accompanied by images showing characters and locations. At certain points in the story, the player can choose options which influence the path, or "route", the story takes.

Synopsis

Prior to the events of the story, the Longinus Dreizehn Orden, a group of sorcerers, perform a ritual in Berlin during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, using the lives lost in battle as a sacrifice for their spell. After the war ends, they disappear, but are rumored to return. In present-day Japan, Ren Fuji is released from the hospital after recovering from a brawl with his friend Shirou, when the Longinus Dreizehn Orden returns.

Development and release

''Dies irae'' was developed by Light, and was produced by Hattori Michisato and written by Takashi Masada, with art by G-Yuusuke and music by Keishi Yonao. It was developed during the 2000s PC boom in Japan, when the audience of Japanese video game players on Microsoft Windows grew, and the introduction of simpler development tools lowered the barrier of entry. Light experimented with games at the time, and created things they wanted to make; after developing ''Paradise Lost'', they decided they wanted to make a serious game themed around battles, which led to the creation of ''Dies irae''. Michisato described the game's theme as "the reason to fight for and protect your loved ones", and "the stubborn pride of men". Development was challenging, leading to the game being released unfinished; this first version was released on December 2, 2007 for Microsoft Windows with the subtitle ''Also sprach Zarathustra''. Development continued, and a second version, ''Acta est Fabula'', was released on December 25, 2009; the game was not completed until its third version, ''Amantes amentes'', which was released on June 28, 2012 for PlayStation Portable and on August 31 of the same year for Microsoft Windows. To show gratitude to users who bought the original releases despite them being incomplete, Light included 200-page fan books with each new release, which were not made available to purchase in book stores. ''Amantes amentes'' was later ported to

smartphone A smartphone is a portable computer device that combines mobile telephone and computing functions into one unit. They are distinguished from feature phones by their stronger hardware capabilities and extensive mobile operating systems, whic ...

s, and was released for Android on August 19, 2015 and for

iOS iOS (formerly iPhone OS) is a mobile operating system created and developed by Apple Inc. exclusively for its hardware. It is the operating system that powers many of the company's mobile devices, including the iPhone; the term also include ...

on December 2, 2016. A Nintendo Switch version of ''Amantes amentes'', which includes an additional scenario that serves as a prequel to the mobile game ''Dies irae Pantheon'', is planned for release in Japan on October 18, 2018. The Nintendo Switch version, which is developed by Greenwood, was delayed from the originally announced release date of September 27 due to bugs being found late in development. ''Amantes amentes'' has not been fan translated, something Michisato attributed to the story's length and complexity. An official English

localization Localization or localisation may refer to: Biology * Localization of function, locating psychological functions in the brain or nervous system; see Linguistic intelligence * Localization of sensation, ability to tell what part of the body is a ...

was worked on by a team led by the American translator John Hooper, who had previously worked on the localization of '' Root Double: Before Crime * After Days'', and had approached Light with the proposal to localize ''Dies irae''. In addition to the translation, the localization team handled the debugging of the English release and advised Light on what kind of merchandise would appeal to American players.

Reception

''Also sprach Zarathustra'' was the twelfth best selling PC game of 2007 on the web shop Getchu; ''Acta est Fabula'' was the twenty-fifth of 2009. The PlayStation Portable version of ''Amantes amentes'' sold a total of 5,669 copies during its debut week, making it the third best selling PlayStation Portable game of the week in Japan, and twentieth best-selling game in Japan across all systems. By May 2017, over 100,000 copies of ''Dies irae'' had been sold across all versions. The game has won awards: ''Also sprach Zarathustra'' was given an Award of Excellence in the Background Music Division of the 2008 Bishoujo Game Awards, and ''Acta est Fabula'' won the gold award in the background music category in the 2010 Moe Game Awards. According to Michisato, users were upset by the initial, incomplete releases.

Other media

Media based on the game has been released: a manga adaptation by Kazuomi Minatogawa started serialization on January 27, 2016 in the March 2016 issue of Kadokawa Corporation's ''

Dengeki Maoh is a Japanese seinen magazine published by ASCII Media Works (formerly MediaWorks). It first went on sale on October 27, 2005, and is sold every month on the twenty-seventh. The magazine features information on video games, manga, and light nove ...

'' until it came to an abrupt end in July 2019; a novelization by Ryō Morise was released in early 2016; and an

adaptation, titled '' Dies Irae'', began broadcast in 2017. A spin-off video game, ''Dies irae: Interview with Kaziklu Bey'', was released in Japan in March 2016, and internationally on February 28, 2019. A mobile game, ''Dies irae Pantheon'', was in development by Super Appli, with a scenario by Masada and art by G-Yuusuke. ''Dies irae Pantheon'' was planned for release in Q4 2017 in Japan—however, development was canceled after Light was forced to close its doors due to three changes in development companies for the game. Light had initially expressed interest in an English localization of the smartphone game before its cancelation.

References

External links

* * * {{vndb, 548, title=''Dies irae'' 2007 video games Android (operating system) games Battle royale anime and manga Battle royale IOS games Nazis in fiction Nintendo Switch games PlayStation Portable games PlayStation Vita games Seinen manga Video games developed in Japan Video games scored by Keishi Yonao Visual novels Windows games World War II alternate histories