''Madō Monogatari'', known in the American release version as ''Sorcery Saga'', is a series of first-person
dungeon crawl
A dungeon crawl is a type of scenario in fantasy role-playing games (RPGs) in which heroes navigate a labyrinth environment (a "dungeon"), battling various monsters, avoiding traps, solving puzzles, and looting any treasure they may find. Video g ...
er
role-playing video game
Role-playing video games, also known as CRPG (computer/console role-playing games), comprise a broad video game genre generally defined by a detailed story and character advancement (often through increasing characters' levels or other skills) ...
s 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 ...
. The first game was released in 1990 for
MSX2
MSX is a standardized home computer architecture, announced by 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, the director at ASCII Cor ...
.
Sega
is a Japanese video game company and subsidiary of Sega Sammy Holdings headquartered in Tokyo. It produces several List of best-selling video game franchises, multi-million-selling game franchises for arcade game, arcades and video game cons ...
published the Game Gear remakes based on ''1-2-3''. The characters of this series would later be used in the puzzle game ''
Puyo Puyo
, previously known as ''Puyo Pop'' outside Japan, is a series of tile-matching video games created by Compile. Sega has owned the franchise since 1998, with games after 2001 being developed by Sonic Team. ''Puyo Puyo'' was created as a spin-of ...
''.
The plot of the first game consists of a six-year-old named Arle Nadja, who has passed the written test and she needs to scale a giant tower to pass the actual test. In the second game, ten years later, Arle Nadja encounters Schezo Wegey, and also Satan (Dark Prince outside of Japan), and in the end Carbuncle joins Arle Nadja.
Characters
* Arle Nadja – the main protagonist of the series.
* Monsters – the main antagonists of the series.
Gameplay
Gameplay combines role-playing elements with some unique twists. For example, there are no numeric stats; instead, everything is represented by character facial expressions and sprites. Another is the complete lack of physical attacks. Everything utilizes one of four magical elements: Fire, Ice Storm, Thunder, and Bayoen. Some enemies are weaker against one particular magic attack than another.
Games in the series
Remakes
Disc Station
Notes
References
External links
Hardcore Gaming 101
Puyo Puyo
Compile (company) games
MSX2 games
NEC PC-9801 games
NEC video games
Fantasy video games
Role-playing video games
Japan-exclusive video games
Video games developed in Japan
Video games featuring female protagonists
Windows games
1989 video games
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