Deadly Towers: Difference between revisions
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|caption = Front cover of ''Deadly Towers'' package. |
|caption = Front cover of ''Deadly Towers'' package. |
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|developer = [[Lenar]] |
|developer = [[Lenar]] |
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|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP=[[ |
|publisher = {{vgrelease|JP=[[Irem (company)|Irem]]}} {{vgrelease|NA=[[Brøderbund]]}} |
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Revision as of 02:01, 28 January 2012
| Deadly Towers | |
|---|---|
 Front cover of Deadly Towers package. | |
| Developer(s) | Lenar |
| Platform(s) | NES |
| Genre(s) | Action role-playing game |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Deadly Towers is an action role-playing video game developed by Lenar and exclusively-licensed by Irem as a software title for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was released in Japan on December 15, 1986, and in North America in September of the following year. One of the earliest published role-playing video games for the NES in North America,[1] Deadly Towers was a best-selling title in 1987.[2]
In Japan, Deadly Towers was titled Mashō (魔鐘), literally meaning "Evil Bell". It is a pun of the word mashō (魔性), meaning "devilishness", and in keeping with this theme, the Japanese cartridge contained a red LED at the top which illuminated when turned on.[3] Irem intended the game's English-language title to be Hell's Bells, but Nintendo of America refused to issue the game a Nintendo Seal of Quality unless Brøderbund changed the name.[4]
Plot
On the moonlit eve of his coronation ceremony, pensive Prince Myer sits at the lakeside to ponder the future of the kingdom. Suddenly, a shadowy kami called Khan rises from the lake and coalesces into the form of a man. Although he doesn't identify himself, the figure greets Prince Myer by name, and informs him that Rubas, the "Devil of Darkness", is preparing to overtake Willner Kingdom by using seven magic bells capable of summoning an army of monsters.
To ensure peace, Khan says, Prince Myer must travel to the northern mountain to burn the Seven Bells in the sacred flame, burn down the seven bell towers in Rubas' magic palace, and, ultimately, defeat Rubas himself.
Presentation and gameplay
Rubas' palace is presented in one-point perspective. The screen scrolls sideways only, except in bell towers, where the screen scrolls vertically. Prince Myer can walk in eight directions, and attacks by throwing a sword. The player earns coins (a currency called ludder) by killing monsters, and can trade ludder at shops in the palace for new equipment. The shops are in fixed locations throughout the palace, but the inventory may change.
The palace is vast, and has ten labyrinthine dungeons. The first dungeon-maze has 167 screens, and the tenth has 235.[5] Seven of the ten dungeons leads to a bell tower, at the top of which is a boss.
Hidden throughout the palace are invisible portals to a secret area called the Parallel Zone, where the player can find equipment superior to that available in the shops.
Reception
When released in 1987, the game became a best-selling title in North America.[2] As one of the first Japanese action role-playing games to be published in North America (alongside Rygar), Computer Gaming World described it as a new kind of role-playing game that differed from both the console action-adventure games (such as Castlevania, Trojan, and Wizards & Warriors) and American computer role-playing games (such as Wizardry, Ultima, and Might & Magic) that American gamers were previously more familiar with at the time. Deadly Towers was particularly notable for its permanent power-up mechanic, which at the time blurred the line between the power-ups used in action-adventures and the experience points used in RPGs.[1]
Despite the game's commercial success in its time,[2] however, the game has received a more mixed reception from retrospective critiques. In the Video Game Bible, 1985-2002, author Andy Slaven reports that he found the game's varied levels entertaining,[6] whereas Sean Reiley, writing in 2001 for his comedy website Seanbaby.com, dismissed it as the worst Nintendo game of all time.[4]
References
- ^ a b Adams, Roe R. (1990), "Westward Ho! (Toward Japan, That Is): An Overview of the Evolution of CRPGs on Dedicated Game Machines", Computer Gaming World, no. 76, pp. 83–84,
While America has been concentrating on yet another Wizardry, Ultima, or Might & Magic, each bigger and more complex than the one before it, the Japanese have slowly carved out a completely new niche in the realm of CRPG. The first CRPG entries were Rygar and Deadly Towers on the NES. These differed considerably from the "action adventure" games that had drawn quite a following on the machines beforehand. Action adventures were basically arcade games done in a fantasy setting such as Castlevania, Trojan, and Wizards & Warriors. The new CRPGs had some of the trappings of regular CRPGs. The character could get stronger over time and gain extras which were not merely a result of a short-term "Power-Up." There were specific items that could be acquired which boosted fighting or defense on a permanent basis. Primitive stores were introduced with the concept that a player could buy something to aid him on his journey.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ a b c Arnie Katz, Bill Kunkel, Joyce Worley (1988), "Video Gaming World", Computer Gaming World, no. 50, p. 44,
Designed by the same crew that produced the best-selling Deadly Towers.
{{citation}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Ciprian, Jason (4 September 2009). "Deadly Towers Famicom Flashback: Let There Be Light!". MTV Networks. Retrieved 7 March 2011.
- ^ a b Reiley, Sean (2001). "The Worst Nintendo Game #1 - Deadly Towers". Retrieved 7 March 2011.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|month=(help) - ^ http://strategywiki.org/wiki/Deadly_Towers/Dungeon_maps
- ^ Andy (2002). "Nintendo Entertainment System". In Slaven, Andy (ed.). Video Game Bible, 1985-2002. Vol. 1. Victoria: Trafford Publishing. p. 95. ISBN 9781553697312. OCLC 50185883.
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Sources
- Deadly Towers Instruction Manual. Brøderbund, 1986.