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Arsys Software

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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 software development company.[1][2]

Overview

The company was founded as Arsys Software by former Technosoft staff on 11 November 1985. They were primarily involved in PC game development. In 1986, they debuted with the role-playing shooter Wibarm, followed by the first-person role-playing shooter Star Cruiser in 1988. When Star Cruiser was released in 1988, the company only had several employees, which grew to dozen employees by 1991, when development began on Star Cruiser 2.

In addition to its own products, they also ported games to Japanese computer platforms, such as several Brøderbund games, Prince of Persia, and the Ace Combat series of arcade games. They were also involved in the development of Sony Computer Entertainment's Gran Turismo. They also released the chiptune video game music soundtrack album Arsys Best Selection in 1990. The company eventually closed down in 2001.

Notable video games

Wibarm

WiBArm (1986) was an early role-playing shooter, combining run and gun shooter gameplay with role-playing video game elements. It was also the first action role-playing game to feature 3D polygonal graphics was the 1986 game , released by Arsys Software for the NEC PC-88 computer in Japan and ported to MS-DOS for Western release by Brøderbund. In WiBArm, the player controls a transformable mecha robot, switching between a 2D side-scrolling view during outdoor exploration to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses are fought in an arena-style 2D shoot 'em up battle. The game featured a variety of weapons and equipment as well as an automap, and the player could upgrade equipment and earn experience to raise stats.[3][4] In contrast to first-person RPGs at the time that were restricted to 90-degree movements, WiBArm's use of 3D polygons allowed full 360-degree movement.[4]

Star Cruiser

Star Cruiser (スタークルーザー) (1988) was a first-person role-playing shooter released for the PC-88. This innovative game is notable for being an early example of a role-playing game with fully 3D polygonal graphics,[5] combined with early first-person shooter gameplay,[6] which would occasionally switch to space flight simulator gameplay when exploring outer space 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 game also emphasized storytelling, with plot twists and extensive character dialogues.[5] It was later ported to the Sega Mega Drive in 1990.[6] The game's sequel, Star Cruiser 2, was released in 1992,[7] for the PC-9821 and FM Towns computers.[8]

List of video games

The following games were developed by the company:[9][2][10]

Title Release Platform(s) Note(s)
WiBArM 1986 PC-88, PC-98, X1, MZ, FM-7, IBM PC
Reviver: The Real-Time Adventure 1987 PC-88, X1, MZ, MSX2
Star Cruiser 1988 PC-88, PC-98, X1, Sega Mega Drive
Cyber Armor Wer Dragon 1989 PC-88
Knight Arms: The Hybrid Framer 1989 Sharp X68000
Tenka Touitsu 1990 X68000 Port
Blitzkrieg Toubu Sensen 1941-45 1991 X68000
Daisenryaku III '90 1991 X68000 Port
Prince of Persia 1992 SNES Port
Spin Dizzy II 1992 PC-98, X68000 Sequel to Activision's Spindizzy
Star Cruiser 2 1992 PC-98, FM Towns
Battle Zeque Den 1994 SNES
Gran Turismo 1997 PlayStation Co-developed with SCE

See also

References

  1. ^ "Home page". Cyberhead. Archived from the original on 2001-08-03. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  2. ^ a b "Arsys Software Inc". GameSpot. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  3. ^ John Szczepaniak. "Retro Japanese Computers: Gaming's Final Frontier". Hardcore Gaming 101. p. 4. Retrieved 2011-03-18. (Reprinted from Retro Gamer, Issue 67, 2009)
  4. ^ a b "【リリース】プロジェクトEGGから3月25日に「ウィバーン」発売". 4Gamer.net. Retrieved 2011-03-05. (Translation)
  5. ^ a b スタークルーザー (translation), 4Gamer.net
  6. ^ a b Template:Allgame
  7. ^ でんげき～別館～ (Translation), Dengeki
  8. ^ 日記(バックナンバー) (Translation), Dengeki
  9. ^ "Product list". Cyberhead. Archived from the original on 2001-04-15. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
  10. ^ "Game Companies: Arsys Software Inc". GameFAQs. Retrieved 30 August 2012.
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