Brandish | |
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Genre(s) | Action role-playing |
Developer(s) | Nihon Falcom |
Brandish [1] is a series of action role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom.
The original Brandish video game was released in 1991 for the NEC PC-9801 and FM Towns and later ported to the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (Super NES) and PC Engine CD-ROM² in 1994–1995, including an expanded re-release titled Brandish Renewal; the Super NES version was published by Koei in Japan in 1994 and in North America in 1995. A complete remake of the original Brandish for the PlayStation Portable (PSP), featuring 3D graphics and titled Brandish: The Dark Revenant, was published by Nihon Falcom in Japan in 2009 and Xseed Games released a localized version on the PlayStation Store in 2015.
The original game proved popular enough in Japan to warrant two direct sequels exclusively in Japan that continued the adventures of Ares and Dela. The first one was Brandish 2: The Planet Buster, originally released for the PC-98 in 1993 and ported to the Super Famicom (SNES) in 1995 [2] (like Falcom's later Ys V , the game was released in "normal" and "expert" difficulty versions). [3]
Brandish 2 received a fan translation in 2009. [4]
The next sequel was Brandish 3: Spirit of Balcan, originally released for the PC-98 in 1994. [5]
Brandish 3 was followed by Brandish VT, originally released in 1996 and renamed Brandish 4: The Tower of Sleeping God when it was re-released for Windows in 1998. This final game follows a similar gameplay format, now with isometric graphics, but with completely different storyline and characters. [6]
Dela makes an appearance in Falcom's 2010 Ys vs. Trails in the Sky as a support character. [7]
Ys is a series of action role-playing games developed by Nihon Falcom. The series chronicles the life of the adventurer Adol Christin.
Dragon Slayer is a series of role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. The first Dragon Slayer game is an early action role-playing game, released in 1984 for the NEC PC-8801 and ported by Square for the MSX. Designed by Yoshio Kiya, the game gave rise to a series of sequels, most of them created by Falcom, with the exception of Faxanadu by Hudson Soft. The Dragon Slayer series is historically significant, both as a founder of the Japanese role-playing game industry, and as the progenitor of the action role-playing game genre.
Nihon Falcom Corporation (日本ファルコム株式会社) is a Japanese video game developer, best known for their Ys, The Legend of Heroes, and Trails series. The company was founded in March 1981, making them one of the oldest active video game companies. They are credited with pioneering the action role-playing and Japanese role-playing game genres, as well as popularizing the use of personal computers in Japan.
Brandish is an action role-playing game by Nihon Falcom. Originally released in 1991 for the NEC PC-9801 and FM Towns, it was later ported to the Super NES and PC Engine CD-ROM² in the mid 1990s, including an expanded re-release titled Brandish Renewal. The game was the first in the Brandish series and was followed by three sequels. A remake, Brandish: The Dark Revenant, was released for the PlayStation Portable in Japan in 2009 and worldwide in 2015.
Popful Mail: Magical Fantasy Adventure is a side-scrolling platform game developed by Nihon Falcom. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 home computer in 1991 and the PC-9801 in 1992. The game was later ported to the PC Engine CD-ROM by NEC Home Electronics, to the Sega CD by Sega, to DoJa mobile phones by Bothtec, and to the Super Famicom and Microsoft Windows by Falcom.
Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished, also known as Ys: The Vanished Omens or The Ancient Land of Ys, is a 1987 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the first installment in the Ys series. Initially developed for the PC-8800 series by Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki, the game was soon ported to the Sharp X1, PC-98, FM-7, and MSX2 Japanese computer systems.
Hydlide is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year.
Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter is a 1988 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is a sequel to Ys I: Ancient Ys Vanished and takes place immediately following it. The game first released for the PC-8801 and PC-9801 and has seen several ports and remakes since.
Ys IV: Mask of the Sun is a 1993 action role-playing game developed by Tonkin House for the Super Famicom. It is the fourth game in the Ys video game series.
Ys IV: The Dawn of Ys is a 1993 action role-playing game by Hudson Soft for the PC Engine CD-ROM². It is the fourth game in the Ys video game series. The Dawn of Ys was one of two games released under the title of Ys IV, the other being Tonkin House's Ys IV: Mask of the Sun for the Super Famicom. The two games share the same setting, but Hudson took more liberties with its presentation in The Dawn of Ys, and two unique games resulted.
Ys V: Lost Kefin, Kingdom of Sand is a 1995 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the fifth game in the Ys series of video games and was released for the Super Famicom in December 1995. A remake by Arc System Works and Taito was released for the PlayStation 2 in 2006.
Dragon Slayer is an action role-playing game, developed by Nihon Falcom and designed by Yoshio Kiya. It was originally released in 1984 for the PC-8801, PC-9801, X1 and FM-7, and became a major success in Japan. It was followed by an MSX port published by Square in 1985, a Super Cassette Vision by Epoch in 1986 and a Game Boy port by the same company in 1990 under the name Dragon Slayer I. A version for PC-6001mkII was in development but was never released. A remake of Dragon Slayer is included in the Falcom Classics collection for the Sega Saturn.
Xevious: Fardraut Saga is a 1988 vertically scrolling shooter video game published by Namco for the MSX2 in Japan. An updated PC Engine version was released two years later. The fifth entry in the Xevious franchise, the player controls a spaceship in its mission to vanquish the Xevious forces before its supercomputer leader GAMP wipes out the entirety of mankind. The player uses two weapons, an air zapper to destroy air-based enemies, and a blaster bomb to destroy ground-based enemies.
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes is a 1989 role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the sixth game in the Dragon Slayer series and the first in The Legend of Heroes franchise.
Minako Iwasaki is a Japanese game character designer and manga artist. She joined the game company Nihon Falcom in 1993. After she turned freelance, she took on illustrations of light novels and character designs for the Rune Factory series.
Vantage Master is a 1997 tactical role-playing game by Nihon Falcom. The game was never released outside of Asia. A sequel, Vantage Master V2, was released in 1998, featuring new maps and adjusted character balance but an unchanged overall game design. The English version of V2 was made available as a free download as of 2002 under the title Vantage Master Online. Another sequel, VM Japan, was released in 2002.
Xanadu, also known as Xanadu: Dragon Slayer II, is an action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom and released in 1985 for the PC-8801, X1, PC-8001, PC-9801, FM-7 and MSX computers. Enhanced remakes were later released for the Sega Saturn, PC-9801 and Windows platforms. It is the second entry in the Dragon Slayer series, preceded by Dragon Slayer and followed by Dragon Slayer Jr: Romancia, which, as most games in the Dragon Slayer series, have very little relation with each other.
While the early history and distinctive traits of role-playing video games (RPGs) in East Asia have come from Japan, many video games have also arisen in China, developed in South Korea, and Taiwan.
Ys vs. Trails in the Sky: Alternative Saga is a 2010 crossover fighting game by Nihon Falcom. Similar to the concept of Super Smash Bros. and Dissidia Final Fantasy, the game involves players choosing a character and participating in up to four-player fights against other characters sourced from Falcom's Ys and Trails role-playing game series. It was released only in Japan for the PlayStation Portable on July 29.