Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard

Last updated
Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard
Gun Hazard Cover.png
Developer(s) Omiya Soft
Publisher(s) Squaresoft
Director(s) Hideo Suzuki
Producer(s)
  • Yasuyuki Maeda
  • Kiyotaka Sousui
Programmer(s)
  • Hideo Suzuki
  • Yukihiro Higuchi
Artist(s) Yoshitaka Amano
Composer(s)
Series Front Mission
Platform(s) Super Famicom
Release
  • JP: February 23, 1996
Genre(s) Side-scrolling shooter, role-playing shooter
Mode(s) Single-player

Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard [lower-alpha 1] is a 1996 video game developed by Omiya Soft and published by Squaresoft, and was released in Japan on February 23, 1996 for the Super Famicom game console. The game is the second entry in the Front Mission series, and is a side-scrolling role-playing shooter.

Contents

Gameplay

Gun Hazard is the first action RPG of the Front Mission series, and it is similar to Metal Warriors and Assault Suit Valken . [1] [2] As a side-scrolling shooter spin-off, the gameplay of Gun Hazard differs from the tactical role-playing game entries of the numbered Front Mission titles. [3] Rather than being played out on a grid-based map and using a turn-based structure, battles takes place in real-time on scrolling 2D maps akin to Assault Suits Valken (titled Cybernator outside of Japan), a game which shared several key development staff with Gun Hazard. [4] The player controls one character who pilots a bipedal mech known as a wanzer. [2]

A player fighting an enemy Gun Hazard Screenshot.png
A player fighting an enemy

Game progression in Gun Hazard is done in linear manner: watch cut-scene events, complete missions, set up wanzers and vehicles during intermissions, and sortie for the next mission. The player travels to locations on a point-and-click world map.

In Gun Hazard, the player can leave the mech and explore. [2]

A unique feature of Gun Hazard is its usage-based progression system. The usefulness of parts and weapons increases with prolonged usage; the more they are used in missions, the more effective they become. [2]

Missions aside, Gun Hazard boasts other new features seen in future Front Mission entries: a job system and remodeling. The job system creates clearly defined roles for the characters that the player can use in missions, particularly the ones that can be taken in missions as a second ally unit.

Story

Set in 2064, the story of Gun Hazard takes place all over the world in an alternate Front Mission universe. In the early 21st century, nations around the world fought over the control of natural resources. With natural resources dwindling in supply, the nations of the world eventually banded together to seek a solution to the growing crisis. Realizing the potential in space-based energy, they began development of an orbital elevator known as "Atlas" in 2024. [5] As the orbital elevator's completion drew near, a breakthrough was achieved in miniature fusion reactors. The countries responsible for Atlas began to halt development of the orbital elevator and pursued miniature fusion reactor technology. Left unfinished, Atlas became a symbol of failed dreams and hopes as the world regressed back into a world of conflicts. [6] One such conflict is the Bergen coup d'état in 2064.

Plot

The plot of Gun Hazard revolves around a soldier based in Bergen, Norway named Albert Grabner (whose parents reside Eningen, Germany). In January 2064, Ark Hellbrand of the Bergen Army stages a coup d'état in an attempt to overthrow the government led by President Moss Orwen. As the coup d'état forces begin to take over the country, President Orwen radios for assistance from NORAD and a faction of the Bergen Army loyal to him. Albert Grabner is sent to act as the president's bodyguard and helps him escape the country. However, the two are eventually captured by Hellbrand. Albert escapes from prison with the help of Brenda Lockheart, a mercenary employed by the Kernelight Association. Upon escaping Bergen and reaching New York City, they visit the Kernelight Association headquarters. Hoping to return to Bergen and rescue Orwen, Albert agrees to working for the Kernelight Association to find allies that can help him overthrow Ark. As the two work for the mercenary guild and travel to war-torn countries around the world, Albert begins to see a link between the civil conflicts, the Bergen coup d'état, and an organization only known as "The Society".

Development and release

The game was developed by Omiya Soft, which had some members from Masaya, developer of Assault Suits Valken . [7] [8] Gun Hazard is the first spin-off entry and the second entry overall in the Front Mission series. The game takes place in a completely separate universe from the other Front Mission games. [9]

Gun Hazard was unveiled at a Square of Japan press conference in early September 1995. [4] It was released in Japan and published by Squaresoft, on February 23, 1996 for the Super Famicom game console. [10] [2] Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard sold over 184,000 copies in Japan by the end of 1996, [11] and 300,000 copies in Japan in total. [12]

It was also released on the Japanese Wii's Virtual Console service on May 20, 2008. [13] [14] The game later received an unofficial fan translation into English by the group Aeon Genesis. [15]

Music

The game's soundtrack was composed by Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda, [4] with additional tracks provided by Junya Nakano and Masashi Hamauzu. The soundtrack was the second collaboration between Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda, after Chrono Trigger the previous year. [16] According to Uematsu, Mitsuda worked so much on the soundtrack that he eventually had to be hospitalized. [17]

The soundtrack has a "mechanical" theme to its music, and incorporates both electronic and traditional instruments. The music from the game was released on an album titled Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard Original Sound Track. It was released by NTT Publishing on February 25, 1996. Kero Hazel of Square Enix Music Online called the soundtrack album "a thumping example of fine industrial music" and complimented its use of other musical styles to influence that core style. [18] Patrick Gann of RPGFan also praised the album as "downright awesome" and highly recommended it. [16]

After the end credits, a voice sample quietly appears. This voice sample is from the uncensored version of the 1994 song "Dog Tribe" by UK hip hop group Fun-Da-Mental. [19]

Reception

Famitsu gave it a score of 28 out of 40. [2]

UK magazine Super Play gave it a score of 45 out of 100. [7]

Super GamePower gave it a 4.2 out of 5. [22]

Fun Generation gave it a 7 out of 10. [21]

In 2016, Nintendo Life gave it a score of 8/10. [20]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: フロントミッションシリーズ ガンハザード, Hepburn: Furonto Misshon Gan Hazādo

Related Research Articles

<i>Chrono Trigger</i> 1995 video game

Chrono Trigger is a 1995 role-playing video game developed and published by Square. It was originally released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System as the first game in the Chrono series. The game's development team included three designers that Square dubbed the "Dream Team": Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of Square's Final Fantasy series; Yuji Horii, creator of Enix's Dragon Quest series; and Akira Toriyama, character designer of Dragon Quest and author of the Dragon Ball manga series. In addition, Takashi Tokita co-directed the game and co-wrote the scenario, Kazuhiko Aoki produced the game, Masato Kato wrote most of the story, while composer Yasunori Mitsuda wrote most of the soundtrack before falling ill and deferring the remaining tracks to Final Fantasy series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The game's story follows a group of adventurers who travel through time to prevent a global catastrophe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yasunori Mitsuda</span> Japanese composer (born 1972)

Yasunori Mitsuda is a Japanese composer, musician, and sound producer. He is best known for his work in video games, primarily for the Chrono, Xeno, Shadow Hearts, and Inazuma Eleven franchises, among various others. Mitsuda began composing music for his own games in high school, later attending a music college in Tokyo. While still a student, he was granted an intern position at the game development studio Wolf Team.

Front Mission is a collection of video games and related media produced by Square, now Square Enix. The series was created by Toshiro Tsuchida and developed by G-Craft, a studio that was later absorbed by Square and existed within Square Enix as Product Development Division-6. Since the release of the original Front Mission in 1995, the series has gone on to encompass several media, including film, manga, novels, radio dramas, mobile phone applications, and toys. While the series is primarily rooted in the turn-based tactical role-playing genre, it has also ventured into other genres such as side-scrolling shooter, real-time strategy (RTS), massive multiplayer online (MMO), and third-person shooter through its spin-offs. The Front Mission video games have achieved moderate success, selling over 3 million units worldwide since the release of Front Mission 5: Scars of the War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Masashi Hamauzu</span> Japanese composer and pianist (born 1971)

Masashi Hamauzu is a Japanese composer, pianist, and lyricist. Hamauzu, who was employed at Square Enix from 1996 to 2010, was best known during that time for his work on the Final Fantasy and SaGa video game series. Born into a musical family in Germany, Hamauzu was raised in Japan. He became interested in music while in kindergarten, and took piano lessons from his parents.

Kenji Ito, also known by the nickname Itoken (イトケン), is a Japanese video game composer and musician. He is best known for his work on the Mana and SaGa series, though he has worked on over 30 video games throughout his career as well as composed or arranged music for over 15 other albums, concerts, and plays. He learned to play several instruments at a young age, and joined Square directly out of college as a composer in 1990 at the advice of a professor. He worked there for over a decade, composing many of his best-known scores. In 2001, he left Square to become a freelance composer, but has since continued to collaborate with the company.

Junya Nakano is a Japanese video game composer. After working for Konami in the early 1990s, he was employed by Squaresoft and then Square Enix from 1995 to 2009. He is best known for scoring Threads of Fate and co-composing Final Fantasy X for Squaresoft, arranging for Dawn of Mana and the Nintendo DS version of Final Fantasy IV for Square Enix, and scoring arcade video games such as X-Men and Mystic Warriors for Konami. Nakano has collaborated with Masashi Hamauzu on a number of games.

Masato Kato is a Japanese video game artist, scenario writer and director. In the early days of his career, he was credited under the pseudonyms of "Runmaru" and "Runmal". He then joined Square, and was most famous for penning the script of Chrono Trigger, as well as Radical Dreamers, Xenogears, Chrono Cross, Final Fantasy XI and parts of Final Fantasy VII.

<i>Assault Suits Valken</i> 1992 video game

Assault Suits Valken, also known as Cybernator, is a 2D mecha action game developed by Masaya and released in 1992 for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the Assault Suits series, it is a prequel to the first game, Target Earth. The game was localized and published overseas by Konami. The story follows Jake Brain who pilots a giant mecha and fights in a war engulfing the entire world.

<i>Front Mission 2</i> 1997 video game

Front Mission 2, also known in Japan as Front Mission Second, is a tactical role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation developed by G-Craft and published by Squaresoft, and was released in Japan on September 25, 1997. Front Mission 2 is the second main entry and the third entry overall in the Front Mission series. Like other Front Mission titles, Front Mission 2 is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. The game was well received by critics and fans, and was part of Square Enix's "Ultimate Hits" collection in 2005. A remake for the Nintendo Switch, titled Front Mission 2: Remake, was announced in 2022 and is set to release sometime in 2023.

Music of <i>Chrono Trigger</i> Music of the video game Chrono Trigger

The Chrono series is a video game franchise developed and published by Square Enix. It began in 1995 with the time travel role-playing video game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. The music of Chrono Trigger was mainly composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, with a few tracks composed by regular Final Fantasy composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Chrono Trigger soundtrack has inspired four official album releases by Square Enix: a soundtrack album released by NTT Publishing in 1995 and re-released in 2004, a greatest hits album published by DigiCube in 1999, published in abbreviated form by Tokyopop in 2001, and republished by Square Enix in 2005, an acid jazz arrangement album published and republished by NTT Publishing in 1995 and 2004, and a 2008 orchestral arranged album by Square Enix. Corresponding with the Nintendo DS release of the game, a reissued soundtrack was released in 2009. An arranged album for Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross, entitled To Far Away Times, was released in 2015 to commemorate the 20 year anniversary of Chrono Trigger.

The Chrono series is a video game franchise developed and published by Square, and is currently owned by Square Enix. The series began in 1995 with the time travel role-playing video game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers: Nusumenai Hōseki, and Chrono Cross. A promotional anime called Dimensional Adventure Numa Monjar and two ports of Chrono Trigger were also produced. As of March 31, 2003, Chrono Trigger was Square Enix's 12th best-selling game, with 2.65 million units shipped. Chrono Cross was the 24th, with 1.5 million units shipped. By 2019, the two games had sold over 5.5 million units combined. The games in the series have been called some of the greatest of all time, with most of the praise going towards Chrono Trigger. The series' original soundtracks, composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, have also been praised, with multiple soundtracks being released for them.

Hanjuku Hero is a Japan-exclusive series of real-time strategy video games. It is directed by Takashi Tokita and published by Square Enix. The series contains four main titles and a spin-off game. The main titles are Hanjuku Hero (1988), Hanjuku Hero: Aa, Sekaiyo Hanjukunare...! (1992), Hanjuku Hero Tai 3D (2003), and Hanjuku Hero 4: 7-Nin no Hanjuku Hero (2005). The spinoff is a Nintendo DS game called Egg Monster Hero (2005), which is a role-playing game with an emphasis on touch-based gameplay. The series is known for its humor and is centered on Lord Almamoon, the protagonist who must save his country from danger in each game.

<i>Front Mission</i> (video game) 1995 video game

Front Mission is a tactical role-playing game developed by G-Craft and published by Square, and was released in Japan on February 24, 1995 for the Super Famicom. Front Mission is the first main entry and the first entry overall in the Front Mission series. Front Mission is part of a serialized storyline that follows the stories of various characters and their struggles involving mecha known as wanzers. A direct port of the game was released for the WonderSwan Color in Japan on July 12, 2002.

Yoshitaka Hirota is a Japanese video game composer and bass guitarist. His most notable works include the soundtracks to the Shadow Hearts series. Hirota was previously a sound effects programmer having worked on various Square titles. His first work as a video game composer was for the 1999 Nintendo 64 game Bomberman 64: The Second Attack.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy IV was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. The Final Fantasy IV Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing. It was released in North America by Tokyopop as Final Fantasy IV Official Soundtrack: Music from Final Fantasy Chronicles, with one additional track. It has since been re-released multiple times with slight changes as part of the Final Fantasy Finest Box and as Final Fantasy IV DS OST. An arranged album entitled Final Fantasy IV Celtic Moon, containing a selection of musical tracks from the game performed in the style of Celtic music by Máire Breatnach, was released by Square and later re-released by NTT Publishing. Additionally, a collection of piano arrangements composed by Nobuo Uematsu and played by Toshiyuki Mori titled Piano Collections Final Fantasy IV was released by NTT Publishing.

The music of the video game Final Fantasy III was composed by regular series composer Nobuo Uematsu. Final Fantasy III Original Sound Version, a compilation of almost all of the music in the game, was released by Square Co./NTT Publishing in 1991, and subsequently re-released by NTT Publishing in 1994 and 2004. The soundtrack to the remake of Final Fantasy III for the Nintendo DS, Final Fantasy III Original Soundtrack was released by NTT Publishing in 2006, with revamped versions of the tracks and additional tracks. A vocal arrangement album entitled Final Fantasy III Yūkyū no Kaze Densetsu, or literally Final Fantasy III Legend of the Eternal Wind, contained a selection of musical tracks from the game. The tracks were performed by Nobuo Uematsu and Dido, a duo composed of Michiaki Kato and Shizuru Ohtaka. The album was released by Data M in 1990 and by Polystar in 1994.

<i>Sands of Destruction</i> 2008 video game

Sands of Destruction is a role-playing video game developed by Imageepoch and published by Sega for the Nintendo DS. It was released in Japan in 2008, and in North America in 2010. The story revolves around a young man, Kyrie, who possesses the power to destroy the world, though he does not know why. The female lead is Morte, a member of a group that is trying to destroy the world.

Music of <i>Chrono Cross</i> Music of the video game Chrono Cross

The Chrono series is a video game franchise developed and published by Square Enix. It began in 1995 with the time travel role-playing video game Chrono Trigger, which spawned two continuations, Radical Dreamers and Chrono Cross. The music of Chrono Cross was composed by Yasunori Mitsuda, the main composer of Chrono Trigger and Radical Dreamers. Chrono Cross has sparked a soundtrack album, released in 1999 by DigiCube and re-released in 2005 by Square Enix, and a greatest hits mini-album, published in 2000 by Square along with the North American release of the game. Radical Dreamers, the music of which heavily inspired the soundtrack of Chrono Cross, has not sparked any albums, though some songs from its soundtrack were reused in Chrono Cross. An album of arrangements of Chrono Cross songs was first announced by Mitsuda in 2005, and later intended to be released to coincide with the tenth anniversary of the game in 2009; its release date was pushed back several times since then. In 2015, Mitsuda released an album of arranged music from Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross entitled To Far Away Times to commemorate the 20-year anniversary of Chrono Trigger.

Front Mission is a series of tactical role-playing games produced by Square Enix. The music of the series includes the soundtracks to the main series, composed of Front Mission through Front Mission 5: Scars of the War, as well as the spin-off games, which include Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard, Front Mission Alternative, Front Mission: Online, Front Mission 2089 and its remake Front Mission 2089: Border of Madness, Front Mission 2089-II, and Front Mission Evolved. The soundtracks of the series' installments have been released in album form in Japan, with the exceptions of 2089, 2089-II, and Border of Madness, which reuse music from the other installments, and Evolved, which was published in 2010. The soundtrack to Front Mission was released in 1995 by NTT Publishing, which also published the soundtrack to Front Mission: Gun Hazard in 1996. DigiCube published soundtrack albums for Front Mission 2 and Alternative in 1997 and 3 in 1999. Square Enix published the albums for Front Mission 4 in 2004, and 5 and Online in 2006.

References

  1. ↑ "Pre-esteia: Gun Hazard". Super GamePower (in Portuguese). No. 20. Brazil: Nova Cultural. November 1995.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "スクウェア・エニックス ダウンロードコンテンツ｜ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2018-07-27. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  3. ↑ Famitsu Books Editorial, ed. (1996-04-08). Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard Official Fanbook (in Japanese). ASCII.
  4. 1 2 3 "Future Fantasies". GamePro . No. 87. IDG. December 1995. p. 136.
  5. ↑ Yamaguchi, Hiroshi (1996-06-07). Gun Hazard - A Mercenary's Iron Legs (in Japanese). Aspect Novels. ISBN   978-4-89366-513-3.
  6. ↑ Matsuda, Taishu (1996-11-22). Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard (in Japanese). ASCII Comix. ISBN   978-4-7561-1257-6.
  7. 1 2 3 "Import Review: Front Mission Gun Hazard". Superplay. No. 43. Future Publishing. May 1996. pp. 44–49.
  8. ↑ "【2月23日】今日は『フロントミッションシリーズ ガンハザード』の発売23周年！【レトロゲーム】". ゲームドライブ（ゲードラ） - スマホ・アナログ・レトロ・新作ゲーム情報を毎日掲載中！. Archived from the original on 2019-05-11. Retrieved 2019-05-11.
  9. ↑ Dengeki, ed. (February 2004). "100 Year History of Front Mission". Dengeki GAMES (in Japanese). No. February 2004 Special Edition. MediaWorks.
  10. ↑ "フロントミッションシリーズ ガンハザード" ガンハザード (in Japanese). Square Enix. Archived from the original on 2009-05-28. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  11. ↑ "1996年ゲームソフト年間売上TOP100" [1996 Game Software Annual Sales Top 100]. Famitsū Gēmu Hakusho 2005ファミ通ゲーム白書2005 [Famitsu Game Whitebook 2005] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Enterbrain. 2005-05-13. p. 426. ISBN   4-7577-2307-5. Archived from the original on 2015-06-27.
  12. ↑ Dengeki PlayStation Editorial, LogicGate, ed. (March 2007). Front Mission World Historica - Report of Conflicts 1970-2121 (in Japanese). MediaWorks. ISBN   978-4-8402-3663-8.
  13. ↑ "VC フロントミッションシリーズ ガンハザード" (in Japanese). Nintendo. Archived from the original on 2011-07-26. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
  14. ↑ "ガンハザード [スーパーファミコン] / ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 2013-06-30. Retrieved 2018-07-26.
  15. ↑ "Found in Translation". Play (USA). United States of America: Fusion Publishing. October 2008. pp. 62–64.
  16. 1 2 Gann, Patrick (2000-08-06). "Front Mission Series Gun Hazard OST". RPGFan. Archived from the original on 2009-12-30. Retrieved 2010-09-02.
  17. ↑ Mitsuda, Yasunori; Uematsu, Nobuo (1995-12-12). Gun Hazard Original Sound Track -Front Mission Series- Liner Notes. NTT Publishing. PSCN-5044~5.
  18. ↑ Hazel, Kero. "Gun Hazard Original Sound Version :: Review by Kero Hazel". Square Enix Music Online. Archived from the original on 2010-01-14. Retrieved 2010-10-06.
  19. ↑ "Front Mission: Gun Hazard". The Cutting Room Floor . Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  20. 1 2 Lopes, Gonçalo (2016-07-28). "Review: Front Mission Series: Gun Hazard (SNES)". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2018-08-09. Retrieved 2019-05-10.
  21. 1 2 "Super NES: Front Mission Gun Hazard". Fun Generation (in German). Germany. May 1996. p. 41.
  22. 1 2 Kamikaze, Marcelo (July 1996). "SNES: Front Mission Gun Hazard". Super GamePower (in Portuguese). No. 28. Brazil: Nova Cultural. p. 40.
  23. ↑ B, R (July 1996). "Nintendo Nation: Gun Hazard". MAN!AC. Cybermedia. p. 56.
  24. ↑ "SNES: Front Mission Gunhazard". Gamers (in Portuguese). No. 11. Brazil: Editora Escala. 1996. pp. 22–24.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.