Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner

Last updated
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner
MKJSBox.jpg
North American cover art
Developer(s) Gaia
Publisher(s)
Director(s) Teruyuki Toriyama
Producer(s) Kouji Okada
Writer(s) Noriyuki Oumi
Composer(s) See development
Platform(s) PlayStation Portable
Release
  • JP: February 23, 2006
  • NA: February 19, 2007
Genre(s) Turn-based role-playing game
Mode(s) Single-player
Multiplayer: Cooperative, competitive
Players: 1-2

Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner [lower-alpha 1] is a turn-based role-playing video game developed by Gaia and published by Sony Computer Entertainment and Atlus for the PlayStation Portable console. The game was released in February 2006 in Japan and in February 2007 in North America.

Contents

The game takes place in a world where monsters and human beings once lived in harmony. The monsters were hunted and many of them were eventually imprisoned in devices called "jewels". Once trapped in a jewel, a monster becomes tame and servile to the owner of the jewel, allowing human warriors, called Jewel Summoners, to use them in combat against other monsters. The story of Jewel Summoner revolves around the quest for vengeance of one such warrior, Vice, whose mother died at the hands of a monster.

Jewel Summoner received mixed reviews from the gaming press. Its monster-collection theme and turn-based gameplay was often compared to Nintendo's Pokémon series. The game's audio and voice acting were praised, but its story and gameplay were criticized as uninspired and monotonous.

Gameplay

Jewel Summoner takes place in a third-person perspective with a top-down view. The player character's avatar moves around a static world map and can enter 3D dungeons. [1] Inside dungeons, the player's movement will activate random battles against wild monsters; [2] battles are represented in a split-screen format. [3] Dungeons also contain save points that can be used to restore the health of the party. [4] The player can have a party of up to three characters, and each member has a maximum of three monsters that can be summoned from storage receptacles, called jewels, to fight against enemies. [5] Battles are turn-based and each monster has access to several attacks that it can execute each turn. Monsters do not have individual health bars; their controlling character's health is used instead. [6] Enemy monsters can be recruited by weakening them in battle and then capturing them within a jewel. [1]

A typical battle portraying the split-screen format, several characters, and their monsters. MKJSScreen.jpg
A typical battle portraying the split-screen format, several characters, and their monsters.

There are over 100 different types of monster in the game, [5] and each possesses traits in the forms of "elements" that dictate its strengths and weaknesses. The element system is similar to a game of "rock-paper-scissors"; for instance, water-elemental monsters have an advantage over fire-based monsters, and fire-based monsters have an advantage over ice-based ones. [6] A monster can only be captured within a jewel that represents the same element. [3] Monsters earn experience in battle and subsequently level up, learn new abilities, and evolve into different creatures. [2] Jewel Summoners can also influence their monsters' growth by fusing them with specially refined items and pieces of quartz, [5] or by increasing their stats with "Ability Points" earned in battle. [7]

In combat, each Jewel Summoner can bring out one monster at a time. Every turn, each monster (both enemy and ally) can activate one attack or elemental ability. [3] Each monster initially has four slots available for abilities. Monsters can quickly learn abilities of their own element type, but can also pick up abilities from other elements. [5] A fire dragon, for instance, can learn snow-based attacks. [6] Using an ability requires the expenditure of a monster's "Jewel Points", a mana-like energy of which each creature has only a finite amount. When a monster's Jewel Points are depleted, it becomes inaccessible to the character and another monster must be selected to fight. [5] Monsters can return to battle when their Jewel Points have been restored at a save point. [6]

Jewel Summoner has two options for multiplayer, using the PSP's "ad-hoc" local wireless feature. Players can trade monsters with each other or fight 1-on-1 battles. [5] The game also includes a browser mode that players can use to connect to the Internet and download wallpapers and game trailers. [7]

Plot

Long before the events of Jewel Summoner, monsters and humans coexisted peacefully in the game's world. [8] Eventually, a mysterious event called the "Great Disaster" occurred, and many monsters disappeared. Those that didn't were contained within "jewels" that became a source of energy that humans harnessed to provide power for their civilization, [5] called the "Powered Civilization". [9] Occasionally, rogue monsters called Abominations would appear and attack humans indiscriminately. [5] The humans responded by developing a skill known as "Jewel Summoning", which could be used to fight and capture Abominations. Jewel Summoners are generally descended from a clan called the "Enchanters" and receive special training in the use of jewels. [9] Trained Jewel Summoners work for an organization called the Order and collaborate to fight Abominations. [10]

Jewel Summoner's story centers around a young Jewel Summoner named Vice. [1] Vice's mother died at the hands of an Abomination named Shina years before, [11] and Vice has been searching for the monster ever since. [3] Before she died, Vice's mother gave him a jewel containing a monster, Schatten, and he subsequently discovered that he had the ability to summon and control Schatten despite not having been trained at the Jewel Summoner Academy. [9] Vice traveled for some time, hunting and destroying Abominations, before drawing the attention of the Order. [1] He eventually enrolls at the Academy and is joined by several other Summoners. [12] The rest of the game follows Vice's journey with his Order teammates and his quest for revenge. [5]

Development

Jewel Summoner was the first game produced by Gaia, a studio formed by Kouji Okada in 2003 after he departed from Atlus. [9] [13] Okada was one of the co-creators of the Shin Megami Tensei role-playing game series, [10] commonly referred to as "MegaTen" in the West. [1] [2] Okada continued the game mechanic of collecting and raising creatures in Jewel Summoner, altered from MegaTen's concept of "nakama": player-controlled, friendly demons. [1]

"When you work in the Japanese game industry, you notice that the shift is towards only creating games based on established franchises sadly. I felt very strongly about doing an original game and trying something I'd never done before so that's why Gaia was created."

Kouji Okada [14]

Okada's goal with Jewel Summoner was to create an original game "that goes back to the basics of gaming". [15] At the Akihabara Entertainment Festival in 2005, Okada explained that the Japanese gaming industry was full of game series and he was interested in developing new ideas. [14] Shortly after Gaia was formed, the new studio learned that Sony was interested in finding developers for its upcoming handheld game console, the PlayStation Portable. [15] Gaia developed Jewel Summoner exclusively for the PSP, [16] including visuals tailored to its screen and a creature development system that would utilize the console's internal clock to continually train monsters, even when the unit was not in use. [9] [15]

Jewel Summoner borrowed several aspects from Okada's previous games, [2] [11] including Megami Tensei's concept of elements. [7] Despite the similarities, the art style of Jewel Summoner is more in line with traditional RPGs, [2] instead of MegaTen's darker, more adult theme. [1] An important design component of the game is its "rensei"; the monster training system, [14] which is a staple of Okada's work. [17] The game's soundtrack was created by Shinji Hosoe, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Yasunori Mitsuda, Yoko Shimomura, Kenji Ito, Masaharu Iwata, Tsukasa Masuko, Yasuyuki Suzuki, Ayako Saso, and Takahiro Ogata. [16] The game is fully voiced with over 5 total hours of dialogue, [16] which took Gaia a week to record. [15]

Jewel Summoner was released on February 23, 2006 in Japan and February 19, 2007 in North America. [18] Gamasutra reported that at the time of its North American release, it was listed at #7 on GamerMetrics, [19] an IGN program that monitors fan anticipation of video games by tracking wish list requests, e-mail notifications, and other Internet-based game data. [20]

Future

Okada has revealed that the game was planned as the first entry in a series of Monster Kingdom games; its title was even created with this in mind. Gaia created a comprehensive timeline for Jewel Summoner to allow additional games to be developed within the same universe. [15] Folklore is a PlayStation 3 game with similarities to Jewel Summoner; developed by Game Republic and released by Sony in 2007. Gaia assisted Game Republic with Folklore's monster-creation system, and its original title was Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms. [17] Another Gaia game, Coded Soul , was released in 2008 and also has gameplay elements in common with Jewel Summoner. [17] [21]

Reception

Jewel Summoner received mixed reviews. [23] [22] Its gameplay format, especially the premise of monster collecting, elicited frequent comparisons to Pokémon, a long-running Nintendo series of games. [1] [2] [27] The gameplay itself was considered generic and unoriginal. [5] [25] IGN stated "All too often the same battles happen again and again", [4] and Game Informer's reviewer said the battle system "is as boring a turn-based snoozefest as I’ve seen in years". [25] GameZone called Jewel Summoner "prototypical" and said the game "does not stray too far from the formula." [3] The process of improving monsters was described by GameSpot as too long and needlessly complicated, [5] and IGN declared "for the most part it's not even worth it." [4]

Reception of the game's audio was generally positive, [3] [5] with IGN referring to the music as "top-notch" and GamesRadar commenting "The tunes are varied, catchy, match the settings, and show off the PSP's sound system." [4] [26] Comments about the voice acting were lukewarm, however, [1] [5] especially regarding the amount of dialogue in the game. [24] [25] GameSpot referred to the dialogue as "dull" and IGN said "the script itself is a mess." [4] [5] The game's beginning was described as especially slow. [6]

"...there were times where I just wanted to zip around and gather monsters, but I had to put up with everyone yammering at each other for over 20 minutes. It wouldn't be so annoying if this was on a home console, but on the bus to work, there should be less reading and more monster bashing."

— Thierry Nguyen, 1UP [1]

The game's art style and visuals were praised. [6] [26] X-Play said "The monsters [sic] designs here are creative, detailed takes on all kinds of different well-known fantasy archetypes." [2] GameZone's reviewer said "The monster details are very good, as is the majority of the artwork", [3] and IGN noted that "Each of the characters also gets nice, crisp art for the conversational scenes." [6] Game Informer, however, mocked the character design, stating "...each of the major heroes has some kind of glaring aesthetic blunder to make fun of. From the biggest faux-hawk in history to tan lines that Itagaki would be ashamed to put on one of his characters, there’s at least some shallow amusement to be had by mocking these hapless digital rejects." [25]

Related Research Articles

Megami Tensei, marketed internationally as Shin Megami Tensei, is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed and published by Atlus, and currently owned by Atlus, the franchise consists of multiple subseries and covers multiple role-playing genres including tactical role-playing, action role-playing, and massively multiplayer online role-playing. The first two titles in the series were published by Namco, but have been almost always published by Atlus in Japan and North America since the release of Shin Megami Tensei. For Europe, Atlus publishes the games through third-party companies.

Tactical role-playing games, also known as strategy role-playing games and in Japan as simulation RPGs, are a video game genre that combines core elements of role-playing video games with those of tactical strategy video games. The formats of tactical RPGs are much like traditional tabletop role-playing games and strategy games in appearance, pacing, and rule structure. Likewise, early tabletop role-playing games are descended from skirmish wargames such as Chainmail, which were primarily concerned with combat.

<i>Revelations: Persona</i> 1996 role-playing game

Revelations: Persona is a 1996 role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus. It is the first entry in the Persona series, itself a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise, and the first role-playing entry in the series to be released in the west. Originally released for the PlayStation in 1996 in Japan and North America, the title was ported to Microsoft Windows in 1999. A port to the PlayStation Portable retitled Shin Megami Tensei: Persona was released in North America and Japan in 2009, and the following year in Europe. This port featured new cutscenes and a reworked English localization that was more faithful to the original Japanese release. The PlayStation version was also released for the PlayStation Classic on December 3, 2018 worldwide, marking the PlayStation version being released in Europe for the first time.

<i>Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei</i> 1987 action RPG and dungeon crawler

Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei refers to two distinct role-playing video games based on a trilogy of science fantasy novels by Japanese author Aya Nishitani. One version was developed by Atlus and published by Namco in 1987 for the Famicom—Atlus would go on to create further games in the Megami Tensei franchise. A separate version for personal computers was developed and published by Telenet Japan with assistance from Atlus during the same year.

<i>Trauma Center: Under the Knife</i> 2005 video game

Trauma Center: Under the Knife is a simulation video game developed by Atlus for the Nintendo DS. The debut entry in the Trauma Center series, it was published in Japan and North America by Atlus in 2005, and by Nintendo in Europe in 2006. Set in a near future where medical science can cure previously incurable diseases, the world's population panics when a new manmade disease called GUILT begins to spread. Doctor Derek Stiles, a surgeon possessing a mystical "Healing Touch", works with the medical group Caduceus to find a cure to GUILT. The gameplay combines surgery-based simulation relying on the DS's touchscreen controls with a story told as a visual novel.

<i>LocoRoco</i> 2006 video game

LocoRoco is a platform video game developed by Japan Studio and published by Sony Computer Entertainment, which was released worldwide in 2006 for the PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game console. The game was developed by Tsutomu Kouno, striving to create a game that was different from other titles being released for the PSP at the time. After demonstrating a prototype of the core gameplay to his management, Kouno was able to complete development over the course of a year and a half. In LocoRoco, the player must tilt the environment by using the shoulder buttons on the PSP in order to maneuver the LocoRoco, multi-colored jelly-like characters, through each level, being aided by other odd residents while avoiding hazards and the deadly Moja Troop, to reach an end goal.

<i>Princess Crown</i> 1997 action role-playing game

Princess Crown is an action role-playing game developed and published by Atlus in collaboration with Sega that was released only in Japan. Originally released in 1997 for the Sega Saturn, it was ported to the PlayStation Portable in 2005. Using a two-dimensional side-scrolling perspective, gameplay focuses on a beat 'em up-style fighting system, incorporating role-playing elements. Set in the fantasy kingdom of Valendia, the player controls queen Gradriel De Valendia, as her wish to aid the people in person leads into a quest to prevent the resurrection of the demon lord Lalva. Additional character scenarios are unlocked by completing Gradriel's quest, with completion of all story routes leading to the true ending.

<i>Persona 3</i> 2006 video game

Persona 3, released outside Japan as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 3, is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It is the fourth main installment in the Persona series, which is part of the larger Megami Tensei franchise. It was originally released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2006, and in North America in 2007. The game has received multiple iterations of enhanced re-releases and ports: Persona 3 FES, an extended version containing a new playable epilogue among other changes, was released for the PlayStation 2 in Japan in 2007 and worldwide the following year. An abridged PlayStation Portable version of the game, Persona 3 Portable, was released in Japan in 2009, North America in 2010, and Europe in 2011. Portable was ported to the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S in 2023. Persona 3 Reload, a remake of the core game for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S is scheduled for release in February 2024.

<i>Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner</i> 1995 role-playing video game

Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner is a role-playing video game developed and published by Atlus. Forming part of the Megami Tensei franchise, it is the first title in the Devil Summoner series. It was first released for the Sega Saturn in December 1995, and received a port to the PlayStation Portable in December 2005. Despite reports of it being planned for localization, neither version has been released outside Japan.

<i>Persona 2: Innocent Sin</i> 1999 role-playing game

Persona 2: Innocent Sin is a 1999 role-playing video game by Atlus for the PlayStation. It is the second entry in the Persona series, itself a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise, and acts as a sequel to the original Persona. The game was re-released in 2011 for the PlayStation Portable. The original version was not localized for western territories; however, the PSP version was released in North America and Europe under the title Shin Megami Tensei: Persona 2 – Innocent Sin.

<i>Persona 2: Eternal Punishment</i> 2000 video game

Persona 2: Eternal Punishment is a 2000 role-playing video game by Atlus for the PlayStation. It is chronologically the third installment in the Persona series, a subseries of the Megami Tensei franchise. The game was later remade by Atlus for the PlayStation Portable. This version, released in Japan in 2012, did not receive an overseas release. In response to this, the PlayStation version was released on PlayStation Network in 2013.

<i>Dissidia Final Fantasy</i> 2008 video game

Dissidia Final Fantasy is a fighting game with action RPG elements developed and published by Square Enix for the PlayStation Portable as part of the campaign for the Final Fantasy series' 20th anniversary. It was released in Japan on December 18, 2008, in North America on August 25, 2009, and in Australia and Europe in September. It was then re-released in Japan, based on the North American version, as Dissidia Final Fantasy: Universal Tuning, on November 1, 2009.

<i>Spectral Force 3</i> 2006 video game

Spectral Force 3: Innocent Rage is a tactical role-playing game developed by Idea Factory for the Xbox 360.

<i>Shin Megami Tensei: Nine</i> 2002 role-playing game

Shin Megami Tensei NINE is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Atlus and NexTech for the Xbox, and published by Atlus on December 5, 2002.

<i>Devil Summoner</i> Video game series

Devil Summoner, initially marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, is a video game franchise developed and primarily published by Atlus. Focused on a series of role-playing video games, Devil Summoner is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner, was released in 1995 for the Sega Saturn. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being Soul Hackers 2 released in 2022.

Persona, previously marketed as Shin Megami Tensei: Persona outside of Japan, is a video game franchise primarily developed and published by Atlus, and owned by Sega. Centered around a series of role-playing video games, Persona is a spin-off from Atlus' Megami Tensei franchise. The first entry in the series, Revelations: Persona, was released in 1996 for the PlayStation. The series has seen several more games since, with the most recent main entry being 2019's Persona 5 Royal.

<i>3D Dot Game Heroes</i> 2009 video game

3D Dot Game Heroes is an action role-playing video game developed by Silicon Studio for the PlayStation 3. The game is presented using voxel-based graphics in a 3D environment to emulate the 2D graphics of earlier video games. The game was published in Japan by FromSoftware in November 2009, and in North America and Europe by Atlus USA and SouthPeak Games in May 2010, respectively. Upon release, 3D Dot Game Heroes garnered positive reviews from critics, praising the nostalgic gameplay and graphics.

<i>Gyromancer</i> 2009 video game

Gyromancer is a puzzle and role-playing video game developed by PopCap Games in collaboration with Square Enix. The player moves through a map of an enchanted forest, battling monsters using their own summoned monsters through a puzzle-game battle based on PopCap's Bejeweled Twist. In these battles, the player rotates groups of four in a grid of gems to line up three or more jewels of the same color; when enough lines have been created damage is dealt to the enemy. Between battles, a story is told through a series of cutscenes, while the player and the summoned monsters gain experience and power using role-playing elements.

Gaia was a video game developer formed by Kouji "Cozy" Okada following his departure from Atlus in 2003. Okada is best known as one of the co-creators of the Megami Tensei franchise, along with its subseries Devil Summoner and Persona.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Nguyen, Thierry (2007-02-13). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Review from 1UP.com". 1UP. Retrieved 2009-03-15.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Smith, D.F. "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Review Videos". X-play (G4TV). Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Lafferty, Michael (2007-02-13). "Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner Review". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Lewis, Ed (2007-02-14). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Review (page 2)". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-04-08. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Mueller, Greg (2007-03-12). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Review for PSP". GameSpot. Archived from the original on 2016-01-27. Retrieved 2015-06-13.
  6. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Lewis, Ed (2007-02-14). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Review". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-03-15.
  7. 1 2 3 Karlin, David (2006-02-27). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Preview (page 2)". 1UP. Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  8. ↑ Lafferty, Michael (2007-01-25). "Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner Preview". GameZone. Archived from the original on 2009-04-01. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  9. 1 2 3 4 5 "Official Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner Website". Atlus. 2007-01-23. Archived from the original on 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  10. 1 2 "Atlus USA, Inc. Announces Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner". GameZone. 2006-11-15. Archived from the original on April 2, 2009. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  11. 1 2 Dunham, Jeremy (2007-02-08). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Preview". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  12. ↑ Karlin, David (2006-02-27). "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Preview". 1UP. Retrieved 2009-03-17.[ permanent dead link ]
  13. ↑ "Sony Announces Monster Kingdom for PSP". IGN. 2005-08-31. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  14. 1 2 3 Karlin, David (2005-10-24). "Okada Talks Monster Kingdom". 1UP. Retrieved 2009-03-17.[ permanent dead link ]
  15. 1 2 3 4 5 Gantayat, Anoop (2005-10-25). "Kouji Okada Live in Tokyo". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-17.
  16. 1 2 3 "Atlas U.S.A. Releases Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner". GameZone. 2007-02-14. Archived from the original on 2009-04-02. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  17. 1 2 3 Gantayat, Anoop (2007-11-30). "Gaia Announces Coded Soul for PSP". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-03-21. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  18. ↑ "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Release Information for PSP". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2009-02-22. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  19. ↑ Cowan, Danny (2007-02-19). "Release This: Sonic and the Secret Crackdown". Gamasutra. Archived from the original on 2008-12-21. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  20. ↑ "IGN :: GamerMetrics". IGN. Archived from the original on 2009-02-07. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  21. ↑ "Coded Soul: Uke Keigareshi Idea Release Information for PSP". GameFAQs. Archived from the original on 2009-02-24. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  22. 1 2 "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner for PSP". Gamerankings. Archived from the original on 2009-03-02. Retrieved 2009-03-19.
  23. 1 2 "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Reviews". Metacritic. Archived from the original on 2009-06-26. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  24. 1 2 "Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner Review". Electronic Gaming Monthly. October 2007. p. 94.
  25. 1 2 3 4 5 Biessener, Adam. "Been There, Raced That". Game Informer. Archived from the original on April 1, 2008. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  26. 1 2 3 Edison, Bryce (15 February 2007). "Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner (page 2)". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2009-03-18.
  27. ↑ Edison, Bryce (15 February 2007). "Monster Kingdom Jewel Summoner". GamesRadar. Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2009-03-18.

Notes

  1. ↑ Monsutā Kingudamu: Jueru Samonā (Japanese: モンスターキングダム・ジュエルサモナー).

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.