Saint Seiya: The Hades

Last updated
Saint Seiya: The Hades
Saint Seiya The Hades cover.jpg
Developer(s) Dimps
Publisher(s) Bandai Namco Entertainment
Series Saint Seiya
Platform(s) PlayStation 2
Release
  • JP: February 1, 2007
  • EU: September 29, 2006
Genre(s) Fighting
Mode(s) Singleplayer, multiplayer

Saint Seiya: The Hades is a three-dimensional fighting video game developed by Dimps and published by Bandai for PlayStation 2 released in PAL regions on September 29, 2006 and Japan on February 1, 2007. It is the seventh video game based on the Saint Seiya franchise written by Masami Kurumada.

Contents

A direct sequel to Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary and developed by the same team, Saint Seiya: The Hades uses the same graphics engine as its predecessor while improving certain criticisms of gameplay and adding a new narrative arc.

Plot

After several years of peace Hades, God of the Dead, unleashes a new holy war on Athena and resurrects several Saints that died in previous arcs to add to his army of Specters. Grand Pope Shion and former wielder of the Aries cloth, is also resurrected and given twelve hours to kill Athena. [1] The Gold Saints and Bronze Saints defend Athena with their lives. After many battles, the resurrected Saints that died in the Sanctuary Arc reach Athena, but upon realization of their true plan Athena commits suicide using Saga's golden dagger.

Shion then explains to the surviving Saints that he and the resurrected Saints never betrayed Athena, but used the time given by Hades to send a message to her without his knowledge. After receiving the message from the resurrected Saga, Athena comitted suicide so that her blood would create the Athena cloth, the only cloth capable of defeating Hades. The Bronze Saints are then tasked with finding Saori in the underworld and delivering the Athena cloth to her. But the three Judges of the Underworld, Hades' fearsome lieutenants, stand in their path. [2]

Gameplay

Overview

Several game modes are available to the player: the "Hades" mode, which acts as a story mode and recounts the events of the Sanctuary and New Holy War story arcs. In this mode, the player embodies one of the Bronze Saints, and fights computer-controlled characters in a precise order, in specific arenas. These battles are interspersed with illustrated and cinematic cutscenes between the characters, as well as real-time sequences, allowing the story to develop between battles. [3] The "1000 days" mode allows the player can fight another player or a computer-controlled character, with no restrictions on characters or arenas. [4] The "Legend" mode features battles against the three judges of the Underworld, Rhadamanthys, Aiacos and Minos. [3] [5] The "Eternal Battle" and "Lightning Battle" modes allow players to fight against waves of enemies and other players respectively, within a limited timeframe. [5]

Finally, the "Saints' Rest" mode is a bonus mode, a gallery in which players can consult various rewards obtained throughout the game, and obtain information and illustrations on figurines and merchandise from the Saint Seiya franchise, such as the Myth Cloth  [ fr ], as well as on the game's soundtrack. [4] [6]

The game features 39 fighters, representing various Saints of Athena or Specters of Hades in a variety of cloths. [4]

Characters

  • Pegasus Seiya (First Bronze Cloth)
    • Pegasus Seiya (Second Bronze Cloth)
    • Sagittarius Seiya
  • Dragon Shiryu (First Bronze Cloth)
    • Dragon Shiryu (Second Bronze Cloth)
    • Libra Shiryu
  • Cygnus Hyoga (First Bronze Cloth)
    • Cygnus Hyoga (Second Bronze Cloth)
    • Aquarius Hyoga
  • Andromeda Shun (First Bronze Cloth)
    • Andromeda Shun (Second Bronze Cloth)
  • Phoenix Ikki (First Bronze Cloth)
    • Phoenix Ikki (Second Bronze Cloth)
  • Aries Mu
  • Taurus Aldebaran
  • Gemini Saga
    • Gemini (Masked)
    • Gemini Saga (Specter)
  • Cancer Deathmask
    • Cancer Deathmask (Specter)
  • Leo Aiolia
  • Virgo Shaka
  • Libra Dohko
  • Scorpio Milo
  • Sagittarius Aiolos
  • Capricorn Shura
    • Capricorn Shura (Specter)
  • Aquarius Camus
    • Aquarius Camus (Specter)
  • Pisces Aphrodite
    • Pisces Aphrodite (Specter)
  • Gemini Kanon
  • Lyra Orpheus
  • Eagle Marin
  • Ophiuchus Shaina
  • Aries Shion
  • Wyvern Rhadamanthys
  • Garuda Aiacos
  • Griffon Minos

Battles

The beat 'em up phases introduced in the previous version was removed, in favor of a duelling system. [7] The game features real time combat and combo-based gameplay. [8] The strength of attacks is increased by holding down the attack button. The player can also block and parry enemy attacks, giving him the opportunity to counter-attack. Each character has a set of special moves as well as a projection that can bypass the opponent's guard. [4] These special moves require Cosmos, symbolized by a gauge that fills up when the players attacks or is attacked. [4] [8] The player also has the option of staying in place to their own cosmos gauge. [8] New gameplay features include the dash, a sudden forward acceleration that allows the player to surprise his opponent. [9]

To counter one of these special attacks, the defender must press specific keys within a limited time to avoid the attack. If two special attacks meet, the two players then engage in a duel, where they must choose an action in a game that resembles rock-paper-scissors, rather than a duel of speed as in the previous version. [4] [8] The player can also trigger his seventh sense, to enhance his abilities for a short time, replacing the arena with a galactic background, and which also leaves him vulnerable for a few seconds after use. [4] [6]

Once a character's life bar is empty, he or she has a chance to get back up and continue the fight, by rotating the controller's analog sticks as quickly as possible. This mini-game takes the form of encouragement from the goddess Athena, who urges her saints to get up and fight again. For characters obeying Hades, it is Pandora who urges the specter to stand up. If the player fails this mini-game, he loses for good. [4]

Battles take place in arenas, featuring emblematic locations from the saga, such as the various houses of the Zodiac, or the interior of Hades' palace. In these settings, certain elements can be destroyed, such as the columns of the various houses. This has no effect other than aesthetic on the combat. [3]

Development

Following the success of the game Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary , Dimps began development of the sequel [10] [11] again with Ryu Mito as project manager. [12]

Dimps chose not to adapt the Asgard or Poseidon arcs to instead adapt the Hades arc, which coincided with the currently airing Saint Seiya: Hades anime as well as being able to reuse a lot of characters present in the previous game that were not present in the other arcs. [13] However the anime had not finished airing and as a result the game's story mode does not cover the conclusion of the Hades arc. Dimps considered adapting the film Legend of Crimson Youth instead, which has a similar story with resurrected Gold Saints, but the studio felt that this would ultimately harm the project. [3]

Unlike Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary , the voice acting was only recorded in Japanese, with the original voice actors from the series. [4]

Reception

Marketing and release

Saint Seiya: The Hades was announced by Atari in June 2006, for autumn 2006. [14] At the same time, it was announced that the Hades story arc would be adapted. [15] [16] The game was showcased at Japan Expo 2006, on the Bandai Namco stand, [17] and at the Games Convention in Leipzig in August 2006. [18]

Saint Seiya: The Hades was released in France on September 29, 2006, [19] [20] before the Japanese release in 2007. [21] [7] Like its predecessor, Saint Seiya: The Hades was not distributed in North America. [22]

Reviews

The game was better received by critics than the previous version of the franchise, but nonetheless received mixed reviews, with critics appreciating the faithful adaptation of Masami Kurumada's work, but criticizing the graphics and elements of the gameplay.

Ian Dean, from PlayStation Official Magazine - UK, described the gameplay as simplistic and frustrating. He further wrote that the graphics were disappointing but captured the essence of the series. [23] Luke Albiges, writing for Eurogamer, described the graphics as "shocking by Playstation 2 standards", calling the game a "disgrace". [8]

Maxime Chao, editor-in-chief at JeuxActu, called the game "just as ugly as its predecessor, and the animation just as mechanical", but praised the voice acting and gameplay. [9]

Valérie Précigout of Jeuxvideo.com praised the soundtrack, faithfulness to the source material, and improvements to the gameplay, but felt that the graphics were mediocre and the game lacked poignancy. [4] Précigout revisited the game in the book, Le mythe Saint Seiya: Au Panthéon du manga, describing it as "a series of unpretentious jousts in the most inspired chapter of the saga, without ever managing to restore its emotional force." [24]

Diego Lima, in a 2019 retrospective review of the series for IGN Brazil, considers it to be the best Saint Seiya-inspired game released to date, with a "much more precise" combat system. [21]

Frédéric Luu, writing for Gamekult , wrote that the gameplay is "less soporific than the previous opus, but doesn't reach technical heights". He criticized the 3D engine used for the game but praised the voice acting. [6]

See also

Notes

    Related Research Articles

    <i>Saint Seiya</i> Japanese manga series

    Saint Seiya, also known as Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac or simply Knights of the Zodiac, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It was serialized in Shueisha's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1990, with its chapters collected in 28 tankōbon volumes. In North America, the manga was licensed for English release by Viz Media.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Pegasus Seiya</span> Fictional character from Saint Seiya

    Pegasus Seiya, also known as Seiya, is the titular protagonist in the Saint Seiya manga series, created by Masami Kurumada. He debuted in the first chapter "The Saints of Athena", published in Weekly Shōnen Jump on December 12, 1985. Seiya is one of the eighty-eight Saints, mythical warriors who have served the goddess Athena and protected Earth throughout the ages, though he is initially only interested in finding his missing sister, Seika. He eventually becomes one of the twelve strongest Saints, the Gold Saint Sagittarius Seiya, while personally assisting Athena's reincarnation, Saori Kido. Seiya is the successor of Sagittarius Aiolos, the previous wielder of his Gold Cloth, who often sends his protection even before Seiya becomes a Gold Saint. As a Saint, Seiya dons a Cloth, an armor of divine origin, with his Cloth representing the constellation of Pegasus, and possesses superhuman strength and speed, which are among the abilities the Saints draw from their guardian constellations and the inner essence of Cosmo. Seiya has also appeared as a supporting character in other works related to Saint Seiya, such as the anime Saint Seiya Omega and the Saint Seiya Episode.G manga trilogy.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Andromeda Shun</span> Fictional character

    Andromeda Shun is a protagonist in the Saint Seiya media franchise, which originated in the manga of the same name, written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada, that subsequently inspired an anime series, soundtracks, OVAs, films, video games, and other collectibles. He is one of the strongest characters in the series, although his gentle disposition and kind nature tend to hold him back from using his full power until he has no other choice but to do so. Shun is also the younger brother of Phoenix Ikki, a fellow Bronze Saint.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Cygnus Hyoga</span> Fictional character from Saint Seiya

    Cygnus Hyoga is a main character in the manga series Saint Seiya, created by Masami Kurumada, and later adapted to anime. Hyoga is cold and calm by nature, which complements his abilities as a saint. He was the third of the five main protagonists to be introduced. In some English adaptations he was named Swan Hyoga.

    <span class="mw-page-title-main">Dragon Shiryū</span> Fictional character

    Dragon Shiryū is a fictional character from the Saint Seiya universe created by Masami Kurumada. As one of the protagonists of this media franchise, he has made appearances in the several manga, the original anime adaptation, OVAs, films and video games. He has also inspired a large number of collectibles. Considered the most mature and wisest of the five heroes, Shiryū is the Bronze Saint of the Dragon constellation, whose Cloth possesses legendary defensive and offensive properties. Shiryū is one of the ten surviving orphans trained to become Athena's Saints by Mitsumasa Kido. With Kido dead, Shiryū and his allies become the protectors of his adopted granddaughter, Saori, Athena's reincarnation.

    Saint Seiya, retitled Saint Seiya: Evil Goddess Eris on its home video release, is the first in a series of anime films produced by Toei Animation based on the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada. The movie premiered on July 18, 1987, at the Toei Manga Matsuri film festival, where it was shown as part of a quadruple feature along with Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle and the movie versions of Hikari Sentai Maskman and Choujinki Metalder.

    <i>Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas</i> Manga and anime series

    Saint Seiya: The Lost Canvas – The Myth of Hades, also known as simply The Lost Canvas, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Shiori Teshirogi. It is a spin-off based on the manga series Saint Seiya, which was created, written and illustrated by Japanese author Masami Kurumada. The Lost Canvas was published by Akita Shoten in the Weekly Shōnen Champion magazine since August 24, 2006, concluding after 223 chapters on April 6, 2011, with twenty-five tankōbon released. The story takes place in the 18th century, and focuses on how an orphan known as Tenma who becomes one off the goddess Athena's 88 warriors known as Saints and finds himself in a war fighting against his best friend Alone who is revealed to be the reincarnation of Athena's biggest enemy, the Underworld God Hades.

    <i>Saint Seiya: Next Dimension</i> Japanese manga series

    Saint Seiya: Next Dimension – Myth of Hades is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masami Kurumada. It is a direct sequel to Kurumada's manga series Saint Seiya, while also serving as a prequel to the events presented in it. It was irregularly serialized for eighteen years in Akita Shoten's shōnen manga magazine Weekly Shōnen Champion from April 2006 to July 2024; its chapters were collected in 16 tankōbon volumes. The main plot is set in the 18th century during the previous "Holy War" between the goddess Athena and the god Hades, and centers on the battles between each deity's warriors who are known as the Saints and the Specters, respectively, during that era.

    <i>Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary</i> 2014 Japanese film

    Saint Seiya: Legend of Sanctuary, is a 2014 Japanese CGI animated fantasy martial arts action film produced by Toei Animation, directed by Keiichi Sato and written by Tomohiro Suzuki. It is based on the manga Saint Seiya by Masami Kurumada. It is the sixth film based on the series. Legend of Sanctuary was released in Japan on June 21, 2014, after premiering at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 11, 2014. It stars the voice talents of Kaito Ishikawa, Ayaka Sasaki, Kenshō Ono, Kenji Akabane, Nobuhiko Okamoto, and Kenji Nojima in the leading roles, and the executive producer is Masami Kurumada. The plot focuses on five young warriors known as Saints who take on the mission of protecting Saori Kido, the reincarnation of the goddess Athena from enemies in the Sanctuary.

    <i>Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary</i> 2005 video game

    Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary, also known as Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary, is a 3D action video game for the PlayStation 2 console based on the Saint Seiya manga series by Masami Kurumada. It was developed by Dimps Corporation and published by Bandai. It was originally released in Japan on April 7, 2005, and in Europe on June 30, 2005. The European release includes translations into English, Italian, French, German and Spanish.

    <i>Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold</i> 2015 Japanese-anime television series

    Saint Seiya: Soul of Gold is a Japanese ONA anime series produced by Toei Company and animated by Bridge, a spin-off from the classic anime Saint Seiya, the animated adaptation of Masami Kurumada's manga of the same name.

    <i>Gotcha! Extreme Paintball</i> 2004 video game

    Gotcha! Extreme Paintball is a first person paintball video game developed by Sixteen Tons Entertainment and published by Gathering. The game was produced by Ralph Stock. It was released on Microsoft Windows and Xbox in Germany first in 2004, and the rest of Europe in 2004 and 2005, following a release in North America in 2006, published by Viva Media.

    <i>Saint Seiya: Time Odyssey</i> French comics series

    Saint Seiya: Time Odyssey is a French comics series by Jérôme Alquié and Arnaud Dollen based on Masami Kurumada's manga series Saint Seiya.

    <i>Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia</i> Japanese light novel series

    Saint Seiya: Gigantomachia is a Japanese novel series written by Tatsuya Hamazaki and illustrated by Shingo Araki. It is a spin-off to the Saint Seiya manga series by Masami Kurumada. Two novels were released by Shueisha, under their Jump J-Books light novel imprint, in August and December 2002.

    References

    1. ↑ Chao, Maxime (July 27, 2006). "Saint Seiya : Hades en images". JeuxActu (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    2. ↑ Précigout (2019 , p. 168)
    3. 1 2 3 4 Satsuinohadou (October 13, 2006). "Una nueva guerra sagrada". UveJuegos (in Spanish). Retrieved September 23, 2021.
    4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Précigout, Valérie (September 29, 2006). "Test du jeu Saint Seiya : Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque : Hades sur PS2". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). Retrieved September 23, 2021.
    5. 1 2 "Saint Seiya : 5 jeux à faire absolument si on est fan des chevaliers du zodiaque". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). May 30, 2021. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
    6. 1 2 3 4 Luu, Frédéric (September 29, 2006). "Test : Saint Seiya Hadès, un météore passe". Gamekult (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    7. 1 2 Verlet, Nicolas (March 12, 2012). "Dossier : la malédiction Saint Seiya". Gamekult (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Albiges, Luke (February 24, 2007). "Saint Seiya: The Hades: Hash of the Titans". Eurogamer . Retrieved September 26, 2021.
    9. 1 2 Chao, Maxime (October 4, 2006). "Test Saint Seiya : Hades". JeuxActu (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    10. ↑ Harrison, Dave (June 28, 2006). "Saint Seiya: The Hades brings some". GamesRadar+ . Retrieved September 26, 2021.
    11. ↑ Verlet, Nicolas (March 22, 2005). "Saint Seiya officialisé en Europe". Gamekult (in French). Retrieved September 19, 2021.
    12. ↑ "Saint Seiya : Soldiers' Soul, l'interview de son créateur". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). April 13, 2015. Retrieved September 19, 2021.
    13. ↑ Verlet, Nicolas (July 27, 2006). "Saint Seiya Hadès : nouvelles images". Gamekult (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    14. ↑ Dordain, Julien (July 17, 2006). "Saint Seiya Hades daté en Europe". JeuxActu (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    15. ↑ "Images : Les Chevaliers Du Zodiaque reviennent à l'attaque". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). July 27, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
    16. ↑ "Un nouveau Saint Seiya en préparation". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). June 28, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
    17. ↑ "Le programme d'Atari au Japan Expo". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). July 6, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
    18. ↑ Luu, Frédéric (August 24, 2006). "Preview : GC> Saint Seiya : Hadès, nos impressions". Gamekult (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    19. ↑ "Saint Seiya : Hades est gold". Jeuxvideo.com (in French). September 14, 2006. Retrieved September 25, 2021.
    20. ↑ Chao, Maxime (September 14, 2006). "Saint Seiya : Hades passe gold !". JeuxActu (in French). Retrieved September 27, 2021.
    21. 1 2 Lima, Diego (December 8, 2019). "Os 5 melhores games de Cavaleiros do Zodíaco". IGN Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Retrieved September 26, 2021.
    22. ↑ "Saint Seyia brings gamers to "the Hades"". Siliconera. July 31, 2006. Retrieved September 26, 2021.
    23. 1 2 Dean, Ian (2006). "Saint Seiya: The Hades" (PDF). PlayStation Official Magazine - UK (79). Future Publishing: 107.
    24. ↑ Précigout (2019 , p. 356)

    Bibliography

    Précigout, Valérie (June 27, 2019). Le mythe Saint Seiya: Au Panthéon du manga (in French). Third Éditions. p. 376. ISBN   978-2377840977.

    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.