Soul Blazer

Last updated
Soul Blazer
Soul Blazer box art.jpg
North American box art
Developer(s) Quintet
Publisher(s) Enix
Director(s) Masaya Hashimoto
Producer(s) Yasuyuki Sone
Programmer(s) Masaya Hashimoto
Writer(s) Tomoyoshi Miyazaki
Composer(s) Yukihide Takekawa
Platform(s) Super Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
  • JP: January 31, 1992
  • NA: November 27, 1992
  • PAL: January 27, 1994
Genre(s) Action role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

Soul Blazer, released in Japan as Soul Blader, [lower-alpha 1] is an action role-playing video game developed by Quintet and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in 1992 in Japan and North America, but not released in Europe until 1994.

Contents

It is an action role-playing game where the player takes the role of The Master's servant, to destroy monsters and release the captured souls of a world's inhabitants. The servant can be named by the player, but in a later game developed by Quintet, Illusion of Gaia , he is referred to as "Blazer".

Gameplay

Hero fighting the first boss of the game Soul Blazer (U) (!) Boss 1.png
Hero fighting the first boss of the game

The player frees a series of towns by fighting monsters in traditional dungeon crawl battles. Destroying monster lairs in the dungeons causes a soul belonging to a former town occupant to be liberated and reincarnated. This is often a human, but it could be anything from a dolphin to a talking tulip. As souls are freed, the town is reconstructed around the people. The new town occupants give the player advice and items. When the player defeats the boss monster imprisoning the soul of the head of each town, the area is cleared and the player can continue. After the hero frees the first six villages, he is granted access to the "World of Evil", where the final villain awaits.

Plot

The Master sends one of his heavenly divine companions in the form of a human warrior to the Freil Empire, where the evil spirit Deathtoll has destroyed all villages and incarcerated the souls of all living creatures in his monster lairs, leaving the world empty. The warrior must defeat the monsters and liberate the inhabitants from the lairs, gradually repopulating the kingdom.

The Hero (Blazer) is the protagonist, a divine angel, deity or lesser-deity, or avatar, sent by The Master to restore the world's creatures to life. Skilled with a sword and possessing the ability to speak with any living thing and be understood, he battles the hordes of Deathtoll with the assistance of his Soul helpers.

The warrior travels throughout the kingdom, defeating monsters in each of six regions to gather six magic stones, each a different color, in order to open the path to Deathtoll, who now resides in the World of Evil. The warrior must also find three sacred artifacts to call upon the power of the phoenix to defeat Deathtoll.

On the way, the warrior falls in love with Lisa, the daughter of a brilliant inventor named Dr. Leo. The warrior learns that the world's devastation came about after King Magridd imprisoned Dr. Leo and forced him to make a machine to contact Deathtoll. After being summoned, Deathtoll offered the king a gold piece for each soul from his kingdom, and under the counsel of his wife, Magridd agreed, but was eventually imprisoned himself. Dr. Leo is still in Magridd Castle's prison after the warrior frees him, and Leo later sacrifices his life to kill the queen, who still wanted to bargain with Deathtoll.

After reaching the World of Evil and defeating Deathtoll, the warrior is returned to Heaven. However, one year later, the Master realizes that the warrior misses his life as a human, and agrees to send him back to the Freil Empire, but under the condition that the hero would not have any memory of his past. The hero wakes up in Grass Valley, where Lisa recognizes him. Though he does not remember her, they leave together and renew their friendship.

Development and release

Soul Blazer was released on January 31, 1992 in Japan, on November 27 in North America, and on January 27, 1994 in Europe.

The soundtrack of the game was composed by Yukihide Takekawa. It was published in Japan by the record label Apollon on February 21, 1992.

The game has never been re-released in any form. [1]

Reception

Quintet reported that Soul Blazer sold 200,000 copies in Japan, 70,000 copies in North America, and 25,000 copies in Europe, [11] adding up to 295,000 cartridges sold worldwide.

Upon release, Famitsu magazine's four reviewers scored the game 32 out of 40. [5] Game Informer magazine reviewed the game in 1992, with its three reviewers scoring it 8.5, 8.75 and 8.5 out of 10. [6] In its first issue, GameFan 's two reviewers scored it 95% and 92%. [7] Electronic Gaming Monthly 's four reviewers scored it 8, 9, 8 and 8 out of 10, and gave it the Editor's Choice Gold award. They compared it favorably with The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past , with one of the reviewers stating that Soul Blazer is equally challenging and fun to play. [4] [12] Dragon gave the game 3 out of 5 stars. [3] M! Games gave it 78%. [10]

IGN ranked Soul Blazer 76th on its "Top 100 SNES Games of All Time" describing the game as bold and memorable. [13] In 1995, Total! listed the game 35th in their "Top 100 SNES Games", commenting its game size, graphics and strong storyline. [14]

Legacy

Game journalists and fans often consider Soul Blazer to be the first in an unofficial series followed by Illusion of Gaia and Terranigma . [1] This series is nicknamed either "Quintet Trilogy", "Gaia Trilogy" or "Heaven and Earth Trilogy" (after Terranigma's Japanese title, which translates to "the creation of Heaven and Earth") by fans. The Granstream Saga is sometimes considered the fourth game in the series, as it was developed by Shade (a studio composed of former Quintet personnel), has similar themes, and makes references to the previous titles. [15]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: ソウルブレイダー, Hepburn: Sōru Bureidā

Related Research Articles

<i>Warios Woods</i> 1994 video game

Wario's Woods is a puzzle video game developed by TEC and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was released in Japan and North America in 1994 and Europe in 1995. A spin-off of the Mario series, players control Toad in his mission to defeat Wario, who has taken control of the Peaceful Woods. Gameplay revolves around clearing each level by using bombs to destroy groups of enemies. The game also features a multiplayer mode that allows two players to compete against each other.

<i>ActRaiser</i> 1990 SNES video game

ActRaiser is a 1990 video game developed by Quintet and published by Enix for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, It combines traditional side-scrolling platforming and sections with city building and god game elements. A sequel, ActRaiser 2, was released for the Super NES in 1993. In 2007, ActRaiser became available on the Wii's Virtual Console download service in Europe, North America, and Japan. A version of the game was also released for European mobile phones in 2004. A remake, Actraiser Renaissance, was released for several platforms in 2021.

Ninja Gaiden is a media franchise based on action video games by Tecmo featuring the ninja Ryu Hayabusa as its protagonist. The series was originally known as Ninja Ryukenden in Japan. The word "gaiden" in the North American Ninja Gaiden title means "side story" in Japanese. The original arcade version, first two Nintendo Entertainment System games and Game Boy game were released as Shadow Warriors in PAL regions. As of 2008, the series has shipped over 7.7 million copies.

<i>Terranigma</i> 1995 video game

Terranigma is a 1995 action role-playing game developed by Quintet for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), with manga artist Kamui Fujiwara acting as the character designer. The game tells the story of the Earth's resurrection by the hands of a boy named Ark, and its progress from the evolution of life to the present day. The game is considered the third and final entry in an unofficial trilogy of action RPGs created by Quintet, also including Soul Blazer (1992) and Illusion of Gaia (1993).

<i>E.V.O.: Search for Eden</i> 1992 video game

E.V.O.: Search for Eden is a 1992 action-adventure game developed by Almanic Corporation and published by Enix for the Super NES. Combining traditional platforming mechanics with experience and leveling mechanics originating from role playing games, E.V.O.: Search for Eden involves the player navigating a creature through a number of side-scrolling levels while undergoing bodily evolution to cope with ever-changing environments. It is heavily based on Almanic's original title, 46 Okunen Monogatari ~The Shinka Ron~, released in Japan in 1990 for the PC-9801.

<i>Dragon Quest</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Dragon Quest, titled Dragon Warrior when initially localized to North America, is a role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix for the Nintendo Entertainment System. It was originally released in Japan in 1986 and by Nintendo in North America in 1989. It is the first game in the Dragon Quest video game series. Dragon Quest has been ported and remade for several video game platforms, including the MSX, MSX2, PC-9801, Super Famicom, Game Boy Color, mobile phones, and Nintendo Switch as of 2019. The player controls the hero character who is charged with saving the Kingdom of Alefgard and rescuing its princess from the evil Dragonlord. Dragon Warrior's story became the second part in a trilogy, with several spinoff anime and manga series.

<i>ActRaiser 2</i> 1993 video game

ActRaiser 2 is a side-scrolling platform game for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Quintet and published by Enix in 1993.

<i>Illusion of Gaia</i> 1993 video game

Illusion of Gaia, known in PAL territories as Illusion of Time, is an action role-playing video game developed by Quintet for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The game was released in Japan by Enix in 1993, and in North America and PAL territories by Nintendo in 1994 and 1995. Set in a fantasy reimagining of Earth, the game's plot centers on a boy named Will who is chosen to save the world from an impending disaster. During the course of the game, the player guides Will through levels based on ancient ruins of real-world civilizations and Wonders of the World, such as the Great Pyramid and the Great Wall of China.

<i>Dragon Quest III</i> 1988 video game

Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation, titled Dragon Warrior III when initially localized to North America, is a 1988 role-playing video game developed by Chunsoft and published by Enix. It is the third installment in the Dragon Quest series and was first released for the Family Computer (Famicom) in Japan and later for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) in North America. The game saw an enhanced remake for the Super Famicom in 1996 and the Game Boy Color in 2001, and a port to mobile phones and the Wii in 2009 and 2011. A version of the game for Android and iOS was released in Japan on September 25, 2014, and worldwide as Dragon Quest III: The Seeds of Salvation on December 4, 2014. It was the first time the game was given an official English subtitle. Later in 2021, another remake of the game titled Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake, based on Octopath Traveler's style, was announced during the franchise's 35th anniversary livestream.

<i>Robotrek</i> 1994 video game

Robotrek, known in Japan as Slapstick, is a role-playing video game (RPG) for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES). It was developed by Quintet and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1994. Set on the fictional planet Quintenix, the game puts the player in control of a budding robotics expert who is the son of a famous inventor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Quintet (company)</span> Japanese video game developer

Quintet Co., Ltd. was a Japanese video game developer, founded in April 1989. The company name is derived from musical terminology, as well as five elements of game design—planning, graphics, sound, programming and producing. Quintet was most active in the 1990s, when it had a strong relationship with Enix ; the company was also a member of the GD-NET group of Sega Saturn developers. Quintet has not been active since the 2000s and is likely defunct.

<i>Neutopia</i> 1989 video game

Neutopia is an overhead action-adventure video game developed by Hudson Soft. It was released by Hudson for the PC Engine in Japan on November 17, 1989. It was then released by NEC for the TurboGrafx-16 in North America in 1990. It was re-released for the Virtual Console service worldwide for the Wii in 2007; it was re-released for the PlayStation Network in Japan in 2010 and in North America in 2011. It was re-released for the Wii U on April 16, 2014 in Japan, and in USA and Europe in 2017. The game takes place in the land of Neutopia, where the evil demon Dirth has captured Princess Aurora and has stolen the eight ancient medallions which contain the wisdom and power necessary to maintain peace and prosperity throughout the land. It is up to the protagonist Jazeta to retrieve the eight medallions, defeat Dirth, rescue Princess Aurora, and save the land and its people.

LCD games are electronic games played on an LCD screen. Since the release of the Zelda Game & Watch game in August 1989, several LCD games based upon the theme of The Legend of Zelda have been licensed by Nintendo to be released for both Japanese and foreign markets. While Zelda was both developed and manufactured by Nintendo, later LCD games would only be licensed by Nintendo. The Legend of Zelda game watch is an LCD wristwatch game produced by Nelsonic as part of their Nelsonic Game Watch series, and Zelda no Densetsu: Kamigami no Triforce is an LCD fighting video game licensed by Nintendo and produced by Epoch Co. for the Barcode Battler II platform, and released only in Japan.

<i>Shining Soul II</i> 2003 video game

Shining Soul II is an action role-playing game for the Game Boy Advance. It was developed by Nextech and Grasshopper Manufacture, as the sequel to Shining Soul and part of the Shining series.

<i>Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs</i> 1992 video game

Bulls vs. Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, later released in Japan as NBA Pro Basketball: Bulls vs Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, is a 1993 basketball video game produced by Don Traeger and developed by Electronic Arts and released for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. A later Mega Drive version was released under the title Bulls versus Blazers and the NBA Playoffs, later released in Japan as NBA Playoffs: Bulls vs Blazers.

The Japan Game Awards is the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry's awards ceremony, which was created in 1996 as the CESA Awards. While it represents the Japanese video game industry, it is not limited to Japanese video games, but also includes international video games.

<i>Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2</i> 2010 video game

Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 2 is a 2010 role-playing video game developed by Tose and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo DS. It is the sequel to Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker (2006) and is the fifth game in the Dragon Quest Monsters series. A sequel, Dragon Quest Monsters: Joker 3, was released in 2016.

<i>Link: The Faces of Evil</i> and <i>Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon</i> 1993 video games

Link: The Faces of Evil and Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon are action-adventure games developed by Animation Magic and published by Philips Interactive Media for the CD-i on October 10, 1993 in North America and December 25 of the same year in Europe. They were released on the same day, were developed simultaneously, and look and play similarly because they use the same graphic engine. Both games are based on Nintendo's The Legend of Zelda franchise, but are not acknowledged as official, canonical entries and are the first two games of three Zelda games released for the CD-i. The third, Zelda's Adventure, was developed separately and plays differently.

<i>Disneys Aladdin</i> (Capcom video game) 1993 SNES video game

Disney's Aladdin is a 1993 platform game developed and published by Capcom for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System, based on the 1992 animated Disney film of the same name. Disney's Aladdin is a 2D side-scrolling video game in which the player controls Aladdin and his monkey Abu. It was designed by Shinji Mikami.

References

  1. 1 2 Nickel, Thomas (2017-02-21). "Zelda? Nein danke! - Abenteuerliche Alternativen – Seite 5 von 12". MANIAC.de (in German). Retrieved 2019-05-15.
  2. ↑ "Soul Blazer for Super Nintendo". GameRankings. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  3. 1 2 Petersen, Sandy (December 1993). "Eye of the Monitor". Dragon (200): 73–80.
  4. 1 2 3 Electronic Gaming Monthly, issue 38 (September 1992), page 22.
  5. 1 2 "ソウルブレイダー まとめ [スーパーファミコン] / ファミ通.com". Famitsu.com. 2014-02-22. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  6. 1 2 Game Informer, issue 6 (September–October 1992), page 47.
  7. 1 2 GameFan, volume 1, issue 1 (October 1992), pages 7 & 37.
  8. ↑ Dillard, Corbie (2009-09-18). "Soul Blazer Review - SNES". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on 2016-03-12. Retrieved 2016-03-11.
  9. ↑ Nintendo Power, issue 40 (September 1992), pages 83-89 & 103
  10. 1 2 Bannert, Robert (2018-01-01). "Soul Blazer - im Klassik-Test (SNES)". MANIAC.de (in German). Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved 2019-04-30.
  11. ↑ "Quintet Game Library". Quintet.co.jp. Archived from the original on 2007-10-07. Retrieved 2008-12-26.
  12. ↑ Electronic Gaming Monthly, 1993 Video Game Buyer's Guide, page 45.
  13. ↑ Top 100 SNES Games of All Time - IGN.com , retrieved 2022-01-30
  14. ↑ "Top 100 SNES Games". Total! (43): 44. July 1995. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  15. ↑ "Gaia series". MobyGames. Retrieved 29 December 2022.
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.