The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion

Last updated
The Legend of Heroes:A Tear of Vermillion
Loh4 The Legend of Heroes A Tear of Vermillion.jpg
Developer(s) Nihon Falcom
Publisher(s) Namco Bandai Games
Series The Legend of Heroes
Platform(s)
Release
May 24, 1996
  • NEC PC-9801
    • JP: May 24, 1996
    PlayStation
    • JP: August 27, 1998
    Windows
    • JP: December 7, 2000
    PlayStation Portable
    • JP: June 2, 2005
    • NA: November 15, 2005
Genre(s) Role-playing
Mode(s) Single-player

The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion [lower-alpha 1] is a 1996 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the fourth game in The Legend of Heroes series, and the second in the Gagharv Trilogy. Originally released for the NEC PC-9801 in 1996, it was later released for the PlayStation in 1998 and Windows in 2000. A remake was released for the PlayStation Portable in 2005, [1] which was the first North American release of a Legend of Heroes game since Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes for the TurboGrafx-16. The North American release dropped the number from the title.

Contents

Plot

The setting for the fourth Legend of Heroes game and the second in the Gagharv Trilogy takes place in the fictional land of El Phildin, fifty-six years before the events of Moonlight Witch. The story begins with an insight to the past. Avin and Eimelle are orphaned children, ages 10 and 8 respectively, who are living in the city of Cathedral after being taken in by Supreme Priest Esperius. Avin is seen bringing milk for the kitten Eimelle snuck into the chapel. They both watch it drink to its heart's content. Before long, Oracle Ollesia appears. The children panic at being caught with the smuggled kitten, but Ollesia doesn't seem too concerned with that, yelling at them to take cover. Cathedral is under attack.

Lord Bellias and his minions attack the chapel. He reveals the reason for his not-so-friendly visit to Cathedral: he is after Eimelle, who he calls "Durga's Daughter". Bellias is stopped by Supreme Priest Esperius, who buys time for Avin, Eimelle, the kitten, and Ollesia to escape. The two men have a conversation regarding Bellias' destiny to lead the Bardus Church and how he became a traitor of the Church. The two wizards fight each other, with Esperius easily bested by Bellias' superior magical prowess (and perhaps also due to the fact that he's positively ancient). Esperius dies after being attacked with Bellias' rising spell.

The two kids and Professor Ollesia attempt their escape before being cornered by Bellias and his minions. Gawaine, the "Sage of power", appears suddenly to fend off the attack and allow the group to escape. They make an exit to the monster cart in front of the building. Bellias, however, catches up to them and launches a spell at the cart. The kitten becomes frightened after hearing the spell and leaps out of the cart, worrying Eimelle. Avin tries to rescue it, but is ambushed by several dark spells. Gawaine comes to his rescue, but the two are unable to find an opportunity to get back into the cart. Gawaine instructs the paladin in control of the monster cart to break off into two groups. Ollesia and Eimelle escape to an unknown place, with Avin left in Gawaine's care.

Avin wakes up from a nightmare in the house of Lemuras, the "Sage of Mercy", feeling sick because he couldn't save Eimelle. After the two have breakfast, Lemuras requests that Avin deliver a letter to someone in Ourt Village. There, he learns about his home. After getting the letter, someone begins following him. That person turns out to be Mile, a lonely young boy. After delivering the letter and receiving another to give back to Lemuras, Avin heads back. Mile catches up with him before he leaves and tells him of/invites him to the Festival of Nepthys, the town deity. Every year, the people of Ourt go around the village in search of special charms that can be used to make a wish to Nepthys by throwing it into a pond connected to Nepthys Shrine. According to this tradition, your wish will be granted between that festival and the next festival, but only if the charm floats to the middle of the pond.

A few days later, Avin joins Mile in finding the two charms required to make their wishes. After finding them, Avin throws his into the pond to see if his wish to see Eimelle again will be granted. The town cheers him on, but the charm does not make it to the center of the pond, which crushes Avin's hope. Suddenly, Mile throws his own charm into the pond, also wishing that Avin could see Eimelle again. It reaches the center, meaning Mile's wish will be granted. Avin is shocked at his selfless act, wondering why Mile made a wish for him instead of making his own wish. Mile says that his wish already came true. That is, the one that he made during the last festival. He says he made a wish to make a friend.

Release

A Korean conversion of the original PC-9801 version was released for the MS-DOS/IBM PC by Mantra and Samsung in 1997. [2]

Some confusion was caused by the North American release of the game. While the remake of The Legend of Heroes IV was the first to be released in North America, the PSP remake of its predecessor, The Legend of Heroes III, had been released several months before it in Japan. The Legend of Heroes III was eventually released in the North America in 2006, with its title changed to The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch .

Reception

The PSP version received "mixed or average" reviews according to review aggregator Metacritic. [3]

Notes

  1. ↑ Japanese: 英雄伝説IV 朱紅い雫, Hepburn: Eiyū Densetsu IV: Akai Shizuku

Related Research Articles

Ys is a series of action role-playing games developed by Nihon Falcom. The series chronicles the life of the adventurer Adol Christin.

<i>Brandish</i> (video game) 1991 video game

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.

<i>Popful Mail</i> 1991 video game

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.

The Legend of Heroes, known in Japan as Eiyū Densetsu, is a series of role-playing video games developed by Nihon Falcom. First starting as a part of the Dragon Slayer series in the late 1980s, the series evolved into its own decade-spanning, interconnected series with seventeen entries, including several subseries. All games in the franchise released since 2004 are part of the Trails subseries, known as Kiseki in Japan. The most recent entry, The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II, was released in 2022.

<i>The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch</i> 1994 video game

The Legend of Heroes II: Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch is a 1994 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the third game in The Legend of Heroes series, and the first in the Gagharv Trilogy, but was retitled to include a "two" in the title for its North American release. Originally released for the NEC PC-9801 in 1994, it was later re-released on several other platforms, including the Sega Saturn, PlayStation, and Windows, before being released on the PlayStation Portable in 2006, the only version to be translated into English.

<i>Ys II: Ancient Ys Vanished – The Final Chapter</i> 1988 video game

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.

<i>Ys III: Wanderers from Ys</i> 1989 video game

Ys III: Wanderers from Ys is a 1989 action role-playing game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the third game in the Ys series.

<i>Dragon Slayer</i> (video game) 1984 video game

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.

<i>The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky</i> 2004 video game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky is a 2004 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is the first in what later became known as the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series.

<i>The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean</i> 1999 video game

The Legend of Heroes III: Song of the Ocean is a 1999 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. It is the fifth game in The Legend of Heroes series, and the third and final title in the Gagharv Trilogy. It was originally released for Windows and was remade for PlayStation Portable in 2006.

<i>Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes</i> 1989 video game

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.

<i>Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II</i> 1992 video game

Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes II is a 1992 role-playing video game by Nihon Falcom. It is part of the Dragon Slayer series and the second entry in The Legend of Heroes subseries. The game first released for the NEC PC-8801 before being ported to the NEC PC-9801, FM Towns, PC Engine, Mega Drive, Super Famicom and MS-DOS.

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.

<i>Xanadu</i> (video game) 1985 video game

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.

<i>The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC</i> 2006 video game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC is a 2006 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series, and serves as a direct sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky. It was first released in Japan for Windows in 2006 before releasing for the PlayStation Portable the following year.

<i>The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd</i> 2007 video game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky the 3rd is a 2007 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series, and serves as the final entry in the Trails in the Sky arc.

<i>Trails</i> (series) Video game franchise

Trails, known as Kiseki (軌跡) in Japan, is a series of science fantasy role-playing video games by Nihon Falcom. It is a part of their larger The Legend of Heroes franchise and began with the release of Trails in the Sky in 2004. Trails features a large cast of characters and consists of several interconnected story arcs set in different nations on the continent of Zemuria: Liberl, Crossbell, Erebonia, and Calvard. The series primarily features turn-based combat, with a few spin-offs and more recent entries featuring other styles of gameplay.

<i>The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II</i> 2014 video game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is a 2014 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes series, and serves as a sequel to The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel.

<i>The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak</i> 2021 video game

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak is a 2021 role-playing video game developed by Nihon Falcom. The game is a part of the Trails series, itself a part of the larger The Legend of Heroes franchise, and is the first game in the Trails through Daybreak story arc. It marks the second half of the Trails series and is the first to be set in the Calvard Republic. The game follows Van Arkride, a young man working at Arkride Solutions Office as a Spriggan, a bounty hunting detective.

References

  1. ↑ "Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermillion Review - GameSpot".
  2. ↑ "A History of Korean Gaming". HardcoreGaming101. Retrieved 10 October 2017.
  3. 1 2 "The Legend of Heroes: A Tear of Vermilion for PSP Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved May 3, 2021.
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.