| Tengai Makyou: Ziria | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Red Entertainment |
| Publisher(s) | Hudson Soft |
| Year released | 1989 |
| System(s) | PC Engine CD-ROM, PC Engine Super CD-ROM², Playstation Network |
| Series | Tengai Makyou |
| Genre(s) | RPG |
|---|---|
| Modes | Single player |
Tengai Makyou: Ziria (天外魔境 ZIRIA? lit. Far East of Eden: Ziria) is an RPG developed by Red Entertainment for the PC Engine as a CD-ROM and published by Hudson Soft in Japan in 1989. It is the first entry in the Tengai Makyou series and follows a plot based on the legend of Jiraiya. It is notable for being the first RPG released for the PC-Engine CD. It contained fully-voiced animated cutscenes as well as many other graphical and audio features that demonstrated the advantages of the PCE's CD add on.
Tengai Makyou: Ziria is set in a fictional country called "Zipangu," which is based on the concept of "a false view of Japan as seen by foreigners." The PC Engine was the first home console to gain a CD-ROM peripheral, at a time when CDs where only beginning to be used for encyclopedias and dictionaries. Utilizing the large capacity of CD-ROM, the game contained fully animated video cut scenes, voice actors, and full audio music. The success of the PC Engine's CD add-on was largely attributed to this game, along with Ys I & II. However, it was also criticized for it's long loading times, which were long in comparison to the immediate responsiveness from cartridges.
The game was republished in limited quantities on the newer Super CD-ROM², which decreased the number of reads from the CD-ROM, but increased the amount of time each read took. The game was ported as a mobile phone application for Japan in 2000. In 2006 Hudson developed a remake of Tengai Makyou: Ziria for the Xbox 360 called called Tengai Makyou Ziria: Harukanaru Jipang. The remake featured polygonal graphics, new animated cut-scenes, additional story events, and a new 3rd-person battle system.
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Super CD-ROM² box art
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Title screen
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Overworld screen
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Combat screen
Story[edit]
The golden country of Zipangu is said to lie in the far east. In the Bando region, east of Zipangu, white beasts who understand human language and have psychic powers protected the land and lived in peace. However, long ago, Zipangu was destroyed for a lone Oni (demon) named Masakado. In order to make Zipangu his utopia, Masakado destroyed everything in sight. When everything turned into jet-black darkness, a group of people called the Fire Clan appeared out of nowhere and fought against Masakado. After a hundred days of fierce battle, three fire heroes sealed the spirit of Masakad deep into the ground with the power of three balls, but by that time most of the fire clan perished.
Zipangu regained peace, but in the long-lasting peace, a group called Daimonkyo who came from a foreign country was casting a big shadow. Daimon Guru "Evil Shinsai" was a Shogun, the ruler of the Bando region, and he embarked on a mission to expanded his power. However, the true aim of the Daimon religion was to revive Masakado and make Zipangu his own.
In 17XX AD, there was a man in the mountains of Tsukuba, a descendant of the Fire Clan, who was about to set out on a journey to thwart the Daimon religion's plot. The man's name is Jiraiya. To prevent Masakado's resurrection, he must seek out two other heroes of the Fire Clan. Can Jiraia seek out other fire clan heroes and save Zipangu?