Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary
| Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary | |
|---|---|
 Cover art of the European release ofSaint Seiya: The Sanctuaryby Bandai | |
| Developer(s) | Dimps |
| Publisher(s) | Bandai |
| Series | Saint Seiya |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary(Thánh đấu sĩ tinh thỉThánh Vực thập nhị cung biên,Seinto Seiya: Sankuchuari Jūnikyū Hen),also known asSaint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary,is a3Daction video game for thePlayStation 2console based on theSaint Seiyamanga series byMasami Kurumada.It was developed byDimps Corporationand published byBandai.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.
The game features theBronze Saints of Athenaas playable characters, although others can be unlocked as the player advances in the story mode of the game. This mode allows the player to follow the storyline of the first saga of themanga,the Sanctuary saga. An alternate battle mode allows players to freely choose two characters with which to duel, both in single-player and multiplayer mode.
Gameplay
[edit]The game features a story mode, which allows the player to reenact the events of the first arc of theSaint Seiyaseries, the Sanctuary chapter. The player can choose to fight either on the side of the protagonists or of the antagonists. It features many CG cinematics of important scenes from the original series, as well as the opening movie from the anime. There is also a versus and a practice mode, which consist of duels that can be played either in single-player or multiplayer mode.[1]
Development
[edit]The original Japanese version ofSaint Seiya: The Sanctuary,the first 3D game developed for the PlayStation 2 inspired by theSaint Seiyaseries, was developed byDimps Corporationand published byBandai.It was released on April 7, 2005. In Europe, it was released on June 30 of the same year. The game features five immediately playable characters, theBronze Saint protagonistsof the series, and twenty-four hidden characters that play a major part in the Sanctuary arc ofSaint Seiyaand which can be unlocked throughout the course of the game. The European version of the game includes voice-overs in French as the default audio setting and translations into English, Italian, French, German and Spanish. It also contains alternative music tracks that differ from the Japanese version due to copyright issues.[2]As an added incentive to the purchase of the game before it first came out, Bandai gifted Japanese players who preordered the game via the official PlayStation website with a memory card holder in the shape of the game's "most powerful item in the universe", the golden box of the Sagittarius Cloth.[3]
Sequel
[edit]| Saint Seiya: The Hades | |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Dimps |
| Publisher(s) | Namco Bandai Games |
| Series | Saint Seiya |
| Platform(s) | PlayStation 2 |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Fighting |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
Saint Seiya: The Sanctuaryhas also got a sequel, with titleSaint Seiya: The Hades(Thánh đấu sĩ tinh thỉMinh Vương ハーデス thập nhị cung biên,Seinto Seiya: Meiou Hadesu Jūnikyū Hen).It has been released byNamco Bandai Games,inJapanandEurope,and on sale in 2007.
Reception
[edit]| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 49/100[4] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Famitsu | 23/40[5] |
| Jeuxvideo | 8/20[6] |
| The Times |   [7] |
The game received "generally unfavorable reviews" according to thereview aggregationwebsiteMetacritic.In Japan,Famitsugave it a score of one six, one five, and two sixes for a total of 23 out of 40.[5]
References
[edit]- ^"Saint Seiya: The Sanctuary".GameSpy.IGN Entertainment. Archived fromthe originalon January 2, 2013.RetrievedJuly 13,2012.
- ^Zaiburst (October 28, 2005)."Twelve temples with some unrealized potential".GameFAQs.CBS Interactive.Archivedfrom the original on February 15, 2019.RetrievedMarch 23,2019.
- ^Jeremy Dunham (February 15, 2005)."Saint Seiya's Perfect Memory".IGN.Ziff Davis.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2021.RetrievedMarch 23,2019.
- ^"Saint Seiya: Chapter Sanctuary (ps2: 2005): Review".Metacritic.CNET.Archived fromthe originalon September 13, 2008.RetrievedMarch 23,2019.
- ^ab"Thánh đấu sĩ tinh thỉ Thánh Vực thập nhị cung biên".Famitsu(in Japanese).Enterbrain.April 2005.
- ^Logan (July 4, 2005)."Test: Saint Seiya [Les Chevaliers du Zodiaque: Le Sanctuaire]".Jeuxvideo.Webedia.Archivedfrom the original on October 27, 2019.RetrievedMarch 23,2019.
- ^Tim Wapshott (August 6, 2005)."Saint Seiya: Knights of the Zodiac The Sanctuary [sic]".The Times.Archivedfrom the original on September 20, 2021.RetrievedMarch 23,2019.(subscription required)