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The Magic of Scheherazade

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The Magic of Scheherazade
North American cover art
Developer(s)Culture Brain
Publisher(s)Culture Brain
Producer(s)Akademiya Yumenosuke[3]
Composer(s)Akinori Sawa[4]
Shunichi Mikame[5]
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The Magic of Scheherazade[a]is anaction-adventure/role-playing video game(RPG) developed and released byCulture Brainfor theNintendo Entertainment System(NES). The game was released in 1987 in Japan and 1990 in North America. The plot is based onMiddle Easternfolktales found inOne Thousand and One Nights.It involves anamnesichero traveling through time in an attempt to rescue the princessScheherazadefrom the evil wizard Sabaron, who has summoned a horde of demons to bring chaos to the once peaceful land ofArabia.The Magic of Scheherazadeis divided into chapters and incorporates elements of both action-adventure and RPG gameplay styles. In each chapter, theplayer charactercan freely explore anoverworldin atop-down perspective.The player engages hostile enemies with various weapons and spells through bothreal-timesolo action on the overhead map and random,turn-basedbattles fought alongside befriended allies.

Once the commercial viability of the NES was proven in North America by the late 1980s, Japanese developer Culture Brain opened a company branch in the United States and chose to publish an English-language version ofThe Magic of Scheherazadeafter making several changes to the graphics and musical score. It has received mostly average review scores but generally positive commentary from critics for its visuals, gameplay, and difficulty balance. The game has been noted for its fusion of the adventure and RPG genres, though journalists have referred to its gameplay mechanics as lower-quality versions of what was seen in bothThe Legend of Zeldaand theDragon Questseries.

Gameplay

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The player battles enemies in the overworld. Thecharacter class,experience level,and other statistics are displayed at the bottom.

The Magic of Scheherazadecombines gameplay elements fromaction-adventure gamesandRPGs.In the game, the player must travel through a series of worlds and defeat the evil wizard Sabaron, rescue Scheherazade, and bring peace back to Arabia. The game consists of five chapters; the first four chapters involve the player's journey through four worlds in which they must find the palace and defeat the demon that resides there. The fifth chapter involves the final battle with Sabaron.[6]Players may start a new game or resume the game with apassword.If a new game is started, the player must choose between three classes – Fighter, Magician, or Saint. Each class differs in weapon usage and certain abilities. For instance, a Fighter can use strong swords but is limited with the rod, a Magician is adept at using powerful rods but is restricted to a weak dagger instead of swords, and a Saint can exclusively utilize items like boots that prevent damage on hazardous floors.[7][8]Weapons, spells, items, and actions like speaking or jumping can be mapped to thegamepad's "A" or "B" buttons on a select subscreen. Astatus bardisplays the player character's selected actions,character class,attributes,coins, and some expendable supplies.[9]

The majority of play takes place on anoverhead mapwhere the player can freely move between separate screens; theoverworldcomprises numerous landscapes and locales including forests, deserts, towns, underwater areas, dimly-lit dungeons, and palace labyrinths. The player will also find "Time Gates" that allow for time travel between the past, present, and future; they transport the player to the same location but in a different time and environment.[8][10]In the towns, the player can interact withNPCsto gather information and initiate quests, gather new party members, purchase supplies as shops, replenish party members'hit points(HP) andmagic points(MP) at hotels, gamble money atcasinos,and change character class or save their progress via passwords at mosques.[8][11][12]

In the overworld, enemies will oftenrandomly appearand are fought inreal time.The player can use a sword for close-range attacks, a rod for shooting long-range projectiles, and magic spells. Slaying enemies earns the playerexperience pointsthat go towards increasing overall experience levels. Reaching higher levels improves the player's maximum attributes (HP and MP) and can sometimes enhance weapon strength or yield new magic spells.[9]When transitioning between screens on the overhead map, the player will sometimes encounter random,turn-basedbattles with groups of enemies.[8][13]The start of each battle gives the player the option to fight, escape, or attempt to bribe enemies into leaving. Fighting alone or with up to two allies, the player takes turns trading blows with enemy units by picking commands such as striking with equipped weapons or casting magic. Formations (learned for a fee at "Magic Universities" in certain towns) can also be created, which can grant the party added defense or enable them to cast powerful group magic spells; certain formations work particularly well against certain "squads" or "regiments". Finally, mercenary troopers, which can be hired in towns, can be used to aid the party in attacks.[8][13]

Plot

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Thefantasysetting ofThe Magic of Scheherazadeborrows fromMiddle Easternfolk tales inOne Thousand and One Nights.[14]Many years prior to the opening of the game, the land ofArabiawas taken over by the malevolent demon Goragora and his army of minions. A magician named Isfa, harnessing the power of the blue star Airosche, vanquished the demons and sealed them underground. Peace briefly returned until the evil wizard Sabaron freed Goragora and the demons from their captivity and imprisoned the Arabian princessScheherazadeand her family.[10]

Theplayer charactertakes on the role of Isfa's unnamed descendant, who unsuccessfully attempts to save his lover Scheherazade from Sabaron. As a result, the player's memories are erased, his magical powers are sealed, and he is thrust into a different time period.[15][16]He is quickly greeted by the catlike spirit Coronya, who possesses the ability to open a passage to travel through time. With this, the amnesic hero traverses through five worlds in order to regain his memories, learn new magic, recruit several allies, and defeat the demon overlords.[8][11]Once Scheherazade's three sisters and father are rescued, the protagonist confronts Sabaron, who realizes releasing Goragora was a mistake. The hero then goes to the Dark World and destroys Goragora, returning tranquility to Arabia once again. After being thanked by Scheherazade and her family, the hero promises to return to his beloved someday as he and his party depart on amagic carpettoward their next adventure.

Development and release

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The Magic of Scheherazadewas developed for theNintendo Entertainment System(Famicom in Japan) byCulture Brain.A person working under the pseudonym "Akademiya Yumenosuke" was the game'sproducer,according to aWeekly Famitsuinterview.[3]Composers Akinori Sawa and Shunichi Mikame worked as itscomposers.[4][5]Sawa worked primarily on Culture Brain'sHiryū no Kenseries.[4]Mikame had previously composed the scores for bothKung Fu HeroesandFlying Dragon: The Secret Scroll.[5]His musical equipment consisted of twopolyphonic synthesizers,afrequency modulation synthesizer,and ahardware sequencer.Compositions were recorded toaudio cassetteand then simplified to the Famicom'sprogrammable sound generator,once approved by the producer. Only three of the six songs Mikame composed were used in game, and he left the company before its Japanese release.[5]

The Magic of Scheherazadewas released in Japan on September 3, 1987.[1]Tokuma Shotenpublished an officialstrategy guideforThe Magic of Scheherazadein Japan in November.[17]A shortmangabased on the game titledMagical Book[b]was published in Japan and features all the game's party members.[8][15]Culture Brain's North American division chose to release the game as it fit the company's business model for international releases.[18]Culture Brain USA announced the game in mid-1988 with a tentative release set for January 1989.[19]It was delayed but was showcased that month at the WinterConsumer Electronics Show(CES) with other Culture Brain USA games for the NES, includingKung Fu HeroesandFlying Dragon: The Secret Scroll;it was showcased once again at 1990's Winter CES, this time alongsideBaseball Simulator 1.000.[20][21]The game was released in North America on January 15, 1990.[2]Culture Brain made numerous changes for the English-language localization,[8]including the alternation of character and monster sprites, changes of the facial features in the characters to look more nondescript, simplification of the overworld map, the usage of character text during gameplay, and the inclusion of new music.[8][15]The game's official soundtrack was released in Japan by Cassetron on October 25, 2023 and includes music from the overseas version.[22]

Reception

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The Magic of Scheherazadereceived mixed reviews at release. Opinions of the game's graphics and musical score have been mostly positive. BothWilliam R. TrotterofGame Playersand Rusel DeMaria ofVideoGames & Computer Entertainmentcommended the game's visuals but DeMaria simply characterized the music and sound as "fine".[11][14]Trotter was specifically impressed with the magic spell effects, characters sprites, and environments.[14]Game Playersawarded the game "Best Graphics" for console titles first previewed in the US in 1989.[25]Contrarily, reviewers from a 1990EGMpanel discounted the game's presentation as either average or not up to the standards of the game's contemporaries.[2]

The gameplay and challenge were also high points for many reviewers. Trotter applauded the amount of content and compared the time-consuming yet intuitive learning curve for the game's mechanics to theUltimaseries. He said: "Everything is clearly organized, so what at first seems unwieldy soon becomes natural and logical".[14]DeMaria found the game easy yet satisfying, summarizing that it might offer fun for new and intermediate players while experience players could still find "enough plot twists and interesting challenges to make the game fun to play".[11]GameProlikewise recommended the game to beginner, intermediate, and advanced players alike.[16]EGMfound the game as an overall mediocre diversion to other RPGs of its time, but similarly acknowledged the gameplay as being "nicely handled" and "easy to catch on to". One of the magazine's writers, Ed Semrad, appreciated its challenge level and referred to it as the next "decent quest game" followingZelda II: The Adventure of Link.[2]

Critics have addressed the game's similarities to other action-adventure titles and turn-based RPGs, as well as its blending of the two genres. Several compared the game's top-down adventure aesthetic and interface toThe Legend of Zelda.[8][11][15]DeMaria recognized the two games' resemblance, but notedThe Magic of Scheherazadeas being much morelinear.[11]Hardcore Gaming 101's Michael Ayala contrasted the time travel aspect withA Link to the Pastand its turn-based battles with those ofDragon Quest.However, he admitted both features felt unpolished inThe Magic of Scheherazadebut proclaimed the soundtrack as "excellent" aside from one "incredibly grating" theme heard in rare instances in battle.[8]Destructoidcontributor Colette Bennett praised the music and found theMiddle East-inspired setting unique amidmedieval-themed RPGs of its release period.[15]Andrew Vestal ofGameSpotcomically described the game as a result of two development groups feuding over whether to create an action RPG or a turn-based RPG. He credited the game as being one of the first RPGs to introduce team attacks, in which two party members could join forces to perform extra-powerful magic.[26]Video game journalist andRetronautswriter Jeremy Parish vaguely described the game in 2017 as "innovative and memorable", even declaring it to be Culture Brain's "crown jewel" when mentioning its conspicuous absence from Nintendo'sVirtual Consoleservice.[27]

Legacy

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A sequel toThe Magic of Scheherazadewas first listed byNintendofor a future 1990 release for the NES in that year's official buyers guide for World of Nintendo retail boutiques.[28]The sequel was further noted byGameProin the magazine's September 1990 issue for its coverage of the SummerCES.[29]Nintendo Poweralso mentioned it in its November/December 1990 issue.[30]At the Winter CES in January 1992,GameProreported that an SNES game titledGolden Empirewas officially announced by Culture Brain as a follow-up toThe Magic of Scheherazade.[31]One year later,GamePropublished a similar tidbit from an article about the 1993 Winter CES, where the game was then titledGolden Empire: The Legend of Scheherazade.[32]Gaming retail chainChips & Bitscontinuously advertisedGolden Empireunder its SNES role-playing section in US magazine catalogs throughout the early to mid-1990s.[33][34][35][36]As late as 1996, the Japanese publicationFamily Computer Magazinelisted the game asScheherazade Densetsu - The Prelude[c]with an unknown release date for theSuper Famicom.[37][38]

TheSuper Nintendo Entertainment SystemgameSuper Ninja Boyincludes a town called Celestern, named after one of the worlds inThe Magic of Scheherazade,and contains its musical theme from that game and cameos from characters like Princess Scheherazade and Coronya.[8]

Notes

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  1. ^Known asArabian Dream Scheherazade(アラビアンドリーム シェラザード,Arabian Dorimu Sherazado)in Japan.
  2. ^Magical Book(マジカルブック,Majikarubukku)
  3. ^Legend of Scheherazade - The Prelude(シェラザード vân nói ザ プレリュード,Sherazado Densetsu - Za Pureryudo)

References

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  1. ^abcFamitsustaff (August 7–21, 1987)."クロスレビュー"[Cross Review].Shukan Famicom Tsushin(in Japanese). No. 16/17.ASCII Corporation.p. 12.Archivedfrom the original on March 31, 2019.RetrievedMarch 16,2019.
  2. ^abcdeHarris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; and Williams, Ken (January 1990). "Electronic Gaming Review Crew:Sharazade[sic] ".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 6. Sendai Publishing. p. 10.ISSN1058-918X.{{cite magazine}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^abFamitsustaff (December 17, 1993). "DREAM TALK".Weekly Famitsu(in Japanese). No. 261.ASCII Corporation.
  4. ^abcSawa Akinori (2000)."Profile"(in Japanese). Archived fromthe originalon December 2, 2008.RetrievedMarch 16,2019.
  5. ^abcdMikame Shunichi (1997)."Profile".IPV4 Security. Archived fromthe originalon November 4, 2015.RetrievedMarch 24,2019.
  6. ^Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990).The Magic of ScheherazadeInstruction Manual.Culture Brain USA, Inc.pp. 6–7. NES–AS–USA.
  7. ^Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990).The Magic of ScheherazadeInstruction Manual.Culture Brain USA, Inc.pp. 8–11. NES–AS–USA.
  8. ^abcdefghijklAyala, Michael (August 31, 2008)."The Magic of Scheherazade".Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived fromthe originalon July 19, 2018.RetrievedMarch 10,2019.
  9. ^abCulture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990).The Magic of ScheherazadeInstruction Manual.Culture Brain USA, Inc.pp. 12–19. NES–AS–USA.
  10. ^abCulture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990).The Magic of ScheherazadeInstruction Manual.Culture Brain USA, Inc.pp. 4–7. NES–AS–USA.
  11. ^abcdefgDeMario, Rusel (January 1990). "Video Game Reviews:The Magic of Scheherazade".VideoGames & Computer Entertainment.No. 12. L.F.P., Inc. pp. 52, 156.ISSN1059-2938.OCLC25300986.
  12. ^Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990).The Magic of ScheherazadeInstruction Manual.Culture Brain USA, Inc.pp. 40–41. NES–AS–USA.
  13. ^abCulture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990).The Magic of ScheherazadeInstruction Manual.Culture Brain USA, Inc.pp. 21–26. NES–AS–USA.
  14. ^abcdTrotter, William R.(December 1989). "Nintendo Reviews:The Magic of Scheherazade".Game Players.Vol. 1, no. 6. Signal Research, Inc. p. 98.ISSN1042-3133.
  15. ^abcdeBennett, Colette (February 27, 2009)."An RPG Draws Near!The Magic of Scheherazade".Destructoid.Enthusiast Gaming.Archived fromthe originalon February 20, 2019.RetrievedMarch 10,2019.
  16. ^abGameProstaff (November 1989). "Nintendo ProView:The Magic of Scheherazade".GamePro.No. 4.IDG.pp. 36–7.ISSN1042-8658.
  17. ^Amazon staff.アラビアンドリーム シェラザード hoàn toàn công lược テクニックブック[Arabian Dream Sherazard Complete Strategy Technique Book] (in Japanese).ASIN4886580300.
  18. ^EGMstaff (March 1990). "Behind the Screens at Culture Brain".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 8. Sendai Publishing. pp. 36–37.ISSN1058-918X.
  19. ^Katz, Arnie;Kunkel, Bill;and Worley, Joyce (August 1988). "Video Gaming World".Computer Gaming World.Vol. 50. Golden Empire Publications. p. 44.ISSN0744-6667.OCLC8482876.{{cite magazine}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  20. ^Computer Entertainerstaff (January 1990). "Gaming's Heartbeat: The Video Game Update".Computer Entertainer.Vol. 8, no. 10. p. 13.ISSN0890-2143.OCLC14192197.
  21. ^DeMaria, Rusel (April 1989). "Channel Three Switching On".Computer Play.No. 9. Computer Play Magazine Corp. p. 48.OCLC975284285.
  22. ^Yawaragi (August 16, 2023)."“アラビアンドリーム シェラザード” サウンドトラックが10 nguyệt 25 ngày に phát bán. Hải ngoại bản の lặc khúc も thâu lục "[Arabian Dream Scheherazadesoundtrack will be released on October 25th. Also includes songs from overseas version].4Gamer.net(in Japanese). Aetas Inc. Archived fromthe originalon August 17, 2023.RetrievedOctober 29,2023.
  23. ^Nintendo Powerstaff (March–April 1990). "Video Shorts:Magic of Scheherazadefrom Culture Brain ".Nintendo Power.Vol. 11.Nintendo of America.p. 77.ISSN1041-9551.
  24. ^Famimagastaff (May 10, 1991). "5 nguyệt 10 ngày hào đặc biệt phó lục ファミコン ロムカセット オールカタログ" [May 10 Special Appendix: Famicom Rom Cassette All Catalog].Family Computer Magazine(in Japanese). Vol. 9, no. 9.Tokuma Shoten.p. 168.
  25. ^abGame Playersstaff (March 1990). "Players World:Game PlayersFirst Annual Videogame and Computer Game Awards 1989 ".Game Players.Vol. 2, no. 3. Signal Research, Inc. p. 18.ISSN1042-3133.
  26. ^Vestal, Andrew (November 11, 1998)."The History of Console RPGs".GameSpot.CBS Interactive.p. Other NES RPGs. Archived fromthe originalon December 11, 2008.RetrievedMarch 14,2019.
  27. ^Parish, Jeremy (January 26, 2017)."Virtual Console (Culture) Brain dump".Retronauts.Eurogamer.Archived fromthe originalon April 8, 2019.RetrievedMarch 17,2019.
  28. ^Nintendostaff (1990). "The Official 1990 World of Nintendo Buyers Guide".Discount Store News.Lebhar-Friedman.p. 10.ISSN0012-3587.OCLC936780.
  29. ^GameProstaff (September 1990). "ProNews Report".GamePro.No. 14.IDG.p. 35.ISSN1042-8658.
  30. ^Nintendo Powerstaff (November–December 1990). "Gossip Galore".Nintendo Power.Vol. 18.Nintendo of America.p. 92.ISSN1041-9551.
  31. ^GameProstaff (April 1992). "CES Special Report: Genesis & SNES Games for 1992".GamePro.No. 33.IDG.p. 26.ISSN1042-8658.
  32. ^GameProstaff (April 1993). "CES '93 Report: Gaming on the Horizon".GamePro.No. 45.IDG.p. 127.ISSN1042-8658.
  33. ^EGMstaff (May 1992). "Chips & Bits".Electronic Gaming Monthly.No. 34. Sendai Publishing. p. 105.ISSN1058-918X.
  34. ^Electronic Gamesstaff (March 1993). "Chips & Bits".Electronic Games.Vol. 1, no. 6. Decker Publications, Inc. p. 69.ISSN0730-6687.
  35. ^Game Playersstaff (December 1995). "Chips & Bits".Game Players.No. 59.Imagine Publishing.p. 147.ISSN1059-2172.
  36. ^GameFanstaff (January 1996). "Chips & Bits".GameFan.Vol. 4, no. 1. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 87.ISSN1092-7212.
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  38. ^Family Computer Magazinestaff (February 23, 1996). "New Game Calendar".Family Computer Magazine(in Japanese). Vol. 4.Tokuma Shoten.p. 161.
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