Slayers Royal

	SLAYERS ROYAL Copyright © Arai Sumirui/Kadokawa Shoten TV Tokyo * SOFTX Copyright © 1997 Kadokawa Shoten/ESP Sega Saturn RPG / 1 Player ¥4,800 (Import Verson) Available Now (Import) — by Charles McCarter		Whenever someone tries to shoehorn a television series into an RPG-style video game, some sacrifices must be made. But will the sacrifices be made to enhance playability or to ensure integrity of the characters and the story's established universe? SLAYERS ROYAL allows the player to control Lina and company and see how they would fare in an all-new adventure. The game starts with a very simple screen that says "SLAYERS ROYAL" and gives all the copyright information. If you let it sit long enough, it goes into an opening theme, complete with new animation taken from the new cinemas in the game. This opening is very impressive and is of substantial quality; it could have been used for the opening for one of the television series. The game is in standard RPG-style, with interaction done through pushing various buttons to talk to people, move around, and get things. In between there are cut scenes. Unlike other anime-inspired games, however, these are not recycled footage from television episodes; rather, they are all completely original and done exclusively for this game. The story centers around Lark, a young green-haired elf who encounters Lina very early on and enlists her help. It seems that some very nasty monster-type people have burned his village to the ground and absconded with his sister. Lina, taking pity on him, and lured by the vague promise of a reward at a later date, decides to help him out. Thus begins the party's journey.
			This isn't a typical RPG in several ways. First, the characters start out knowing every spell at the beginning of the game. (After all, Lina is an accomplished sorceress, not some magic-missile-using first-level neophyte.) This means, of course, that Lina can cast the Drag Slave right out of the starting gate, so to speak. And while that might seem like a problem, it really isn't. Because the party never encounters just one wandering monster; instead, it's "one wandering magician and a horde of lesser demons" or "two wandering demon generals and a horde of lesser demons," or "two turtle doves and a horde of lesser demons." But you get the idea. So area spells are very important in this game. Many times, the bosses will have more than five times the number of hit points you do, so it's not just a matter of casting spells; players have to plan ahead and strategize or they will be defeated. (I recommend liberal use of the "Rikabari" spell, which restores hit points). The spells themselves deserve a mention. If the player is a SLAYERS fan and is familiar with the spells of the various characters, then they should encounter few problems using them; if not, however, I suggest you read up before attempting your first melee. Magic is often your best form of attack, as it does the most damage quickly. However, you are limited by magic points and the time required to cast a spell. The combat mode has a modified real-time system, as well as the ability to pre-select your party's moves. It also allows the player to put as many or as few of the party on "automatic" as one would like, but be warned. Sometimes putting characters on automatic means that they will opt for self-preservation rather than assisting other party members. Another nice feature of this game is that for the combat scenes, the combatants are rendered as SD form in 3D. This gives the game a unique appearance and helps to preserve some of that SLAYERS flavor. One additional piece of information will probably close the sale on this game to die-hard fans: this game bridges the gap between the movies and the television series, as characters include Lina, Gaurry, Amelia, Zelgardis, and Naga the Serpent. Being an RPG, decisions have to be made based on the information at hand. Those with limited Japanese knowledge will find themselves at times trying to figure out what to do and which way to turn, but such instances are relatively limited. For an RPG, SLAYERS ROYAL is almost totally linear, with only a few places with diverging paths, and even most of those will push you in a circular route until you finally choose the correct option. SLAYERS ROYAL has all the humor of the SLAYERS anime, and the makings of a decent RPG. The new footage done for the cut scenes, the 3D SD characters, and the appearance of Naga alongside the television show characters should be enough to make any SLAYERS fan want this game in a bad way. RPG fans may find it a little light on content, but those who can understand Japanese will surely find that it makes up for that with humor. Rating: *** 1/2 (out of 4)