Azure Dreams
Encyclopedia
Azure Dreams is a PlayStation video game developed by Konami
and released on 30 June 1998. The game was later ported onto the Game Boy Color
. The semi-sequel, Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal
, was released in the US on 21 March 2006 on the Nintendo DS
.
. Each monsters has hidden spells, unique traits, and abilities. But an interesting side mission is the improvement of the town of Monsbaiya. With his acquired riches, Koh can finance the building of a theatre, hospital, racing track, casino, bowling alley, and gym. Some buildings allow the appearance of specific love interests (such as the Hospital making way for Cherrl to appear and the library making Mia available), while others offer mini-games and the ability to acquire currency at a faster rate. Koh can also improve the furnishings and decorate his home.
The player is also given the option of pursuing romantic ambitions in Koh's life. There are seven characters that he may develop a relationship with, from tomboy Nico to stuck-up, selfish Selfi. Though it is a common misconception, the player is unable to marry any of the girls in the Japanese version. Also a common misconception, it is impossible to develop a romance with Ghosh, though he and Koh do exchange friendly words as the game progresses. There are a few differences that exist between the Japanese and American versions of the game, in the Japanese version it had voiced dialogue for every character, the title screen was dramatically changed, the intro movie was narrated and the angel/cherub was more animated, larger and looked much different. The monster book graphics were also redone. The Japanese version has a seahorse like selector with more colorful elemental bars, for example the water one has vines growing on it. The layout of the picture and text was different also with the Japanese version having the monster text off to the right and the stats under the picture. The buttons were also completely changed from the Japanese version, and not just an O, X swap. This relationship-building aspect of the game is absent from the Game Boy Color version.
Every time Koh enters the Tower, he returns to level one; however, any familiars hatched outside the Tower retain their current level. As such, progression through the higher levels of the Tower relies on strengthening the familiars or equipment. Strengthening weapons and shields can be an uphill battle, because the items that add a +1 to their attack or defense are often far outnumbered by Rust Traps, one of the many varieties of randomly-generated traps that only become visible once activated. One remedy to this is to use types of equipment that do not rust. Furthermore, once in the Tower, there are only three ways of exiting it: If Koh "dies" within the Tower, he returns to town but loses all equipment he carried; a familiar can be sacrificed using a specific item found within the Tower, called an Oleem, allowing Koh to escape and keep all of his other equipment; and a Wind Crystal can be found in the Tower that allows escape at any time.
Another unique point of Azure Dreams is the random map generator: every time Koh enters the Monster Tower, the levels are randomly generated so as to make every monster-hunting experience different.
In many ways, Azure Dreams is a graphical roguelike
. Activity within the main dungeon is turn-based, with one move or attack corresponding to a turn (e.g. when the player takes a step, so do opposing monsters). Randomly generated dungeons and treasures are also features shared with the genre.
Konami
is a Japanese leading developer and publisher of numerous popular and strong-selling toys, trading cards, anime, tokusatsu, slot machines, arcade cabinets and video games...
and released on 30 June 1998. The game was later ported onto the Game Boy Color
Game Boy Color
The is Nintendo's successor to the 8-bit Game Boy handheld game console, and was released on October 21, 1998 in Japan, November 19, 1998 in North America, November 23, 1998 in Europe and November 27, 1998 in the United Kingdom. It features a color screen and is slightly thicker and taller than...
. The semi-sequel, Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal
Tao's Adventure: Curse of the Demon Seal
is a Nintendo DS video game developed by Konami.-Story:The game revolves around a boy named Tao from the island of Bente, who must travel to Mondominio to get a rare monster egg from the monster tower. The seal from the tower has been broken, and monsters have turned all the people of his village...
, was released in the US on 21 March 2006 on the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
.
Story
Azure Dreams is set in a fantasy town called Monsbaiya. Set in the desert, the town prospers only because of the Monster Tower looming over it. In this town lives a skilled and famous monster tamer named Guy. On a stormy day, Guy disappears in the tower, never to be seen again. Ever since he disappeared, Guy's family has struggled to get by, putting all their hopes on Koh, his son, who will be allowed to enter the tower when he reaches the age of 15. When Koh finally reaches adulthood, he meets a vagabond familiar named Kewne, a monster that can speak the human language. Kewne and Koh then embark on a quest to reach the top floor of the Monster Tower and find out the truth about Guy's fate.Gameplay
The game offers a lot of choice in respect to how individual players wish to play. The main focus of the game is entering the tower and destroying its denizens, collecting treasure and monster eggs to hatch into familiarsFamiliar spirit
In European folklore and folk-belief of the Medieval and Early Modern periods, familiar spirits were supernatural entities believed to assist witches and cunning folk in their practice of magic...
. Each monsters has hidden spells, unique traits, and abilities. But an interesting side mission is the improvement of the town of Monsbaiya. With his acquired riches, Koh can finance the building of a theatre, hospital, racing track, casino, bowling alley, and gym. Some buildings allow the appearance of specific love interests (such as the Hospital making way for Cherrl to appear and the library making Mia available), while others offer mini-games and the ability to acquire currency at a faster rate. Koh can also improve the furnishings and decorate his home.
The player is also given the option of pursuing romantic ambitions in Koh's life. There are seven characters that he may develop a relationship with, from tomboy Nico to stuck-up, selfish Selfi. Though it is a common misconception, the player is unable to marry any of the girls in the Japanese version. Also a common misconception, it is impossible to develop a romance with Ghosh, though he and Koh do exchange friendly words as the game progresses. There are a few differences that exist between the Japanese and American versions of the game, in the Japanese version it had voiced dialogue for every character, the title screen was dramatically changed, the intro movie was narrated and the angel/cherub was more animated, larger and looked much different. The monster book graphics were also redone. The Japanese version has a seahorse like selector with more colorful elemental bars, for example the water one has vines growing on it. The layout of the picture and text was different also with the Japanese version having the monster text off to the right and the stats under the picture. The buttons were also completely changed from the Japanese version, and not just an O, X swap. This relationship-building aspect of the game is absent from the Game Boy Color version.
Every time Koh enters the Tower, he returns to level one; however, any familiars hatched outside the Tower retain their current level. As such, progression through the higher levels of the Tower relies on strengthening the familiars or equipment. Strengthening weapons and shields can be an uphill battle, because the items that add a +1 to their attack or defense are often far outnumbered by Rust Traps, one of the many varieties of randomly-generated traps that only become visible once activated. One remedy to this is to use types of equipment that do not rust. Furthermore, once in the Tower, there are only three ways of exiting it: If Koh "dies" within the Tower, he returns to town but loses all equipment he carried; a familiar can be sacrificed using a specific item found within the Tower, called an Oleem, allowing Koh to escape and keep all of his other equipment; and a Wind Crystal can be found in the Tower that allows escape at any time.
Another unique point of Azure Dreams is the random map generator: every time Koh enters the Monster Tower, the levels are randomly generated so as to make every monster-hunting experience different.
In many ways, Azure Dreams is a graphical roguelike
Roguelike
The roguelike is a sub-genre of role-playing video games, characterized by randomization for replayability, permanent death, and turn-based movement. Most roguelikes feature ASCII graphics, with newer ones increasingly offering tile-based graphics. Games are typically dungeon crawls, with many...
. Activity within the main dungeon is turn-based, with one move or attack corresponding to a turn (e.g. when the player takes a step, so do opposing monsters). Randomly generated dungeons and treasures are also features shared with the genre.