Elemental Gearbolt
Encyclopedia
Elemental Gearbolt, known in Japan as , is a light gun shooter
for the Sony
PlayStation. Originally developed by Alfa System
, the game was published by Sony Computer Entertainment
and released in Japan in 1997. Working Designs
licensed the game for the North American market and released it in 1998.
Elemental Gearbolt was critically well received due to its science fantasy
setting, which is uncommon in light gun shooters, along with its incorporation of RPG
elements, and particularly the artistry of its presentation. It features an orchestral soundtrack, and animated cutscenes directed by the anime director Rintaro
.
through the character of Tagami (a secret character in Shikigami no Shiro
, another title developed by Alfa System), a mysterious figure who travels to the world in which the game is set long after the main events conclude in order to investigate what caused the world's destruction. Tagami relives the tragedy of the Elemental Gearbolt incident.
Before the Elemental Gearbolt incident, the world was home to two races, Audo and Sulunkan. The Sulunkan, descendants of a fallen magical empire, were oppressed by the Audo. There are secret resistance groups, but none strong enough to challenge the powerful Audo ruling class. Destiny is set in motion when Nell and Seana, the Sugiku (half breed) daughters of a resistance leader, meet Bel Cain, the Sugiku son of the selfish King Jabugal. Nell and Bel Cain promise to meet again, but other circumstances interfere.
Years later, Bel Cain becomes crown prince, full of ambition to end the bitter class struggle. Armed with advanced technology, he starts a campaign of conquest. Meanwhile, Nell and Seana join the Sulunkan resistance, only to be killed. Their bodies are taken back to the capital city as trophies. At the same time, one of Bel Cain's technologies, a Neural Network Computer comprising human brains, malfunctions and initiates a self-destruct sequence. It links powerful weapons known as Holy Guns to Nell and Seana's corpses, re-animating them as Elementals. They have only one purpose - seek and destroy the Network. Bel Cain stands in the Elementals' path, unaware of the actions of the Network; never anticipating his impending reunion and inevitable battle with Nell and Seana.
At the conclusion of each stage the player has the opportunity to "Trade Off", in which the player selects certain percentages of the score for the stage to allocate towards bonus points or experience. As in an RPG, the player characters gain levels by accruing experience, and thus grow more powerful and are better able to take damage. Score determines rank, and in the year following the game's North American release it was used to participate in contests sponsored by Working Designs.
light guns. These Assassin Cases are among the most rare and prized collectibles from the Playstation era.
, the game received the average score of 76 ("Generally favorable reviews").
Light gun shooter
Light gun shooter, also called light gun game or simply gun game, is a shooter video game genre in which the primary design element is aiming and shooting with a gun-shaped controller. Light gun shooters revolve around the protagonist shooting targets, either antagonists or inanimate objects...
for the Sony
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation. Originally developed by Alfa System
Alfa System
Alfa System is a Japanese game development company that plans, develops and markets game software for consoles and personal computers. Alfa System is based out of Kumamoto City, Kyūshū...
, the game was published by Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
and released in Japan in 1997. Working Designs
Working Designs
Working Designs was an American video game publisher that specialized in the localization of Japanese console role-playing games, strategy video games and top-down shooters for various video game platforms. Though the company had published many 'cult hits', it was known best to fans as the...
licensed the game for the North American market and released it in 1998.
Elemental Gearbolt was critically well received due to its science fantasy
Science fantasy
Science fantasy is a mixed genre within speculative fiction drawing elements from both science fiction and fantasy. Although in some terms of its portrayal in recent media products it can be defined as instead of being a mixed genre of science fiction and fantasy it is instead a mixing of the...
setting, which is uncommon in light gun shooters, along with its incorporation of RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
elements, and particularly the artistry of its presentation. It features an orchestral soundtrack, and animated cutscenes directed by the anime director Rintaro
Rintaro
is the pseudonym of , a well-known director of anime. He works frequently with the animation studio Madhouse , though he is a freelance director not employed directly by any one studio. He began working in the animation industry—at age 17—as an in-between animator on the 1958 film Hakujaden...
.
Story
The events of the game are framedFrame story
A frame story is a literary technique that sometimes serves as a companion piece to a story within a story, whereby an introductory or main narrative is presented, at least in part, for the purpose of setting the stage either for a more emphasized second narrative or for a set of shorter stories...
through the character of Tagami (a secret character in Shikigami no Shiro
Shikigami no Shiro
Shikigami no Shiro , released as Mobile Light Force 2 in the US and Europe, is the first game in the Shikigami no Shiro series.-Story:...
, another title developed by Alfa System), a mysterious figure who travels to the world in which the game is set long after the main events conclude in order to investigate what caused the world's destruction. Tagami relives the tragedy of the Elemental Gearbolt incident.
Before the Elemental Gearbolt incident, the world was home to two races, Audo and Sulunkan. The Sulunkan, descendants of a fallen magical empire, were oppressed by the Audo. There are secret resistance groups, but none strong enough to challenge the powerful Audo ruling class. Destiny is set in motion when Nell and Seana, the Sugiku (half breed) daughters of a resistance leader, meet Bel Cain, the Sugiku son of the selfish King Jabugal. Nell and Bel Cain promise to meet again, but other circumstances interfere.
Years later, Bel Cain becomes crown prince, full of ambition to end the bitter class struggle. Armed with advanced technology, he starts a campaign of conquest. Meanwhile, Nell and Seana join the Sulunkan resistance, only to be killed. Their bodies are taken back to the capital city as trophies. At the same time, one of Bel Cain's technologies, a Neural Network Computer comprising human brains, malfunctions and initiates a self-destruct sequence. It links powerful weapons known as Holy Guns to Nell and Seana's corpses, re-animating them as Elementals. They have only one purpose - seek and destroy the Network. Bel Cain stands in the Elementals' path, unaware of the actions of the Network; never anticipating his impending reunion and inevitable battle with Nell and Seana.
Gameplay
As is the norm with rail shooters, the action in Elemental Gearbolt takes place from a first-person perspective, and the pace of the game and rate of enemy occurrence is completely preset. The player is only required to aim and shoot with the light gun. Most light gun games require the player to reload as ammunition is expended, but Elemental Gearbolt does not, since both the player characters and their weapons are magical. Instead, the game limits the speed at which the player can fire, increasing the need for accuracy. The player can switch freely between three types of attacks - Blaze Phoenix, a basic, high powered shot; Thunder Tiger, a spread shot; and Water Snake, a rapid shot.At the conclusion of each stage the player has the opportunity to "Trade Off", in which the player selects certain percentages of the score for the stage to allocate towards bonus points or experience. As in an RPG, the player characters gain levels by accruing experience, and thus grow more powerful and are better able to take damage. Score determines rank, and in the year following the game's North American release it was used to participate in contests sponsored by Working Designs.
Music
The official soundtrack features a 24½-minute drama track in Japanese and 19 original score cues performed by a full orchestra. It was released by First Smile Entertainment on January 21, 1998 in Japan. Its catalogue ID is FSCA-10030 and the original price in Japan was 2,548¥. Kei Wakakusa composed and arranged the score.Promotion
Some winners of Working Designs' contests for Elemental Gearbolt received 'Assassin Case' prizes that contained gold-plated GunConGunCon
The Guncon , known as the G-Con in Europe, is a family of light gun peripherals designed by Namco for the PlayStation consoles.-Background:...
light guns. These Assassin Cases are among the most rare and prized collectibles from the Playstation era.
Reception
According to MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, the game received the average score of 76 ("Generally favorable reviews").
External links
- Official website
- Elemental Gearbolt at MobyGamesMobyGames-Platforms not yet included:- Further reading :* Rusel DeMaria, Johnny L. Wilson, High Score!: The Illustrated History of Electronic Games, McGraw-Hill/Osborne Media; 2 edition , ISBN 0-07-223172-6...
- Elemental Gearbolt at GameFAQSGameFAQsGameFAQs is a website that hosts FAQs and walkthroughs for video games. It was created in November 1995 by Jeff "CJayC" Veasey and was bought by CNET Networks in May 2003. It is currently owned by CBS Interactive. The site has a database of video game information, cheat codes, reviews, game saves,...
- Gaming Sanctuary review
- Elemental Gearbolt OST review at Soundtrack Central