Fairyland Story
Encyclopedia
The Fairyland Story is a classical arcade platform video game released by Taito
in 1985 in its arcade
form. The game has two known conversions, to the MSX
and X68000 computer families.
The game itself was not a great success compared to more famous Taito games such as Bubble Bobble
or Rainbow Islands
, but it can be considered to be one of the ancestors in the popular Bubble Bobble series of video games. Many of Bubble Bobbles gameplay elements and even some graphics and bonuses first appeared in The Fairyland Story, and Ptolemy appears as a bonus in Bubble Symphony
.
, the goal being to eliminate all enemies and proceed to the next level. Ptolemy's main weapon is her magic
attack, which can turn enemies into cake
s for a short while. While in a "caked" form, the enemies can be either be destroyed by further magic attacks or by being dropped off a platform, possibly squashing other enemies below. Squashing more than one enemy results in an award of more points and, sometimes, in extra bonuses. 2000 points are awarded for squashing an enemy below a cake, with each additional enemy doubling the amount of points awarded. If three or more enemies are killed at once in one spot, bonus coins appear in that spot which may be collected for additional points.
Ptolemy's enemies include typically fantasy
beings like orcs, mages, ogres, and dragons. There is also a doppelgänger
Pope
or Cardinal
-like enemy. There are also "Stoners" (called "Mightas" in Japan) from the earlier Taito arcade Chack'n Pop
, although they appear in dark-colored robes as opposed to the white robes they wore in Chack'n Pop. Orcs have a pig-like appearance resembling the orcs depicted in the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons manuals. Mages cast spells that turn Ptolemy into a shrunken figure that disappears into her hat, with a second dose causing death. Dragons breathe fire. Mighta Wizards may phase out causing them to be temporarily immune to Ptolemy's spells. The doppelgänger creates several copies of itself. Ogres remain in "cake" form for a shorter period than other enemies and require more spell-casts to kill.
If Ptolemy takes too long to clear a level of a last remaining enemy, eventually that enemy will disappear without an award of points. If, however, Ptolemy takes too long to clear more than one enemy from the level, a flying Devil
appears that can kill Ptolemy by touching her, and it begins to follow her slowly. The devil is invulnerable to attack. After it appears the only way to survive is for Ptolemy to kill all remaining enemies. This game element is very similar to the "Beluga" or "Skel Monsta" fish that limit the time allowed for each level in the later Taito game "Bubble Bobble."
Ptolemy's deaths are animated in different ways. Contact with an enemy causes Ptolemy's death, which is depicted by Ptolemy floating away in a bubble. A second mage's spell causes Ptolemy to disappear. A dragon's breath causes her to burn to a cinder.
Ptolemy can sometimes collect some utility bonuses which increase her speed or the power and range of her magic for a short while, or offensive bonuses that, most usually, result in the cake-ification and destruction of all on-screen enemies.
At various intervals between levels, an intermission screen appears during the game showing Ptolemy riding on the back of a large, flying green dragon. A message appears on each of these intermission screen, either congratulating the player's success or warning of some hazard in the next level. Many of these messages contain incorrect English idioms or grammar typical of Engrish
.
Taito Corporation
The is a Japanese publisher of video game software and arcade hardware wholly owned by publisher Square Enix. Taito has their headquarters in the Shinjuku Bunka Quint Building in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo, sharing the facility with its parent company....
in 1985 in its arcade
Video arcade
An amusement arcade or video arcade is a venue where people play arcade games such as video games, pinball machines, electro-mechanical games, redemption games, merchandisers , or coin-operated billiards or air hockey tables...
form. The game has two known conversions, to the MSX
MSX
MSX was the name of a standardized home computer architecture in the 1980s conceived by Kazuhiko Nishi, then Vice-president at Microsoft Japan and Director at ASCII Corporation...
and X68000 computer families.
The game itself was not a great success compared to more famous Taito games such as Bubble Bobble
Bubble Bobble
is an arcade game by Taito, first released in 1986 and later ported to numerous home computers and game consoles. The game, starring the twin Bubble Dragons and , is an action-platform game in which players travel through one hundred different stages, blowing and bursting bubbles, avoiding...
or Rainbow Islands
Rainbow Islands
is a 1987 arcade game developed and published by Taito. The game is subtitled "The Story of Bubble Bobble 2" and is the sequel to Taito's hit game Bubble Bobble from the previous year...
, but it can be considered to be one of the ancestors in the popular Bubble Bobble series of video games. Many of Bubble Bobbles gameplay elements and even some graphics and bonuses first appeared in The Fairyland Story, and Ptolemy appears as a bonus in Bubble Symphony
Bubble Symphony
Bubble Symphony is an arcade video game in the Bubble Bobble series. While being a new Bubble Bobble for a new generation, in actuality it takes place after Parasol Stars....
.
Gameplay
In the game, the player guides the little witch Ptolemy through a series of single screen levelsLevel (computer and video games)
A level, map, area, or world in a video game is the total space available to the player during the course of completing a discrete objective...
, the goal being to eliminate all enemies and proceed to the next level. Ptolemy's main weapon is her magic
Magic (gaming)
Some role-playing games or game systems can include a set of rules that are used to portray magic in the paranormal sense. These rules simulate the effects that magic would have within the game context, according to how the game designer intended the magic to be portrayed...
attack, which can turn enemies into cake
Cake
Cake is a form of bread or bread-like food. In its modern forms, it is typically a sweet and enriched baked dessert. In its oldest forms, cakes were normally fried breads or cheesecakes, and normally had a disk shape...
s for a short while. While in a "caked" form, the enemies can be either be destroyed by further magic attacks or by being dropped off a platform, possibly squashing other enemies below. Squashing more than one enemy results in an award of more points and, sometimes, in extra bonuses. 2000 points are awarded for squashing an enemy below a cake, with each additional enemy doubling the amount of points awarded. If three or more enemies are killed at once in one spot, bonus coins appear in that spot which may be collected for additional points.
Fantasy world
A fantasy world is a fictional universe used in fantasy novels and games. Typical worlds involve magic or magical abilities and often, but not always, either a medieval or futuristic theme...
beings like orcs, mages, ogres, and dragons. There is also a doppelgänger
Doppelgänger
In fiction and folklore, a doppelgänger is a paranormal double of a living person, typically representing evil or misfortune...
Pope
Pope
The Pope is the Bishop of Rome, a position that makes him the leader of the worldwide Catholic Church . In the Catholic Church, the Pope is regarded as the successor of Saint Peter, the Apostle...
or Cardinal
Cardinal (Catholicism)
A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually an ordained bishop, and ecclesiastical prince of the Catholic Church. They are collectively known as the College of Cardinals, which as a body elects a new pope. The duties of the cardinals include attending the meetings of the College and...
-like enemy. There are also "Stoners" (called "Mightas" in Japan) from the earlier Taito arcade Chack'n Pop
Chack'n Pop
is an arcade game released by Taito in 1983, considered to be an ancestor of Bubble Bobble due to the appearance of many similar enemies and Bubble Bobble's duplication of a Chack'n Pop level. The arcade rom set also contains unused graphics for the mechanical wind-up "Zen-Chan" that later appeared...
, although they appear in dark-colored robes as opposed to the white robes they wore in Chack'n Pop. Orcs have a pig-like appearance resembling the orcs depicted in the original Advanced Dungeons & Dragons manuals. Mages cast spells that turn Ptolemy into a shrunken figure that disappears into her hat, with a second dose causing death. Dragons breathe fire. Mighta Wizards may phase out causing them to be temporarily immune to Ptolemy's spells. The doppelgänger creates several copies of itself. Ogres remain in "cake" form for a shorter period than other enemies and require more spell-casts to kill.
If Ptolemy takes too long to clear a level of a last remaining enemy, eventually that enemy will disappear without an award of points. If, however, Ptolemy takes too long to clear more than one enemy from the level, a flying Devil
Devil
The Devil is believed in many religions and cultures to be a powerful, supernatural entity that is the personification of evil and the enemy of God and humankind. The nature of the role varies greatly...
appears that can kill Ptolemy by touching her, and it begins to follow her slowly. The devil is invulnerable to attack. After it appears the only way to survive is for Ptolemy to kill all remaining enemies. This game element is very similar to the "Beluga" or "Skel Monsta" fish that limit the time allowed for each level in the later Taito game "Bubble Bobble."
Ptolemy's deaths are animated in different ways. Contact with an enemy causes Ptolemy's death, which is depicted by Ptolemy floating away in a bubble. A second mage's spell causes Ptolemy to disappear. A dragon's breath causes her to burn to a cinder.
Ptolemy can sometimes collect some utility bonuses which increase her speed or the power and range of her magic for a short while, or offensive bonuses that, most usually, result in the cake-ification and destruction of all on-screen enemies.
At various intervals between levels, an intermission screen appears during the game showing Ptolemy riding on the back of a large, flying green dragon. A message appears on each of these intermission screen, either congratulating the player's success or warning of some hazard in the next level. Many of these messages contain incorrect English idioms or grammar typical of Engrish
Engrish
refers to unusual forms of English language usage by native speakers of some East Asian languages. The term itself relates to Japanese speakers' tendency to inadvertently substitute the English phonemes "R" and "L" for one another, because the Japanese language has one alveolar consonant in place...
.