Fray CD
Encyclopedia
Fray CD is a graphically enhanced remake of Fray in Magical Adventure
, which was a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden
" in a fantasy
computer role-playing game series called Xak. Both Xak and Fray were developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. Even though it is directly connected to the more serious Xak series storyline, Fray CD has a less serious tone and light-hearted comedic approach to telling the story. There are several differences between Fray CD and the original Fray in Magical Adventure in that Fray CD has an alternate FMV
opening animation sequence, an additional stage, some different bosses and a plot that deviates from the original game mostly near the end of the game.
setting. According to the game world's legends, a great war was fought between the benevolent but weakening ancient gods and a demon
race, which led to the collapse and eventual mortality of the gods. After this 'War of Sealing', the gods divided the world into three parts: Xak, the world of humans, Oceanity, the world of faeries, and Zekisis, the world of demons. The demon world of Zekisis was tightly sealed from the other two worlds as to prevent reentry of the warmongering demon race. Some demons were left behind in Xak, however, and others managed to discover a separate means to enter Xak from Zekisis anyway. This ancient history is displayed in the introduction of Xak II
.
The story of Fray CD takes place between the events of Xak
and during the events of Xak II
. During Xak, Fray was not able to use magic and was more or less a helpless girl that was rescued by the hero of the Xak series, Latok Kart. After being rescued, Fray becomes romantically interested in Latok and decides that if she could become useful to Latok and aid him in his quests, perhaps Latok will be interested in her romantically in return. Starting from the very end of Xak, Fray goes attends a magical university for three years to learn how to become a full fledged sorceress. Upon her graduation Fray travels to Latok's home town of Fearless to find Latok. However, upon arriving Fray learns that Latok has decided to journey on ahead of her to the region of Banuwa to start a new quest (Xak II
). Fray decides to not give up on finding Latok and decides to set out on an adventure all on her own as she heads for Banuwa village. The course of the game takes Fray to several places along the way including various villages, an ancient ruins, a lake, a the center of a volcano and a floating fortress.
s Fray meets include:
Combat is in real-time. The player's character walks around on automatic vertically scrolling game map as well as the monster characters. Fray has an attack and defense rating, and can switch between different projectile weapon styles as well as use special attacks and healing items. This combat/movement system requires some manual dexterity, as Fray must navigate and plan attack strategies against hordes of monster enemies and jump over and onto various platforms and obstacles.
Fray in Magical Adventure
Fray in Magical Adventure is a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden" game in a fantasy computer role-playing game series called Xak developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. Even though it is directly connected to the more serious Xak series storyline, Fray has a less serious...
, which was a spinoff sidestory or "gaiden
Gaiden
is a Japanese-language word meaning "side story" or "tale", used to refer to an anecdote or supplementary biography of a person. This use of gaiden is commonly used in popular Japanese fiction to refer to a spin-off of a previously published work that is neither officially considered a sequel nor...
" in a fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
computer role-playing game series called Xak. Both Xak and Fray were developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. Even though it is directly connected to the more serious Xak series storyline, Fray CD has a less serious tone and light-hearted comedic approach to telling the story. There are several differences between Fray CD and the original Fray in Magical Adventure in that Fray CD has an alternate FMV
Full motion video
Full motion video based games are video games that rely upon pre-recorded TV-quality movie or animation rather than sprites, vectors, or 3D models to display action in the game. In the early 1990s a diverse set of games utilized this format...
opening animation sequence, an additional stage, some different bosses and a plot that deviates from the original game mostly near the end of the game.
Setting and story
Fray CD features a typical high fantasyHigh fantasy
High fantasy or epic fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy that is set in invented or parallel worlds. High fantasy was brought to fruition through the work of authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis, whose major fantasy works were published in the 1950s...
setting. According to the game world's legends, a great war was fought between the benevolent but weakening ancient gods and a demon
Demon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
race, which led to the collapse and eventual mortality of the gods. After this 'War of Sealing', the gods divided the world into three parts: Xak, the world of humans, Oceanity, the world of faeries, and Zekisis, the world of demons. The demon world of Zekisis was tightly sealed from the other two worlds as to prevent reentry of the warmongering demon race. Some demons were left behind in Xak, however, and others managed to discover a separate means to enter Xak from Zekisis anyway. This ancient history is displayed in the introduction of Xak II
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. It is a direct sequel to Xak: The Art of Visual Stage . The game was released in Japan only, but due to an MSX scene that arose in Europe some of the...
.
The story of Fray CD takes place between the events of Xak
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
is the first game in the fantasy computer role-playing game series Xak developed and published by Micro Cabin. It was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 computer system, with subsequent versions being developed for the NEC PC-9801, Sharp X68000, MSX2, PC-Engine, Super Famicom, and mobile...
and during the events of Xak II
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. It is a direct sequel to Xak: The Art of Visual Stage . The game was released in Japan only, but due to an MSX scene that arose in Europe some of the...
. During Xak, Fray was not able to use magic and was more or less a helpless girl that was rescued by the hero of the Xak series, Latok Kart. After being rescued, Fray becomes romantically interested in Latok and decides that if she could become useful to Latok and aid him in his quests, perhaps Latok will be interested in her romantically in return. Starting from the very end of Xak, Fray goes attends a magical university for three years to learn how to become a full fledged sorceress. Upon her graduation Fray travels to Latok's home town of Fearless to find Latok. However, upon arriving Fray learns that Latok has decided to journey on ahead of her to the region of Banuwa to start a new quest (Xak II
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon
Xak II: The Rising of the Red Moon is a fantasy computer role-playing game developed and published by the Japanese software developer MicroCabin. It is a direct sequel to Xak: The Art of Visual Stage . The game was released in Japan only, but due to an MSX scene that arose in Europe some of the...
). Fray decides to not give up on finding Latok and decides to set out on an adventure all on her own as she heads for Banuwa village. The course of the game takes Fray to several places along the way including various villages, an ancient ruins, a lake, a the center of a volcano and a floating fortress.
Characters
Fray is the only playable character in the game. Notable non-player characterNon-player character
A non-player character , sometimes known as a non-person character or non-playable character, in a game is any fictional character not controlled by a player. In electronic games, this usually means a character controlled by the computer through artificial intelligence...
s Fray meets include:
- Sorcerer Isac
- Mill Gerrid
- Miriam "Miry" Sweet
- Dr. Razel
- Lutok Hart
- Sorcerer Amadok
Gameplay
Fray CD is a classic Run and Gun Overhead Shooter, in that the game proceeds by the player fighting through a preset overhead view map shooting opposing monsters, jumping over obstacles, and locating powerups and Gold, the game's currency, along the way. At the end of each stage the player will fight a boss and enter a town or safe haven where the player can purchase new equipment, hit points and the option to save their progress. Fray advances in power through the items that she can equip such as different rods and shields.Combat is in real-time. The player's character walks around on automatic vertically scrolling game map as well as the monster characters. Fray has an attack and defense rating, and can switch between different projectile weapon styles as well as use special attacks and healing items. This combat/movement system requires some manual dexterity, as Fray must navigate and plan attack strategies against hordes of monster enemies and jump over and onto various platforms and obstacles.