PoPoLoCrois
Encyclopedia
PoPoLoCrois is a manga series by Tamori Yousuke, originally published in the Asahi Student Newspaper (a subsidiary of the Asahi Shimbun
newspaper). It was later adapted into two anime
series and five console role-playing games. Its title is a combination of words from two languages: the Italian word "Popolo (people)" and the French "croix (crossing)", which together mean "crossing of people". The general theme of the series is love and compassion, that the race to which one belongs isn't important and the importance of friendship.
release along with its four sequels, were previously released only in Japan. The PSP release is the first and only PoPoLoCrois game to be released in the USA and Europe.
). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn.
The gameplay has been criticised for having semi-tedious load times (especially on the Sony PSP). On the Sony PSP the sprite
s may lag for a while in some areas. It has also been criticised for having very frequent random encounter
s and, with the battle system, can really slow down a simple walk from one town to another.
is the prince of the Popolocrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game, Popolocrois Monogatari, starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.
There are two more games continuing the tales of Pietro and Co. The second game, PopoRogue(Popolocrois + Epilogue), features Pietro as a 12 year old boy that went off to save his father from the dream world that he was forced into. The third, Popolocrois Monogatari II', features Pietro and Narcia as a 15 year old with different costumes, who went off the defeat the mysterious force that was going to destroy the world. Popolocrois Monogatari II was the most famous game of the series, due to the darkened story, new party members, and many other features.
The PSP release is a reproduction of Popolocrois Monogatari (included into Book 1) and PopoloCrois Monogatari II (Included into Book 3), but Book 2 is a brand-new scenario.
Asahi Shimbun
The is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
newspaper). It was later adapted into two anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series and five console role-playing games. Its title is a combination of words from two languages: the Italian word "Popolo (people)" and the French "croix (crossing)", which together mean "crossing of people". The general theme of the series is love and compassion, that the race to which one belongs isn't important and the importance of friendship.
Development and History
- November 1978 - Popolocrois is first published in the women's magazine Pafu
- October 1984 - The cartoon is published Asahi ShimbunAsahi ShimbunThe is the second most circulated out of the five national newspapers in Japan. Its circulation, which was 7.96 million for its morning edition and 3.1 million for its evening edition as of June 2010, was second behind that of Yomiuri Shimbun...
Student Newspaper, which is considered the official start of the PoPoLoCrois series. - 1994 - The Popolocrois animated theatrical pilot is released.
- July 12, 1996 - Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases Popolocrois Story role-playing video gameRole-playing video gameRole-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
for the Sony PlayStationPlayStationThe is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
. - October 4, 1998 - March 28, 1999- Popolocrois anime television series is broadcasted on TV TokyoTV Tokyois a television station headquartered in Toranomon, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , a blend of "terebi" and "Tokyo", it is the key station of TX Network. It is one of the major Tokyo television stations, particularly specializing in anime...
. - November 26, 1998 - SCE releases Poporogue, the second PoPoLoCrois game, on PlayStation.
- January 27, 2000 - SCE releases Popolocrois Story II on PlayStation.
- June 20, 2002 - SCE releases Popolocrois: Adventure of Beginnings for PlayStation 2.
- October 5, 2003 to March 28, 2004, TV Tokyo broadcasts a second PoPoLoCrois anime series.
- March 18, 2004 - SCE releases Popolocrois: Adventure of the Law of the Moon on PlayStation 2PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
- February 10, 2005 - SCE, releases PoPoLoCrois for the PlayStation PortablePlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
, which contains heavily edited versions of the stories from PopoloCrois Story I and II, as well as some new material. - May 19, 2005, the PSPPlayStation PortableThe is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
PoPoLoCrois becomes the first and only game to be released outside of Japan, launching first in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was released later that year in North America (December 6, 2005) through AgetecAgetecAgetec is a US based video game publishing company that is best known for bringing Japanese titles to the US, including their flagship series Armored Core, and the King's Field RPG series, as well as their "designer series" of RPG Maker and Fighter Maker...
. Prince Pietro's version is later released in Europe June 16, 2006 through Ignition EntertainmentIgnition EntertainmentIgnition Entertainment Ltd. is a British video game publisher formed in April 2002. It was created from a selection of smaller developers and publishers, such as Archer MacLean's Awesome Studios.-History:...
, and in North America and Australia June 30, 2006.
Video game series
Five PoPoLoCrois games, the original PlayStationPlayStation
The is a 32-bit fifth-generation video game console first released by Sony Computer Entertainment in Japan on December 3, .The PlayStation was the first of the PlayStation series of consoles and handheld game devices. The PlayStation 2 was the console's successor in 2000...
release along with its four sequels, were previously released only in Japan. The PSP release is the first and only PoPoLoCrois game to be released in the USA and Europe.
Gameplay
While random and turn-based, battles take on a form very similar to console strategy RPGs (such as Final Fantasy TacticsFinal Fantasy Tactics
is a tactical role-playing game developed and published by Square for the Sony PlayStation video game console. It is the first game of the Final Fantasy Tactics series and was released in Japan in June 1997 and in the United States in January 1998...
). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn.
The gameplay has been criticised for having semi-tedious load times (especially on the Sony PSP). On the Sony PSP the sprite
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
s may lag for a while in some areas. It has also been criticised for having very frequent random encounter
Random encounter
A random encounter is a feature commonly used in various role-playing games whereby encounters with non-player character enemies or other dangers occur sporadically and at random...
s and, with the battle system, can really slow down a simple walk from one town to another.
Characters
- Pietro is very caring and values friendship, and he gets more courageous as the game progresses. Pietro has crush on Narcia ever since they had their first adventure together. Pietro finds out that he is part dragonDragonA dragon is a legendary creature, typically with serpentine or reptilian traits, that feature in the myths of many cultures. There are two distinct cultural traditions of dragons: the European dragon, derived from European folk traditions and ultimately related to Greek and Middle Eastern...
because his mother, Queen Sania is a dragon. - Narcia is an Apprentice forest witch who helps Pietro in the game. Narcia wears a pink dress with a two pointed hat for a specific purpose; when she is 15 years old, she begins to wear a semi purple and pink dress.
- Kai is Narcia's shapeshiftingShapeshiftingShapeshifting is a common theme in mythology, folklore, and fairy tales. It is also found in epic poems, science fiction literature, fantasy literature, children's literature, Shakespearean comedy, ballet, film, television, comics, and video games...
alter ego. Guilda gave her the treasure of the forest witches: the Golden Key which allowed her to become a human so she wouldn't turn into bubbles if she came in contact with seawaterSeawaterSeawater is water from a sea or ocean. On average, seawater in the world's oceans has a salinity of about 3.5% . This means that every kilogram of seawater has approximately of dissolved salts . The average density of seawater at the ocean surface is 1.025 g/ml...
; but if anyone discovered this secret, she would fall into a coma. At first she tricks Pietro and the White Knight into thinking that she's a friend of Narcia's, but she reveals her secret to Pietro by accident and later Kimendoji. - White Knight is first met by Pietro and Narcia at the same time Naguro is met. He joins the party and stays until the very end of book one, Ice Demon. He then rejoins the party when Pietro, Don and Gon go the mine in Pasela to find a dragon in there but then leaves after a baby dragon imprints on him and he stays behind in the land of Dragons to get the baby used to living there.
- GamiGami Devil is a slightly unbalanced dwarf who, though unable to read or write above the level of a child, is a technical geniusGeniusGenius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
who creates robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s and vast cities. - Ice Demon is the ruler of North Land and master of ice magic. In the past, he attacked Popolocrois but was stopped and defeated by a dragon.
Story
The main characterPlayer character
A player character or playable character is a character in a video game or role playing game who is controlled or controllable by a player, and is typically a protagonist of the story told in the course of the game. A player character is a persona of the player who controls it. Player characters...
is the prince of the Popolocrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game, Popolocrois Monogatari, starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.
There are two more games continuing the tales of Pietro and Co. The second game, PopoRogue(Popolocrois + Epilogue), features Pietro as a 12 year old boy that went off to save his father from the dream world that he was forced into. The third, Popolocrois Monogatari II', features Pietro and Narcia as a 15 year old with different costumes, who went off the defeat the mysterious force that was going to destroy the world. Popolocrois Monogatari II was the most famous game of the series, due to the darkened story, new party members, and many other features.
The PSP release is a reproduction of Popolocrois Monogatari (included into Book 1) and PopoloCrois Monogatari II (Included into Book 3), but Book 2 is a brand-new scenario.