Time Stalkers
Encyclopedia
Time Stalkers is a Dreamcast console role-playing game featuring appearances of worlds(and playable characters) from several of Climax Entertainment
's earlier games in crossover
fashion. The player initially takes the role of Sword, a character caught in a world made of many worlds. As he goes along, similar heroes show up for the player to control. The player may do things such as enter dungeons, take special assignments, and upgrade/buy/sell items.
. The game also borrows elements from Pokémon
because players can capture enemies and build a party of monsters. Players can carry up to 8 monsters, but are only allowed to have two with them during battles.
Rao: A half man half lion beast, Rao is a soldier from a world embroiled in a never-ending war. Rao became trapped inside a dimension known as the "Phantom Zone", where he and the other members of his troop were forced to endlessly battle against powerful monsters. He managed to find his way out but was the only survivor of the ordeal, an event that left him bitter and sullen. After Sword assists Rao with the matter of the Phantom Zone, he allies himself with Sword. Rao is very well-mannered towards all the members of the team, but holds Sword in the highest regard, and acts as somewhat of a mentor to Lady.
Nigel: The main character of Landstalker
, Nigel is the third playable character to show up. While exploring a ruin with his companion Friday, they find a book and the ground begins to shake. Nigel and Friday attempt to flee from the ruin, only to set off a number of traps and end up separated from one another. Upon arriving in the ring world, Nigel begs Sword to find Friday. Eventually the two are reunited. Nigel is an elf, and despite his appearance (he looks to be in his early twenties at most) is actually quite old, which hinders him in dealing with desirable females. He is much more amiable than Sword and is more than willing to assist. He shares a bond with Pyra, as she too is an elf, and from the same world, albeit different time lines. According to Nigel he seeks adventure, not treasure of any kind.
Pyra: One of the main characters of the game Shining in the Darkness
, Pyra is an elf and claims to be "looking for truth." An experienced sorceress, Pyra is friendly and kindhearted but quick to anger, and emotionally unstable. Pyra forms somewhat of a friendship with Nigel, although she is distressed when Nigel explains in his time her kingdom has fallen. She doesn't get along well with Lady, and the two tend to stay away from one another unless necessary. Pyra commands the greatest magic power of any of the playable characters.
Lady: The main character from the game Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past
(never released outside of Japan), Lady is straightforward to the point of rude. Lady comes from a city full of gangsters in a world seemingly not very different than Earth. She uses unarmed martial arts (usually aided by add-ons such as spurs) and whips to smack down any opponent. Lady joins the team more out of boredom then anything else, and doesn't get along well with Pyra. During the course of the game Lady can be seen offering to teach the Yamada's daughter kick boxing. More often than not, though, she can be found stomping the small gang from her world into submission. Lady also has a rivalry with Rao, considering him to be the only person in the ring world to match and even surpass her own fighting ability. Roa regularly offers her advice, which she gladly accepts, showing the amount of respect she has for him. Lady tends to be hard on Sword more than other members of the party.
Marion: Marion is a living doll, created by a puppetmaster encountered in one of the dungeons. Like the other dolls, Marion is made for combat, probably to act as a bodyguard for her creator. Marion is a hidden character. To recruit her, the player must find her doll form while searching her dungeon. This is based on luck, so the player may have to complete the dungeon several times before finding her. After finding her in doll form, the player must then give the doll to Mr. Noiman (the authority on magical weapons and items in the ring world). He figures out how to activate her. Upon awakening, Marion is devoid of emotion of any kind, but finds humans interesting enough to accompany Sword and the others. As she spends more time with them, she begins to take on her own sense of personality and emotion, although she often doesn't understand it herself. Marion enjoys taking walks, talking with Sword and hearing his stories, and exploring her new found sense of self. She can often be found talking to Krystal (a broken android who Marion helps repair). Marion notices things from a very juvenile point of view, something the other characters seem fond of.
Friday:
Mr. Noiman:
Dr. Anna:
Climax Entertainment
Climax Entertainment is a Japanese video game development company. Climax got its start during the 16-bit era, primarily developing games for the Mega Drive console...
's earlier games in crossover
Fictional crossover
A fictional crossover is the placement of two or more otherwise discrete fictional characters, settings, or universes into the context of a single story. They can arise from legal agreements between the relevant copyright holders, or because of unauthorized efforts by fans, or even amid common...
fashion. The player initially takes the role of Sword, a character caught in a world made of many worlds. As he goes along, similar heroes show up for the player to control. The player may do things such as enter dungeons, take special assignments, and upgrade/buy/sell items.
Gameplay
Time Stalkers is a typical RoguelikeRoguelike
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...
. The game also borrows elements from Pokémon
Pokémon
is a media franchise published and owned by the video game company Nintendo and created by Satoshi Tajiri in 1996. Originally released as a pair of interlinkable Game Boy role-playing video games developed by Game Freak, Pokémon has since become the second most successful and lucrative video...
because players can capture enemies and build a party of monsters. Players can carry up to 8 monsters, but are only allowed to have two with them during battles.
Playable characters
Sword: Sword acts as the primary character of Time Stalkers (although any character carrying the hero's crest takes on the main role). Sword comes from a world that is never explained in detail. Aside from a brief intro cinema, not much is known of Sword's background. The few details that are given are never explained, such as Sword being referred to as "cursed". Sword's story starts as he pursues a heavily armored enemy into a clock tower. Inside he finds a book which strikes him with a bright flash of light. The layout of the clock tower changes, and Sword walks into a world no longer his own. Sword is almost aloof to the world around him, rarely acknowledging those around him. Through the course of the game he works to find his way back to his own world. Despite his otherwise "spaced out" attitude, Sword is quick to anger, which often leads to reckless actions on his part. Sword remains distant even to other members of his party, but oddly has a fondness for dogs.Rao: A half man half lion beast, Rao is a soldier from a world embroiled in a never-ending war. Rao became trapped inside a dimension known as the "Phantom Zone", where he and the other members of his troop were forced to endlessly battle against powerful monsters. He managed to find his way out but was the only survivor of the ordeal, an event that left him bitter and sullen. After Sword assists Rao with the matter of the Phantom Zone, he allies himself with Sword. Rao is very well-mannered towards all the members of the team, but holds Sword in the highest regard, and acts as somewhat of a mentor to Lady.
Nigel: The main character of Landstalker
Landstalker
is an action-adventure video game that was developed by Climax Entertainment originally for the Mega Drive/Genesis. A follow up game called Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past was released in Japan for the SNES in 1995. The Sega Saturn game Dark Savior is considered its spiritual successor...
, Nigel is the third playable character to show up. While exploring a ruin with his companion Friday, they find a book and the ground begins to shake. Nigel and Friday attempt to flee from the ruin, only to set off a number of traps and end up separated from one another. Upon arriving in the ring world, Nigel begs Sword to find Friday. Eventually the two are reunited. Nigel is an elf, and despite his appearance (he looks to be in his early twenties at most) is actually quite old, which hinders him in dealing with desirable females. He is much more amiable than Sword and is more than willing to assist. He shares a bond with Pyra, as she too is an elf, and from the same world, albeit different time lines. According to Nigel he seeks adventure, not treasure of any kind.
Pyra: One of the main characters of the game Shining in the Darkness
Shining in the Darkness
Shining in the Darkness, released as in Japan, is a 1991 RPG for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console. It was one of the first RPGs released for the system, and began the Shining RPG series that would span four Sega video game consoles as well as the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.On...
, Pyra is an elf and claims to be "looking for truth." An experienced sorceress, Pyra is friendly and kindhearted but quick to anger, and emotionally unstable. Pyra forms somewhat of a friendship with Nigel, although she is distressed when Nigel explains in his time her kingdom has fallen. She doesn't get along well with Lady, and the two tend to stay away from one another unless necessary. Pyra commands the greatest magic power of any of the playable characters.
Lady: The main character from the game Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past
Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past
is a Super Famicom action role-playing video game and a sequel to Landstalker: The Treasures of King Nole. It was developed by Climax Entertainment and published by Taito...
(never released outside of Japan), Lady is straightforward to the point of rude. Lady comes from a city full of gangsters in a world seemingly not very different than Earth. She uses unarmed martial arts (usually aided by add-ons such as spurs) and whips to smack down any opponent. Lady joins the team more out of boredom then anything else, and doesn't get along well with Pyra. During the course of the game Lady can be seen offering to teach the Yamada's daughter kick boxing. More often than not, though, she can be found stomping the small gang from her world into submission. Lady also has a rivalry with Rao, considering him to be the only person in the ring world to match and even surpass her own fighting ability. Roa regularly offers her advice, which she gladly accepts, showing the amount of respect she has for him. Lady tends to be hard on Sword more than other members of the party.
Marion: Marion is a living doll, created by a puppetmaster encountered in one of the dungeons. Like the other dolls, Marion is made for combat, probably to act as a bodyguard for her creator. Marion is a hidden character. To recruit her, the player must find her doll form while searching her dungeon. This is based on luck, so the player may have to complete the dungeon several times before finding her. After finding her in doll form, the player must then give the doll to Mr. Noiman (the authority on magical weapons and items in the ring world). He figures out how to activate her. Upon awakening, Marion is devoid of emotion of any kind, but finds humans interesting enough to accompany Sword and the others. As she spends more time with them, she begins to take on her own sense of personality and emotion, although she often doesn't understand it herself. Marion enjoys taking walks, talking with Sword and hearing his stories, and exploring her new found sense of self. She can often be found talking to Krystal (a broken android who Marion helps repair). Marion notices things from a very juvenile point of view, something the other characters seem fond of.
Other major characters
Master: A being of seemingly limitless power, able to rip the fabrics of time, space, and dimension. Occasionally Master shows up to instruct Sword and his companions on their next course of action, which Sword finds endlessly irritating.Friday:
Mr. Noiman:
Dr. Anna:
Other appearances
The following characters of other Climax games also appear:- Friday, from LandstalkerLandstalkeris an action-adventure video game that was developed by Climax Entertainment originally for the Mega Drive/Genesis. A follow up game called Lady Stalker: Challenge from the Past was released in Japan for the SNES in 1995. The Sega Saturn game Dark Savior is considered its spiritual successor...
. - Cox, from Lady Stalker. Cox joins your monsters group after finishing the game with Lady.
- Hiro and Milo, the other two playable characters from Shining in the DarknessShining in the DarknessShining in the Darkness, released as in Japan, is a 1991 RPG for the Mega Drive/Genesis video game console. It was one of the first RPGs released for the system, and began the Shining RPG series that would span four Sega video game consoles as well as the Game Boy Advance and PlayStation 2.On...
, appear in Pyra's ending. In the English version their names are mistranslated as Dave and Dennis. - Jogurt, the Yogurt, from Shining ForceShining ForceShining Force, known as in Japan, and otherwise known as Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention, is a 1992 turn-based strategy role-playing video game for the Mega Drive/Genesis console...
, when you equip the Yogurt Ring on any character.