Xardion
Encyclopedia
Xardion is an action platformer video game where the player controls robot
s with different skills in order to defeat the enemy and reach goals.
have been at war for 7 months before hostilities upon the threat of invaders from the artificial world NGC-1611. The Alpha 1 Federation has gathered together the systems best defenses in an effort to repel the invasion. Three pilots and their machines are dispatched to NGC-1611, charged with the task of destroying the invader's power source and, if possible, locate the legendary weapon Xardion in the process.
However, the scientist's daughter passed away after these instructions were given. The supercomputers, not knowing how to proceed with their directive, eventually found a holographic image of the scientist's daughter and projected it into a protective capsule. They chose to defend that capsule in place of the actual girl. Sometime after, an undisclosed event or chain of events lead the supercomputers to send an invasion to the Alpha 1 system.
During the game, the player takes control of one of three available robot forms. Each form represents one of the three inhabited worlds in the system: Alcedes, from the Fire Planet; Triton, from the Water Planet, and Panthera, from the Desert Planet.
Each form has its own particular abilities and weaknesses. For example, Panthera is less than half the height of the others, and as such can enter narrow passages to collect items. Additionally, each form possesses its own health and special ability points, and must be upgraded separately from the others. This is equivalent to a 'tag team
' game mechanic, where one heavily-damaged character can be swapped instantly for another.
Eventually, one of the robot forms is replaced by Xardion, which combines the abilities of all three previous forms and exceeds them. Xardion only becomes available near the end of the game, but joins the team at level one. An obstruction that can only be cleared by a sufficiently leveled Xardion forces the player to return to earlier levels in order to gain levels and develop special abilities.
, of Evangelion
and FLCL
fame are listed in the credits as providing development and planning assistance. Their actual involvement in the game's development is uncertain. The game's main mecha designs were designed by Moriki Yasuhiro, who also worked on designing Zeorymer for the OAV Hades Project Zeorymer
and Hajime Katoki
, who did major designs of the Mobile Suits
from the Gundam
franchise.
Robot
A 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 with different skills in order to defeat the enemy and reach goals.
Story
The inhabitants of the three worlds in the Alpha 1 Solar SystemSolar System
The Solar System consists of the Sun and the astronomical objects gravitationally bound in orbit around it, all of which formed from the collapse of a giant molecular cloud approximately 4.6 billion years ago. The vast majority of the system's mass is in the Sun...
have been at war for 7 months before hostilities upon the threat of invaders from the artificial world NGC-1611. The Alpha 1 Federation has gathered together the systems best defenses in an effort to repel the invasion. Three pilots and their machines are dispatched to NGC-1611, charged with the task of destroying the invader's power source and, if possible, locate the legendary weapon Xardion in the process.
The History of NGC-1611
Planet NGC-1611 is a typical world in all ways, omitting that it was constructed from raw materials by an unnamed scientist. His desire was to create a planet which could not die. His work was dubbed "Project New Frontier." The project was a failure, and violent monsters rapidly evolved, making NGC-1611 uninhabitable by humans. The scientist's final instructions to the supercomputers that once managed the planet were: "Protect my daughter! Eliminate all intruders."However, the scientist's daughter passed away after these instructions were given. The supercomputers, not knowing how to proceed with their directive, eventually found a holographic image of the scientist's daughter and projected it into a protective capsule. They chose to defend that capsule in place of the actual girl. Sometime after, an undisclosed event or chain of events lead the supercomputers to send an invasion to the Alpha 1 system.
Characters
Three champions, one from each planet, were sent to NGC-1611. Each pilots a spaceship similar in design to those in many side-scrolling shmups. They have the capability to combine into a mecha, which the player controls. There are three mecha configurations in total, and each is named after one of the pilots:- Triton - Humanoid. Carries a blaster and can fire upward.
- Alcedes - Insect-like. Fires a small laser projectile.
- Panthera - Cat-like. Quadruped robot, can avoid danger more easily, but cannot jump as high as Triton or Alcedes. Is able to get into small spaces that the others cannot.
Gameplay
While possessing the typical qualities of action platformers at the time it was made (jump, duck, shoot etc.), Xardion made use of a few novel elements. Additionally, the game had a role-playing element where experience points could be accrued by defeating enemies and bosses, and each level up increased the player's maximum life and special ability points.During the game, the player takes control of one of three available robot forms. Each form represents one of the three inhabited worlds in the system: Alcedes, from the Fire Planet; Triton, from the Water Planet, and Panthera, from the Desert Planet.
Each form has its own particular abilities and weaknesses. For example, Panthera is less than half the height of the others, and as such can enter narrow passages to collect items. Additionally, each form possesses its own health and special ability points, and must be upgraded separately from the others. This is equivalent to a 'tag team
Tag team
Tag team professional wrestling is a variation in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. A tag team may comprise two wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of established teams who wrestle regularly as a unit and have a team name...
' game mechanic, where one heavily-damaged character can be swapped instantly for another.
Eventually, one of the robot forms is replaced by Xardion, which combines the abilities of all three previous forms and exceeds them. Xardion only becomes available near the end of the game, but joins the team at level one. An obstruction that can only be cleared by a sufficiently leveled Xardion forces the player to return to earlier levels in order to gain levels and develop special abilities.
Development
GainaxGainax
is a Japanese anime studio famous for productions such as Gunbuster, The Wings of Honneamise, Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water, Neon Genesis Evangelion, FLCL and Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann which have gone on to critical acclaim and commercial success, as well as for their association with...
, of Evangelion
Neon Genesis Evangelion
, commonly referred to as Evangelion, is a commercially and critically successful Japanese anime series that began airing in October 1995. The series was highly influential, and launched the Neon Genesis Evangelion franchise. It garnered several major animation awards...
and FLCL
FLCL
is an original video animation series written by Yōji Enokido, directed by Kazuya Tsurumaki and produced by the FLCL Production Committee, which included Gainax, Production I.G, and Starchild Records....
fame are listed in the credits as providing development and planning assistance. Their actual involvement in the game's development is uncertain. The game's main mecha designs were designed by Moriki Yasuhiro, who also worked on designing Zeorymer for the OAV Hades Project Zeorymer
Hades Project Zeorymer
Hades Project Zeorymer, known in Japan as , is a manga by Yoshiki Takaya, written under the pen name Chimi Morio, and published in the adult manga magazine Lemon People from October 1983 to November 1984. A three-part finale was serialized in Monthly Comic Ryū in 2007...
and Hajime Katoki
Hajime Katoki
is a popular Japanese mecha designer. A member of the studio Sunrise, he is highly noted for his work on the Gundam series as well as his work on video games, such as the Virtual On series and Policenauts.-Biography:...
, who did major designs of the Mobile Suits
Mobile weapons
In the Gundam terminology, the terms normal suit and astrosuit are used to refer to normal astronaut spacesuits, so as to avoid confusion with mobile suits....
from the Gundam
Gundam
The is a metaseries of anime created by Sunrise studios that features giant robots called "Mobile Suits" ; usually the protagonist's MS will carry the name Gundam....
franchise.