Guardian War

Guardian War is a console RPG or tactical role-playing game released for the 3DO console. It is notable for its use of 3-D animation which was uncommon for console RPGs at the time. It is also known as Powers Kingdom (パワーズキングダム, Pawazu Kingudamu)[3] in Japan and Europe, and is one of the few 3DO games which is region-protected.[4] This only applies to the PAL game and console. Both NTSC versions can play on both US and JP consoles.

Guardian War
Developer(s)Microcabin
Publisher(s)Matsushita Electric Corporation of America
Designer(s)Masashi Kato (not the Olympic Swimmer)
Kenzo Furuya
Shinji Ishikawa
Composer(s)Yasufumi Fukuda
Yukiharu Urita
Platform(s)3DO
Release
Genre(s)Tactical role-playing game
Mode(s)Single player

Gameplay
Top: A golem exploring the map.
Bottom: A battle taking place.

The player moves a party around a world map consisting of distinct nodes. Most nodes are hostile territory (called fields in the game), very much like in Final Fantasy Tactics. When the party enters hostile territory, the party moves around as a single character in an over-the-shoulder perspective until they come in range of an enemy. The party then moves into a battle formation that the player designs beforehand. Unlike most console RPGs, the game does not cut to a separate screen or location for battles. Attacks have various ranges and area of effects. Turns are defined on a unit-by-unit basis, similarly to Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention. To advance past a hostile territory, the player must defeat all the enemies in that territory. Some side territories (called fields in the game) cannot be cleared and can be used to continue leveling characters. The player may also leave a territory any time that the party is not engaging an enemy, in which case all enemies will have respawned when the party returns to that territory.

Each shrine node houses an additional golem, which will immediately awaken and join the party if they enter the shrine. There are also shop nodes where the player can sell and buy items and equipment.

Additional golem bodies (character classes) can be applied to each character. Each character can carry up to three bodies. The primary slot determines the character's appearance, stats, equipable items, and ability to navigate specific terrains, and class experience gained from killing monsters is applied only to the body in that character's primary slot. However, the character may use the skills of secondary and tertiary bodies as long as that character has sufficient magic points. Accumulated class experience allows the character to eventually promote that body to a more powerful class. Certain skills can only be used when two characters with compatible skills combine them.

Some items allow the party to try to persuade an enemy to join the party. If they are successful, the enemy joins the party and will gain experience points when killing monsters, but remains under AI control. The game finishes when all members of the active party have been killed, or when the player has conquered all hostile territories.

Body types

When a golem has reached level 5 in their lower class body they will be able to equip the upper class bodies.

Lower Class Description Upper Class Dark Upper Class Light
Knight Powerful sword attack Dark Knight Paladin
Archer Arrow attack Death Archer Bow Knight
Priest Strong in light magic Dark Priest Messiah
Shaman Uses unknown magic Dark Shaman Master Shaman
Birdman Quick movement and flies Devil Bird Garuda
Wizard Strong in offensive magic Black Sorcerer Sage
Ninja Assassin Ninja Master
Samurai Black Swordsman Samurai Lord
Fishman Neptune

Synopsis

The player controls a golem who was awakened by the Goddess Erald which is fighting against Azrael, the Evil Lord.

Reception

Guardian War received two awards in GameFan's 1994 "Megawards", including Best Strategy Game and Best Special Effects on the 3DO.[15]

GamePro's Leonardo da Video declared Guardian War "one of the most original, enjoyable, and addictive RPG/strategy games to come along in a while". He remarked that the system of party members changing bodies and carrying along sub-bodies is highly unique yet easy to adjust to due to the "simple and virtually self-explanatory" interface, and highly praised the graphics, especially the spell casting effects.[8]

Electronic Gaming Monthly scored it 7.75 out of 10, and ranked it as one of their 50 highest-rated games of 1994.[6][16]

Game Bytes gave the game a positive review in 1994.[17]

Next Generation reviewed the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that "While sitting there playing and watching the characters trundle around the animated popsicles is a lot of fun, for the most part, the journey is the destination, and you wind up not caring much whether or not you finish."[9]

References
  1. "Fact File Guardian War". Electronic Gaming Monthly. Ziff Davis (63): 212. October 1994.
  2. http://www.gamefaqs.com/console/3do/data/584396.html
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20130102223724/http://www.microcabin.co.jp:80/sakuhin_intro/index3.html
  4. Matthews, Will (December 2013). "Ahead of its Time: A 3DO Retrospective". Retro Gamer. No. 122. Imagine Publishing. pp. 18–29.
  5. Sackenheim, Shawn (1998). "Guardian War - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2020.
  6. Semrad, Ed; Carpenter, Danyon; Manuel, Al; Williams, Ken; Weigand, Mike (November 1994). "Review Crew: Major Mike's Game Roundup - Guardian War". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 64. Sendai Publishing. p. 44.
  7. Halverson, Dave; Rickards, Kelly; Cockburn, Andrew (July 1994). "Viewpoint – Powers Kingdom". GameFan. Vol. 2 no. 8. DieHard Gamers Club. p. 31.
  8. da Video, Leonardo (January 1995). "Role-Player's Realm: Guardian War". GamePro. No. 76. IDG. pp. 126–127.
  9. "Finals - Hollow - Guardian War". Next Generation. No. 2. Imagine Media. February 1995. p. 91.
  10. Wynne, Stuart (1995–1996). "Review: Powers Kingdom – Bizarre, spectacular and very different, this combative role-playing game provides a unique insight into Japanese gaming". 3DO Magazine (Special Gold). No. 1. Paragon Publishing. p. 77.CS1 maint: date format (link)
  11. Falcoz, Thierry (September 1994). "Test: Powers Kingdom - Le Japon sauce AD&D". Génération 4 (in French). No. 69. Computec Media France. p. 120.
  12. Pinky (November 1994). "Vidéotests: Powers Kingdom - Un soft atypique". Joystick (in French). No. 54. Hachette Digital Presse. p. 75.
  13. Hara, Tetsuhiko (April 1995). "Real 3DO - Reviews: Powers Kingdom". Video Games (in German). No. 41. Future-Verlag. p. 77.
  14. "Capsule Reviews: Guardian War". VideoGames - The Ultimate Gaming Magazine. No. 72. Larry Flynt Publications. January 1995. p. 83.
  15. "GameFan's Third Annual Megawards". GameFan. Vol. 3 no. 1. DieHard Gamers Club. January 1995. pp. 68–75. Archived from the original on 2019-01-04. Retrieved 2018-04-12.
  16. "The EGM Hot 50 - Guardian War". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 69. Sendai Publishing. April 1995. pp. 44–48.
  17. Garrett, Bill (November 11, 1994). "Cartridge Game Reviews - Guardian War". Game Bytes. Vol. 1 no. 21. Ross Erickson. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
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