/vr/ - Retro Games

Bushi Seiryūden: Futari no Yūsha is a rather unique action/tactical RPG hybrid. It was developed by Game Freak and published by T&E Soft in 1997, as one of the last titles released on the system.

The story takes place in a fantasy version of medieval Japan. In the beginning, you take on the role of a young hero, named of your choosing, who is a young swordman in training. His sister Nami is kidnapped by the monsters of the Ocean God while he is on an expedition, so he decides to take revenge and save her. He is joined by Wokuu (who can also be renamed), a little floating beast who appears to be a transformed girl - she joins the hero in order to find a way to revert to her true form. Later you also come across Miko, another beast like Wokuu who was once human. She acts as a sage and guard the island of Mikajim, which acts as the central hub to the numeround sub-worlds.

Bushi Seiryūden utilizes numerous perspectives, which is largely what makes it so unique. During exploration, the perspective looks similar to the average Legend of Zelda-style overhead RPG. You visit towns, cut grass, pick up treasures and search for new dungeons. Whenever you talk to somehow, it changes to a first person perspective, and even lets you look around the immediate area. However, whenever you get into a battle or enter a dungeon, the game switches to a side-view perspective. It looks like an action game, but it's actually entirely turn-based, as you can move one space or attack every turn, while the enemies take their turns in conjunction with yours. These sequences forego the standard command menu, and you control the hero directly with the d-pad and the buttons. Enemies are visible on the overhead field, and you can either attack them to gain an advantage or be ambushed so the enemies get first strike. If your level is high enough, you can take them out on the map without even going into combat.