Battles of Napoleon
Encyclopedia
is a 1988 Family Computer
strategy
video game from Irem.
This video game allows the player to re-enact the Napoleonic Wars
using a bird's-eye view
. The game includes all the major nations involved in the Napoleonic Wars including Czarist Russia and Great Britain
. The original release price of the game was 5,500 yen (roughly $45 USD).
The game commences with the earliest battles against the Holy Roman Empire
to grab territory for the fledging French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars
in the year 1796 (the French Revolutionary Wars would end in 1802). This land would now be considered Italian territory and the battle was equally important in Italian history as it was in French history. There are also battles in what would now considered to be the Arab Republic of Egypt
against the Ottoman Empire
along with various other conquests in Europe.
. An interesting feature of the time was that the altitude of mountains were accurately depicted in the actual battlefields. The deeper the color was, the higher the altitude of the mountain was. For example, light brown
represents small hills while dark brown either represents gigantic mountains or the large peaks of a mountain.
The object is to win each battle using late 18th and early 19th century warfare tactics so that Napoleon Bonaparte has a chance of conquering all of Europe
. Infantry
, artillery
(cannonballs
give them the ability to blow up walls), and cavalry
must be properly used for victory and a successful re-enactment of France's unique and colorful past. Soldiers are divided into three categories: friendly soldiers, potential defects, and enemy soldiers. Friendly soldiers must be given commands of north, south, east, west or halt. When a player confront a group of potential defects, there is no battle and the soldiers in the unit of defects joins the platoon that discovered them. Enemy troops can be fought either automatically or manually (with commands of advance, retreat
, sideways, or halt can be given to each individual soldier).
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
strategy
Strategy game
A strategy game or strategic game is a game in which the players' uncoerced, and often autonomous decision-making skills have a high significance in determining the outcome...
video game from Irem.
Summary
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
using a bird's-eye view
Bird's-eye view
A bird's-eye view is an elevated view of an object from above, with a perspective as though the observer were a bird, often used in the making of blueprints, floor plans and maps.It can be an aerial photograph, but also a drawing...
. The game includes all the major nations involved in the Napoleonic Wars including Czarist Russia and Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
. The original release price of the game was 5,500 yen (roughly $45 USD).
The game commences with the earliest battles against the Holy Roman Empire
Holy Roman Empire
The Holy Roman Empire was a realm that existed from 962 to 1806 in Central Europe.It was ruled by the Holy Roman Emperor. Its character changed during the Middle Ages and the Early Modern period, when the power of the emperor gradually weakened in favour of the princes...
to grab territory for the fledging French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars
French Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
in the year 1796 (the French Revolutionary Wars would end in 1802). This land would now be considered Italian territory and the battle was equally important in Italian history as it was in French history. There are also battles in what would now considered to be the Arab Republic of Egypt
Egypt
Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
against the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
along with various other conquests in Europe.
Gameplay
Before each a battle, a summary screen is revealed (stating the situation and the military strength of each of the forces). There is also a simple map of Europe with dots on it so the player always knows the exact location of all the possible battles. However, the map information is given out in JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
. An interesting feature of the time was that the altitude of mountains were accurately depicted in the actual battlefields. The deeper the color was, the higher the altitude of the mountain was. For example, light brown
Brown
Brown is a color term, denoting a range of composite colors produced by a mixture of orange, red, rose, or yellow with black or gray. The term is from Old English brún, in origin for any dusky or dark shade of color....
represents small hills while dark brown either represents gigantic mountains or the large peaks of a mountain.
The object is to win each battle using late 18th and early 19th century warfare tactics so that Napoleon Bonaparte has a chance of conquering all of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
. Infantry
Infantry
Infantrymen are soldiers who are specifically trained for the role of fighting on foot to engage the enemy face to face and have historically borne the brunt of the casualties of combat in wars. As the oldest branch of combat arms, they are the backbone of armies...
, artillery
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
(cannonballs
Round shot
Round shot is a solid projectile without explosive charge, fired from a cannon. As the name implies, round shot is spherical; its diameter is slightly less than the bore of the gun it is fired from.Round shot was made in early times from dressed stone, but by the 17th century, from iron...
give them the ability to blow up walls), and cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
must be properly used for victory and a successful re-enactment of France's unique and colorful past. Soldiers are divided into three categories: friendly soldiers, potential defects, and enemy soldiers. Friendly soldiers must be given commands of north, south, east, west or halt. When a player confront a group of potential defects, there is no battle and the soldiers in the unit of defects joins the platoon that discovered them. Enemy troops can be fought either automatically or manually (with commands of advance, retreat
Withdrawal (military)
A withdrawal is a type of military operation, generally meaning retreating forces back while maintaining contact with the enemy. A withdrawal may be undertaken as part of a general retreat, to consolidate forces, to occupy ground that is more easily defended, or to lead the enemy into an ambush...
, sideways, or halt can be given to each individual soldier).