Dynasty Wars
Encyclopedia
Dynasty Wars, released in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up arcade game released in 1989
by Capcom
, based on a Japanese manga
Tenchi wo Kurau
and a reenactment of the battle between the Kingdom of Shu and the Yellow Turban rebels
. Each of the two players can assume the roles of one of the four Chinese generals riding on horseback from the Three Kingdoms
period in an attempt to smash the rebellion.
, the organization responsible for the unrest of the Han Dynasty, and up to two players can fight side by side to accomplish this goal. This game always scrolls to the right. Players must be able to survive the rebel hordes to reach and kill the rebel general in each stage to free the province.
Players can use three buttons: to attack left, attack right, or use special tactics. In the arcade version, inserting more coins increases the maximum life of the player. In an RPG
style, completing stages and collecting yellow orbs increase the experience points of the player in order to level-up, where he gains more vitality and use stronger weapons. These weapons are upgraded for every 3rd blue orb collected. In-game treasure increases player score, and food packs replenish vitality.
, Amstrad CPC
and Commodore 64
were developed by Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold
in 1990
. The ZX Spectrum version was received with mixed reviews; Your Sinclair
awarded 80%, highlighting the detailed graphics and horse-mounted theme of combat, but CRASH
rated it only 44%, criticizing the monochrome graphics, juddering scrolling and dull gameplay.
NEC Avenue produced a PC Engine version of Tenchi o Kurau, which was released exclusively in Japan in 1994. The PC Engine version was released as a CD-ROM² title, and is a faithful conversion, although suffers from smaller sprites and pauses during gameplay. As it is CD based, it benefits from an extensive intro and in-game cut scenes.
The man at the game's epilogue is Cao Cao
(Akkhila-Orkhan). The Dynasty Wars 2 mentioned at the end of the game is actually the 3-player beat-'em-up Warriors of Fate
. Though supposedly killed, Li Pu (Lu Bu
aka Temujin-Khan) is Cao Cao's righthand and you have to kill him before the final battle with the evil warlord Cao Cao.
1989 in video gaming
-Notable releases:* October 3, Brøderbund releases the Prince of Persia game, the first in a series of games, noted for its advancements in animation....
by Capcom
Capcom
is a Japanese developer and publisher of video games, known for creating multi-million-selling franchises such as Devil May Cry, Chaos Legion, Street Fighter, Mega Man and Resident Evil. Capcom developed and published Bionic Commando, Lost Planet and Dark Void too, but they are less known. Its...
, based on a Japanese manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
Tenchi wo Kurau
Tenchi wo Kurau
is the manga authored by Hiroshi Motomiya. The storyline is set at Three Kingdoms period, when Western Shu, Northern Wei and Eastern Wu battled to conquer all China.-Plot:...
and a reenactment of the battle between the Kingdom of Shu and the Yellow Turban rebels
Yellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, also translated as Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt that broke out in 184 AD in China during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty...
. Each of the two players can assume the roles of one of the four Chinese generals riding on horseback from the Three Kingdoms
Three Kingdoms
The Three Kingdoms period was a period in Chinese history, part of an era of disunity called the "Six Dynasties" following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty rulers. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the state of Wei in 220 and the...
period in an attempt to smash the rebellion.
Gameplay
The players' goal is to wipe out the Huang ChingYellow Turban Rebellion
The Yellow Turban Rebellion, also translated as Yellow Scarves Rebellion, was a peasant revolt that broke out in 184 AD in China during the reign of Emperor Ling of the Han Dynasty...
, the organization responsible for the unrest of the Han Dynasty, and up to two players can fight side by side to accomplish this goal. This game always scrolls to the right. Players must be able to survive the rebel hordes to reach and kill the rebel general in each stage to free the province.
Players can use three buttons: to attack left, attack right, or use special tactics. In the arcade version, inserting more coins increases the maximum life of the player. In an RPG
Role-playing game
A role-playing game is a game in which players assume the roles of characters in a fictional setting. Players take responsibility for acting out these roles within a narrative, either through literal acting, or through a process of structured decision-making or character development...
style, completing stages and collecting yellow orbs increase the experience points of the player in order to level-up, where he gains more vitality and use stronger weapons. These weapons are upgraded for every 3rd blue orb collected. In-game treasure increases player score, and food packs replenish vitality.
Characters
There are 4 selectable characters, each with their own varying amounts of attack power and initial vitality. Aside from unique weaponry, each character also has a unique partner character during a certain special attack. For every 3 blue orbs collected, the player's weapon improves, depending on his current level range.- Shang Fei (Zhang Fei) aka Kassar - Normal type: strongest attack but lowest HP. His weapon is a viper halberd.
- Level 1-2: Snake Halberd
- Level 3-4: Brave Man's Halberd
- Level 5-6: Fire Halberd
- Level 7-8: Dragon King's Halberd
- Ambush Partner: Sung Jen, a swordsman
- Liu BeiLiu BeiLiu Bei , also known as Liu Xuande, was a warlord, military general and later the founding emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history...
aka Kuan-Ti - Normal type: weakest attack but highest HP. His weapon is a broad sword.- Level 1-2: Double-Edged Sword
- Level 3-4: Tempestuous Sword
- Level 5-6: Seven Star Sword
- Level 7-8: Dragon Sword
- Ambush Partner: Chou Zhao, a whip adept
- Kuan Yu (Guan YuGuan YuGuan Yu was a general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. He played a significant role in the civil war that led to the collapse of the Han Dynasty and the establishment of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period, of which Liu Bei was the...
) aka Portor - Stable type: Moderate attack and HP. His weapon is a guan daoGuan daoA Guan Dao, Kwan Dao, or Kuan Tao is a type of Chinese pole weapon that is currently used in some forms of Chinese martial arts. In Chinese it is properly called a 偃月刀 yan yue dao , the name under which it always appears in texts from the Song to Qing dynasties such as the Wujing Zongyao and...
.- Level 1-2: Blue Dragon Sword
- Level 3-4: Blue Dragon Halberd
- Level 5-6: Sword of Justice
- Level 7-8: Big Moon Sword
- Ambush Partner: Huo Fu, a bomb thrower
- Shao Yun (Zhao YunZhao YunZhao Yun was a military general who lived during the late Han Dynasty and early Three Kingdoms era of Chinese history. For most of his career, Zhao served the warlord Liu Bei, playing a part in the establishment of state of Shu Han...
) aka Subutai - Stable type: Moderate attack and HP. His weapon is a pike.- Level 1-2: Dragon Spear
- Level 3-4: Deities Spear
- Level 5-6: Hoten Geki
- Level 7-8: Hidora Spear
- Ambush Partner: Suing Yong, an archer
Tactics
At certain parts of the game, depending on the situation and the battlefield's location, there will be a corresponding desperation attack, called Tactics. Using these tactics deplete some of the player's health, but are best used to clear an area of enemies at once. They also improve in power and range as the player advances in levels.- Ambush - The player's ambush partner (with a longer range weapon) appears, mimicking the player's actions. The partner fights for around 10 seconds before leaving.
- Rockslide - Only usable along slopes and mountainsides, a barrage of boulders and logs crushes down enemies and also useful against barriers, jars and rocks.
- Explosion - Waves of explosions rush across the battlefield, damaging or killing any enemy or boss near the explosions.
- Flame - Four archers move in from the leftmost screen and each one fires an arrow, bombarding the battlefield with rows of blue flames.
Stages
There are a total of eight stages (called rounds), corresponding a province in reference to the historic battles in the novel.- Round 1: Da Xing Shan (XingyangXingyangXingyang , is one of county-level cities of Zhengzhou, Henan Province, China. It is 15 kilometers in the west of Zhengzhou city and is the nearest city to Zhengzhou as well...
)- BOSSES: Chen Yen Zhe (Cheng YuanzhiCheng YuanzhiCheng Yuanzhi is a fictional character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was a Yellow Turban rebel general. Cheng, along with Deng Mao, led a force of 50,000 rebels against imperial forces. His army met with opposition from just 500 volunteers led by Liu Bei,...
) and Teng Mau (Deng MaoDeng MaoDeng Mao is a fictional character in Luo Guanzhong's historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms. He was a high ranking Yellow Turban rebel general. He and Cheng Yuanzhi led an army of about 50,000 men to attack imperial forces. They encountered a 500 strong volunteer force, led by Liu Bei, Guan...
)
- BOSSES: Chen Yen Zhe (Cheng Yuanzhi
- Round 2: Tie Men Sha (TianshuiBattle of TianshuiThe Revolt of Tianshui refers to the rebellions that broke out in northwest China in the spring of 228 during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. Military forces from the state of Shu Han, led by chancellor Zhuge Liang, planned to seize control of Chang'an, a strategic city in the rival...
)- BOSS 1: Tong Liang (Zhang LiangZhang Liang (Yellow Turban)Zhang Liang was a Yellow Turban rebel leader during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a younger brother of Zhang Jiao and Zhang Bao, the other two key leaders of the rebellion. He was said to be an able general. It is said that Zhang Liang is the grandson of Zhang Daoling...
) and Tong Tok (Zhang JiaoZhang JiaoZhang Jue was the leader of the Yellow Turban rebels during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was said to be a follower of Taoism and a sorcerer. His name is sometimes read as Zhang Jiao, since the Chinese character of Zhang's given name can be read as either "Jiao" or "Jue"...
) - BOSSES: The Big Men Brigade
- BOSS 1: Tong Liang (Zhang Liang
- Round 3: Tong Men Gu (Tong PassBattle of Tong PassBattle of Tong Pass may refer to:* Battle of Tong Pass * Battle of Tong Pass * Battle of Tong Pass * Battle of Tong Pass * Battle of Tong Pass...
)- BOSSES: The three brothers: Tong Liang, Tong Tok, and Tong Pao (Zhang BaoZhang BaoZhang Bao may refer to:*Zhang Bao , a Yellow Turban rebel leader*Zhang Bao , son of Shu Han general Zhang Fei...
)
- BOSSES: The three brothers: Tong Liang, Tong Tok, and Tong Pao (Zhang Bao
- Round 4: Fan Shui Guan (Sishui Pass)
- BOSS: Wie Siong (Hua XiongHua XiongHua Xiong was a military general under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Eastern Han Dynasty of China. In 190, various warlords from around the country formed a coalition against Dong Zhuo, who was holding Emperor Xian hostage in the imperial court...
)
- BOSS: Wie Siong (Hua Xiong
- Round 5: Hu Shou Guan (Hulao PassHulao PassHulao Pass is a mountain pass northwest of Xingyang, Henan, China. It is the site of many historical battles, being the eastern guard for the capital Luoyang for several dynasties. With Mount Song to the south, the Yellow River to the north, the pass holds up a formidable defense...
)- BOSS 1: Lie Chui (Li Jue)
- BOSS 2: Khe Chi (Guo SiGuo SiGuo Si , also known as Guo Duo , was a general serving under the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He assisted Dong in his many campaigns, and was placed under Dong's son-in-law after Dong relocate the imperial capital to Chang'an...
) - BOSS: Li Pu (Lü BuLü BuLü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
)
- Round 6: Luo Yang (LuoyangLuoyangLuoyang is a prefecture-level city in western Henan province of Central China. It borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the southeast, Nanyang to the south, Sanmenxia to the west, Jiyuan to the north, and Jiaozuo to the northeast.Situated on the central plain of...
)- BOSSES: Yong Chi (Zhang JiZhang JiZhang Ji , style name Derong , was a a military general of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history. During the Battle of Tong Pass, Zhang helped defend Chang'an together with Xiahou Yuan. According to the records of history, Zhang Ji later became the protector of Yong Province...
) and Shao Yan (Xiahou YuanXiahou YuanXiahou Yuan was a military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was killed in the Battle of Mount Dingjun against Liu Bei's general Huang Zhong in 219, and was given the posthumous title of Marquis Min , literally meaning "sympathetic...
)
- BOSSES: Yong Chi (Zhang Ji
- Round 7: Nong Gang Chang (Western Chang'anChang'anChang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
)- BOSS 1: Si Vong (Xu Rong)
- BOSS: Lie Joo (Li RuLi RuLi Ru, style name Wenyou , was a scholar and advisor to the warlord Dong Zhuo during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He was a native of Heyang , Pingyi , located in the capital province Sili .-Biography:...
)
- Round 8: Tsu Hong Chang (Eastern Chang'anChang'anChang'an is an ancient capital of more than ten dynasties in Chinese history, today known as Xi'an. Chang'an literally means "Perpetual Peace" in Classical Chinese. During the short-lived Xin Dynasty, the city was renamed "Constant Peace" ; yet after its fall in AD 23, the old name was restored...
)- BOSS 1: Li Pu
- BOSS 2: Thung Lin (Dong Min)
- FINAL BOSS: Thung Chok (Dong ZhuoDong ZhuoDong Zhuo was a politician and warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. He seized control of the capital city Luoyang in 189 when it was in a state of turmoil following the death of Emperor Ling and a clash between the eunuch faction and some court officials led by...
)
Conversions
Home computer versions for the ZX SpectrumZX Spectrum
The ZX Spectrum is an 8-bit personal home computer released in the United Kingdom in 1982 by Sinclair Research Ltd...
, Amstrad CPC
Amstrad CPC
The Amstrad CPC is a series of 8-bit home computers produced by Amstrad between 1984 and 1990. It was designed to compete in the mid-1980s home computer market dominated by the Commodore 64 and the Sinclair ZX Spectrum, where it successfully established itself primarily in the United Kingdom,...
and Commodore 64
Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
were developed by Tiertex and published by U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold
U.S. Gold was a British video game publisher and developer from the early 1980s through the mid-1990s, producing numerous titles on a variety of 8-bit, 16-bit and 32-bit platforms.-History:...
in 1990
1990 in video gaming
-Notable releases:*Bonk's Adventure is released for NEC's TurboGrafx-16 and is the first US appearance of Bonk, the mascot of the TurboGrafx-16.*February 12 — Nintendo releases the NES game Super Mario Bros. 3 in North America...
. The ZX Spectrum version was received with mixed reviews; Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair
Your Sinclair or YS as it was commonly abbreviated, was a British computer magazine for the Sinclair range of computers, mainly the ZX Spectrum.-History:...
awarded 80%, highlighting the detailed graphics and horse-mounted theme of combat, but CRASH
CRASH (magazine)
Crash was a magazine dedicated to the ZX Spectrum home computer. It was published from 1984 to 1991 by Newsfield Publications Ltd until their liquidation, and then until 1992 by Europress.-Development:...
rated it only 44%, criticizing the monochrome graphics, juddering scrolling and dull gameplay.
NEC Avenue produced a PC Engine version of Tenchi o Kurau, which was released exclusively in Japan in 1994. The PC Engine version was released as a CD-ROM² title, and is a faithful conversion, although suffers from smaller sprites and pauses during gameplay. As it is CD based, it benefits from an extensive intro and in-game cut scenes.
Production staff
- Producer : Kihaji Okamoto
- Game designers : Noritaka Funamizu (Poo), S. Sato, K. Kataoka
- Programmers : Y. Mutsunobu, M. Kobayashi, Y. Tsunasaki
- Object designers : Kurichan, Y. Tamago, M. Tanabe, M. Matsuura, Shinji Sakashita
- Screen designers : Fukumoyan, M. Konishi, M. Miyao, K. Koizumi
- Sound music : Manami Goto
- Illustration : S. Shintani
Trivia
Pony Canyon / Scitron released a limited-edition soundtrack album for this game (Strider Hiryu : G.S.M. Capcom 2 - D25B1001) on 21/05/1989.The man at the game's epilogue is Cao Cao
Cao Cao
Cao Cao was a warlord and the penultimate chancellor of the Eastern Han Dynasty who rose to great power during the dynasty's final years. As one of the central figures of the Three Kingdoms period, he laid the foundations for what was to become the state of Cao Wei and was posthumously titled...
(Akkhila-Orkhan). The Dynasty Wars 2 mentioned at the end of the game is actually the 3-player beat-'em-up Warriors of Fate
Warriors of Fate
Warriors of Fate, known in Japan as , is a side-scrolling beat-'em-up produced by Capcom first released as a coin-operated arcade game in...
. Though supposedly killed, Li Pu (Lu Bu
Lü Bu
Lü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Han Dynasty period of Chinese history. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was highly-skilled in horse-riding and archery, and was thus nicknamed "Flying General"...
aka Temujin-Khan) is Cao Cao's righthand and you have to kill him before the final battle with the evil warlord Cao Cao.