Guardian's Crusade
Encyclopedia
Guardian's Crusade, known in Japan
as , is a console role-playing game developed by Tamsoft
and released for the PlayStation by Activision
in 1999. The gameplay is that of a standard turn based role playing game with non-random encounters. While intended for an adult audience as well, the game was something of an introduction to RPGs for children. The game did not enjoy commercial success, though it still maintains a cult following.
Along the way, the group runs into several other colorful groups of characters, each of whom are intent on "saving the world" in their own radically different way. The first enigmatic Artema Cult, a network of churches who believe their leader Artema to be a messiah. Soon after the group encounters the pair of Darkbeat, a mercenary who fancies himself "The Chosen One" and has vowed revenge against a man named Karmine, and his sister Ibkee, a kind-hearted dinosaur-like creature who runs an orphanage. The third group of would-be heroes is led by Kalkanor, a pompous royal knight on a journey to collect magic stones in order to imprison a vicious titan called "Xizan".
Though they initially seem unrelated, the paths of these different groups (including your own) gradually become more and more intertwined as the quest goes on, climaxing in the rise of an evil that threatens the entire world. As the future looks more and more bleak, it's up to Knight, Baby, Nehani, and their friends to save the Earth from certain doom.
First, the game featured a seamless graphical transition between the overworld
, towns, and flight, which all utilized the same graphical engine and scale. Many other RPGs before and since have relied on miniature, less detailed representations of towns when a player is exploring the overworld (e.g. the PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy series
) or flying (e.g. Dragon Quest VIII). This feature helped to make the Guardian's Crusade world more immersive and is an impressive accomplishment given the technical limitations of the PlayStation console.
Second, the game implemented a system that allowed players to choose whether or not to engage in battles. Enemies on the overworld and in dungeons were represented by different sized ghosts which would wander the landscape and chase after the player, but could be avoided through speed or stealth. Large aggressive pink ghosts represented enemy monsters with higher levels than the player. Enemies at a lower level were represented by smaller white ghosts that would actually flee from the player. This mechanic provided a visual indicator of how powerful the player character was becoming.
Finally, the game incorporated a virtual pet.
Summoning a Living Toy drains Knight's psychic points (PP), so once his PP is drained completely he can't summon them at all.
Attackers – Directly inflict damage upon an enemy in combat.
Helpers – Add extra power to your attacks, put the enemy to sleep, or help you defend against certain attacks.
Healers – Restore lost HP to one or more party members.
Miscellaneous – Are either useful outside of combat (like Mapster, who allows you to view the world map while outdoors in addition to attacking enemies in combat) or simply don't fit into another category.
Continuous (boxes) – Will stay by your side until the battle ends or it gets attacked enough times.
Multiple use (↵) – Can be used multiple times in the same battle but must be re-summoned each time.
Single use (*) – Can only be used once per battle.
The translation is also quite rough. This includes many grammatical errors (missing words, wrong form of word used, doubling up of same words, same term for two different items).
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
as , is a console role-playing game developed by Tamsoft
Tamsoft
is a Japanese video game developer, founded on 26 June 1992.Some of their most popular games were released for Sony's PlayStation console, including the Battle Arena Toshinden series, early Choro Q games and Guardian's Crusade...
and released for the PlayStation by Activision
Activision
Activision is an American publisher, majority owned by French conglomerate Vivendi SA. Its current CEO is Robert Kotick. It was founded on October 1, 1979 and was the world's first independent developer and distributor of video games for gaming consoles...
in 1999. The gameplay is that of a standard turn based role playing game with non-random encounters. While intended for an adult audience as well, the game was something of an introduction to RPGs for children. The game did not enjoy commercial success, though it still maintains a cult following.
Plot
The player controls a young messenger boy named Knight who is joined by his best friend, a fairy girl named Nehani. While running a routine errand for the mayor, the two stumble upon a small pink monster they later name "Baby". Soon after meeting the creature, Knight has a vision of a spirit who tells him to deliver Baby to an ancient monument called "God's Tower" in order to find its mother. After a few minor setbacks (and the discovery of the mysterious Living Toys, magical dolls that come to life and assist you in battle) the group sets off on its journey.Along the way, the group runs into several other colorful groups of characters, each of whom are intent on "saving the world" in their own radically different way. The first enigmatic Artema Cult, a network of churches who believe their leader Artema to be a messiah. Soon after the group encounters the pair of Darkbeat, a mercenary who fancies himself "The Chosen One" and has vowed revenge against a man named Karmine, and his sister Ibkee, a kind-hearted dinosaur-like creature who runs an orphanage. The third group of would-be heroes is led by Kalkanor, a pompous royal knight on a journey to collect magic stones in order to imprison a vicious titan called "Xizan".
Though they initially seem unrelated, the paths of these different groups (including your own) gradually become more and more intertwined as the quest goes on, climaxing in the rise of an evil that threatens the entire world. As the future looks more and more bleak, it's up to Knight, Baby, Nehani, and their friends to save the Earth from certain doom.
Gameplay
From a technical standpoint and in terms of its contribution to the development of the RPG genre, Guardian's Crusade is noteworthy for several reasons.First, the game featured a seamless graphical transition between the overworld
Overworld
An overworld is, in a broad sense, an area within a video game that interconnects all its levels or locations. They are mostly common in role-playing games, though this does not exclude other video game genres....
, towns, and flight, which all utilized the same graphical engine and scale. Many other RPGs before and since have relied on miniature, less detailed representations of towns when a player is exploring the overworld (e.g. the PlayStation 1 Final Fantasy series
Final Fantasy
is a media franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and is developed and owned by Square Enix . The franchise centers on a series of fantasy and science-fantasy role-playing video games , but includes motion pictures, anime, printed media, and other merchandise...
) or flying (e.g. Dragon Quest VIII). This feature helped to make the Guardian's Crusade world more immersive and is an impressive accomplishment given the technical limitations of the PlayStation console.
Second, the game implemented a system that allowed players to choose whether or not to engage in battles. Enemies on the overworld and in dungeons were represented by different sized ghosts which would wander the landscape and chase after the player, but could be avoided through speed or stealth. Large aggressive pink ghosts represented enemy monsters with higher levels than the player. Enemies at a lower level were represented by smaller white ghosts that would actually flee from the player. This mechanic provided a visual indicator of how powerful the player character was becoming.
Finally, the game incorporated a virtual pet.
Living Toys
Along the way, Knight encounters Living Toys (abbreviated LT on the battle menu), mystical clockwork toys that can move on their own and aid Knight, Baby, and Nehani in battle with certain skills. These Living Toys were created many years ago by Mr. Zeppetto, whose home is found off the coast of the left-hand continent south of Santa Claria and north of Den Heldar. Throughout the game, Living Toys can be found in various chests around the world. Each has its own unique moves or abilities.Summoning a Living Toy drains Knight's psychic points (PP), so once his PP is drained completely he can't summon them at all.
Classification of Living Toys
Living Toys can be classified according to their functions:Attackers – Directly inflict damage upon an enemy in combat.
Helpers – Add extra power to your attacks, put the enemy to sleep, or help you defend against certain attacks.
Healers – Restore lost HP to one or more party members.
Miscellaneous – Are either useful outside of combat (like Mapster, who allows you to view the world map while outdoors in addition to attacking enemies in combat) or simply don't fit into another category.
Living Toy Icons
Each Living Toy is associated with one of three icons depending on how it is summoned in combat:Continuous (boxes) – Will stay by your side until the battle ends or it gets attacked enough times.
Multiple use (↵) – Can be used multiple times in the same battle but must be re-summoned each time.
Single use (*) – Can only be used once per battle.
Differences between versions
Several differences occur between the Japanese and the North American versions of the game. These are mostly found in the intro and title screens, including different music for the opening cinema. One prominent removal includes a Living Toy called "Rust Bucket". This toy cast a spell called "Russian Roulette", in which he pointed a gun randomly at one of any of the characters in the battle, then fired. These changes are not present in the European release.The translation is also quite rough. This includes many grammatical errors (missing words, wrong form of word used, doubling up of same words, same term for two different items).