Thousand Arms
Encyclopedia
is a role-playing video game for the Sony
PlayStation released by Atlus
in 1998. Thousand Arms follows the goggle-sporting protagonist Meis Triumph as he chases cute girls and a dark villain across the world, eventually concluding with a classic role-playing game (RPG) ending. The game could probably be best described as a "romantic comedy RPG", perhaps even "harem comedy" though it features plenty of combat as well. It was also noted for having a large amount of voice acting, rare for games of the time, and for occasionally breaking the fourth wall
.
" type of world. The Dark Acolytes, a mysterious organization of cyborg
s and robot
s, is trying to find the five legendary Sacred Flames, and bring chaos to the World in the process. Meis, a womanizing "Spirit Blacksmith" with the ability to make magical weapons, finds himself chosen to find the flames before the Dark Acolytes do. However, to increase the power of his weapons, Meis must have the help of a woman, and must increase his 'intimacy level' with her by going out on dates. Along his journey, he meets a colorful cast of characters, including girls to date and heroes who join his party.
In addition to his ability to reforge weapons to increase their power and grant them magical spells or special attacks, Meis can obtain "Elemental Beasts" to use in combat, similar to the "summons" seen in the Final Fantasy
games. His weapon is a sword.
Sodina Dawnfried- (15-years-old) The younger sister of a great Spirit Blacksmith named Jyabil, Sodina is a beautiful, red-haired girl; however, she's also very brave. After her brother is killed by the Dark Acolytes, she decides to help Meis on his quest. She has feelings for Meis but finds herself often enraged by his lecherous behaviour. Her weapon of choice is a dagger.
Muza Grifford- (21-years-old) A knight and an old friend of Meis, he's brave but not too clever, and tended to freeze when in the presence of pretty girls. He has a very large physique. He develops feelings for Wyna. His weapon is a claymore, a huge sword that normal people would have a difficult time wielding.
Wyna Grapple- (17-years-old) The daughter of the King of the Pirates, Wyna is a boisterous girl who loves fighting; she joins the party just to go on adventures. She wears a bikini as well as an eyepatch, but just for effect, she's not missing any eyes. If you pay attention during dates, you'll see that Wyna's eyepatch changes eyes from time to time. At first she's attracted to Meis because of his strength, but later returns Muza's feelings. Wyna's weapon is a large battle hammer.
Nelsha Stylus- (Appears to be 16-years-old) A unique girl whose personality changes when she puts on new outfits, due to the spirits that inhabit them. Nelsha is a shy, nerdy-looking girl who speaks of herself in the third person. She dreams of becoming a "Dress Master", a title given to the best clothes designers in the world (similar to Metalia's title of Jewel Master). Her weapon is a magic sewing needle.
In addition, Nelsha can change her costumes in combat, which changes her form completely and gives her different powers.
Kyleen Nelphe- (16-years-old) A green-haired female thief who tries to use the party for her own purposes, but ends up befriending and joining them. Her personality is cynical and sarcastic. She seems attracted to Soushi. Her weapon is a rapier, a sword used for fencing.
Soushi Maharoba- (18-years-old) A samurai with a lot of pride, who considers himself a ladykiller as well. His most notable feature is his pink kimono
(a garment not usually worn by males). He and Meis can't stand each other at first but eventually come to respect each other. His weapon is a katana
called Masamune (a popular name given to katanas in RPGs, named after the blacksmith from feudal Japan).
Schmidt- aka The Dark Master, he was once an apprentice to Jyabil, but has turned to the side of darkness, much to Sodina's consternation. He fights wielding swords of darkness, and possesses a greater sword than Meis's (at least at first.)
Jeala- A sorceress who serves the Dark Master out of unrequited love. Her feelings are not returned, being dismissed as false. She is treated as a doll, but she continues to follow him.
The Evil Mecha Five- Five powerful cyborg servants of the Emperor, all named after machine parts or tools.
Bandiger- A flamboyant bandit who stalks Meis. Not a member of the Acolytes, but the heroes keep running into him. Despite how he represents himself, Bandiger is very strong, and causes a lot of trouble for the heroes. "Do you believe in true love?" is his main catch-phrase.
Damashi- The Damashi are ghost-like creatures who serve as the game's "mascots." The "saving points" in the game look like Damashi, and the heroes keep encountering one in random battles. Unlike the other regular monsters in the game, this Damashi "levels up" with the heroes, so he always presents a danger.
Marion- A young inventor and Gadget Master with a childish personality. She lives in the giant train called Mounthand.
Palma Esterte- A priestess obsessed with cleanliness. She can be found in the huge ship called the Langoud.
Kyoka Maharoba- Soushi's sister, a shy and proper Japanese girl who detests her brother's lecherous personality (but is blind to Meis's). She can be found in the town of Boyzby.
Mil Wind- A highly intelligent girl who stalks Meis as a way to research his womanizing personality. She lives in Kant, Meis' hometown. Her name is a pun on "windmill
".
Metalia, the "Jewel Master"- the oldest of Meis' dates, over 200 years old as said by herself, this woman was a friend of Jyabil's and helps the heroes find the flames. Metalia can be found in the Myscatonia Library.
The dating aspect also has an actual in-game effect. By successfully wooing each female, her intimacy level can be slowly raised. As this level rises, it grants her the ability to imbue weapons with increasingly powerful spells and skills. This magical forging, which is possible due to Meis' training as a Spirit Blacksmith, relies on the smith having established such positive female relationships.
To date a girl, the player must visit a statue of the Goddess of Love located on each town and choose from the list of currently available girls. He must then take her to a dating spot in the town. The date itself is a conversation where the player must choose from multiple answers to the girls' questions. Getting the wrong answers might actually decrease the intimacy level or end the date early. The Intimacy Level can also be raised or lowered with gifts, and the statues also allow the playing of optional minigames (each girl has a different one.)
; there's usually one on each town. Finally he must select a girl and choose which of the abilities that she can provide that he will give to a particular weapon. This uses up the collected spirits. Note that in addition to spells and power boosts, the girls can also grant special powers to certain weapons.
to provide limited 3D backgrounds. The character sprites
are super deformed
. More typical anime
style pictures are used during conversations. Cutscenes are done in traditional animation
.
. Depending on the version, the soundtrack was either included on a separate disc in the same retail package (as with the decorated Lunar: Silver Star Story release for the PlayStation), or could be obtained by mailing in a card (along with a small shipping & handling fee). In total, it features 40 tracks, with a running time of 54:23. The interactive soundtrack disc also includes neat perks such as wallpapers, biographies, and character voice acting excerpts when explored on a personal computer
.
The soundtrack is noteworthy for having J-pop
star Ayumi Hamasaki
's fifth single Depend on You
as its opening theme. The U.S. version also had the song, a stark contrast to the common practice of removing Japanese songs from English translations of video games at the time. Furthermore, if one places disk two of the game into a CD player, one can find a hidden track
, Two of Us. This track is also the ending theme for the game.
Sony
, commonly referred to as Sony, is a Japanese multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan and the world's fifth largest media conglomerate measured by revenues....
PlayStation released by Atlus
Atlus
is a Japanese computer and video game developer, publisher, and distributor based in Tokyo, Japan, best known for developing the console role-playing game franchise Megami Tensei. The first Megami Tensei was a Nintendo Entertainment System video game published by Namco based on a trilogy of...
in 1998. Thousand Arms follows the goggle-sporting protagonist Meis Triumph as he chases cute girls and a dark villain across the world, eventually concluding with a classic role-playing game (RPG) ending. The game could probably be best described as a "romantic comedy RPG", perhaps even "harem comedy" though it features plenty of combat as well. It was also noted for having a large amount of voice acting, rare for games of the time, and for occasionally breaking the fourth wall
Fourth wall
The fourth wall is the imaginary "wall" at the front of the stage in a traditional three-walled box set in a proscenium theatre, through which the audience sees the action in the world of the play...
.
Plot
The game takes place on a "steampunkSteampunk
Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, fantasy, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Steampunk involves a setting where steam power is still widely used—usually Victorian era Britain or "Wild West"-era United...
" type of world. The Dark Acolytes, a mysterious organization of cyborg
Cyborg
A cyborg is a being with both biological and artificial parts. The term was coined in 1960 when Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline used it in an article about the advantages of self-regulating human-machine systems in outer space. D. S...
s and robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
s, is trying to find the five legendary Sacred Flames, and bring chaos to the World in the process. Meis, a womanizing "Spirit Blacksmith" with the ability to make magical weapons, finds himself chosen to find the flames before the Dark Acolytes do. However, to increase the power of his weapons, Meis must have the help of a woman, and must increase his 'intimacy level' with her by going out on dates. Along his journey, he meets a colorful cast of characters, including girls to date and heroes who join his party.
Playable
Meis Triumph- (16-years-old) The heir to a family of Spirit Blacksmiths, Meis learned to be a womanizer from his father. Stubborn and lazy, Meis is forced to change his ways against his will, first when the Dark Acolytes force him to leave his comfortable home, and then when the spirits of the Ancient Blacksmiths give him the mission of finding the sacred flames. He is attracted to Sodina, but can't resist hitting on other beautiful women.In addition to his ability to reforge weapons to increase their power and grant them magical spells or special attacks, Meis can obtain "Elemental Beasts" to use in combat, similar to the "summons" seen in the Final Fantasy
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...
games. His weapon is a sword.
Sodina Dawnfried- (15-years-old) The younger sister of a great Spirit Blacksmith named Jyabil, Sodina is a beautiful, red-haired girl; however, she's also very brave. After her brother is killed by the Dark Acolytes, she decides to help Meis on his quest. She has feelings for Meis but finds herself often enraged by his lecherous behaviour. Her weapon of choice is a dagger.
Muza Grifford- (21-years-old) A knight and an old friend of Meis, he's brave but not too clever, and tended to freeze when in the presence of pretty girls. He has a very large physique. He develops feelings for Wyna. His weapon is a claymore, a huge sword that normal people would have a difficult time wielding.
Wyna Grapple- (17-years-old) The daughter of the King of the Pirates, Wyna is a boisterous girl who loves fighting; she joins the party just to go on adventures. She wears a bikini as well as an eyepatch, but just for effect, she's not missing any eyes. If you pay attention during dates, you'll see that Wyna's eyepatch changes eyes from time to time. At first she's attracted to Meis because of his strength, but later returns Muza's feelings. Wyna's weapon is a large battle hammer.
Nelsha Stylus- (Appears to be 16-years-old) A unique girl whose personality changes when she puts on new outfits, due to the spirits that inhabit them. Nelsha is a shy, nerdy-looking girl who speaks of herself in the third person. She dreams of becoming a "Dress Master", a title given to the best clothes designers in the world (similar to Metalia's title of Jewel Master). Her weapon is a magic sewing needle.
In addition, Nelsha can change her costumes in combat, which changes her form completely and gives her different powers.
Kyleen Nelphe- (16-years-old) A green-haired female thief who tries to use the party for her own purposes, but ends up befriending and joining them. Her personality is cynical and sarcastic. She seems attracted to Soushi. Her weapon is a rapier, a sword used for fencing.
Soushi Maharoba- (18-years-old) A samurai with a lot of pride, who considers himself a ladykiller as well. His most notable feature is his pink kimono
Kimono
The is a Japanese traditional garment worn by men, women and children. The word "kimono", which literally means a "thing to wear" , has come to denote these full-length robes...
(a garment not usually worn by males). He and Meis can't stand each other at first but eventually come to respect each other. His weapon is a katana
Katana
A Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
called Masamune (a popular name given to katanas in RPGs, named after the blacksmith from feudal Japan).
Villains
Medeus, The Dark Emperor- The ancient ruler of the Clan of Darkness. He transformed his body into a machine in order to live long enough to find the Holy Flames of the Light, which he believes will allow him to become a god.Schmidt- aka The Dark Master, he was once an apprentice to Jyabil, but has turned to the side of darkness, much to Sodina's consternation. He fights wielding swords of darkness, and possesses a greater sword than Meis's (at least at first.)
Jeala- A sorceress who serves the Dark Master out of unrequited love. Her feelings are not returned, being dismissed as false. She is treated as a doll, but she continues to follow him.
The Evil Mecha Five- Five powerful cyborg servants of the Emperor, all named after machine parts or tools.
- Bearing, who has long claws. He detests humans more than the rest of his comrades.
- Bolt, who wields a giant mace. He's not very smart, and dislikes big words.
- Shaft who is the most powerful Acolyte, besides Schmidt. He uses a large sword.
- Ratchet, a crazy girl who carries a staff. Her voice is shrill and annoying. She likes cute guys (Soushi and Meis, in particular). She is rumored to have been modeled after BatmanBatmanBatman is a fictional character created by the artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger. A comic book superhero, Batman first appeared in Detective Comics #27 , and since then has appeared primarily in publications by DC Comics...
villain Harley QuinnHarley QuinnHarley Quinn was first introduced as a villain on September 11, 1992, in the animated series Batman: The Animated Series, later adapted into DC Comics' Batman comic books. As suggested by her name , she is clad in the manner of a traditional harlequin jester...
. - Wire, a jester-like cyborg who uses a scythe.
Bandiger- A flamboyant bandit who stalks Meis. Not a member of the Acolytes, but the heroes keep running into him. Despite how he represents himself, Bandiger is very strong, and causes a lot of trouble for the heroes. "Do you believe in true love?" is his main catch-phrase.
Damashi- The Damashi are ghost-like creatures who serve as the game's "mascots." The "saving points" in the game look like Damashi, and the heroes keep encountering one in random battles. Unlike the other regular monsters in the game, this Damashi "levels up" with the heroes, so he always presents a danger.
Meis' dates
In addition to the girls on his party, Meis can also date the following women:Marion- A young inventor and Gadget Master with a childish personality. She lives in the giant train called Mounthand.
Palma Esterte- A priestess obsessed with cleanliness. She can be found in the huge ship called the Langoud.
Kyoka Maharoba- Soushi's sister, a shy and proper Japanese girl who detests her brother's lecherous personality (but is blind to Meis's). She can be found in the town of Boyzby.
Mil Wind- A highly intelligent girl who stalks Meis as a way to research his womanizing personality. She lives in Kant, Meis' hometown. Her name is a pun on "windmill
Windmill
A windmill is a machine which converts the energy of wind into rotational energy by means of vanes called sails or blades. Originally windmills were developed for milling grain for food production. In the course of history the windmill was adapted to many other industrial uses. An important...
".
Metalia, the "Jewel Master"- the oldest of Meis' dates, over 200 years old as said by herself, this woman was a friend of Jyabil's and helps the heroes find the flames. Metalia can be found in the Myscatonia Library.
Combat
Combat in Thousand Arms is turn based, with up to three party members to be taken into battle at once. However, only the front character is actually able to physically attack the enemy. The other two characters serve in a supporting role, taunting the enemy and utilizing certain items or spells (the enemies have the same limitations.) If necessary, characters can be rotated out such that one of the support characters and the lead character exchange position. Since only one character can engage in direct combat with the enemy at a time, this tends to have the overall effect of slowing down combat when compared to games which allow all or most of the party to be fully involved.Dating simulation
The key feature in this game which distinguishes it from most other RPGs is its built-in mini-dating simulation. Thousand Arms dating sim features dating locations in many of its major cities and towns, and a cast of nine women. The dating aspect allows the player to pick dialogue choices. For example, one of Meis' dates asks what he thinks his best trait is during a passionate night out. The player has the choice of several responses, varying from "My eyebrows. I got them from my father." to "My hairy legs." Additionally, the dating occasionally breaks fourth wall, such as when the main character alludes to a night of sex with a female character during a date, she states that "the game isn't rated for that".The dating aspect also has an actual in-game effect. By successfully wooing each female, her intimacy level can be slowly raised. As this level rises, it grants her the ability to imbue weapons with increasingly powerful spells and skills. This magical forging, which is possible due to Meis' training as a Spirit Blacksmith, relies on the smith having established such positive female relationships.
To date a girl, the player must visit a statue of the Goddess of Love located on each town and choose from the list of currently available girls. He must then take her to a dating spot in the town. The date itself is a conversation where the player must choose from multiple answers to the girls' questions. Getting the wrong answers might actually decrease the intimacy level or end the date early. The Intimacy Level can also be raised or lowered with gifts, and the statues also allow the playing of optional minigames (each girl has a different one.)
Forging weapons
Meis can increase the power and abilities of the weapons of any member of his party. To do this, first he must collect invisible "spirits" which are hidden in various spots. Then he must access a forgeForge
A forge is a hearth used for forging. The term "forge" can also refer to the workplace of a smith or a blacksmith, although the term smithy is then more commonly used.The basic smithy contains a forge, also known as a hearth, for heating metals...
; there's usually one on each town. Finally he must select a girl and choose which of the abilities that she can provide that he will give to a particular weapon. This uses up the collected spirits. Note that in addition to spells and power boosts, the girls can also grant special powers to certain weapons.
Graphics
The game makes use of early CGIComputer-generated imagery
Computer-generated imagery is the application of the field of computer graphics or, more specifically, 3D computer graphics to special effects in art, video games, films, television programs, commercials, simulators and simulation generally, and printed media...
to provide limited 3D backgrounds. The character sprites
Sprite (computer graphics)
In computer graphics, a sprite is a two-dimensional image or animation that is integrated into a larger scene...
are super deformed
Super deformed
Super deformed or SD is a specific style of Japanese caricature where characters are drawn in an exaggerated way, typically small and chubby, with stubby limbs and oversized heads, to make them resemble small children...
. More typical anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
style pictures are used during conversations. Cutscenes are done in traditional animation
Traditional animation
Traditional animation, is an animation technique where each frame is drawn by hand...
.
Soundtrack
Thousand Arms features a number of musical scores sufficiently large to garner its own soundtrackSoundtrack
A soundtrack can be recorded music accompanying and synchronized to the images of a motion picture, book, television program or video game; a commercially released soundtrack album of music as featured in the soundtrack of a film or TV show; or the physical area of a film that contains the...
. Depending on the version, the soundtrack was either included on a separate disc in the same retail package (as with the decorated Lunar: Silver Star Story release for the PlayStation), or could be obtained by mailing in a card (along with a small shipping & handling fee). In total, it features 40 tracks, with a running time of 54:23. The interactive soundtrack disc also includes neat perks such as wallpapers, biographies, and character voice acting excerpts when explored on a personal computer
Personal computer
A personal computer is any general-purpose computer whose size, capabilities, and original sales price make it useful for individuals, and which is intended to be operated directly by an end-user with no intervening computer operator...
.
The soundtrack is noteworthy for having J-pop
J-pop
, an abbreviation for Japanese pop, is a musical genre that entered the musical mainstream of Japan in the 1990s. Modern J-pop has its roots in 1960s music, such as The Beatles, and replaced kayōkyoku in the Japanese music scene...
star Ayumi Hamasaki
Ayumi Hamasaki
is a Japanese singer-songwriter, record producer, model, lyricist, and actress. Also called "Ayu" by her fans, Hamasaki has been dubbed the "Empress of Pop" because of her popularity and widespread influence in Japan and throughout Asia. Born and raised in Fukuoka, she moved to Tokyo at fourteen to...
's fifth single Depend on You
Depend on You
"Depend on You" is the fifth single released by Ayumi Hamasaki on December 9, 1998. The single contains a b-side, "Two of Us," which was never released on an album. Both songs were featured in the PlayStation RPG "Thousand Arms."-Re-release:...
as its opening theme. The U.S. version also had the song, a stark contrast to the common practice of removing Japanese songs from English translations of video games at the time. Furthermore, if one places disk two of the game into a CD player, one can find a hidden track
Hidden track
In the field of recorded music, a hidden track is a piece of music that has been placed on a CD, audio cassette, vinyl record or other recorded medium in such a way as to avoid detection by the casual listener...
, Two of Us. This track is also the ending theme for the game.
External links
- RPGamer.com Screenshots, Movies, and Official Art
- Thousand Arms at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
of Red Company's Thousand Arms site (Japanese)