Developer: Compile Publisher: Tokyo Shoseki Release: 10/30/87 Genre: Action RPG
The Dragon Slayer line of games is interesting to say the least. The series consists of multiple entries over thirty years but most of the games span genres and are under different names. The original Dragon Slayer is one of the earliest action RPGs for Japanese PCs. Xanadu changes the viewpoint to side-scrolling and is one of the most successful PC games of all time in Japan. For the third title Romancia Falcom continues that formula but streamlines the mechanics. Make no mistake however it is no less complex and unfortunately that is what dooms it.
The story of the game takes place in Romancia and its neighbor Azoruba. Once there was peace between two kingdoms but the king of Azoruba kidnaps Princess Selina of Romancia and unleashed a plague on the land. Prince Fan Freddy, a wandering adventurer is tasked with rescuing the princess and defeating the evil behind the Azoruba kingdom.
Compared to Xanadu Romancia pares back the RPG mechanics significantly. You do not gain experience or levels nor do you create a custom character. There are no weapons or armor to purchase and gold only buys health or temporary defense. Xanadu was a deep dungeon exploration game. The world of Romancia is significantly smaller in scope. There are only two towns, an underground series of caverns, and as strange as it sounds, heaven. The main reason for such a small world is the timer in the original release. Romancia was intended to be finished in thirty minutes or less and its design facilitates that. For its Famicom debut the timer was removed and the world has a few extra areas. But by and large it is still the same game.
Mechanically Romancia is simple but the controls are not great. Movement is slow and the jumping controls feel imprecise. You press Up to jump and it feels off and never natural. In addition you can double jump but I’ll be god damned if I could pull it off consistently. The one saving grace is that any platforming is minimal. In combat you can attack or hold the attack button to throw your sword. This can pierce multiple enemies and travels the length of the screen but leaves you vulnerable. This attack is limited otherwise the game would be broken. I find it odd you must pause to choose items when the select button is right there. These flaws make sense on the PC where you are using a mouse more than likely. But on the Famicom they had a chance to improve it but did not and it stands out.
Like most old school RPGs Romancia is incredibly difficult. The game tells you next to nothing to progress and relies heavily on trial and error. In the beginning you run up against an impenetrable door. There is no key but infinite enemies spawn in the area. You must defeat a certain number of a particular enemy to progress. In short order you meet a man who will kill you to send you to heaven. But if you ascend to heaven without a soul you cannot return and must start the game over.
Having to restart the game happens frequently. Karma is critical and you earn it by doing quests. But you can lose it as well. An example is the town in Azoruba. The enemies here are actually townspeople and if you kill them you lose karma rings. But if you have the spirit water you can “purify” them to gain more. You need a certain amount of karma at key points to progress the story but you would never know this as the game does not tell you. Most games have an element of trial and error. But the good ones guide you through that process with suitable hints. That is why a game like Zelda work while Hydlide fails. Romancia falls somewhere in the middle. Its saving grace is that the game is short so failing is not as detrimental. But it is no less frustrating and not fun.
Romancia is a Japanese exclusive. There have been multiple ports to various PC formats including a Windows remake in 1999. DvD translations released a fan translation that not only localizes the game in English but introduces a number of bug fixes and additions to make the experience less frustrating. The translation offers more guidance (such as it is) which helps somewhat. Several items that were removed from the PC original have been added and more importantly they added a character that gives extra souls. This helps avoid a situation where if you exhausted the previously limited souls you would have to start the game all over. Please believe that scenario can and will still happen but kudos to them for going above and beyond to make the game more playable.
In Closing
I have a love/hate relationship with Romancia. I like it to an extent and can see what they were going for. But much like games like Deadly Towers and Hydlide it is frustrating as they tell you nothing and the sense of progression is all kinds of fucked. Romancia is not as bad as those two titles but still pales in comparison to similar NES action RPGS like Faxanadu (ironically also from Falcom) and Zelda II. I do not regret playing Romancia but it is a curio at best.
