Mystic Chronicles Explained

Mystic Chronicles
Developer:Kemco
Publisher:Natsume Inc.
Released:PSP
PS VITA
iOS
PlayStation 4'PlayStation 5'Xbox Series X and Series S'Nintendo Switch'Windowshttps://www.kemco-games.com/global/pr/gech_pre_xbox_st_sw.html
Genre:Role-playing video game
Modes:Single player
Platforms:PlayStation Portable, iOS

Mystic Chronicles is a Japanese role-playing video game developed by Kemco. While initially released as Fantasy Chronicles for the iOS, the name was retitled as a result of Natsume Inc. providing a new English translation for its release on the PlayStation Portable, released in North America on July 16, 2013. It was re-released on Xbox Series X and Series S, Xbox One and Windows devices, Steam, PlayStation 5 / PlayStation 4 (supporting Cross-Buy) and for the Nintendo Switch as Genso Chronicles.

Gameplay

The game plays as a traditional Japanese role-playing video game. In the game, the player navigates a character through a fantasy world, interacting with non-playable characters and fighting enemies. When engaging enemies, the game utilizes a turn based battle system reminiscent of ones found in the Dragon Quest series of games.[1]

Story

The game stars a boy named Lux, who wishes to protect the village he grew up in, from external threats.[2]

Development

Developer Kemco, while a prevalent maker of video games during the NES era of video games, eventually ceased releasing video games in North America as technology and graphics advanced.[3] In the 2010s, however, they changed their focus to release smaller, retro based games for mobile phones.[3]

The game was originally released as Fantasy Chronicles for iOS.[4] The game was eventually ported to the PlayStation Portable.[5] In February 2013, Natsume Inc. announced they would be releasing the game under a new title, Mystic Chronicles, with a new translation,[4] distancing it from its original release, which was criticized for its translation.[3] The PSP release will also contain an additional storyline.[6]

The game is updated to be compatible with the PlayStation Vita on August 6, 2013.[7]

Reception

Touch Arcade gave the game a 3.5 out of 5 rating, praising the classic gameplay features such as the battle system and crafting, but criticizing the game for being tedious after extended play time, and for its poor English translation,[8] something Natsume Inc. would later address with its complete re-translation with its PSP release.[6]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: News Bulletin - Natsume Brings Over Mystic Chronicles . RPGamer . 2013-02-22 . 2013-03-01 . 2013-02-26 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130226004900/http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q1-2013/022213a.html . dead .
  2. Web site: RPGFan News - Natsume Brings Mystic Chronicles To North America . Rpgfan.com . 2013-03-01 . 2013-02-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20130223053718/http://www.rpgfan.com/news/2013/1106.html . dead .
  3. Web site: Spencer . March 20, 2012 . 1:48am . Kemco Keeps 16-Bit JRPGs Alive With Games Like Fantasy Chronicle . Siliconera . 2012-03-20 . 2013-03-01.
  4. Web site: Spencer . February 18, 2013 . 1:32pm . Natsume Localizing Retro RPG Mystic Chronicles For PSP . Siliconera . 2013-02-18 . 2013-03-01.
  5. Web site: Spencer . July 27, 2012 . 6:53pm . Fantasy Chronicle Might Be The Cheapest PSP RPG To Date . Siliconera . 2012-07-27 . 2013-03-01.
  6. Web site: Natsume transforms Fantasy Chronicle into Mystic Chronicles | GamerTell . Technologytell.com . 2013-02-19 . 2013-03-01 .
  7. http://blog.us.playstation.com/2013/07/16/playstation-store-update-301/#comment-876238 Morgan Haro
  8. Web site: Fantasy Chronicle Review . Touch Arcade . 2012-01-24 . 2013-03-01.