Hero Must Die
Hero Must Die | ||
---|---|---|
Composer(s) Kenji Ito | | |
Platform(s) | Mobile PlayStation Vita PlayStation 4 Nintendo Switch Microsoft Windows | |
Release | DoCoMO
PlayStation Vita
Microsoft Windows
| |
Genre(s) | Role-playing |
Hero Must Die (
The concept of Hero Must Die was developed by its scenario writer and designer Shoji Masuda based on his experiences of watching his father deteriorate from cirrhosis. The characters were designed by Shunya Yamashita, who both had creative freedom and was asked to adjust many of his designs. The music was composed by Kenji Ito, and was his first time working on a mobile game. The mobile version of the game stopped network distribution in 2012. The remake was announced in 2015, and included expanded content, new characters, and redone environments. Reception of both versions of the game has been positive.
Gameplay
Hero Must Die is a role-playing video game which puts players into the role of an unnamed hero. The game world is navigated through both an overworld map, and town and dungeon environments seen from a side-scrolling perspective. Set within a five-day time limit, which equates to eight to ten hours in realtime, the hero travels through the world after defeating the "final boss", completing quests for various people and races within the world. Battles are initiated upon touching an enemy icon, and battles take place from an angled, third-person view. The battle system uses a turn-based system, where each member of the party is given set commands: they can attack with their weapon, use magic, defend against attacks, or flee the battle.[1][2]
As time progresses in-game, the hero's stats gradually decrease until he "dies" at the end of the game, and some effects include forgetting abilities. Companions met by the hero during the game aid him in battle during this period. Actions taken by the player, such as the amount of time the hero is active, can cause his stats to decrease faster than normal.[1][2] The remake carries over the same basic elements as the original, except with some additional elements. All environments and characters are rendered in 3D, and at the end of each five day cycle, the player can save their progress and transfer data across to a new game.[3]
Synopsis
The story of Hero Must Die takes place after the unnamed hero defeats the dark beast Satan. While victorious, the hero is killed in battle. A benevolent angel takes pity on him and decides to grant him five more days of life, during which time he can explore the land he helped liberate and help sort out the problems of others that still linger in the aftermath of Satan's defeat: these include former companions and others who helped him on his quest. At the end of the five days, the hero dies and his soul is taken by the angel to heaven. Depending on the players actions, differing numbers of people attend the hero's funeral, offering varying elegies. A different heroine with which the hero was intimate also attends to mourn his passing.
Development
Hero Must Die was developed by game developer Pyramid.
The characters were designed by Shunya Yamashita, whose previous work included character designs for
Releases
Hero Must Die was first released on December 25, 2007 for the
A full remake for the PlayStation Vita was announced in July 2015. Developed by Pyramid and published by Nippon Ichi Software, Masuda returned to design and write the game, along with handling general planning. The characters were redesigned by Tetsu Kurosawa.[16] Ito returned to both rearrange original tracks and composer new music for the remake.[12] When creating the remake, Masuda set himself the goals of rebuilding the game from the ground up, making the game in full 3D using modern technology, expanding the original playtime from under ten hours to 50–60 hours, including voices for the main characters, and adding new characters. Some elements included in the remake were intended for the original but cut due to hardware limitations.[17] A downloadable demo, which allowed players to go through one five-day cycle, was released on February 10.[18] The remake was originally scheduled for release on February 15, 2016. It eventually released on February 25.[16][18]
A version for the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch and PC titled Hero Must Die. Again was released in February 2020.[19]
The original version release of Hero Must Die was rereleased by G-Mode Corp for the Nintendo Switch on October 1, 2020.[20]
Reception
In a review of the original mobile version, Japanese gaming site Game Watch Impress was overall impressed: the reviewer praised its unique premise, its gameplay, and the variety of events present. Criticism was laid towards elements of its time system and the fact that there was no impact on future playthroughs based on players' actions.[2] RPGamer, in a piece about the remake's announcement, said that the game had "incredible" replay value and positively said Hero Must Die was an "odd enough duck".[15] In its review of the Vita version, Famitsu praised the game's mechanics, favorably comparing it to Masuda's work on Linda Cube and Oreshika, and generally enjoyed the replay value. Ito's music was also cited as a "pleasant" addition. Criticism was given to the inability to speed up dialogue and battle times, elements of trial and error in early stages, and some of the choices given to the player being too harsh.[22]
References
- ^ a b 勇者死す。- システム (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Website. Archived from the original on 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ a b c モバイルゲームレビュー 「勇者死す。」 (in Japanese). Game Watch Impress. 2008-06-11. Archived from the original on 2015-12-29. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ 終わりから始まるRPG「勇者死す。」発売決定! (in Japanese). Game Watch Impress. 2015-07-16. Archived from the original on 2015-08-10. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ 業務実績 / 株式会社ピラミッド Pyramid, Inc. (in Japanese). Pyramid. Archived from the original on 2016-02-06. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ a b c 勇者死す。- スタッフ (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Website. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ a b c d 試行錯誤を楽しんでほしい! 『勇者死す。』を桝田省治さんと河上京子さんが語る (in Japanese). Dengeki Online. 2009-06-17. Archived from the original on 2015-04-16. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ Masuda, Shoji (2015). 勇者死す。 - 日本一ソフトウェア: 桝田省治 ブログ 第1回 (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Vita Website. Archived from the original on 2016-02-28. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ Masuda, Shoji (2007-12-26). 勇者死す。- メッセージ(桝田 省治) (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Website. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ Masuda, Shoji (2015). 勇者死す。 - 日本一ソフトウェア: 桝田省治 ブログ 第2回 (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Vita Website. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ Masuda, Shoji (2015). 勇者死す。 - 日本一ソフトウェア: 桝田省治 ブログ 第5回 (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Vita Website. Archived from the original on 2016-02-28. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ Yamashita, Shunya (2007-12-26). 勇者死す。- メッセージ(山下 しゅんや) (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Website. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ a b Greening, Chris (2015-07-09). "Kenji Ito to score Hero Must Die remake". Video Game Music Online. Archived from the original on 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ Ito, Kenji (2007-12-26). 勇者死す。- メッセージ(伊藤賢治) (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Website. Archived from the original on 2008-02-03. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ a b 勇者死す。- アクセス (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Website. Archived from the original on 2011-09-27. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ a b "RPGamer > Japandemonium (July 26th, 2014)". RPGamer. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-09-06. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ a b Romano, Sal (2015-07-07). "Hero Must Die PS Vita remake announced [Update]". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2015-09-12. Retrieved 2016-02-29.
- ^ Masuda, Shoji (2015). 勇者死す。 - 日本一ソフトウェア: 桝田省治 ブログ 第11回 (in Japanese). Hero Must Die Official Vita Website. Archived from the original on 2016-02-28. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ a b Romano, Sal (2016-02-10). "Hero Must Die demo now available in Japan". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2016-02-29. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ "Hero Must Die. Again launches February 26 for PS4 and PC, February 27 for Switch". Gematsu. 3 February 2020. Retrieved February 3, 2020.
- ^ "勇者死す。ディレクターズカット - G-MODEアーカイブス". gmodecorp.com. Retrieved 2022-05-09.
- ^ Romano, Sal (2016-02-16). "Famitsu Review Scores: Issue 1420". Gematsu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-01. Retrieved 2016-03-01.
- ^ プレイステーション・ヴィータ - 勇者死す。. Famitsu Weekly (in Japanese). No. 1420. Enterbrain. 2016-02-18.
External links
- Official website (Archived 2011) (in Japanese)
- Official website (Vita) (in Japanese)
- Official Hero Must Die. Again website