need help identifying a Super Famicom game

[greg]

I was contacted by somebody from my SFC site. I haven't played many beat-em-ups on the SNES/SFC, so I was hoping someone on here could help identify what he is describing. Here's his message:

I would like to know if you can name the Super Famicom game that escapes my mind.

I remember that it is a 2-D beat-em up, something like King of Dragons / Knights of the Round, except it has a more anime look, and you can only move left and right. It is 1 player or 2 player co-op. There are 4 characters you can choose from (I think one uses a sword, one uses magic, one uses a large spear, and one uses a whip). And after you beat a stage, there are two paths you can take, one labelled as hard, and the other labelled as easy. The game has some dialogue, and it's in Japanese (except for the characters' name). Lastly, I recall that the first level takes place near the sea and the boss is a giant octopus.

It would be great if you can find the name of this game.

[Edmond Dantes]

Did some Wikiwalking to see if I could answer...

Battle Zeque Den fits some of your criteria but is wrong on others.

It could also be one of the Ganbare Goemon games (one of them came out in English as Legend of the Mystical Ninja). I think one of those had a giant octopus boss, but IIRC they played more like platformers than brawlers.

[Ed Oscuro]

The characters and paths reminds me of Warrior Blade but none of the other details fit, not least that being a rather hard to find multi-screen arcade game only (at the time)...will be interesting to hear what this is.

[Skykid]

Definitely not Battle Zeque Den.

[greg]

Yeah, I just recently bought Battle Zeque Den, and I don't think it is a close match at all. My first thought was that it was Psycho Dream because one character has a sword and another a whip, however there's no magician and it's more of a platformer than a beat-em-up.

[Skykid]

It's not Legend is it, by Italian Capcom rip-off supremacists Arcade Zone?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_(1994_video_game)

[dcharlieJP]

It's too obvious to be Magic Sword isn't it?

[drauch]

I was thinking Legend as well, but I don't think there is an octopus...

[BIL]

It's too obvious to be Magic Sword isn't it?

I was wondering too.

[drauch]

I was looking back and watching some videos, but I don't recall an octopus in it, either. What beat 'em ups have octopi in them? I vaguely recall one, but I'm also running on a few hours of sleep.

[BIL]

Dynamite Deka 2.

[Ed Oscuro]

Warrior Blade has a giant tentacled sea monster...it's starting to sound more like that game to me.

I wasn't thinking of Magic Sword but Knights of the Round...don't think the roster is anything like that described here though.

[drauch]

Yep, I was thinking Rastan III with the octopus. Didn't really think about the cast, but yeah, it sort of seems like it would almost have to be. All the pieces of the puzzle are fitting together... except the super famicom!

[BIL]

Maybe it's another case of mistaken platform identity.

[Ed Oscuro]

I used to have a "memory" that Super Metroid's stages were in black and white

too much Mac probably

[CIT]

You guys' Super-Fami-Fu is weak.

The mystery game can only be Melfand Stories:

[Skykid]

That looks pretty cool, never heard of it before!

[Aguraki]

You guys' Super-Fami-Fu is weak.

The mystery game can only be Melfand Stories:

wpwp

[boombafunk]

Hello all,

Thank you CIT and everyone else for helping me find the name!

It's been 11 years since I have played it and I've trying to find its name ever since then. No one seems to really talk about it though, so I thought it's pretty obscure.

[Skykid]

The ebay prices for this are ridiculously astronomical as usual.

Fucking ebay.

[Skykid]

Hello all,

Thank you CIT and everyone else for helping me find the name!

It's been 11 years since I have played it and I've trying to find its name ever since then. No one seems to really talk about it though, so I thought it's pretty obscure.

Isn't shmups.org just the greatest? Surely the most clued up retro gaming boyz on the intarweb.

As it happens with F**$&NG EBAY, I just ran several searches on Yahoo Japan after realising I can't live without this (I'm SFC crazy, can't help it) and there's absolutely zip there. I see this more and more nowadays: ebay actually has more hard to find goods than Japan, the leechers have just sucked it dry. Things that just don't appear on YHJ hardly ever seem to always be on ebay at nutty prices.

I know this Melfand Stories is obscure - I'm surprised I'd never heard of it - so I took a totally random best offer punt on an minty ebay listing to whack off a whole $30 bucks of the BIN price... and they accepted. Win.

[BIL]

RESULT! All hail CIT-sensei. ^_~

(we need an animated GIF of the PCEFX! signal blazing Raging Demon KO-style for occasions like these)

[boombafunk]

Indeed you guys are the greatest

I should have known the developers of Melfand Stories are the same people who did Treasure Hunter G and Flying Hero. They also did some PCE shmups which I never heard of (Override, Psycho Chaser).

Melfand Stories seems fairly short compared to most other beat-em ups, but the branching paths do give it some replay value. Though I didn't get very far back then, probably because the later stages were difficult.

[wiNteR]

Eh, didn't notice this thread. Would have easily recognized it since I played it a lot about one and a half year ago. Saw it listed on recap's site probably over a couple of years ago where I first learned about it.

It is a Castlevania style of a game more than a beat'em up. I managed to one life it on all endings with the magician girl (probably the strongest character). The game is generally pretty easy since, once you learn it, partly because the shield is quite powerful (blocks most attacks), health pickups are abundant, and there are also magic attacks.

Another bit about controls is that, for a different kind of attack, hold the up button and then press the shot/hit button. It is useful when enemies storm in from both sides of screen (for the character I used atleast).

The game can be kind of a mixed bag. It has to be said that the game has really solid control scheme. The move set is interesting, the movement feels super smooth. The environments are also really varied and well-imagined. As for AI, for air enemies it is relatively better. On the other hand, in one of the levels (not gonna spoil it), the AI is just plain silly (probably lack of play-testing). Not that it matters though, you kinda ignore it because of how charming the game is.

But yeah, overall the consoles platform games of that time seem to have a general trend. No matter how good and charming they are, the levels tend to be memorization centric (in general) for quite a few games (perhaps specific level design demands for console games). Same is the case here I feel.

Given how balanced and interesting the controls are, I wish a developer like cave (or similar mindset) could try their hands on level design for this kind of game. In other words more than a memorizer, I wish the level design/fights were a bit more manic in general.

[CIT]

As it happens with F**$&NG EBAY, I just ran several searches on Yahoo Japan after realising I can't live without this (I'm SFC crazy, can't help it) and there's absolutely zip there. I see this more and more nowadays: ebay actually has more hard to find goods than Japan, the leechers have just sucked it dry. Things that just don't appear on YHJ hardly ever seem to always be on ebay at nutty prices.

I know this Melfand Stories is obscure - I'm surprised I'd never heard of it - so I took a totally random best offer punt on an minty ebay listing to whack off a whole $30 bucks of the BIN price... and they accepted. Win.

I saw a CIB copy for Melfand Stories in Akihabara last week for ¥1200. Had I known, I would've picked it up for you.

[greg]

Wow, I've never even heard of Melfand Stories. Thanks for helping boombafunk out!

I figured I could post this on either the Racketboy forum, the SNES Hub forum, or here. I figured that this would be the best place to ask. The first two places mostly focus on domestic gamers and not so many import gamers on those forums.

[Skykid]

As it happens with F**$&NG EBAY, I just ran several searches on Yahoo Japan after realising I can't live without this (I'm SFC crazy, can't help it) and there's absolutely zip there. I see this more and more nowadays: ebay actually has more hard to find goods than Japan, the leechers have just sucked it dry. Things that just don't appear on YHJ hardly ever seem to always be on ebay at nutty prices.

I know this Melfand Stories is obscure - I'm surprised I'd never heard of it - so I took a totally random best offer punt on an minty ebay listing to whack off a whole $30 bucks of the BIN price... and they accepted. Win.

I saw a CIB copy for Melfand Stories in Akihabara last week for ¥1200. Had I known, I would've picked it up for you.

Had I known it existed and you were in Aki, I might have asked!

¥1200... That's cheap. That's what I get for breaking my cardinal rule of patience first (and that's why I have that rule, lol.)

Now I realise why he took my best offer, but then it's still not that bad a deal after a $30 discount. I just got shades of Flying Hero (a game known for being super cheap in Akihabara, but near impossible to find) and didn't want to wait for ages to get one.

[drauch]

Are you talking about a CIB copy? Because I'm seeing some fairly affordable cart only ones through the U.S. search.

[Skykid]

Are you talking about a CIB copy? Because I'm seeing some fairly affordable cart only ones through the U.S. search.

CIB and mint. I saw the carts... I don't do carts.

There's an Italian maniac who thinks SFC games were sealed selling one for a hefty £60 + a totally reasonable £19 shipping. Admittedly good shape, and the only other CIB on there, but idiotic pricing. Still, since there's basically nothing on completed listings and an absolute void on YHJ, I'm sure he'll managed to swindle some European out of their money: that's how European VG trading rolls.

[drauch]

Aye, I kinda figured so. Yeah, I'm pretty much a cart only SNES dude, and what little SFC games I have are just the same, but man, those spineless carts drive me crazy. If I was a bigger SFC collector, I'd probably be the same.