Seireiki Rayblade (pronounced as "rye-blade") is a turn-based tactical RPG in a very similar vein to Super Robot Wars/Taisen and Fire Emblem. The player controls pilots of robots throughout the entire campaign, battling against various types of enemies on an isometric field. All main characters possess powers that can give them a necessary edge in the battle. When enemy units are defeated, characters earn "prāna", their willpower. When prāna increases to a certain level, characters can perform more powerful attacks on the enemy.
This game is actually a spiritual successor to the Masou Kishin: The Lord of Elemental, previously developed by Banpresto and Winky Soft. Banpresto went to develop the Super Robot Wars/Taisen franchise, while Winky Soft decided to make a game reminiscent of the original Masou Kishin. As such, the game shares many similarities with each other, including the combat, the gameplay, its mechanics, the science-fantasy setting, and even the design of the protagonist. However, the main story, while similar, plays out differently. Also, all combat in the game is performed on the playing field itself, i.e. it does not cut to a separate combat screen. The biggest addition to the genre is the character progression system in a "visual novel" style. After missions, players can talk to various characters and, depending on the choices, increase their loyalty levels. Such changes can have an impact on the performance of their teammates in battle.
The game was also released for the Dreamcast console and got a sequel in Playstation 2.
Details
DeveloperWinky Soft Co., Ltd.
ReleasedMarch 23, 2000
StatusReleased
GenresTurn-based strategy (TBS)Tactical
ThemesFantasyScience fiction
Platforms PlayStation PlayStation 3 PlayStation Portable
ModesSingle player
About This Game
Touya Kazemi is daydreaming in class when a classmate asks him out, and he agrees — his best friend immediately volunteers to tag along, turning it into a double date. The awkward setup barely gets arranged before two enormous robots fall from the sky outside the school. One strikes the other mid-air, knocking the pilot Ai from her cockpit. With no time to think, Touya jumps in and saves her. That single decision pulls him out of his world entirely and into another, where he finds himself recruited to fight an evil empire in a war he never had anything to do with starting.