Cosmology of Kyoto
Encyclopedia
Cosmology of Kyoto is an adventure game
where the player, from a first person perspective, must explore ancient Kyoto
city in Japan
.
s or robbers, and will then go to one of the realms of reincarnation
depending upon your conduct in that life. Once you escape hell and are reborn, you must take the clothes from your last body to continue.
As you progress, you discover abilities and items to protect you from certain death, and progress through the city. In fact, you are walking through history - at each point in the game you can consult an on-line guide to ancient (and modern) Kyoto. Many of the characters in the game are based on real-life characters from the city and occurrences in the game are often loosely based on tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū
. The game deals with religion
, philosophy
, myth
and legend
.
The game's readme.txt file has the following quote:
"Today the outlook and spirit of the ancient capital is increasingly recognized as a key to the understanding of Japanese and East Asian civilization, throwing light on the roots of modern patterns and problems."
The game was authored using Macromedia
software and distributed in the United States by Scientia Software.
#218 by David "Zeb" Cook
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. According to Cook, "Ultimately, Cosmology of Kyoto is best viewed as less a game and more a software toy, one of those things you plug in and fiddle with. Once you forget about winning and indulge your curiosity, the CD-ROM's strength truly shines." Film critic Roger Ebert
wrote in a column on whether video games can be art
that "In my actual experience, I have played
Cosmology of Kyoto, which I enormously enjoyed, and Myst
, for which I lacked the patience."
Adventure game
An adventure game is a video game in which the player assumes the role of protagonist in an interactive story driven by exploration and puzzle-solving instead of physical challenge. The genre's focus on story allows it to draw heavily from other narrative-based media such as literature and film,...
where the player, from a first person perspective, must explore ancient Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
city in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Gameplay
The game is controlled by clicking hotspots and text options when appropriate. There is also an element of typing in sentences, upon occasion. At the start, you are born and must take the clothes off a nearby corpse. During the game you will often die after being attacked by evil demonDemon
call - 1347 531 7769 for more infoIn Ancient Near Eastern religions as well as in the Abrahamic traditions, including ancient and medieval Christian demonology, a demon is considered an "unclean spirit" which may cause demonic possession, to be addressed with an act of exorcism...
s or robbers, and will then go to one of the realms of reincarnation
Reincarnation
Reincarnation best describes the concept where the soul or spirit, after the death of the body, is believed to return to live in a new human body, or, in some traditions, either as a human being, animal or plant...
depending upon your conduct in that life. Once you escape hell and are reborn, you must take the clothes from your last body to continue.
As you progress, you discover abilities and items to protect you from certain death, and progress through the city. In fact, you are walking through history - at each point in the game you can consult an on-line guide to ancient (and modern) Kyoto. Many of the characters in the game are based on real-life characters from the city and occurrences in the game are often loosely based on tales from the Konjaku Monogatarishū
Konjaku Monogatarishu
is a Japanese collection of over one thousand tales written during the late Heian period . The entire collection was originally contained in 31 volumes, of which only 28 remain today...
. The game deals with religion
Religion
Religion is a collection of cultural systems, belief systems, and worldviews that establishes symbols that relate humanity to spirituality and, sometimes, to moral values. Many religions have narratives, symbols, traditions and sacred histories that are intended to give meaning to life or to...
, philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
, myth
Mythology
The term mythology can refer either to the study of myths, or to a body or collection of myths. As examples, comparative mythology is the study of connections between myths from different cultures, whereas Greek mythology is the body of myths from ancient Greece...
and legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
.
The game's readme.txt file has the following quote:
"Today the outlook and spirit of the ancient capital is increasingly recognized as a key to the understanding of Japanese and East Asian civilization, throwing light on the roots of modern patterns and problems."
The game was authored using Macromedia
Macromedia
Macromedia was an American graphics and web development software company headquartered in San Francisco, California that produced such products as Flash and Dreamweaver. Its rival, Adobe Systems, acquired Macromedia on December 3, 2005 and controls the line of Macromedia...
software and distributed in the United States by Scientia Software.
Reception
The game was reviewed in 1995 in DragonDragon (magazine)
Dragon is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game and associated products, the other being Dungeon. TSR, Inc. originally launched the monthly printed magazine in 1976 to succeed the company's earlier publication, The Strategic Review. The...
#218 by David "Zeb" Cook
David Cook (game designer)
David "Zeb" Cook is an American game designer best known for his work at TSR, Inc., where he was employed for over fifteen years.-Early life:...
in the "Eye of the Monitor" column. According to Cook, "Ultimately, Cosmology of Kyoto is best viewed as less a game and more a software toy, one of those things you plug in and fiddle with. Once you forget about winning and indulge your curiosity, the CD-ROM's strength truly shines." Film critic Roger Ebert
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is the first film critic to win a Pulitzer Prize for Criticism.Ebert is known for his film review column and for the television programs Sneak Previews, At the Movies with Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert, and Siskel and Ebert and The...
wrote in a column on whether video games can be art
Art game
An art game or arthouse game is a video game that is designed in such a way as to emphasize art or whose structure is intended to produce some kind of reaction in its audience. Art games typically go out of their way to have a unique, unconventional look, often standing out for aesthetic beauty or...
that "In my actual experience, I have played
Cosmology of Kyoto, which I enormously enjoyed, and Myst
Myst
Myst is a graphic adventure video game designed and directed by the brothers Robyn and Rand Miller. It was developed by Cyan , a Spokane, Washington––based studio, and published and distributed by Brøderbund. The Millers began working on Myst in and released it for the Mac OS computer on September...
, for which I lacked the patience."