Jade Cocoon
Encyclopedia
is a video game for the Sony
PlayStation, released by Crave
in 1998. The game combines elements of role-playing video game
s and virtual pet
management. It was developed by Genki
in collaboration with Katsuya Kondō
, character designer for the Studio Ghibli
movies Kiki's Delivery Service
and I Can Hear the Sea.
s called Minions. The only safe havens are small villages, one of which is the home of the protagonist, Levant. Levant is a young Cocoon Master, whose job is to capture and purify the Minions. The Minions can then be used to fight and defend Levant, spun into silk
for money, or fused with other Minions to form more powerful combinations.
Fused minions take on physical characteristics of both its parent creatures, allowing the player to customize the appearance of each one, as well as its abilities. Each minion has a collection of elemental attacks which can be passed from generation to generation. Strategy generally follows a rock/paper/scissors pattern (Wind beats Earth beats Water beats Fire beats Wind), as each wild Minion has an element (although fused Minions may have more than one).
). On the day of a large festival in Syrus, the village is attacked by demons known as the Onibubu, which cause many villagers to fall into a deep slumber. An elderly Nagi woman, Garai, repels the Onibubu using Nagi magic before their curse affects everyone.
After a quick wedding ceremony, Levant is given the title of cocoon master and leaves to explore the surrounding forest to find an 'erb rumored to be able to lift the curse. He traverses 4 forests on his quest, the Beetle, Dragonfly, Spider, and Moth forests, which are populated with a variety of monsters known as minions that Levant may capture into cocoons and tame. Throughout Levant's journey, his wife, Mahbu experiences treacherous ordeals called Nagi Brandings in order to soothe the souls of the minions the protagonist captures. On his quest he meets many others, such as Koris, the Blue Cocoon Master, Kikinak, and Yamu, who assist him in saving the people of the village.
In a desperate attempt to save their village, the government of Syrus makes an attempt to sacrifice Garai to the Divine Tree, believing her to be the Goddess of sewing souls. Garai reveals herself to be the goddess, and ties the souls of the village to Levant, turning the people into stone. Levant makes one final journey into the gates of the Forest to find the Temple of Kemuel, a place where he must go into the nether-realms to fight challenging demons and save his village once and for all.
as part of its "NG Alphas" series. The following months, Jade Cocoon was previewed in Game Informer
magazine twice, in issues 73 and 75, then reviewed after release in issue 76. It was then reviewed in the September issue of NGM.
A playable demo disk of Jade Cocoon was included in the release of Shadow Madness
, Crave's first game, two months before release. A month later, the game was previewed in the 21st issue of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, then later reviewed in the 23rd issue, and featured on the issue's demo disk along with demos for Final Fantasy VIII
, 3Xtreme
, Tiny Tank, Macross VF-X2, Centipede
, You Don't Know Jack, and Ultimate 8-Ball
. A few months later, it was also reviewed in the 53rd issue of Official UK PlayStation Magazine, and featured on its demo disk.
exclusive in 2001. It was later released on the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3
and PlayStation Portable
in June 2008 in Japan, but not in other regions. It was released the same day as Crash Team Racing
and other games.
, was later released for the PlayStation 2
in 2001. The game takes place 100 years after the original, and differs from it with its improved graphics and revised plot.
cut-scenes and environment—which consisted of over 600 pre-rendered backgrounds—as well as its audio, sound effects, and simple interface. The game's deep monster breeding and merging system was also well regarded. However, the game was considered short alongside other RPGs of the time with a story of only 15 to 20 hours. Jade Cocoon was criticized for the inability to fight alongside your monsters, and its Silent Hill
-style control scheme, making it difficult to avoid battles with some monsters.
Sony Computer Entertainment
Sony Computer Entertainment, Inc. is a major video game company specializing in a variety of areas in the video game industry, and is a wholly owned subsidiary and part of the Consumer Products & Services Group of Sony...
PlayStation, released by Crave
Crave Entertainment
Crave Entertainment is an American video game company. It was founded in 1997 by Nima Taghavi. Its headquarters is in Newport Beach, California...
in 1998. The game combines elements of role-playing video game
Role-playing video game
Role-playing video games are a video game genre with origins in pen-and-paper role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons, using much of the same terminology, settings and game mechanics. The player in RPGs controls one character, or several adventuring party members, fulfilling one or many quests...
s and virtual pet
Digital pet
A digital pet is a type of artificial human companion. They are usually kept for companionship or enjoyment. People may keep a digital pet in lieu of a real pet....
management. It was developed by Genki
Genki (company)
Genki is a Japanese developer of computer and video games. It was founded in October 1990 by Hiroshi Hamagaki and Tomo Kimura, who left Sega to form the company. Genki is best known for its racing game titles.-History:...
in collaboration with Katsuya Kondō
Katsuya Kondo
is a Japanese manga artist, character designer, animator and animation director. He is best known for his character design work on the Studio Ghibli films Kiki's Delivery Service and Ocean Waves, as well as the PlayStation game Jade Cocoon...
, character designer for the Studio Ghibli
Studio Ghibli
is a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
movies Kiki's Delivery Service
Kiki's Delivery Service
is a 1989 Japanese animated fantasy film produced, written, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was the fourth theatrically released Studio Ghibli film.The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1989...
and I Can Hear the Sea.
Gameplay
Jade Cocoon is set in a world where most of the land is covered in dense forest; populated by bizarre, mostly bug-like monsterMonster
A monster is any fictional creature, usually found in legends or horror fiction, that is somewhat hideous and may produce physical harm or mental fear by either its appearance or its actions...
s called Minions. The only safe havens are small villages, one of which is the home of the protagonist, Levant. Levant is a young Cocoon Master, whose job is to capture and purify the Minions. The Minions can then be used to fight and defend Levant, spun into silk
Silk
Silk is a natural protein fiber, some forms of which can be woven into textiles. The best-known type of silk is obtained from the cocoons of the larvae of the mulberry silkworm Bombyx mori reared in captivity...
for money, or fused with other Minions to form more powerful combinations.
Fused minions take on physical characteristics of both its parent creatures, allowing the player to customize the appearance of each one, as well as its abilities. Each minion has a collection of elemental attacks which can be passed from generation to generation. Strategy generally follows a rock/paper/scissors pattern (Wind beats Earth beats Water beats Fire beats Wind), as each wild Minion has an element (although fused Minions may have more than one).
The Eternal Corridor
After the main story is completed, the player may continue to play the game in a new area called The Eternal Corridor. New monsters that were unavailable in the main game can be found in this new area.Plot
Jade Cocoon is the story of Levant, a young man who lives in the town of Syrus. You guide the silent protagonist on his quest to follow in his presumably dead father's footsteps to become a cocoon master. To do this, he must marry a Na'gi woman, and is betrothed to a girl named Mahbu (voiced by Michelle RuffMichelle Ruff
Michelle Suzanne Ruff is an American voice actress known for her work in anime and video games.-Anime roles:* Angel Tales - Akane the fox* Ai Yori Aoshi - Aoi Sakuraba* Arc the Lad - Meril...
). On the day of a large festival in Syrus, the village is attacked by demons known as the Onibubu, which cause many villagers to fall into a deep slumber. An elderly Nagi woman, Garai, repels the Onibubu using Nagi magic before their curse affects everyone.
After a quick wedding ceremony, Levant is given the title of cocoon master and leaves to explore the surrounding forest to find an 'erb rumored to be able to lift the curse. He traverses 4 forests on his quest, the Beetle, Dragonfly, Spider, and Moth forests, which are populated with a variety of monsters known as minions that Levant may capture into cocoons and tame. Throughout Levant's journey, his wife, Mahbu experiences treacherous ordeals called Nagi Brandings in order to soothe the souls of the minions the protagonist captures. On his quest he meets many others, such as Koris, the Blue Cocoon Master, Kikinak, and Yamu, who assist him in saving the people of the village.
In a desperate attempt to save their village, the government of Syrus makes an attempt to sacrifice Garai to the Divine Tree, believing her to be the Goddess of sewing souls. Garai reveals herself to be the goddess, and ties the souls of the village to Levant, turning the people into stone. Levant makes one final journey into the gates of the Forest to find the Temple of Kemuel, a place where he must go into the nether-realms to fight challenging demons and save his village once and for all.
Previews and demos
In April 1999, Jade Cocoon, the US release still in its alpha stages, was previewed in Next Generation MagazineNext Generation Magazine
Next Generation Magazine was a video game magazine that was made by Imagine Media publishing company . It was affiliated to and shared editorial with the UK's Edge magazine. Next Generation ran from January 1995 until January 2002. It was published by Jonathan Simpson-Bint and edited by Neil West...
as part of its "NG Alphas" series. The following months, Jade Cocoon was previewed in Game Informer
Game Informer
Game Informer is an American-based monthly magazine featuring articles, news, strategy, and reviews of popular video games and associated consoles. It was formed in August 1991, when FuncoLand started publishing a six-page magazine, free in all its retail locations...
magazine twice, in issues 73 and 75, then reviewed after release in issue 76. It was then reviewed in the September issue of NGM.
A playable demo disk of Jade Cocoon was included in the release of Shadow Madness
Shadow Madness
Shadow Madness is a turn-based RPG and the first video game released by Crave Entertainment. The game achieved mixed reviews. Shadow Madness was packaged with a separate demo disc for Jade Cocoon.-Gameplay:...
, Crave's first game, two months before release. A month later, the game was previewed in the 21st issue of Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine, then later reviewed in the 23rd issue, and featured on the issue's demo disk along with demos for Final Fantasy VIII
Final Fantasy VIII
is a role-playing video game released for the PlayStation in 1999 and for Windows-based personal computers in 2000. It was developed and published by Square as the Final Fantasy series' eighth title, removing magic point-based spell-casting and the first title to consistently use realistically...
, 3Xtreme
3Xtreme
3Xtreme is a racing game released for the PlayStation in 1999. As with 2Xtreme, 3Xtreme contains skateboarding, skating, and biking options to reach the goal before opponent players. Unlike 2Xtreme, however, 3Xtreme's characters are composed of polygons as opposed to sprites...
, Tiny Tank, Macross VF-X2, Centipede
Centipede (1998 video game)
Centipede is a remake of the 1980 arcade game of the same name, produced by Atari and designed by Ed Logg and Dona Bailey. This version has multiple in-game innovations, with improved gameplay and graphics. It retains the original idea of shooting the entire centipede repeatedly...
, You Don't Know Jack, and Ultimate 8-Ball
Ultimate 8-Ball
Ultimate 8-Ball is a Sports simulation video game for the PlayStation and Windows PC, simulating the pool game eight-ball....
. A few months later, it was also reviewed in the 53rd issue of Official UK PlayStation Magazine, and featured on its demo disk.
Re-releases
Jade Cocoon was re-released in Japan as part of the PlayStation the Best series in 1999, and again in 2002 as part of PSOne Books. In Europe, it was republished as a UbisoftUbisoft
Ubisoft Entertainment S.A. is a major French video game publisher and developer, with headquarters in Montreuil, France. The company has a worldwide presence with 25 studios in 17 countries and subsidiaries in 26 countries....
exclusive in 2001. It was later released on the PlayStation Network for the PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
and PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
in June 2008 in Japan, but not in other regions. It was released the same day as Crash Team Racing
Crash Team Racing
Crash Team Racing is a racing video game developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation. The game was released in North America on September 30, 1999 and in Europe and Australia later the same year. It was re-released for the Sony Greatest Hits line-up in...
and other games.
Sequels
A mobile phone direct sequel was released in 1999 in Japan entitled . It continues the story from the end of the game. A sequel with similar gameplay mechanics, Jade Cocoon 2Jade Cocoon 2
is a 2001 role-playing video game for the PlayStation 2 and sequel to Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu by Genki. The game features a full 3D polygonal world, 200 cutscenes, and full voice-overs...
, was later released for the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
in 2001. The game takes place 100 years after the original, and differs from it with its improved graphics and revised plot.
Reception
Reviews of Jade Cocoon were generally positive, praising its graphics, including the game's FMV animeAnime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
cut-scenes and environment—which consisted of over 600 pre-rendered backgrounds—as well as its audio, sound effects, and simple interface. The game's deep monster breeding and merging system was also well regarded. However, the game was considered short alongside other RPGs of the time with a story of only 15 to 20 hours. Jade Cocoon was criticized for the inability to fight alongside your monsters, and its Silent Hill
Silent Hill
is a survival horror video game series consisting of seven installments published by Konami and its subsidiary Konami Digital Entertainment. The first four games in the series, Silent Hill, Silent Hill 2, 3 and 4, have been developed by an internal factor, Team Silent...
-style control scheme, making it difficult to avoid battles with some monsters.
Further reading
- Joyce, P.d. (1999). Jade Cocoon: Story of the Tamamayu: Prima's Official Strategy Guide, Prima Publishing. ISBN 0-7615-2283-2.