Tear Ring Saga
Encyclopedia
is a tactical role-playing game
developed by Tirnanog, a development studio started by Shouzou Kaga
, the creator of the Fire Emblem
series. The game was released only in Japan on May 24, 2001 by Enterbrain
. Mayumi Hirota from Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
served as the character designer for the game.
Though the two armies travel separately for the majority of the game, they re-combine several times to exchange items and other members. This allows the player to use units trained in Holmes's army in Ryunan's battles, or vice versa.
, a former game designer for Intelligent Systems
and creator of the Fire Emblem
series. Resulting from this the game bears many similarities to the Fire Emblem series. This caused Intelligent Systems and Fire Emblem series publisher Nintendo
to file a lawsuit against Enterbrain and Tirnanog in July, 2001, claiming that the company was guilty of copyright infringement. The first trial ended in November, 2002, where the Tokyo District Court turned down Nintendo's claims. Nintendo filed a second lawsuit on appeal, and the second trial began three months after the first, this time under the Tokyo High Court. The second trial ended in November, 2004, and Enterbrain was ordered to pay a fine of 76 million yen to Nintendo. However, the game was not ruled as a breach of copyright, and copies remained in stores. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems made another appeal to the Japanese Supreme Court, where the second ruling was upheld. The final court proceedings ended in April, 2005 (see also ティアリングサーガに関わる問題).
Tear Ring Saga had originally been announced in 2000
as Emblem Saga, but the game system and layout were changed around considerably by the time of the game's actual release after Nintendo threatened to take legal action.
The was one of the four kingdoms of Riberia, and the first protagonist, , is the prince of ; one of the principalities within the kingdom. After the fall of his father's principality, he escaped and went into hiding in a nearby port-town. However, this town also fell into the hands of the Empire, and Ryunan and , the prince of another one of the kingdom's principalities, retreat to the newly-created with a small contingent of troops. The two receive assistance from the Uelt king, and begin a long journey to destroy the evil empire.
in 4 volumes (ISBN 4757705751, ISBN 4757706847, ISBN 4757707576, and ISBN 4757726538) between 2001 and 2006 (the release of the final volume was prolonged for over a year due to the lawsuit by Nintendo). The game's soundtrack was released by Scitron
on June 20, 2001, under the Sony music label
.
The game's sequel, Tear Ring Saga: Berwick Saga was released for the PlayStation 2
in 2005
.
Tactical role-playing game
A tactical role-playing game is a type of video game which incorporates elements of traditional role-playing video games and strategy games. In Japan these games are known as , a designation which might seem peculiar to native English speakers...
developed by Tirnanog, a development studio started by Shouzou Kaga
Shouzou Kaga
Shouzou Kaga is a video game designer who once worked for Intelligent Systems. He was the creator of the Fire Emblem game series, but eventually left the company to found the independent studio Tirnanog...
, the creator of the Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
series. The game was released only in Japan on May 24, 2001 by Enterbrain
Enterbrain
is a Japanese magazine publisher established on April 1, 2000. Enterbrain magazines are generally focused on video games and computer entertainment as well as video game and strategy guides. In addition, the company publishes a small selection of anime artbooks. Enterbrain is based in Tokyo, Japan...
. Mayumi Hirota from Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
Fire Emblem: Thracia 776
is a Japanese tactical role-playing game developed by Intelligent Systems and published by Nintendo, and the fifth installment in the Fire Emblem series. It is also the third and final Fire Emblem series title to be released on the Super Famicom. It was originally released through Nintendo Power...
served as the character designer for the game.
Gameplay
Tear Ring Saga is a war simulation RPG where the player places units on a gridded two-dimensional map and attempts to fulfill the objectives in each scenario. The view returns to a larger world map once the battle ends, and the player can choose to travel to new locations as the game progresses. There are two protagonists in the game, Ryunan and Holmes, and the player must divide their main army into two separate armies for each protagonist. Ryunan's story follows a strict set of scenarios where he battles against an enemy empire, but it is possible to ignore the main scenarios to gather treasure and increase the army's strength during Holmes's story.Though the two armies travel separately for the majority of the game, they re-combine several times to exchange items and other members. This allows the player to use units trained in Holmes's army in Ryunan's battles, or vice versa.
Lawsuit history
The game was designed by Shouzou KagaShouzou Kaga
Shouzou Kaga is a video game designer who once worked for Intelligent Systems. He was the creator of the Fire Emblem game series, but eventually left the company to found the independent studio Tirnanog...
, a former game designer for Intelligent Systems
Intelligent Systems
is a Japanese first-party video game developer and internal team of Nintendo Co., Ltd. It has its headquarters in the Nintendo Kyoto Research Center in Higashiyama-ku, Kyoto, Kyoto Prefecture....
and creator of the Fire Emblem
Fire Emblem
is a fantasy tactical role-playing video game franchise developed by Intelligent Systems , the maker of Advance Wars , and published by Nintendo...
series. Resulting from this the game bears many similarities to the Fire Emblem series. This caused Intelligent Systems and Fire Emblem series publisher Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
to file a lawsuit against Enterbrain and Tirnanog in July, 2001, claiming that the company was guilty of copyright infringement. The first trial ended in November, 2002, where the Tokyo District Court turned down Nintendo's claims. Nintendo filed a second lawsuit on appeal, and the second trial began three months after the first, this time under the Tokyo High Court. The second trial ended in November, 2004, and Enterbrain was ordered to pay a fine of 76 million yen to Nintendo. However, the game was not ruled as a breach of copyright, and copies remained in stores. Nintendo and Intelligent Systems made another appeal to the Japanese Supreme Court, where the second ruling was upheld. The final court proceedings ended in April, 2005 (see also ティアリングサーガに関わる問題).
Tear Ring Saga had originally been announced in 2000
2000 in video gaming
-Events:* May 11–13 — 6th annual Electronic Entertainment Expo ; the 3rd annual Game Critics Awards for the Best of E³* June 26 — International Game Developers Association renamed from Computer Game Developers Association...
as Emblem Saga, but the game system and layout were changed around considerably by the time of the game's actual release after Nintendo threatened to take legal action.
Plot
The game takes place on an island continent called , which had long been divided and ruled under four kingdoms. However, these kingdoms were destroyed by the evil and its devil-worshipping ruler, and the island was starting to regress into a period of instability and darkness.The was one of the four kingdoms of Riberia, and the first protagonist, , is the prince of ; one of the principalities within the kingdom. After the fall of his father's principality, he escaped and went into hiding in a nearby port-town. However, this town also fell into the hands of the Empire, and Ryunan and , the prince of another one of the kingdom's principalities, retreat to the newly-created with a small contingent of troops. The two receive assistance from the Uelt king, and begin a long journey to destroy the evil empire.
Related releases
Two official game guides have been released in June and July 2001 (ISBN 4757704844 and ISBN 4757705204), both by Enterbrain. A novelized version of the game has also been released by Famitsu BunkoFamitsu
is a line of Japanese video game magazines published by Enterbrain, Inc. and Tokuma. Currently, there are five Famitsū magazines: Shūkan Famitsū, Famitsū PS3 + PSP, Famitsū Xbox 360, Famitsū Wii+DS, and Famitsū Wave DVD...
in 4 volumes (ISBN 4757705751, ISBN 4757706847, ISBN 4757707576, and ISBN 4757726538) between 2001 and 2006 (the release of the final volume was prolonged for over a year due to the lawsuit by Nintendo). The game's soundtrack was released by Scitron
Scitron
-List of Video Game Albums Released:A -B - C -D - E -F - G -H - I -J - K -L - M -N - O -P - Q -R - S -T - U -V - W -X - Y -Z-A:* ACECOMBAT 04 shattered skies Original Sound Tracks SCDC-00146...
on June 20, 2001, under the Sony music label
Sony Music Entertainment
Sony Music Entertainment ' is the second-largest global recorded music company of the "big four" record companies and is controlled by Sony Corporation of America, the United States subsidiary of Japan's Sony Corporation....
.
The game's sequel, Tear Ring Saga: Berwick Saga was 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 2005
2005 in video gaming
-Events:*March 6 — The television show 60 Minutes tackles issues within video game controversy. This segment of 60 Minutes has been criticized by video game players for encouraging video game censorship....
.