The Magic of Scheherazade

The Magic of Scheherazade[lower-alpha 1] is an action-adventure/role-playing video game (RPG) for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES). It was developed and released by Culture Brain in 1987 in Japan and 1990 in North America. The plot is based on Middle Eastearn folktales found in One Thousand and One Nights. It involves an amnesic hero traveling through time in an attempt to rescue the princess Scheherazade from the evil wizard Sabaron, who has summoned a horde of demons to bring chaos to the once peaceful land of Arabia.

The Magic of Scheherazade
North American cover art
Developer(s)Culture Brain
Publisher(s)Culture Brain
Producer(s)Akademiya Yumenosuke[1]
Composer(s)Akinori Sawa[2]
Shunichi Mikame[3]
Platform(s)Nintendo Entertainment System
Release
Genre(s)Action-adventure
Role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

The Magic of Scheherazade is divided into chapters and incorporates elements of both action-adventure and RPG gameplay styles. In each chapter, the player character can freely explore an overworld in a top-down perspective, visit towns and dungeons, interact with non-player characters (NPCs), purchase items and equipment, and initiate quests. Objectives in each chapter include locating hidden time travel passages, recruiting new party members, learning new magic spells and defeating a boss. The player can engage hostile enemies with various weapons and spells using two different combat systems, one for real-time solo action on the overhead map and the other for random, turn-based battles fought alongside befriended allies. Defeating enemies in either instance earns the player experience points for improving character attributes.

Once the commercial viability of the NES was proven in North America by the late 1980s, Japanese developer Culture Brain opened a company branch in the United States and chose to publish an English-language version of The Magic of Scheherazade after making several changes to the graphics and musical score. It has received mostly average review scores but generally positive commentary from critics for its visuals, gameplay, and difficulty balance. The game has been noted for its fusion of the adventure and RPG genres with journalists comparing its gameplay mechanics to both The Legend of Zelda and the Dragon Quest series. Culture Brain announced a sequel to The Magic of Scheherazade for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES) in 1992, but it was not released. Various publications listed the sequel as a future release throughout the 1990s, as it was never officially cancelled.

Gameplay
The player battles enemies in the overworld. The character class, experience level, and other statistics are displayed at the bottom.

The Magic of Scheherazade combines gameplay elements from action-adventure games and RPGs. The majority of play takes place on an overhead map where the player can freely move between separate screens by going up, down, left, or right. The game is divided into five chapters, each consisting of a uniquely-themed world. The player is tasked with locating a world's hidden "Time Gates" which allow for time travel between its past, present, and future in order to recruit allies, learn new magic spells, and complete specific quests.[6][7] Each overworld comprises numerous landscapes and locales including forests, deserts, underwater areas, dimly-lit dungeons, and palace labyrinths. These areas may change in appearance depending on the time era.[7] Enemies will often randomly appear on the overhead map and can be fought in real time with two primary weapons: a sword for close-range attacks and a rod for shooting long-range projectiles. Magic spells and items are also available for defeating enemies and negotiating obstacles. Weapons, spells, items, and actions like speaking or jumping can be mapped to the gamepad's "A" or "B" buttons on a select subscreen. A status bar displays the player character's selected actions, character class, attributes, coins, and some expendable supplies.[8] One of three classes (Fighter, Magician, and Saint) must be initially chosen at the game's beginning and differ in weapon usage and certain abilities. For instance, a Fighter can use strong swords but is limited with the rod; a Magician is adept at using powerful rods but is restricted to a weak dagger instead of swords; and a Saint can exclusively utilize items like boots that prevent damage on hazardous floors.[7][9] Slaying enemies earns the player experience points for increasing an overall experience level. Reaching higher levels improves the player's maximum attributes and can sometimes enhance weapon strength or yield new magic spells. Attributes include hit points (HP), representing the player's health, and magic points (MP), used to cast spells.[8] Each chapter concludes with a demonic boss that must be defeated with magic and the rod.

Towns scattering on the world map can also be visited. Here the player can interact with NPCs to gather information and initiate quests. Shops provide supplies for purchase, sleeping at hotels will replenish party members' HP and MP, and casinos allow the player to gamble for more money. Mosques give the player the opportunity to change character class or save one's progress using a password system.[7][10][11] The game allows for password inputs with as many as six incorrect characters to result in the player not having to start over from the beginning. If a password is entered unsuccessfully three times with few errors, the game will ask the player for a name and class, then place the player at the beginning of the chapter determined by the game with possibly different attributes.[9] Each chapter contains one "Wise Man" who will teach a "Great Magic" spell. These spells produce special effects, such as altering environments or summoning mosques for changing classes free of charge. However, they can only be cast during an "Alalart Solar Eclipse," an event that occurs at certain intervals on the adventure map.[7][12]

When transitioning between screens on the overhead map, the player will sometimes encounter random, turn-based battles with groups of enemies.[7][13] Combat takes place on a separate screen where commands are chosen from text menus. The start of each battle gives the player the option to fight, try to run away, or attempt to bribe enemies into leaving. The protagonist can fight alone or have up to two party members participate. During a battle, the player takes turns trading blows with enemy units by picking commands such as striking with equipped weapons or casting magic. Choosing certain allies can create formations, which can grant the party added defense or enable them to cast powerful group magics. Party formations become permanently selectable by correctly pairing allies or can be learned for a fee at "Magic Universities" in certain towns.[7][13] Enemies also frequently appear in deadly regiments capable of similar, devastating attacks.[7] Counter formations for such situations can also be bought at universities. Up to four mercenary troopers at a time can be used to aid the party as well.[13] These troopers are hired in offices in towns. Troopers use strong physical attacks, always take damage from enemies first, and can be replaced within the same battle.[7]

Plot

The fantasy setting of The Magic of Scheherazade borrows from Middle Eastern folk tales in One Thousand and One Nights.[14] Many years prior to the opening of the game, the land of Arabia was taken over by the malevolent demon Goragora and his army of minions. A magician named Isfa, harnessing the power of the blue star Airosche, vanquished the demons and sealed them underground. Peace briefly returned until the evil wizard Sabaron freed Goragora and the demons from their captivity and imprisoned the Arabian princess Scheherazade and her family.[6] The player takes on the role of Isfa's unnamed descendant, who unsuccessfully attempts to save his lover Scheherazade from Sabaron. As a result, the player character's memories are erased, his magical powers are sealed, and he is thrust into a different time period.[15][16] He is quickly greeted by the cat-like spirit Coronya, who possesses the ability to open a passage to travel through time. With this, the amnesic hero is able to traverse five worlds in order to regain his memories, learn new magic, recruit several allies, and defeat the demon overlords.[7][10] Once Scheherazade's three sisters and father are rescued, the protagonist confronts Sabaron, who realizes releasing Goragora was a mistake. The hero then goes to the Dark World and destroys Goragora, returning tranquility to Arabia once again. After being thanked by Scheherazade and her family, the hero promises to return to his beloved someday as he and his party depart on a magic carpet toward their next adventure.

Development and localization

The Magic of Scheherazade was developed for the Nintendo Entertainment System (Famicom in Japan) by Culture Brain, though little information has been divulged regarding its staff or production. An interview in Weekly Famitsu revealed that Akademiya Yumenosuke, a pseudonym for one of the company's lead designers, was the game's producer.[1] Composers Akinori Sawa and Shunichi Mikame have each claimed to have contributed to its soundtrack. Sawa worked primarily on Culture Brain's Hiryū no Ken series.[2] Mikame had previously composed the scores for both Kung Fu Heroes and Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll. His equipment while working on The Magic of Scheherazade consisted of two polyphonic synthesizers, a frequency modulation synthesizer, and a hardware sequencer. His compositions were recorded to audio cassette and then simplified to the Famicom's programmable sound generator once approved by the producer. Only three of the six songs Mikame composed were used in game and he left the company before its Japanese release.[3]

The game's original Japanese launch occurred on September 3, 1987.[4] After the NES had firmly established itself in the American gaming market by the end of the decade, Culture Brain acted as one of the more outgoing Japanese third-party developers to sell its games abroad by establishing a branch in the United States. According to an Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) interview with Culture Brain USA's Jim Steen, The Magic of Scheherazade was one of a handful of titles to fit the company's business model for international release.[17] Culture Brain USA announced the game in mid-1988 with a tentative release set for January 1989.[18] It was delayed, but was showcased that month at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show (CES) with other Culture Brain USA games for the NES including Kung Fu Heroes and Flying Dragon: The Secret Scroll.[19] The Magic of Scheherazade went to North American retail on January 15, 1990.[5] It was displayed once again at the Winter CES that month alongside Baseball Simulator 1.000.[20] Numerous changes were made for the English-language localization of The Magic of Scheherazade.[7] Some of the monster sprite graphics were altered. Many of the character sprites, which sport large, round eyes in the Japanese version, were given nondescript facial features. The overworld map was simplified in the localized edition with the omission of several pathways and caverns. Character speech text was made to interrupt the game, unlike in the Japanese version where it appears at the bottom right of the screen. Finally, new music was added for the North American release.[15][7]

Reception and legacy
Reception
Review scores
PublicationScore
EGM22 / 40[5]
Famitsu27 / 40[4]
Nintendo Power3.375 / 5[21]
Family Computer Magazine19.56 / 30[22]
VideoGames & Computer Entertainment6 / 10[10]
Award
PublicationAward
Game Players"Best Graphics" (1989)[23]

The Magic of Scheherazade has received consistently middling review scores from both Japanese and American magazines during its respective releases, though commentary has been favorable from many of these publications as well as more recent online sources. Opinions of the game's graphics and musical score have been mostly positive. Amid the game's US release, both William R. Trotter of Game Players and Rusel DeMaria of VideoGames & Computer Entertainment commended the game's visuals.[14][10] Trotter was specifically impressed with the magic spell effects, characters sprites, and environments, and stated, "If there's a Nintendo game that's prettier to look at, we haven't seen it."[14] Game Players awarded the game "Best Graphics" for console titles first previewed in the US in 1989.[23] Contrarily, reviewers from a 1990 EGM panel discounted the game's presentation as either average or not up to the standards of the game's contemporaries.[5] Destructoid contributor Colette Bennett praised the music and found the Middle East-inspired setting unique amid medieval-themed RPGs of its release period.[15] Hardcore Gaming 101's Michael Ayala proclaimed the soundtrack as "excellent" aside from one "incredibly grating" theme heard in rare instances in battle.[7] DeMaria simply characterized the music and sound as "fine."[10]

The gameplay and challenge were also high points for many reviewers. Trotter applauded the amount of content and compared the time-consuming yet intuitive learning curve for the game's mechanics to the Ultima series. He said, "Everything is clearly organized, so what at first seems unweildy soon becomes natural and logical."[14] DeMaria found the game easy yet satisfying, summarizing that it might offer fun for new and intermediate players while experience players could still find "enough plot twists and interesting challenges to make the game fun to play."[10] GamePro likewise recommended the game to beginner, intermediate, and advanced players alike.[16] EGM found the game as an overall mediocre diversion to other RPGs of its time, but similarly acknowledged the gameplay as being "nicely handled" and "easy to catch on to." One of the magazine's writers, Ed Semrad, appreciated its challenge level and referred to it as the next "decent quest game" following Zelda II: The Adventure of Link.[5]

Critics have addressed the game's similaries to other action-adventure titles and turn-based RPGs, as well as its blending of the two genres. Several compared the game's top-down adventure aesthetic and interface to The Legend of Zelda.[15][7][10] DeMaria recognized the two games' resemblance, but noted The Magic of Scheherazade as being much more linear.[10] Ayala contrasted the time travel aspect with A Link to the Past and its turn-based battles with those of Dragon Quest. However, he admitted both features felt unpolished in The Magic of Scheherazade.[7] Andrew Vestal of GameSpot comically described the game as a result of two development groups feuding over whether to create an action RPG or a turn-based RPG. He credited the game as being one of the first RPGs to introduce team attacks, in which two party members could join forces to perform extra-powerful magic.[24] Video game journalist and Retronauts writer Jeremy Parish vaguely described the game in 2017 as "innovative and memorable," even declaring it to be Culture Brain's "crown jewel" when mentioning its conspicuous absence from Nintendo's Virtual Console service.[25]

Other media

Tokuma Shoten published an official strategy guide for The Magic of Scheherazade in Japan in November 1987.[26] A short manga based on the game titled Magical Book[lower-alpha 2] was published in Japan and features all the game's party members.[15][7] The Culture Brain SNES game Super Ninja Boy includes a town called Celestern, named after one of the worlds in The Magic of Scheherazade, and contains its musical theme from that game and cameos from characters like Princess Scheherazade and Coronya.[7]

Abandoned sequel

A sequel to The Magic of Scheherazade was first listed by Nintendo for a future 1990 release for the NES in that year's official buyers guide for World of Nintendo retail boutiques.[27] The sequel was further noted by GamePro in the magazine's September 1990 issue for its coverage of the Summer CES.[28] Nintendo Power also mentioned it in its November/December 1990 issue.[29] At the Winter CES in January 1992, GamePro reported that an SNES game titled Golden Empire was officially announced by Culture Brain as a follow-up to The Magic of Scheherazade.[30] One year later, GamePro published a similar tidbit from an article about the 1993 Winter CES, where the game was then titled Golden Empire: The Legend of Scheherazade.[31] Culture Brain had officially registered the trademark for "Golden Empire" with the United States Copyright Office on March 5, 1992, but abandoned it on May 25, 1993.[32] The developer never officially cancelled this title. Gaming retail chain Chips & Bits continuously advertised Golden Empire under its SNES role-playing section in US magazine catalogs throughout the early to mid-1990s.[33][34][35][36] As late as 1996, the Japanese publication Family Computer Magazine listed the game as Scheherazade Densetsu - The Prelude[lower-alpha 3] with an unknown release date for the Super Famicom.[37][38]

Notes
  1. known as Arabian Dream Scheherazade (アラビアンドリーム シェラザード, Arabian Dorimu Sherazado) in Japan
  2. Magical Book (マジカルブック, Majikarubukku)
  3. Legend of Scheherazade - The Prelude (シェラザード伝説 ザ プレリュード, Sherazado Densetsu - Za Pureryudo)
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References
  1. Famitsu staff (December 17, 1993). "DREAM TALK". Weekly Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 261. ASCII Corporation.
  2. Sawa Akinori (2000). "Profile" (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 2, 2008. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. Mikame Shunichi (1997). "Profile". IPV4 Security. Archived from the original on November 4, 2015. Retrieved March 24, 2019.
  4. Famitsu staff (August 7–21, 1987). "クロスレビュー" [Cross Review]. Shukan Famicom Tsushin (in Japanese). No. 16/17. ASCII Corporation. p. 12. Archived from the original on March 31, 2019. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  5. Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; and Williams, Ken (January 1990). "Electronic Gaming Review Crew: Sharazade [sic]". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 6. Sendai Publishing. p. 10. ISSN 1058-918X.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990). The Magic of Scheherazade Instruction Manual. Culture Brain USA, Inc. pp. 4–7. NES–AS–USA.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  7. Ayala, Michael (August 31, 2008). "The Magic of Scheherazade". Hardcore Gaming 101. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved March 10, 2019.
  8. Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990). The Magic of Scheherazade Instruction Manual. Culture Brain USA, Inc. pp. 12–9. NES–AS–USA.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  9. Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990). The Magic of Scheherazade Instruction Manual. Culture Brain USA, Inc. pp. 8–11. NES–AS–USA.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  10. DeMario, Rusel (January 1990). "Video Game Reviews: The Magic of Scheherazade". VideoGames & Computer Entertainment. No. 12. L.F.P., Inc. pp. 52, 156. ISSN 1059-2938. OCLC 25300986.
  11. Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990). The Magic of Scheherazade Instruction Manual. Culture Brain USA, Inc. pp. 40–1. NES–AS–USA.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  12. Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990). The Magic of Scheherazade Instruction Manual. Culture Brain USA, Inc. pp. 34–5, 39. NES–AS–USA.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
  13. Culture Brain staff, ed. (January 15, 1990). The Magic of Scheherazade Instruction Manual. Culture Brain USA, Inc. pp. 21–6. NES–AS–USA.CS1 maint: extra text: authors list (link)
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  18. Katz, Arnie; Kunkel, Bill; and Worley, Joyce (August 1988). "Video Gaming World". Computer Gaming World. Vol. 50. Golden Empire Publications. p. 44. ISSN 0744-6667. OCLC 8482876.CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  19. DeMaria, Rusel (April 1989). "Channel Three Switching On". Computer Play. No. 9. Computer Play Magazine Corp. p. 48. OCLC 975284285.
  20. Computer Entertainer staff (January 1990). "Gaming's Heartbeat: The Video Game Update". Computer Entertainer. Vol. 8 no. 10. p. 13. ISSN 0890-2143. OCLC 14192197.
  21. Nintendo Power staff (March–April 1990). "Video Shorts: Magic of Scheherazade from Culture Brain". Nintendo Power. Vol. 11. Nintendo of America. p. 77. ISSN 1041-9551.
  22. Famimaga staff (May 10, 1991). "5月10日号特別付録 ファミコン ロムカセット オールカタログ" [May 10 Special Appendix: Famicom Rom Cassette All Catalog]. Family Computer Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 9 no. 9. Tokuma Shoten. p. 168.
  23. Game Players staff (March 1990). "Players World: Game Players First Annual Videogame and Computer Game Awards 1989". Game Players. Vol. 2 no. 3. Signal Research, Inc. p. 18. ISSN 1042-3133.
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  27. Nintendo staff (1990). "The Official 1990 World of Nintendo Buyers Guide". Discount Store News. Lebhar-Friedman. p. 10. ISSN 0012-3587. OCLC 936780.
  28. GamePro staff (September 1990). "ProNews Report". GamePro. No. 14. IDG. p. 35. ISSN 1042-8658.
  29. Nintendo Power staff (November–December 1990). "Gossip Galore". Nintendo Power. Vol. 18. Nintendo of America. p. 92. ISSN 1041-9551.
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  35. Game Players staff (December 1995). "Chips & Bits". Game Players. No. 59. Imagine Publishing. p. 147. ISSN 1059-2172.
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