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Torneko: The Last Hope

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Torneko: The Last Hope
North American box art
Developer(s)Chunsoft
Matrix Software[1]
Publisher(s)Enix
Director(s)Fukashi Omorita
Yasuhiro Ohori
Kenji Orimo
Producer(s)Seiichiro Nagahata
Designer(s)Seiichiro Nagahata
Programmer(s)Masayasu Yamamoto
Artist(s)Akira Toriyama[2]
Writer(s)Kazuya Asano
Ichiro Tezuka
Composer(s)Koichi Sugiyama
SeriesMystery Dungeon
Platform(s)PlayStation, Game Boy Advance
ReleasePlayStation
  • JP: September 15, 1999
  • NA: November 16, 2000
Game Boy Advance
  • JP: December 20, 2001
Genre(s)Role-playing, roguelike
Mode(s)Single-player

Torneko: The Last Hope[a] is a 1999 role-playing video game for the PlayStation. The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix. In Japan, the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2001.[b][3]

Torneko: The Last Hope is a spin-off title of the Dragon Quest franchise and the second Mystery Dungeon game to star the Dragon Quest IV character Torneko. It is also the second game in the Mystery Dungeon series to be released in North America, after Chocobo's Dungeon 2. Like in Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon, Torneko (or Taloon, as he was known in Dragon Warrior IV) explores dungeons in search of items, while fighting hordes of monsters.[4]

Gameplay

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The game is done with two dimensional graphics and an overhead perspective of the games activities.[5] The main gameplay involves Torneko exploring mazelike dungeons in search of items.[6] When players first start conquering dungeons, Torneko continuously returns to level one strength and loses all his items until he rebuilds his storehouse.[6] Temporary saves are sometimes allowed mid-dungeon, but these are erased as soon as players resume play.[6] Combat against monsters is turn-based, with player and enemies alternating movements and actions.[6] Torneko can attack with close range weapons like swords, long range like bow and arrow, or magic spells summoned with a wand or scroll.[6] Torneko also has a hunger meter which causes him to lose health if he does not eat bread.[6] During his exploration, Torneko can discover treasure and magic items.[2]

Plot

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The plot for Torneko: The Last Hope happens after the events of Dragon Quest IV, and half a year after Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon. Torneko returns to his village and is forced to help cure his village of a curse that has been placed upon it.[2][7]

Development and release

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On April 18, 2000, Enix announced its first three games to be made for the original PlayStation, of which Torneko: The Last Hope was one.[2] The game features 130 hand drawn monsters.[2]

A 2013 news article wrote that based on forum posts by Nob Ogasawara, one of the game's editors, The Last Hope was only localized in the United States because of the passion of the translation team and their agreement to work for much less than normal.[8] In a 2020 interview, Ogasawara clarified that the localization team largely consisted of himself; according to him, the original translation company "made a total mess of things", produced no usable text, and wasted most of the budget and deadline, so he personally with his editor and kids finished the work in three weeks.[citation needed]

Torneko: The Last Hope was released for the PlayStation on September 15, 1999, in Japan. Its U.S. release occurred over a year later, on November 16, 2000.[9] Finally, its Game Boy Advance port was released exclusively in Japan on December 20, 2001.

Music

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The musical score for Torneko: The Last Hope was composed by Dragon Quest series composer, Koichi Sugiyama.[10] The original game soundtrack from the PlayStation version was released by SPE Visual Works on January 21, 2000, in Japan on a single 21-track disc.[10]

Reception

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Torneko: The Last Hope was a financial and critical success in Japan. The PlayStation version of the game sold over 578,000 units in Japan the year of its release.[21] The Game Boy Advance version of the game had sold over 181,000 units in Japan by 2007.[22] Famitsu gave the game a score of 37 out of 40 for the PS version,[13] and all four nines for a total of 36 out of 40 for the GBA version.[14][23][24] Additionally, the game was voted by the publication as number 31 in its top 100 PlayStation games of all time.[25] The game was also nominated for “Game of the Year” by CESA.[16]

The PlayStation version of Torneko: The Last Hope did not sell well in North America[26] and received "average" reviews according to the review aggregation website Metacritic.[11] RPGFan called the game "frustratingly difficult," but said that its "addictive gameplay elements and top-notch soundtrack" make it a marvelous game.[20] Jeff Gerstmann of GameSpot said that a lot of role-playing game players would be turned off by its lack of story and randomly generated dungeons, but those who are looking for some lighter fare of role-playing game may like it.[6] Other critics scored the game much lower, however. Erik Reppen of Game Informer called it "an outdated, ugly piece of crap whose silly antics will charm no one. There are so many better RPGs out there."[15] Eric Bratcher of NextGen called it "A primitive, turn-based dungeon crawler that takes so many cheap shots it could tick off a Buddhist monk."[17] Mikel Tidwell of RPGamer called the game simple but fun, and it was mostly for those who already like rogue like games with randomized dungeons. He did, however, find the game to have amusing dialogue and the music for each dungeon matches it “remarkably well”.[5]

Decades after the game's release, an interview with product manager of Shiren the Wanderer: The Mystery Dungeon of Serpentcoil Island, Hideyuki Shinozaki, hinted at the possibility to release Torneko: The Last Hope on modern platforms in the future thanks to the success of the former in Japan alone. However, the demands should be asked towards Square Enix in order to greenlight it.[27]

Notes

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  1. ^ Known in Japan as Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 2 – Fushigi no Dungeon (ドラゴンクエストキャラクターズ トルネコの大冒険2 不思議のダンジョン, Doragon Kuesuto Kyarakutāzu Torneko no Daibōken 2 Fushigi no Danjon, lit. Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko's Great Adventure 2 – Mystery Dungeon)
  2. ^ Known in Japan as Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 2 Advance – Fushigi no Dungeon (ドラゴンクエストキャラクターズ トルネコの大冒険2アドバンス 不思議のダンジョン, Doragon Kuesuto Kyarakutāzu Torneko no Daibōken 2 Adobansu Fushigi no Danjon, lit. Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko's Great Adventure 2 Advance – Mystery Dungeon)

References

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  1. ^ 株式会社マトリックス/製品/PS/トルネコの大冒険2 不思議のダンジョン. Matrix Software (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 10, 2009. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c d e IGN staff (April 18, 2000). "Enix America Announces First PlayStation Games". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  3. ^ トルネコの大冒険2GBA 不思議のダンジョン. Spike Chunsoft (in Japanese). Archived from the original on March 16, 2014. Retrieved October 16, 2012.
  4. ^ "Torneko: The Last Hope". Rotten Tomatoes. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. Retrieved September 2, 2007.
  5. ^ a b c Tidwell, Mikel (January 1, 2001). "Torneko: The Last Hope - Review". RPGamer. CraveOnline. Archived from the original on November 21, 2008. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h Gerstmann, Jeff (December 1, 2000). "Torneko: The Last Hope Review". GameSpot. Fandom. Archived from the original on October 17, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  7. ^ トルネコの大冒険3 不思議のダンジョン. Spike Chunsoft (in Japanese). Archived from the original on December 5, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  8. ^ Parish, Jeremy (August 21, 2013). "The New Dark Age of Dragon Quest". VG247 (USgamer). Gamer Network. Archived from the original on December 28, 2019. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  9. ^ IGN staff (October 27, 2000). "Torneko: The Last Hope Release Date Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Gann, Patrick (November 16, 2008). "Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko's Great Adventure 2 ~Mysterious Dungeon~ OST". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on December 25, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  11. ^ a b "Torneko: The Last Hope". Metacritic. Fandom. Archived from the original on March 31, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  12. ^ MacDonald, Mark (January 2001). "Torneko: The Last Hope (PS)". Electronic Gaming Monthly. No. 138. Ziff Davis. p. 207. Archived from the original on January 26, 2001. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  13. ^ a b プレイステーション - ドラゴンクエスト・キャラクターズ トルネコの大冒険2 ~不思議のダンジョン~. Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 12.
  14. ^ a b "ゲームボーイアドバンス - ドラゴンクエスト・キャラクターズ トルネコの大冒険2アドバンス ~不思議のダンジョン~". Famitsu (in Japanese). Vol. 915. Enterbrain. June 30, 2006. p. 117. Archived from the original on March 17, 2020. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  15. ^ a b Reppen, Erik (December 2000). "Torneko: The Last Hope". Game Informer. No. 92. FuncoLand. p. 112. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  16. ^ a b Zdyrko, David (December 12, 2000). "Torneko: The Last Hope". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on July 12, 2017. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  17. ^ a b Bratcher, Eric (January 2001). "Torneko: the Last Hope [sic]". NextGen. No. 73. Imagine Media. p. 108. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  18. ^ Steinman, Gary (January 2001). "Torneko: The Last Hope". Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. No. 40. Ziff Davis. p. 140. Retrieved March 31, 2024.
  19. ^ Tokoya (January 2001). "Torneko: The Last Hope". PSM. No. 41. Imagine Media. p. 51. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  20. ^ a b JediLeroy (December 3, 2000). "Torneko: The Last Hope". RPGFan. Emerald Shield Media LLC. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  21. ^ "1999 Top 100 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The Magic Box. Archived from the original on August 1, 2012. Retrieved December 13, 2008.
  22. ^ "Nintendo GBA Japanese Ranking". Japan-Game Charts. July 8, 2008. Archived from the original on December 30, 2008. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  23. ^ Chinn, Marty (June 23, 2000). "Famitsu Top 120 PlayStation games". Gaming-Age. Archived from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  24. ^ Cole, Michael (December 15, 2001). "Famitsu GBA Reviews". Nintendo World Report. NINWR, LLC. Archived from the original on June 10, 2019. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  25. ^ IGN staff (November 20, 2000). "Famitsu Weekly PlayStation Top 100". IGN. Ziff Davis. Archived from the original on May 10, 2015. Retrieved May 28, 2016.
  26. ^ Kanzaki, Sumire; Sensei Phoenix; Uzuki, Citan (2001). "Enix Interview With John Laurence". RPGFan. Archived from the original on May 18, 2008. Retrieved January 11, 2009.
  27. ^ Lopez, Azario (February 21, 2024). "Spike Chunsoft Says to Ask Square Enix About Reviving Dragon Quest Dungeon Crawler Spinoff: Torneko: The Last Hope". Noisy Pixel. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved March 31, 2024. Shiren project manager Hideyuki Shinozaki replied, "I can't say if that is possible or not. Please ask Square Enix if you have a chance." And while it isn't a straight yes or no, it's not a "Never going to happen."
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