| Dynasty Wars | |
|---|---|
 Arcade flyer | |
| Developer(s) | Capcom |
| Publisher(s) | Capcom |
| Producer(s) | Yoshiki Okamoto |
| Designer(s) | Noritaka Funamizu S. Sato Kenji Kataoka |
| Programmer(s) | Y Mutsunobu M Kobayashi Yuzo Tsunazaki |
| Artist(s) | Akemi Kurihara Y Tamago Mayumi Tanabe M Matsuura Shinji Sakashita Sayuri Shintani |
| Composer(s) | Manami Matsumae |
| Series | Tenchi wo Kurau |
| Platform(s) | Arcade,ZX Spectrum,Commodore 64,Amstrad CPC,Amiga,Atari ST,PC Engine Super CD-ROM² |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Beat 'em up |
| Mode(s) | Single-player,multiplayer |
| Arcade system | CP System |
Dynasty Wars, released in Japan asTenchi wo Kurau,[a] is a 1989beat-'em-upvideo game developed and published byCapcom forarcades. It is based onHiroshi Motomiya'smanga seriesTenchi wo Kurau and a reenactment of the battle between the Kingdom of Shu and theYellow Turban rebels. Each of the two players can assume the roles of one of the four Chinese generals riding on horseback from theThree Kingdoms period in an attempt to smash the rebellion. A sequel,Warriors of Fate, was released in 1992.
The players' goal is to wipe out theHuang Ching, the organization responsible for the unrest of the Han dynasty and later defeat the tyrantDong Zhuo, and up to two players can fight side by side to accomplish this goal. This game always scrolls to the right. Players must be able to survive the rebel hordes to reach and kill the rebel general in each stage to free the province.
Players can use three buttons: to attack left, attack right, or use special tactics. In the arcade version, inserting more coins and pressing START increases the maximum life of the player. Completing stages and anexperience point system in the form yellow orbs allows the player to level-up, gaining more vitality and stronger weapons. These weapons are upgraded for every 3rd blue orb collected. In-game treasure increases player score, and food packs replenish vitality.
There are 4 selectable characters, each with their own varying amounts of attack power and initial vitality. Aside from unique weaponry, each character also has a unique partner character during a certain special attack. For every 3 blue orbs collected, the player's weapon improves, depending on his current level range.
There are a total of eight stages (called rounds), corresponding a province in reference to the historic battles in the novel.
Home computer versions for theZX Spectrum,Amstrad CPC andCommodore 64 were developed byTiertex and published byU.S. Gold in1990.[2]
NEC Avenue produced aPC Engine Super CD-ROM² version ofTenchi o Kurau, which was released exclusively in Japan in 1994. It adds an extensive intro and in-game cut scenes.
A version for theCapcom Power System Changer was planned and previewed but never released.[3]
A completely different game based on the manga and made by Capcom was released on theNES asDestiny of an Emperor in North America.
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Crash | 44% (ZX)[4] |
| Your Sinclair | 80% (ZX)[5] |
In Japan,Game Machine listedDynasty Wars on their May 15, 1989 issue as being the second most-successful table arcade unit of the month, outperforming titles likeCrack Down andValkyrie no Densetsu.[6]
The ZX Spectrum version was received with mixed reviews;Your Sinclair awarded it 80%, highlighting the detailed graphics and horse-mounted theme of combat.[5]CRASH rated it only 44%, criticizing the monochrome graphics, juddering scrolling and dull gameplay.[4]
Dynasty Wars kicks off with a promising start: a good intro tune and static portraits of the heroes. But from there on boredom is just around the corner.
It's a good conversion of the coin-op, the graphics are ace and the horses are currently the best on the Speccy, but whether or not you'll 'get hitched' to it is another matter. Worth very much more than a passing glance though.