Dragon Slayer (PC-88)

To do:
Differences between the original and LEVEL 2.0 versions of the game.

Dragon Slayer is an Action RPG / Puzzle game for the PC-8801, MSX, Super Cassette Vision, FM-7, X1, Game Boy, FM Towns, and appears with updated graphics in the Falcom Classics Collection on the Saturn. It's considered by many to be one of the first action RPGs and spawned an incredibly large series of loosely connected games under the "Dragon Slayer" title. This article is focused on the LEVEL 2.0 PC-88 version, but since most versions of the game contain the same maps as the original, these messages are likely still viewable in other versions of the game.

Hidden Map Messages#

To do:

Who is the KAZUYA referenced in the Phase B map?
Despite being credited in the game, Takaharu Matsushima's name isn't found on any of the maps.
Checking the other maps for hidden messages or images.
Checking other versions of the game for map changes.
Yoshio Kiya does not appear to credit himself in the game maps.
If you can explain the "Lolita Miyamoto" in-joke better, or are a noted Bertrand Russell enthusiast, your input is very welcome.

A good deal of the maps in the game contain hidden messages or references to the development staff. While it is possible to view a portion of the map using the MAP spell, many of these messages cannot be viewed clearly or completely without compiling screenshots of the map and aligning the map properly.

Phase	Map	Message
1		FALCOM is spelled out in power stones at the bottom-middle of the map. This is mostly viewable in-game.
4		The walls spell out DRAGON SLAYER.
5		The lower left corner spells M.KATO. Masayuki Katō is credited with "Concept Support" for the game.
6		DRAGON SLAYER is visible inside of what appears to be an attempt to draw the logo of the game (?).
8		An arrow pointing to the word TAGUCHI. Susumu Taguchi is credited with "Production Support" on the game.
9		"ニャンニャン" (Nyan Nyan) INOUE!!" Nyan is a Japanese onomatopoeia for the sound a cat makes. Tadanobu Inoue is credited with "Production Support" on the game. This is probably an inside joke between Yoshio Kiya, the designer of the game, and Inoue.
A		"The world grows more and more fierce and fewer and fewer people object to the atrocities committed by their own party. Lolita Miyamoto", along with a star of David. This is actually a quote from British philosopher Bertrand Russell written in a 1929 autobiographical essay titled "How I Came By My Creed", also titled "What I Believe". The quote is then attributed to "Lolita Miyamoto" (Tsuneyuki Miyamoto, Production Support). This is surely some kind of bizarre in-joke. It might be a reference to an anime called "Lolita Anime". Tsuneyuki Miyamoto is listed as one of the staff members. Considering that it is a lolicon hentai it's easy to see why other coworkers would poke fun at it.
B		KAZUYA, presumably someone working at Nihon Falcom. It may be a nickname for Takaharu Matsushima, the only person in Production Support not name-dropped in the game.
C		There is a computer monitor/TV in the middle left.
J		A picture of a dude with a shield in the lower left-hand corner. This might be the player character, but the character looks rather familiar so it may be from another game.

Other Maps#

These are the other maps in the game. They may contain more hidden messages and/or credits.

Phase 2 - It looks like something on the lower quarter.

Phase E - It looks like the UI of another game, but I don't know which. There's also a heart in the lower left.

Phase G - Some of the shapes look like Conway's Game of Life.

Phase K - This looks like the UI of another game.

LOGiN Edition Maps#

To do:

Information on the context of the release of the LOGiN edition (Was it a contest? Was in made in collaboration with Login magazine staff? Tie-in promotion?)

These are maps from the "LOGiN" edition of the game. LOGiN was a Japanese computer enthusiast magazine published by Enterbrain that began in the 1980's.

Phase	Map	Message
1		"LOGIN" is spelled out in the upper left corner of the map. "RENSAI RPG" ("Rensai" is "Serialization" in Japanese, referring to the way these maps were distributed) is spelled out near the bottom.
2		Total nonsense.
3		Level is a recreation of the "Condor" drawing from the Nazca lines in Peru. FALCOM is seen on the bottom.
3		Map aligned to clearly show the bird.
4		Depicts several monsters surrounding a LOGiN block with two massive Dragons down at the bottom.
4		Map aligned correctly.
5		Just a regular level (?).
6		Some rectangle patterns (?) and playing card suits.
6		Map aligned correctly.

v · t · e The Dragon Slayer series
PC-88	Dragon Slayer
MSX	Dragon Slayer IV: DrasleFamily
MSX2	Dragon Slayer IV: DrasleFamily
NES	Legacy of the Wizard • Faxanadu • Romancia
SNES	Dragon Slayer: Eiyuu Densetsu • Lord Monarch
Genesis	Lord Monarch: Tokoton Sentou Densetsu
TurboGrafx CD	Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes • Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu • Kaze no Densetsu Xanadu II