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The Tower of Druaga

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The Tower of Druaga
Arcade Flyer
The Arcade Flyer. The pictures on the
Developer(s) Namco
Publisher(s) Namco
Designer(s) Masanobu Endō (遠藤雅伸) (designer)[1]
Yūichirō Shinozaki (篠崎雄一郎) (character designer)
Satoshi Naitō (内藤智) (game programmer)
Composer(s) Junko Ozawa (小沢純子)[2]
Platform(s) Arcade, MSX, Famicom, Game Boy, Sharp X68000, PC Engine, Virtual Console
Release date(s) 1984
Virtual Console (Famicom)
JP September 27, 2007
Virtual Console Arcade
JP May 12, 2009
NA March 25, 2009
PAL March 25, 2009
Genre(s) Maze
Mode(s) Up to 2 players, alternating turns
Rating(s) CERO: A
ESRB: E
PEGI: 3+
Input methods 4-way joystick; button
Cabinet Upright, cabaret, and cocktail
Arcade system Namco Super Pac-Man
CPU 2x M6809 @ 1.536 MHz

The Tower of Druaga (ドルアーガの塔Doruāga no Tō) is the name of an arcade game released by Namco in 1984.

The game runs on Namco Super Pac-Man hardware but with a video system like that used in Mappy. It was later ported to the MSX, Famicom and remade for the PC Engine platform by Game Studio. Its first appearance outside Japan was in the third compilation of the Namco Museum series for the PlayStation and also appears on the Nintendo DS and Xbox 360 version of said series.

Originally the game and its sequels had no specific setting other than "the tower". However, in recent years, the series has been retconned as being set in the fantasy kingdom of "Babylim".

A 2008 anime series (beginning with The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis of Uruk) uses the game as its back story, though is set many decades later.

Contents

[edit] Gameplay

Screenshot of the arcade version on Floor 2 with one life lost, and equipped with Jetboots.

The player assumes the role of the hero Gilgamesh, whose goal is to rescue the maiden Ki (カイ Kai?) from the demon Druaga. In order to do this, he must traverse through 60 floors of an immense tower. Gilgamesh comes equipped with a sword, which he can use to defeat monsters, and a shield, which can be used to block magical attacks. The monsters get progressively more difficult as the game progresses, beginning with simple slimes and culminating with Druaga himself. Each floor consists of a maze filled with monsters, and a randomly placed locked door leading to the next level. The player must navigate through the maze in order to find a randomly placed key that unlocks the door. In addition, each floor contains a hidden treasure, which appears once the player has performed a specific requirement. The player's starting position is also randomly determined, however the hidden treasure always appears in the same position the player starts from when revealed. The mazes themselves are not random, but there are various predetermined patterns. Some of the treasures are merely helpful items, some are detrimental, and some are essential to completing the game including the Blue Crystal Rod, the game's most important item; without it, Druaga will not appear and the player will be forced to return to an earlier floor.

The regular enemies are slimes, magicians, ghosts, knights, lizard men, ropers (which look like huge blobs with tentacles), and Quox ("Quokks" in the anime), a dragon like monster.

In the third Namco Museum game, there is a small handbook explaining how to get the treasures. There is also a hidden version far more difficult than the regular. The treasures (save the first one) are all alternated in how to get. In the museum's library, there are three books containing illustrations of the game's characters. The Namco Museum DS version does not have a physical handbook, but the actual game does feature a "hint mode" for getting the treasures.

On some early releases of the arcade version there is a glitch that makes the last level unbeatable.

[edit] Characters

[edit] Gilgamesh

Gilgamesh (ギルガメッシュ Girugamesshu?), also known as Gil, the destined hero of this game. He has been charged by the goddess Ishtar to ascend the Tower of Druaga and rescue the maiden Ki from the demon Druaga. Not only must Gil use his sword and shield to navigate through the labyrinthine floors of the tower, he must use his wit and memory to reveal the locations of the treasures contained on each floor, some of which are absolutely necessary for Gil's success. Gil is patterned after the Gilgamesh of Sumerian legend. Gil was also absent in The Quest of Ki.

[edit] Ki

Ki (カイ Kai?) a priestess in her own right. She has unfortunately been captured and rendered powerless by the demon Druaga turning her into a stone. In order to lure the greatest warrior in Ishtar's realm into his trap, Ki goes on to be a tremendous asset in Gil's future adventures, but first she must be rescued from Druaga's grasp.

[edit] Ishtar

Ishtar (イシター Ishitā?), based on the goddess of love by the same name, assigns Ki to retrieve the Blue Crystal Rod. She is unable to meddle directly in the affairs of mortals on earth, can only sit by helplessly and watch as Gil answers her call to service. Once she charges Gil with her instructions, the rest is in Gil's hands. But Ishtar will return to aid the reunited duo another time. After Ki is captured, Ishtar tells Gil to save Ki. In the PC engine remake, she gives hints to the player about retrieving the treasures. Despite her kind and compassionate behavior in the earlier games, Ishtar was portrayed as bossy and harsh in The Nightmare of Druaga.

[edit] Druaga

Druaga (ドルアーガ Doruāga?) is the demon that resides in the tower that is called the Tower of Druaga. He is portrayed as a huge, green monster with eight arms, four legs, and yellow eyes. He will eventually be defeated by Gil. He has hidden the Blue Crystal Rod and kidnapped Ki in order to lure Ishtar's greatest instruments of good into his trap so he can dispose of them forever, and lay claim to the world. In order for Druaga's plan to succeed, Gil must die. Should Gil survive the climb through all 60 monster ridden floors of the tower, he must face Druaga himself. Without the proper equipment and enhancements, Gil will be no match for Druaga's brutal destructive strength.

[edit] Ports

[edit] Sequels

Several sequels were later made, further chronicling the feats of Gilgamesh and Ki. These were

The sequels were not as successful as the first game, although Return of Ishtar came very close.

In Japan this series is known as the "Babylonian Castle Saga" [1]

[edit] The Return of Ishtar

It picks up where Tower of Druaga left off, and was released on the fourth Namco Museum game. The player controls two characters: Ki as well as Gilgamesh. It can also be noted in this game that Ki is a magician, not a damsel in distress like many people believe. The tower now has a few different ways to exit, and the aggregate total of levels is 128 (covering the 60-floor tower).

In the fourth Namco Museum game, you control Ki with the directional pad and Gilgamesh with the buttons. Because the latter draws his sword whenever an enemy is near, it is recommended by most that you mainly control Ki. There is also a small handbook included which shows you passwords and floor maps that make it easier to win.

[edit] The Quest of Ki

It is basically a prequel to Tower of Druaga. See The Quest of Ki article for more explanation.

[edit] The Destiny of Gilgamesh

Also known as "The Blue Crystal Rod", it is the least well-known of the sequels. This game picks up where Return of Ishtar left off and is the final game in the Tower of Druaga series, according to Namco.

[edit] The Nightmare of Druaga

Main article: The Nightmare of Druaga

This game is set three years after the original Tower of Druaga tetrology. In it, Ki and Gilgamesh are about to be married, however, Ki is kidnapped by an evil sorceress, Skulld. The game is known for its unforgiving difficulty, as death in the game results in losing all your items and half your gold, and its harsh penalty for resetting. Should a player reset the game, they will be greeted by Ishtar, who will scold them for "meddling with the flow of time".

Nightmare was not made by Namco, but by two other companies called Arika and ChunSoft. It was far less successful than the prior games, and was even given a low rating in a video game magazine. This game is the fifth in the "Druaga series" (not counting "Drururuaga"), and the eighth in the aforementioned Mysterious Dungeon series.

[edit] Seme COM Dungeon: Drururuaga

This game is placed about 100 years after the original Druaga timeline and stars Gilsh, a descendant of Gilgamesh. Gameplay is best described as a dungeon-building capture the flag with collectible cards. Use cards to equip your character with weapons and spells, and to populate your dungeon with monsters. Then battle against an opponent and his dungeon (AI or link cable). Enter the opponent's dungeon via linked teleporters, find the three keys to unlock the crystal, and return it to your home base before he does the same. Success yields additional cards. Each item or monster is highly specialized, allowing for different strategic combos. Features many Namco cameos, such as Soul Calibur's Nightmare, the sword Soul Edge, Valkyrie, Pac-Man, and even the enemies from Dig Dug.

[edit] Druaga Online: The Story of Aon

This game is set outside the main chronology of the series, and borrows characters from Namco's Valkyrie series. Gameplay is similar to The Return of Ishtar, only four players may play at the same time; each controlling one of the four available characters: Gil, a young version of Ki, Valkyrie, or an ancient golem named Xeovalga. Players also earn gold from killing enemies that can be used to upgrade equipment.

[edit] The Tower of Druaga: the Recovery of BABYLIM

This game is an MMORPG developed as part of the Tower of Druaga "Animation x Online RPG" project which also includes the anime series The Tower of Druaga: the Aegis of Uruk.

[edit] Remake

The game was remade for the PC Engine in 1992. The game sports new graphics, a password feature, difficulty levels (easy, normal, hard and pro). The levels themselves are completely different, the conditions to get the secret treasures are changed, some treasures have been removed and some have been added, there are new enemies. You also have an item screen where you can use the collected items and equip armor. At the end of each level you get ability points which you can use to raise your speed, sword speed, Pickax uses and more.

[edit] References in Other Video Games

  • The series has been often referenced in other Namco games.
    • In Tales of Phantasia much of the equipment used by Gilgamesh could be obtained.
    • Tales of Destiny contained an optional dungeon based directly off of the original Tower of Druaga (but with different treasures).
    • In Tales of Symphonia, the equipment used by Gilgamesh could be obtained, and the character Zelos could gain a special title by wearing it.
    • Tales of the World: Narikiri Dungeon 3 also contains a variation of the dungeon. The game also contains costumes for Gilgamesh, Ki and Druaga which allows the heroes to become them in battle, and wearing the Gilgamesh costume is necessary to access the dungeon in the first place.
    • In Tales of Legendia, one of the "Rare Monsters" that you can find and battle is the Quox, the dragon enemies from the Druaga games.
    • Mr. Driller: Drill Land has 5 worlds, one of which is called Hole of Druaga featuring the standard Mr Driller mode with RPG elements.
    • Mr. Driller Ace featured two levels named after Druaga characters: the "Druaga Ruins" and the "Quox Ruins".
    • Gilgamesh and Ki appear as playable characters in the Wonderswan Color game Namco Super Wars
    • Several characters from the series appear in Namco x Capcom, and the eponymous tower is a major location in the game.
    • In Baten Kaitos: Eternal Wings and the Lost Ocean, the Tower of Druaga makes an appearance as a puzzle in Mira, complete with slimes and tools. Baten Kaitos also contains some of Gilgamesh's equipment as obtainable items.
    • Japanese gamers that pre-ordered Baten Kaitos also got a bonus disc containing the Famicom version of the original Tower of Druaga.
    • In Soul Calibur II, one of Sophitia's alternate costumes was based on Ki's design. In addition, one of her weapon sets was the Blue Crystal Rod and Blue Line Shield, equipment formerly used by Ki and Gil, respectively. The Red Crystal Rod and Red Line Shield are also available as bonus weapons for Cassandra.
    • The song "Taiko March" in the game Taiko: Drum Master includes music from several Namco games, including the Tower of Druaga. This song (game start and game over theme) appears much later in the DS version. Taiko March now appears in the Wii version
    • Ki makes a cameo in the action RPG game Klonoa Heroes: Legend of the Star Medal as a NPC character you can speak to when arriving into a town.
    • In Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation, Quox is the name of one of the Emmerian battalions which you encounter and assist during some missions.
    • All Ridge Racer Series game using name "Druaga" as one of their car brand
  • An anime series titled "Druaga no Tō ~the Aegis of URUK~" (The Tower of Druaga: The Aegis Of Uruk) premiered on April 5, 2008 with simultaneous streaming on You Tube, Crunchyroll and Bost TV. The series is set 60 years after the events of the original arcade game (and by extension, its sequels) and features an all new story, with a new cast of characters (although Gil now appears as an elderly king; Ki first appeared in a flashback, and later appears as a "ghost of the tower").
  • There are 2 other remakes of the arcade version; "Another Tower", and the "Darkness Tower". Both are unique to different consoles. Another Tower was released for several different consoles. However the Darkness Tower was only released on Namco Museum Vol.3 via a secret code.
  • There is a Japanese amusement park attraction based on the game. [2]

[edit] References

  1. ^ GameCenter CX - 2nd Season, Episode 13. Retrieved on 2009-04-04
  2. ^ 『ドルアーガ』の塔シリーズとは？
  3. ^ "Druaga no Tō ~the Recovery of BABYLIM~". http://druaga-mmo.com. 

[edit] External links

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