Recently I discovered a version of Might and Magic 1 : Secret of the Inner Sanctum that was made for the NEC PC-Engine console (known as Turbografx in the US) This version of MM1 was released in 1991 for the Super CD (a Cd-Rom add-on for the PC-Engine). Unfortunately it was released in Japan (and in japanese) only...
Not only the graphics of the game were entirely remade, but it also featured a lot of changes from the original title :
• Character Design by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, a renowned japanese artist who is best known for his work on a movie called "Arion". So Ubisoft was not the first company to try to link a famous cartoonist to the Might and Magic name.
• CD quality music apparently composed by none other than Joe Hisaishi (composer of Hayao Miyazaki films scores ! Well the music he did for MM1 is cheap 80s muzak, but still better than PC Speaker...)
• Voices ! The game is "full talkie" (in japanese)
• A whole introduction sequence telling you about the Ancients and the creation of Varn, and how the adventurers find themselves in Sorpigal in the beginning of the game (More on that later)
• In this version you don't create your team but must use the pregenerated characters : Amuru Norzan the Paladin, Lance Worker (!) the Knight, Lia the Archer, Asura Frost the Wizard, Walt Warren the Robber and Doga Elas the Cleric.
The full packaging
Box art by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko
Manual cover
Characters, from left to right : Amuru Norzan, Lance Worker, Lia
Characters, from top to bottom : Asura Frost, Walt Warren, Doga Elas
The good old map of Varn, with japanese names for key locations
Some pictures of the game itself :
Intro sequence :
The story of the Ancients. How they tamed the raging elements to create the lands of Varn...
The characters : Walt Warren, Lia, Asura and Doga
Lance Worker and Main Title
Amuru Norzan arrives on boat
Unfortunately, some nasty centaurs attack the boat. "You stupid fanboys, I'll teach you once and for all what 'manga look' really means !"
Asura Frost finds the unconscious Amuru and brings him to Sorpigal (whar can't I help thinking about MM6 and Falagar taking the heroes to New Sorpigal to escape the demons ?)
The actual game :
Exploring Sorpigal and meeting the cute innkeeper and the blacksmith.
It's too early to go outside so let's keep on exploring the town and fighting some goblins.
Fighting snakes (on a plane ?), gathering rumours at the tavern, and examining a statue of a blue dragon
Fighting skeletons (nice scythe, man !) and venturing in the wilderness.
And just for fun, a little comparison between the PC-Engine version of MM1 and the DOS version : this is the same monster...
