The Battle of Olympus
| The Battle of Olympus | |
|---|---|
 NES cover art | |
| Developer(s) |
Infinity Radical Entertainment (Game Boy) |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Designer(s) | Yukio Horimoto[1] |
| Programmer(s) | Yukio Horimoto[1] |
| Artist(s) | Reiko Oshida[1] |
| Writer(s) | Reiko Oshida[1] |
| Composer(s) | Kazuo Sawa[1] |
| Platform(s) | NES, Game Boy |
| Release date(s) |
NES: Game Boy:
|
| Genre(s) | Action-adventure |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Battle of Olympus, originally released in Japan as Olympus no Tatakai (オリュンポスの戦い),[lower-alpha 1] is a 1988 side-scrolling historical action-adventure video game for the Nintendo Entertainment System developed by Infinity, and published by Imagineer in Japan, by Brøderbund in North America and by Nintendo in Europe. It was the first game from Infinity,[2] and was designed and programmed by the company's president.[1]
There's also a 1993 Game Boy port of the same game that was published by Imagineer exclusively for the European market. Despite its strong resemblance to the NES original, Infinity had no involvement in that version and was instead ported by the Canadian developer Radical Entertainment. [1]
Summary
In many ways similar to the earlier Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, The Battle of Olympus takes place in an ancient Greece which is being terrorized by Hades, the dark ruler of the underworld.[3]
Helene, the girlfriend of Orpheus, is kidnapped by Hades who is holding her captive.[3] A top-down map of Greece shows various dungeons and ancient Greek city-states for the player to visit on his journey.[3] Swords, shields, and crystals help to provide offensive power and defensive strength for the player.[3] Three fragments of love are there to remind Orpheus of his girlfriend Helene.[3] Hades rules his dominion in Tartarus, where his strongest minions live alongside him.[3]
During his adventure, Orpheus needs to meet the Greek gods and gain their favor, starting with Zeus, the leader of the Olympian gods, who encourages the other gods to grant Orpheus powers. These powers are in the form of a weapon, a shield, and other special equipment, among them a harp, which summons Pegasus to carry Orpheus to far locations. As the game progresses, players are exposed to various forms of upgraded weaponry. The player starts off with a basic wooden club. The player later obtains items such as the Staff of Fennel (also known as a thyrsus, which is able to project a fireball), Nymph's Sword, and the Divine Sword (able to project a lightning bolt).
The game features encounters with mythological creatures such as the Taurus, Lamia, Cyclops, Centaur, Talos, Minotaur, Medusa, Cerberus, Stymphalian Birds, Nemean Lion, and also a Siren. Players must fight their way deep into the underworld, fight and defeat Hades, and finally save Helene. Several items depicted in the Greek mythology are acquired, such as the Harp of Apollo, the Sword of Hephaestus, the Staff of Prometheus, and the Sandals of Hermes.
Reception
The game was a commercial failure, and consequently it was Infinity's last game based on an original property.[1]
Notes
- ↑ Packaging material adds the subtitle of Ai no Densetsu (愛の伝説 lit. "The Legend of Love"), which does not appear in the game.
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Parish, Jeremy (6 November 2015). "Legend of Love: The Making of The Battle of Olympus". USgamer. Gamer Network. Archived from the original on 8 November 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
- ↑ http://www.infinity-soft.co.jp/work2.html
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 The Battle of Olympus (Game Boy) game overview at MobyGames