Magical Chase
マジカルチェイス1991Magical Chase
マジカルチェイスApprentice witch Ripple reseals six demons she set loose.
Magical Chase is a horizontal shooter about Ripple, an apprentice witch. She opens a book called Sleeping Demons, which frees six demons. The team at Quest later became known for Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy Tactics.
| RELEASED IN JAPAN | 15 November 1991 |
|---|---|
| RELEASED IN NORTH AMERICA | 1993, by Turbo Technologies |
| DEVELOPED BY | Quest Corporation |
| PUBLISHED IN JAPAN BY | Palsoft |
| LATER PORTS | Windows in 1998, Game Boy Color in 2000 |
Ripple flies through six stages, called seals, each with a mid-boss and a boss. Two stars orbit her and fire in any direction she chooses. They also block small enemy bullets.
Enemies drop crystals, which serve as money for the shops. A pumpkin-headed vendor, Halloween Jack, runs floating shops during the stages.
The shops sell nine magic attacks, from rapid shots to homing and bubble shots. They also sell healing and power-up items. Lollipops and cakes restore health.
There are three difficulty levels. The easiest ends after stage three, and the hardest has stronger enemy attacks.
Ripple is a mischievous apprentice at a magic school. Her teacher tells her to stay behind, but she opens the book anyway.
Her teacher would turn her into a frog for disobeying, so she sets out to return the demons.
The team wanted a shooter unlike others of its time. Production took a long time, because they wanted to push the PC Engine.
The North American version has redrawn sprites and a different first stage.
Critics praised the graphics and music, and they noted the lack of slowdown. Some found the star controls frustrating, and the game was short.
Palsoft's Japanese release sold out on the day it came out. The North American release has become one of the most expensive TurboGrafx-16 games.
The game was Palsoft's first PC Engine title. The North American release is counted among the rarest TurboGrafx-16 titles.
- Hitoshi Sakimoto's first PC Engine work came on this game.
- Sakimoto wrote his own sound driver to test what the hardware could do.
- The Game Boy Color version changes the shop vendor to a girl.
- The 1993 Fan Edition was sold by mail only, in a white case with a PC Engine Fan sticker.
World-of-Longplays on YouTube
World-of-Longplays on YouTube
spida1a on YouTube