Initial release date 21 December 2000 Developer Nippon Ichi Software Genre Role-playing video game | Mode(s) Single player Publisher Nippon Ichi Software | |
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Similar Nippon Ichi Software games, Role-playing video games | ||
Tenshi no Present: Marl Ōkoku Monogatari (天使のプレゼント マール王国物語) is a Japanese 2000 role-playing video game from Nippon Ichi. This is the first Marl Kingdom game for the PlayStation 2. Unlike the previous games in the series, this game was only released once, although a special limited edition version of the game was released concurrently.
Contents
Instead of the 2D graphics of the other Marl games, Tenshi no Present uses 3D backgrounds. However, the character sprites themselves are kept 2D, much like many other Nippon Ichi games released afterwards.
Story
Tenshi no Present, unlike the earlier games in the series, consists of six separate chapters, each of which features different characters from the Marl Kingdom series. The chapters take place in various times before or after the stories of Rhapsody and Little Princess. These chapters often address unanswered questions from the earlier games, or provide additional insight into the characters.
Chapters
Gameplay
Tenshi no Present is a typical RPG, complete with experience points, parties of characters, and spell casting. In each chapter, the player guides different characters through their adventure, engaging in several battles along the way.
Battle
The battle system is completely different from earlier Marl games. The player's party consists of up to 12 characters divided into rows of 4. The player can only have direct control of the row leaders. The other characters in each row, called "partners," cannot normally be controlled and attack randomly. The only characters that can be controlled even when they are not in the front row are puppets, and they can only be controlled by Cornet, Cello, Kururu or Cherie.
The party consists of humans, puppet users, puppets and monsters. Each character, when acting as a partner, will raise or lower the statistics of the row leader. Depending on party organization, special attacks can be unlocked for the row leader.
Instead of paying for spells like in Little Princess, the characters use SP for spell casting.
Legacy
Along with Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and Little Princess: Marl Ōkoku no Ningyō Hime 2, this game is part of the Marl Kingdom series created by Nippon Ichi. It is also the prequel to the later Nippon Ichi game La Pucelle: Tactics. Although released on a different system with a new battle system, Tenshi no Present maintains many of the themes of the previous games. The graphics remain bright and colorful, but backgrounds are now in 3D.
There is an active forum on NIS America requesting Marl Ōkoku no Ningyō Hime 2 and Tenshi no Present - Marl Oukoku Monogatari on the NIS request forum. It is believed that with enough support the games will be licensed, but NIS Americas response is currently unknown.
Soundtrack
A soundtrack of the game's song was released on February 21, 2001. Like the other Marl games, the music was composed by Tenpei Sato.
Tracks:
- Girls, to Arms
- Orange Village
- Baby Bird
- Dreaming Cat
- Because We Will Always be Together
- Overture
- Sabato
- Dream Traveler
- I am a Cat that Lives for Love
- Called by the Darkness
- One Day, We Will Meet
- Boy on the Ring
- A World Made Just for Us
- Eringa Valley
- I Don't Believe in Unrequited Love
- Closed Space
- Cubist Freezer
- Miss Marl's Kingdom Contest
- Who's Crying Now?
- The War-Maiden Smiles
- Footsteps of Terror
- Emergency
- Arabian Beast - The Great and Terrible Wizard King
- Thank You