The Doraemons (video game)
| The Doraemons | |
|---|---|
 Cover art for The Doraemons | |
| Developer(s) | Riverhillsoft |
| Publisher(s) | Shogakukan |
| Designer(s) | Michiaki Tanaka |
| Series | |
| Platform(s) | 3DO |
| Release |
|
| Genre(s) | Role-playing |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
The Doraemons[a], also known as Doraemon Friendship Legends[b] is a 1995 role-playing video game developed by Riverhillsoft and published by Shogakukan for the 3DO. It was released in Japan on April 7, 1995.[1] It is based on the Doraemon manga series (and to a lesser extent, its The Doraemons spin-off).
The game was notable in that it featured the six additional characters that were introduced in the 1995 short film 2112: The Birth of Doraemon, which were six Doraemon-like characters collectively known as The Doraemons. To date, it is the only video game based on the Doraemon series that featured these characters.
Gameplay
[edit]The Doraemons is a turn-based role-playing game. As with most role-playing games, it features an overworld, a battle screen, and menu interfaces. The overworld is displayed as a side-scroller as opposed to the overhead top-down perspective used in most turn-based role-playing games, with some locations being displayed as single-screened areas. The player can navigate the protagonists through different places, and can interact with other characters and objects.
As the game was targeted for children,[2] several elements of the game have been simplified to allow for easier accessibility. The combat system involves gadgets and items from the Doraemon series, which can be acquired in the overworld to be then used in battle. There are six slots for gadgets that can be used in battle, along with one special power slot. The menu interfaces are designed in a way to allow for children to easily access all of the items and gadgets acquired in the game.
Being heavily story-driven, the game features prominent voice acting heard throughout the game. The voice actors of the long-running 1979 series as well as the 1995 short film 2112: The Birth of Doraemon all reprised their roles in the game along with some new ones.
Plot
[edit]The game begins with a backstory of how Doraemon was born, including when he and the other robotic cats were built at the factory where they were manufactured as well as his life during his time at the Robot School where he meets his fellow robotic cats similar to him that would eventually become "The Doraemons", who would later refer to themselves as Dora Dora Seven (DD7) at the time when Doraemon became best friends with them. As shown in the sequences, Doraemon and The Doraemons were kind and friendly with each other during their time in the Robot School, even through the upsides and downsides they have encountered with at the school. This sequence also introduces the six members of The Doraemons in brief, detailing their occupations and nationalities.
Back in the present, Doraemon introduces Nobita Nobi with a special gadget known as the Friendship Card (also known as the Friendship Telecard), which allows one to call out their friends in need. Using the card, Doraemon tries to call his friends, Dora-the-Kid and Wang Dora, from the other side of the world, but no matter how many times he tried, there was no answer. Suddenly, Dorami comes out from Nobita's desk to inform them that the six members of The Doraemons have gone hostile and attacked the factory the robotic cats were manufactured and then leaving to other places around the world, taking several robotic cats with them. She then instructed the two of them to come to the future to see what has happened there. The trio then travel to the future, where they are shocked about the damage caused by the six members of The Doraemons several days prior upon their arrival. In order to regain trust with their former friends, they then head to the professor residing in an undamaged building where he gives them several gadgets that will help them along with their journey, as well as introducing them to the time machine, which allows them to travel through time.
As the two of them go along with their journey, they encounter various obstacles and battles that get in their way. During one part of their journey, they discovered a Statue of Liberty-esque angel that would later play a major role in the game. They eventually came across several members of The Doraemons, who were initially resentful to Doraemon and Nobita. The duo battled three out of the six members of the team who are eventually recruited by Doraemon and Nobita to regain their trust and help them join their team. As they meet several members of The Doraemons, the backstories for some of the members of The Doraemons are then explained. After recruiting the initial three members of the team, they then continue to travel through time and space to seek out the remaining three members of The Doraemons, where after recruiting and regaining trust to all of the six members of The Doraemons they then head out to the fortress where the evil king resides in.
As Doraemon, Nobita, and The Doraemons make their way to the fortress, several obstacles and enemies appear, with the six members of The Doraemons sacrificing themselves in order for Doraemon and Nobita to reach the evil king. Eventually the duo reached into a big room where the evil king resides, and the evil king is revealed to be a robotic cat similar to Doraemon himself, who refers to himself as "Big-the-Dora". The duo then battled against him, and as a last-ditch effort, Doraemon sacrifices himself by attempting to headbutt Big during the process. After Doraemon's failed attempt to defeat Big, Big explained his backstory to Nobita where he was ridiculed by other people and several robotic cats due to his unusual appearance, including how he became a king. With the help of the spiritual guidance's of Doraemon and The Doraemons, Nobita uses the power of The Doraemons and Doraemon to take down Big in the final battle.
After defeating Big, Nobita tries to revive Doraemon but with no success. Just when all hope was lost, the same angel Doraemon and Nobita encountered earlier on in the game appeared alongside the fallen bodies of the six members of The Doraemons. With the help of the angel, Nobita revives Doraemon and The Doraemons. After being revived by Nobita and the angel, the whole team pulled out their Friendship Cards together while Nobita was given one as a gift for helping the team.
The post-credits scene features a selection of characters that have appeared during the game along with Doraemon and Nobita, which is then followed by another sequence featuring all of the six members of The Doraemons (including Doraemon himself), each demonstrating their abilities and their way of enjoying dorayaki.
Development
[edit]The game prominently features six characters based on Doraemon, each with their own unique personalities, abilities and nationalities. These six characters are colloquially known as The Doraemons. They first appeared in the 1995 short film 2112: The Birth of Doraemon, which was released roughly one month before the release of the game. Some of the music featured in the game originates from a 1994 Doraemon musical entitled Doraemon Musical: Nobita's Dinosaur.
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Next Generation |   [2] |
Due to its target audience and obscurity, The Doraemons received mediocre reviews from critics. Next Generation gave it a 1 star out of 5 in their review of the game, stating that "if you're more than seven or eight years old, the game is generally uninvolving."[2]
Legacy
[edit]Michiaki Tanaka, who was the story and character designer of the game, created a manga adaptation of the game that was released two weeks after the release of the game on April 20, 1995. It serves as a strategy guide for the game along with some extras. He would then later on create a manga series based on the six Doraemon-like characters featured in this game (as well as the 1995 short film, where they first appeared), which were released in six tankōbon volumes from December 16, 1995 to March 28, 2001. An adaptation of the game's events was also featured in the manga series.
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Doraemons: Yūjō Densetsu (Game)". Giant Bomb. Archived from the original on 2019-02-19. Retrieved 2019-02-18.
- ^ a b c "Finals". Next Generation. No. 7. Imagine Media. July 1995. p. 67.