Record of Lodoss War Chronicle, a collection of classic RPGs based on Ryo Mizuno’s fantasy series — will shake fans to their core! Japanese game publisher, D4 Enterprise, released a trailer showcasing select titles from the series via their Project EGG channel on July 29, 2022.
Furthermore, they announced the official release date for the collection. It will hit Japanese Windows PCs on August 31, 2022, but only customers that already pre-ordered before May 2022 will receive their games on that date.
Those that missed the first wave of pre-orders need not despair, as the second wave of pre-orders is currently underway. Eager fans can place their orders at D4 Enterprise’s dedicated shopping portal, AC Mall. The cost comes to 11,000 yen (approximately $82), and the second shipment will arrive after September 2022.
What games can fans play once their package arrives?
The collection mainly focuses on the earlier titles of the series. And these came out on classic home computers and PCs popular in Japan during the late ’80s and early ’90s, such as the MSX2, NEC PC-9801, and Sharp X68000. But a few later titles came out on the Nintendo Super Famicom console, better known as the Super NES in western territories.
Here’s the list of titles and their respective systems:
- Record of Lodoss War – The Grey Witch (MSX2, NEC PC-9801, Sharp X68000)
- Record of Lodoss War II – The Five Colored Magical Dragon (PC-9801, Sharp X68000)
- Fukujinzuke (MSX2, NEC PC- 9801, Sharp X68000)
- Fukujinzuke 2 (NEC PC-9801)
- Fukujinzuke 3 (NEC PC-9801)
- Fukujinzuke 3 (NEC PC-9801)
- Record of Lodoss War (Super Famicom)
- Sword World PC (NEC PC-9801)
- Sword World SFC (Super Famicom)
- Sword World SFC2 (Super Famicom)
How did the Record of Lodoss War series begin?
It reportedly started as a series of replay articles describing the tabletop roleplaying game (TRPG) sessions by Group SNE and based on Dungeons & Dragons. These articles first appeared in 1986 in the popular Japanese computer magazine — Comptiq — published by Kadokawa Shoten.
The captivating characters and rich fantasy world portrayed in these articles proved popular with readers. So, the dungeon master, Ryo Mizuno, adapted these session transcripts into a series of high fantasy novels from 1988 onwards.
And the growing popularity of the RPG Replay Record of Lodoss War paperbacks launched many spinoffs, such as several anime series, manga, games, drama CDs, and an MMORPG, to name a few. And in 2021, the well-received Record of Lodoss War: Deedlit in Wonder Labyrinth made its way to all modern platforms, boasting impressive 2D graphics and a Metroidvania-style adventure.
While the games in this collection are dated and won’t impress anyone accustomed to JRPGs such as STAR OCEAN THE DIVINE FORCE or Xenoblade Chronicles 3, they will appeal to collectors, retro gamers, and series fans. Now, if only D4 Enterprise would be kind enough to release an English localization, it would help expose the series to many more fans!