Until now, very sparse information concerning this game's story has been available in English. The most knowledgeable
English speaker, perhaps, is Ritchie. Yes, we're talking about that amazing FAQ/Walkthrough writer, Ritchie, who is also a key
member of our
Burning Heroes team. Ritchie just happened to write the FAQ for
Silva Saga-II, and this is what
he had to say:
"The sequel to the Famicom version RPG [in which] the mercenary system was popular. You [play] the soldier of light who
travels on a journey to defeat the Devil [and fulfill the legend] of Minelavaton Field where light and darkness fight [to
decide the fate of the world]. [Silva Saga-II features] a peculiar system [in which a gamer] combines and organizes up
to 12 mercenaries or deity statues."
Since we started putting together a working patch, a fuller picture is emerging.
The story: Having been soundly beaten by the Zuhl while traveling from parts unknown, our hero is suffering from amnesia as he
awakens at Nina's cottage in the Village of Beta. Regardless, he is determined to keep fighting the evil Zuhl demons, an enemy
that has plagued the world throughout recorded history. All our hapless warrior recalls is his name and the fact he must find
the current Light Warrior, the only person on the planet who has been blessed by the gods to serve as the ultimate protector
against a final Zuhl victory.
Using up to three teams that may contain as many as four members each, the hero will fight battles using his own party, a
Mercenary team, and an Idol team (statuettes or figurines with the elemental energy of the gods stored inside). A player may switch
between these team types in the middle of battles, allowing a weaker team to jump in at the very end and cherry-pick all of
the EXP (experience points)!
In Magic Guilds, Idols may be combined to create stronger and more advanced fighting units. All types of
fighters gain levels. This means Idol fighters function much the same as people fighters. Although at first, selecting
Idols for a battle round seemed a bit like using items, the difference was this. An item such as a Thunder Sword
that casts the Lightning spell (just to pick an example that has been used in other games) normally does not
increase in levels, experience, potency, and attributes (such as defense and luck) - not in the same manner that organic
and robotic fighters do in a typical game.
However, compared to people fighters, Idols have limitations. For example, Idols cannot be armed with weapons and armor.
In addition, Idols fight only with magic, but they do enjoy one significant advantage over people. Idols appear
to be immune to many if not all of the enemy's magic spells. Therefore, selecting a Idol team to oppose a particular foe
that uses strong offensive magic may turn out to be an effective strategy.
Meanwhile, Mercenaries wield only weapons, while the hero's party is capable of fighting with either equipped weapons or
learned magic. During and in between battles, the hero's party may be healed, bolstered, and cured of status ailments
(such as "Poisoned"). On the other hand, Mercenaries and Idols do not appear to be "fixable" during battle
(must check on this). However, in some and maybe even all cases, Idols and Mercenaries seem to regenerate HP and MP after
battle, completely and automatically. We still have much to learn concerning battle and fighter paramenters in Silva Saga-II.
As of February 2011, translations are by Akujin and Wildbill (the latter of whom is quite slow but having decent success
with some types of files). Early formatting - along with English localization work - is also by Wildbill. Bongo` has provided
quick turnarounds with early debugging; thus, the first chapter is already in beta testing with Red Soul. In due course, the
entire D-D team and possibly some contributing translators should hasten the completion of this excellent RPG that reminds some
of us of the middle sub-series in Enix's "Dragon Quest" trilogy!
By mid February 2011, file translations stood at about three-fourths completed. Refinements in the insertion system, story,
shops, battle engine, and other game support features brought our in-house working patch to a V0.85 (Alpha) -
in other words - nearing the stretch run to beta polishing.
By March 1, 2011, Draken will have assumed full production duties for this game. Shiva Indis, a skilled Japanese translator,
has joined the team and will process the remaining 25% of the game's script files, somewhere in the neighborhood of a gross
size of 300 kb. The subject matter consists primarily of scenario dialogue, townspeople interactions, shop transactions,
and search strings. A few files may pertain to small sidequests that add flavor to the culture of the game.
The video below does not depict the final form of the game's beginning story. As necessary, we are making slight adjustments
to not only the tale itself but the game's support system. Once patched, this game will function on real hardware. The BSNES
emulator is recommended, but both ZSNES and SNES9x appear to handle Silva Saga-II(e) V0.75
Alpha adequately. Further emulator compatability testing, also by Red Soul, continues.
