Game Classification

Wisprad is a small universe that consists of only a few star systems. Hundreds of years ago, light-speed travel was invented, allowing the inhabitants of different star systems to navigate spaceships and establish contact with other. However, political tensions have since increased, each of the systems uniting into a centralized state trying to gain dominance over others.

A young man named Sion Asmarn lives in the town of Cosma on the planet Homu together with his father, a famous explorer. One day, a huge meteorite falls on the planet. Sion's father goes to investigate it together with the physicist Mamon Penrose. Sion and his girlfriend Shoko, Mamon's daughter, venture into the canyon where the meteorite has fallen, only to witness Mamon, apparently possessed by a mysterious force, killing Sion's father and escaping. Determined to get to the bottom of this terrible affair, the two embark on a journey that takes them to different corners of the universe.

Alshark is a Japanese-style sci-fi role-playing game with several distinguishing features. The player controls a party of up to five characters, exploring a vast world consisting of several solar systems, each with its own planets and space stations. Navigation in space is done with the help of the space ship Atlia, which can be equipped with various weapons, engines and frames. From time to time the player will engage in space combat against enemy ships, earning scrap that can be converted into money.

The bulk of the exploration, however, takes place on planet surfaces, which the party can explore on foot or in vehicles such as buggies, tanks or hovercrafts. Enemies appear randomly; combat is turn-based and is viewed from the same overhead perspective as the exploration. Characters can equip futuristic melee weapons as well as a variety of firearms. A "party talk" feature is available, with the characters being able to consult each other at any time. The game is also notable for allowing the characters to level up beyond the customary cap of 100.

The Sega CD version has new anime-style cutscenes and audio music tracks. The PC Engine (TurboGrafx) CD version has a re-worked interface with full-screen navigation, as well as additional cutscenes and voice-overs. [source:mobygames]

Distribution : Retail - Commercial
Platform(s) : NEC PC-9801 - Mega-CD / Sega CD - TurboGrafx CD (Turbo CD)

Links

• http://www.mobygames.com/game/alshark/