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Gemfire

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Not to be confused with Pivotal GemFire.
Gemfire
North American NES box art[a]
Developer(s)Koei
Publisher(s)Koei
Platform(s)
Release
August 29, 1991
  • NES
    • JP: August 29, 1991
    • NA: March 1992[1]
    PC-88
    • JP: September 27, 1991
    PC-98
    • JP: December 21, 1991
    MSX
    X68000
    • JP: March 27, 1992
    FM Towns
    • JP: May 1992
    Genesis
    SNES
    • JP: October 22, 1992
    • NA: December 1992[4]
    DOS
    Windows
    • JP: August 22, 2003
Genre(s)Turn-based strategy
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Gemfire[b] is a 1991 strategy video game developed and published by Koei for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) and later ported to Japanese home computers, the Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), Sega Genesis, DOS, and Microsoft Windows. The object in the game is to unify a fictional island by force. Players use a variety of units, such as archers, infantry and dragons, in order to capture the castle needed to control that particular territory.

A sequel, Royal Blood II: Chronicles of the Kingdom of Dinar,[c] was released in Japan for Windows.

Gameplay

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The tactics screen is the place where a majority of strategic actions are performed. The right side of the screen shows the world map and which territories are controlled by whom. The left side of the screen shows the player's current resources and available actions they can take.

At the outset of the game, the player has the option of selecting a scenario and family. All four scenarios use the same game board, but they differ in which families are present and what provinces, vassals and gems they have. Ultimately, the player must conquer the entire map to win the game.

Gameplay is divided into the main tactics screen and individual battle screens. On the tactics screen, the player is allowed one action per turn (in-game month) per territory. With that action, the player may hire or move troops, upgrade the territory's economy or defenses, engage in diplomatic actions (such as plunder an adjacent province or propose alliance with another family), or attack an enemy territory.

Only adjacent territories may be attacked. Upon attacking or being attacked by an enemy, the focus shifts to battle, wherein a player may field five units (archers, knights, horsemen, and either a wizard or a hired unit). The player moves individual companies of troops about the map in a turn-based tactics fashion; certain units may build fences to keep enemies out. One army wins if the enemy base is captured, all enemy units are defeated, or the enemy army runs out of food.

Plot and Setting

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Gemfire takes place in the fictitious Isle of Ishmeria. Long ago, six wizards, each wielding a unique brand of magic, used their powers to protect the island and maintain peace. This was disrupted when they were collectively challenged by a Fire Dragon, summoned forth by a wizard intent on plunging the country into darkness. The sea-dwelling dragon of peace known as the Pastha charged the six wizards with the task of fighting back. They succeeded, sealing the Fire Dragon away into a ruby at the top of a crown, and themselves became the six jewels around the crown's base. The crown, called Gemfire, became a symbol of utmost power and authority.[5]

When Gemfire fell into the hands of the King of Ishmeria, Eselred, he sought to abuse the object's power, using it to embark on a tyrannical reign, instilling fear within his oppressed subjects. His young daughter, Princess Robyn, being unable to bear with her father's grievous misdeeds any longer seized Gemfire and pried the six wizard gems loose, causing them to shoot upward into the sky before scattering themselves to different parts of Ishmeria. When a furious Eselred learned of Robyn's actions, he had her locked away in a tower.

Meanwhile, the six wizard gems each take up residence with a prominent family of Ishmeria. The two most powerful of these clans are the Blanches, led by Prince Erin and supported by Zendor, Emerald Wizard and Wielder of Lightning; and the Lyles, led by Prince Ander and backed by Pluvius, Sapphire Wizard and Caster of Meteors. Four other clans (Flax, Coryll, Chrysalis and Molbrew) also have wizards (Scylla, Empyron, Chylla and Skulryk respectively) of Gemfire at their disposal in the beginning. With the breaking of the spell on Gemfire, each of these clans sets out to unseat Eselred, claim the throne as their own and restore order and peace to Ishmeria.

Reception

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Gemfire has received mixed reception from critics.

Writing for Questicle.net, Dylan Cornelius criticized the game for being too difficult to get into, citing the game as having an overwhelming amount of things to do. The reviewer concluded that, while the game could hold the attention of Koei and strategy game fans, because the game fails to teach its rules properly, it couldn't be recommended by them.[9]

Legacy

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On May 21, 1999, a sequel to Gemfire entitled Royal Blood II: Chronicles of the Kingdom of Dinar was released exclusively in Japan for Microsoft Windows computer operating systems.[10]

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Notes

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  1. ^ Similar cover art was later used for the Sega Genesis and DOS versions.
  2. ^ Known in Japan as Royal Blood (Japanese: ロイヤルブラッド, Hepburn: Roiyaru Buraddo). Titled Super Royal Blood in the Super Famicom version (Japanese: スーパーロイヤルブラッド, Hepburn: Sūpā Roiyaru Buraddo)
  3. ^ Japanese language: ロイヤルブラッドII 〜ディナール王国年代記〜

References

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  1. ^ "NES Games" (PDF). Nintendo of America. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 11, 2014. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  2. ^ "Genesis Pro Review: Gemfire". GamePro. No. 40. IDG. November 1992. pp. 50–51.
  3. ^ "Software List (Software Licensee Release)". Sega Hard Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
  4. ^ Gemfire release information (Super NES) Archived 2012-11-11 at the Wayback Machine at GameFAQs
  5. ^ Gemfire - Nintendo Entertainment System Instruction Manual (PDF). pp. 4–5.
  6. ^ "Royal Blood Summary (Famicom)". Famitsu (in Japanese). KADOKAWA CORPORATION. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  7. ^ "Royal Blood Summary (Mega Drive)". Famitsu (in Japanese). KADOKAWA CORPORATION. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  8. ^ "Super Royal Blood Summary (Super Famicom)". Famitsu (in Japanese). KADOKAWA CORPORATION. Retrieved 2020-06-27.
  9. ^ a b Cornelius, Dylan. "The Quest To Review Every NES Game". Questicle.net. Retrieved 2025-05-05.
  10. ^ "GAMECITY [コーエーカタログ]". www.gamecity.ne.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-05-05.
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