Elemental Master
| Elemental Master | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Developer(s) | Technosoft |
| Publisher(s) |
|
| Composer(s) | Toshiharu Yamanishi |
| Platform(s) | Genesis |
| Release | |
| Genre(s) | Scrolling shooter |
| Mode(s) | Single-player |
Elemental Master (エレメンタルマスター) is a top down scrolling shooter developed by Technosoft for the Sega Genesis and released in 1990 in Japan and in 1993 in North America by Renovation Products.
Gameplay
[edit]The game is autoscrolling upwards. The player can choose to either shoot up or down. There are different weapons (types of magic) available, based on (naturally) the elements. Of the seven levels the game has, the player can choose the order of the first four.
Plot
[edit]Long ago in the fantasy kingdom of Lorelei, the followers of an evil being called Gyra were sealed underneath the city's castle. However, a seemingly heroic sorcerer known as Aryaag betrayed the king's trust and unleashed the power of Gyra on the kingdom with the intention of letting the evil influence spread. Laden, the strongest sorcerer in the kingdom, was ready to attack Aryaag, but was stopped in shock when Aryaag revealed himself to be Laden's brother Roki. Backed by Gyra's most dedicated followers, Roki banished Laden from the conquered kingdom, but Laden vows to stop Gyra's influence from spreading and to stop Gyra's ambitions.
Development
[edit]The soundtrack was composed by Toshiharu Yamanishi, who also worked on Thunder Force III, Thunder Force IV, and Dragon's Fury (one song from Elemental Master was remixed into a new version in Dragon's Fury).[3] The style of the soundtrack is synthrock with classical vibes.
Reception
[edit]| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| AllGame | 2/5[4] |
| Beep! MegaDrive | 7.5/10[5] |
| Computer and Video Games | 82%[6] |
| Mean Machines Sega | 78%[7] |
| Console XS | 81/100[8] |
| Electronic Games | 85%[9] |
| Mega Drive Advanced Gaming | 70%[10] |
| MegaTech | 78%[11] |
| Sega Power | 3/5[12] |
| Sega Pro | 77/100[13] |
![[icon]](/wiki/File:Wiki_letter_w_cropped.svg?lang=en){kind=small} | This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2025) |
Elemental Master received a 7.4723/10 score in a 1995 readers' poll conducted by the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine, ranking among Sega Mega Drive titles at number 210.[14] The game received generally favorable reviews from critics.[15][16][17]
MegaTech praised the game's audiovisual presentation and gameplay, but criticized its easy difficulty.[11] Console XS called its gameplay "addictive", but criticized the game for having too few levels and its easy difficulty.[8] MAN!AC highlighted the game's synth soundtrack and exceptional level design.[18]
References
[edit]- ^ "Short ProShots". GamePro. No. 44. IDG. March 1993. p. 183.
- ^ "Software List (Software Licensee Release)". Sega Hard Encyclopedia (in Japanese). Sega Corporation. Retrieved May 15, 2023.
- ^ Project 2612 - The Sega Genesis/Sega Mega Drive Music Archive
- ^ Weiss, Brett Alan (1998). "Elemental Master - Review". AllGame. All Media Network. Archived from the original on 2014-11-16. Retrieved 2025-05-30.
- ^ "BEメガ･ドッグレース: エレメンタルマスター". Beep! Mega Drive (in Japanese). Vol. 7, no. 1. SoftBank Creative. January 1991. p. 32.
- ^ "Megadrive Review: Elemental Master". Computer and Video Games (special) (Complete Guide To Sega ed.). EMAP. May 1991. pp. 84–85.
- ^ "Games Index: Megadrive". Mean Machines Sega. No. 1. EMAP. October 1992. pp. 137–143.
- ^ a b "Software A-Z: Mega Drive". Console XS. No. 1. Paragon Publishing. June–July 1992. pp. 126–137.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: date format (link) - ^ Yates, Laurie (May 1993). "Video Game Gallery: Elemental Master". Electronic Games. Vol. 1, no. 8. Decker Publications. p. 56.
- ^ "The Incredibly Complete Mega File". Mega Drive Advanced Gaming. No. 5. Maverick Magazines. January 1993. pp. 90–95.
- ^ a b "Game Index". MegaTech. No. 1. EMAP. Christmas 1991. pp. 76–81.
- ^ Jarratt, Steve (October 1991). "The Hard Line: Mega Drive". Sega Power. No. 23. Future Publishing. pp. 52–55.
- ^ "Sega Software Showndown Part 2: The A-Z of Sega Games". Sega Pro. No. 2. Paragon Publishing. December 1991. pp. 18–19, 45, 53, 55.
- ^ "メガドラ読者レース". Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). Vol. 11, no. 9. SoftBank Creative. September 1995. pp. 82–85.
- ^ "新作ゲームクロスレビュー: エレメンタルマスター". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 117. ASCII Corporation. December 21, 1990. p. 27.
- ^ Mike; Ken; Samrye (Fall 1991). "Super Reviews: Elemental Master". Super Gaming. No. 2. Sendai Publishing. p. 11.
- ^ The Unknown Gamer (May 1993). "Genesis ProReview: Elemental Master". GamePro. No. 46. IDG. p. 62.
- ^ "Extended: 30 Jahre Shoot'em-Ups - Ein Vermächtnis Der Spielhalle (Teil 2)". MAN!AC (in German). No. 174. Cybermedia. April 2008. pp. 90–95.