Xak: The Art of Visual Stage
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage is a 1989 role-playing video game developed and published by Microcabin. The first game in the Xak series, it was originally released for the PC-88 computer system, with subsequent versions being developed for the PC-98, X68000, MSX2, PC Engine, Super Famicom, and mobile phones. The first four versions were re-released for Windows on the online store Project EGG. An English translation of Xak: The Art of Visual Stage was also released in 2007 on the now-defunct retro gaming service WOOMB.net, and became available on Project EGG.
Plot
Setting and story
Xak: The Art of Visual Stage features a typical high fantasy setting. According to the game world's legends, a great war was fought between the benevolent but weakening ancient gods and a demon race, which led to the collapse and eventual mortality of the gods. After this 'War of Sealing', the gods divided the world into three parts: Xak, the world of humans, Oceanity, the world of faeries, and Xexis, the world of demons. The demon world of Xexis was tightly sealed from the other two worlds as to prevent reentry of the warmongering demon race. Some demons were left behind in Xak, however, and others managed to discover a separate means to enter Xak from Xexis anyway. This ancient history is displayed in the introduction of Xak II.One of them, Badu, was a very powerful demon, able to use coercive magic to make humans do his bidding. Duel, the god of war, managed to defeat Badu and seal him away in a mountain of ice for 250 years. The god later settled in a village known as Fearless to live out the rest of his mortal life.
At the beginning of the game, Badu's prison is broken. Demons overrun parts of Xak once again. In order to stop the ravaging of his lands, the King of Wavis sends a messenger faerie to Dork Kart, a famous warrior living in the village of Fearless. Dork, however, has gone missing. The player takes on the role of Latok Kart, Dork's 16-year-old son, as he meets the messenger faerie, Pixie. Latok embarks on the King's quest to slay Badu, hoping to find his father along the way.
In his travels, Latok is guided by Duel's spirit. Over the course of the game, it turns out that Dork and thus Latok is a descendant of Duel.
Releases
The initial versions of Xak: The Art of Visual Stage were released for NEC's PC-88 and PC-98 systems in June 1989. These were then followed by graphically distinct releases for the MSX2 and X68000. In 1992, the game was released for the PC Engine along with its sequel, Xak II: Rising of the Redmoon, in the one-disc compilation Xak I & II. Ported by Riot, the game features animated cut scenes and requires the Super System Card update if played on the PC Engine's original CD-ROM add-on. Another console port was published by Sunsoft for the Super Famicom in February 1993. The latest visually enhanced remake was developed for Japanese mobile phones and became available on Vodafone live! on June 1, 2004. The game was the first release in Bandai's "RPG Empire" line of role-playing games.During 2001–2008, the PC-8801, MSX2, X68000, and PC-9801 versions of The Art of Visual Stage were made downloadable for Microsoft Windows through D4 Enterprise's Project EGG online service. The first official English translation of the game was also released on Dutch MSX games distributor WOOMB.net in early 2007. Although the website was shut down in 2008, its content is being transferred to the English counterpart of Project EGG.