Hydlide

 is an action role-playing game developed and published by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and PC-8801 computers in 1984, in Japan only; ports for the MSX, MSX2, FM-7 and NEC PC-9801 were released the following year.
A Famicom version was released under the name Hydlide Special in Japan in 1986. Three years later, it was localized and released in English regions for the Nintendo Entertainment System by Fujisankei Communications International, known as simply "Hydlide". The game sold two million copies in Japan across all platforms. A Sega Genesis version of "Hydlide Special" was showcased at the 1989 SCES but never released. A 1995 remake was released for the Sega Saturn as "Virtual Hydlide".
Plot.
In the kingdom of Fairyland, three magic jewels were enshrined in the palace to maintain peace in the kingdom. One day, an evil man broke into the palace and stole one of the three magic jewels. Without the third jewel, the two remaining jewels lost their magic sparkle. The magic spell that sealed the power of Varalys, the most vicious demon in the kingdom, was broken. During the turmoil which followed, the last two jewels were stolen. Varalys cast a special magic on Princess Ann, turning her into three fairies, and hid her somewhere in the kingdom. He then let loose a horde of monsters across the land and became the ruler of the kingdom.
Development.
The game was created by T&E Soft's Tokihiro Naito. His idea behind "Hydlide" was to mix together action and RPG elements into a new "action RPG" genre. He was inspired by "The Tower of Druaga" and "The Black Onyx", especially the former, as "Hydlide"s design leans more towards action than role-playing. "Hydlide" essentially took "The Tower of Druaga" formula to a colorful open world, and added RPG mechanics. "Hydlide" also borrowed the health meter mechanic from "The Black Onyx", and took it a step further with a regenerating health meter.
Naito noted that he was completely unaware of Western role-playing games like "Ultima" and "Wizardry" when he was developing "Hydlide", as he had never used the Apple II before. He said that he only became aware of two other Japanese action RPG projects, "Dragon Slayer" and "Courageous Perseus", while reading a magazine during "Hydlide"s development, and was shocked to find that "Hydlide" was not the only attempt at the concept. He underestimated "Dragon Slayer" but felt threatened by "Courageous Perseus", believing the latter to be more visually impressive; "Courageous Perseus" turned out to be not as successful, whereas "Dragon Slayer" went on to become "Hydlide"s biggest competitor, through subsequent sequels.
Reception.
"Hydlide" was well-received and considered an innovator when released in Japan back in 1984. "Hydlide" was one of the first action role-playing games, along with "Courageous Perseus" and "Dragon Slayer". "Hydlide" was also an early open world game, rewarding exploration in an open world environment. It also had the ability to switch between attack mode and defense mode, quick save and load options which can be used at any moment of the game, and the introduction of a health regeneration mechanic where health slowly regenerates when standing still.
It sold 2 million copies in Japan, including 1 million for home computers (including the PC-88, PC-98, PC-66, Sharp X1, FM7, MSX, MSX2, and MZ-2000) and 1 million for the Famicom console. It was the first computer game to receive a Platinum award from Toshiba EMI for a million sales. However, it failed to capture the same attention beyond Japan.
The game was influential on the action RPG genre, including titles such as "Ys". For example, "Ys" uses a similar health-regeneration mechanic. The recharging health mechanic first introduced by "Hydlide" in 1984 would, decades later, become a common mechanic widely used in many video games, including shooter games such as "Halo". "Hydlide"s open world game design inspired Hideo Kojima, who designed "Metal Gear Solid V" so that it captures the open-world feel he felt when he first played "Hydlide" on PC. PlatinumGames director Hideki Kamiya was inspired by the "Hydlide" series, which he cited as an influence on "Scalebound", a cancelled open world action RPG.
"Hydlide" was initially released outside of Japan through the European release of the MSX version. Beyond that, 1989 saw the release of a localization of "Hydlide Special" for the NES, simply titled "Hydlide" itself. Unlike "Dragon Quest", which was improved upon for its US localization, "Hydlide" was left essentially unaltered beyond minor changes to the title screen and some prompts/messages. It received a negative reception, often compared unfavorably to "The Legend of Zelda" (1986), which had improved significantly upon "Hydlide". The NES version of "Hydlide" became notorious in the West for its repetitive background music that bears similarity to John Williams' "Indiana Jones" theme or Disney's "It's a Small World After All".
Legacy.
"Hydlide" had several follow-ups: