Berserk: Millennium Falcon Hen Seima Senki no Shō

Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc ~Sei Ma Senki no Shou~ (ベルセルク 千年帝国の鷹[ミレニアム・ファルコン]篇 聖魔戦記の章 aka Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc ~Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War~) is the second video game based on the manga Berserk. It was released by Sega-Sammy in Japan on the PlayStation 2 on October 7, 2004. Its predecessor game Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc ~Soushitsu Hana no Shou~ (ベルセルク 千年帝国の鷹[ミレニアム・ファルコン]篇 喪失花の章 aka Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc ~Chapter of Flower Loss~) was released on Dreamcast by ASCII in 1999.

Game timeline
The first game has been translated and was released in North America on Dreamcast by Eidos Interactive on September 6, 2000, as Sword of the Berserk: Guts' Rage. Sword of the Berserk has not been released in Europe. The developer has not confirmed any overseas release for the PlayStation2 version either.

Special features

 * The PlayStation 2 version features both Dolby Pro Logic II & Dobly Digital Pro Logic II soundtrack and optional Japanese subtitles.

Campaign Limited Edition
Two different releases were made in Japan, a Branded Box campaign collector edition including a Guts action figure created by the famous Japanese manufacturer Art of War, and the cheaper, regular Standard Edition.

Due to its violent and grotesque content (gore), this game is not suitable for users under 18 years of age.

Second version
Owing to the more powerful hardware available to it, the PlayStation2 version is graphically superior to its five years' predecessor on Dreamcast. 3D modeling is more precise and polished on this new version, allowing CG-like quality character animated faces (this phenomenon is striking in close-ups), as well as the use of smoother textures. Also the maps are much larger than in the first game, allowing a reduced number of loading screens, and the ability for the player to get lost if not keeping an eye on the map.

Plot
The game's story covers the whole "Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War" (Millennium Falcon Arc) from the manga volumes 22 to 27.

Heroes trio
Known as the Black Swordsman, Guts is a veteran warrior and former mercenary. He is the hero of the popular medieval-fantasy-gore Berserk series. Guts has the ability to let his fury flow without any control at all, making him a berserker, a potential danger even for his close friends and allies. The berserk or berserker figure is a classic mythological archetype appearing in Nordic culture.

Once in admiration and sincere friendship with Griffith, Guts and he have progressively become rivals by a twist of fate, moving the Berserk series into the tradition of Greek tragedy. Mystical events and deep trauma have plunged the woman warrior Casca into amnesia. No longer commander of the Midland White Knights order, Guts wanders with a double meaning in life, to protect Casca and seek revenge on Griffith.

Guts' side
At the beginning of the game, Guts is crossing a snowy valley. At the side of the mighty Black Swordsman are his two strange traveling companions. The first is Puck, a playful flying nude elf, and the second is Casca, a mute odd young woman suffering from amnesia and dressed as a beggar. This small fellowship will be later joined by three others, Isidro, Farnese and Serpico, whom they meet in an undead and ghoul-infested deep forest.

Their path leads them to a town in trouble with a ferocious troll infestation where they are helped by a female witch named Schierke and her elf ally Evarella. Schierke is herself linked to subsidiary characters such as her mistress Flora and the ambiguous Skull Knight.

Griffith's side
While traveling and fighting his way across a snowy landscape during the first chapter, Guts meets his worst enemy Griffith atop an hillock. Trying to engage him in a duel, Guts is faced by an old rival, Zodd the Immortal, who is now Griffith's bodyguard. Unable to defeat Guts in his human form, Zodd quickly morphs into his demonic Apostle form and pursues him.

In subsequent chapters Guts meets and engages Griffith's other servants, known as the Apostles, including the giant knight Grunberd, a member of the new Band of the Hawk.

God Hand
In the Berserk series, the God Hand is secretly hovering above mankind's destiny. The five extremities of the secret Hand of God are powerful merciless demons serving Evil and playing with human lives like a master and his puppets. The God Hand Femto is actually Griffith's demonic incarntione as dubbed by Void, the assumed leader of the God Hand.

The obscure group is completed by three demons: Slan, an evil woman and temptress who tries to seduce men in order to possess their souls and use them; Ubik, the brain; and Conrad, spreader of Pandora's Box.

Band of the Hawk
Starting as a 500-man mercenary militia, under Griffith's ambitious leadership the Band of the Hawk has become a regular army of a thousand souls serving the Midland king under the White Knight elite order. As a teenager, Casca's life and honor were saved by Griffith; she joined the band and never leaved, serving her admired (and more) protector as commander.

When Guts was the main officer (second only to Griffith) in the Band of the Hawk hierarchy, Judeau, Corcus and Pippin were also officers. These three men had joined Griffith long before Guts, especially Corcus, who regarded Guts with deep antipathy and jealousy, until his departure from the band. Judeau, Corcus, Pippin and the rest of the Band of the Hawk were eventually slaughtered by demons from the God Hand during the Eclipse. In the second chapter of the game, Guts meets his once friends and allies when entering a mysterious castle, but this time as enemies and ghosts.

Secondary characters
While Morgan appears in the manga series (when the group nears Enoch village), Charles is an original character specially created for the game. His true relation with Guts and real intentions are both obscure.