PoPoLoCrois

PoPoLoCrois ポポロクロイス物語 (Poporokuroisu monogatari) is a manga series by Tamori Yousuke, originally published in the Asahi Student Newspaper (a subsidiary of the Asahi Shimbun newspaper). It was later adapted into two anime series and five console role-playing games. Its title is a combination of words from two languages: the Italian word "Popolo (people)" and the French "croix (crossing)", which together mean "crossing of people". The general theme of the series is love and compassion, that the race to which one belongs isn't important and the importance of friendship.

Development and History

 * November 1978 - Popolocrois is first published in the women's magazine Pafu ぱふ (pafu)
 * October 1984 - The cartoon is published Asahi Shimbun Student Newspaper, which is considered the official start of the PoPoLoCrois series.
 * 1994 - The Popolocrois animated theatrical pilot is released.
 * July 12, 1996 - Sony Computer Entertainment (SCE) releases Popolocrois Story RPG for the Sony PlayStation.
 * October 4, 1998 - March 28, 1999- Popolocrois anime television series is broadcasted on TV Tokyo.
 * November 26, 1998 - SCE releases Poporogue, the second PoPoLoCrois game, on PlayStation.
 * January 27, 2000 - SCE releases Popolocrois Story II on PlayStation.
 * June 20, 2002 - SCE releases Popolocrois: Adventure of Beginnings for PlayStation 2.
 * October 5, 2003 to March 28, 2004, TV Tokyo broadcasts a second PoPoLoCrois anime series.
 * March 18, 2004 - SCE releases Popolocrois: Adventure of the Law of the Moon on PlayStation 2
 * February 10, 2005 - SCE, releases PoPoLoCrois for the PlayStation Portable, which contains heavily edited versions of the stories from PopoloCrois Story I and II, as well as some new material.
 * May 19, 2005, the PSP PoPoLoCrois becomes the first game to be released outside of Japan, launching first in Hong Kong and Taiwan. It was released later that year in North America (December 6, 2005) through Agetec. Prince Pietro's version is later released in Europe June 16, 2006 through Ignition Entertainment, and in North America and Australia June 30, 2006.

Video game series
Five PoPoLoCrois games, the original PlayStation release along with its four sequels, were previously released only in Japan. The PSP release is the first PoPoLoCrois game to be released in the USA and Europe.

Gameplay
While random and turn-based, battles take on a form very similar to console Strategy RPGs (such as Final Fantasy Tactics). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn.

The gameplay has been criticised for having semi-tedious load times (especially on the Sony PSP). On the Sony PSP the sprites may lag for a while in some areas. It has also been criticised for having very frequent random encounters and, with the battle system, can really slow down a simple walk from one town to another.

Characters

 * Pietro is very caring and values friendship, and he gets more courageous as the game progresses. Pietro has crush on Narcia ever since they had their first adventure together. Pietro finds out that he is part dragon because his mother, Queen Sania is a dragon.


 * Narcia is an Apprentice forest witch who helps Pietro in the game. Narcia wears a pink dress with a two pointed hat for a specific purpose; when she is 15 years old, she begins to wear a semi purple and pink dress.


 * Kai is Narcia's shapeshifting alter ego. Guilda gave her the treasure of the forest witches: the Golden Key which allowed her to become a human so she wouldn't turn into bubbles if she came in contact with seawater; but if anyone discovered this secret, she would fall into a coma. At first she tricks Pietro and the White Knight into thinking that she's a friend of Narcia's, but she reveals her secret to Pietro by accident and later Kimendoji.


 * White Knight is first met by Pietro and Narcia at the same time Naguro is met. He joins the party and stays until the very end of book one, Ice Demon. He then rejoins the party when Pietro, Don and Gon go the mine in Pasela to find a dragon in there but then leaves after a baby dragon imprints on him and he stays behind in the land of Dragons to get the baby used to living there.


 * GamiGami Devil is a slightly unbalanced dwarf who, though unable to read or write above the level of a child, is a technical genius who creates robots and vast cities.


 * Ice Demon is the ruler of North Land and master of ice magic. In the past, he attacked Popolocrois but was stopped and defeated by a dragon.

Story
The main character is the prince of the Popolocrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game, "Popolocrois Monogatari", starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch, Narcia, to save his mother's soul from the underworld.

That is only the beginning of the Popolocrois story, there are two more games continuing the tales of Pietro and Co. The second game, "PopoRogue"(Popolocrois + Epilogue), featured Pietro as a 12 year old boy that went off to save his father from the dream world that he was forced into. The third, "Popolocrois Monogatari II", featured Pietro and Narcia as a 15 year old with different costumes, who went off the defeat the mysterious force that was going to destroy the world. "Popolocrois Monogatari II" was the most famous game of the series, due to the darkened story, new party members, and many other features.

The PSP release is a reproduction of "Popolocrois Monogatari" (included into Book 1) and "PopoloCrois Monogatari II"(Included into Book 3), but Book 2 is a brand-new scenario.