Burai - The original compared to the TurboGrafX, Sega CD, and SNES versions! (PC-88 Paradise)

Поділитися
Вставка
  • Опубліковано 9 лип 2024
  • In this episode of PC-88 Paradise I take a look at Burai Joukan, the first game in the "Burai" series from Riverhill Soft. The game features character designs by Shingo Araki (Saint Seiya) and was later released for the PC Engine, Sega Mega CD, and Super Famicom. Basement Brothers' Neo-Alec also appears as a character voice in this episode.
    Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!
    basementbrothers.net/
    / basemntbrothers
    / basementbrothers
    / basementbrothersyoutube
    00:00 Opening
    00:34 Packaging
    02:56 The Game
    15:21 Minor spoilers
    22:20 Major spoilers
    24:12 The Review
    25:24 Other versions
    31:10 The sequel?
  • Ігри

КОМЕНТАРІ • 163

  • @daisukegori2112
    @daisukegori2112 Рік тому +9

    I like how the villain's henchman is one of the chosen heroes.
    Megatron " Starscream you fool, have you found out who the next prime is gonna be?"
    Starscream " It's me you weakling" blasts megatron.

  • @philmason9653
    @philmason9653 Рік тому +36

    The packaging on these games is tremendous. This is what I had always thought Neo Geo games would be like; I was pretty disappointed to find out how sparse the included materials were when I finally got one.

  • @Kelohmello
    @Kelohmello Рік тому +23

    I love seeing ambitious games in the context of their era. It's so neat to see one that looked like it was really trying to push storytelling forward on its hardware like this one seemed to be doing.

  • @nickfidler6908
    @nickfidler6908 Рік тому +9

    As an enthusiast of digital media preservation, I very much like theses videos. Analysis and retrospective views of digital media are very important to its preservation.

  • @carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526
    @carlosaugustodinizgarcia3526 2 роки тому +62

    Great video!
    As a Saint Seiya fan I was always intrigued by this rpg and the beautiful artwork by Shingo Araki.
    A shame it was not bring to the west for the Sega CD.At least in Europe and latin america(where Mega Drive had strong sales) with Saint Seiya crazy in the 90's around it could be a success.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +16

      The Mega Drive had strong sales, but the Mega CD... not so much. Sure would have been interesting, though, if Working Designs or someone had decided to translate it. I'm not so sure I'd call it a "good" Mega CD title, or if players would have even liked it. It's the best console version of Burai IMO, but that's not really saying much.

    • @ultraspinalki11
      @ultraspinalki11 Рік тому +4

      @@BasementBrothers A shame the Mega CD and Snes versions never got part 2.

  • @karinyupinyan5754
    @karinyupinyan5754 2 роки тому +39

    I gotta say, you pick very interesting games for PC-88 Paradise videos, I haven't heard a lot of people mentioning these games all that much when you ask people about their favorite PC-88 games, they don't usually pick them.

    • @DonnyKirkMusic
      @DonnyKirkMusic 2 роки тому +9

      id love to see the japanese community's picks cuz they can understand the games that are really text-heavy.

  • @Vulpas
    @Vulpas Рік тому +4

    I love the 80's anime style, and on 8-bit/16-bit systems it looks even more charming somehow.

  • @DrakeDarkHunter
    @DrakeDarkHunter 11 місяців тому +5

    I've watched this video numerous times already but I want to thank you for explaining the jōkan and gekan concept because I realised that that must be what Golden Sun: The Lost Age meant when it referred to itself as "Book II" in the beginning. I first played that game when I was young and was like "Book II? This isn't a book, it's a video game!" But it is definitely played like the second half of a greater work rather than a standalone story. Much like Burai.

  • @yoyoyonasa
    @yoyoyonasa 7 місяців тому +2

    Your channel is a pure gem. As a father family, i will never have the time to discover such hidden old retro gems. At least your channel give them the right memories these games deserve 👏

  • @joefell5311
    @joefell5311 Рік тому +4

    I sure do love the graphics found on these old NEC computers.

  • @pappatrue4015
    @pappatrue4015 2 роки тому +18

    Hey, Basement Brothers, I've discovered your channel a few days ago. Gotta say, I'm absolutely amazed by your videos! Love your highly informative in-depth analysis of each game you present. It's also cool that you take the time to compare different versions of the game and also discuss the BGM/sound. I've been a console gamer all my life since the early 90's, so I'm really eager to learn about these gems that were previously unknown to me. Guess I'll stick around if you don't mind. :)

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +2

      Thanks. Hope to see you around! I love comparing the different versions (though it's a lot of work), and the soundtrack is a really important aspect of any game in my opinion, so that's why I always try to talk about those things in my videos. Glad you enjoy them. :)

  • @supercomputer276
    @supercomputer276 Місяць тому +2

    I've rewatched this video and the one for its sequel multiple times, and I'm just enamoured with these games. I love that they tried to make an epic story with the limited hardware they had. Also Maimai is cute. I really hope that at least the Mega CD version gets an English fan translation someday so I can give it a proper try.

  • @demilembias2527
    @demilembias2527 Рік тому +4

    learning about Japanese novels being divided into two parts is pretty interesting, and also goes a long way towards describing the structure of a lot of other famous "novel RPGs," especially the Trails series. Each of the arcs within that setting are divided into two games in some way, with Crossbell just being straight up two games and stuff like Erebonia being essentially two sets of two games each.

  • @EdmondDantes224
    @EdmondDantes224 Рік тому +4

    I clicked on this because I thought this was somehow related to the NES game Burai Fighter. Turns out, it isn't.
    The implication of this being an epic book seems appropriate.... just hearing you describe it makes me feel like I was on a lengthy journey.

  • @liunarduss
    @liunarduss 8 місяців тому +4

    Throughout the video the characters designs look really familiar to me. And in the end of the video i see the "Araki Productions".
    As a kid growing up with Saint Seiya is possible to not recognize Shingo Araki art. XD

  • @Belgand
    @Belgand Рік тому +8

    Just as great, thanks for introducing me to Show-ya. It's a shame so many great Japanese bands never get any real exposure in the US. And they were one of the few who even performed here. Thankfully the Internet is making that a lot easier than it was in the '80s. Band-Maid sold out their upcoming US tour in less than a day and they're still pretty far under the radar.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  Рік тому +4

      Loudness is still my favorite Japanese metal band of all time. For a somewhat newer band, I really love Onmyo-za, with their duel vocals and Japanese folk tale style.

  • @igodreamer7096
    @igodreamer7096 4 місяці тому +1

    Awesome! I always love to visit your videos and have that "blast from the past" with these gems from the old.
    ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

  • @maxmouse713
    @maxmouse713 Рік тому +3

    I wanted to watch this, but after hearing that it had a 30+ minute intro I realized "I want to experience this story myself". Yes, really. Thanks!

  • @AshleyRiot
    @AshleyRiot 2 роки тому +12

    Great video as always. A PC-98 Paradise series seems like a neat idea.

  • @rossdixonellis
    @rossdixonellis Рік тому +3

    Clicked on this because the red hair guy looked sorta like Adol from the Ys games, and it seemed like some good ol' fashioned PC8801 history!

  • @tobormax
    @tobormax 10 місяців тому +2

    Two whole floppy disks for the opening cut-scene? What extravagance! No wonder they crammed all those floppies into two over-sized sleeves. I think it was neat how your brought your brother in to do some VO for this. Reminds me of when my brother and I would take turns voicing the various characters in classic RPGs. It is kind of crazy that there were 7 versions of this game. I kind of understand the rationale behind each of them with the exception of the Super Famicom version. Maybe they were just hoping to reach a larger audience? Also, is this game secretly the first Octopatth Traveler? Come on Square Enix! Give us 8 simultaneous party members!

  • @jacksnap425
    @jacksnap425 2 роки тому +9

    I love your channel, especially the PC-98 series! Keep up the good work.
    Every time I watch one of your videos and there's no English translation for the game I feel so dejected. I desperately need to learn Japanese.

  • @Tr3vor42532
    @Tr3vor42532 2 роки тому +5

    This looks like another game I'll have to put on the "to do eventually when I get good at reading the funny Chinese characters" list for my pc-98. I definitely wouldn't be against seeing a pc-98 paradise series in the future, it's always nice to see videos about obscure games I've never heard of before.

    • @Tr3vor42532
      @Tr3vor42532 Рік тому +1

      @@diydylana3151 little bit each day

  • @arielleone4416
    @arielleone4416 2 роки тому +4

    Hayate's scenario is the closest thing to a survival horror regarding managing items without even one single zombie
    Instead of zombies, there are prison guards and some hit hard

  • @myunmyun17
    @myunmyun17 Рік тому +2

    BURAI, I miss it so much, PC-8801, 9801 and MSX versions are available for download at Project EGG for about $4 each for Joukan and Gekan!
    You don't even need an old computer to play!

  • @DijaVlogsGames
    @DijaVlogsGames 11 місяців тому +1

    I‘ve always been a console person, but if I had been around in Japan in the late 80s/early 90s I‘d been so hard into PCs.

  • @nicolasverdi
    @nicolasverdi Рік тому +7

    Squirrels.
    These boys are clearly squirrels, not cats.

    • @Uxkothar
      @Uxkothar 6 місяців тому

      100 agree! 🐿️

  • @KingofCrusher
    @KingofCrusher Рік тому +2

    So glad I found your channel, I remember having this game on I think Mega CD (could've been PC Engine CD, but I swear I remember having a Mega CD port). PC 88/98 game have been so mysterious to me since the late 90's when I discovered they existed, love that you can actually read Japanese and go in depth on these games!

  • @Color-Theory
    @Color-Theory 11 місяців тому +2

    Thanks for the spoiler warning. Just found your channel, but these videos are exactly what I was looking for!

  • @RyuHayabusa06
    @RyuHayabusa06 2 роки тому +3

    Another great video! Burai was one of the first PC Engine CD games I owned 20+ years ago. Still have it but never played through it because of the language barrier. Loved the artwork though. Thanks for all the information!

    • @bananonymouslastname5693
      @bananonymouslastname5693 Рік тому

      They were in my early pickups for the PCE CD as well, as I grabbed a lot of games that weren't expensive just to have a wide range of games to play. I also don't read Japanese, but fumbled my way through a good chunk of it back then, but soon got hooked into someof the shooters I'd grabbed. I should try and go back again.

  • @fakeshemp9599
    @fakeshemp9599 2 роки тому +1

    Excellent video as always!

  • @bjornh1527
    @bjornh1527 2 роки тому +4

    Fascinating video! The game seems to be obnoxious to play, but I’m glad to know what it’s about. I’d heard the name but never anything more. Great to learn about such an ambitious game.

  • @GreenSunSaturday
    @GreenSunSaturday Рік тому +1

    Thank you so much for this video!
    Always wanted to know more about this game, and your work denitiely delivers xD.
    You've just gained a sub. I'll be waiting for the review of part 2 someday ;)

  • @patrikfernstrom7607
    @patrikfernstrom7607 2 роки тому +2

    Great video, never heard about this game before and since I do not speak Japanese, your video was pretty much the only way for me to experience it.

  • @grimnir7749
    @grimnir7749 Рік тому +1

    16:46 I love the voice dubs! 😄🤣 Keep it coming! 🙂

  • @goatbone
    @goatbone 2 роки тому +7

    This reminded me of Live A Live. They just announced a remake/English release.

    • @FeelingShred
      @FeelingShred Рік тому

      Haha very convenient for Square Soft to re-release these games now after all the hard translation work has mostly been done by rogue passionate volunteers in the ROM Hack community... I don't support a company like that

    • @FeelingShred
      @FeelingShred Рік тому

      same thing for Romancing Saga and other RPG's re-releases... they done it after all the translation volunteer work has already been finished, they done it for free

    • @Belgand
      @Belgand Рік тому +4

      @@FeelingShred Some companies out there have actually bought the translations from fansub groups. In some cases leading to them getting further work doing official translations. So it's not always the case of the company exploiting fans but sometimes how fan projects can result in increased exposure for the property resulting in official releases of new entries in a series and the chance to turn a hobby into a job.

    • @FeelingShred
      @FeelingShred Рік тому

      @@Belgand Good to know, if that's true I'm happy that people are being paid for their honest work 🙏🙏

    • @DrakeDarkHunter
      @DrakeDarkHunter 11 місяців тому

      @@FeelingShred For what its worth the translation they used for the remake was done completely from scratch. Cases like Trails from Zero/Trails to Azure where an offical translation is based on a fan translation are pretty rare.

  • @pealvepo
    @pealvepo 2 роки тому +1

    I absolutely adore your channel

  • @randam3389
    @randam3389 Рік тому +1

    In the early 90s I had the luck of owning a MSX2 model and I got a copy of Burai. Unfortunately, the game made use of a Kanji-Rom (available in japanese models) but my computer was European, and the japanese characters were not printed on screen, only white squares. Due to this, I only watched the opening intros (several times)

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  Рік тому +1

      Yes. Both this game and the 2nd require a separate kanji rom on the MSX. It's unusual since most Japanese MSX games have the Japanese character set built-in and don't need it. Most Japanese MSX models don't have the kanji rom either, unless it is MSX2+ or newer. To get the MSX footage I had to plug a kanji rom cartridge into my MSX2, along with also the FM PAC in the other cartridge slot. Thanks for watching, BTW!

  • @neilallen529
    @neilallen529 2 роки тому +4

    Another great video! You should do Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord if you have it. The Master System version kicks, in my opinion, but a lot of people probably aren't too familiar with it in its original form.
    EDIT: Also, the girl at 31:22 looks like she just jumped out of a Dirty Pair anime :p

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +1

      Nice suggestion. I don't have the PC-88 version, but it's pretty common. The game is a little old for my tastes. The PC version doesn't even have music! I'll have to check it out someday and see if I can get into it.

  • @ArabKatib
    @ArabKatib Рік тому +2

    The Anime styles looks like that of Shingo Araki's.. :^)
    Like UFO Robo Grendizer, Hana no Ko LunLun, and Saint Seiya..
    I can just imagine how that drove the Japanese gamers crazy over Burai back in the day. :-)
    The story also sounds and feels like a genuine early to mid 80s' Anime series..
    I bet it was such a treat to have a game of such caliber on the PC-88. :^)

  • @Bofner
    @Bofner 10 місяців тому +1

    "Thank you for sticking through this long video" -- Still not as long as the opening to Burai though xD
    Thouroughly enjoyed the video and am enjoying PC-88 paradise as a whole!

  • @Grimfarrow
    @Grimfarrow 2 роки тому +11

    Thanks for this - always been curious about the series ever since I saw photos of the 2nd game in PC Engine Fan. However, it's weird that you made zero mention of the artist? Isn't the illustrator of Saint Seiya fame? It was why I was so fascinated by these games.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +8

      I didn't know that. I thought that art style looked kind of familiar... Are you sure the guy isn't Shingo Araki?

    • @sunderark
      @sunderark 2 роки тому +6

      @@BasementBrothers It is Shingo Araki.

    • @Grimfarrow
      @Grimfarrow 2 роки тому +4

      @@sunderark whoops sorry guys, I had a brainfart - it's Shingo Araki indeed

    • @benjbit
      @benjbit 2 роки тому +5

      Yup! Araki (RIP) did the designs of the Saint Seiya animation. I've always wanted to play Burai for this reason.

    • @MagmaMKII
      @MagmaMKII 2 роки тому +3

      Just a glance at the artwork of the game and you can see the similarity.

  • @mekman4
    @mekman4 Рік тому

    Great Stuff, as always!

  • @demounit
    @demounit Рік тому

    these videos are good man

  • @SeanScorpion
    @SeanScorpion Рік тому

    Good stuff! I know almost nothing about the PC-88 despite downloading all the games for it a few years ago. I really like ambitious near successes like Burai as well. The length of those cut scenes looks over the top and reminds me of MGS4 (another near success BTW). I've watched a few of your videos and I will now subscribe.

  • @catoblepag
    @catoblepag 2 роки тому +1

    Excellent video 🤝 I've never heard about this game... I really wish I took time to learn japanese (now I feel I'm a bit too old), there's so much good stuff that was never translated! As an amateur artist I'm really captivated by Shingo Araki's character design and artwork, it looks really beautiful, even with the hardware limitations of the PC-88.

  • @Dark.Shingo
    @Dark.Shingo Рік тому +1

    Love your thoroughly review and the art of Shingo Araki, this game looks beautiful.
    ...wait a minute, if this is a medieval fantasy setting, why does she has a photograph?!?

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  Рік тому +2

      It's not really a typical medieval fantasy setting. The world of Burai also has a time machine, hamburger shops, and trash cans. Also, it might actually be a drawing rather than a photograph anyway. Thanks for watching!

    • @Dark.Shingo
      @Dark.Shingo Рік тому +1

      @@BasementBrothers >Also, it might actually be a drawing rather than a photograph anyway.
      Also, magic.

  • @akualung
    @akualung 2 роки тому +2

    Thanks a lot for this video! I always wanted to know what this game was about. I immediately recognized the character style as the same artist who made Saint Seiya.
    I watched the spoilers as this is a game I'll probably won't bother to play if it is ever translated (well, if it's the SegaCD version I could consider it) but the sequel looks like a vast improvement.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +1

      The sequel is great... as long as you play the PC Engine version. The PC versions of the sequel... not so much.
      I'll have more to say about the second Burai soon. Thanks for watching!

  • @AlexvrbX
    @AlexvrbX Рік тому +1

    Heh, even other RPGs of this era pre-equipped starting equipment. That's just an oversight on their part.

  • @Pickleton
    @Pickleton Рік тому +1

    I kinda like when a game uses some other kind of method of showing stats and HP/MP. I thought Madou Monogatari Hanamaru Dai Youchienji had a really neat system, not just in stats and HP/MP display, but also spell variety, interrupting enemies and auto-winning overleveled battles by holding in the L button.

  • @Wyrdwad
    @Wyrdwad 2 роки тому +2

    Super cool to see this! I own Burai 1 and 2 for my MSX, and have played through Hayate's scenario (which I actually didn't think was that difficult, since those shelves seem to offer an infinite number of health potions in the MSX version, IIRC -- so I just kept going back there to stock up!), but found the grind (and inability to fully heal) largely impossible to overcome in the other scenarios I attempted, so I kind of gave up at that point. Knowing what I know now from this review, however, I may have to go back to the game sometime and play through it, as the story really does seem intriguing. And I've kept the game around all this time specifically because that opening is nearly 40 minutes long -- I've never seen an MSX game with an opening like that before either, and the fact that the whole opening is packed onto a single disk is just kind of mindblowing to me! It's honestly like watching an anime OAV or something, and is probably the most cinematic opening on the platform save for maybe Fray on Turbo R.
    The second game on MSX feels like a step down to me, as the graphics look much more dithered, like a direct port from PC-88 without as much redesigning for MSX hardware capabilities -- and there's no super-long and flashy opening to gawk at and make me hungry for more. I noticed that the MSX version of the second game doesn't actually have Riverhill Soft's logo on the box at all, but rather Takeru's -- a brand owned by Brother Corporation that's most well-known on MSX for their disk-writer kiosks that were used to buy indie/doujin games or cheap versions of commercial games on Takeru-branded disks or special writeable cartridges. I'm sure they published other big-box games as well back in the day, but Burai 2 on MSX is the only one I'm familiar with, and I just find it very odd that they're the ones who published the MSX version of the game, rather than Riverhill Soft publishing it themselves. Curious what the story is behind that. Perhaps if you do indeed cover Burai 2 in another video, you can fill me in. ;)

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому

      I've heard that the difficulty has been adjusted between versions, but unlimited potions in Hayate's scenario in the MSX version?!! That would make it way easier. It's definitely not unlimited in the PC-88 version, I've checked. You can only get one load of potions from each cabinet. The walkthrough that I was following (same site where I got the maps for the video) also said that Hayate's scenario is the most difficult.
      Yeah Brother/Takeru frequently did ports of other company's games when the original company didn't want to bother releasing a version for a particular PC. Some of the Falcom ports to FM Towns and such were also done by them. It's already come up in my earlier videos. Takeru wasn't just disk writer kiosks. Unfortunatley, there's no interesting story to tell as far as I'm aware.
      The MSX version of the first game seems pretty great, but that's a shame to hear about the second one. I haven't looked at that version at all yet, but will if I ever make another Burai video. Thanks for watching, as always!

    • @Wyrdwad
      @Wyrdwad 2 роки тому

      @@BasementBrothers To be fair, I only popped the second game in one time, watched the intro, and played about 5 minutes of gameplay, just to make sure the copy I bought was functional. Having not finished the first Burai, I didn't want to dig too deeply into the second yet. So these are just first impressions. And it's not even that the second game was bad; it's just that the first was such a fantastic port, you'd never really be able to tell it was a port at all if you didn't know it, whereas the second has the distinctive look and feel of one (as I recall) and doesn't feature any impressively animated introductory cinematics like the first game does.
      I'm sure none of that will matter, though, if and when I complete Burai 1 and find myself hungry for more. ;)

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому

      Out of curiosity, I just watched a youtube video of the second one for MSX and I'd say it looks all right, at first glance anyway. Looks reasonably close to the original PC-98 version, which is also really a different game from the first BTW. Some might even find the second game "worse" than the original. It'll be really interesting to dig deeper into it someday.
      I just finished the PCE version of Burai II, however, and overall it was pretty awesome. Everything up to that last dungeon anyway, was great. But I 'm sharing too much already...

    • @Wyrdwad
      @Wyrdwad 2 роки тому

      @@BasementBrothers Looking forward to that video! I've been considering trying to do an in-depth UA-cam review show of my own where I cover some of the more obscure or interesting MSX games I've played, and while I'm still not sure if I'm ever going to un-lazify myself enough to make that happen, if I do, it will be partially due to inspiration from this channel. You're really the only person on English-speaking UA-cam covering these games, and your reviews are consistently thorough, entertaining, and informative. So yeah... always appreciate when a new Basement Brothers video shows up in my subscription feed! Keep up the good work, man! ;)

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +1

      Thanks for the kind words! If you do decide to make those in-depth MSX review videos I'll definitely be there ready to watch!

  • @Saturn2888
    @Saturn2888 8 місяців тому

    I wish there was a modern remake of this. The artwork of the original is so good! Heck, this would make for a great anime! I dislike JRPGs though, so I probably won't ever play it or the sequel. Thanks for your videos!

  • @gaminggoddess85
    @gaminggoddess85 Рік тому +1

    And for all of Burai's ports, not a single fan translation on any PC/console exists. There go my plans to play it someday -_-
    The HP/stat orb system reminds me of Madou Monogatari a bit. And those two animal guys(?) are definitely squirrels, not cats.
    I wanted to make an RPG with a character like Alec who knew all the tropes and was really cynical about and tired of them. I think that's basically Cthulhu Saves the World now that I think about it.
    Also since you showed Valis in the intro maybe you could do a video on how that IP got sold off to some eroge company or whatever (I read about it so long ago I forgot the details).

  • @azinyefantasy4445
    @azinyefantasy4445 Рік тому

    Animated Cutscenes in a video game before the PlayStation. I would have never known. I'm surprised this wasn't a 90s anime given how many systems they reported and remastered it for.

  • @NickEnlowe
    @NickEnlowe Рік тому +1

    Always nice to see Mega CD get another win^^ And Burai II looked amazing.

  • @Your_Degenerate
    @Your_Degenerate Рік тому +1

    This game sounds pretty epic and great play acting by the way.

  • @newbrowny
    @newbrowny Рік тому

    This really makes me think of octopath traveler honestly, I wonder if there was some inspiration from this game with all the different scenarios? Either way, very cool

  • @SaikyoKoutei
    @SaikyoKoutei 2 роки тому +4

    5:30 Don't they look like...squirrels?

  • @AshleyRiot
    @AshleyRiot Рік тому +3

    Ok very late but one game from 1989 that also had an extremely long introduction was Dragon Knight on PC-88/98. It’s around 22 minutes long and the worst thing is that you have to watch it every time you boot up the game! I have no idea how to skip it (fast forward exists on emulators though.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  Рік тому

      Ooh. Someone finally responded to that question! 22 minutes is also really long! BTW, I just looked at the manual for Dragon Knight, and apparently you can skip the opening by pressing F1. Talk about unintuitive! Thanks for watching.

    • @AshleyRiot
      @AshleyRiot Рік тому

      @@BasementBrothers ah thanks for the info! ill be doing that when i get some graph paper

  • @dbzeh6837
    @dbzeh6837 Рік тому

    Thanks! I've always been curious about this game since the character art is done by Masami Kurumada (I guess) and as a kid I was a huge fan of his Saint Seiya series, which had almost none games, until the 2000's.

    • @Bram7Lawliet
      @Bram7Lawliet 10 місяців тому

      its not by Masami Kurumada but Shingo Araki

  • @beowulf848
    @beowulf848 9 місяців тому +1

    FYI I can't tell you how times I say "hoo hoo, what a kook!" To myself b/c of this video 😂

  • @Shinmsl
    @Shinmsl Рік тому +2

    The beautiful artwork created by Shingo Araki would've pushed me for playing this , had I been able to. I wonder if there's any translation ever made for the mega CD version

  • @RetroTuna
    @RetroTuna 2 роки тому +1

    Cool video enjoyed it, i have burai 1 and 2 for the pc engine but havn't played it as i can read japanese.

  • @hteekay
    @hteekay Рік тому

    Man, Burai sounds like it may become as popular as Lunar if the 1st game were remade better. Then we would have more modern version of Burai during the PlayStation 1 era. The story of Burai sounds epic and the characters are pretty endearing...

  • @Nathan-rb3qp
    @Nathan-rb3qp Рік тому +1

    I honestly expected much better from the SNES version considering IGS is also known for making the arcade hardware that Dodonpachi 2 and the Knights Of Valor games run on.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  Рік тому +1

      Not the same IGS.

    • @Nathan-rb3qp
      @Nathan-rb3qp Рік тому

      @@BasementBrothers What was the IGS in your video most known for then?

  • @CousinHubertRetrogaming
    @CousinHubertRetrogaming 2 роки тому +2

    Ah! I tried it on my pc88 last month! Quite good!

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +1

      It's a really impressive-looking game to just pop in and watch the opening and try out some of the scenarios, isn't it? That's what I did a couple of times since first getting the PC-88 version about 10 years ago. Finally I decided to sit down and play through it recently and make a video. Thanks for watching!

  • @StoneCresent
    @StoneCresent Рік тому

    I suppose that if you start covering PC-98 games you will have to talk about Touhou Project at some point. That series put the PC-98 on my radar. Although, I suspect that obtaining physical copies of Touhou's PC-98 games might be difficult.

  • @Yuuretsu
    @Yuuretsu 2 роки тому +1

    I started playing this game on the PC Engine mainly because the sequel looks amazing on the PC Engine but the games are so tightly linked together. It took me a bit to figure out the menu and gameplay quirks but it works fine once you figure it out. It's strange how counterintuitive the menu design seems in retrospect. Almost as if the developers wanted to design something different for the sake of it. I'm now at the thrid scenario and the story at least has me hooked enough to see it through to the end.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому

      Good luck! Hope you don't have as much trouble with Alec's scenario on the PCE version as I did!

  • @user-a5Bw9de
    @user-a5Bw9de Рік тому

    It is rather astonishing that they've reimagined Satomi Hakkenden in 8bit hardware.

  • @sayonarakid
    @sayonarakid Рік тому

    Really cool video. very chill to watch. If it wasn't in japanese i would love to play burai. Loved the fat squirrel guy XD
    Also the mains character is pretty much Seiya from Saint Seiya. Guess is the same artist. Still is basically the same character

  • @chazmaru9583
    @chazmaru9583 2 роки тому +1

    Nice job! Interesting that you compare it with DQ4 but my mind would rather go to Octopath Traveler and its direct inspiration, Live-A-Live, which had a remake (led by the Octopath Traveler team) announced on the same day you released this video.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +2

      Yeah, since those are both much newer games, I wonder if they might have been even inspired (maybe indirectly at least) by Burai. My point with DQ4 was mostly that one would think that Burai was inspired by DQ4, but since Burai was actually released a little earlier it probably wasn't.

  • @elbravovierde8010
    @elbravovierde8010 Рік тому

    My dear God. I wish I could learn Japanese some day to have the chance of playing this Shingo Araki masterpiece !!!

  • @Walczyk
    @Walczyk Рік тому +1

    Nine discs?!? They don't make games this big anymore

  • @luisalves1706
    @luisalves1706 Рік тому

    Thanks,

  • @AoiHeartStranger
    @AoiHeartStranger 9 місяців тому +1

    The designs on the preview are by Shingo Araki, right? Didnt knew that he drew for games.

    • @AoiHeartStranger
      @AoiHeartStranger 9 місяців тому +1

      Yeah, this is 100 percent his drawings, they look very similar to his Saint seiya anime design.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  9 місяців тому +2

      Yeah. You got it right. I made sure to mention that in my video for the second game.

  • @obake6290
    @obake6290 Місяць тому +1

    37 minute opening? Assume all we're talking is opening cinematic I'd be hard pressed to name another game with one that long, let along in 1988. Maybe Xenosaga 1 comes close, it had a lot of long cutscenes in it.
    The healing this is weird but kinda gives early Falcom vibes. At least with Xanadu you gotta pay 1 gold per 10 HP restored, pay however much you want. Healing from food and potions is similarly balanced around that number.
    Definitely not something I think I'd play, but it is interesting. Or as you say "ambitious."

  • @daisukegori2112
    @daisukegori2112 Рік тому

    Burai is the green power ranger. In the original Japaness version of Mighty Morphin power rangers .

  • @jp980-
    @jp980- 2 роки тому +3

    🖥🤓

  • @Zeithri
    @Zeithri Рік тому

    16:25 - Excuuuuuse me? Was his name K u k or KuuK?
    Either way, that's very close to the Swedish word of ... uh... Nevermind!

  • @user-py6dp3ij8o
    @user-py6dp3ij8o 5 місяців тому +1

    Haha The art style seemed too damn familiar...

  • @Icelink256
    @Icelink256 Рік тому +1

    The only other Japanese retro game I can think of with an intro that overstays it's welcome, is Elm Knight from 1992-- that thing is 15 minutes long!!!

  • @ProjectRedfoot
    @ProjectRedfoot Рік тому +1

    No stairway!!! =O

  • @reyvgm
    @reyvgm 2 роки тому

    Thanks for unboxing Burai, it was good to see how the actual physical game looks like.
    I was wondering if you could help me out with something? Online I see that if you insert Disk 1 and hold ESC at the Riverhill Soft logo, the game will load into a sound test.
    However, in all of the (emulation) tests I've made, if I only have Disk 1 inserted, then game never loads anything past the Riverhill logo. For the sound test to appear, I also need to have any other disk inserted in the 2nd slot.
    Could you confirm (or try out) the sound test code and see if it triggers with only Disk 1 inserted?

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому

      Hey, thanks for watching! Glad others are taking so much interest in this game!
      The menu isn't actually a sound test. The game manual calls it the "opening menu". What it does is simply allow you to select which individual parts of the 37 minute long opening you want to watch rather than watching the whole thing. The reason it requires both disks 1 and 2 inserted is because disks 1 and 2 hold the data necessary for the opening.
      Stick around. I hope to have a video on the second Burai game in the near future. Cheers!

    • @reyvgm
      @reyvgm 2 роки тому

      @@BasementBrothers Thanks for the clarification!

  • @MakoCabbit
    @MakoCabbit Рік тому

    wow this game have so many similarities with romancing saga

  • @riggel8804
    @riggel8804 2 роки тому +1

    I think I'm in the minority but I prefer my rpgs FF1 style where your party members will attack empty space if you don't manage your attacks properly. It keeps you more engaged with the random encounters. I'm playing through FF1 on the PS1 right now. There is an option in that version to have your party members never attack empty space but I've left that option off.

  • @skins4thewin
    @skins4thewin Рік тому +1

    Wow... There is zero excuse for the PC Engine version having missing features like the shopkeeper telling you how suitable equipment is. That's just awful considering they had plenty of time to know what was important & what wasn't by then. Sounds like that version is considerably worse for the reasons you mentioned.

  • @farsilv
    @farsilv 7 місяців тому

    This is an incredible game for the time it was released. Consider that in that time RPGs were much more limited in scope. Games like Phantasy Star were the norm.
    I want to play it but I am not sure if I could stomach all that japanese text :( maybe in another 6-12 months

  • @desmonddies
    @desmonddies Рік тому

    Doesn’t Octopath Traveler uses the same idea of 8 main characters, all of them having different opening story chapter?

    • @gaminggoddess85
      @gaminggoddess85 Рік тому

      Which itself was probably inspired by Squaresoft's Romancing SaGa series which traditionally had 7 or 8 main characters depending on the game. Live A Live also has its cast of 7 come together in the final stage after you play through all of their short, self-contained scenarios, despite said characters existing hundreds, thousands or even billions of years apart from each other.

  • @ceticobr
    @ceticobr 2 роки тому +1

    How can you even read those low resolution kanji? Is there a trick?

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +2

      Experience, I guess. When you've seen a lot of Japanese you become really familiar with common kanji and reading them becomes kind of automatic... so that they're recognizable even in blocky/pixely form. Also, context. You know what kanji it likely is because of the other writing around it. It's like reading a sloppily written note in English. Even if a word is illegible you can usually make a pretty good guess what it says based on context.

    • @ceticobr
      @ceticobr 2 роки тому

      @@BasementBrothers PC98 games seem way more legible though. How did you end up in Japan? How did you learn Japanese? I am currently learning Japanese to connect with my heritage and to be able to some day play this kind of game.

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +1

      Yes the text is much much sharper in PC-98 games. I've been in Japan for a couple decades, and it is mostly time and experience that has made the biggest difference. I did also study Japanese a lot before ever coming to Japan.

  • @arielleone4416
    @arielleone4416 2 роки тому

    I played the PC98 version of this game and the number of disks is less than the PC88, which was the norm back then since most PC98 games released through the 1980s were ports of PC88 games

    • @arielleone4416
      @arielleone4416 2 роки тому

      For example, Disk 1 of the PC98 version covers the first two PC88 disks that make up the opening
      Disk 2 covers most of the others that deal with the first 7 chapters

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  2 роки тому +1

      That's because the disk format on PC-98 holds more data.

  • @OriruBastard
    @OriruBastard 7 місяців тому

    So basically you got 37min anime episode along with the game.

  • @aoi01152
    @aoi01152 Рік тому

    Hey sorry but somehow I see parallel to saint seya in the opening

    • @Bram7Lawliet
      @Bram7Lawliet 10 місяців тому

      that probably because main character design of burai series is by the animator of saint seiya, Shingo Araki.

  • @avalond1193
    @avalond1193 9 місяців тому

    So which is the definitive version?

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  9 місяців тому +1

      There isn't one, but I guess I would recommend the Mega CD.

  • @gator36
    @gator36 Рік тому

    15:25 hahaha

  • @andersdenkend
    @andersdenkend Рік тому

    Always wondered, does this have anything to do with Burai Fighter? Hah.

  • @mrwizard5012
    @mrwizard5012 Рік тому

    ...And then Burai II happened.

  • @joerig96
    @joerig96 Рік тому

    Always like Japanese old DOS/V pc game, especially visual novel (hentai 🤭) just admire the great anime/manga pixel arts, even never understand the language 😁✌️

  • @Nemo2342
    @Nemo2342 Рік тому

    Ok, if the opening was 37 minutes, just how long was the ending?! 😂

    • @BasementBrothers
      @BasementBrothers  Рік тому

      I no longer have the footage from it, but I remember it definitely being a lot shorter than the opening. Probably 10 minutes-ish?

  • @raccoonstarsmember
    @raccoonstarsmember Рік тому

    Who designed those characters? They look straight out of Saint Seiya, and that guy in the middle looks just like Touma.

    • @gaminggoddess85
      @gaminggoddess85 Рік тому

      The video description literally says it's by the Saint Seiya guy.

  • @RotatableHorse
    @RotatableHorse Рік тому

    This game looks brutal and you are playing it in Japanese.