Torneko: The Last Hope

Torneko: The Last Hope
Developer(s)	Chunsoft, Matrix Software[1]
Publisher(s)	Enix
Designer(s)	Yuji Horii
Artist(s)	Akira Toriyama
Composer(s)	Koichi Sugiyama
Series	Mysterious Dungeon
Platform(s)	PlayStation, Game Boy Advance
Release date(s)	PS1 JP September 15, 1999 NA November 15, 2000 GBA JP December 20, 2001
Genre(s)	Console role-playing game, roguelike
Mode(s)	Single-player
Rating(s)	ESRB: T (Teen)
Media/distribution	CD-ROM, cartridge

Torneko: The Last Hope, known as Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibōken 2 - Fushigi no Dungeon (ドラゴンクエスト・キャラクターズ トルネコの大冒険2 ～不思議のダンジョン～^?, "Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko's Great Adventure 2 - Mystery Dungeon") in Japan, is a console role-playing game for the Sony PlayStation. The game was co-developed by Chunsoft and Matrix Software and published by Enix in both Japan and North America in 1999 and 2000 respectively.

Torneko: The Last Hope is a spin-off title of the Dragon Quest franchise and the second Mystery Dungeon game to star the Dragon Quest IV character Torneko. It is also the second game in the Mystery Dungeon series to be released in North America, after Chocobo's Dungeon 2. Like in Torneko no Daibōken: Fushigi no Dungeon, Torneko (or Taloon, as he was known in Dragon Warrior IV) explores dungeons in search of items, while fighting of hordes of monsters.^[2]

In Japan, the game was ported to the Game Boy Advance in 2001, renamed Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibouken 2 Advance.

Gameplay

The main gameplay involves Torneko exploring maze-like dungeons in search of items. Each dungeon is full of monsters from the Dragon Quest games that Torneko can fight. The monsters can only make one move for each of Torneko's moves.^[3] It is part of the roguelike genre of dungeon crawlers.

Plot

Music

The musical score for Torneko: The Last Hope was composed by Dragon Quest series alumnus Koichi Sugiyama. The original version game soundtrack from the PlayStation version was released by SPE Visual Works on January 21, 2000 in Japan on a single 21-track disc.^[4]

Reception

Torneko: The Last Hope was a financial and critical success in Japan. The PlayStation version of the game sold over 578,000 copies in Japan the year of its release.^[5] The Game Boy Advance version of the game had sold over 181,000 units in Japan by 2007.^[6] The game was well-received by Famitsu magazine, with a score of 37 out of 40 for the PlayStation version and 36 out of 40 for the Game Boy Advance version.^[7][8] Additionally, the game was voted by the publication as number 31 in its top 100 PlayStation games of all time.^[9]

Torneko: The Last Hope did not sell well in North America^[10] and garnered mixed reviews within the region. It received a decent 89/100 from RPGFan. The reviewer called the game "frustratingly difficult," but that its "addictive gameplay elements and top-notch soundtrack" make it a marvelous game.^[11] The game received a "fair" 6.9/10 from GameSpot, which states that a lot of role-playing game players would be turned off by its lack of story and randomly-generated dungeons, but those who are looking for some lighter fare of role-playing game may like it.^[3] Other critics scored the game much lower, however. PSM Magazine gave the game a score of 1/10 and the Official PlayStation Magazine gave Torneko a 2/5.^[12]

References

1. ^ "株式会社マトリックス/製品/PS/トルネコの大冒険2　不思議のダンジョン" (in Japanese). MatrixSoft.co.jp. http://www.matrixsoft.co.jp/consumer/ps_toruneko2.html. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 
2. ^ "Torneko: The Last Hope at Rotten Tomatoes". 2000. Archived from the original on October 1, 2007. http://web.archive.org/web/20071001044838/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/g/playstation/torneko_the_last_hope/about.php. Retrieved September 2, 2007. 
3. ^ ^{a b} Jeff Gertsmann (2000). "GameSpot review". http://www.gamespot.com/ps/rpg/tornekothelasthope/review.html. Retrieved September 3, 2007. 
4. ^ Gann, Patrick. "Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko's Great Adventure 2 ~Mysterious Dungeon~ OST". RPGFan.com. http://www.rpgfan.com/soundtracks/dq-torneko2/index.html. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 
5. ^ "1999 Top 100 Best Selling Japanese Console Games". The-MagicBox.com. http://the-magicbox.com/Chart-BestSell1999.shtml. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
6. ^ "Nintendo GBA Japanese Ranking". Japan-GameCharts.com. http://www.japan-gamecharts.com/gba.php. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
7. ^ Chinn, Marty (June 23, 2000). "Famitsu Top 120 PlayStation games". Gaming-Age.com. http://gaming-age.com/news/2000/6/23-151. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
8. ^ "Nintendo World Report - News Article: Famitsu GBA Reviews". NintendoWorldReport.com. http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/6815. Retrieved 2008-12-16. 
9. ^ IGN staff (November 20, 2000). "Famitsu Weekly PlayStation Top 100". IGN.com. http://psx.ign.com/articles/088/088060p1.html. Retrieved 2008-12-13. 
10. ^ Sumire Kanzaki, Sensei Phoenix, and Citan Uzuki (2001). "Enix Interview With John Laurence". RPGFan.com. http://www.rpgfan.com/features/e32k1-enix/index3.html. Retrieved 2009-01-11. 
11. ^ Jedi Leroy (2000). "RPGFan review". http://www.rpgfan.com/reviews/tornekolasthope/Torneko.html. Retrieved September 3, 2007. 
12. ^ "Torneko: The Last Hope at GameRankings". 2001. http://www.gamerankings.com/ps/374986-torneko-the-last-hope/index.html. Retrieved September 3, 2007. 

External links

• Official Torneko site
• Torneko: The Last Hope at GameFAQs
• Dragon Quest Characters: Torneko no Daibouken 2 Advance at GameFAQs