Linkle Liver Story

Linkle Liver Story[lower-alpha 1] is a 1996 Japanese video game developed by Nextech and published by Sega for the Sega Saturn video game system. The game is an action-RPG where the player takes control of a fox girl named Kitsch.

Linkle Liver Story
Developer(s)Nextech
Publisher(s)Sega
Director(s)Osamu Satou
Producer(s)Katsuji Aoyama
Tatsuo Yamada
Designer(s)Eiichi Kitano
Yuji Tamaya
Programmer(s)Eiki Aizawa
Manabu Takahashi
Toshio Toyota
Artist(s)Masayuki Matsushima
Kazuhiro Nagata
Kōichirō Kobayashi
Writer(s)Yayoi Onda
Composer(s)Fumito Tamayama
Hidehiko Enomoto
Masato Takahashi
Platform(s)Sega Saturn
Release
  • JP: 15 March 1996
Genre(s)Action role-playing
Mode(s)Single-player

Gameplay
Gameplay screenshot.

Linkle Liver Story is an action adventure game which uses an isometric perspective.[1]

Finding and planting seeds will give the player new weapons, for a total of eight possible.[1]

The game's graphics are 2D and make extensive use of the CD-ROM format to have higher quality graphics, sound and music, as well as greater length than would be possible in cartridge format.[2]

Plot

Linkle Liver Story is set in the fairy tale world of Mamuna, which is inhabited by demi-humans. Mamuna is ruled by a figure named Muma, a user of dark magic who has ruled the planet as an authoritarian. However, his power is beginning to wane, and he may vanish if he can't find a new source of power.[2]

Trying to prevent this, his evil forces have conquered the land of Four Seasons.[3] Kitsch, a fox girl,[1] joins forces with small woodland animals to fight back.

Kitsch is accompanied in her adventure by a squirrel, Balel, and a rabbit, Lalala. Her third partner, Puchimuku, is a seed that grows throughout the game.[2]

Development

The game was developed by Nextech, who had previously made the games Crusader of Centy and Ranger X for the Sega Genesis.[4]

Release

Linkle Liver Story was released on March 15, 1996 for the Sega Saturn video game console, and was published by Sega.[5][6][7][8][9] The game was released only in Japan. In 2019 however, the game was translated into English through a fan translation. In addition to the game, the translation team also translated the game's manual.[10]

Reception

According to Famitsu, Linkle Liver Story sold over 4,950 copies in its first week on the market.[12] Famitsu gave the game a score of 26 out of 40.[6]

Three reviewers for GameFan gave it scores of 65, 85, and 70, of an average of 73.[4]

Three reviewers for the Japanese Sega Saturn Magazine gave it a score of 7, 7, and 6.[11]

Several gaming publications found the game's title to be strange.[3] Several publications, including Next Gen, Official Sega Saturn Magazine, Mega Console, previewed the game calling it "Wrinkle River Story". GameFan reviewed the game calling it "Wrinkle River Story", however they pointed out that the game's title screen says Linkle Liver Story.[4]

Notes
  1. Japanese: リンクルリバーストーリー, Hepburn: Rinkuru Ribā Sutōrī, lit. Wrinkle River Story

References
  1. Hara, Tetsuhiko (May 1996). "Saturn-News: Linkle Liver Story". Video Games (in German). No. 54. Magna Media. p. 64.
  2. "NG Alphas - Wrinkle River Story". Next Generation. No. 18. Imagine Media. June 1996. p. 80.
  3. Ogasawara, Nob; Mike, Major (May 1996). "Overseas ProSpects: Linkle Liver Story". GamePro. No. 92. IDG. p. 36.
  4. Des Barres, Nicholas; Loe, Casey; Halverson, Dave (May 1996). "Viewpoint - Gen 32 Japan Soft: Wrinkle River Story". GameFan. Vol. 4, no. 5. Metropolis Media. pp. 13, 66, 67.
  5. "リンクル・リバー・ストーリー (セガサターン) - ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com. Archived from the original on 7 May 2019. Retrieved 9 May 2019.
  6. "New Game Cross Review". Famitsu (in Japanese). No. 379. ASCII. 22 March 1996. p. 31.
  7. "リンクル•リバー•ストーリー". Sega Saturn Soft Information (in Japanese). Vol. 6. Sega. 1996. p. 4.
  8. "Japan News - L'actu Façon Sushi - Wrinkle River Story". CD Consoles (in French). No. 19. Pressimage. August 1996. p. 30.
  9. "Saturn Scoop Fan - Scoop 18 - Linkle Liver Story". Saturn Fan (in Japanese). No. 14. Tokuma Shoten. February 1996. p. 126.
  10. Peeples, Jeremy (3 January 2019). "Saturn Action-RPG Linkle Liver Story Gets English Fan Translation". Hardcore Gamer. Retrieved 7 May 2019.
  11. "Sega Saturn Soft Review - New Release Title Check! - リンクル•リバー•ストーリー". Sega Saturn Magazine (in Japanese). No. 18. SoftBank Creative. 8 March 1996. p. 225.
  12. "Game Search". Game Data Library. Archived from the original on 24 April 2019. Retrieved 1 November 2020.
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