Crusader of Centy

1994 · Action-Adventure · Genesis

About Crusader of Centy

Crusader of Centy (1994), known as Soleil in Europe, is Nextech's Zelda-style Genesis adventure in which a 14-year-old loses the ability to talk to humans but gains animal companions with special powers.

Crusader of Centy in Depth

In Soleil Town, law requires every 14-year-old boy to train for battle, and Corona has just come of age, inheriting the sword and shield of his late father, a celebrated defender of the city. Monsters threaten humanity's existence. Early on, Corona loses the ability to speak to people but gains the power to talk to animals and plants. The story falls into two halves: first he explores and unlocks the world's regions, then, after defeating Dragon, he regains human speech and travels through time to build a better world and understand why the monsters are at war with humanity.

Seen from overhead, play centres on exploring, sword fighting and solving puzzles. Animals join Corona and lend him their abilities while "equipped", two at a time, from his dog, who pins enemies down for him to strike, to a penguin that adds an ice attack to his sword, with 16 animals to find, often opening paths to previously unreachable areas. Its look and mechanics were universally compared to The Legend of Zelda, especially A Link to the Past; Electronic Gaming Monthly called it a worthy Zelda clone, with two reviewers rating it as good as the Zelda games, while GamePro felt it had a too-familiar story and weak enemies.

Making Crusader of Centy

Nextech developed it as its second game, conceived as an action RPG because the hero gains skills one after another. In the early 1990s Sega was losing Japan's RPG market to Nintendo despite Phantasy Star, Shining and Lunar, so in 1994 it announced the Mega Roleplay Project, of which this was part. Sega released it in Japan in 1994 and in PAL regions in 1995, and Atlus USA released it in North America in 1995. Reviews were largely positive for its gameplay, graphics and story, with some criticism of the controls and sound, and Japan's Micom BASIC Magazine ranked it fourth in popularity in September 1994.

Crusader of Centy Trivia

It was commissioned under Sega's "Mega Roleplay Project" of seven RPGs from different developers.
Nextech was founded by former Wolf Team designers, who first made Ranger X as GAU Entertainment.
Sega of America passed on it, so Atlus USA published it in North America with its own translation.
The animals have different names in the US and UK versions.
It came to Nintendo Switch Online in June 2023.