Dreamcast Game #07: Power Stone

パワーストーン、パワーストーン２

Information

• Released on 1999.02.25 (JP), 1999.09.09 (NA), 1999.10.14 (EU)
• Published/Developed by Capcom (Eidos Interactive, now known as Square Enix Europe, for the EU release)
• Composed by Tetsuya Shibata
• Designed by Tatsuya Nakae and Hideaki Itsuno
• 2 player versus arena fighting

First off…

Happy 20th Anniversary, Dreamcast!

The game’s plot

Set in the 19th century, strong believers of legends, myths, and superstition search for fame, fortune, and glory. One legend above all is sought after by many, a treasure which can make any dream come true. Believers from all over the world set out to search for this treasure, and are forced to fight against one another in pursuit of the legendary Power Stone.

The gameplay

Gameplay involves selecting a character and then proceeding to battle the other characters, one at a time, in various locales. The three-dimensional fighting includes the ability to use special attacks as well as to pick up and fight with such objects as tables, chairs, rocks, and bombs. During battle, “Power Stones”, resembling gems of different colors, appear in the arena. If a character collects three Power Stones, he/she transforms into a more powerful version of himself/herself. He/she will then be able to use one of two super special attacks: generally a massive long-range power attack and a grab or close-range move. The powered-up mode only lasts until the power bar is fully drained, during which the special attack can be executed (which completely depletes the power bar) or other, lesser special moves can be executed (which only use a small portion of power). Each match continues until the life bar of one of the two characters fighting is depleted.

Now here are the characters:

• Falcon (Fokker in the original Japanese release, v.b. Ryo Horikawa): The main character of Power Stone. Falcon has a fighting style of boxing. He is from Londo (a reference to London). When in Power Change, he is known as the Red Whirlwind. Falcon’s Japanese name is a reference to the Fokker, the plane he is seen in. This was possibly removed in the English version because of the inappropriate puns that would follow. His Power Change is a similar hybrid to Iron Man.
• Wang Tang (or Wang-Tang, v.b. Sayaka Aida): An aspiring chef and martial artist from the town of Tong-An. When Wang-Tang picks up an item, he says “lucky”, where the other characters in Power Stone speak Japanese. Wang-Tang’s Power Fusions resemble moves from a Super Saiyan from the Dragon Ball series, including moves based on Goku’s Kamehameha and Spirit Bomb. He is known as the Agile Dragon when in Power Change.
• Ryoma (v.b. Atsushi Tanaka): Ryoma is from the town of Mutsu (reference to Mutsu). When in Power Change, he is known as the Master Swordsman which could be seen as a composite of the Silver Samurai and the Ronin Warriors.
• Ayame (v.b. Hikari Tachibana): Ayame is a traveling entertainer and kunoichi from the town of Oedo (reference to Edo). Her power drives and fusions involve shurikens. When in Power Change, she is known as the Cherry Blossom Dancer. In the anime version, her clothing is different, her hair is black instead of dark blue, and she has an older brother.
• Rouge (v.b. Sakiko Tamagawa): The character is a fortune teller from the town of Mahdad (reference to Baghdad). Rouge has a Gypsy Dancing fighting style. When in Power Change, she is known as the Scorching Beauty. Her design looks similar to Pullum from the Street Fighter EX series.
• Jack (v.b. Wataru Takagi): Jack is a mysterious man whose body is covered in bandages. He has an original fighting style. He and Ryoma are the only two characters in the original Power Stone who wield a weapon. Jack is from the town of Manches (reference to Manchester). He is likely a reference to Jack the Ripper (a paper in his ending calls him “Jack the Slayer”). When in Power Change, he is known as the Mad Clown. The newspaper in his ending has a picture of the then-Capcom employees.
• Gunrock (v.b. Yōsuke Akimoto): The character is from the town of Dawnvolta. When in Power Change, he is known as the Heavy Tank which bears a resemblance to The Thing from Marvel Comic’s Fantastic Four. He shares a name with a character from Capcom’s Saturday Night Slam Masters.
• Galuda (v.b. Jūrōta Kosugi): Galuda is from the town of Dullstown. When in Power Fusion, he is known as the Proud Eagle, in which he looks similar to a totem pole. His appearance is similar to that of T. Hawk from the game Super Street Fighter II.
• Kraken (v.b. Colonel Roy Campbell, later deceased): Kraken is a pirate from Power Stone. He, like Valgas, is an unlockable character. Kraken is from a pirate ship in Skull Haven and has a buccaneer fighting style. When in Power Change, he is known as Ghost Pirate. His name is a reference to the Kraken, along with his nickname, King Octopus. Only appears in the first game.
• Valgas (v.b. Vigoro from Skies of Arcadia): Valgas is a character from Power Stone. He is from the island of Avalon Island. He is a very powerful character and is quite fast. When defeated, he transforms into the final boss of the game, Final Valgas. His name may be a reference to Vulgus, Capcom’s first game. Only appears in the first game.

BONUS! Power Stone 2

Information

• Released on 2000.04.27 (JP), 2000.08.23 (NA), 2000.08.24 (EU)
• Same developer and publisher as the first game, including the same publisher for the EU release
• The same composer as the first game
• Characters designed by Akira “Akiman” Yasuda (both games)
• 4 player fighting

There are four different modes available for the game:

• 1-on-1: Much like the original Power Stone, a two-character storyline game.
• Arcade: A four-character storyline game, with two characters advancing each round.
• Original: Multiplayer mode, with free choice of characters and stages.
• Adventure: An unpredictable storyline game, where players can collect items, cards, and money.

Power Stone 2 offers five interactive 3-D stages to begin with, plus the two boss stages which players can also access in Original mode. All but the Original mode is played out like a storyline, where two battles are fought on the regular stages, followed by the Pharaoh Walker boss, then another battle, and ending with the Dr. Erode boss stage. Three extra stages may be unlocked for Original mode by meeting certain requirements in Arcade mode, as well as a desert area stage, which is essentially the Pharaoh Walker boss stage but without the boss. Though each player has their own set of default ground and air attacks, the character can execute more powerful fusion attacks after collecting three Power Stones and transforming. Power Stone 2 does not offer an opportunity to block, although tapping on the control pad just before an enemy attack will cause you to dodge.

Most of the stages are dynamic and will change as the battle progresses. For example, the airplane stage starts out on a warplane. After a set amount of time, the plane will fall apart, forcing all the players to battle while skydiving toward the ground. Shortly after, the players will fall onto a floating platform, where the remainder of the battle will be held. This, in essence, creates three sub-stages within a single one.

Each stage is also littered with item boxes, which hold a random item that a player has acquired and unlocked in Adventure mode or created in the Item Shop. They may also contain Power Stones. Items are extremely diverse. Damaging items range from guns, flamethrowers, gigantic hammers, a wide assortment of swords, to bear traps, roller blades, and even a magazine that can be thrown. Non-damaging items include food that will replenish health, shields for defense, elixirs for invisibility, adhesive sprays to slow your opponents, and wings for extra jumps. Cards that can be used to mix items can also be found in Adventure mode. Furthermore, most stages also have their own collection of unique items and fixtures that the player can use. For example, the submarine level comes with turrets, small planes to drop bombs, and icebergs to throw at opponents. Each level is also highly interactive, as players can use many of the stage elements themselves. All players can also gain extra height by jumping off a wall.

The Item Shop is an addition to Power Stone 2 is the “Adventure” mode. This mode is functionally identical to the “1-on-1” and “Arcade” modes; however, there is an additional inventory filled with items and money that the player has collected. These may then be taken to the game’s “Item Shop”, run by secret character Mel. The overall goal of the Item Shop is to allow players to gain access to new items; either by purchasing them, or by combining existing items in a ‘mixing’ process. This gives the game considerable additional longevity, as many of the best or most entertaining items are available only from the Item Shop. Power Stone 2 includes a VMU application called the Mini-Book. This can be used to inspect the player’s item inventory, or trade items with another player. Additionally, a player may register up to five items in their inventory as “Handy Items”. These may then appear to the player in Original mode, offering a tactical advantage.

Four new characters are added to the roster: Gourmand, the head chef on the luxurious airship Royal Heaven, which sails around the world; Pride, the father of the Power Stone protagonist Falcon; Accel, a vagabond gunman that was ambushed by a group of rough and tough guys in a town of outlaws, as his appearance looks somewhat similar to Vash the Stampede from Trigun; Julia, the only daughter of the historic Whitepearl family; and Pete, a humanoid doll who transforms into a super-powerful toy robot.

In the end, I used to have (but still have as of today) a Dreamcast, except we can no longer burn Dreamcast games since EmuParadise was shut down. This article is finished.

Samurai Cory out.