Neugier: Umi to Kaze no Kodou
Neugier: Umi to Kaze no Kodou is an action RPG developed by Wolf Team and published by Telenet Japan for the Super Famicom in March 1993. You play Duke, the exiled son of Count Wein, who returns home after hearing that Neugier is under attack. His ship is raided by pirates led by a demon called Ord, and Duke has to fight through monster-filled dungeons in real time, using a grappling chain to stun enemies, cross gaps and move objects. This version uses an English fan translation.
Controls
What Neugier is
Neugier is a compact overhead action RPG split into six chapters, each built around a large dungeon. There are no towns or overworld to wander, so the game moves quickly from one area to the next. Unusually for the genre, Duke can jump, and some rooms lean on that for platforming.
The game has an odd history. Renovation planned to release it in North America as The Journey Home: Quest for the Throne, and magazines reviewed it, but the release was cancelled after Sega bought Renovation. Several staff members credited on it later founded tri-Ace, and the music was provided by Yukihiro Takahashi of Yellow Magic Orchestra. A fan translation by Haeleth made the story readable in English, though some menus stay in Japanese.
How it plays in your browser
The translated ROM runs here through the Snes9x emulator, straight in the browser. Combat is real time: you swing at enemies, and the grappling chain is your main sub-weapon and puzzle tool. It pushes enemies back and stuns them rather than dealing damage, which sets up follow-up hits or knocks foes into walls.
There are no experience levels in the usual sense. Your attack strength grows as you use it, and extra hearts found in dungeons raise your maximum health, much like in Zelda. The whole adventure takes a few hours, and your final grade depends on how fast you finish and how much health you collect.
Tips worth knowing
- Enemies only hurt you while they are attacking, so learn each enemy's pattern and strike between its moves instead of avoiding contact entirely.
- Use the grappling chain to push enemies into walls or away from ledges; stunning them first makes most fights safer.
- The chain also latches onto walls and drags objects, so when a gap or puzzle looks impossible, try it on anything nearby.
- Search dungeons for heart pieces that raise your maximum health, which also helps your end-of-game rank.
- Bosses look imposing but tend to leave clear openings; dodge until an attack finishes, then move in.
Frequently asked questions
Is this version of Neugier in English?
Yes. It uses a fan translation of the Japanese Super Famicom game, so the story text is in English, although a few menus remain in Japanese.
Was Neugier ever released in the US?
No. It was set to come out as The Journey Home: Quest for the Throne, but the release was cancelled.
Who developed Neugier?
Wolf Team developed it and Telenet Japan published it in 1993.
How long is Neugier?
It is a short action RPG with six chapters that most players finish in a few hours.
More games like this
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