Uncharted Waters

Uncharted Waters (Japanese: 大航海時代, Daikoukai Jidai, literally Great Navigation Era) is a popular Japanese video game series produced by Koei as part of its rekoeition games. In East Asia, the series has a large cult following, but has not received much recognition internationally. The series has been compared to Sid Meier's Pirates! in gameplay and theme. It is a simulation and CRPG series dealing with sailing and trading.

In the games, the player takes up the role of a captain (also called commodore in some translations) and manages a seagoing fleet to participate in trades, privateering, treasure hunting, exploration, and plain piracy. Even though the series is largely open-ended, there is still a loose plot which requires the player to follow certain paths, and deviating from these paths may stall the progress of the story.

Contents

1 Historical background 2 Uncharted Waters 3 Uncharted Waters 2 4 Daikokai Jidai Gaiden 5 Daikoukai Jidai 3 6 Uncharted Waters IV: Porto Estado 7 Uncharted Waters Online 8 External links

Historical background

See also Age of Exploration

In Japanese, the term Daikoukai Jidai refers to the period between the 15th century and the 17th century, when European explorers sailed the seas to open new alternative ways to Asia when the Ottoman Empire blocked the land routes and led to the decline of port cities that previously prospered from the trade.

This period was characterized by the rivalry between Spain and Portugal, the advent of colonization, and general exploration. In later games, other countries are also involved. Some historical events during the Age of Exploration, like Treaty of Tordesillas, were mentioned.

The game series makes many references to the historical background, although much like Pirates!, the more treacherous details of the era are idealized to create a more adventurous and exciting mood.

Uncharted Waters

In the first game of the series, the player assumes the role of Leon Franco, the young, ambitious son of a noble family fallen on hard times in Portugal. The goal of the game is to restore the family's former glory and achieve Leon's dreams.

The story is set in the early 16th century. It was released on NES in 1991 and Sega Genesis and SNES in 1992. The English versions were also released in the same years respectively.

Uncharted Waters 2

Also known as Uncharted Waters: New Horizons, this game is perhaps the most famous of the series. Even though an English version exists, it still has not managed to achieve the mainstream popularity Pirates! had. There is only a relatively small following outside of East Asia.

Also set in the 16th century, this game is a sequel to the first title and was released for SNES in 1994. In Uncharted Waters 2, there are six protagonists to choose from, each of them representing a path or career featured in the game. They are listed as follows:

• João Franco : Son of Leon from the first game, a Portuguese explorer
• Catalina Erantzo : Former Spanish naval officer, a pirate
• Otto Baynes : English naval officer, a privateer
• Ernst Von Bohr: Dutch cartographer
  

Note: He is under contract with a person named Mercrator, probably a reference to Gerardus Mercator

• Pietro Conti: Italian treasure hunter
• Ali Vezas: Turkish merchant

While the game is more or less open-ended, developing the character's career is necessary to advance the plot.

Daikokai Jidai Gaiden

A side story released in 1997 on PlayStation after New Horizons, the game uses the same engine and focuses on the story of two characters instead, further expounding upon the loose plot that ties the series together. The two protagonists are as follows:

Miranda Verute (Japanese transliteration): adventurer
Salvadore Reifu (Japanese transliteration): pirate

Daikoukai Jidai 3

This title was the first to depart from the formula and engine of the series. The traditional focus on story was removed in this game, and some character customization is possible, if only purely decorative. There are two player characters, from Portugal and Spain respectively, although the differences are mainly mechanical, and the role-playing element was greatly reduced.

The theme of exploration is heavily emphasized, as land travel is now possible, and there is a lot more to be explored and discovered overall, compared to the early titles. Also, the game experiments with the concept of language in a video game, a feature uncommon in the industry. Perhaps it is due to these dramatic changes that Daikoukai Jidai 3 left players uncomfortable and failed to achieve much popularity even within Japan.

Uncharted Waters IV: Porto Estado

This game returns to the previous formula, although its open-endedness has decreased and the engine has been updated. This title is plot-wise unrelated to the series that ended in Gaiden. Porto Estado is known for its fine artworks and high-quality illustrations.

The story evolves on the search of the seven Proof of the Conqueror, which are seven ancient artifacts, in seven areas around the world (Northern Europe, Meditarrean, Africa, New World, Indian Ocean, South Asia and East Asia). It is said that having these proofs proves that the sailor is the champion of all sailors. Four sailors (plus another three in expansion) unwittingly involved in the struggle of the quest of the search of the Proof of the Conqueror. It is interesting that sailors are no longer from Europe: two of the seven characters are from Asia, plus another one from Caribbean.

There are many significant changes in this game. For example, the game no longer have the concept of year and the result is that characters in this game will not age. Also, player can set up regional fleets and these regional fleets are valuable financial resources. In combat, naval battle is now fought in real time.

The country boundary has disappeared, literally. Each character is only represented by their own guild and their home country is not important in gameplay. Ports in this game also has a market share rating in a percentage scale. Player can trade in a port only when his guild has some market share in that port, which can be gained by signing a contract with the local govenor.

Uncharted Waters Online

A new MMORPG, the latest in the series, is in development.

External links

• Daikoukai Jidai (historical period) on the Japanese Wikipedia