Been waiting to finish this little excerpt and publish it but never got around to do so. Until now. A small love-letter to a DC game I wish would see the light of an English translation one day: deSpiria. Pictures will be appended soon.
(Had to separate this comment from the text due to character limit)
Pre-rendered games. There are a lot of things that can be said about these type games in its entirety. They were considered the past's future and the future's (outdated by today) past.
Going hand in hand with FMVs, games like Myst or Phantasmagoria respectively have defined these type of games during its heyday. Other "hit" and cult-classics like Virtual Hydlide notwithstanding, pre-rendering game graphics were quite a smart move. Consoles with lower performance could evoke landscapes and characters like no in-game graphics were able to do so back then. For other genres like the PS1 Final Fantasy games, you knew you were in for a treat whenever these popped up. Besides CGI cutscenes, a lot of openings used that technique to great success as well (Gran Turismo, my beloved...).
Back during these years, one was unable to not just think: "I wonder when games will be able to render these type of graphics in real-time...". Fast-forwarding to the present, such CGI renders have now taken the backseat of just appear during game teasers or trailers hyping up products that were never meant to look or play this cool (Dark Alliance, my beloved...).
Another game of that caliber, and today's point of utmost attention, is another pre-rendered game which released in Japan only (of course it would): deSpiria.
cyBerpunk - Made in Ōsaka
deSpiria was released for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000 - a very futuristic year. The Y2K panic being close to over, Phantasy Star Online was on the horizon and the company behind deSpiria, Dennou Eizo Seisakusho Ltd., prepared a late summer release of their second solo venture into the gaming world? Second game? Indeed, as the Osaka-based company behind deSpiria has previously released Dark Messiah for the PS1. Albeit Dark Messiah might not ring too many bells, especially not for the US audience, European players might know it under the title "Hellnight".
A survival horror game at its core, Hellnight throws you into a then-futuristic Tokyo which, already not big enough of a capital as it is, evolved to a megapolis consisting of innumerable webs of subway and sewer networks. As a nameless protagonist, your daring escape from cult members via train gets derailed by an unknown being, who manages to chase you into the "Mesh", an underground civilization, full of people that don't want to resurface ever again.
Seeing the themes and styling of Hellnight, it is not surprising that their successor (although not related with Hellnight, depending on who you ask) shares similar themes: Alien lifeforms, albeit not as "dystopian" as "Megapolis" Tokyo, a much more apocalyptic future, filled with very unique human-like beings. Although the game never explicitly states the location of its setting, various interviews reveal that deSpiria is set in future Ōsaka. This would not be that evident by the naming of areas such as SOUTH, CENTER or more cohesive names such as Amagasaki (neighboring city) or New Tokyo. Later places are more evident in the hommage to the "best city in Japan" but one would not immediately think of this Japanese mega-city from the get-go. Some Kansai dialect heavier characters are an easier indication, however.
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diVe into the unknown
Like many good dystopian games, the world is set in turmoil as after the third World War (topical), the human race has been decimated by nearly 75% - life as one used to know was no longer possible. Along with infant death rates of 90%, it is no surprise that the outlook for the human race is anything but dire at this point. Only one institution attempts to bring order in chaos and serve as a sanctuary for those who firmly believe in it - The Church (add dramatic chipmunk gif here).
The jumpsuit-clad and aloof protagonist, Allure Valentine, is a member of this not-so-shady organization and serves as a handmaiden (or assassin). Her first mission in the game? Board a train from New Tokyo to SOUTH and find out which passenger is secretely an executive member of the "Heretics" group, which seemingly derail the train.
Right from the get-go, the game throws quite a few surprises at the player. Allure sniffing icky stuff into her nose, floating aliens, a.k.a. MINDs and, possibly the defining feature of deSpiria, being able to "dive" into the minds of other people. Allure reads the mind of people and also traces mind fragments of things people interacted with too. If the game itself is grotesque just by this simple premise, it is even more grotesque with the characters that Allure meets throughout the game. Androids, human-shaped bipeds which attach fleshy limbs to their body, half naked robots missing a jaw - all in their pre-rendered CGI glory. Rather ironically, the Church seems to be the closest thing to sane, especially when compared with the landscape and the populace that inhabit the setting of deSpiria. With topics such as cannibalism, augmented atrocities, kidnapping and other, more taboo topics, the game revels in its obscure style and benefits all the more by the fact of being pre-rendered.
The player navigates Allure in first-person throughout the environment the game throws at you. Each sector has interactive elements - either objects, things people left a strong residual memory in, or NPCs. In what the devs coined as the "Sphere System" (unfortunately no relation the GameSphere), the player points and clicks through highlighted objects and thus proceeds throughout these sectors to the next location. A feature, which is even more outdated than FMV or CGI, random encounters keep the player on edge and throw them into yet another pre-rendered battle environment in which the enemy is a part of. The only exception to this rule, being the MINDs (the alien-like creatures) which reside within Allure, or the enemy, being in-game 3D renders. In good old, turn-based RPG fashion, you smack the enemy until its mind is by the definition of the term itself "utterly broken". If one begins to think "Hey, this sounds like a game Atlus would make", you would be correct - they are deSpiria's publisher, after all.
Allure is not without allies, but these are always relegated to the background (not even in the CG background) and either provide dialogue or further info-dumps on the task at hand. Most of the time, the game tells its initially not so seemingly interwoven story through Allure herself monologueing as if she was Raziel or by elements she decides to interact with.
Accompanied by the voiceless walls of Kanji and Kana is the music, which personally is quite great, albeit overly simplistic. There are a good amount of battle themes to keep each encounter spicy, but after a few chapters, one will have heard all of them - all in their 30-second looped glory. Those loops are very pleasant though and some BGMs during exploration really strike the mood and ambiance of the game to a T, even if they loop.
unTranslated heresy
Just like the game having quite a downer setting, here is yet another factoid which can break one's heart and "mind": deSpiria has not been translated and it might be unlikely that it ever will. At least in the same manner such as translated gems like Baroque. Being a very text-heavy game and the mind dives being heavily reliant on usage of singular kana which find themselves with the next letter to form sentences in these dives (think of Scrabble, but for entire sentences) make it a nigh-impossible task to properly translate these into the Western lingo.
That is not to say that no one except the Japanese is able to enjoy this game to some degree: A Youtuber by the name of popomocco did a great service to players that were heavily interested in this game and provided a full translation of his playthrough on Youtube. Spanning a total of 22 videos, one can now enjoy the game to such an extent of understanding the plot to a decent degree. Going by the translator, it might also be a favorable option as the game is bullet-ridden with encounters and requires a good amount of grinding if one wants to proceed through the game.
In the last video of this series Popomocco also announced that he would collaborate with a colleague to work on an actual translation of the game to English with the downside being that ever since that announcement no real progress has ever been published and the outlook of diving sequences (which make half of the game's plot in terms of cohesion and content) being unable to be properly translated into the game an announcement which should be taken with plenty grains of salt.
beAutiful ugliness
With all of that being said, deSpiria is absolutely worth being checked out. There are few games which manage to evoke such curiosity just by the design of the world, the characters, the plot elements, and the overall uniqueness. Even with the language barrier being alive and well with this title, a close to fully translated version is available, even if that mutates the turn-based RPG into a visual novel.
deSpiria really feels like an ode to a bygone era of games, which were able to create art with tools which are considered anything but essential to a game nowadays. Thankfully this genre is not all lost, even if by luck people manage to dig up previously lost media such as Noah's Ark and Garage: Bad Dream Adventure.
Here's hoping that untranslated gems like Kowloon's Gate and the main course of this excerpt, deSpiria, will see the light of an English version one day.
Hello, I will approve you just got some fixes to propose if you don't mind:
The were considered the past's future > They were considered the past's future
which passenger is secretely a executive member > who is secretly an executive member
non-withstanding > notwithstanding
Being a very text-heavy game and the mind dives being heavily reliant > Since the game is very text-heavy, and the mind dives rely heavily on
Allure read the mind of people and also trace mind fragments. > Allure reads the minds of people and traces mind fragments.
things people left a strong residual memory into > things people left a strong residual memory in
no one except the Japanese are able to enjoy > no one except the Japanese is able to enjoy
being able to "dive" into the mind of other people > the ability to "dive" into other people’s minds
This are some of the issues, I suggest before publishing asking an AI to correct the mistakes you might have missed. And I'm not saying to rewrite it, just fixing the grammar, etc.
Edit: I will add the final edited draft with less grammatical inconsistencies in the next comment, if the character limit does not interfere with that. I will add some pictures as well.
Here we go, the revised version which went through the artificially intelligent grindwolf, pictures included
prEface
Pre-rendered games: there’s much to say about this genre in its entirety. Once heralded as the future of gaming, they now represent a past that feels outdated by today’s standards.
Hand in hand with FMVs, games like Myst and Phantasmagoria defined this type of game during its heyday. Other “hits” and cult classics, like Virtual Hydlide, notwithstanding, pre-rendered game graphics were a clever solution. Consoles with limited performance could evoke landscapes and characters that in-game graphics couldn’t match at the time. For other genres, like the PS1 Final Fantasy games, you knew you were in for a treat whenever these visuals appeared. Beyond CGI cutscenes, many game openings used this technique to great success as well (Gran Turismo, my beloved...).
Back then, one couldn’t help but wonder: “When will games render these graphics in real-time?” Fast-forward to today, and such CGI renders have largely taken a backseat, often appearing only in game teasers or trailers hyping products that never live up to their polished previews (Dark Alliance, my beloved...).
Another game of this caliber, and the focus of today’s discussion, is a pre-rendered gem released exclusively in Japan (of course): deSpiria.
Not contained in this picture: scenes of explicit violence and gore.
cyBerpunk - Made in Ōsaka
deSpiria launched for the Sega Dreamcast in 2000—a futuristic year indeed. With the Y2K panic fading and Phantasy Star Online on the horizon, the Ōsaka-based company behind deSpiria, Dennou Eizo Seisakusho Ltd., prepared a late-summer release for their second solo venture into gaming. Second game? Indeed, as this company had previously released Dark Messiah for the PS1. While Dark Messiah may not ring many bells, especially for U.S. audiences, European players might recognize it as Hellnight.
A survival horror game at its core, Hellnight thrusts you into a then-futuristic Tokyo, already a sprawling capital, evolved into a megapolis of intricate subway and sewer networks. As a nameless protagonist, your daring escape from cult members via train is derailed by an unknown entity, forcing you into the “Mesh”—an underground civilization filled with people who never wish to resurface.
Given the themes and style of Hellnight, it’s unsurprising that its successor (though not directly related, depending on whom you ask), deSpiria, shares similar motifs: alien lifeforms, a less “dystopian” but more apocalyptic future, and unique human-like beings. While the game never explicitly states its setting, interviews reveal that deSpiria takes place in a futuristic Ōsaka. This isn’t immediately obvious from area names like SOUTH, CENTER, or more cohesive ones like Amagasaki (a neighboring city) or New Tokyo. Later locations pay clearer homage to “Japan’s best city,” but you wouldn’t instantly peg it as Ōsaka. Some characters’ heavier Kansai dialect offers a stronger clue, however.
Striking similarity... (top: Shinsekai square with the Tsutenkaku tower in the background; bottom: SOUTH CENTRAL from deSpiria)
diVe into the unknown
Like many great dystopian games, deSpiria’s world is in turmoil. After a third World War (a topical choice), the human race has been decimated by nearly 75%, and life as it was once known is no longer possible. With infant mortality rates at 90%, the outlook for humanity is dire. Only one institution attempts to bring order to the chaos and serve as a sanctuary for believers: The Church (insert dramatic chipmunk GIF here).
The jumpsuit-clad, aloof protagonist, Allure Valentine, is a member of this not-so-shady organization, serving as a handmaiden (or assassin). Her first mission? Board a train from New Tokyo to SOUTH and identify which passenger is secretly an executive member of the “Heretics” group, which seemingly derails the train.
From the outset, the game throws surprises at the player: Allure sniffing strange substances, floating aliens known as MINDs, and, perhaps deSpiria’s defining feature, the ability to “dive” into others’ minds. Allure can read people’s thoughts and trace mental fragments from objects they’ve interacted with. If the premise alone feels grotesque, the characters Allure encounters amplify this. Androids, human-shaped bipeds grafting fleshy limbs onto their bodies, half-naked robots missing jaws—all rendered in pre-rendered CGI glory. Ironically, the Church seems the closest thing to sanity compared to the game’s landscape and populace. With themes like cannibalism, augmented atrocities, kidnapping, and other taboo topics, deSpiria revels in its obscure style, enhanced by its pre-rendered aesthetic.
Players navigate Allure in first-person through the game’s environments. Each sector features interactive elements—objects, items with strong residual memories, or NPCs. In what the developers called the “Sphere System” (unfortunately unrelated to the GameSphere), players point and click through highlighted objects to progress through sectors. A feature even more outdated than FMVs or CGI, random encounters keep players on edge, thrusting them into pre-rendered battle environments where enemies are integrated. The exception? MINDs (the alien-like creatures) residing within Allure or enemies, which appear as in-game 3D renders. In classic turn-based RPG fashion, you battle until the enemy’s mind is, by the game’s definition, “utterly broken.” If you’re thinking, “This sounds like an Atlus game,” you’d be right—they’re deSpiria’s publisher, after all.
Good ol' fashioned turn-based combat. MINDs are rendered in-game while background and the main enemy remains CGI with limited motions and reactions to attacks.
Allure isn’t without allies, but they’re relegated to the background (not even in the CG background), providing dialogue or info-dumps on the task at hand. The game tells its initially disjointed story through Allure’s monologues (think Raziel from Legacy of Kain) or her interactions with objects.
Accompanying the voiceless walls of kanji and kana is the music, which is personally quite enjoyable, if overly simplistic. There’s a decent variety of battle themes to keep encounters fresh, but after a few chapters, you’ve heard them all—in their 30-second looped glory. The loops are pleasant, though, and some exploration BGMs perfectly capture the game’s mood and ambiance, even if they repeat.
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unTranslated heresy
Like its bleak setting, here’s another heartbreaker: deSpiria has never been translated and likely never will be, at least not to the extent of translated gems like Baroque. As a text-heavy game, with mind dives relying on singular kana combining to form sentences (think Scrabble, but for entire phrases), translating it into Western languages is a near-impossible task.
Mind Diving in action: Watch out for randomly flying Kana and Kanji!
That said, non-Japanese players can still enjoy it to some degree. A YouTuber named Popomocco did a great service for fans, providing a full translation of his playthrough across 22 videos on YouTube. This allows viewers to understand the plot to a decent extent. According to the translator, this might be preferable, as the game is riddled with random encounters and requires significant grinding to progress.
In the final video, Popomocco announced a collaboration to work on an English translation of the game. However, no real progress has been reported since, and the challenge of translating the diving sequences (which comprise half the game’s plot cohesion and content) suggests this promise should be taken with a grain of salt.
beAutiful ugliness
Despite these hurdles, deSpiria is absolutely worth checking out. Few games evoke such curiosity through their world design, characters, plot elements, and sheer uniqueness. Even with the language barrier, a nearly fully translated version exists, albeit turning the turn-based RPG into more of a visual novel.
deSpiria feels like an ode to a bygone era of games that created art with tools now considered obsolete. Thankfully, this genre isn’t entirely lost, as rediscovered media like Noah’s Ark and Garage: Bad Dream Adventure prove.
Here’s hoping untranslated gems like Kowloon’s Gate and deSpiria will one day see English releases, too.
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