History VideoGame / Gotzendiener

''Götzendiener'',[[note]]German for "idolater", more literally "false god's servant"[[/note]] also rendered as ゲッツェンディーナー, is a DungeonCrawling ActionAdventure comparable to ''VideoGame/MysticTowers'' and ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}''. It saw release on the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] in november of 1994 and like many late titles [[NoExportForYou remained exclusive to Japan]]. The decision to keep the game on home soil may have also been influenced by the fact that the video game is based on a novel, which was also not translated. The novel was written by Hiroe Suga and published in ''Dengeki PC Engine'' from February to July of 1994. A handful of studios worked on the video game, but the main developer is Creator/StudioGainax while NEC Home Electronics served as the publisher.

* DungeonBypass: The starter puzzle to get the princess across a narrow gap in the floor has a hard and an easy solution. Either you climb down a few ladders until one breaks and you bring back the broken piece to use it as a bridge... or you straightaway jump over the *narrow* gap.

* Foreshadowing: There's a Tänzer in Catacombs that reanimates the dead into Schleppens. The final boss is an especially powerful Tänzer who decided they should go ahead and revive the demon king.

Nevertheless, the game's {{minimalism}}, whether intentional or not, is tastefully implemented. The remnants of abandoned gameplay go hand-in-hand with the notion that the big battle has already been fought and that the princess's sole task is to escape the few monsters that haven't already been dealt with. Similarly, what little of the novel's plot made it into the game is a better courtesy of the overall sense of abandonment.

* ImportantHaircut: Princess Misa has luxurious long hair suitable for a woman of noble birth. She first ties it up into a TomboyishPonytail when she sets out to escape on her own. Then, when she learns that her ancestors became royalty for scummy reasons and that the people of her kingdom fear her family's unchecked power, she cuts it off. Her exact message is left up to interpretation, but it does symbolize a decision to break with her heritage.

* PrimaryColorChampion: Both the warrior and the princess wear primary colors. Though it is to be noted that the red of the princess's outfit isn't consistent. Her princess sprite and the artwork show her top to be mauve, but her two action sprites depict the top as red.

Literally every article written about ''Götzendiener'' opens with a description of the title sequence and that's for good reason because it pulls a flawless BaitAndSwitch. A lovely princess gets abducted from her room by the forces of evil. An army sets out to [[SaveThePrincess rescue her]]. All fall but one lone warrior, who bravely marches on to confront the demon holding the princess [[UnwillingSuspension in chains]]. At this point the cinematics stop and the sequence continues with in-game graphics. ''Gameplay is just around the corner!'' One mighty sword swing slays the demon... and then [[DecoyProtagonist the warrior succumbs to his wounds]]. The princess breaks free, [[TomboyishPonytail ties up her hair]], [[ActionDressRip rips off her dress]], and [[TakeUpMySword picks up the warrior's sword]]. [[DamselOutOfDistress Demons be warned.]]

As intriguing as the title sequence may be, the gameplay is unable to hold up due to lackluster execution. Looking at the release dates of the novel and the game, this is as good as certain due to a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames rushed development]]. The first thing to say about the gameplay in ''Götzendiener'' is that it is slow. On one hand, the diagonal movement required in the [[IsometricProjection isometric field]] does not agree well with the d-pad. On the other, the realistic trappings of a CinematicPlatformGame are present but none of the AntiFrustrationFeatures. Notably, Princess Misa cannot run, which is bothersome given the palace she's escaping is spacious and sparse. On the rare occasion a room is decorated, it's because the decoration is part of a puzzle. Which means there's not a lot of puzzles. There's not a lot of enemies either.

Yet whether intentional or not, the game has an appealing sense of {{minimalism}}.

* DeathCourse: A weak one appears during the game's first half. Princess Misa falls through the floor into a set of caves she has to traverse by falling through those floors as well. Falling takes health points, but only in this area is a fog that constantly heals Misa. So the way to go is to fall, wait around until you're fully healed, walk around until the floor gives way again, and then wait again, and so on.
%% * DecoyProtagonist:
%% * FloorboardFailure:

%% * MultiArmedAndDangerous:

As intriguing as the title sequence may be, the gameplay is unable to hold up due to lackluster execution. Looking at the release dates of the novel and the game, this is as good as certain due to a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames rushed development]]. The first thing to say about the gameplay in ''Götzendiener'' is that it is slow. On one hand, the diagonal movement required in the [[IsometricProjection isometric field]] does not agree well with the d-pad. On the other, the realistic trappings of a CinematicPlatformGame are present but none of the AntiFrustrationFeatures. Notably, Princess Misa cannot run, which is bothersome given the palace she's escaping is spacious and sparse.

%% * DropTheHammer:

%% * ImportantHaircut:
%% * ImprovisedPlatform:

As intriguing as the title sequence may be, though, the gameplay is unable to hold up. It's fun in theory, but the execution and commitment are lackluster, which, looking at the release dates of the novel and the game, is as good as certain due to a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames rushed development]]. The first thing to say about the gameplay in ''Götzendiener'' is that it is slow. On one hand, the diagonal movement required in the [[IsometricProjection isometric field]] does not agree well with the d-pad. On the other, the realistic trappings of a CinematicPlatformGame are present but none of the AntiFrustrationFeatures. Notably, Princess Misa cannot run, which is bothersome given the palace she's escaping is spacious.

As intriguing as the title sequence may be, though, the gameplay is unable to hold up. It's fun in theory, but the execution and commitment are lackluster, which, looking at the release dates of the novel and the game, is as good as certain due to a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames rushed development]]. The first thing to note about the gameplay in ''Götzendiener'' is that it is slow. On one hand, the diagonal movement required in the [[IsometricProjection isometric field]] does not agree well with the d-pad. On the other, the realistic trappings of a CinematicPlatformGame are present but none of the AntiFrustrationFeatures. Notably, Princess Misa cannot run, which is bothersome given the palace she's escaping is spacious.

[[caption-width-right:350:]]

''Götzendiener'',[[note]]German for "idolater", more literally "false god's servant"[[/note]] also rendered as ゲッツェンディーナー, is a DungeonCrawling ActionAdventure comparable to ''VideoGame/MysticTowers'' and ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}''. It saw release on the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] in november of 1994 and like many late titles [[NoExportForYou remained exclusive to Japan]]. The decision to keep the game on home soil may have also been influenced by the fact that the video game is based on a novel, which was written by Hiroe Suga and published in ''Dengeki PC Engine'' from February to July of 1994. A handful of studios worked on the game, but the main developer is Creator/StudioGainax while NEC Home Electronics served as the publisher.

As intriguing as the title sequence may be, though, the gameplay is unable to hold up. It's fun in theory, but the execution and commitment are lackluster, which, looking at the release dates of the novel and the game, is as good as certain due to a [[TheProblemWithLicensedGames rushed development]]. For starters, the gameplay in ''Götzendiener'' is slow. On one hand, the diagonal movement required in the [[IsometricProjection isometric field]] does not function well with the d-pad. On the other, the realistic trappings of a CinematicPlatformGame are present but none of the AntiFrustrationFeatures. Notably, Princess Misa cannot run.

%% * IsometricProjection:

As intriguing as the title sequence may be, though, the gameplay is unable to hold up.

* ClothingDamage: Misa loses much of her clothes and hair throughout her adventure. She gets abducted while wearing a luxurious dress. She voluntarily parts with the skirt at the start of the game to have greater freedom of movement. When she confronts the old god about midway in the game, she cuts of her hair and through unknown means and for unknown reasons loses her bloomers. Therefore, she walks around only in a bodysuit during the game's second half. During the ending sequence, she's depicted as also having done away with her shoes.

* ModestyShorts: Upon escaping her chains, the princess rips off her floor-length skirt to reveal knee-length bloomers. This is not her underwear, because she is later shown to also be wearing a bodysuit when she loses the bloomers. The modesty shorts don't matter for the audience, but one can imagine it offered a droplet of comfort to the princess during her UnwillingSuspension.

''Götzendiener'',[[note]]German for "idolater", more literally "false god's servant"[[/note]] also rendered as ゲッツェンディーナー, is a DungeonCrawling ActionAdventure comparable to ''VideoGame/MysticTowers'' and ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}''. It saw release on the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] in november of 1994 and like many late titles [[NoExportForYou remained exclusive to Japan]]. The decision to keep the game on home soil may have also been influenced by the fact that the video game is based on a novel, which was written by Hiroe Suga published in ''Dengeki PC Engine'' from February to July of 1994. A handful of studios worked on the game, but the main developer is Creator/StudioGainax while NEC Home Electronics served as the publisher.

%% * ClothingDamage:

%% * PrincessProtagonist:

''Götzendiener'',[[note]]German for "idolater", more literally "false god servant"[[/note]] also rendered as ゲッツェンディーナー, is a DungeonCrawling ActionAdventure comparable to ''VideoGame/MysticTowers'' and ''VideoGame/{{ICO}}''. It saw release on the [[UsefulNotes/TurboGrafx16 PC Engine]] in november of 1994 and like many late titles [[NoExportForYou remained exclusive to Japan]]. The decision to keep the game on home soil may have also been influenced by the fact that the video game is based on a novel, which was written by Hiroe Suga published in ''Dengeki PC Engine'' from February to July of 1994. A handful of studios worked on the game, but the main developer is Creator/StudioGainax while NEC Home Electronics served as the publisher.

%% * DamselInDistress: