Video Game / Popolocrois

A manga whose title means "Crossing of People" first started in 1978 by Tamori Yosuke. It's quite an extensive series, as it's formed by the following works:

• PopoloCrois Story Manga : Original manga published in 1978. It was finally compiled in three manga tomes.
• PopoloCrois Story Anime Pilot: An anime pilot that tells a story based on the manga. While it ultimately served as the basis for the first PSX game and the first chapter to the PSP version, it deviates largely from the manga, as well as the games also having some large deviations from it.
• PopoloCrois Story (PSX, 1996): First game in the PSX trilogy, telling Prince Pietro's story about his first adventure where he went to retrieve the Crown of Wisdom the GamiGami Devil had stolen from his father, as well as meeting his future friend the White Knight and his love interest Narcia. It ultimately becomes a quest to save Pietro's mother soul and stop an ancient evil from returning to the world and blanketing it in an eternal winter.
• PopoloCrois Story (Anime, 1998): An original story produced Bee Train^note with Production I.G, the same people as the animation for Xenogears, Noir, and many of the anime series to .hack. Taking place prior to PopoRogue, a mysterious girl called Hyu appears accompanied by two creatures after an accident with GamiGami's machines, her belonging to a long-lost race called the Wind Kind. While initially befriending Pietro, due to several circumstances she ends up siding with GamiGami, stealing Pietro's powers and taking over PopoloCrois, so Pietro departs in a journey to become stronger to take his kingdom back.
• PopoRogue (PSX, 1998): Second game in the PSX trilogy, taking place two years after the original PopoloCrois Story. The Kingdom of PopoloCroisand part of its surrounding lands were mysteriously whisked off to another world, so a search party leaves to castle to investigate, but ultimately only two of its members return. So Pietro ventures again to search for the missing members, but ends up getting wrapped up in solving the mystery of how PopoloCrois came to that world, searching also for his father, King Paulo who left the castle under unclear circumstances, and getting his kingdom back to its proper place.
• PopoloCrois Story II (PSX, 2000): With its prologue being set after PopoRogue and its main story taking place three years after it, a Goddess has started wreaking havoc throughout the world in search for four ancient stone tablets that will allow her to remake the world however she wishes, and Pietro, now older and wiser, must team with his friends once again to save PopoloCrois and the world from destruction.
• PopoloCrois: Hajimari no Bouken (PS2, 2002): Taking place fifteen years after PopoloCrois Story II and featuring Pietro and Narcia's son Pinon as the protagonist, this game also marked the jump to 3D for the series. After the elements start acting strangely, Pinon ventures into an old shrine located near the castle looking for adventure, but upon getting attacked by a monster, his powers awaken and he meets a strange creature called Papuu. He also meets a mysterious girl called Luna and a rowdy boy called Marco, and them three end up joining together to finding out why the elements are out of control and what is the cause for the darkness that threatens to envelop PopoloCrois.
• PopoloCrois (Anime, 2003): An anime series that serves as an expanded retelling of PopoloCrois: Hajimari no Bouken and PopoloCrois: Tsuki no Okite no Bouken, predating the latter's release by a few months. It was produced by TMS Entertainment, the studio behind Tiny Toon Adventures.
• PopoloCrois: Tsuki no Okite no Bouken (PS2, 2003): A direct sequel to PopoloCrois: Hajimari no Bouken that takes place a few months after it. After going to meet Luna once again, Pinon and Marco return to PopoloCrois to see it has turned into stone, and after hearing only a legendary relic called the Lunar Drop can undo the petrification, Pinon, Marco and Luna depart for the sea in the ship belonging to Pietro's younger sister, Elena to look for the Lunar Drop, not knowing this will also lead into awakening an ancient evil that is hellbent in leading the world to its destruction.
• PopoloCrois (PSP, 2005): A condensed adaptation of PopoloCrois Story and PopoloCroisStory II, which also includes an interlude to bridge both games. This is the only version released of these games outside Japan.
• PopoloCrois Story: Card Quest (Mobile, 2009): A card game RPG released for mobile phones in Japan.
• PopoloCrois Story: Yume to Kizuna no Bouken (Browser, 2011): A social game developed for the entag! social network. Its service was terminated in June 2013.
• PopoloChronicle (light novel, 2015): A duo of light novels set several years into the past that follow the adventures of a boy named Mulca who gets caught up in "the Battle of Ruben," together in journey with Flare, Princess Salsa, Gamigami Devil, and Prince Paulo. It also features Marchosias, Queen Sania and Esperanza, the younger brother of the Dragon King.
• Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale (3DS, 2016): Crossover with the Story of Seasons series, and first and so far only game in the series to see release in a Nintendo console. Taking place between PopoloCrois Monogatari II's prologue and main story, Pietro finds himself whisked off to another world called Galariland, and now he must find a way to go back to PopoloCrois, all while also tending to an abandoned farm he found and started using as his home away from home.
• PopoloCrois Story: The Fairy's Flute and Narcia's Tears (iOS/Android, 2018): Mobile freemium game. The story takes place a few years after the finale of PopoloCrois Story II, in which shortly before sealing their engagement into marriage, Pietro and Narcia are tasked with going to the distant Necrosia continent by Fairy Queen Media and see what is happening to the Fairy Queen Aile, who rules over its Fairy Forest. At the same time, strange disturbances happen in the Morgue Empire, located in Necrosia, after a strange being called Deimos appears before the most pious villagers of the land and performs miracles before them, calling himself an apostle of the God of Morgue. There are also no signs of this game being exported to overseas markets.

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PopoloCrois provides examples of:

• Adaptation Distillation: The only game to receive an overseas release (The PSP Title) is a combined adaptation of the first and third Playstation games. Most of the first game's content is cut or compressed, but the story is expanded a little with a side-story set in between the two games included. On the other hand, the second game (PopoRogue) is completely disregarded excepting for some of its characters and monsters being included as summons.
• Adaptation Dye-Job: Seriously, Pietro's hair changes in every adaptation, like the creators can't decide what his hair color should be! In the games, it's brown, in the 3 minute pilot, it's orange, in the 1998 anime, it's blonde, and in the 2003 anime, it's brownish blonde.
  • On that same order of ideas, the first anime series takes a lot of liberties with the characters' color schemes: Pietro also has greenish eyes instead of brown, Queen Sania has brown hair instead of reddish and her dress is mostly blue instead of red, King Paulo's coat is purple instead of green, Narcia's eyes are green instead of blue and GamiGami is missing the gauntlets on his hands.
• Anachronism Stew: One half is a Medieval European Fantasy... alongside ambiguously Roman areas (Which actually isn't too implausible)... alongside any area the GamiGami Devil lives in with robots and modern-day-Japanese rooms.
• Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Leona's father, upon being reunited with her, teases her about her relationship with The White Knight then laments on how she used to be completely attached to her mother, would cry when left all alone and wet the bed until she was ten years old.

• Bittersweet Ending: Averted. Pietro gets one wish for saving the world... guess what he wishes for.
• Cerebus Roller Coaster: Given the adaptation of two games, this is a given. Both start surprisingly light-hearted (Given the artstyle!) but it quickly gets real, and when it gets real... you know it.
• Character Development: Narcia gradually grows closer to Pietro and accepts Her heritage, as well as the fact that their relationship didn't need to be forbidden
  • Jilva. At first she's a bit of a Spoiled Brat with her father clearly favouring her.. but her mother is shown to be a Stern Teacher who can keep her in line, and her adventures with Pietro teach her to become a member of the Active Royalty.

• Earn Your Happy Ending: Do Pietro and Pinon ever have to go through hell to get their happy endings.

• Evil Is Hammy: GamiGami. "Otoko no ROMAAAAAN!!"
• Evolving Weapon: The Dragon Sword. Pietro's starting weapon and ultimate weapon. It can also be powered up further in some of the games by collecting Dragon Orbs.
  • Averted in PopoRogue and Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale, as the Dragon Sword (renamed to Dragonlord's Blade in the latter) lost its evolving properties in both games.
• Expy: Pietro, a swordsman dressed in green, looks oddly similar to Link, particularly the installments where Pietro is presented as blonde.

• Gameplay and Story Integration: The player is not able to bring Narcia around any areas with salt water.

• Guest-Star Party Member: The only true example is Kai. Because she is also Narcia, it's impossible for her to join permanently.
  • Kai is available as an alternate form to Narcia near the end for the original PopoloCrois Monogatari for PSX, but it's a hassle to use her because that requires Narcia to remain inactive for two whole turns (one for the transformation, and one in Stop status) due to the mechanics the transformation includes.
• Half-Human Hybrid: Pietro is half dragon. Notable in that his mother is the dragon.

• Heroic BSoD: Pietro has got three so far when he released the Ice Devil accidentally in the world and his mother was taken away to be used as a receptacle for said devil, when he and the White Knight kill the earth dragon, and the worst one of them all, when Queen Sania was killed by Maira..
  • The king of gods himself had it when he punished Maira
• Heroic Sacrifice: Narcia attempts one. Pietro's mom Sania does it as well.

• Hurricane Kick: How Jilva fights.
  • Kai as well.
• Inter Species Romance: Pietro is the product of one, with a human father (Paulo) and a dragon mother (Sania). It's lampshaded in the opening of the anime series: a young Paulo pulls a sword out of dragon!Sania's tail, she morphs in her human form, the smile at each other...

• Love Dodecahedron: Gami Gami-> Narcia -> Pietro <- Jilva. Of course, Jilva gets over it.
• Kid Hero: Pietro and Narcia are ten during the first game.
• Kids Hate Vegetables: Gami Gami Devil kidnaps Jilva and tries to make her eat vegetables that she doesn't like because they're healthy. And these vegetables are Green Peppers and Carrots.
• Magic Dance: Jilva is able to perform some of these.
• Magikarp Power: Gabo. Ungodly weak and useless, essentially being an 11th-Hour Superpower... that is if you decide to go through all the process of babying him.
• Marathon Boss: Almost every boss if one doesn't take advantage of charged attacks.
• Missing Mom: Zig-zagged. Pietro rescues his mom Sania in the first game, loses her... only to get her back.
• No Export for You: The entire franchise... sans the PSP version and the Story of Seasons crossover. The first anime received a dub and was broadcast on some Latin American countries and Italy, but only that.

• Older Than They Look: Would you believe that these characters are supposed to be teenagers? The voice acting (Pietro has the same voice as when he's a ten year old) doesn't help either.
• Only Known by Their Nickname: GamiGami Devil, White Knight.
  • No Name Given: White Knight real name is Phoros Neustein according on the Novel Prequel, his name meaning is "Polaris, The north Star" his hometown is called Avalonia Kingdom has been collapsed long ago.
• Optional Party Member: Technically, everyone sans Pietro, White Knight, Narcia, Gabo, Gon, and Don. Kimendoji comes off as this entirely.
• Knight: There many knight in the world of popolocrois or another dimension like White knight (identity: Mulca), Black Knight (identity: Yasm), Green Knight (Identity: Troy), Rainbow Knight, and King Knight.
• The Power of Friendship: One of the key themes.
• Those Two Guys: Gon and Don. They're completely useless (excepting for PopoRogue, where they were included as bonus characters capable of equipping any weapons and armor, and learning all special skills).

• Picky Eater: When GamiGami dresses Jilva as Narcia, some of his robots try to make her eat her vegetables, which Jilva doesn't like. Sure enough, they're carrots and green peppers.
  • Stock "Yuck!": Green peppers and carrots are fairly common versions of this in Japanese media.
• Powers via Possession: Pietro's father when he becomes the Dark Lion King
• Quirky Miniboss Squad: The Ice Demon and Maira both have them.
• Red Mage: Narcia has healing but she gets a lot of attacking and buffing abilities too. She also shares this role with Jilva, who veers more towards the physical side of the trope.
• Royals Who Actually Do Something: Pietro, Narcia. Jilva at first is an idle royalty, but she becomes a member of active royalty through the game. Not to mention, Pietro's parents are pretty active.

• Spiritual Successor: There are QUITE a few similarities between this series and the Breath of Fire series, most notably the fact that the protagonist is half dragon and gains powers from it.

• Stern Teacher: Jilva's father is a complete pushover... however Jilva's mother, on the other hand, will not let her get away with the stuff her father does!

• Taken for Granite: Julius
  • Some other characters turn to stone and fall to pieces... but that's more metaphorically speaking rather than literal and is Played for Laughs.
• Tomboy Princess: Zig-zagged with Jilva - Despite dressing feminine and engaging in activities such as dancing (To be fair, dancing and music are part of her culture), she is primarily an attacker, and is more of a Red Mage focusing a little more on offense and melee.

• Weaksauce Weakness: Forest Witches will turn into seafoam if they come in contact with saltwater.
• Wutai: There is a Japan-themed area where Kimendoji can be recruited late-game.

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