MSX Legends playable promo | MSX Resource Center

As the year draws to a close, publisher Norakomi unveils the first playable promo of their new game in development, MSX Legends. It’s a turn-based strategy game drawing inspiration from the widely acclaimed 1999 PC game, Heroes of Might and Magic III. It features OPL4, large screens, and a multiplayer mode, all available right now.

Upon reviewing the MSX games catalog, it’s apparent that there are not many turn-based strategy games available. This is unfortunate, as this genre enjoys a significant fan base on other platforms, particularly PCs. Turn-based strategy games (TBS) involve players taking turns, similar to board games, and often revolve around war themes, encompassing a series of military operations aimed at achieving specific objectives within a defined area or type of combat, also referred to as a campaign. With the introduction of the new MSX game, MSX Legends, enthusiasts of the genre may finally have something to look forward to.

Renowned for the MSX games Manbow 2 and Angelic Warrior Deva, MSX developer Bart van Velzen, aka Norakomi, has unveiled his newest creation, MSX Legends, along with a playable promo. This promotional version features three campaigns, as opposed to 30 in the final, and includes all the functionalities of a TBS game. Unlike his previous games, which utilized SCC and MSX-Music for their soundtracks, MSX Legends fully supports OPL4, employing 640KB of sample RAM for tunes and sound effects crafted by Wolf. The game is distributed as an 8MB ROM, utilizing the ASCII16x ROM type recently developed by Grauw.

In MSX Legends, you select a hero, campaign, and difficulty level to compete against opponents, which may be the CPU or other players, in a bid to win a war. From your castle, you venture into the world to fight and conquer new territories while developing your town and army. This all takes place in a setting filled with legendary MSX game characters, thus the title MSX Legends. The game features elements from Usas, Psycho World, Goemon, Ys3, and other iconic MSX titles, offering over 80 unique heroes and creatures to play with. It also boasts a comprehensive market system to enhance your region with new buildings and troops. Ultimately, it’s a game of strategy.

One of the game’s most distinctive features is the ability to engage in multiplayer sessions through webMSX’s netplay option. Launching MSX legends online enables inviting others to join the game, creating a genuine multiplayer experience. Additionally, the capability to save game data directly onto the ROM is noteworthy, with openMSX being the sole emulator to support this feature currently for this new ROM type.

MSX Legends is available as ROM in our download database, and playable online at TFH‘s headquarters. Bart has published a video to explain all about the game, a written manual is not yet available.

‘Nuff said, game on!

relevant link: download the ROM
relevant link: play online
relevant link: promo video

Source: https://www.msx.org/news/software/en/msx-legends-playable-promo