CRIMSON 1 - Terrifying monsters in service of evil !

Useful links :

Crimson 1 English (DSK)

Japanese website 1

Japanese website 2

A terrible demon has seized upon the world, he transforms the civilized world into ruins and manipulates the monsters in a way they become aggressive. You need to overcome your fears, be intelligent and courageous to bring back the peace by solving a serie of enigmas and killing Crimson, the demon who is responsible of so many horrors.

Xtal Soft releases in 1987 this RPG inspired by Dragon Quest and whose the main default is the slowness of the fights against the numerous monsters that the hero meets in his long quest. There are 2 versions of the game, on cartridge and on disk, with some differences : the cartridge version does not include the MSX-MUSIC intro and the pictures just before entering ruins, castles .... but it has more options for the savings.

You will appreciate the originality of the scenario with exploration of so many labyrinths, traps to be avoided, and excellent generally PSG musics as background.

For each fight, 2 options are proposed : attack or run away. It is not always possible to run away as some enemies want really to kill you or to scare you, so you need to be very brave ! An attack can be done on 3 different ways : attacking mode, defensive mode, using of a weapon or magical power. If you use magical powers, it will generally decrease your magic points (between 3 and 8), so use them when they are really required.

Each victory on the enemies alllows to get money and experience points. Money is the way to get more powerful weapons, so you can enhance your attack strength and your defence capabilities. Experience points allow to reach higher levels, what has consequences on the maximum of vitality and magic.

The only quiet moments happen in the 6 villages : Taste - Kandose - Ibuha - Dosa - Yonban - Sikh. You can find there especially a gunsmith, a shop for selling/buying and an inn, in other words all you need to progress in this long adventure.

			After the intro, you have the following choice : SAVED GAME LOAD START GAME If you play for the first time, choose START GAME. It is asked from you to say which kind of Japanese characters you will use : KATAKANA or HIRAGANA. Once your name is entered in Japanese, the game begins with only one character (YOU, the hero !). If you select the option SAVED GAME LOAD with the English version (DSK) of the game, you'll get a nice surprise : Django is the name of the hero, he comes with the 2nd character, Isabel, they have a good status and you are at the quarter of the game !
			Except during a battle, you can access to the menu by pressing the spacebar. It includes 5 options : GAME = back to the game ITEM = equipment and magical powers in your owning équipement (maximum 10 by character) - You can use them (USE), give them to another character (GIV) or get rid of them (OUT) - press on ESC to exit without making any choice EQUIPMENT = selection of the weapons (they are displayed in blue after selection) STATUS = status of the character and special items in his owning SYS = GAME SAVE and TEXT SPEED (dialogs speed : slow - mid - fast - max) Saving is made on the game disk if you use the disk version of Crimson 1. In the case of the cartridge version, you can choose the SRAM of a (FM)PAC cartridge - option 1 of submenu - or a disk inserted in drive A - option 2 of submenu. Of course, it's better to use the CPU save states with an emulator !
	The equipment		You can get different items in your quest to build your equipment. Most of them can be buyed from the gunsmiths (the villages are indicated by their first letter). 4 items require to fulfill specific conditions to get them : (*) you need to own the 5 balls and the 3 powers and visit the kings of Gorai, Badora and Rapnos in the labyrinths of the ruins (**) you need to own the white key, which allows to access to a chest in the Sikh village
			WEAPONS   Gold                             Dagger   80   T                         Child sword   120   T                         Whip   240   T           D             Axe   400   T   K                     Spear   800       K       D             Steel sword   1650       K       D   Y         Battle hammer   2800           I       Y         Ceramic sword   4980                       S     Brave sword   7800                   Y   S     Fire sword   8880                       S     Great sword   -----                           * ARMORS                                 Breast armor   500   T   K                     Chain mail armor   1530       K       D             Steel armor   3850           I       Y         Warrior armor   7860                       S     Great armor   -----                           * SHIELDS                                 Leather shield   100   T                         Wooden shield   550       K                     Steel shield   2100           I   D   Y         Brave shield   4500                       S     Great shield   -----                           * HELMS                                 Leather hat   880           I   D             Helmet   3580                       S     Great mask   -----                           **
	The magical powers		You can get different magical powers in your quest. Most of them can be buyed in the shops for selling/buying (the villages are indicated by their first letter). 3 powers require to fulfill specific conditions to get them : (*) you need to meet the 2nd character, Isabel, who owns this power (**) you need to meet the 3rd character, Arnold, who owns one power and his presence allows to get another one
			MAGIC ITEMS   Gold                                 Vitality   20   T   K   I   D   Y   S       refills vitality Antidote   10   T   K   I   D   Y   S       neutralizes poisons Medecine   2000   T   K   I   D   Y           refills vitality Poison killer   800   T   K       D   Y           neutralizes poisons Terror killer   750       K                       neutralizes fear Medusa   1200           I                   stops the enemy moves Spark   2800               D       S       10-30 damage to enemies Fire   4980           I                   30-40 damage to enemies Crossfire   7800                   Y   S       30-60 damage to enemies Destroyer   8880                       S       30-100 damage to enemies Cygnus (Warp)   -----                           *   warp Pegasus   -----                           **   warp Gratof poison   -----                           **   useful to kill the demon Iezm
	The inns
			The inns allow to get some infos, but you can alro rest during a night for 8 gold. In some inns, you will meet the monster of Milch, he's able to give back life to a dead character, it will cost 510 gold.
	The walkthrough		Here's a simplified walthrough with the main required actions.
			This long aventure begins in the Taste village where the hero's mother is seriously ill and says her last words before dying. Touch the chest to get some gold, then explore the village and make some purchases. You will come back regularly to improve your equipment. It includes also a house with stairs that you can't enter at this moment (you need a red key).
			Exit the village, go to the bottom and the right, cross the bridge to enter the first ruins. Explore them to fain some experience : isolated blocks are actually entries in labyrinths with many levels, some of them have big blue warp points to a labyrinth in other ruins (there are 4 ruins).
			Cross the bridge again, go to the bottom, then the right. Enter in the valley of the dead.
			You will find three statues on the central place of this valley. You need 3 missing stones. Explore the valley to find 3 stairs which lead to labyrinths. You will find a red stone and a white stone in chests. For the blue stone, it's more difficult as a boy wants first to find back his father.
			Go back to the first ruins and explore the second labyrinth, you will meet the boy's father on the second level and he will give you a gold medal. Go back to the valley of the dead. The boy will take the gold medal and give you the blue stone. Go back to the three statues, put the 3 missing stones and stairs will appear. You will find a chest in this hiding-place and get a red key.
			Go back to the Taste village. Open the red door in the top house on the right. Stairs lead to another house where you will acquire the Badora power (the left eye of Crimson becomes green), it will give you courage. Go then to the bottom house on the right, an old woman will learn you that you need to find 2 other powers and 5 balls to defeat Crimson.
			Exit the Taste village, go back to the valley of the dead, go to the right, then the bottom. Visit the Kandose village and reinforce your equipment. Go then to the right and cross the bridge. You are near the Ibuha village, but you can't enter (you need a blue key). Go then to the top and enter the Eroia castle. It is an enorm labyrinth and you will meet a queen in its depths. She will speak about an ice ball and advise you to explore the Mogunesu cave.
			Exit the Eroia castle and go to the right, follow the river, cross a bridge and enter the Mogunesu cave.
			This cave is a labyrinth with many levels. Stay on the 1st level to meet Isabel, a soldier from Eroia. She accepts to be your partner. Besides, she has a blue key and owns the Cygnus talisman. Use the blue key to open a door in this cave and access to a chest containing the ice ball. If you enter the top stairs on the right, you will come after many detours near the demon Mogunesu, it will ask you to visit first the Shaberazu forest.
			Go back to the Eroia castle, then go to the top. You will reach the Dosa village where you can make some buyings. Go then to the right and enter the Shaberazu forest.
			Explore the Shaberazu forest to find 3 stairs which lead to labyrinths. You will find there chests with gold, but one of them is protected by a terrible demon, Tanita, the Tongue's Eater. You need to defeat him before accessing to the chest. Go back then to Mogunesu, he will thank you by giving a green key.
			Exit the Shaberazu forest and go the Ibuha village to make some buyings and get infos. Go then to the ruins on the left of the Kandose village. Explore the second labyrinth to find a thief behind a green door. With some luck, you'll get from him a mini-boat (personally, I don't have found what must be done precisely, so I have used a cheat). This mini-boat allows to go on the river. Go to the right to discover a camp. In one of the tents, a girl will give you the heat ball.
			Exit the camp and use the mini-boat to go on the river to the left, then to the top and the right. At some point, you will enter the zone of the Kedamono's suspended bridges. Go to the right while avoiding the ways without any issue and find the other bank.
			Continue to the right, go across the lake and enter the Kondaru castle. You need to beat some demons before coming near the king Kondaru, whose throne hide stairs.
			Go down these stairs. A guard will open a secret passage leading to a chest with gold and a demon you need to defeat. After your victory, talk again to the guard, he will come with you, his name is Arnold and he owns the Pegasus talisman.
			Exit the Kondaru castle, go across the lake, then to a marshy zone.
			You will find a house in the middle of the marsh. Explore the top part on the right to meet an old woman who will give the Gratof poison to Arnold.
			Go back to the Kedamono's suspended bridges and search for an old man near a bridge. To beat Iezm, the demon on the other side of the bridge, use the Gratof poison. Once this demon is defeated, you will access to a chest containing the mirror of truth.
			Exit the Kedamono's suspended bridges, go to the left, then to the top. You will find an isolated house in the mountains. It looks like an inn, but it's actually controlled by demons. Go near by the girl and kill the demon. Go down the stairs to access to a chest containing the darkness ball.
			Go to the bottom, then across the river, move to the Yonban village and go to the bottom to reach the Incubus castle.
			Explore the left side of the castle to find a statue behind a green door. Touch this statue to open a secret passage in the central hall of the underground.
			You will need to fight many times against Incubus to open other secret passages.
			You will come to a jail with a girl and a chest with gold. Release the girl and go the Yonban village to bring her back to her father (the top house on the left). It will give you the light ball.
			Exit the Yonban village and go to the left to explore a volcanic zone. Avoid the lava flows ! You will find in the depths of the labyrinth a house where an old man will give you the flame ball.
			Go to the Sikh village (whose a part requires a white key), then to the left to explore the thunder's mountain. The 5 first appearing labyrinths are leading to nowhere, you need to select the 6th one by pressing the spacebar. You will find there a house with a chest containing gold and you will acquire the Gorai power (the right eye of Crimson becomes blue), what means more energy.
			Go back to the Sikh village, then go to the bottom and the left to find ruins. Explore the bottom labyrinth and go through the passages leading to the different labyrinths of the 4th part of the ruins, lost in the top mountains on the right. Exit these ruins and go to the top : you will enter the Devil's marsh. Explore the left part of the labyrinth to find stairs leading to a chest, it will contain the Rapnos power (the central eye of Crimson becomes red) and you will so acquire the rightness.
			As you have now the 5 balls and the 3 powers, you are able to acquire three special weapons which will be very useful against Crimson. Exit the Devil's marsh and go back to the 4th part of the ruins. In the 1st labyrinth, the king of Gorai will give you a great sword.
			Go back to the 3rd part of the ruins and find the passage leading to the 2nd part. The king of Badora will give you a great armor.
			Go back to the 3rd part of the ruins and explore the 3rd labyrinth. The king of Rapnos will give you a great shield.
			Go back to the Sikh village, then go to the bottom and the right to enter the Crimson castle.
			Explore the tortuous labyrinth of this castle. You will find a chest with gold and meet a monster you will defeat easily. It is not Crimson and you are in a fake castle ! Your victory allows to get a yellow key.
			The access to the real Crimson castle is in the right part of the Devil's marsh ! Before that, you need to kill a poweful demon ! You will then exit the marsh and go to the top.
			You come finally to the goal ! Go to the top. You come at a yellow door and a password is asked ! Go to the right and speak to the demon. Go back to the door, it will open. Pass through 2 other yellow doors. Continue to the top while avoiding the traps. Go to the right to find a chest containing a black key.
			Go back to the place where a password was asked. Pass through the door and go to the left. Pass through many yellow doors and a black door to find an old man who will give you a white key.
			Go back to the Sikh village and open the white door. You access to a chest containing a great mask.
			Go back to the real Crimson castle and explore the left part. After a very long maze, you will see 5 doors, repeated three times. Avoid the traps and use the good combination : pass first through the red bottom door, then the green door in the middle and finally the top blue door. You will have noticed the link with the three powers !
			Continue to the top while avoiding the traps and go to the final demon : Crimson himself ! Be seriously equipped to fight against him ! Note that magical powers are without any effect on him.
			You need to fight twice against him, as his devilish face hides an even harder robotic face.
			If you survive to this very difficult battle, the empire of the evil forces will be defeated and the final demo highlights the great knight who has carried out this achievement.