Years after the manga had ended distribution, Tamori sold the series to
Sony Computer Entertainment, who released a series of
role-playing video games based on the manga, developed by
G-Artists for the
PlayStation. The first video game was revealed in May 1994 together with Sony's new PlayStation, with a release for spring 1995. However it was not released until July of 1996.
Famitsu magazine scored it 31 out of 40. In 2022, the game was fan translated into English. The second game,
Poporogue, was released in 1998, and the direct sequel
PoPoLoCrois Monogatari II was released in 2000. On June 20, 2002, Sony Computer Entertainment released for
PlayStation 2, followed by on March 18, 2004. The 2005
PlayStation Portable game remixes both the first two games into one, and was also the first
PopoloCrois to be released overseas that year and in 2006. In 2015, a crossover with the
Story of Seasons series of games was released worldwide as
Return to PopoloCrois: A Story of Seasons Fairytale, it unusually released for a
Nintendo console despite Sony's ownership of the series. A prequel novel
PopoloChronicle taking place before the events of the first game was also released. While random and
turn-based, battles take on a form very similar to console
strategy RPGs (such as
Final Fantasy Tactics). When a character's turn begins, they can move along a small grid and attack enemies from four cardinal directions, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. For example, an attack to the enemy's back will deal more damage, as will skipping a turn to focus on the next turn. The
main character is the prince of the PopoloCrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game,
PopoloCrois Monogatari, starts on the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld.
Characters •
Pietro is very caring and values friendship, and he gets more courageous as the game progresses. Pietro has a crush on Narcia ever since they had their first adventure together. Pietro finds out that he is part dragon because his mother Queen Sania is a dragon. •
Narcia is an apprentice forest witch who helps Pietro in the game. Narcia wears a pink dress with a two pointed hat for a specific purpose; when she is 15 years old, she begins to wear a semi purple and pink dress. •
Kai is Narcia's shapeshifting alter ego. Guilda gave her the treasure of the forest witches: the Golden Key which allowed her to become a human so she wouldn't turn into bubbles if she came in contact with seawater; but if anyone discovered this secret, she would fall into a coma. At first she tricks Pietro and the White Knight into thinking that she's a friend of Narcia's, but she reveals her secret to Pietro by accident and later Kimendoji. •
White Knight is first met by Pietro and Narcia at the same time Naguro is met. He joins the party and stays until the very end of book one, Ice Demon. He then rejoins the party when Pietro, Don and Gon go the mine in Pasela to find a dragon in there, but leaves after a baby dragon imprints on him. He stays behind in the land of dragons to help the baby get used to living there. •
GamiGami Devil is a slightly unbalanced dwarf who, though unable to read or write above the level of a child, is a technical genius who creates robots and vast cities. •
Ice Demon is the ruler of North Land and master of ice magic. In the past, he attacked Popolocrois, but was stopped and defeated by a dragon.
Story The main character is the prince of the PopoloCrois kingdom, Pietro. The first game,
PopoloCrois Monogatari, starts at the night of Pietro's 10th birthday, when he learns that his mother, who he thought was long dead, was found in a coma. Pietro sets out into a journey along with the apprentice forest witch Narcia to save his mother's soul from the underworld. There are two more games continuing the tales of Pietro and company. The second game,
Poporogue (portmanteau of PopoloCrois + Epilogue), features Pietro as a 12-year-old boy that went off to save his father from the dream world that he was forced into. The third,
PopoloCrois Monogatari II, features Pietro and Narcia as 15-year-olds with different costumes, who went off to defeat the mysterious force that was going to destroy the world.
PopoloCrois Monogatari II was the most famous game of the series, due to the darkened story, new party members, and many other features. The PSP release is a reproduction of
PopoloCrois Monogatari (included into Book 1) and
PopoloCrois Monogatari II (included into Book 3), with Book 2 being a brand-new scenario. ==References==