Description
Now here's a game that doesn't have much representation on the web: Gust's 1996 title, "Meru Purana". While Gust is primarily famous for the "Atelier" series which continues to draw worldwide success to this day, Gust's "Pre-Atelier" days are mostly shrouded in mystery; they had very different influences prior to their breakout success, making games with heavy Western and Central Asian influences. Back then, they were a very small company and were originally founded in 1993... Atelier first appeared in 1997 and took a few more years to become popular in Japan before gradually setting roots in other parts of the world with the "Atelier Iris" and "Mana Khemia" sub-series. As such, the games they made prior were more than "a little" experimental and serve as a stark contrast to most of the games they've put out since.
It is worth noting that MP got a sequel of sorts a few years later in 1999 called "Oasis Road", which shifted publishers and development to Idea Factory (former staff at Gust wound up working on Oasis Road). Describing MP's "plot" is even a bit of a feat, as while there is a general outline and worldview, the narrative is very abstract and broken into many fragments... over 500 to be exact (based on characters interacting with each other). Nevertheless, I will do my best to describe it. During the days of the Ming Dynasty, there were those who emerged on the steppes of Central Asia and subsequently spread throughout the world with the intent of bringing down the hammer of destruction upon all civilizations. Divided into what is known as Indo-European, they were a nomadic group with ancient names in the Caucasus, originating from ancient lands in Central Europe or higher latitudes geographically.
After arriving in various regions, they combined local traditions to form the basis of Greek, Celtic, Persian, and Indian mythology, possessing the primordial experiences of these people. What was life like for these people, who profoundly influenced myths around the world, with their struggles for control of the plains, contact with other ethnic groups, raids on agricultural villages, hunting, and warfare? This will be interpreted based on the traditions of the ancient Aryans, who were Indo people, who traversed Transcaucasia, swept through Balochistan, and invaded Punjab... or so the saying goes. The word "Meru" is derived from "Sumeru", and in Buddhism, it refers to a mountain called Mount Sumeru or "Mountain of Stones". In this era, it served as a landmark for nomadic tribes and a popular spot for treasure hunting. However, the truth is that it is part of the Ilavrita Kingdom, Mount Meru, the heavenly city of the gods that appears in their myths. It is the remnants of a civilization that boasted great prosperity with the legends (purana / pranas) associated with this mountain called "Meru Purana" colloquially. This story reflects the Grama (combat units) and Gramani (Grama Leaders) from their perspectives with some fantasy elements.
I've gone at length on the story so far because, in truth, MP seems rather complicated on the surface but is in actuality an interesting but repetitive game. MP fits loosely into the RPG, Simulation and Board Game genres. The player picks a starting Grama (1 out of 6 possible) to partake in the story or free battles. The game starts quickly and you're thrown in with the only starting hint being to search for allies to increase your unit to five members. The player gets shuffled different options from searching, shopping, fighting, trading, etc., and each member can execute a command. These commands are influenced by martial prowess, intelligence or charm (charm makes negotiations easier, intelligence helps you figure out enemy stratagems and disables certain acts, strength makes fighting and hunting easier, etc.). Characters on the team will provide input on suggested actions or benefits, and success and trust are affected accordingly (you can tell proficiency by little icons before performing the action).
After exhausting actions or ending your turn, all rivals do the same. You may be asked to assist in a skirmish, the A.I. might barter for items, you might lose comrades through negotiations or get offerings if you have prisoners of war, etc., and the idea is to balance your actions while degrading trust and raising your ranks and fame through combat and other means. Battle is actually kinda cool as it's a martial arts fest (literally compared to Dragon Ball by your guide, Mesha) and most options are laid out for you, though you can make adjustments. Combos are formed by picking characters with "Links" for normal attacks and "Adds" for special attacks. These are the basics.
The visuals are lower res than normal, assets are extremely limited and all units look the same, but the artwork by Hitoshi Yoneda is lovely (Phantasy Star II / IV, Elemental Gearbolt, etc.) and the music is done by Toshiharu Yamanishi of Thunder Force / Technosoft fame and rules accordingly.