Concerto Gate

Lore & Background

Set in the kingdom of Fahren, legend states that a hero will save the world. The battle style mixes turn-based and real-time combat, similar to the Final Fantasy series' ATB system, with enemies encountered randomly. Combat takes place on a ten-square grid, using physical attacks and ranged spells. The game allows players to shape the landscape by creating mountains and forests over weeks, uncovering dungeons via a terra-generating system. The world is persistent, and consequences of mining and deforestation must be managed.

Reader's Guide

Concerto Gate is significant as a sequel to the Japanese MMORPG Cross Gate, developed by Square Enix and Ponsbic. Its terra-generating system, which let players alter the landscape over weeks to reveal dungeons, was an unusual feature for its time. The game's music, composed by Hiroki Kikuta with a theme by Kenji Ito, emphasized harmony among many people, drawing from the word 'Concerto.' The soundtrack was released as an album titled Concerto: The Extraordinary World of Concerto Gate in 2008. The game saw releases in Japan, China, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, with servers closing in various regions between 2012 and 2013, though it relaunched for Hong Kong and Taiwan in 2014. Its legacy includes being praised by Joystiq for bringing the random battle system to an MMORPG, and it was part of the ONE Power-Up Game Card program for microtransactions.

Did You Know?

• The game was beta tested in North America with 5,000 people from July 1 to July 14, 2008, but the full release was cancelled.
• The soundtrack album cover used a painting called 'Spring' by Lawrence Alma-Tadema.
• The game's music was composed by Hiroki Kikuta, with the theme song by Kenji Ito.
• The game service ended in Japan on March 27, 2013, but relaunched for Hong Kong and Taiwan on May 28, 2014.