Faselei!
A tactical RPG with mech combat on the Neo Geo Pocket Color.
Faselei! is a tactical role-playing game developed by Sacnoth for the Neo Geo Pocket Color, published by SNK in 1999 in Japan and 2000 in the United Kingdom. It follows a mercenary group piloting mechs during a civil war, with combat commands issued through a pool of action points. The game was Sacnoth's final title under SNK and their last for the handheld, and has been frequently cited as one of the platform's best games.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Sacnoth
- Publisher
- SNK
- Producer
- Jun Mihara
- Director
- Matsuzo Machida
- Composer
- Yoshitaka Hirota; Kazumi Mitome
- Artist
- Miyako Kato
- Genre
- Tactical role-playing
- Modes
- Single player; Multiplayer
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Faselei! is a tactical role-playing game in which the player controls Shotaro Kurosawa, a member of the titular mercenary group, across thirteen story chapters. The game includes a story campaign, a battle mode for earning currency and items, and a multiplayer versus mode where two linked consoles allow mech battles with prizes ranging from items to the defeated mech. Combat uses Toy Soldier mechs, which can be upgraded, swapped, and outfitted with different abilities and supplies between missions. Faster mission completion yields a higher rank, improving Shotaro's standing and item selection. During turn-based battles from a top-down perspective, the player directly controls Shotaro's mech, usually accompanied by an AI partner. Instead of menu commands, players use equipped Chips to issue commands that the mech automatically executes, ranging from movement and attacks to later abilities like examining enemy stats. Actions can be interrupted by terrain or enemy movement, and the number of Chip commands per turn is limited by an action bar, which can be upgraded or expanded with special Chips.
Synopsis
Set in 2099 after World War III, the Middle Eastern nation of Istar attempted to broker peace, but its king was assassinated, sparking conflict between his sons. The older son, Aerbel, became dictator with Syrian military backing, while the younger, Kein, led a rebel faction. Shotaro Kurosawa works for the 13th Independent Armoured Division, called Faselei, a mercenary group hired by the rebels. Faselei pushes back the Istar army, and Shotaro repeatedly clashes with Istar soldier Alen Zemecks, who is later revealed to have assassinated the king for personal reasons. Aerbel is deposed and killed, but Zemecks retreats to a Syrian base to unleash a nuclear weapon. Faselei stops the weapon, Zemecks kills himself after his final defeat, and the group is rescued by the United Nations Forces.
Development and release
Faselei! was developed by Sacnoth, a company founded by former Square composer Hiroki Kikuta with SNK funding. It was Sacnoth's final project for SNK and their last for the Neo Geo Pocket Color. The game was directed by Matsuzo Machida, produced by Jun Mihara, with character designs by Miyako Kato and additional artwork by Machida, Takamusa Ohsawa, and mech designer Minoru Saegusa. Music was co-composed by Yoshitaka Hirota and Kazumi Mitome, with Hirota working under the constraint of three sound layers plus a sound effect channel for drum beats. Announced in August 1999, it released in Japan on 22 December 1999. A Western release was confirmed in February 2000, planned for March, and advertised at E3 in May 2000 with a June release date. While it received a limited UK release, the North American release was cancelled after Aruze acquired SNK and shut down its North American offices in 2000 due to the NGPC's commercial failure. The UK version had shipments of 10,000 units, with unconfirmed estimates of 5000 copies in circulation as of 2004. North American cartridges were shipped back to Japan for recycling, then sold to liquidators and later circulated online and in a console reissue. A complete boxed English copy has become a collector's item. Multiple staff members later held central roles on Sacnoth's Shadow Hearts series.
Reception
Famitsu scored the game 24 out of 40. Game Informer praised it as one of the best NGPC titles, highlighting its storyline, gameplay, and customization. Electronic Gaming Monthly noted cliched dialogue and interface issues but praised the narrative and gameplay. Pocket Gamer, in its first issue, found the storyline disjointed and the interface cumbersome, but lauded the gameplay and multiplayer functions. In 2011, Hardcore Gaming 101's John Szczepaniak called it a wonderful little game, citing gameplay and narrative tone despite balancing issues. In 2019, RPGFan's Pete Leavitt called it the best NGPC game released in the West, stating it is beautifully complete and must be played. Retro Gamer's Nick Thorpe called it one of the most essential games for the console. In 2004, GameSpot noted it as one of the most anticipated NGPC titles for North America due to its visual and audio achievements. GMR, in a 2004 retrospective on rare games, called it well-loved for its gameplay depth and technical accomplishments. Retro Gamer listed it among the ten best NGPC games in 2005, highlighting it as an absorbing strategy title with high resale value. It was included in the 2010 book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die. HobbyConsolas identified it as one of the twenty best games for the platform in 2014, and Time Extension regarded it as one of the best NGPC games.
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