Black Matrix is a series of tactical role-playing games developed by Flight Plan and published by Interchannel. All titles in the series are Japan-exclusive.
Each installment in the series combines standard tactical RPG gameplay with a pastiche of Judeo-Christian religious themes, particularly concerning the nature of good and evil and the interplay between Heaven, Hell, and Earth and the denizens thereof. One title was considered for North American release in 1999, and it is believed that it was eventually passed over due to its disturbing religion-derived themes.
The world of Black Matrix is fictional and fantasy-based, and in it the forces of Hell won a decisive war against the forces of Heaven. The victorious devils rewrote history and redesigned society to suit their purposes, reversing the concepts of good and evil. The descendants of the devils, known as black-wings because of the bat-like wings that grow from their backs, rule over the white-wing descendants of the angels, whom they treat as sub-human slaves. In their society love is considered the worst of crimes, and any one found guilty of love or kindness is hunted and punished.
Black Matrix begins with a mute man being adopted by a woman who nurses him back to health from some traumatic experience. This differs from a Harlequin romance in several ways. There is the matter of the man having white wings and the woman having black wings: in this world black winged people are dominant. The black winged people also pay more than lip service to Satan. As expected in a world where Satan is omnipresent, love is a Bad Thing and once the woman admits to having feelings for the man, they are forcibly separated and the man meets up with allies in prison. Then a number of Biblical allusions are run through in the course of a battle against the oppressive forces of Satan (though figuring them out from the Japanese may take some effort).
Moving through the game will find the player thrust into a number of tactical battles, with the mute man (whose given name is Abel, incidentally) always being the leader. Tactical battling feels more like Final Fantasy Tactics than Shining Force, thanks to the isometric view and the lack of cut-scenes to show actions taken. Each character can move, attack, or use magic during a turn, with any two of these actions being permissible. The direction being faced does seem to affect damage done also.
Characters can be armed with a number of weapons; swords and axes are basic melee weapons, certain varieties of sword can hit diagonally around a character, archers strike from a distance, and spears pierce two squares away. Characters can strike friends as well as foes with equal impunity, though with the powerful enemies wandering about this is usually unwise. Magic operates rather like it does in many tactical RPGs - save for the Blood system.
Characters:
- ABEL: is the amnesiac silent protagonist of Black/Matrix - his dialog is not shown on screen. A white-wing slave, he is locked in Golgoda Prison for the crime of love. He exhibits a power to transform black-wings into white-wings, which marks him as the 'messiah'.
Black Matrix begins with the player choosing a black-wing 'master', i.e. companion, for Abel, which affects the beginning and ending of the game. The choices are:
- Domina: The 'pure' girl.
- Purica: The 'childish' girl.
- Michette: The 'lolita' girl.
- Kurreshes: The 'tomboy' girl.
- Prague: The 'mature' girl.
There is an additional secret male master, Zero, who becomes available after inputting a code (which differs in each release).
- LEBUROBUS: is a white-wing criminal. He was once a gladiator, but was sent to Golgoda Prison for killing his former masters. He is very tough and uses swords and other heavy weapons. He seeks "freedom", and joins Abel's escape.
- GAIUS: is a white-wing criminal. He gained fame as "Gaius the Gale" for stealing from the rich to give to the poor, but is later imprisoned for the crime of "hypocrisy" as a result. He joins Abel's escape.
- PHILLIPO: is a blond-haired boy whom Abel encounters in Golgoda Prison at the beginning of the game. Though he is a black-wing, he is shunned because of his weakness. He escapes with the party and becomes an archer.
- JOHANNES: is the black-wing former high priest of the Temple of the Sun who lost his position after a power-struggle. He is a necromancer who can use magic to revive dead characters as zombie decoys. After witnessing Abel's mysterious powers, he joins the group.
- RUPIRUPI: is a black-wing former student of Johannes who took over his research, eventually becoming a Demon Knight. She casts powerful healing spells. Her hobby is writing in a "revenge diary".
- MARCO: a white-wing, is known as the "Miracle Boy" for becoming the first person to don an Arch-demon Armor. Despite his youthful looks, he is the leader of a white-wing liberation movement.
Manufacturer's description:
PSX version of the popular simulation RPG "black" and the remake of the DC "Black Matrix Advanced" fusion! "Human love, friendship underdog free Tadashi Tadashi equality " and the mortal world, the protagonist of Abel White Wings "love" to find the kidnapped husband had committed to begin the fight.
Features:
- Third person perspective
- 2D graphics
- Cartoon graphics
- Medieval Fantasy theme.
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