Game

Bretonne Lais

1989 · PC-9800 Series · Sharp X68000

About this game

Bretonne Lais is a role-playing game loosely based on the Breton lays, medieval European (mostly French or English) romance tales drawing inspiration from chivalric stories and Celtic mythology and folklore. Rather than presenting a single story the game is divided into several unrelated scenarios, each involving Celtic legends and mostly focusing on supernatural motives (floating islands, unicorns, popular Celtic figures such as Queen Mab, etc.). The player can choose between several male and female characters with pre-defined anime-style portraits, allocating points into their primary parameters. Much of the game is played solo, though a few NPCs can join the main character one at a time. Despite its Japanese origins the game takes cues from Western RPG design philosophy, offering non-linear exploration of vast interconnected areas. Battles take place on the same screen as exploration and involve turn-based navigation and simple attack commands.