Twinkle Tale

From Sega Retro

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TwinkleTale MDTitleScreen.png

Twinkle Tale
System(s): Sega Mega Drive
Publisher: Wonder Amusement Studio
Developer:
Genre: Shooting[2][3]

















Number of players: 1
Release Date RRP Code
Sega Mega Drive
JP
¥7,800 (8,034)7,800e[4] T-61013

Twinkle Tale (ツインクルテール) is a 1992 Sega Mega Drive shoot-'em-up developed by Studio Ducks and published by Wonder Amusement Studio exclusively in Japan.

Story

In the darkness preceding the creation of the world Alpherion, three lights (red, green, and blue) were created. These lights desired domination, and so tried to destroy each other, creating a new darkness and a white light in the process. The white light, desiring peace, locked the other lights and the new darkness in crystals, encased itself in a diamond, and created Alpherion.

Apprentice magician Saria (サリア) is summoned by her teacher to consult a fortuneteller. The fortuneteller alerts Saria to dark wizard Gadou's incoming forces by capturing the great wizards of Alpherion (which Saria's teacher is one). The fortuneteller gives Saria items so she can go and defeat Gadou.

Gameplay

Twinkle Tale, Map.png

Map

Twinkle Tale is an overhead run-and-gun game similar to Mercs. The player guides the witch Saria through various stages in the land of Alpherion. She can move freely around the screen using the D-Pad. The screen does not autoscroll but follows Saria as she moves; however, the screen does not scroll back down, so she cannot return to an earlier part of the stage. Some stages have branching sections, but these paths converge to the same path. Saria has three different magic weapons, which are all initially available. She shoots with B (which can be held for rapid-fire) and switches her weapon with C. Each weapon can be leveled up twice by finding Star Jewel items. She can also find screen-clearing magic bombs, which are used with A. She can hold up to three magic bombs at a time. Magic bombs attack enemies and also neutralize their projectiles. She uses the leftmost (the oldest) first; collecting another magic bomb item when she already has three replaces the rightmost (the newest).

Saria starts the game with three health points but gains more after completing certain stages. She loses one health point whenever she takes damage. Her currently selected weapon is also downgraded one level when she takes damage. In addition to enemies, stages include numerous environmental challenges, such as falling boulders, flame traps, and moving platforms. She loses a health point when she falls off a ledge or into water but does not lose a weapon level. She starts each stage with full health and retains her weapon levels and magic bombs. If she runs out of health, the game ends but can be continued from the beginning of the current stage if the player has credits remaining. The player gains extra credits at certain points thresholds. There are three difficulty levels (Easy, Normal, and Hard), and an additional difficulty level (S. Hard) is unlocked after completing the game on Hard.

Magic weapons

Twinkle Tale, Weapons, Diamond Arrow.png

Twinkle Tale, Weapons.png
Diamond Arrow
Fires multiple shots. Upgrades to a conical spreadshot. Covers a wide area and does fair damage.

Twinkle Tale, Weapons, Shooting Star.png

Twinkle Tale, Weapons.png
Shooting Star
Fires a rapid stream of bullets that pierce targets. It becomes wider as it is upgraded. The most powerful weapon but the trickiest to target.

Twinkle Tale, Weapons, Silver Comet.png

Twinkle Tale, Weapons.png
Silver Comet
Fires light orbs that seek targets. It fires more rapidly when it is upgraded. The weakest weapon but the easiest to aim.

Magic bombs

Twinkle Tale, Bombs, Fire Dragons.png

Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Flame Dragon Breath
Summons fire dragons that sweep the screen vertically.

Twinkle Tale, Bombs, Light Bullets.png

Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Piercing Light
Conjures large orbs of light that spiral around the screen seeking targets.

Items

Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Chest
Shoot to reveal an item.
Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Star Jewel
Upgrades the currently selected weapon by one level. If the current weapon is already at maximum level, upgrades another weapon by one level.
Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Partial Life Potion
Restores one point of Saria's health.
Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Full Life Potion
Fully restores all of Saria's health points.
Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Flame Dragon Breath
Gives the player a Flame Dragon Breath magic bomb.
Twinkle Tale, Items.png
Piercing Light
Gives the player a Piercing Light magic bomb.

Stages

Twinkle Tale, Stage 1-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 1-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 1-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 1 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 1-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 1-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 1-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 1 Boss.png

Stage 1

Twinkle Tale, Stage 2-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 2-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 2-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 2 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 2-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 2-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 2-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 2 Boss.png

Stage 2

Twinkle Tale, Stage 3-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 3-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 3-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 3 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 3-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 3-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 3-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 3 Boss.png

Stage 3

Twinkle Tale, Stage 4-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 4-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 4-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 4 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 4-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 4-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 4-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 4 Boss.png

Stage 4

Twinkle Tale, Stage 5-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 5-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 5-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 5 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 5-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 5-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 5-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 5 Boss.png

Stage 5

Twinkle Tale, Stage 6-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 6-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 6-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 6 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 6-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 6-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 6-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 6 Boss.png

Stage 6

Twinkle Tale, Stage 7-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 7-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 7-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 7 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 7-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 7-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 7-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 7 Boss.png

Stage 7
This stage is played as an autoscrolling shooter with Saria flying on her broom.

Twinkle Tale, Stage 8-1.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 8-2.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 8-3.png

Twinkle Tale, Stage 8 Boss.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 8-1.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 8-2.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 8-3.png

  • Twinkle Tale, Stage 8 Boss.png

Stage 8

History

Legacy

Translation group M.I.J.E.T. made an English translation of the game in 2007.

Production credits

  • Executive Producer: A.Satoh
  • Producer: A.Hanawa
  • Planner: H.Hayashi
  • Main Programmer: T.Yoshimine
  • Sub-Programmer: N.Saitoh
  • Map Designer: T.Kajii, T.Hayakawa
  • Sprite Designer: M.Tamura, S.Kurosawa
  • Music & Effects: H.Nishikawa
  • Sales Manager: Y.Ikeda
  • Adviser: A.Suzuki, J.Sueishi
Source:
In-game credits
Twinkle Tale MD credits.pdf
[5]

Magazine articles

Main article: Twinkle Tale/Magazine articles.

Promotional material

Logo-pdf.svg
Print advert in (JP) #1992-05: "May 1992" (1992-04-08)
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Print advert in (JP) #1992-06: "June 1992" (1992-05-08)
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Print advert in (JP) #1992-07: "July 1992" (1992-06-08)
also published in:
  • (JP) #1992-08: "August 1992" (1992-07-08)[6]
Logo-pdf.svg

Physical scans

Sega Retro Average 
Publication Score Source
{{{{{icon}}}|L}} Division by zero.
Based on
0 review
Sega Retro Average 
Publication Version Score
(RU)
50
[7]
(JP) NTSC-J
68
[8]
(RU)
50
[9]
(UK)
87
[10]
(JP) NTSC-J
50
[11]
(FR)
85
[12]
(FR) NTSC-J
79
[13]
(UK) NTSC-J
78
[14]
(UK) NTSC-J
78
[15]
(JP) NTSC-J
70
[16]
(UK) NTSC-J
62
[17]
(DE) NTSC-J
90
[18]
(UK) NTSC
88
[19]
(JP) NTSC-J
84
[20]
(UK) NTSC-J
88
[21]
(DE) NTSC-J
85
[22]
(UK) NTSC-J
66
[23]
(UK) NTSC-J
83
[24]
(UK) NTSC-J
83
[25]
(UK)
91
[26]
(JP) NTSC-J
78
[27]
(RU)
73
[28]
(DE)
61
[29]
Sega Mega Drive
75
Based on
23 reviews

Twinkle Tale

Mega Drive, JP
TwinkleTale MD JP Box.jpg
Cover
TwinkleTale MD JP CartTop.jpg
TwinkleTale MD JP Cart.jpg
Cart
Twinkletale md jp manual.pdf
Manual

Technical information

Main article: Twinkle Tale/Technical information.

External links

References

  1. http://gdri.smspower.org/wiki/index.php/GDRI-014
  2. File:TwinkleTale MD JP Box.jpg
  3. 3.0 3.1 https://sega.jp/history/hard/megadrive/software_l.html (Wayback Machine: 2020-07-02 23:21)
  4. Beep! MegaDrive, "May 1992" (JP; 1992-04-08), page 25
  5. File:Twinkle Tale MD credits.pdf
  6. Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1992" (JP; 1992-07-08), page 74
  7. 1700 igr dlya Sega, "" (RU; 2001-xx-xx), page 252
  8. Beep! MegaDrive, "August 1992" (JP; 1992-07-08), page 27
  9. Entsiklopediya luchshikh igr Sega. Vypusk 1, "" (RU; 1999-xx-xx), page 365
  10. Mean Machines: The Essential Sega Guide, "" (UK; 1993-11-18), page 112
  11. Hippon Super, "August 1992" (JP; 1992-07-04), page 38
  12. Joypad, "Septembre 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 66
  13. Joystick, "Septembre 1992" (FR; 1992-0x-xx), page 177
  14. Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-xx-xx), page 28
  15. Sega Mega Drive Advanced Gaming, "January 1993" (UK; 199x-xx-xx), page 95
  16. Mega Drive Fan, "October 1992" (JP; 1992-09-xx), page 67
  17. Mega, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-15), page 52
  18. Mega Fun, "08/92" (DE; 1992-08-18), page 19
  19. MegaTech, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-20), page 54
  20. Marukatsu Mega Drive, "September 1992" (JP; 1992-08-xx), page 119
  21. Mean Machines Sega, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-xx), page 108
  22. Play Time, "1/93" (DE; 1992-12-09), page 89
  23. Sega Power, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-01), page 50
  24. Sega Pro, "October 1992" (UK; 1992-09-10), page 60
  25. Sega Pro, "April 1993" (UK; 1993-03-11), page 68
  26. Sega Force, "November 1992" (UK; 1992-10-08), page 28
  27. Sega Saturn Magazine, "September 1995" (JP; 1995-08-08), page 85
  28. Tricks 16 bit, "Tricks Sega Gold 800 igr" (RU; 1998-03-20), page 208
  29. Video Games, "12/92" (DE; 1992-11-23), page 101


Twinkle Tale

TwinkleTale MDTitleScreen.png

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