Psy-O-Blade 1988

In 21th century, there are three main powers on the Earth. The free world and the communist block carried over from the 20th century; the third power is the New Communist Federation. Since a program of denuclearizing was supported by all those powers, the New Communist Federation developed a devastating non-nuclear weapon: the satellite "Raiden". The two other powers competed with the New Communist Federation, developing their own killer satellites, and the danger of total annihilation became once again an issue. Seeing no future for the Earth, humans started to colonize other planets. In 22th century, they sent an experimental ship "Septemius 1" to a star six light years far away from the Solar System. The ship's main computer, "Racoon", sent a strange message before stopping any communication. Keith McDonnell, a seventeen-year-old crew member of the ship "Septemius 2", was sent to investigate the strange disappearance. Psy-O-Blade is a Japanese adventure in anime style. The player interacts with the game world by moving a cursor and clicking on objects to examine or use them, and people to talk to them, or by choosing options ("Move" and "Scroll") from a menu. There are no puzzles to solve; the player advances in the game by talking to characters, visiting different locations, as well as examining and using objects. You play as Keith, a naive young pilot for the Ministry of Space. Along with the other MoS crew, you’re tasked with exploring Septemius 2, an important exploration vessel that mysteriously veered off-course before it could return to Earth. This is where the game begins, though there’s also a lengthy backstory involving the future of the world (get ready for Neocommunism, folks!), and how governments create killer satellites to keep their opponents in check. This information doesn’t really play into Psy-O-Blade‘s main story, but it does remind us that people will always be brutal to each other and that there’s truly nothing new under the sun. The Ministry of Space boasts quite the cast. In addition to Keith, there’s Bob the navigator, a quiet fellow who shares an uncanny resemblance to Robert, the de facto leader of the operation. Mark is a chemical analyst. Michael is an engineer and resident jokester of the group. Doctor Jimmy is old, bald, and unusually quiet. Feminine is a green-haired Data Analyst with an awful name – surely the English translator didn’t bequeath this moniker upon her, did they? Finally, Sofia’s a computer engineer and Keith’s love interest throughout the game. These characters – for better and for worse – are the game. The only way to progress through Psy-O-Blade‘s tale of sabotage, murder, and mystery is by engaging with these characters repeatedly.