Destiny of an Emperor: GB Playguide

Destiny of an Emperor: Japanese-English Gameboy Playguide

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Unlike some of the other games we have featured menu translations for, Destiny of an Emperor (for Gameboy) relies intensively on its menus and city maps – but fear not, you can still play this game, even if you cannot read Japanese. On this page we feature an extensive menu-by-menu translation of both game and battle oriented content. In addition, we also present three sample maps to help get you started, and a Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Quick-Start Guide to get you familiarized with the game. If you have any feedback, we welcome your thoughts.

Credits: For this content I owe great thanks to forum member Niahak. Without his assistance with the translation of game menus and text, and his own first-hand experience with the game, I would not have been able to familiarize myself with it to the extent necessary to create this guide.

Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Playguide: Menu Navigation

The various menus in Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) are of vital importance, especially because you will be using them frequently. With this in mind, we have translated all of them, and with some small experience you will be flying through them even if you can’t understand the Japanese titles in each list.

Main Menu
New Game, Load Game, Copy Game, Delete Game New Game, Load Game, Copy Game, Delete Game
Pretty Standard stuff here. New Game, Load Save, Copy Save, Delete Save.

Gameplay Menu
Japanese - Main Navigation Menu English - Main Navigation Menu
In the top left-hand box you have your commander’s portrait, level, and personality type (‘Sage’, in Liu Bei’s case) – we aren’t sure what personality types do just yet. In the bottom left-hand box you have a listing of your party (and with the menu down, to the right you have their available HP and SP totals). In the middle right box you have your Money total and Soldiers total (note that soldiers are independent of HPs, but can be lost, seemingly permanently, in battle).
    In the bottom-right hand corner, after you hit the confirmation button, you will gain access to the game’s main menu. From top down in the left column Commander (choose a commander), Equip (change equipment), Tactics (access tactics), Map (view the map, which requires no further explanation once you see it. On the right-hand side, you have Items, Advice (requires a strategist), Save (save your game, use this frequently), and Settings (change message speed and music playback).

Game Settings
Japanese - Change Message Speed or Turn Off Sound English - Change Message Speed or Turn Off Sound
Accessed through the main menu, here you can change your message speed or turn off sound.

Officer Statistics
Japanese - Officer Stats, Power Intel, Speed, Defense, Equipment, HP, SP, Experience English - Officer Stats, Power Intel, Speed, Defense, Equipment, HP, SP, Experience
Here’s your officer statistics screen. In battle you see something similar, but enemy generals’ screens list tactics instead of items. On the left-hand side you have a Portrait, Party Level, and Officer Name. Below that, Power, Intelligence, Speed, and Defense. In the top right-hand box, HP, SP, and Experience. In the bottom right-hand box you have your Weapon, Armor, Shield, Helmet, and if you tab down, your Special Equip (which you have to arrow-key down to access).

Equipment Management
Japanese - Equipment Management Screen for Equipping Weapons and Armor English - Equipment Management Screen for Equipping Weapons and Armor
Accessed from the main menu. The top box is just a title and the second box the officer’s name, Power, Defense, and Speed – each of which is modified by their level and the equipment they are wearing. In the bottom left-hand box you have your current Weapon, Armor, Shield, Helmet, and Special Equip. The items in the bottom right-hand box are various things you can use for your special equip, but we aren’t sure what affect they have on a character yet (and Liu Bei cannot equip either of the starting items, Stone or Jewel).

Item Shop Menus
Japanese - Item Shop Menus
English - Item Shop Menus
Here is a sample of an item shop – the first one you will find in the game, at Luo Song Village. When you first speak with the owner over the counter he will give you three options, which we have labeled ‘Buy’, ‘Sell’, and ‘More…’. Buy allows you to buy new items, Sell allows you to sell spare items. More, an item not often found in role-playing games, allows you to select an item in your inventory and purchase additional copies of it (which can be quite handy if you haven’t memorized the Japanese title but do happen to know its position).
  In this shop six items are up for sale. Stone and Copper Elixirs (much like elixirs found in other Destiny of an Emperor titles) which heal you, Revive which can be used to bring a character back to life, Lower Remedy (unknown), Protect Talisman (unknown), and Stone (unknown – maybe a Special Equip item). If you happen to figure any out, please drop us a line.

Arms Shop Menus
Japanese - Arms Shop Menus
English - Arms Shop Menus
At the arms shop you can purchase new equipment for your party – an essential element of the game. Possible inventory includes Weapons (of various kinds), Armor, Headgear, and Shields. Characters equip specific types of weapons as they did in Destiny of an Emperor II (Liu Bei, for example, uses Swords, while Guan Yu and Zhang Fei use Spears). When you first enter the shop the clerk will present you with two options, Buy and Sell. If you choose to purchase new equipment, your options will be presented on the left-hand side, your money to the upper right-hand side, and in the bottom right-hand side, totals of Weapons and Armor you currently have unused in your inventory.
    This weapon shop, the first found in the game (at Luo Song Village), features Copper Swords, Iron Swords, Copper Spears, and Iron Spears. Liu Bei starts the game with an unequipped Copper Sword (see the Equipment Management Menu above) but you will need to buy Copper Spears for Guan Yu and Zhang Fei when they join. You won’t need Iron equipment right away in the game – your power increases exponentially with the first few level-ups – but you may want to pick them up when things start getting rough.

Inn Menu
Japanese - Inn
English - Inn
This really isn’t complicated, but because it is such an important part of the game we will feature an explanation for you. When you enter the Inn and speak with the clerk he will ask you if you want to stay for the night. The default option is ‘Yes’, and the second right-hand option is ‘No’. If you choose ‘Yes’ the screen will fade out, and then fade back in with your party restored. Your current stats at any stage of this process are displayed in the bottom screen with your current money total at the far bottom.

Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Playguide: City and Land Maps

Here are some maps to help get you started playing this fun old-school game. Use them in combination with our Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Quick-Start Guide to approach the remainder of the game with some familiarity. If you do this, you should have an understanding of the game menus, the first area layout, and the various shops found in different towns as you move into later portions of the game.

Introductory Overworld Map
Destiny of an Emperor Gameboy Map - Begin in Xuzhou (1) (3) (6). Yellow Scarves Fortress (2) to the west. Xuzhou (4) to the southeast. Eastern Village to the far east along the trail (5). Western Checkpoint to the southwest (7).
Here is an overworld game map which outlines the first game areas, Luo Song Village (home to Liu Bei), Xuzhou Castle (home to Zhang Fei), the Yellow Scarves Fortress, the Eastern Village (home to Guan Yu), and the Western Checkpoint. Some numbers have been included to show the order in which you must visit the different areas. This map was created for our Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Quick-Start Guide, which is intended to help get you started and introduce the game (read the guide for more details).

Luo Song Village
Luo Song Village - Locations Detailed Below
Another map created to help with our Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Quick-Start Guide. You begin the game in Luo Song Village. In this city, the southeastern building is the Item Shop, the eastern building the Equipment Shop, and the northwestern building Liu Bei’s home. As soon as you defeat the Yellow Scarves as the Yellow Scarves Fortress the man walking west of the two shops joins you in the form of 50 Soldiers. This is necessary before you can recruit Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.

Xuzhou Castle
Xuzhou Castle - Locations Detailed Below
Xuzhou Castle is the first major castle-city in Destiny of an Emperor III for Gameboy. You can reach Xuzhou by traveling southeast from Luo Song Village. Northeast from the entrance is Tao Qian’s Palace (you will not be admitted until you go through the Peach Tree Garden Oath and speak with the old man at the Luo Song entrance, then speak with the soldier outside the palace). Northwest is Zhang Fei’s home. The larger building to the northeast is the Equipment Shop. Northeast from the entrance is the Inn. East from the inn is the Items Shop.

Destiny of an Emperor (Gameboy) Playguide: Battle Menus

And finally, a thorough introduction to the game’s battle system.

Battles: Main Menu
Japanese Main Battle Menu - On left, from top down, Battle, Soldiers, Retreat. On right, from top down, Generals, Report. English Main Battle Menu - On left, from top down, Battle, Soldiers, Retreat. On right, from top down, Generals, Report.
In battle your officers appear on the left-hand side. The numeric value by each character is their HPs (when depleted, they are unavailable, and must be revived at the inn or by using the Revive item). Enemies are similarly defeated, but do not revive. At the top screen you find a representation of your Soldiers’s Attack (you will receive soldiers early in the game, giving you access to this command). At the bottom you find the main battle menu.
    On the left-hand side, from top down, you can choose Battle (enter the officer’s sub-command menu), Soldiers (soldiers attack), and Retreat (if it fails – which happens often – the enemy gets a free round to beat on you). On the right-hand side you can access Generals (a special generals attack command, inaccessible at the game start, which requires a strategist to use), and Report (get details on an ally, or by pressing the right-arrow key, an enemy). When battle ends, you will see how much Gold and Experience you have won, and you may gain a level.

Battle: Individual Officer Commands
Japanese Battle Sub-Command Menu - On left, from top down, Battle and Tactics. On right, from top down, Items, and Defend. English Battle Sub-Command Menu - On left, from top down, Battle and Tactics. On right, from top down, Items, and Defend.
If you choose ‘Battle’ from the first menu you can access an officer’s sub-commands menu. In this mode you issue commands for each officer in your party, then the game plays out the results before returning to the menu again. On the left-hand side, from top down, Battle (attack an enemy) and Tactics (use a tactic; requires a strategist). On the right-hand side, from top down, Items (use an item; to heal, for example), Defend (which doesn’t usually seem to have a great affect).

© 1994 Capcom, Produced by Capcom Co. Ltd.

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January 16, 2023