Alcahest (video game)

Alcahest
Developer(s)	HAL Laboratory
Publisher(s)	Square
Director(s)	Atsushi Kakuta
Producer(s)	Satoru Iwata
Designer(s)	Atsushi Kakuta
Programmer(s)	Hiroaki Suga
Artist(s)	R. Ishida
Composer(s)	Jun Ishikawa
Platform(s)	Super Famicom
Release	JP: December 17, 1993
Genre(s)	Action
Mode(s)	Single-player

Alcahest^[a] is a 1993 action video game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Square for the Super Famicom. The plot takes place in a world where an emperor leads his army towards conquest of the kingdom of Panakeia in the midst of the revival of the demon god Alcahest, who was previously defeated by a swordsman aided with the power of guardians. The player acts as the swordsman Alen, exploring and searching for items and power-ups, while fighting enemies and bosses. Throughout the journey, the player encounters guardians who help Alen with their power and allies who join his party to stop Alcahest.

The game was directed and designed by Atsushi Kakuta, with Satoru Iwata serving as producer. The soundtrack was composed by Jun Ishikawa, known for his work on the Kirby franchise. HAL intended to publish it under the name Guardian Blade, but the company ran into financial issues. Square changed the name to Alcahest and published the game, and its release was accompanied by a strategy guide. Although it was not officially published outside Japan, an English fan translation was released in 2002.

Alcahest garnered generally favorable reception from critics who reviewed it as an import title; praise was given to the graphics for eschewing the super deformed style prevalent on Super Famicom, balance between action and adventure, variety of companions, arcade-style gameplay, and combat system. Some reviewers expressed mixed opinions regarding the music, while criticism was geared towards the scenario, lack of proper interactions between characters, puzzles, repetitivity, and short length.
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