Hydlide is a video game developed by T&E Soft. It was originally released for the NEC PC-6001 and NEC PC-8801 computer in 1984, in Japan only; an MSX release came the following year. A Famicom version was first released under the name Hydlide Special on March 18 1986 in Japan; three years later, in June 1989, that version saw a North American release by FCI, its title having been returned to simply Hydlide.

Notable aspects

The game is notable for being one of the first ever console role-playing games (see the chronology of console role-playing games). The graphics appear to have been influenced by the blockbuster computer RPG of the time, Ultima III, though Hydlide had very different gameplay and ultimately failed to capture the same attention.

The game also features quick save and load options, which can be done at any moment of the game, provided the console is not turned off. However, the game uses passwords as the primary back-up.

Hydlide is also infamously known for its repetitive music, which bears similarity to John Williams' Indiana Jones theme. For the Famicom (NES) version this is understandable, since the only two RPG/Adventure games made for the Famicom without bankswitched memory were it and Enix's adventure game PORTOPIA Renzoku Satsujin Jiken which has no music.

Sequels

Hydlide spawned quite a few follow-ups:

• Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness was originally released for the NEC PC-8801 in 1985 and then was ported to the MSX in Japan. No version of this game was ever released outside of Japan.
• Hydlide 3: The Space Memories was released in 1987 for the MSX in Japan; a Famicom version (with the subtitle 闇からの訪問者 = yami kara no houmonsha = visitor from darkness) was released in Japan only, on February 17, 1989.
• Super Hydlide was an extensively upgraded version of Hydlide 3 released for the Sega Mega Drive. It was released in Japan on October 6 1989, in North America by Seismic in early 1990, and in Europe by Sega in 1991.
• Virtual Hydlide was a Sega Saturn game inspired by the previous Hydlide games and still developed by T&E Soft. It was released in Japan on April 28, 1995, in North America by Atlus later that year, and in Europe by Sega on December 29 1995.

External links

• Hydlide (official English translation of the MSX version) at WOOMB.net
• Hydlide 2 (official English translation of the MSX version) at WOOMB.net
• Hydlide 3 (official English translation of the MSX version) at WOOMB.net