Emerald Dragon is a Japanese RPG made by Glodia, first released in 1989 for various Japanese home computers (PC-8801, PC-9801, X68000, MSX2, and FM-TOWNS). It later received console ports for the PC Engine CD and Super Famicom in 1994 and 1995 respectively. The game was never released outside Japan, however a fan translation exists for the Super Famicom version of the game.
The plot follows a dragon named Atrushan and a human girl named Tamryn. As a small child, Tamryn was found as the only survivor of a crashed ship off the coast of Dragulia, a land in another dimension that the dragons fled to after a dragon-killing curse was laid on the human realm of Ishbahn 2000 years ago. Stranded and with no memory of who she was the dragons take her in and she quickly becomes friends with the young dragon Atrushan. Twelve years later, on the suggestion of the dragon elder, Tamryn decides to return to Ishbahn to live among other humans. Atrushan mournfully accepts her decision and rips off one of his horns to give to her to use as a flute. He tells her to sound it if she's ever in trouble and he'll return to her no matter what.
Three years later, having heard the sound of Tamryn's horn Atrushan decides to go to Ishbahn and reunite with her. The dragon elder aids him by giving him the Silver Scale, allowing Atrushan to take a human form to avoid the curse in Ishbahn. Upon arriving in Ishbahn Atroshan finds out that the land has been under attack by an army of demons lead by the Demon King Galshia. Atrushan soon reunites with Tamryn, and the two of them join in the fight against the demon army for the sake of saving Ishbahn.
Emerald Dragon contains examples of:
- Absurdly High Level Cap: Even through Atrushan and Tamryn will likely end the game around level 125, the level cap appears to continue far into the hundreds.
- Actually Four Mooks: Happens often in the game. What looks like one or two mooks on the overworld will turn out to be many in battle, and often bosses will have a group of enemies supporting them despite appearing to be alone outside battle.
- Adaptation Expansion: The console versions of the game have some additions to the plot and setting from the PC version, such as the land of dragons having the name Dragulia, or the section where Walamur joins the party in retrieving a certain herb.
- All Myths Are True: Every myth that gets brought up invariably turns out to be true or based on a truth with some missing details.
- Aloof Archer: Saoshyant. A master with a bow, cool and collected, and also rather aloof and impersonal when he first joins the party.
- And the Adventure Continues: At the end Atrushan and Tamryn decide to enjoy the newfound peace by accompanying Saoshyant on another journey.
- Arbitrary Headcount Limit: The party size limit is five, and as you progress through the story characters will often find reasons they need to leave so they can free up a slot in your party for new characters.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Hathram and Pharna have a moment of sincerity with each other when they reunite after Pharna had last seen Hathram seemingly be killed.
- Bald Mystic: Bagin. A famous, powerful mage and generally Cool Old Guy, as well completely bald. He seems somewhat sensitive about the issue though, as he takes issue with the way Hathram dismisses one of the high ranking demons as "just a baldy".
- Belligerent Sexual Tension: Hathram and Pharna. The two often bicker over things, mainly Pharna getting annoyed at Hathram's playboy attitude and insensitivity, and Hathram shooting back at her to be more lady-like. Despite that, it's noted some of Hathram's fangirls that Pharna is always with him, and it's clear to the rest of the party that they truly care about one another.
- Big Bad: The Demon King Galshia takes this position for the majority of the game, being the leader of the demon army. After defeating him it's later revealed that he was mearly working for the Horus chancellor Tiridates, who himself is revealed after defeating him to be possessed by the spirit of Zandig, the monster sealed in the Avesta, making him the true Big Bad.
- Braids, Beads and Buckskins: Yaman and rest of his village Dadarwa has this aesthetic. Also fitting with their Native American stereotype nature, they're socially isolated with strict rules on interacting with outsiders, and speak in mildly broken Japanese.
- Character Level: While Atrushan and Tamryn gain EXP and level up like in most RPGs, notably the rest of the characters all have no levels and have completely set stats from when they join, leaving them only being able to improve through getting better equipment and sometimes getting stat boosts from story events.
- Clear My Name: After arriving in the town of Evard, Barsom reveals that the reason he's a former knight of Evard is because Baron Fravard framed him for a crime after Barsom saw something that could implicate the Baron in leaking military secrets. The section of the game afterward involves the party breaking into the Baron's mansion to find evidence that would clear Barsom's name and punish the Baron.
- Cool Old Guy: Several party members are older guys that can fight just as well as any of the younger heroes. In fact, they usually join the party ahead of curve in strength.
- Barsom is a skilled swordsman and royal knight for the kingdom of Ervad.
- Bagin is one of the most powerful mages alive.
- Khosrow is the leader of the resistance fighting against the demon army.
- Declaration of Protection: Atrushan makes one to Tamryn at the start of the game, giving her one of his horns to use as a flute to call him if she's in danger.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation: Yaman dies in part of the story in every version of the game, but the reason was changed in each version. In the PC versions he's sneak attacked by a monster disguised as a villager. In the PC Engine version he takes an arrow in place Atrushan shot by a hidden monster. In the Super Famicom version he's accidently shot by a child he just taught how to use a bow.
- Don't Celebrate Just Yet: Just before the fight with Demon King Galshia he reveals that he was summoned to Ishbahn to retrieve the Avesta by the Horus, an ancient race that rivaled the dragons. After defeating Galshia and escaping his palace, the party is forced to cut the celebrations back home short as they decide they should investigate into the Horus and current whereabouts of the Avesta.
- The Dragon: Ostracon. A human who joined the demons and became their general, he's effectively the second most important person in the demon army after the king himself. Defeating him serves as the main goal of the party for much of the game.
- Empathic Weapon: The Vendidad, a magical sword that Atrushan obtains late in the game that can talk as it contains the spirit of the Emerald Dragon.
- Equipment-Based Progression: Only Atrushan and Tamryn can gain EXP and level up, so every other party member is effectively only able to get stronger by equipping better equipment, barring some stat boosts from plot events.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Most of the game's party members only temporarily join you for a certain section of the game, with only 5 (including Atrushan and Tamryn) making up the final party. Most notably though are Walamur, who only joins for a single dungeon and is completely useless in battle, and Meryl, Sagir, and Mistina, all of whom are optional and only join for a single side-quest each.
- Healer Signs On Early: Tamryn is your main healer and joins very early in the game, just partway through the first real dungeon.
- The Hero: Atrushan. He's the protagonist of the story, a strong sword-fighter, and joins the fight against the demons with little reason outside it being the right thing to do.
- Heroic Sacrifice:
- In the PC Engine version, Yaman inadvertently sacrifices himself during the battle to liberate Harerud when he pushes Atrushan out of the way of an attack from a hidden archer.
- Karshwarl sacrifices himself in the final battle against Ostracon, jumping in the way of powerful last-ditch attack meant to vaporize the entire party.
- Interspecies Romance: Between Atrushan and Tamryn, a dragon and human respectively. It's later revealed that Tamryn is actually a Horus. Though they both end up as regular humans at the game's end.
- Kamehame Hadoken: The final attack spell that Tamryn learns at high levels, Rayvars. It involves Tamryn firing a large laser straight in front of her, any enemies it hits taking massive damage. Notably, in the early PC versions of the game Tamryn could only know four spells as a time, and learning this spell meant her forgetting her healing spell.
- Legendary Weapon: The Vendidad, an ancient, magic sword found on Helmend Mountain that contains the spirit of the Emerald Dragon.
- Load-Bearing Boss:
- The Demon King's palace starts to collapse and sink into the sea below immediately after the Demon King's defeat, prompting Tamryn to first use the teleporter to save the party.
- In a more indirect example, the death of Zandig causes the Avesta to go berserk. The party has to escape on the Emerald Dragon's back to avoid a massive explosion that levels Helmend Mountain.
- Long-Haired Pretty Boy: Almost half the party fits into this. Atrushan, Hathram, Yaman, Saoshyant, and Walamur are all attractive guys with long hair. Most notable though are Hathram and Walamur. The former has several fangirls gushing over him in his home town of Ervad, and the latter has women in line to his doctor's office who seem to be coming up with excuses to see him.
- Manual Leader, A.I. Party: The only party member the player directly controls is Atroshan. On Atroshan's turn you can give orders to other party members to target a specific enemies or to use an item, but their actions are otherwise totally up to the computer.
- Permanently Missable Content: The game has three major sidequests, each called the "Chapter of" whichever Guest-Star Party Member joins for the quest, Meryl, Sagir, and Mistina. Each sidequest is only available for a small, specific window of time when you have an empty spot in your party for them to fill. Missing one means you can never go back and start it.
- Religious and Mythological Theme Naming: Many of the characters and places in the game are named after terms from Zoroastrianism.
- Rescue Arc: A large portion of the game is kicked off with Ostracon trapping Hathram in a black crystal and holding him hostage, causing the party to go through a series of events to take said crystal, and then get help freeing Hathram from it.
- Royal Rapier: Although early in the game Hathram uses the same generic swords as Atrushan, late in the game they diverge into have their own unique weapons. All of the Hathram's unique and best swords are rapiers, fitting his status as prince and flamboyant demeanor.
- Sealed Evil in a Can: Zandig, a monster created by the Horus to fight the dragons. Its body was sealed in the Avesta by the Emerald Dragon, though it's later revealed that its spirit has been possessing the Horus chancellor Tiridates and has been behind everything up till now.
- Sealed Good in a Can: After dying from Zandig's curse, the Emerald Dragon's spirit was sealed into the sword Vendidad, where he could potentially be fully revived if the sword is used with the five treasures known as the Emerald Grace.
- Supporting Protagonist: Atrushan may be the perspective character, but more of the plot hinges around Tamryn, to the point where it's arguable that she might be the actual protagonist.
- A Taste of Power: Early on you get to control Atrushan in his dragon form as he navigates a short dungeon to reach the Silver Scale and portal to Ishbahn. Dragon Atrushan has astronomically higher stats than anything you'll have after he becomes human and is unkillable by any enemy there. You never get to use his dragon form again afterwords.
- Tsundere: Pharna acts this way towards Hathram. She's often getting into spats with him due to his playboy attitude and occasional insensitivity, but it's clear to everyone else that she really cares about him. She's the person most distraught when Hathram is captured by Ostracon and is later seemingly killed.
- Wake-Up Call: Saoshyant seemingly has one after Karshwarl sacrifices himself in the battle against Ostracon. When he first joins the party he acts aloof about the war against he demons, claiming that he only wants to get his bow back from Ostracon and that he doesn't care for people calling him the Hero of Wind. This frustrates Karshwarl, who tells him that he should live up to the hopes people are placing in him. After the battle with Ostracon, Saoshyant says that Karshwarl was the true hero and then becomes resolved to join the fight in fully defeating the demons despite having completed his goal of getting his bow back.
- We Cannot Go On Without You: Other characters when KO'd will return with 1 HP after the fight is won, but if Atrushan hits 0 HP then it's game over regardless of the state of the rest of the party.
- White Hair, Black Heart: Ostracon. He's a human that willingly joined the demon army, and he has no hesitation in committing countless evil acts. He serves as the major villain for much of the game, and by the time the party fights him all of them have some personal reason to want to kick his ass.
