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RoIFlyer

Arcade flyer

The Return of Ishtar (イシターの復活 Ishitā no Fukkatsu) is a two-player dungeon crawler originally released for arcade in 1986. It was ported for PC Engine, MSX2, FM-7, X68000, Wii Virtual Console, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4, and is part of the compilation Namco Museum Vol. 4 for PlayStation.

Story[]

The title screen for the arcade version of Return of Ishtar. The logo features the game's title laid over the black silhouette of a dragon. It is displayed over a green background.

Arcade title screen

The game is a sequel to the game The Tower of Druaga, starting with Gilgamesh and Ki with the Blue Crystal Rod at the top of the Tower of Druaga. Now that Druaga has been defeated, the tower has returned to its crumbled state when it was struck by lightning sent by Anu. Gil and Ki must make their way down to the tower's entrance, fighting fierce foes, no longer under Druaga's control, in order to return the Blue Crystal Rod to Ishtar and escape the tower.

Characters[]

A screenshot of a room, titled "Attract Room," showing a vampire on the left and Gil and Ki on the right. In the middle of the screen, a key sits at the bottom, and a door sits at the top.

Attract mode

Named characters[]

  • Ki - the player one protagonist; rescued by Gil at the end of the previous game
  • Gil - the player two protagonist; climbed 60 floors to save Ki and now has to climb all the way back down
  • Ishtar - a goddess who assists the two player characters and functions as the game's ultimate goal
  • Druaga - the defeated villain; referenced in the game but otherwise makes no appearance
  • Quox - a dragon previously under Druaga's control
  • Masanobu Endō - an Easter-egg character bearing the namesake of the game's lead designer

Enemies[]

Gameplay[]

Before starting the game, players one and two are prompted to enter their initials and choose their gender. This is part of the game's password system; should the players game over, they will be given passwords that can be used to continue their playthrough at a later time. Each room also has an associated password; when continuing a previous playthrough, players can choose the room they will start in, so long as they enter the corresponding password.

Player one controls Ki. She is able to use many kinds of magic, and what spells she can cast is fully dependent on how much MP she has. (MP is a stat not displayed in game.) While selecting a spell, she cannot move. If any enemy comes into contact with her, she will die, and the game will end.

Player two controls Gil. He will automatically draw his sword when near an enemy and sheathe it when there is no longer one near him. Unlike Ki, he is able to take hits from enemies, though how much is dependent on his current HP. The main method of recovering HP is from healing spells.

Ki's MP and Gil's HP can be increased by defeating enemies and gaining experience (EXP). However, EXP isn't added to the characters until a game over is reached. There are also a few treasures scattered throughout the tower that can raise these values, and unlike EXP, they will be added to the character immediately.

Similar to the Tower of Druaga, players must collect keys in order to open doors and explore further into the tower. Unlike the previous game, most rooms have multiple keys and exits. There is nothing to immediately differentiate keys and doors from each other, so without a guide, it is mostly trial and error until Ki is able to cast spells that assist with this. There are multiple routes through the game, and many paths can backtrack to areas previously visited.

While the game is intended to be played with two players, it is possible for one person to control both characters. Since Ki has a spell that summons Gil to her side, a common strategy is to place Gil somewhere out of harm's way, trek through a room solo, then summon Gil next to her to progress to the next room (both characters need to approach the door at the same time in order to go through it). Later ports of the game, such as Namco Museum vol. 4 and Arcade Archives, have control schemes that allow one controller to control both characters.

Rooms[]

# Room
001 Top of the Tower
002 Druaga's Grave
003 Observatory
004 Treasure Storage
005 Banquet Area
006 Jewely Storage
007 Empty Gallery
008 Food Storage
009 Shunned Cavern
010 Locked Room
011 Storage Chamber
012 Slave Pen
013 Solarium
014 Secret Chamber
015 Kitchen
016 Chieftain's Room
017 Play Room
018 Spoils Room
019 Empty Cistern
020 Rest Room
021 Small Dome
022 The Staircase
023 Watch Tower
024 Pantry
025 Adept's Room
026 Large Hall
027 Water Line
028 Party Room
029 Dining Room
030 Colosseum
031 Training Yard
032 Pupils' Room
033 Green Court
034 Undead Graveyard
035 Knights' Chamber
036 Inviolate Area
037 Junction
038 Chapel of Evil
039 Temple of Chaos
040 Sacred Chamber
041 Shrine of Evil
042 Specter Cell
043 Cave of Gramarye
044 Priest' Quarter
045 Chantry
046 Holy of Holies
047 Intricate Path
048 Trap Ceiling
049 Private Alter
050 Goblin's Lair
051 Passway
052 Cross Point
053 Forgotten Room
054 Trophy Room
055 Upward Passway
056 Thief's Hideout
057 Trap Door Room
058 Alchemist's Room
059 Boudoir
060 Museum
061 Library
062 Mazy Quarter
063 Dormitory
064 Quox's Labyrinth
065 Lounge
066 Audience Hall
067 Common Hall
068 Fire Escape
069 Queen's Room
070 Attendants' Room
071 Closet Chamber
072 Servants' Hall
073 Antechamber
074 Throne Room
075 King's Room
076 Red Court
077 Dragon's Lair
078 Boulder Passage
079 Administration
080 Secret Corridor
081 Forbidden Hall
082 Laboratory
083 Armory
084 Weapon Storage
085 Armor Storage
086 Shield Storage
087 Helm Storage
088 Cursed Room
089 Dead End
090 Remains
091 Calvary Prison
092 Arcade Passway
093 Maze Passage
094 Condemned Ward
095 Arched Hallway
096 Ancient Ruin
097 Common Chamber
098 Vanguard Room
099 Command Post
100 Guard Room
101 Harness Storage
102 Jailer Chamber
103 Barracks
104 Chief's Quarter
105 Blue Court
106 Hall of Warriors
107 Crypt
108 Barrel Vault
109 Torture Chamber
110 Maze Vestiblue
111 First Cell
112 Second Cell
113 Third Cell
114 Fourth Cell
115 Store Room
116 Exercise Field
117 Guest Chamber
118 Leader's Room
119 Stable
120 Chariot Hanger
121 Common Room
122 Waiting Room
123 Portcullis
124 Under the Moat
125 Secret Staircase
126 Water Duct
127 Entrant Hall
128 Main Gate

External links[]