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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[]
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[]
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 |