Hillsfar (PC98)
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Hillsfar is an action-adventure game originally developed by Westwood Associates. It was released in Japan for the PC-9801 and Famicom. In the game, you play as your own character. The game plays in a similar fashion to the early Grand Theft Auto games. You must visit the guildmaster of your respective class in the city of Hillsfar, and they will send you on a series of fetch quests. The game has an impressive number of gameplay mechanics; there's a horseriding segment, a first/third-person view when walking through the city, archery practice, an overhead segment when you're inside somewhere exploring, and even an arena battle. The game was originally designed for you to level up your character and transfer them into other AD&D games at the time so they would be a little stronger in their next adventure.
The PC-9801 version was developed by Opera House. It is arguably the best version of the game, which is too bad, as only Japanese speakers can properly play this game. The game has more impressive graphics than the Amiga version, and it has an in-game soundtrack; something that the other computer ports of Hillsfar lacked.
Screenshots
Music
Hillsfar contains a soundtrack written by Yasuhiro Kawasaki, who was doing music for Pony Canyon at the time. The PC-9801 version's YM2203 has both PSG and FM synthesis capabilities, which give it a nice sound. The disadvantage here is that the music can get annoying after hours of play. This is especially true for the Horseback riding segments.
The musical styles vary in the game. However, most of them have a medieval theme to them. The arena music sounds like Spanish Flamenco-style guitar. The song that plays when you're walking around Hillsfar is a relaxed 3/4 ballad.
According to Yasuhiro, the title music is his favorite song in the game. It is unknown how he created music for the game, but it is likely in the same manner Takeshi Yasuda did, by using an editor provided by Pony Canyon or Opera House. Kawasaki said he may have used Music Macro Language, but can't remember correctly because of how much time it's been since the game's development.
The NES version of the game shares the same soundtrack, except the title music.
Recording
| # | Title | Composer | Length | Listen | Download |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 01 | Title | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 1:38 | Download | |
| 02 | Horseback | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:30 | Download | |
| 03 | Hillsfar | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 1:50 | Download | |
| 04 | Guilds | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:58 | Download | |
| 05 | Shops | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:51 | Download | |
| 06 | Arena Battle/Shooting Range | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 1:10 | Download | |
| 07 | Win Arena Battle | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:05 | Download | |
| 08 | Lose Arena Battle | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:04 | Download | |
| 09 | Dungeons | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 1:22 | Download | |
| 10 | Death | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:12 | Download | |
| 11 | Ending | Yasuhiro Kawasaki | 0:43 | Download |
Credits
- Ripper: 2ch-H
- Recorder: Doommaster1994
- Manual Credits:
- Music: Yasuhiro Kawasaki
- Box Credits:
- 音楽 (Music): Yasuhiro Kawasaki credited as 川崎康宏
Hillsfar does not contain any in-game credits. However, a full list of staff credits can be found in the game's instruction manual, as well as a credit to the composer and producer on the back of the game's packaging. The game's manual also lists the original Westwood staff, but since there is no audio staff credited, a scan of that page has been omitted.
Game Rip
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This rip is missing songs. |
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Audio Devices
Hillsfar uses the YM2203 of the NEC PC-9801.
Releases
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| Hillsfar | |
| Hillsfar |  •  •  •  •  •  • 
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| Notable Songs | Title Screen |
| Notable Personnel | Paul Mudra • Yasuhiro Kawasaki • Yoshio Kobayashi |
| Notable Companies | Westwood Associates • Opera House • Crosstalk • Pony Canyon |
