Royal Blood II

Royal Blood II ~Dinar Oukoku Nendaiki~ (ロイヤルブラッドII〜ディナール王国年代記〜, subtitle translated as "Annuals of the Dinar Monarchy") is a derivative sequel to Gemfire. It is the third and last game to receive Kou Shibusawa's Imagination Game brand labeling.

Kenji Nakajo is the sound director. Hiroyuki Suwahara provided character designs and illustrations.

Plot
Farwei, the God of Chaos, gave birth to Dionysos, the God of Darkness, and unleashed him onto the Miradia continent. Dionysos conquered the Dinar Empire and used it to terrorize the land with his Four Dark Lords. The elves, dwarves, and humans unified the five other kingdoms with the guidance of the Four Wisemen of Light and, after a grueling battle, defeated the Four Dark Lords and sealed Dionysos. Peace returned to the six kingdoms, and the Dinar Empire fell into obscurity.

Ten years later, during the year 2361 of the Dinar calendar, the Grimzak Kingdom appointed a sorceress named Altulia as its High Priestess. Its king, Il Vanta, thought to use her sorcery to enforce the Light's just policies. In reality, Altulia is manipulating Il Vanta to obey her. Using Grimzak's plentiful lands as her base for the Dark, Altulia plans to destroy the Light in order to resurrect Dionysos (Scenario 1).

By the year 2373 of the Dinar calendar, Altulia has resurrected the Four Dark Lords and obliterated three countries. Yet the survivors have united under the elder of the elves who was saved from annihilation by the Four Wisemen. The remaining embers of Light seek to save Miradia by stopping Altulia (Scenario 2).

Gameplay
The player can select their protagonist from whatever factions are available in each scenario. Each faction sides with the Dark or Light, which has their own distinguishing traits. If the player wishes to side with the Dark in Scenario 1, they are limited to the Grimzak Kingdom. Siding with the Light in Scenario 2 forces players to select one of the five possible kingdoms. The Dark will be at a size disadvantage in Scenario 2. Scenario 1 has nine possible factions while Scenario 2 has six. Each scenario provides different events depending on the force and kingdom selected by the player. Story events often require the player to meet a particular domestic goal or time limit to clear, which is routinely stated to the player through character dialogue.
 * Dark - seek to resurrect Dionysos. Can brainwash prisoners to serve as their slaves. Weaker equipment. High magic proficiency. Player can wage war at any time. The Four Dark Lords can serve as fifth units for army. Brainwashed units, monsters, dark elves, and a horned demonic unit, Renidas, are easier to recruit with this faction.
 * Light - wants to cease Dionysos's resurrection. Capable of acquiring the strongest weaponry and armor in the game. Must obey and protect the ruler's order to wage war. Powerful attack units. Prisoners must be persuaded to join. Dragons and the Four Wisemen can be set as fifth units. Humans, dwarves, elves, and half elves are simple for recruitment.

Domestic
Cities, items, and characters are affiliated with the following elemental properties to affect their compatibility ratings with one another. Fire armor, for instance, will provide better protection if the equipped character has the Fire element, and Holy weapons are meaningless to Evil characters. The best compatibility ratings combine each force's primary elements (Dark and Evil for Dark faction, and Light and Holy for Light faction).

Numbered provinces have been removed to present the world map on a square grid. Each kingdom is presented from a third-person omnipresent perspective. Players are expected to use funds to build nearby facilities such as crops, taverns, barracks, and so forth to raise their forces. Economic gain is determined each month, and crop gain is regularly scheduled in the autumn months. Cities can be upgraded based on its monthly wealth and location with flat terrain being the most ideal for most buildings. Transport units must be ordered to move on the map as well, which may cause hardship if they are captured by enemy forces.

A unique internal affairs feature is the ability to protect the player's castle city through magic. Magic requires the player to invest in priestesses, and its effectiveness is proportional to the number of priestesses present in constructed temples. If the priestesses commands the same element as the city, the accumulated magic is doubled. Threats such as wandering monster attacks, disease, and enemy invasions can be deflected with magic every turn. Magic can be depleted if abused, however, so the player is encouraged to continue investing in normal troops to keep attackers at bay.

The ruler's title affects a city's common growth. Titles can be designated to units who have reached high levels in giant cities. The three titles are: It is up to the player to decide which unit they wish to have govern or use in battle.
 * 1) Regent: high intelligence to increase food supplies and income.
 * 2) Master Knight: high attack which boosts troop recruitment during drafts.
 * 3) High Priest/High Priestess: high magic for raising magic accumulation.

Once the player has secured their foundations, they are advised to use the Search option to locate a dungeon. Searching automatically drains three turns (three months) and cancels other domestic opportunities. Yet dungeons hold the keys for prolonging the game and hold valuable weaponry, potential hero units, and plot significant events. Dungeon locations can be learned by listening to rumors at taverns or activating main story objectives.

First time dungeon exploration requires the party to use the Search command to shed light on their surroundings. Searching drains a specific amount of the expedition team's food supply; if their food runs out without reaching the final goal, the expedition is deemed a failure. Traps and random monsters directly attack the party's food supply. Party members can also be wounded or incapacitated because of these obstacles. The worst case scenario will have the entire party starve to death after many months or be slaughtered by the competition. If this occurs with a hero unit imperative for the main story, it will be an instant game over.

The objectives for clearing a dungeon varies from rescuing a target, defeating the enemy leader, or discovering a specific item. Objectives must be met before the party's food runs out. The Search command is not mandatory for repeated exploration.

Combat
Combat follows the same basic controls and objectives as its predecessor. Maps have been expanded and are visually presented from an overhead angle. Gold, food, and troops are still required to form armies. Unlike its predecessor, the player cannot use gold to purchase new food.

Monsters can randomly invade cities. Giant monsters command smaller monsters units into battle. Smaller monsters can be stopped by a city's magic or through complete annihilation. Giant monsters require an army to intercept them to stop. These monsters might join the player's side after their defeat.

Named characters can now gain levels by personally defeating monsters or enemy units. Once the player has successfully cleared a dungeon, they can revisit it for level grinding. Characters continue to have individual stats with a bonus Skill Point (SP) parameter for their unique skill. Additional skills can be acquired by leveling up.

Racial traits are assigned to the named characters. Humans have no weaknesses yet excel at nothing. Elves and dark elves excel at magic and have weaker physical attributes. Dwarves and renidas are strong attack and defense units who are weak to magic. Half elves are the most balanced stat growths. Humans and dwarves are the easiest targets for the Dark forces to brainwash. Brainwashed units are noted with an altered portrait. They can return to the Light if they are captured alive and subjected to a trial-and-error persuasion process. Each character has a different portrait depending on the player's affiliation to the Dark or Light.

Named characters tend to fall into one of the following class types. Players can manually promote their own units outside of battle once they reach level 15.

Related Media
A single guidebook was published. It includes character profiles, a complete item list, explanations for each kingdom and unit, and a gallery of visuals found in the game.