Song and the Transition to “Part-Talkie” Japanese Role-Playing Games

This chapter explores the connection between the transitions to voice in 1990s Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) like Lunar and the “part-talkie” era of film in the late 1920s and 1930s, with particular emphasis on the role that song plays in both transitions. To a surprising extent, that holds true of JRPGs in their transition to voice acting, as well. But equally important were the changes to the game’s video and audio. Some games were issued in multiple versions more or less simultaneously, such as The Adventures of Willy Beamish, which appeared in both floppy disk and CD formats, only the latter of which was voiced. So far, when discussing both film and games, focus has been on technological advancements and impediments related to the transition to “talkies.” Just as Luna’s song alters the diegetic reality by clearing the fog from the forest, it transforms the gameworld—and the player’s perception of it—by suddenly introducing a musical number

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