Angel’s Poem

And the prayers of white wings. 

Tenshi no Uta: Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori is the third and final game in the Tenshi no Uta franchise. It’s very loosely connected to the other two, so, if you jump in here, you won’t notice anything. At least, I think. This is my first foray into the series, so what do I know? The first two are stuck on the PC-88, for now, and game three remains a Super Famicom exclusive. But at least it has an English patch. But what is it about? 

The plot mixes Celtic mythology with Christian themes. It’s probably one of the reasons it never got localized. I didn’t notice too much Celtic stuff, outside of an ultimate weapon and a few generic enemies that can be found in plenty of video games. I think the first two games lean more into that area. There’s also a heavy emphasis on love, with a strong overtone of godly love. If you’re a heretic like me, this might be cause to throw the game away. I’d advise against that because there’s also a lot of agnostic atheist touches here. It’s in the form of god working as he does in real life, which is to say he doesn’t. Humans are the real power here, which touches my long, dead heart. None of these are overt, by any means, so I might just be trying to make something deeper. 

Tenshi no Uta 3 works like a Dragon Quest game.  Battles are in first person, and it’s turned based. And the turn order actually makes sense, so it’s better than Dragon Quest! There are also zero descriptions in battle of what all the spells do! It also does the thing where every area has its own problems, and solving them lets you continue to another location’s issues. This isn’t a hard and stern rule, as there are plenty of locations that are just there to sleep at an inn, restock items and gear, or advance the character narrative. This helps make the game feel fast and the world huge. Another reason why it’s better than DQ! The infrequency of bosses takes this to another level!

It’s also more character driven. There is an overarching plot, but that feels like a background thing for a while. At the end, the characters even mentioned it was secondary to their personal reasons. They don’t run from the demons attacking their home, so they’re not passive characters, but saving the girl is paramount. Nothing else is important until we find this pretty singer’s parents. It’s a neat dichotomy. It’s even weirder because you can befriend the enemies. One of the battle mechanics has you parlaying with mobs. It rarely works, but when it does, you’re rewarded with more exp, money, an item, or a new friend that can help you in battle. I had a manticore, a mid game mob, attack the final boss with me! It didn’t help, but it was funny. 

But the gist is, you play as Rey, the son of the village blacksmith. One day, Ray meets a pink haired girl, Callana, at a bridge, singing to birds, squirrels, and cats. So she’s a Disney princess. She’s also an orphan who wants to find her real parents. Rey discovers she’s the headlining act of the circus, as a singer, and falls madly in love. They continue to talk to each other until the circus leaves town. Despite each being in love, Ray lets her go without saying goodbye. He’s a moody teenager who’s afraid of his feelings. His friends urge him on, but it isn’t until they learn Callana has been kidnapped and is forced to marry a corrupt count that he does anything. Rey and his friends invite themselves to the ceremony, saving Callana, but getting themselves involved with demons. From there, it’s new friends, twists and turns, and legends of heroic ventures from only twenty years ago. It goes places! And I liked them! 

Long story, short. Tenshi no Uta Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori is a top ten SNES RPG. 

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Plot: underdeveloped. The story is neat, but the characters involved could have been utilized better. The playable cast is perfectly fine, but the villains are a tad too Dragon Questy. 7/10

Gameplay: best part. You can kill everything, or you can parley to get mobs to leave on friendly terms. It’s stingy, but at least it makes the chaff feel better than mindless zombies. And each mob has their own taunts and dialogue! Sadly, there are only two puzzle ish dungeons. 9/10

Music: why I came here. I knew nothing of this game until I saw who helped compose the soundtrack. This is the earliest work (that I’ll be playing) of my third favorite composer, Motoi Sakuraba. The famed Tri-ace musician started here! He wasn’t the only one, but you can tell which songs are his. The good news is the OST is amazing! 10/10

Art: uh…: It looks like a Sega Genesis game. If someone told me this was a part of the Phantasy Star franchise a month ago, I’d believe them. The overworld and town/dungeon visuals are kinda ugly. However, get into a battle, and the enemy sprites are so incredibly well detailed, it might be a PS1 title. Spells are also unique and high quality, but dungeons are just so ho-hum. TnU also leans into its PC-88 history from time to time with beautiful cutscenes. I wonder how much space the final image of Callana takes up on the disk? 8/10 

Charm: solid. The world is huge and sometimes feels alive. While there are no side quests, several NPCs are important throughout. There are several reasons to go out of your way and explore. Mob dialogue is fun, and it’s the perfect length. Man, this game is rad. Doubt I’ll replay it, though. 8/10 

Between the fun plot, neat characters, enemy sprites, parlay system, and Motoi Sakuraba soundtrack, Tenshi no Uta: Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori, or Song/Poem of Angels: Prayer of the White Wings, gets 42/50. It’s rough around the edges, but there’s a more than solid experience to be had here. And it turns out that I’ve played this at the perfect time. It’s recently been announced that the first two games in the franchise are getting an official localization! I think preorders are being compiled for both physical and digital, and this game isn’t a part of that bundle, but it’s something. Let me know how they play!