While I was browsing the Sega Retro site, I found an official Japanese guide book for PoP:
https://retrocdn.net/File:Prince_of_Per ... ook_JP.pdf (64 MB PDF, but you can preview individual pages)
It's in Japanese, but it's filled with screenshots and even level maps.
I will probably OCR and translate the pages which, based on the screenshots, may tell about the unique things found in the PC-98 version, such as the trap potion on level 3 (pages 39, 41, 67), or the guard on level 13 who replaces Jaffar (page 172).
I also wonder what they wrote about falling into pits and other dead-ends on the annotations of some level maps...
(All page numbers refer to the pages of the PDF, which are 2 more than the page numbers in the book itself.)
[PC-98] Official Japanese guide book
Re: [PC-98] Official Japanese guide book
Here are the texts from pages 1-9, 39, and 172; both the originals and translations.
Re: [PC-98] Official Japanese guide book
Wow, many thanks for that The guy on level 13 is "teh General", I see.
The drawings of the various characters are beautiful. Now I wish there was such a guide book for the SNES version, for obvious reasons...
@David, could you OCR and translate the pages describing all characters (168 and following)? I'd love to read what Arsys themselves had to say about them. Many thanks in advance!
The drawings of the various characters are beautiful. Now I wish there was such a guide book for the SNES version, for obvious reasons...
@David, could you OCR and translate the pages describing all characters (168 and following)? I'd love to read what Arsys themselves had to say about them. Many thanks in advance!
Re: [PC-98] Official Japanese guide book
Done. It took me some hours... Despite the "ALL OF CHARACTERS" title on page 167, this section is not about all characters, only about the opponents.
For example, it does not include the prince or the princess.
Re: [PC-98] Official Japanese guide book
Many, many thanks for all your efforts!
The description of the... handsome guard is pure gold:
His true identity is unknown, but he is popular and well-liked, called by various nicknames such as "Fatty", "Butcher", and "Hachon Demon King". There are various theories that he is a bloodthirsty butcher of the royal palace or just a kitchen chief.