Vantage Master

A series of PC Turn-Based Strategy games by Falcom, most of which have never been released outside of Japan, the Vantage Master games have you play as a summoner capable of calling forth elemental creatures known as Natials in battle. The gameplay consists of duels between summoners, who move around the hexagonal board rying to capture magic stones which provide more Mana for additional summoning. In a campaign, every battle earns you a new natial or a new spell.

Falcom has translated the original game (sort of) and is giving it away as a free download on their website.


 * Animated Armor: Oomitsunu, the living armor from Vantage Master Japan.
 * Awesome but Impractical: Most of the highest-tier natials are very powerful, but also very specific.
 * Blind Idiot Translation: Falcom's translation of the original PC game was given away for free, so what can you expect? It's still playable, at least, and it's not a very plot-focused game anyway.
 * Cameo: The original game features Mail from Popful Mail and Adol from the Ys series as playable characters.
 * Also, Sun Wukong from Journey to the West shows up as a summon in Vantage Master Japan.
 * Contractual Boss Immunity: Subverted, especially in Vantage Master Japan. Summoners are not at all immune to the game's Standard Status Effects, so hitting them with petrifying, sealing, or charming effects can often end the battle near-instantly if you can get into range.
 * Elemental Powers
 * Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors: Air natials are strong against Earth natials; Earth beats Water; Water beats Fire; Fire beats Air.
 * Everything's Better with Penguins: Zamilpen.
 * Expy: Most of the Natials in Vantage Master Japan are expies of similar Natials in the original game.
 * Flying Seafood Special: The flying fish in Vantage Master Japan.
 * Golem: Da-Colm
 * Harmless Freezing: Zamilpen in Vantage Master; the flying fish in Vantage Master Japan.
 * Kappa: Midorosuiko, the healing water natial from Vantage Master Japan.
 * Mana
 * Mighty Glacier: The top-tier water natials move painfully slowly out of water, but are nearly invulnerable.
 * Mon: Subverted, in that while you summon monsters to fight for you, you're on the field and can be attacked yourself. Some summoners are focused on being good at personal combat themselves, too.
 * Non-Elemental: Summoners have no element, which is a mixed blessing -- they can do high damage to all elements, but they take high damage from all elements, too, and since you lose if your summoner dies...
 * Olympus Mons: The higher-tier Air natials are gods.
 * Place of Power: Magic stones, which provide mana and heal anyone standing on them.
 * Sinister Scythe: Oonevievle, a high-tier Fire natial from the first game, uses one of these.
 * Standard Status Effects: Vantage Master just had frozen / petrified, which functioned identically. Vantage Master Japan added poison, magic-seal, charm, buff and debuff effects.
 * Summon Magic: The entire point of the game.
 * Tactical Rock-Paper-Scissors
 * We Cannot Go on Without You: You lose if your summoner dies; unsurprising, since your summons all require upkeep from your magic to exist.