ESA (company)

ESA Co., Ltd.
주식회사 이에스에이
KRX: 052190
IndustryVideo games
FoundedOctober 28, 1994
HeadquartersKorean
Key people
Jeong Young-Won (CEO)
Number of employees
130 (As of 2010)
SubsidiariesKim Jong-hak Production (2018-present)
OH!BROTHERS Production (2018-present)
WebsiteESA.co.kr

ESA Co., Ltd. (Entertainment Studio Asia, Korean: 주식회사 이에스에이), formerly Softmax Co., Ltd. (Korean: 주식회사 소프트맥스), is a Korean video game developer and publisher and entertainment company. They are best known for their War of Genesis series, Magna Carta series, and MMORPG TalesWeaver. It is currently listed in the Korea Stock Exchange.[1][2]

War of Genesis

War of Genesis
Developer(s)Softmax
Publisher(s)Softmax

The War of Genesis (Korean: 창세기전) is a SRPG series developed by Softmax. The series follows the history of Antaria, a fictional universe where the story is taking place. Even though the developers had stated that the third and fourth installments were spin-offs, they follow the main storyline and have many elements that are essential in understanding the stories of the later games. The Side Stories have a rather different gameplay than that of the original. In contrast to the original games' use of the SRPG type of gameplay, Rhapsody of Zephyr uses a classical Japanese RPG style similar to that of the Final Fantasy series. Tempest also uses different gameplay. In addition to battles, there are mini-games and simulation elements as well.[citation needed]

  • The War of Genesis (1995)
  • The War of Genesis II (1996)
  • The War of Genesis Side Story I: Rhapsody of Zephyr (1998)
  • The War of Genesis Side Story II: Tempest (1998)
  • The War of Genesis III (1999)
  • The War of Genesis III Part.2 (2000)
  • The War of Genesis Arena (On-line) (2000–2004)
  • The War of Genesis Mobile: Crow I (2004)
  • The War of Genesis Mobile: Crow II (2005)

MagnaCarta

MagnaCarta
Genre(s)Fantasy
Role-playing
Developer(s)Softmax
Publisher(s)
Artist(s)Hyung-tae Kim[3]
Composer(s)Sung-woon Jang[3]
Platform(s)Windows, PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Xbox 360
First releaseMagna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche
2001
Latest releaseMagnaCarta 2
2009

MagnaCarta is a series of three South Korean role-playing video games developed by Softmax. It features characters designed by artist Hyung-tae Kim.

MagnaCarta: The Phantom of Avalanche (2001)

Main article: Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche

MagnaCarta: Crimson Stigmata (2004)

Main article: Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata

Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata is a "port" of the original game to the PlayStation 2. Though the game retains multiple elements from its original counterpart, including the main character and several plot elements, other points in Crimson Stigmata—notably the setting and storyline—are very different from The Phantom of Avalanche.[3] [4][5][6]

MagnaCarta 2 (2009)

Main article: MagnaCarta 2

Reception

Magna Carta series

Video game Metacritic
Magna Carta: The Phantom of Avalanche  
Magna Carta: Crimson Stigmata 66%[7]
MagnaCarta 2 69%[8]

The Magna Carta series has received mixed reception for Crimson Stigmata and MagnaCarta 2.[7][8]

References

  1. ^ [1]
  2. ^ "Epic Games, Inc. Opens New Subsidiary in Korea". IGN.
  3. ^ a b c "Magna Carta: Tears of Blood". atlus.com.
  4. ^ Cheng, Justin (20 May 2005). "E3 2005: Magna Carta: Tears of Blood". IGN. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  5. ^ Clayton, Phillip. "RPGamer Feature - Interview with Magna Carta: Tears of Blood Production Staff". RPGamer.com. Archived from the original on 26 August 2014. Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  6. ^ Dunham, Jeremy (22 November 2005). "Magna Carta: Tears of Blood". IGN. pp. 1~3. Retrieved 22 October 2014.
  7. ^ a b "Magna Carta: Tears of Blood for PlayStation 2 Reviews - Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-09-01.
  8. ^ a b "Magna Carta 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews - Metacritic". metacritic.com. Retrieved 2014-09-01.