Rance 4.1

About
Rance 4.1 stars an indebted Rance and Athena 2.0 as they try to solve the mystery of the sudden monster attacks from underground that has stopped Happiness Pharmaceutical, the creators of the Seirogan, from producing their main brand of healing products. The prize for fixing the situation is 150.000 gold and Rance isn't the only one aiming for it.

Gameplay
Rance 4.1 and Rance 4.2 are two parts of the same storyline, and use the same mechanics and artstyle. Part of the game involves navigating the main Happiness Pharmaceutical office and dormitories, speaking with people, and investigating the surroundings through an adventure game menu.

The other part is a dungeon-crawler taking place in the monster-infested underground cave. Within the cave, there are specific rooms where the player can interact with the environment, use healing items, and load/save. The rooms are connected to each other by thin routes, where the only available actions are "Advance" and "Retreat", to take a step forwards or backward. (Most routes are about 3-5 steps long). These paths are the spots where random encounters can occur. When the game starts, the cave is unmapped, and paths are marked on menus as "???". Each time the player crosses a path and enters a new room, Athena 2.0 will draw the room on the map (with a short dialogue with Rance about how to name and illustrate it; sometimes giving comical or non-indicative names). The "???" option will change to reflect the room name. Some paths are hidden or trapped, and can only be crossed later in the game.

In battles, Rance is the only controllable party member, with all other teammates auto-battling. A maximum of four party members and enemies can appear, represented by stat blocks across the bottom and top of the screen, respectively. Three statistics are visible in these stat blocks; Hit Points (represented by circles) show health overall, Stamina shows energy in the current fight, and Power is spent each time they perform an attack, refilled a little each turn. Attacking can reduce both an enemy's hit points and stamina. Battlers are represented as cards showing names and side-views, with only the attacker and target's cards visible onscreen at a given time (and usually using a different card for different techniques). Combatants who lose all their stamina are knocked out, and can't fight - but they can still be attacked to reduce HP. Combatants who lose all their HP are dead. If any player character dies, it's an automatic game over.

Rance's options in combat are "Standby" (which fills power), "Weapon Attack" (using the Iceberg Sword gained in Rance IV), "Summon Feliss" (she can only be summoned 10 times total in the game), "Use Item", and "Rance Attack" (which takes the most stamina).

The player wins a battle when all enemies are either knocked out or dead. They're awarded with EXP at the end of the battle; unlike previous games, characters level-up automatically when they have enough EXP, with no need to summon a level goddess. In Alice's Mansion, the developers state that the random encounters are mostly there as obstacles, and that low-level runs aren't difficult.

Like with old adventure games, some actions (ex: walking into a trap or attacking the President) can lead to an instant game over. These "Bad Ends" are just a few lines long and are mostly played as jokes.

Story
In October LP2, Rance has spent most of his money on women. His household is in debt, with taxes and bills waiting. Sill convinces him to get a job from the Keith Guild. Rance doesn't want to see Sill in danger like she was in Rance IV; so he tells her to stay home, and brings Athena 2.0 as his companion instead.

They're assigned a job at Happiness Pharmaceutical, getting information from the its President. Two weeks ago, a cave opened underneath the factory, with monsters emerging and attacking workers. The building's security guards set up a barricade, and are offering 150,000 gold to anyone who can stop the attacks. Rance and Athena 2.0 are the ninth adventuring party who've accepted the job; only four of the previous teams are still alive and active at the game's beginning. Each has room and boarding, but only the team who solves the case will receive any money.

Rance explores the main office, dormitories, and underground, discovering that the cave has two floors. He has to gather clues from staff members, such as security guards Conan and Kontama, scientists Rose and Joseph, and the president's daughter Eline; along with encountering rival adventurers like the easygoing monk Genri, the familiar Bird Lithfie and his new partner Kisara Copri (who Rance swears on having himself), and the demure Arnie Rolento; all while the mysterious Pink Mask helps him and Athena narrowly escape danger.

Travelling deeper, and looking for a way to overcome the dangerous monster gal Summon-chan, the adventurers find themselves all suspects when one among them is murdered. Rance and Athena 2.0 must clear the factory, clear their names, discover the truth about the attackers' accusations that Happiness Pharmaceutical is evil, and seduce the women nearby before Genri or Bird can make a move.

Setting & Lore

 * Happiness Pharmaceutical
 * Free Cities Alliance
 * Ice
 * Tenshi Sect
 * Angel Army
 * Levels
 * Haniwa
 * Guy Monsters
 * Gal Monsters
 * Holy Gal Monster (mentioned)