Sanrio Timenet: Kako-Hen and Mirai-Hen

Sanrio Timenet: Kako-Hen and Mirai-Hen
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Developer(s)	Imagineer
Publisher(s)	Imagineer
Director(s)	Imagineer: Motoaki Tanigou, HOLON: Kazuhiko Kurosu ("CROSS")
Producer(s)	Hidenori Ueno (Imagineer)
Composer(s)	Jirou Koumoto
Release date(s)	November 27, 1998
Genre	Role-playing game (monster battling)
Platform(s)	Game Boy Color
Player mode(s)	1-2 players (communication e.g. battling)
Serial code(s)	DMG-ATPJ-JPN (Kako-Hen), DMG-ATFJ-JPN (Mirai-Hen)

Sanrio Timenet (Japanese: サンリオタイムネット) is a monster-battling game developed by Imagineer for the Game Boy Color, which is also compatible with the Game Boy. It was released only in Japan on November 27, 1998.

It was released in two editions, named Sanrio Timenet: Kako Hen (Japanese: 過去編) and Sanrio Timenet: Mirai Hen (Japanese: 未来編); literally Sanrio Timenet: Past and Present Edition.

There are small differences between the versions, including different available monsters and each version being originally set in its respective time periods (past for Kako-Hen or future for Mirai-Hen).

Players build up a team of creatures ("monsters"), often by catching them using items known as Get Cards (or later in the story, a Digital Camera) and use them to battle against other creatures.

The games support the Game Boy Game Link Cable; which can be used to battle with other players and exchange information. Pictures of monsters and Sanrio characters met in the game can be printed using the Game Boy Printer.

Story

Time was flowing properly in the world of Timenet, the home of the Old Man of Time, thanks to the Pillar of Time which is responsible for the flow of the past, the present and the future. However, due to the work of someone, the Pillar of Time was broken into small pieces and the world was divided into the past and the future.

The protagonist receives an email from the Old Man of Time, who explains the situation and requests that he or she helps save the world of Timenet by collecting the Time Fragments, before the flow of time is permanently lost.

This game features a hero and rival and at the beginning of the game the player can either choose a male or female hero as the protagonist. The other character will act as the rival.

The rival will race the player to change the world of Timenet back to its original state, and will act as the player's rival at various points in the game. Soon after, the Old Man of Time takes the player to the world of the past (Kako Hen) or future (Mirai Hen). For some reason, the protagonist can hear a girl exclaim "help me" while travelling...

Locations

Main

The following locations are areas that can be accessed both with by foot/bicycle and by the Earth Watch — a late game item that allows warping.

Location (past)	Location (future)
Field	Bio Farm
Sky Village	Sky City
Big City	Big Ruins
Tower	Tower
Quiet Forest	Camp Place
Forest Inner Area	Forest Inner Area
Streamlet	Waterway
Pond	Reservoir
Port Town	Bay City
Puroland	Puroland
Shintai Riku	Wasureraretatai Riku

Dungeons

Location (past)	Location (future)
Flower Garden	?
School	?
Tower	Tower
Basement Cave	?
Forest Inner Area	Forest Inner Area
Pond	Reservoir
Storehouse Place	?
Pirate Ship	?
New Iceberg	Ancient Iceberg
Sea Temple	?
Bay Dungeon	Bay Dungeon
Uranium Mine	Uranium Mine
Ghost House	Ghost House
Vinyl House	Vinyl House
Mars Tower	Mars Tower
Mysterious Shrine	Mysterious Ruins

Other locations

Location (past)	Location (future)
Game Center	Game Center
Mars	Mars

Gameplay

As either a male or female character, the player travels the world of Sanrio Timenet battling with monsters. On their adventure, they will encounter many Sanrio characters; some who are important to the story. Some Sanrio characters will battle the player with monsters, and at the end of the battle the player gets to select one of the enemy monsters to keep.

The goal of the games is to help save the world before the flow of time is permanently lost. The player must fill up the Pillar of Time to 100% by collecting 161 monsters. The player can also collect special watches. The monsters do not have to be unique to fill the Pillar of Time.

In their quest, the player must travel to the future (Kako Hen) or the past (Mirai Hen) but after beating the game, they can no longer time travel. Depending on whether the player is in the past or the future, the names of places are different as well as monsters and which characters appear.

Near the end of the game, the player finds out the identity of the villain who destroyed the Pillar of Time and confronts her on Mars.

Character list

It has been suggested that this article or section should be re-organized. The reason given is that this section would be neater in a table.

Sanrio Timenet: Kako Hen and Mirai Hen have a "character data" menu which documents the roles of Sanrio characters as they appear in the games. The list is as follows.

Hangyodon notably does not appear, but he was included as a rare monster in Mars Tower, and he has two evolutions; Great Hangyo and Hangyodon Robo. He is perhaps the only first-party Sanrio character to appear as a monster and not a regular character.

Bad Badtz-Maru
Good Hanamaru (Bad Badtz-Maru universe)
Pandaba (Bad Badtz-Maru universe)
My Melody
Gimmefive1 (Gimmefive universe)
Gimmefive2
Gimmefive3
Gimmefive4
Gimmefive5
PickeBicke
Puwawa
Keroppi
Kerorīnu (Kerokerokeroppi universe)
Goro (Goropikadon universe)
Pika (Goropikadon universe)
Don (Goropikadon universe)
Terumi (Rururugakuen universe)
Tuxedosam
Pochacco
Dwarf1 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Dwarf2 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Dwarf3 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Dwarf4 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Dwarf5 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Dwarf6 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Dwarf7 (Seven Silly Dwarfs universe)
Maiko (Rururugakuen universe)
Naomi (Rururugakuen universe)
Tomo (Rururugakuen universe)
Twee Dee1 (Twee Dee Drops universe)
Twee Dee2
Twee Dee3
Monkichi
Tetsunagikuma
Dra-kun (Youkai Kids universe)
Majo-chan (Youkai Kids universe)
Miira-kun (Youkai Kids universe)
Patty
Jimmy (Patty and Jimmy universe)
Pokopon (Pokopon's Diary universe)
Ohanachan (Pokopon's Diary universe)
Peter Davis
Mimic Mike
Tiran (WeAreDinosaurs! universe)
Tera (WeAreDinosaurs! universe)
Bront (WeAreDinosaurs! universe)
Pekkle
Vanillabean
Bogo
Gatorgags
Peppy
Pikke (PataPataPeppy universe)
Papī (PataPataPeppy universe)
Minna no Tābō
Nezumikozou
Kingyo-chan (Hangyodon universe)
Angel Kitty
Baby Kitty
Kiki (Little Twin Stars universe)
Lala (Little Twin Stars universe)
Toki no Roujin ("Old Man of Time") (original)
Zakkī
Monster Zakki
White Zakkī

Unlisted characters

Male protagonist - This character (the other option being the female protagonist) can either be the main protagonist or rival and is named by the player. As the primary protagonist, he received an email from the Old Man of Time explaining the crisis in his world. As the rival, he races the player to change the world of Timenet back to its original state. He is a brown haired boy (although his sprite has a green palette in the game) with a helmet who wears a blue shirt and has blue roller blades.
Female protagonist - See above. She is a brown haired girl with a helmet who wears a pink shirt and has pink roller blades.
Hello Kitty - Hello Kitty runs second hand shops in various places. She can also be found in an inn north-east of Camp Place, where she heals the player.
Nurse Kitty - Nurse Kitty runs recovery centers in various places.

Staff credits

HOLON

Director: CROSS
Scenario: Sakuramaru Yamada

Inspace

Character Design: Hisato Inoue

Sanrio

Executive Producer: Shintarou Tsuji
Graphics Adviser: Yuuko Sakiyama

Imagineer

Executive Producer: Takayuki Kamikura
Supervisor: Seiji Tashiro
Producer: Hidenori Ueno
Product Manager: Keiko Ishikawa
Director: Motoaki Tanigou
Sales Manager: Nobuhiro Nakano, Yoshikazu Watanabe
Marketing Manager: Kaichirou Mitsuzawa
Promotion Manager: Tadashi Horikiri
Advertising: Junichi Matsumoto
Programmer: Masaki Hirao, Tetsuya Motoyama
Graphics Designer: Chinaō Seki, Yoshio Tanaka, "Gyouten", "Umiumi", "Kenni"
Music Composer: Jirou Koumoto
Coordinator: Katao Rinokata, Shin Yama
Coordination Support: Jun Hayashi
Monitor: Anko Kamiya, Miko Ootsuno, Matakichi Senkou

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Package Design: Shigenari Douzono

Special Thanks

Yuuko Mori, Yasushi Kamegai, "Everyone who gave us Hello Kitty"

Manga

Main article: Bouken Jikuu Timenet.

CAUTION: The following article has received the safety notice. For more information on why this may have received the notice, see Category:Articles which received the safety notice.

A Japanese manga series based on Sanrio Timenet without first-party Sanrio characters known as Bouken Jikuu Timenet (literally "Adventure Space-Time Timenet") was produced by Sakuramaru Yamada with illustrations by Hiroshi Soya. It was serialized in Shogakukan's "Elementary School Fifth Grade" and "Elementary School Sixth Grade" magazines starting from 1999. The manga was collected in two booklets (tankōbon).

Bouken Jikuu Timenet is notable for its 'off-color humour' that many may find offensive, abusing themes including blood, nudity (censored) and near-death experience.

The manga features the protagonists Tōru and Ēru. Tōru and Ēru are based on the male and female primary protagonists of Sanrio Timenet, respectively.

The manga is copyrighted to Timenet, a subsidiary of Imagineer.

Trivia

The game prevents the player from naming the rival the same name as the protagonist.
Due to a glitch, the Jetboat item cannot be used when accessing the event items by pressing Select from the Start screen. Seemingly the only way to use it is by accessing the event items list by pressing B from the overworld.
A fan translation of Sanrio Timenet: Mirai Hen was started but never finished. The translation is not accurate to the original text.
TOSE; a "ghost developer" said to have contributed in the development of over 1000 video games is assumed by some to have been involved in the development of the games. Sound effects in this game are shared by titles such as TOSE's Densetsu no Starfy for Game Boy Advance. In TOSE's 2001 corporate guide there is a large picture of games with their box-arts obscured. One of the games is believed^[1] by GDRI (a small video game development research community) to be Sanrio Timenet: Mirai-Hen. However, there is no confirmation.

External links

References

↑ The Strength of Tose - Flickr

[1] The Strength of Tose - Flickr

[1]