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This article is about the first game in the Kiniro no Corda series. For the whole series, see Kiniro no Corda (series).

Kiniro no Corda (金色のコルダ, officially transcribed as La Corda d'oro) is the starting title for the third major Neoromance series, Kiniro no Corda. This particular title is reputed for its crushing difficulty with simulation fans and is rather unforgiving compared to its other Neoromance counterparts and future Corda entries.

Corda's conception aimed to create a contemporary high school setting and a title dedicated to fans' musical interests. Ruby Party developers aimed to cater to both fan and executive wishes by focusing on classical music and fantasy elements, adding fairies to the narrative. The series presented romance through love and magic in music. Three Premium Boxes were available for each port, including character messages, soundtracks, and special packaging.

Plot[]

The protagonist is a second year student at the prestigious Seiso Academy, a high school and college famed for teaching the world's greatest professional musicians. She cannot play an instrument and attends the school's general education program. One day, however, she sees a fata and is scouted by him to participate in the school's annual musical concour. He blesses her with a magical violin that can play any song if she possesses the passion to play it. The protagonist uses it to experience the classical music curriculum offered at Seiso.

Gameplay[]

General[]

The protagonist is a character who can move around a bird's eye map with a specific theme. She has three personal parameters: Technique (技術), Performance (表現), and Bravo Points (BP). Technique is the difficulty of each song, Performance is her proficiency in each song category, and BP is the expendable currency needed for each selection. These parameters can be increased by studying music and playing near crowds.

Everything music related in the game is divided into one of the three main categories:

Elegant (清麗) - calm and peaceful
Radiant (彩華) - lively and cheerful
Melancholy (愁情) - dreary and sorrowful

Its encouraged to try to pick a song which best relates to the current selection's theme. If the theme is "What has been lost", for example, a Radiant song will likely result in poor scores for the protagonist.

Time flows by the hour and minutes and proceeds in a daily format. Unlike other simulation titles, the time expended is reliant on the actions the player decides upon. Studying takes 20 minutes of in-game time (default). Talking to a character and triggering their personal event automatically drains 10~20 minutes from the clock, regardless of the event's actual length to complete. Times are stacked so it is possible to use 30~40 minutes of the clock if the player accidentally triggers a character event while studying. The player cannot initiate an action if they lack the mandatory in-game time to perform it.

All activities are halted at 6 PM each day (18:00 in-game clock). Every weekday the protagonist can practice for two hours; weekends usually provides six hours. Occasionally, the main narrative forces the player to halt their progress for one day. The story will continue regardless of whether the protagonist wins or loses each selection, repeating the cycle of preparations.

Preparation[]

Most of the game is dedicated to practicing and preparing for the selections. Here is a basic outline for completing preparations successfully.

  1. Study a musical genre.
  2. Gather skills and keywords.
  3. Practice song for spectators.
  4. Use earned BP to purchase attire.

The protagonist must find hidden fata called ferro and rame to collect musical scores and keywords. Ferro are hidden and color-coded by their genre, and can only be found by activating the first Practice option in the main menu. Experience points increase the protagonist's Technique parameter. Ferro become visible during the search and can be collected when the protagonist maxes her proficiency with a song. Rame are invisible and can only be found after nearly mastered a musical piece. Bells can be rung once for each musical composition, saving 5 minutes.

The protagonist gains the ability to physically play a song, with the player manually selecting compositions and performing with other musical students. Over time, she improves her performance and gains focal keywords. Performances take 50-55 minutes and require six to seven repetitions. Mastery earns more BP, which can be used to buy formal attire at Fata Shops. To win a high spot, the protagonist must be dressed appropriately, play a theme-matching song, and have high stage appearance parameters. Performances can be watched or skipped.

Character Routes[]

The protagonist can share an ending with any character in the game, with male scenarios being romantic. Competitors within the concours have an Intimacy and Rivalry parameter, with side characters having an Intimacy stat. Intimacy can be increased by gifts, supportive responses, or wearing a person's favorite outfit. Romance events occur during specific times of the week, with conditions varying depending on the character. Due to lack of hints and scheduling conflicts, it's possible to miss a character's event.

Every event must be seen for the male characters in order to unlock their best romance ending, or Gem Ending (珠玉エンディング). Failing to achieve all the romance events but ending the game with high Intimacy grants the Town Ending (町へ出よエンディング). Romance endings can alter between the protagonist confessing her feelings to a male character, or the male character confessing his feelings.

Modes[]

Continue[]

Self-explanatory. Maximum 20 save slots are available.

New Game[]

Self-explanatory. If the player has completed the game once before, an option to reuse a previous protagonist name, clear game bonuses, and a quicker introduction sequence can be selected at the start of repeated playthroughs.

Memories[]

The gallery showcases music, character images, and movies earned by the player during gameplay, with text commentary for each song. Epilogue events for clearing the game are also available.

Instructions[]

How-to-play diagram and instructions.

Settings[]

Lets the player adjust the text display and the skipping speed of character dialogue. Master volume can be adjusted here to either be stereo or mono. Voices for all characters can be left on or muted. If these settings are changed before starting a new game, they will automatically be in effect.

Information[]

Game trailers for other Koei titles. The PS2 version includes Nobunaga no Yabou Online, Romance of the Three Kingdoms IX, Samurai Warriors, and Crimson Sea 2.

Characters[]

  • Kahoko Hino
  • Lili
  • Len Tsukimori
  • Ryotaro Tsuchiura
  • Keiichi Shimizu
  • Kazuki Hihara
  • Azuma Yunoki
  • Hiroto Kanazawa
  • Shinobu Ousaki
  • Shoko Fuyumi
  • Nami Amou

Spin-offs[]

  • Kiniro no Corda Box Selection ~10th Anniversary~ - PSP: December 19, 2013. Includes the PSP version of the first game and select Premium Box merchandise.

Differences between ports[]

  • Event images and movie galleries are only available for reviewing in the PS2 and PSP versions.
  • A music quiz has been added to the Extra section in the PSP version.

Related Media[]

Before its shipping date, details regarding the game was going to be revealed to fans at Hotel Okura in an event called Neoromance Party with La Corda d'oro. It was canceled due to conflicts not revealed to the public. Corda was one of the playable titles at Koei's Tokyo Game Show 2003 and Tokyo Game Show 2005 booths.

Yumeta Company (current TYO Animations) produced a two-cour 25 episode TV anime adaptation called La Corda d'oro ~primo passo~. The anime adaptation is mainly based on the simultaneous series's comic adaptation, La Corda d'oro, rather than being a direct adaptation of the game. Characters from the first game are featured within this part of the anime. Kisho Taniyama (Len Tsukimori) and Katsuyuki Konishi (Shinobu Ousaki) were the MCs for its radio program, Kiniro no Corda ~Houkago no Etude~. Several anime only merchandise was made for it. The songs used for the anime were Brand New Breeze by Kanon (OP) and CRESCENDO by stella quintet (ED; performed by Tsukimori, Tsuchiura, Shimizu, Hihara, Yunoki's voice actors). The radio program had Warrior by Kisho Taniyama (OP) and HappyTime by stella quintet (ED) as its themes.

An original story based on the first game's setting and cast was made into a 2010 theatrical production called La Corda d'oro Stella Musical. The cast announcement made headlines with its double cast for Kahoko and Lili. Various merchandise was manufactured for the real life versions of the series's characters. Free clips of the theatrical production can still be enjoyed on Koei-Tecmo's Youtube channel.

Several CDs and databooks were created. Free samples of the four panel comics anthologies published by Koei can be read online at Gamecity. Two light novels were authored by Megumi Fujino; free samples can be read at Gamecity Bunko. Cellphone novels were also made for this part.

Allusions[]

  • Remixed versions of Yasashii Ai no Uta (Angelique) and Harukanaru Toki no Naka de (main theme for said game) can be learned and played by the protagonist.

Gallery[]

External Links[]

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