Included with the review is a live-performance of “Forces 1.5″ by Susumu Hirasawa; as well as the PV to “Tell Me Why” by PENPALS…

On October of 2004, Sega-Sammy released “Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc: Chapter of the Record of the Holy Demon War” for the PS2. The project was the second video game based on the Berserk manga by Kentarou Miura — the first was “Sword of the Berserk: Guts’ Rage” for the Dreamcast in 1999. Both titles were created by Japanese developer Yuke’s Media Creations.

With a setting inspired by medieval Europe, and a storyline filled with war, religion, loyalty and betrayal, the Berserk series has become one of the most successful manga titles to date, with 31 volumes currently on sale. The PS2 game covers part of the Millennium Falcon Arc from volumes 22 through 27.

The members of the God Hand are the powerful entities of the Berserk world who manipulate mankind’s destiny for their own selfish desire. These five extremities are the grandmaster Void — the one who brands the sacrifice, and his compatriots Slan — the temptress; Ubik — the deceiver; and Conrad — Pandora’s Box motif.

During the Incarnation Ceremony, an orphaned mercenary leader named Griffith, who once aspired to kinghood, chose to be incarnated as his demonic form Femto at the cost of his friends who earned him fame, glory, and nobility; the Band of the Hawk.

Admist the floating bodies that have been viciously murdered, one man stood high as he fought against all impossible odds. Guts, otherwise known as the Black Swordsman, had survived the ordeal alongside Casca but not without having is left arm severed. The two make an escape from Albion with the aid of an enigmatic being known as Skull Knight. From there after our story begins…

Berserk Millennium Falcon Arc begins in Guts’ snowy future atop of the Hill of Swords. With his gigantic Dragon Slayer sword at hand, he’ll be able to combat countless demons and beasts during his long travels ahead. Not alone, he is accompanied by a quirky elf named Puck — a Wind spirit from Elfhelm; and of course, the stunningly beautiful and courageous female lead, Casca — who unfortunately now suffers from a severe case of amnesia due to the brutal rape at the hands of Femto.

As Guts you wander through a world plagued with war, strife and oppression; all while meeting up with new comrades such as Farnese — a noblewoman who once led the Holy See’s ceremonial guard; Serpico — former Herald for the Holy Iron Chain Knights; Isidro — a young man who’s dream is to become the greatest swordsman in history; and the cute and innocent witch-in-training Schierke — whose skills will become increasingly apparent in later chapters in the story.

The game mechanics and controls can be described as so…

Naturally the left analog stick would be used for basic movement in the direction of your choice. Square is used to produce a “normal” sword slash. When repeatedly tapping the button, you unleash a series of combo attacks on your opponent. X’s primary function is to guard. If the button is pressed at the moment Guts receives an attack, Guts will execute a “Reversal Strike”. However if X is pressed just prior to the strike, you will instead produce a “Counter Attack.” Also to note, when pressed repeatedly, Guts’ recovery time is cut in half. Moving on, triangle performs a gradual yet heavy-damage sword swing. When held you can charge the attack for even more power. When the Sacrifice Brand appears on the health sphere, you can press triangle and have Guts perform a special attack or fatality move. You can also charge the Rage meter much faster than normal skills when using this feature. Circle allows the swordsman to dash three consecutive times before tiring.

L1 displays all secondary weapons that are available to the player. These include an automatic crossbow, knives, grenades, and your left-arm cannon. L2 displays the current status of all your allies. They include Puck — who restores your health; Isidro — who creates a circle of flames; Schierke — who raises your defense temporarily; and Serpico — who binds your enemy’s movement.

R1 is mainly used for strafing combos. During boss-battles, R1 also allows Guts to lock-on for a counter-attack. R2 launches what is known as “Berserker Mode”. This powerful bloodlust forces Guts to attack with increased speed and deal a high amount of damage to any obstacle that gets in his way. The gauge for Berserker Mode is to the immediate right of the health sphere, and is refilled by killing enemies.

Each demon you kill rewards you with experience points which you can cash in for magic or stat upgrades. For example, you can improve your sword proficiency, increase maximum health, shorten your recovery time and increase the effectiveness of your attachments or support characters, etc.

When you complete the game’s primary mission, you unlock two new modes: “100-Animal Murder” and “Boss Rush Mode”. In 100-Animal Murder mode, you must kill a specific number of enemies within a time-limit. Puck will no longer be available during the confrontation, so there’s no chance of recovery. There are a total of 10 levels to complete, each one with its own difficulty setting. The prizes you earn are new weaponry for your hero, such as: Gut’s Raider Sword, Poleaxe/Halberd, Casca’s Sword, Isidro’s Fire Dagger, Grunbeld’s War Hammer, Wooden Club, Azan’s Iron Bo, Elemental Axe, Electric Guitar, and Zodd’s Sword. In Boss Rush Mode, you are given the opportunity to replay a previous boss you encountered during the game’s main storyline.

As far as voice acting is concerned, every seiyuu who had a role in the original anime TV series makes a surprising return for the game. The soundtrack is a perfectly balance fit of the dark and grudging atmosphere you experience, as well as sets the immediate tone of drama and suspense. It should also be noted that the one of only Susumu Hirasawa, one of the greatest Japanese electropop-artists and composers of our time, provided the main opening and closing themes for Millennium Falcon.

So in conclusion, the Berserk PS2 game is, without a doubt, a “must-buy” for those who have read the manga or have seen the original TV anime series. For those still anxiously waiting for a Season II to be announced, this would be considered the perfect substitute. Definitely an import I’d highly recommend, especially since it may never see the light overseas.

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Promotional Videos:


  • Artist: Susumu Hirasawa
  • Track: Forces 1.5
  • Single: n/a
  • Album: Solar Ray
  • Release Date: October 11th, 2001
  • Preview: YouTube link
  • Video: Available here
  • Comments: Here’s a 2001 live-performance of “Forces 1.5″ which I was lucky enough to find some years back. The song itself can be found here. The pack also includes “Sign” and “Sign 2″ — The main opening/closing themes to “Millennium Falcon Arc” for the PS2.




  • Artist: PENPALS
  • Track: Tell Me Why
  • Single: #2
  • Album: AMERICAMAN
  • Release Date: November 6th, 1997
  • Preview: n/a
  • Video: Available here
  • Comments: A rare video from the PENPALS, who unfortunately are no longer active due to their break-up in 2005. The video also includes scenes from the first episode of the Berserk anime. As you know, the song is used as the show’s main opening theme.

Berserk Figure Gallery:

And finally, the Gallery section now features those same Berserk figures which were previewed last month. There are a total of 28 camera shots in all.