SeeNa

First-person action game, published by SystemSoft for Japanese computers in 1986. Its polygonal 3D graphics engine was a technical milestone, rendering 3D environments at a fast pace and (compared to the tile-based, right-angle movement of earlier first-person games) allowed the player to move with full 360-degree movement.

NEC PC-8801

Overview

Prior to SeeNa, the movement in first-person computer games was tile-based, where you move forwards one tile at a time, and can only turn around in right-angles. This was also true for earlier first-person 3D computer games such as Dimensional Fighter Epsilon3. SeeNa's polygonal 3D engine was considered a technical milestone, with the player able to do full 360-degree turns, while moving forwards and backwards in a more natural manner.

Gameplay

Gameplay involved the player in a vehicle moving around a maze, attempting to find an exit, while ramming into enemies to hurt them. It also featured gravity and physics elements, with the gravity occasionally affecting the player's movement. Along with the main maze-based action gameplay, the game also featured an alternative gameplay mode that resembled racing games like Pole Position, but with a more futuristic sci-fi setting.

Legacy

The influence of the game's polygonal 3D graphics engine appears to be evident in Arsys Software's Wibarm and ASCII's Amnork, both released later in 1986, as well as later titles such as the Star Cruiser series, Geograph Seal, and other 3D Japanese computer games.

In 2001, SeeNa was re-released on PC, as one of the first download games made available through the Project EGG online digital distribution service.