Masahiko Kutani and Himiko Himejima are two teenagers living in modern-day Japan. One day, Himiko discovers a strange amulet. An immense power is unleashed from it, engulfing Kutani and teleporting him into another world. The young man finds himself in the ancient kingdom of Yamatai, where Himiko’s “alter ego” is a divine queen. The queen election is just being held in Yamatai; but the evil general of the Kune empire sends his forces to conquer Yamatai and disrupt the ritual. Kutani has no choice but to offer his services to the kingdom, hoping to find a way to return to our world…
Himiko-den is a strategy game with RPG elements. Kutani and other heroes are navigated on the “world map” in a linear fashion; selecting a location icon usually leads to a large-scale strategic battle between armies. The player has to position the troops and navigate them on the battle field.
Once a player-controlled and an enemy unit come into contact, a turn-based battle initiates. These battles are similar in style to those of “regular” RPGs, with small parties of characters exchanging attacks until one of them emerges victorious.
Cut-scenes advance the story between the battles; some of them are animated movies, while others are composed of still anime-style pictures. The battles are done in real-time 3D.