is a Japanese adult role-playing video game originally released for NEC PC-98 computer systems, and remade for Microsoft Windows. The game's story is linear, with only one story decision near the end, leading to one of five different endings.
A five-part animated erotic direct-to-video series was adapted from the game's story. It also has a side story series, (known as Words Worth Outer Stories in the English release). The anime has the same general story, but the anime cuts out several characters and changes the plot mostly to create more sex scenes. The English dub is notable for featuring real life porn actresses Jenna Jameson and Nikki Dial. The rest of the English cast remained uncredited.
Gameplay
The gameplay of Words Worth is similar to other fantasy games of the era such as The Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall but with a tongue-in-cheek sexual undertone. It is a remake of the 1993 game of the same name and while the plot is near identical, the graphics, gameplay, and visuals have been greatly improved.
Words Worth is primarily a first-person dungeon crawler. Even though there are a few "friendly" areas, such as the hero Astro's bedroom and a town where the hero can rest and buy supplies, most of the game is spent in dungeon-like, maze-like areas (with an auto-map feature). There is no party in the game: Astro has to face the enemies alone. The enemies appear randomly. The 1999 remake has the players to click on the enemies to slash them and the combat is turn-based. The game has scenes with nudity and sexual situations.
Like most fantasy role playing games Words Worth has lots of focus on story and narrative plot points but unlike many contemporaries in the fantasy genre Words Worth is entirely voice acted. As the players play as a young hero trying to prove himself worthy while surrounded by vixens, the game falls into the style of many Japanese anime plots where a young awkward protagonist is surrounded by sexpot girls.
Plot The skill of sword-fighting is known to two tribes, the Tribes of Light (which consists of humans living on the world's surface) and Shadow (largely part-human-part-animal creatures and monsters living in an underground city, who enjoy a lifespan five times as long as the Tribe of Light and age one-fifth as quickly). The two tribes lived in peace and harmony, their domains separated by the "Words Worth" tablet—a huge monolith slab erected by an almighty creator. Although the tablet has writing on it, neither Tribe can read the text. One day, Words Worth was mysteriously destroyed by an unknown entity; its fragments were scattered among the domain of the Tribes of Shadow. The two Tribes blamed each other for the tablet's destruction, and started a war that has continued for 150 years (100 in the anime). Astral, prince of the Tribe of Shadow, desires to become a Swordsman of Shadow, but his father, King Wortoshika, forbids him to do so. He is engaged to Sharon, a beautiful swordswoman and Astral's childhood friend, who has feelings for Astral but wishes he were stronger.
Characters Tribe of Shadow Astral Prince of the Shadow realm, and heir to King Wortoshika. His name is based on Castor and is changed to 'Esterla' in the Media Blasters translation. He is a generic good-natured-but-oblivious video game protagonist who gains more experience over the course of the game. In the second half of the story, he is given the alias Pollux. In the anime, his character is more developed, being a natural swordsman who is also undisciplined and self-conscious (especially where his fiancée Sharon is concerned), and low on sexual morals. In both versions, he is eventually revealed to be the lost son of the legendary Light swordsman Pollux, after whom he was nicknamed because of his likeness with him. Voice actor: Kenichi Suzumura (credited as Ken Sozomura)
Sharon One of the two most formidable officers (along with Kaiser) of the Shadow Realm army and a lifelong friend of Astral's. She is beautiful, but stern and commanding. Sharon is engaged to Astral, but is only attracted to men who are stronger than her in combat; she gradually falls in love with him as he proves his competence. The DOS version of the game included a sex scene with Sharon, but this was cut out in the Win95 edition. One of the game endings has Astral together with Sharon. In the Media Blasters translation, she is named Shalom. Voice actor: Rie Nakamizu
Nina A catgirl who issues swordsman's licenses in the Shadow realm, and mother of Ariadne in the second half of the game. She has a secret crush on Astral. For many fans, she is the most-liked character in the series, likely due to her actions during the second half of the game. The DOS version of Nina was a clear parody of Lum, but her character was completely redesigned for the Win95 version. One of the game endings has Astral together with Nina. Voice actor: Emi Motoi (credited as Emi Nakano)
Kaiser His name is the German word for 'emperor'. One of the two most formidable Shadow swordsmen, his pride and desire to win Sharon's heart often place him at odds with Astral. In the game, he attempts to seduce Sharon while she is under the influence of an aphrodisiac-poisoned wound caused by Fabris; in the anime, she more openly rejects his advances. In the game, he begins living with Sharon during the Miyu, Nina, and Delta's endings. Kaiser is renamed 'Caesar' in both official translations of the anime. Voice actor: Jōichi Sawada
Wortoshika A large, muscular blue-skinned man, he is King of the Shadow tribe. His name could be a corruption of the term 'Wordseeker' due to the Japanese pronunciation. He is fiercely overprotective of his son. While ruthless and practical, he also has an honorable side. Voice actor: Takashi Tokorozawa
Tessio Chief advisor to Wortoshika. Along with his Light counterpart, Menza, he is part of an evil entity which actually has caused the war between the two tribes. In the anime, they are aware of this, whereas in the game they are unwitting aspects of the dark entity. His name is based on Salvatore Tessio, and his look is based on Peter Clemenza; the opposite is true for Menza. Voice actor: Soichi Nagashima
Stallion A lecherous half-horse, half-human officer of the Shadow tribe army. He believes that "women from the Tribe of Light are more attractive", and often takes female prisoners to a torture chamber to rape them. He is most famous in an internet meme for the quote, "Your resistance only makes my penis harder!" In the series' subsequent omake, he is seen marrying Eoria; this detail is briefly mentioned in all five of the game's endings. In the game, he has grown an incongruous white mustache in the second half. Voice actor: Shinya Furumoto
Hyde A young Elf of the Shadow Tribe and Astral's best friend. Despite being a licensed swordsman, he is very timid and cowardly, and thus is ashamed of himself. In the game, he dies after succumbing to one of Club's machines; in the anime, he is slain by Sir Fabris after trying to stop him from raping Sharon. In both cases, his death affects Astral greatly.
Katra A living, willful Skeleton Warrior and officer in the Shadow tribe army, he serves as a soldier and at times a messenger. Voice actor: Utako
Delta A woman with gray, painted skin and bat wings, possibly a succubus. In the game, she only appears in the second half, and seems to often get stuck in erotic situations. In the anime, her curiosity gets the better of her when she follows Tessio and Menza, and is subsequently raped and hypnotized to serve the two in a plot against Astral. One of the game endings has Astral together with Delta (this was added in the Win95 edition); she marries Rigel if the player chooses Sharon's, Nina's, or Miyu's endings. Voice actor: Tsutomu Takashima (OVA) / Ben Takada (game)
Ariadne Nina's and Astral's daughter. She only appears in the second half of the game. Uniting the blood from both the Light and Shadow Tribes, she ultimately plays the most vital role in reuniting the two tribes. Voice actor: Yoshino Kawayama
Carrot A small fairy which can control monsters much larger than her. Appears in the second half of the game only, in which she is captured and molested by William, and marries Rigel during Delta's ending. She has a small cameo appearance in the anime's omake episode at Stallion's and Eoria's wedding.
Weiss A friendly old person who dispenses advice to Astral. Weiss is male in the DOS version, female in the Win95 version, and does not appear in the anime.
Tribe of Light Pollux At the end of the first half of the game, Maria blasts Astral 20 years forward into the future, where he grows a beard and loses all memory of who he was. Eventually, he adopts the identity Pollux (named after a legendary swordsman whom he resembles) and fights for the Tribe of Light. In the game, he doesn't regain his memories until very near the end of the story, whereas in the anime he regains them much earlier. Voice actor: Aihime Yoshida
Pollux (Sr.) A famous swordsman of the Tribe of Light, said to have died of illness but was in fact murdered, leading to his wife committing suicide. He had two children, a boy and a girl, who vanished after the attack. In the anime, it is revealed that Astral is his lost son, while the game also implies that Maria was the baby girl. The anime hints that he was killed by Wortoshika, while in the game, the combined form of Tessio and Menza was the culprit.
Miyu A novice sorceress, daughter of Maria, and initially William's fiancé. She is named Mew in the NuTech translation and Mu in the game's fan-translation, and only appears in the second half of the game. Her life is saved by Pollux and slowly develops feelings for him. One of the game endings has Astral together with Miyu; in the Nina, Sharon and Delta endings she marries William. There are some indications that she actually might be Astral's niece (Maria and Astral are hinted to be siblings in the game) or daughter (from his raping her mother in the anime), and as a result a sexual relationship between them would be incestuous. Voice actor: Naoko Takano (credited as Mirei Yamano)
Maria A sorceress, daughter of King Fabris, and mother of Miyu in the second half of the game, where she prefers to teleport enemies away rather than fight them. In the anime, she is raped by Astral after he falls into her prison cell. In the game, she is only an adopted child of Fabris, her biological parents being hinted to be the original Pollux and Maria, making her Astral's sister. Voice actor: Mimi Yamano
Maria (Sr.) Wife of the original Pollux, who threw herself into a lake along with her baby girl after her husband's death and her son's disappearance. She is biological mother of Astral and, in the game, Maria. Her magic ring was passed down to Maria and later on to Miyu.
Fabris An older and more experienced knight, stronger than both Kaiser and Sharon. He is revealed at the end of the first half to be the (adoptive) father of Maria and king of the Tribe of Light, shortly after Astral severs his right arm. In both versions of events, he lusts over Sharon after seeing her fight, actively attempting to rape her in the anime and coating one of his daggers with an aphrodisiac—which successfully injures Sharon—in the game. He is named Fabrees in the Media Blasters translation. Voice actor: Ikuya Fujiki
Menza Chief advisor to Fabris. Along with his Shadow counterpart, Tessio, he is part of an evil entity which actually has caused the war between the two tribes. In the anime, they are aware of this, whereas in the game, they are unwitting aspects of the dark entity. His name is based on Peter Clemenza, and his look is based on Salvatore Tessio—the opposite is true for Tessio.