<s>
is	O
a	O
Japanese	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Sega	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
in	O
1995	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
an	O
action	B-Application
role-playing	I-Application
video	I-Application
game	I-Application
based	O
on	O
the	O
anime	O
series	O
of	O
the	O
same	O
title	O
(	O
Magic	B-Application
Knight	I-Application
Rayearth	I-Application
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
games	O
for	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
,	O
it	O
became	O
the	O
last	O
Saturn	B-Device
game	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
,	O
chiefly	O
due	O
to	O
its	O
prolonged	O
internationalization	B-General_Concept
and	I-General_Concept
localization	I-General_Concept
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
by	O
Working	O
Designs	O
in	O
1998	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
At	O
least	O
five	O
other	O
video	O
games	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
anime	O
series	O
have	O
been	O
released	O
:	O
two	O
for	O
the	O
Game	B-Device
Boy	I-Device
(	O
the	O
second	O
one	O
with	O
the	O
title	O
Mahou	O
Kishi	O
Rayearth	O
2nd	O
:	O
The	O
Missing	O
Colors	O
)	O
,	O
one	O
for	O
the	O
Super	B-Application
Famicom	I-Application
,	O
and	O
two	O
for	O
the	O
Sega	O
Game	O
Gear	O
(	O
the	O
second	O
game	O
subtitled	O
"	O
Making	O
of	O
Magic	O
Knight	O
"	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
there	O
are	O
a	O
number	O
of	O
events	O
which	O
are	O
exclusive	O
to	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
,	O
the	O
overall	O
plot	O
is	O
very	O
similar	O
to	O
the	O
first	O
story	O
arc	O
in	O
the	O
manga	B-Application
and	I-Application
anime	I-Application
,	O
with	O
eighth-grade	O
girls	O
Hikaru	O
Shidou	O
,	O
Umi	O
Ryuuzaki	O
and	O
Fuu	O
Hououji	O
finding	O
themselves	O
drawn	O
from	O
their	O
respective	O
field	O
trips	O
to	O
the	O
Tokyo	O
Tower	O
into	O
the	O
world	O
of	O
Cephiro	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
in	O
the	O
manga	B-Application
and	I-Application
anime	I-Application
,	O
all	O
of	O
Zagato	O
's	O
minions	O
die	O
throughout	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
including	O
Ascot	O
,	O
Caldina	O
and	O
Rafarga	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Unlike	O
most	O
RPGs	O
,	O
character	O
upgrades	O
and	O
magic	O
spells	B-Application
are	O
mostly	O
acquired	O
upon	O
progressing	O
to	O
certain	O
points	O
in	O
the	O
game	O
,	O
rather	O
than	O
by	O
independent	O
accomplishments	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
(	O
The	O
exceptions	O
are	O
maximum	O
HP	O
and	O
maximum	B-Application
MP	I-Application
,	O
which	O
are	O
increased	O
by	O
finding	O
special	O
items	O
.	O
)	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
is	O
much	O
like	O
the	O
Saturn	B-Device
's	O
first	O
RPG	O
,	O
Virtual	B-Application
Hydlide	I-Application
,	O
with	O
the	O
important	O
difference	O
that	O
weapons	O
and	O
armor	O
in	O
Magic	B-Application
Knight	I-Application
Rayearth	I-Application
are	O
upgraded	O
as	O
part	O
of	O
general	O
level	O
ups	O
and	O
do	O
not	O
exist	O
as	O
distinct	O
gameplay	O
elements	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Magic	B-Application
Knight	I-Application
Rayearth	I-Application
is	O
based	O
on	O
the	O
anime	O
by	O
Clamp	O
of	O
the	O
same	B-Application
name	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
12	O
Sega	B-Device
Saturn	I-Device
games	O
announced	O
when	O
the	O
system	O
was	O
first	O
unveiled	O
at	O
the	O
June	O
1994	O
Tokyo	O
Toy	O
Show	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
they	O
regarded	O
the	O
Japanese	O
version	O
to	O
be	O
excessively	O
easy	O
,	O
they	O
enhanced	O
the	O
enemies	O
 '	O
artificial	B-Application
intelligence	I-Application
and	O
made	O
them	O
faster	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
On	O
release	O
in	O
Japan	O
,	O
in	O
1995	B-Application
,	O
Famitsu	O
magazine	O
scored	O
the	O
game	O
a	O
26	O
out	O
of	O
40.	O
<	O
ref	O
name	O
=	O
fami>New	O
Games	O
Cross	O
Review	O
-	O
魔法騎士レイアース	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
15	O
September	O
1995.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx1	O
The	O
localized	O
version	O
received	O
mild	O
to	O
positive	O
scores	O
upon	O
its	O
release	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
in	O
1998	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Though	O
he	O
found	O
no	O
problems	O
with	O
the	O
game	O
itself	O
,	O
he	O
considered	O
the	O
localization	O
of	O
a	O
three-year-old	O
game	O
to	O
be	O
a	O
wasted	O
effort	O
due	O
to	O
the	O
aging	O
of	O
the	O
graphics	O
,	O
concluding	O
that	O
"	O
Magic	B-Application
Knight	I-Application
Rayearth	I-Application
is	O
too	O
little	O
,	O
too	O
late	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
EGM	O
scored	O
the	O
game	O
7.12	O
out	O
of	O
10.Retro	O
Gamer''	O
included	O
it	O
on	O
their	O
list	O
of	O
ten	O
essential	O
Saturn	B-Device
imports	O
as	O
"	O
easily	O
the	O
best	O
playable	O
import	O
RPG	O
,	O
thanks	O
to	O
a	O
highly	O
entertaining	O
localisation	O
by	O
Working	O
Designs	O
,	O
its	O
fun	O
combat	O
system	O
(	O
you	O
effectively	O
control	O
one	O
character	O
at	O
a	O
time	O
,	O
switching	O
between	O
them	O
tag-team	O
style	O
)	O
and	O
some	O
delightful	O
2D	O
visuals	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
