Rance I:Walkthrough

Rance I

(c)アリスソフト

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This is a walkthrough for the original Rance: The Search for Hikari. It will not work with the remake, Rance 01.

This walkthrough also works for the PC98, MSX and X68K versions. It's also likely that it works for the FM-Towns version, but this hasn't been tested.

The PC88 version diverges after the castle section for a short bit, the statue level requirement is also changed from 12 to 15 or higher. It also has an additional "boss" encounter in the tunnel, though that doesn't change much.

Capital of Leazas. Main City

Look at the map below for easier navigation.

• "Call Sill" in Paris College.
• "Ask" her about "Hikari."
• "Assault" Sill to learn a spell (whatever you want). Refer to the Rance I:Game mechanics page for known combinations.
• Go to the Castle Gate and "Enter." The guardian girl won’t let you in, as you need a “Castle permit” to get into the castle.
• Return to the Park to trigger an event. There is a girl who seems to have lost her wallet. She will rob you if you try to help her, but since you don't have any money, it doesn't matter what you do.
• Go to Paris College. "Call Sill" and "Ask" her to spare some "Gold". Rance obtains 150 Gold. If you ever run out of gold (GOLD = 0), you can "Ask" her for 50 more, but that shouldn't be necessary.
• As it is evening, the Inn is now open. Go there, talk to Nami, agree on staying overnight. You can "Negotiate the price" to reduce the cost.
• In the Inn, “Call” Nami and keep "Talk"ing to her till she mentions something about thieves' increased activities and their crimes. Go to "Sleep".
• Go to the Item Shop. The shop girl here will tell you about a hacker who provides a lot if information.
• Go to the Info Store to meet said hacker. "Ask" her about anything you want, she will tell you that you need to buy the information to earn one.
• Go to the Pub and talk to the bartender (you will most likely meet Sill along the way). "Ask" the bartender about “Castle Permit” and then “Thieves”, He will tell you that his daughter got kidnapped by them and will ask for your help.
• Rance obtains 800 Gold.
• Now you have enough money, go buy some weapons in the Armor shop. It's recommended to pick the highest-tier ones for easier battles.
• Return to the Info Store. "Buy Information" about "Lair" to know how to enter thieves' cave and its location. It will cost you 200 Gold, but you have to buy it in order to progress with the story. The hacker girl will offer you an additional info by 100 Gold, feel free to take it if you still have enough money. If you prefer not to pay the extra 100, head to the Thieves' Lair (as below), discover the barrier, then return to the Pub in town and "Ask" about the "Thieves" again. The bartender will get you the information for free.
• Now step outside the city through the Entrance Gate. "Look for monsters" and defeat them to earn experience point as much as you can to be safe for the later play-through. You need to visit Level Room which located in the Main City to "Level up". You need level 12 (no more, no less) to get Haniwa bronze statue. Once you feel that you are strong enough and well prepared, get inside the Thieves' Lair through Zone 3.
  • PC88 note: You have to be 15 or higher to receive the statue.

(assuming you used the highest-tier weapon/armor, it's recommended to "Look for monsters" in Zone 3 as most of them give you a good amount of experiences and safer)

Note: If you want to get Haniwa bronze statue you have to ask Item Shop Girl about monsters again, and do not level up beyond Level 12. In the PC88 version/mod, this is seemingly set to 15 or higher.

Thieves' Lair

Look at the map below for easier navigation.

• Go to the east on the first crossroad. Go inside the First Room through the east door. You need to "Look" at its closet to find 4 medicines. "Take" them.
• Go to the Second Room (still on the east side) to meet a guy who is currently imprisoned in cement. There's no need to do anything here, you just have to enter the room after finding the medicine or you won't be able to find the shoes later on. Don't think too hard about it.
• Return to the first crossroad, go west. Up the stairs you will meet a thief – Choose "Fight" and defeat him in a battle.
• Try to "Go upstairs", Rance will say that there is something wrong with the stairs which prevents him to advance. Choose "Go out" for now.
• Return to the First Room on the east side to "Look" for Thief Shoes inside its closet. "Take" them.
• With Thief shoes equipped, you can return to the Room with thief to "Go upstairs". In the First Room, "Look" at the closet to find a key. "Take" it.
• There are now three other rooms before the "Last Room". Inside the First room if you look in the closet twice a key will fall out that you can "Take".
• Inside the Second Room (west side), there is a girl who will let you do/"Assault" her if you can answer 3 questions correctly in a row. If you got one wrong, you could freely retake the questions by re-entering the room.
• Inside the "Third Room", you will encounter a girl with 2 bandits. "Talk" with one of the two to get new options. DON'T "Rape the girl" because it will give you an instant game-over. You can get the Haniwa Bronze Statue from the first guy if you "Keep talking" to them, remember that you have to be EXACTLY level 12, otherwise you will get nothing from this room.
  • As noted before, 15 or higher for the PC-88 version instead.
• The boss is inside the Last Room where the bartender’s daughter is kept. Defeat him in a battle, then save the girl by choosing "Help".
• Return to Main City.

Capital of Leazas. Main City

Look at the map below for easier navigation.

• Meet the bartender and his daughter inside the Pub. "Ask" him about "Castle Permit". Rance obtains Castle Permit.
• Go to Castle Gate. The guard will tell you to come again tomorrow as today is already late.
• Go to the Inn to spend a night again. "Negotiate the Price" to reduce the cost. Talk to Nami until you run out of topics, and try to "Assault" Nami twice to be able to H her. Go to "Sleep".
• Return to Castle Gate in the morning and enter the castle.

Castle

Look at the map below for easier navigation.

• Go to the Coliseum and see the fight of Gladiators. "Talk" around to obtain information about the champion, Yuran. Continue talking until Rance turns down his offer to arrange your battles.
• Go to Casino and "Talk" to the unfriendly girl.
• Enter the castle building. Go West. Notice that there are two rooms on the right.
• In the first room (refer to the "cleaning-maid room") you will see the maid cleaning. “Take” and "Assault" her. While doing H, select "Talk" till she mentions something about a key inside her pocket. "Look" at her "Clothes" then you will notice a key. Select to "Take" it once it is available as an option.
• Go north (the door will be automatically unlocked since you have the key) and enter the second room (refer to the "thief-maid room"). You will see a maid who's trying to steal a bread for her sick family (which is most likely a lie). "Go Out" and re-enter the room. "Ask" her about "Yuran" and she will tell you how to defeat her in a battle. Don't "Assault" her and simply "Go Out," and she will give you a dungeon key.
• Go into the Store House on the left and select "Look" around the things few times. Select “Move” until Rance mentions something about a liquid and you will find a "Jar", "Take" it.
• Return to the entrance and go east this time. Go up. Inside the room on the right (refer to the "mouse's room") lives the perverted mouse. Keep "Talk"ing to know how his obsession with young girls' panties. "Ask" him about the "Jar" which you just got from the Storehouse, he will tell you about its secret as long as you are able to bring him panties from a girl named Miki. "Go out" for now.
• Visit Miki, who is right across the hall. "Take" her "Panties" twice, she will literally blow you out of the room (you will be reduced to 1 HP). It appears that taking her panties by force/directly is not an option. Attempt to "Take" her panties again and Rance will exclaim his need to find fake ones.
• Visit the Throne Room. "Talk" and "Ask" the king and queen about things, though they surely don't know how to answer properly.
• Go out to the hall and visit the Prison. "Ask" the guard girl about "Hikari" twice and she will fall asleep. (if she’s not falling asleep that means you haven’t talked with everyone yet). Select "Go in".
• This is the room where the prisoner is kept. You need to "Ask" the prisoner about her "Name" three times to know her name. As for now, her name is the only thing you need, return to the Casino.
• "Ask" the unfriendly casino girl about her "Name", you will notice that her name is similar with the prisoner's. Rance will ask whether she has a relation with the prisoner or not, in which it is. It appears that she is the younger sister of the prisoner. Keep "Talk"ing to her till she mentions something about a stone. Rance obtains "Stone of Inner Peace" and 200 Gold.
• Return to the Prison to visit the prisoner again. "Give" her the Stone of Inner Peace. Rance obtains "Straw" and additional 200 experience points.
• Go to the "Cleaning-Maid room" again. Select "Talk" to trigger a conversation about her inability to reach the dust on the corner, she will ask for your straw. Rance obtains Mandarine.
• Visit the Coliseum. There, you will find Yuran who is bragging of her constant victory. Keep "Talk"ing to her till both sides accept the challenge.
• Go to the Throne Room and "Ask" about a "Participation Coupon". Rance obtains a Participation Coupon.
• If you are at a high enough level (15 or more), you can defeat Yuran without doing the following step. Remember that maid in Thief-Maid Room? She told you how to block Yuran's special attack with the juice of a Hirara Lemon. Step outside the Castle Gate and return to the Item Shop in main city. Ask her about "Hirara Lemon" and "Buy" some. Don't forget to "Buy" "Panties" as well. Rance obtains Rabbit Panties. Also, don't forget to go to Sill to heal your wounds from attacking Miki.
• Go inside the castle again but don’t go to the Mouse's Room yet. Go to Miki’s Room instead and "Give" her the panties. She will return them back, but the smell she left on the panties will be enough to trick the mouse.
• Now you may go to the Mouse's Room. Select "Give the Panties" to learn a secret.
• (don't forget to save before entering it) Go to the Coliseum. Defeat all of the opponents and "Assault" Yuran in the end. After that, you may leave the Coliseum.
• Maris will meet you outside. She is a devoted maid of Lia, the queen, and will take you to Lia’s room. Talk with Lia and hear her request. She wants you to find her precious ring that she had lost in Hien's residence (refer to the "haunted mansion" which located in main city). Now you have to return to the Main City.
• You still can’t enter Hien’s residence. Visit the hacker girl in Info-Store. Select "Talk" and she will ask for that mandarine you got from the cleaning-maid. To show her gratitude, she will give you the key to Hien’s residence.
  • PC88 diverges here for a short bit. She'll give you roses instead, so take them to the level shop and talk to her to learn about her date at the cemetery.

Cemetery (PC-88 ONLY)

Skip this if you are playing any other version.

• Save. You won't be able to level up again until these steps are completed.
• Go here (it is below the level shop) and fight the guy. Leave, go to the level shop to get kicked out and go back to the cemetery to fight her now ex-boyfriend.
• He'll drop a bible, so take it (you can level up again now). Leave the cemetery, camp, investigate the bible and then the paper to get the key.

Hien's Residence

Note: Keep in mind that the enemies in here are pretty tough, and multiple enemies can show up in a row. Some of the enemies are able to absorb your experience points. Make sure that you are using the best equipments and at level 20. Don't forget to stock your inventory with healing items as they may come in handy later.

Look at the map below for easier navigation.

• Enter Hien’s residence and choose to "Look" at the clock in its Lobby. Then go north to the Parlor, the door will close by itself. "Look" at the "Chimney" and defeat (or run away from) the monster that appears. "Look" at the "Chimney" again, which will cause Rance to notice a sword. "Take" the "Weapon." Rance obtains Royal Sword.
• You're still locked in the room. "Look" at the "Walls" for a second monster, then "Look" at the "Floor" to fight a third. The door will now be unlocked.
• Return to the Lobby and make your way toward the Kitchen (East, North, North from the Lobby), Do not enter the Kitchen unless you have at least a few points of HP, as you will take 1 point of damage per turn. "Look" at the "Shelf" and Rance will notice a shield. "Take" it.
• Go to the Dining Room (just one south step away). "Look" at the "Surroundings" and "Table", Rance will talk about food. Select "Eat the Food" when you need to restore your health.
• Go to the Storage (West, North, East from the Lobby). If you can't go West of the Lobby, make sure you have escaped the room north of the lobby by defeating the three monsters, and that you have "Look"ed at the clock in the lobby. You should see a scene involving a girl being tortured, though it suddenly disappears.
• Return to the Parlor (north of the Lobby, not the Parlor in the southwest corner) and "Look" at the "Table". Rance will notice a key, "Take" it.
• You can now enter the 2nd floor's rooms. "Go up the stairs" through the Lobby. Note that if you move to the end of the hall (in front of the fourth room) Rance will fall through the floor to the Lobby.  Step inside the 1st Room, "Look" at the "Wall" and you will find a Royal Armor. "Take" it. Rance obtains Royal Armor.
• Now make your way toward the 3rd room. Step inside, "Look" at the "Table" to find a diary, then "Look" at it. Now you may return to the 1st Floor.
• Go to the Library (West, North, West from the Lobby) as you should be able to enter it now. The tortured girl will show up (and disappears instantly) again. Keep "Take" the "Books" till you get the Fire Tree Leaf, you will need it to H Item-Shop girl. (keep in mind that you cannot H her after you finish this quest, return to her now if you really want it so bad)
• Return to the Storage. "Look" at the "Boxes" and Rance will notice a hammer that you can take. Try to "Take" it twice. Rance obtains Hammer.
• Go back to the 3rd Room on the 2nd Floor and try to go West while still inside. Rance will break the wall by using the hammer to enter the 4th Room. Defeat the monsters to encounter the tortured girl's scene again. Just like before, she suddenly disappears like mist.
• Go East, and "Look" at the "Table" and "Diary" a second time. Rance will solve the mystery. Return to the Lobby. "Move the Clock."
• Go to the Kitchen and "Look" at the "Table". You will see an entrance under the table, Select "In the hole" to go inside. Soon you will encounter a ghost girl (who apparently is the tortured girl all this time), she will tell you the true identity of the one who is responsible for the recent serial kidnapping. When you seem to have exhausted all conversation options, "Look" at her, and Rance will ask himself if he can do anything. "Talk" to her one last time. In the end, she begs for Rance to avenge her and the other victims. Rance obtains Ring of Charm.

Castle

• You will automatically arrive at the castle where you will end up in the queen's room together with Lia and Maris. In here, you will at last meet the girl you've been assigned for, Hikari. After several arguments, a ninja will attack Rance, threatening to kill him. Fortunately, Sill barges in to save Rance, which forced Maris and Lia to flee.
• Talk with both Sill and Hikari several times to find out the whole story. When the option to Pursue the Queen appears, do not take it, but talk to Sill twice more for healing and free medicines.  When you are done talking, go "Pursue the queen".
• Keep "Talk"ing till Rance recognize somebody's presence in the room. "Look" at the "Columns" and you will fight the ninja. Keep "Assault"ing her till she gives in. Ask" her about the "Queen", she will tell you that there is a secret passage behind the columns.
• Go into the secret passage and keep choosing the "Go somewhere else" option, fight and defeat every monsters who stands in your way.
• Outside, you will meet Maris, who will let you do her (which is obviously a trap) as long as you can forget about the previous matter. She will try to kill Rance with her knife while they're at it, though Rance succeed to foil that plan of hers. Keep "Talk"ing to Maris to learn that Lia is currently waiting at the spring. Find Lia and take her virginity (this action will be done automatically).

Congratulations, you just beat Rance1. Enjoy the ending!