Other notable Action Adventure and ARPG games (80s-90s)?

[MrPopo]

How are you defining ARPG? Because I'm seeing several on there that I would not call an ARPG.

[Ack]

Yeah, it's a tough genre to define. I have seen Secret of Mana, Diablo, and Legend of Zelda all claimed as Action RPGs at different times.

[Ack]

Hmm, Ultima Underworld is definitely a real-time take on a dungeon crawler. Perhaps another important element is whether there is a party involved? Because something like Eye of the Beholder or Menzoberranzen are mostly real time too, but I don't think they'd be what you think of.

[MrPopo]

So the reason I asked was you have things like Wizardry and Ultima which are very much turn based.

[marurun]

Stuff like Zelda is also tough, because there’s progression of power (hearts, stronger swords and armor [not many gradients, though]), but that progression operates differently from most RPGs, which have item and level-based progression with many more steps along the way. I think Zelda and it’s ilk are safe to include as long as your definition of ARPGs is broad enough to include them but not so broad as to be uselessly vague.

[marurun]

Well, and I also misread. You were talking about action-adventure all along and I mistook it for ARPG. So bleh to me.

[Anapan]

I know there's a ton of old dos shareware-model games that should be there, but it's a pretty exhaustive list to go through. I'll have a look through my shortlist.

[BoneSnapDeez]

Good list. Though I'm confused by your mention of "Non-side scrolling games only" when you clearly have sidescrolling games listed...

Anyway, here are some top-downs you could add:
Makai Hakkenden Shada (PC Engine)
Borfes to 5-jin no Akuma (MSX)
Fall (PC-98)
Rune Worth (MSX, X68000)
Rune Worth 2: Jikuu no Shinsen (PC-98)
Rune Worth 3: Shinseiki Kourin (PC-98)
Kalin no Tsurugi (Famicom Disk System)
Esper Dream (Famicom Disk System)
Jehard (PC-88)

There are surely others too. Go to database websites like GameFAQs and MobyGames and scroll through their ARPG lists.....

[BoneSnapDeez]

Fall is like AiZa, an "Ys clone" for the PC-98.
https://refuge.tokyo/pc9801/pc98/01489.html
There are more computer ARPGs listed on that site, though I dunno how deep you'd want to go. Are some games obscure to the point of irrelevance??

On second thought, the sidescrollers I spotted on your list (Rygar, Exile, Xanadu) are indeed hybrids. So to be listed it needs to be either top-down or a top-side/side-view hybrid? Is that right?

[pook99]

Here are some that I can think of off the top of my head:

1. crystalis
2. Neutopia 1 and 2
3. Golden Axe Warrior
4. Startropics 1 and 2
5. Faxanadu
6. Battle of Olympus
7. Hydlide
8. Magic of Scherazade (this is a great game that noone talks about, it plays like Zelda but also has turn based team battles)
9. Legacy of the Wizard
10. SoulBlazer
11. Actraiser (not the sequel)
12. Castlevania 2
13. Dungeon Explorer 1 and 2
14. ALundra 1 and 2
15. Silent Hill (since the post lists resident evil)
16. Castlevania Symphony of the night
17. Tomba 1 and 2

I'm sure there are tons more but those are some generally great ones (outside of Hydlide) that seem to fit the criteria