Presented by Ack
Most people I know don't automatically think of RPGs when they think of
their Genesis. But there is actually a large number of titles
available on the console. Add in the Sega CD, which I outlined
earlier, and you've got a hefty selection available, spread across a
variety of different types of RPGs. Just take a look at your
options.
Phantasy Star Series
Phantasy Star (NTSC-J / 1994), Phantasy Star II (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1989), Phantasy Star III (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1990), Phantasy Star IV (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1993)
The
Phantasy Star series has the prestige of being one of the first RPG
series to appear on North American consoles, and the first title's
Japanese release for the Master System was a mere two days after Final
Fantasy. All four games are JRPGs that take place in the same
continuous universe in the Algol Solar System. All four games are
connected, though Phantasy Star III would serve as a large departure
from the others. It is the only one of the four to feature a
medieval fantasy setting, while the others are all science fiction
types.
The entire series is composed of solid titles, and they're worth
tracking down, though for those of us who can't read Japanese, it might
be better to go for the Master System version of Phantasy Star, since
the Megadrive version never made the leap across the ocean.
Finding it for the Megadrive may be even harder since it only saw
release as a limited edition with a low print run.
It should also be noted that there was one other Phantasy Star title
for the console, available via the Sega Meganet in Japan, Phantasy Star
II Text Adventures. This is a series of 8 text-based adventures,
later released in compilation for the Mega-CD.
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Shining Series
Shining in the Darkness (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1991), Shining Force: The Legacy of Great Intention (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1993), Shining Force II (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL/1994)
In
the Shining Series, the timeline begins with the return of the Dark
Dragon, and after his defeat at the hands of the Shining Force, the
rise of the Devil Kings. While all three titles are in the
Shining series, Shining in the Darkness is a very different animal from
its Shining Force brethren. First, it's a dungeon crawler, not a
strategy RPG like the two Shining Force. The art and musical
styles are similar, but the series includes a variety of different RPG
styles.
Second, it's out of order. While the plots are all linked,
Shining in the Darkness takes place after Shining Force II, and the
events of Shining Force Gaiden: Final Conflict on the Sega Game Gear
takes place between Shining Force and Shining Force II. For
access to both Shining Force Gaiden's, as well as a third previously
unseen chapter, Shining Force CD is available on the Sega CD to round
out the collection.
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Dragon Slayer Series
Sorcerian (NTSC-J/1990), Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes (NTSC-J/1994), Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes II (NTSC-J/1995), Lord Monarch (NTSC-J/1994)
Ok,
so this series is a mess of different RPG sub-genres, originally
spreading across the 1980s and then being continuously updated for the
next decade. It also incorporates the first two parts of a second
entire series, known as the Legend of Heroes series. So why is it
a group of cross-genre RPGs with no real connection via storyline or
style can be considered connected? Because they all had the same
producer, Yoshio Kiya, one of the first Japanese minds behind
RPGs. It is debated that his first game, Dragon Slayer, released
1984, is the first Japanese action RPG. In 1985, a fledgling
startup named Squaresoft would port it to the MSX as one of their first
published titles. Without his initial work, series like The
Legend of Zelda might not ever have existed. And thankfully the
Megadrive releases of his work are actually considered pretty good.
First, Sorcerian features an open party which is created from scratch
at the start of the game which then grow stronger as they are pitted
against various scenarios for gold and glory. The game changes
gameplay styles, though at its heart, it's a side-scrolling action
RPG. Lord Monarch is radically different, more of a strategy game
with heavy RTS elements than an RPG at all. The purpose of the
game is to use your peasants to slaughter every other kingdom.
And yes, I mean EVERY kingdom, as once allied players smash an opposed
enemy, they must then work to smash each other, since the game only
allows one winner.
The Legend of Heroes games are both similar, though again, different
from the other Dragon Slayer games. They're both JRPGs with a
connecting storyline. Only the first two in the series kept their
association to the original Dragon Slayer series, and the next set of
games feature a new plot, known as the Gagharv Trilogy.
Unfortunately neither of the Megadrive versions would make it out of
Japan.
Uncharted Waters Series
Uncharted Waters (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1992), Uncharted Waters: New Horizons (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1994)
Finally,
the piracy RPG you know you've always wanted to play...if you
like. That's the beauty of the Uncharted Waters series, they're
very open-ended high seas adventures with loose plots that allow you to
pick and choose generally what you would like to do. This
includes leading trade expeditions, investing in locales, hunting for
treasure, hunting for pirates, or engaging in a bit of piracy yourself.
The first game in the series focuses on Leon Franco, son of a
noble family that has fallen into disrepute. So Leon sets out to
restore it by doing tasks for the king, investing into foreign lands in
the name of Portugal, or taking out Spanish or Ottoman ships, in hopes
that the king will give you titles and raise the status of your
family. The sequel makes it all bigger, with more countries, the
same open-ended gameplay, and the ability to choose one of six
different characters to follow at the start of the game.
Seriously, if you've got a thing for pirates, check this series out.
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Langrisser Series
Warsong (Langrisser) (NTSC-J, NTSC-U/1991), Langrisser 2 (NTSC-J/1994)
The
Langrisser series is composed of multiple strategy RPGs on a truly epic
scale. And I mean epic, as in up to thirty controllable units on
just your side epic. All the games of the series are connected, though
they span many years in the game world. The games all focus on
two swords, the Langrisser and the Alhazard. The cast of each
game is enormous too, and large amounts of story exposition is
conducted during combat, so once a fight starts, expect to be there a
long time. On the upside, the music is quite good throughout, so
at least you'll have something pleasant to listen to.
There are two Langrisser titles on the Genesis, though only one made it
out of Japan. The first Langrisser, known in the west as Warsong,
is the roughest in terms of design and unfortunately isn't as
graphically attractive as the rest of the series. In an effort to
localize the series, character names were changed and character
portraits were “Westernized.” Which is a real shame,
as one of the perks of the series is that the character designs and
portraits were absolutely stellar. Still, at least it saw release
outside of Japan, unlike its sequel. Langrisser 2 was more of the
same, but with improved graphics, a larger cast, and multiple branching
storylines for added replayability.
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Vixen 357
(NTSC-J / 1992)
In the 25th century, there will be war between humans and aliens.
We will win, thanks to specially built mechs known as Vectors, as we
take the fight to the Four Heavenly Emperors and their leader, Zithor
Weimer, who pilots Golgyas, a mech equipped with the ultimate weapon,
Vixen 357. Yes, that's the plot. As far as gameplay, it's a
strategy RPG with mechs. Yes, it's practically Sega's answer to
Front Mission, only it predates Front Mission by nearly three
years. And while it's nowhere near as pretty(battlefields are
actually quite bland), it lets me watch massive robots beat the snot
out of each other with a variety of close-range and long-range
weaponry. Just keep in mind that character death is permanent, so
losing certain characters will result in a game over.
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Gauntlet IV
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1993)
Not only is this considered a faithful port of its arcade predecessor,
it's considered a better game overall, and for good reason: it stays
true to the visuals, audio, and gameplay of the action RPG arcade hit
Gauntlet(yeah, don't ask where the IV came from), but it brings in
multiple game modes not found in the arcade to boot. This
includes the arcade, a Quest Mode that includes RPG elements and a
fleshed out storyline, a multiplayer free-for-all mode, and a mode that
records you as you race through a dungeon. Plus, it was the first
game built for the Genesis multitap, so you know what that means.
That's right: 4-player multiplayer, baby!
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Pirates! Gold
(NTSC-U / 1993)
This was a remake of 1987's Sid Meier's Pirates!, though with improved
graphics, more colors, and more features. It's an open-ended
title, allowing the player to create a new character from a list of
options at the beginning and then setting them loose on the Spanish
Main to plunder from Florida to South America as they age from a young
man to an old man. Along the way, towns can be sacked, ships can
be captured, treasure can be found, quests can be accepted, and armadas
can be sunk, all done in varying styles of gameplay. Seriously,
between this and the two Uncharted Waters games, there's more than
enough pirate goodness to keep players happy.
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Shadowrun
(
NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1994)
We need more cyberpunk RPGs. The Genesis version of Shadowrun
follows Joshua, a new Shadowrunner who is out for revenge after his
brother's murder. To do this, he's gonna need money and skills as
well as a little help, so he'll have to start doing jobs for the
“Mr. Johnsons,” though if he screws up, he'll likely wake
up in the chop shop. The game world is Seattle, giving the player
the freedom to move around it openly, with all kinds of random events
occurring on the way. If Joshua gets a datajack, he can then do
some Matrix running for missions or simply to steal computer files for
some quick cash. It's definitely a game worth checking out.
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Beggar Prince
(Universal / 2006)
Originally a Taiwan-only game known as Xin Qigai Wangzi, it was edited,
localized, and updated for a release on all versions of the
Genesis/Megadrive by the Super Fighter Team nearly a decade
later. In the game, the Prince of Shatt is a snot-nosed brat who
wants to leave his life behind, so he switches places with a beggar
with the help of the nefarious Cat Minister. Once out, he quickly
learns that life outside the castle kinda sucks, but isn't allowed to
return to his old life since he is now a beggar. So now he must
go on an epic quest to reclaim his kingdom. Unfortunately the
first two print runs of the games were a bit buggy, though thankfully
Super Fighter Team has managed to fix the vast majority of them from
the Taiwan original. It makes for an excellent RPG, and it proves
the capability of the Super Fighter Team. And who knew those
Taiwanese RPGs were worth playing?
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Legend of Wukong
(Universal / 2008)
And once again, this is another Taiwan-only RPG by Super Fighter Team,
extensively reprogrammed for all versions of the Genesis/Megadrive like
its predecessor, Beggar Prince. And this time, there were no
issues with the first print run. In this title, a young boy named
Wukong visits his neighbor, Dr. Tang, scientist and inventor
extraodinaire. Dr. Tang takes a few moments to talk about his
latest creation, the first time machine, which Wukong accidentally
turns on and is sent back to the days of the Tang Dynasty in
China(618-907 AD), with the time machine lost. With a little help
from a friendly monk, Wukong must set off across China and India to
find the time machine and return home, battling monsters and making
friends along the way. This is definitely worth checking out.
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Landstalker
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1993)
This is an action RPG that follows Nigel, a young wood elf hunting for
the treasure of King Nole, who disappeared one night many years ago
after an angry horde of subjects rushed his castle. Ok, so he
wasn't the most well-liked of kings, but his lost treasure is
apparently worth tons, and Nigel's set his sights on it. It's
pretty, the plot's not the typical contrived
“teenager-must-save-the-world” drivel we keep seeing over
and over again, and the music is top notch stuff. Unfortunately,
perhaps the most unique feature of the game is its biggest downfall: an
isometric viewpoint and a lot of jump puzzles. In some cases, a
single messed up jump can mean a lot of backtracking too. It
unfortunately makes some sections of the game a bit more tedious than
they should be, though beyond this, the isometric view isn't a problem
at all.
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Surging Aura
(NTSC-J / 1995)
This is a Japanese-heavy JRPG that never made it off its home
island. It's also extremely pretty, with some very well-designed
character sprites and portraits. Combat's a bit static, but with
some absolutely beautiful effects. The plot centers on Prince Muu
who's castle is suddenly attacked by monsters. The royal family
and closest aids and advisors run down to the royal treasure(a book
trapping an evil sorcerer) to protect it and themselves, but the king
and queen die fending off monsters, and then one of the aides turns
into said evil sorcerer, Rufeed, who then slaughters everyone,
including Muu. With the castle destroyed, a six-armed white rabbit
known as the Time Expert appears and sends Muu back in time to stop
Rufeed. It's a real shame we never got this, as its considered to
be one of the best for the console.
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Beyond Oasis
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1994)
Beyond Oasis is another top-down action RPG, featuring all the usual
trappings of an RPG(hit points, equipment, experience), but also
features realtime combat. The plot follows a young man named Ali
who finds the Gold Armlet. The spirit of said armlet informs him
of the evil Silver Armlet bent on destroying the land Oasis, and to
save it Ali must first find the four spirits of the Gold Armlet.
A little odd coming from a glove, but it makes for a fun adventure, and
the pretty visuals and music help the journey along. The controls
do present a few problems, as different attacks are executed based on
how long the attack button is pressed, and there’s a limited
number of enemies expanded via palette swaps, but don’t let that
stop you from tracking down this little gem.
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Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water
(NTSC-J / 1991)
Also known as Nadia no Fushigi no Umi or Fushigi no Umi no Nadia,
depending on who is asked, this is a video game adaptation of the anime
of the same name, which in turn was loosely based on the works of Jules
Verne. In the year 1889, a scientist named Jean meets a circus
performer from Africa named Nadia. A criminal organization is
after Nadia and her blue pendant, and Jean decides to help her
out. The game is mostly based around using necessary items at
necessary times, and combat is nonexistent. Party members join up
and leave as time goes by, and the game is presented as a JRPG.
It's apparently quite good, starting in Paris and eventually ending in
Atlantis. It shouldn't be confused with the other Nadia games on
Famicom and Turbo CD.
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Yu Yu Hakusho Gaiden
(NTSC-J / 1994)
The Yu Yu Hakusho fighting game for the Megadrive is considered one of
the console's better fighters, but it wasn't the only quality Yu Yu
Hakusho game of the era. Yu Yu Hakusho Gaiden is a JRPG with some
of the best anime-styled sequences on the console. The story is
pulled from the anime, and players are asked to pick from a choice of
Yusuke, Kurama, Kuwabara, or Hiei. The story is then presented
from their perspective, operating in a similar fashion to a text
adventure. Combat is a strange mixture of a fighting game and
RPG, allowing the player to move around to avoid enemy attacks and jump
forward to beat the snot out of whatever presents itself.
Overall, it's...a little odd in terms of appearance, but check it out
if you're a fan or just want to try something different.
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Ys III: Wanderers from Ys
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U/ 1992)
This is the bastard child of the Ys series, mainly because it entirely
dropped the top-down perspective in favor of a side-scrolling
camera. While it managed to keep some of the Ys feeling, the
large dungeons are gone in favor of practically straight lines, and the
side-scroller bit takes some getting used to. Plus, you will have
to spend a lot of time leveling, or don't even bother trying, because
it's likely the first enemy will kill you in two hits, and the bosses
are even worse. The plot follows red-headed Adol as he follows
his friend Dogi to his hometown, Redmont. There, they meet Elena
and Chester. Chester is attempting to become an evil overlord of
the world, so Adol's got to save the day again. There's also a
system of rings to collect now to provide various effects or power up
the player. Oh, and I really like the music.
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Arcus Odyssey
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1991)
On its release, this title was written off as a Gauntlet clone, and
it's easy to see why someone would come to that conclusion. It's
an action RPG with four selectable characters with various similarities
to the four selectable in Gauntlet. Story exposition is generally
nil, and it features a generic fantasy plot about an evil sorceress
who's attempting to take over the world again after being defeated so
many hundreds of years ago. With it's 1991 release date, the
title's also not the most attractive game out there, and its music
could use some work. That said, those four characters feature
different styles of play(including different means of attacking),
there's a magic system to deepen gameplay, and levels are huge and
filled with respawning enemies, so you will have to stay on your toes
to make it through the level. Overall it's entertaining, but a
little bit grueling as well. While there is multiplayer, it's
crippled by bouts of slow-down.
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Buck Rogers: Countdown to Doomsday
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
So it's a strategy RPG set in the world of Flash Gordon, from the 1940s
science fiction serials shown in movie theaters. And this game is
complex too, to the point the instruction manual's a book. Let me
just state something now: this game is ugly and the music hurts.
The sound effects are pretty atrocious too. That said, there's a
lot more to this game than you think. At the beginning of the
game, the player must create a party out of various choices to join the
New Earth Organization and fight to protect Earth from the
Russian-American Mercantile built up around Mercury. To do this,
you'll have to fight across various planets or from ship to ship in
outer space. It's a shame the Genesis version is a watered-down
port of this title, missing several selectable races and classes as
well as multiple skills. Still, if you want that far future
science fiction strategy RPG, this might well be worth checking
out. Now if only we'd gotten something like a Star Trek RPG...
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Star Trek: The Next Generation – Echoes from the Past
(NTSC-U / 1994)
Score! Star Trek fans have an interesting little title on their
hands here. The plot sounds like the typical episode, with the
Enterprise called to the Neutral Zone to help investigate a report by
the Romulans that one of their research ships has gone missing in
Federation Space. Before the game is over, the Enterprise crew
will be racing to save their lives and the rest of the universe.
As for how it plays, well...don't think of this as your typical
RPG. There are no levels, HP, or equipment. Ah, but there
are quests, and lots of open-ended gameplay. Want to check out a
planet? Send an away team of your choosing! Romulans
attempting to pick a fight? Choose to escape or to throw full
power to your shields. And yes, the full cast from the show is
available. For Trekkies, there's also a lot of series-related
information to be found. Still, the game suffers from a lack of
variation in the crew, and almost too much emphasis on combat. If
you're a fan of the series, it's worth looking into, but non-fans may
be turned off by the problems.
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Chiki Chiki Boys
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
It’s a shame this Capcom game has been lost to time, as this is a
direct port of a great side-scrolling action RPG. King Chiki
Chiki, ruler of Alurea, is happy to discover his wife has given birth
to twins. Unfortunately just a short while later, his kingdom his
crushed by the invading army of the evil clown Riepohtman. The
king takes his family and hides away for several years, allowing his
boys to grow old so that they can take back Alurea and take the clown
down. The game allows the player to pick which of the two boys to
play, and with both are similar, one’s better with swords while
the other enjoys magic. The game is obscenely cute, with
extremely bright visuals as well as sound effects and music to match.
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Wonder Boy in Monster World
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Similar to Chiki Chiki Boys, this is a side-scrolling action RPG, with
little plot beyond “save world from monsters,” little
animation, and poor sound effects. Yet the visual images are
wonderful, and the soundtrack does a good job of matching up each
locale. There’s also a handful of items to help you fight,
including a shield you actually have to pull out to use, and the
game’s apparently quite fun. It’s also pretty short,
so don’t expect a major time sink, which is nice for all of us
who have other things we should be doing.
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King Colossus
(NTSC-J / 1992)
And another action RPG, though one that was sadly left in Japan.
King Colossus holds many similarities to the Ys series, including a
red-headed hero fighting in the top-down perspective. And
that’s a good thing, by the way. You play a boy who is
supposed to guard a magic sword, but doesn’t do his job
particularly well. The sword gets stolen, and your old master
makes you go after it, completing all manner of jobs along the
way. There are a few problems with hit detection, and enemies
hurt a lot, but the game’s nice enough to allow you to save just
about anywhere. The dungeon design is a bit simplistic, but
puzzles aren’t overly complicated, and the game can make for an
enjoyable romp.
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Record of Bahamut War
(NTSC-J / 1991)
Sometimes known as Bahamut Senki or Bahant Senki, this strategy RPG
bears little relation to Bahamut Lagoon on the Super Famicom.
Instead, it offers the chance to play one of 8 different leaders as
they vie for power against each other. Choices range from typical
fantasy fair, such as Imperial humans, Elves, Giants, Barbarians,
Demons, and Undead. While this title leans much heavier towards
the strategy side of its genre, options can be adjusted to change
battle styles. So you can play it as a nearly straight strategy
game, or closer to the normal strategy RPG, depending on how you like
it. As for visuals, it's not the prettiest, but for a 1991
release date, it doesn't look that bad. Multiplayer also isn't
very well defined, since the game is turn-based. You merely pass
the controller between players when their turn comes up.
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Rent-A-Hero
(NTSC-J / 1991)
Taro Yamada has recently moved with his family to Corja, Japan, so his
father can start work at a new job. While having a house-warming
party, he orders a pizza from Sensational Cafeteria(SECA) and instead
is given a suit of combat armor that gives him super strength and the
ability to shoot energy blasts. Unfortunately, he's also given a
bill for said armor, so he hires his services out as a hero for the
people of Corja. If that's not an original premise, I don't know
what is. Visually the game's quite good for it's year, the music
sticks to the theme quite well, and the game understands that humor is
what it's going for. It's a shame neither it nor it's remake for
the DC and Xbox, never made it out of Japan.
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Exile
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1991)
Exile is the sequel to XZR on the MSX, and is sometimes known as XZR
II. The game continues the story of Sadler, Syrian assassin
living during the time of the crusades, somewhere around 1120 A.D. or
so. It is Sadler's goal to bring about peace by stamping out
rebellions and forcing nations to get along, even if he's got to kill
everybody in his path to do it. There's drug use, swearing,
religious discussion, and even a notable case of censorship where an
entire town was removed because it depicted citizens being
crucified. On an even weirder note, it was removed from the
Japanese version, not the American version. Beyond that, the
game's not terribly difficult. Traversing the world is done in a
style similar to a JRPG, but combat is done in a side-scrolling action
RPG style.
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Traysia
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U / 1992)
A young man named Roy has always wanted to see the world, but has been
stuck in his hometown of Johanna all his life. But he gets his
chance when his uncle, a traveling merchant, decides to pull-up shop
and head somewhere else. Roy's girlfriend, Traysia, gives him a
pendant so he'll remember her. It's a simple idea for a plot, but
with beautiful artwork and music, it's sure to be a memorable
journey. The game plays like a JRPG, though combat is more like a
strategy RPG, taking place on a large battlefield that must be
maneuvered by Roy and his allies.
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Light Crusader
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1995)
Here's a title from Treasure (of Gunstar Heroes and Ikaruga fame)
that's generally forgotten. That's too bad, because the game
isn't a terrible action RPG, it's just not all that groundbreaking and
comes off as the most western game they've ever released. Light
Crusader goes for the isometric view, incorporates an interesting magic
system based around combining elements, and goes heavy on the puzzles,
though it does a decent job of keeping them diverse. While some
of its animations are a little strange, it's an attractive game with
decent music. But it just wasn't as impressive as the vast
majority of Treasure's games, and it came late in the life of the
console as Sega was trying to balance a ton of consoles, and it managed
to get forgotten along the way. The game follows a knight known
as Sir David who returns to his home of Green Row to find people
disappearing one by one. He's sent by the king to find the cause,
hidden deep beneath the town.
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Dungeons & Dragons: Warriors of the Eternal Sun
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
Duke Barrik's entire kingdom is accidentally sucked into some kind of
magic vortex along with an invading army of goblins bent on wiping out
the humans. When his people wake up from the trip, they find
themselves trapped in a valley under a red sun and surrounded by
cliffs. So Duke Barrik takes his four best men and sends them out
to find allies before the goblins can again mount the attack.
That's where you come in. First you must pick a party of varying
race/jobs and genders, then venture out into the world. The game's a
combination of JRPG(when walking around), tun-based strategy RPG combat
a la Traysia, and a dungeon crawler view when inside dungeons.
While the actual world reminds me a lot of Ultima, some of the graphics
are reused from the DOS version of Eye of the Beholder, and the view
window in dungeons is pitifully small. Still, the game's short
and not overly complicated, so if you've finished the major RPGs on the
console, give this one a spin.
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Madou Monogatari
(NTSC-J / 1996)
A bizarre little dungeon crawler that would star the lead of the Puyo
Puyo games, Madou Monogatari is more than a little odd in terms of
presentation. While originally part of a series of three games,
the Megadrive port is merely the first title, with updated visuals and
a slightly altered combat system. You play as five-year-old Arle
Nadja, who must go down into a dungeon and defeat a cockatrice if she
wishes to pass her magician test. There's no numbers to track
stats of any kind, no weapons or armor, and no hit points. Health
is tracked based on the expression on Arle's face, and experience is
tracked by an arrangement of gems on the lower half of the
screen. Combat is also viewed from the side, and fought via
spells. All you do is hold down the 'A' button and input a
command, and Arle will cast a spell. Strange, yes, but it's
certainly refreshing.
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Immortal
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Players take control of an unnamed wizard who must venture into an
underground labyrinth to find his master, the wizard Mordamir.
It's a simple enough starting idea for this groundbreaking action RPG,
which first brought the isometric view to the genre, and would
influence such later titles as the Diablo series. Along the way
you'll have to navigate traps, fight goblins and trolls as well as
giant spiders, avoid some absolutely nasty critters, and make it to the
very bottom. And if you screw any of it up, you're treated to an
absolutely horrific death sequence, of which there are many. If
you kill something, it gets an equally horrific death sequence.
In fact, extra ways to die and kill were added when the game was ported
to the Genesis. It's not an easy game at all, but that adds to
the fun, and the sparing use of music adds to the mood.
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Cadash
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
This is a port of the arcade side-scrolling action RPG of the same
name. In Cadash, a balrog bent on taking over the world captures
a princess to use in a ritual to grant him immortality. King
Dilsarl offers his entire kingdom to any warrior who can go down to
Castle Cadash and bring the princess back. You play as one of
those nameless heroes. Unfortunately, this game didn't make the
jump to Genesis completely intact, as two character classes were
dropped, the colors are considerably darker, one boss was removed from
the game, and numerous aspects, such as enemy AI, were changed.
While the dark colors add a bit of atmosphere and tension to the title,
the music doesn't really add anything. There's also multiplayer
for 2 players at the same time, which lowers the difficulty a great
deal, so if you're not so great by yourself, you can always bring a
friend.
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King's Bounty
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
This is a port of the computer game of the same name with some notable
changes, and a precursor to the Heroes of Might & Magic
series. It's a strategy RPG, though the console version notable
gave up its turn-based roots, so everything moves in real time.
So if you sit too long in one place, a wandering horde of monsters will
find you. The plot follows a nameless hero(picked from one of
four classes) who must find the Scepter of Order before King Maximus
dies. To do this, he must collect map pieces, either by hunting
down a particular enemy to slay(which also pays, via the king's
bounty), or finding treasure. Various armies may be recruited,
though the player must earn enough gold to keep paying them and must
have enough leadership to control them. Morale also effects
creatures' fighting capabilities. It's not all that pretty of a
game, and the music is iffy, but if you're a fan of Heroes of Might
& Magic, this one's worth a look.
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TechnoClash
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1993)
This title is also sometimes written as Techno Clash. In a world
full of magic, a mysterious portal opens, and forbidden machines start
pouring through. To stop the ensuing war between magic and
mechanics, the wizard Ronann, along with apprentice Chaz and mercenary
Farrg, must venture through the portal into the machine world to find
the “Machine Man,” who apparently lives somewhere near Las
Vegas. This action RPG is similar to Chaos Engine in perspective
as well as gameplay, where players must pick a bodyguard and have a
limited number of spells similar to ammunition. After each boss
fight, health will be upgraded. It's got some pretty graphics,
and some difficult gameplay, partly due to the large levels. The
sound effects get their point across, though the canned screams do get
old after a while. If you want an action RPG that's way more on
the action side, look into it.
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The Faery Tale Adventure
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Three brothers lose their father to a necromancer that has stolen a
talisman protecting their town. The father's dying wish is for
his sons to seek revenge, and they do so gladly. The Faery Tale
Adventure is an interesting game, ported from the Amiga
originally. It keeps many of the traditional concepts of RPGs,
but twists them. Instead of experience, you gain bravery. A
high luck will bring a fairy to resurrect you upon death. A high
kindness stat lets you talk to animals. To play each brother, all
you have to do is let the current brother die and the next takes his
place, though all three have different stats and focuses. The
gameworld is huge, claiming to be 300 computer screens both wide and
deep. On the downsides, the music is limited, I find the game
pretty ugly, and there's no save feature, just passwords. Also,
due to its size, you may want to track down the instruction manual,
since it offered a mini-walkthrough.
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Rings of Power
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
You must find the twelve Rings of Power to create the Rod of Creation,
defeat the evil Void, and bring about the Golden Age. This game
is incredibly open-ended, allowing the player almost immediately to
explore the full world, with hundreds of NPCs to interact with, a
day/night cycle that affects gameplay, and a combat system entirely
reliant on magic spells. There's a lot of meat to this game,
including various random events and sidequests, though the game itself
lacked any kind of quest journal, and while it did feature a map, it
didn't mark locations. Still, the game came packed with a paper
map, so if you can find it, cool. The game also utilized the
isometric view, albeit on a playing field that was cut to look like it
was presented on a scroll. That's all well and good, but it makes
the gameplay feel cramped and claustrophobic to me. It also
doesn't help that this game is pretty hideous, and the music is pretty
bland.
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Battlemaster
(NTSC-U / 1991)
I sometimes see this title written as Battle Master. This game
starts with the player picking a one of 16 leaders spread across four
races. Each leader has different stats and a different party
following him, ranging from no followers to four others. The plot
of the game has you attempting to find the pieces of an ancient crown
to become the Battle Master, as told in an ancient prophecy. To
do this, you'll have to traverse the world, wandering from point to
point on a big world map and duking it out with the inhabitants of each
locale. It's typical high fantasy, so expect dwarves, elves and
the like. While it's not the most attractive game, the music's
actually not bad for its release date, and lading a large squad into
battle can be fun.
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Might & Magic: Gates to Another World
(NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
This Amiga port of the second Might & Magic game can be a little
intimidating, what with the instruction manual having over 100
pages. It's an unforgiving, brutal, and frankly pretty ugly
dungeon crawler by the console's standards. But what it does
offer is an enormous world, numerous quests, lots of spells and even
more weapons and armor to find. It picks up directly after the
first Might & Magic, with your party of six adventurers and two
NPCs having to find the Orb of Power and the four Elemental Talons for
it to save and restore the world. Characters must pick up various
skills along the way to manage the adventure, while fighting off large
hordes of monsters. And don't take too long, as characters age
and die of natural causes around age 75. If you like dungeon
crawlers, are a fan of the series, or just want a challenging game,
this one's something to try. Just turn the sound off. Trust
me.
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Maten no Soumetsu
(NTSC-J / 1993)
Sometimes called only Maten, this should not be confused with Maten
Densetsu for the Super Famicom, as they're totally different
animals. This is a typical fantasy-based JRPG in almost every
sense, with the only real innovation coming in the form of a day-night
cycle. It keeps all the usual trappings of its subgenre, though
there is a day-night cycle built into the game. The plot follows
a nameless boy found in the woods by a warrior named Zafan. When
the boy turns sixteen, Zafan dies, but tells the boy to visit the king
and follow the way of the warrior before he expires. So the boy
decides to do just that. Visually, I wasn't really impressed with
the overworld, but monsters and battlefields are very well drawn.
The music is also somewhat hit-or-miss, with certain tracks coming off
very well, and some simply grating on the ears.
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Sorcerer's Kingdom
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1992)
Known as Sorcer's Kingdom in Japan, this is a JRPG with strategy RPG
combat, with the battlefields taking place wherever the party is
currently walking. Once again, you play a young man sent out by
the king to find why more monsters are appearing in the land and
threatening the people. While it's not a very pretty game, it's
got some great music, and the spell effects aren't terrible for an
early Genesis RPG. Also, keep in mind that only one party member
is allowed a round per turn, versus all of the monsters. Sure, it
isn't fair, but it makes for a much more challenging game, and
considering how powerful certain characters get at the end of the game,
you actually kind of need the limitation.
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Blue Almanac
(NTSC-J / 1991)
This is a science fiction JRPG, meant for US release under the name of
Star Odyssey but never to see distant shores. Apparently the plot
has you playing a boy named Miyabi who must travel throughout different
planets in the Galaxy Union Empire, doing good deeds. The Blue
Almanac in question is apparently a record of his travels. The
game's got some interesting features, including enemies that level with
the player and spoken names for the force effects in the game.
Graphically, the game's pretty bland, though cities look ok.
Building interiors are pure drivel. The audio is a mixed bag too,
with some music tracks I genuinely like, and some sound effects I can't
stand. My favorite part of this is probably the intro, where an
alien “reads” out loud from the Blue Almanac in what I can
only guess to be alien speech.
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Sword of Vermilion
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1989)
This was Yu Suzuki's first console-only game. In the game,
players control the nameless son of King Erik V, who must save the
world of Vermilion from the wizard-king Tsarkon. It utilized four
different game modes, a Town Mode reminiscent of JRPGs, Battle Mode
similar to an action RPG, Dungeon Mode like a dungeon crawler, and Boss
Mode, a side-scrolling action RPG. The game is pretty(especially
the boss sprites), the music is good, and the game came with a 106-page
hint book. But with a vast array of palette swaps backing a small
number of enemy sprites, poor AI, and combat actions that are, frankly,
pretty dull, the game just doesn't live up to the hype it built upon
release. Sega-16's review had the greatest line to describe the
game ever: “Well, It looked good, but it played like a cardboard
saxophone.”
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Super Hydlide
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1989)
This is actually a port of Hydlide 3 for the Famicom and MSX.
Fairyland is rocked by a sudden explosion as enemies suddenly invade,
and it's up to the hero, Jim, to save the day. The game's also
generally panned because of the poor graphics. It offers tiny
sprites, limited animation, and a presentation that likely could have
been offered on the Famicom(and was). The game also incorporates
an alignment system for monsters. Killing good monsters drains
your MF stat, with rewards for keeping it high and deadly traps
appearing if it reaches zero. There's also a weight system, and
the player is required to eat and sleep, which is pretty amazing for an
action RPG of the era. There are a lot of people who hate this
game, so you might want to give it a try before purchasing.
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Fatal Labyrinth
(NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
Also known as Shi no Mekyu, or Labyrinth of Death and originally
released in 1990 via Sega Meganet, this is a roguelike RPG with poor
visuals, but decent music. There is almost no plot, just a man
entering a tower with 30 levels(and no save function) to recover a
chalice from a dragon. The game features a food system(you can
both starve and die of overeating), poorly chosen sound effects, and
little animation for monsters. Enemies move when you do, and
defeating monsters will earn higher titles, resulting in higher health
and defense. And while levels are supposed to be random, there's
a limit, so after a few runs you'll likely recognize some of the
maps. And then there's the gold, which serves only one purpose:
the more gold you have, the nicer your funeral when you die.
Seriously.
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Tiger Hunter Hero Novel
(China / 1994)
The title of this game is actually Shuihuzhuan, though it is often
referred to as Tiger Hunter Hero Novel. It's a Taiwan-only
strategy RPG, based off the book of the same name, sometimes known in
the west as Water Margins or Outlaws of the Marsh. In this game,
108 heroes band together to defeat the corrupt Song Dynasty, in the
12th century. Towns and locales can be explored, though the
majority of the game is composed of large battles. This game is
also absolutely gorgeous, it's just a real shame that not much is known
about it in the West. It should not be confused with the beat 'em
up Shui Hu Feng Yu Zhuan, which was apparently never released.
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Heroic Legend of Sealing Gods
(China / 1996)
Once again, this is a Taiwanese strategy RPG, sometimes known as
Fengshen Yingjiechuan, with gorgeous artwork and some nice magic
animations. The plot follows a legend from the Shang Dynasty,
where Emperor Zhou fell in love with the goddess of Nu Wa. When
he ordered his soldiers to capture her, they informed him of a mortal
woman with beauty to rival Nu Wa's, and captured her instead.
Unfortunately, she had been possessed by a fox spirit, and this has
lead to corruption and problems in the ruling household. To save
China, you must rebel against the royal family. You start as the
hero Lin Yuan, and must find the other 8 heroes to help you on your
journey. The game focuses entirely on combat and story
exposition, with a little travel on the world map thrown in. Once
again, it's a shame so little is known about it in the West.
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Ya-Se Chuan Shuo
(China / 1995)
This one's a Chinese JRPG, again with some quite nice graphics.
The title is also often spelled Yase Zhuanshuo. It's based on the
Arthurian legends, though they provide more of a framework than an
actual plot. Some kind of evil force has infected King Arthur's
castle, infecting many of the inhabitants and slowly spreading to
everyone in the kingdom. You play a young boy named Dilo, whose
father goes missing one day. It's up to you to find out what
happened to him. Once again, not to much is known about this
title. Expect the usual fair of turn-based combat and top-down
exploration.
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Conquering the World 3
(China / 1995)
This is a Chinese JRPG from Hong Kong, available in both traditional
and simplified Chinese. You play as Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang
Fei as the three attempt to conquer ancient China, roughly around 200
AD. That's right, if you're a fan of Romance of the Three
Kingdoms or Dynasty Warriors, you'll have an idea as to what's going
on. Gameplay is similar to Lufia II in terms of combat, with
fights only beginning when you run into an enemy. The game relies
heavily on palette swaps for enemies. Combat itself is apparently
reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI, though with some glitches like damage
numbers appearing behind sprites, making them unreadable. The
soundtrack is generally pretty good. There's a few other bugs,
but the game is still highly playable.
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Barver Battle Saga
(China, Russia / Unknown, though likely mid- to late-1990s.)
This game is sometimes subtitled as The Space Fighter or The Space
Soldier. It's a JRPG with some nice music and graphics, likely
because ultimately it's a port of Breath of Fire 2 that's been hacked
to Hell and back, with sprites and art from other games thrown
in. If you're really interested in the game, the entire thing can
be watched in a 55-part speed run on YouTube. The Russian version
is known as Barver Battle Final Fantasy: Russian Version.
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Honorable Mentions
For one reason or another, these titles just didn't make the cut to be
put into a list of RPGs. That doesn't mean that these are bad
games whatsoever, just that there's some kind of discrepancy that led
to their being put here.
Pier Solar (Universal / Not Yet Released)
Ok, yes, this one's definitely a JRPG. I'm just putting it here
because, as of this writing, it has not been released yet.
Frankly, it looks absolutely amazing, with some incredible audio to
match. To improve the music further, the game will release with
am audio CD for Sega CD, providing even higher quality tracks. I
don't know details of the story, and even if I did, I wouldn't want to
reveal them anyway, since it might spoil the surprise. But take
heart and keep watching their website, www.piersolar.com. And if
anybody from the Water Melon team read this, we're looking forward to
your game and keep up the good work.
Crusader of Centy (NTSC-J, NTSC-U, PAL / 1994)
This is a pretty cute game, reminiscent of The Legend of Zelda: A Link
to the Past. And much like Link to the Past, I consider it an
adventure game, not an RPG. That said, it's pretty and the music
is nice, and it features an interesting system of using animal
companions to help the player get on with their quest. The story
involves monsters showing back up in the world after several hundred
years of being stuck underground, and they're rightly a little bit
upset about it. Unfortunately the game's not too difficult, and
it's pretty short, but if you're a fan of action RPGs and looking for a
fun little romp, this might be a good one to check out. The
game's also known as Soleil
Spiritual Warfare (NTSC-U / 1994)
This is a direct port of the NES version of the same name, which was
ultimately a clone of The Legend of Zelda(and again, an adventure game
to me). And direct port is correct: nothing was updated, so
expect NES-quality graphics and sound. Also, it's a Wisdom Tree
game, so expect having to convert pagans and answer Bible
questions. You play a soldier in the Army of the Lord, sent to
acquire all the pieces of the armor of God. Truth be told, I
enjoyed the NES version(there's a scene where you have to wander
through a gang war that I always liked), but not for the Genesis.
This just feels lazy to me. Also, the game is saved with a
password system, so even that feels a bit tedious.
Starflight (NTSC-U, PAL / 1991)
This was a space-based strategy game, originally designed for the
computers of its age and ported to the Genesis later. You must
discover the secret of the Crystal Planet, a large object moving
through the galaxy that causes stars to flare and destroy entire solar
systems. To do this, you have to recruit a crew of aliens,
complete various investigations for the Old Empire, and travel through
space doing various kinds of jobs. Also, you can upgrade your
ship, engage in dogfights, explore the universe, and even colonize
planets, which you can ride around on in an upgradeable ATV. As
far as space games from the era go, this one's a real winner, so if
you're looking for something along those lines, find a copy of
Starflight.
Syndicate (NTSC-U, PAL / 1994)
This is a real time tactical game, not quite on the scale of an RTS but
definitely getting there. The player is in charge of a
corporation interested in completing such jobs as rescuing captured
friends and employees, finding scientists and civilian workers to serve
it, or conducting assassination missions while killing the agents and
destroying the resources of other corporations. Yep, it's
cyberpunk alright. To do this, you lead a team of four cyborgs,
armed to the teeth and in possession of various mechanical upgrades,
through an isometric cityscape. The graphics had to be toned down
a bit from its computer brethren, but the game's still an enjoyable
title, definitely worth looking into.