A Guide To Japanese Role-Playing Games

NTSC J
Playing Games
Japanese Role -
A Guide to
BBJRPG01
BITMAP 2021
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A Guide to
Japanese
Role-Playing
Games
First published in 2021 by Bitmap Books Ltd.

Cover art by Stephanie Sybydlo (www.dicesms.tumblr.com)
Divider art by Army of Trolls (www.armyoftrolls.co.uk)
Copyright © Bitmap Books Ltd. and Kurt Kalata 2022
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1
Table of
Contents
Introduction 3 Final Fantasy 124
Contributors 4 Shin Megami Tensei and Persona 152
What is a JRPG? 6 Namco’s Tales of… series 178
A History of RPGs in Japan 9 Other Franchises 196
Localisation 16 Action RPGs 428
Soundtracks 20 Strategy RPGs 492
Anime 22 First-Person Dungeon Crawlers 556
Attack and Dethrone God 24 Japanese Rogue-likes 580
Remakes 26 Monster-Collecting RPGs 594
Japanese PC RPGs 28 Miscellaneous RPGs 612
Falcom 74 Index 644
Dragon Quest 110
Info Bar Key

Each game has an info bar which shows its official English name (or Japanese name if none available), along with
the developer, the date the first version was released, and the platforms the game was released on. This list only
includes platforms with original ports – that is, emulated versions are not listed.
3DO - 3DO IBM - IBM PC/DOS PC80 - PC-8001 TG16 - TurboGrafx-16

3DS - Nintendo 3DS IOS - iPhone/iPad/iPod Touch PC88 - PC-8801 TGCD -TurboGrafx-CD
AND - Android MCD - Mega CD PC98 - PC-9801 WII - Wii
ARC - Arcade MD - Mega Drive PCE - PC Engine WIIU - Wii U
C64 - Commodore 64 MOB - Mobile PCECD - PC Engine CD WIN - Windows
DC - SEGA Dreamcast MSX - MSX PCFX - PC FX WS - WonderSwan
DS - Nintendo DS MSX2 - MSX2 PS1 - PlayStation WSC - WonderSwan Color
FC - Famicom MSXR - MSX Turbo-R PS2 - PlayStation 2 X1 - Sharp X1
FDS - Famicom Disk System MZ - Sharp MZ PS3 - PlayStation 3 X360 - Xbox 360
FM7 - Fujitsu FM-7 N64 - Nintendo 64 PS4 - PlayStation 4 X68 - Sharp X68000
FMT - FM Towns NDS - Nintendo DS PSP - PlayStation Portable XB - Xbox
GB - Game Boy NES - Nintendo Ent. System PSV - PlayStation Vita XB1 - Xbox One
GBA - Game Boy Advance NGAGE - N-Gage SAT - SEGA Saturn
GBC - Game Boy Color NGCD - NEOGEO CD SCD - SEGA CD
GC - Nintendo Game Cube NGPC - NEOGEO Pocket Color SFC - Super Famicom
GG - SEGA Game Gear NSW - Nintendo Switch SMS - SEGA Master System
GEN - Genesis PC60 - PC-6001 SNES - Super Nintendo
2
Introduction
I first became enamoured with Japanese role- genre’s diversity, especially across the many, many,
playing games when I was nine years old, thanks many games that have never been released in
to a strategy guide in Nintendo Power in late 1990. English, and some that are even forgotten in their
It was a whole issue devoted to a then-forthcoming native country.
RPG called Final Fantasy. I studied it thoroughly, This book is organised into a few major
preparing myself for when I could actually get the sections. First, there are some essays that explain
game, which ended up being a Christmas present. our definition of a Japanese RPG, and a quick
I wasn’t disappointed. overview of their history over the years, as well
However, it was rough going for budding as some other related articles. The bulk of the
RPG fans of the era. While the genre was on fire in book features reviews of various titles. First, we’ll
Japan, that success didn’t quite translate outside of go over the Japanese PC titles that birthed the
the country. American boys, I was told, only liked genre, including many works by Nihon Falcom.
action and sports games. I liked these too, but I also Subsequent chapters look at the most prolific
enjoyed the sprawling adventures, fantastical plots, franchises in the genre, including Dragon Quest,
and enormous bestiaries role-playing games had. Final Fantasy, Shin Megami Tensei, and Tales of…
For the 16-bit era, I elected to get a SEGA Then we’ll look at small series, before drilling
Genesis, mostly because of Sonic the Hedgehog, down into individual titles. After this, chapters
but I was exposed to a few RPGs of the time, focus on different sub-genres: action RPGs,
like Phantasy Star II and Lunar: The Silver Star. strategy RPGs, Rogue-likes, first-person dungeon
But things changed in late 1996, when my little crawlers, and monster-collecting games. The last
brother bought a cheap SNES at Funcoland. chapter includes various miscellaneous pieces,
I mentioned this offhand to one of my friends like MMORPGs based on Japanese franchises,
at school, who returned the next day with Final Western-developed JRPGs, and a handful of adult
Fantasy III, raving about how awesome it was and RPGs and sports RPGs.
demanding that I play it. He wasn’t wrong – I was
immediately in love, and ended up buying my Please enjoy!
own copy at a local video store. Afterwards came
Chrono Trigger and Secret of Mana. I dug out Kurt Kalata
my Genesis again and grabbed Phantasy Star IV January 2021
and Lunar: Eternal Blue. On 3rd September 1997,
the day Final Fantasy VII came out, and both my
brother and I pooled our money so we could buy
it, along with a brand new PlayStation. From then,
I was hooked. Almost every new RPG that came
out, I had to buy. This was a great time to get into
Japanese RPGs too, since the success of Final
Fantasy VII had opened the floodgates for more of
them to come out in English.
The book you’re reading is the culmination
of 30 years of playing and studying Japanese
RPGs. It’s not just my experiences, though, as it
also includes contributions from over 30 other
writers, covering well over 600 games. The
definition of “Japanese RPG” has been (and will
continue to be) argued over for a long time, and
there are tons more that aren’t featured here.
But we’ve chosen a wide variety of the best, most
popular, and most interesting titles released since
their inception back in 1982 all the way up to the
present day. My hope is that you’ll come into this
book looking to learn more about your favourite
titles, find yourself discovering some of the lesser
known entries, and gain an understanding of the
3
Contributors
Audie Bassow is a student living in Elizabeth Henges is a freelance gaming Luigi, Mega Man Battle Network & Mega
Portland, Oregon, who’s passionate about journalist who’s worked at Gamasutra, Man Star Force, Mega Man X: Command
retro sound hardware and game music. Kotaku, RPG Site, and more. She’s also the Mission, Paper Mario, Radiata Stories,
Contribution: Magical Vacation. mother of one beautiful cat named Sissel. Robopon, Septerra Core: Legacy of the
Contributions: Atelier, Ar tonelico. Creator, Tales of Legendia, The World
Anson Oliver is from Ontario, Canada Ends With You, Yakuza.
where he lives with his two kids and Elmon Dean Todd is the author
partner and is slowly turning them of the Godshard Chronicles (www. Justin Guillou is a game collector, writer
into big fans of JRPGs. Contributions: godshard.com), a review writer for and contributor to Operation Rainfall
Archaic Sealed Heart, CIMA, Shadow RPGamer, and a police officer. You can along with being a co-host for XenoChat
Madness, Chaos Rings. find him on Instagram and Twitter: – a podcast dedicated to discussing
@saiyancop. Contribution: Dark Wizard. Xenogears, Xenosaga and Xenoblade.
Audi Sorlie is an author and game Contributions: Xenoblade, Xenosaga.
producer most well known for his Eric Titus spends his time in Chicago
complete retrospectives and work in with his wife and perennially scared cat, Kurt Kalata is the founder and editor-
video game music. Contributions: when he’s not writing guides for games in-chief of Hardcore Gaming 101 (HG101),
Rance, Toushin Toshi. twelve people will play. You can find his and also put together much of this book!
scribbles at @GrimyGolem on Twitter. He lives in New Jersey, USA, with his wife,
Bryan Cebulski is a journalist, media Contribution: Cosmic Soldier. daughter, and two cats. Contributions:
critic and aspiring point-and-click Everything else!
adventure protagonist living in a George J. Horvath hails from Central
tiny house in the woods of Northern New Jersey, and loves exploring into the Leon Staton is an East Asian micro-
California. Contribution: Wild Arms. forgotten and obscure, especially when it computer media generalist and streamer,
comes to anime, manga, and video games. known for the #PasokonSunday showcase
Bryan Ochalla lives in Austin, Texas, with You can find his long-form thoughts series on Twitter (@dragenregalia).
his husband, David. He does his best to at his blog, The Land of Obscusion. Currently working on a website and video
keep his 13-year-old blog, The Gay Gamer, Contribution: Super Robot Wars. series discussing classic, overlooked
going when he’s not writing about PC software and hardware from Japan,
other topics for a living. Contributions: James Galizio is a regular contributor Korea, and China from the turn of ’80s
A Witch’s Tale, Ever Oasis, The Alliance to RPG Site, and has been writing about to today. Contributions: Code Name
Alive, The Legend of Legacy. games and RPGs for most of his adult S.T.E.A.M., Gage, Relics, Kumdor no Ken,
life. You can follow him on Twitter, Wind’s Seed, Lunatic Dawn.
Carrie Wood works as a reporter, but @Theswweet. Contributions: Legend of
she has also enjoyed writing about her the Heroes: Trails in the Sky and Cold Leonardo Lira is a freelance writer who
hobbies, having penned books on the Steel, Ao and Zero no Kiseki, Ys IX. is passionate about obscure JRPGs and
video game and tabletop industries. will finish even the clunkiest of them
She lives in Owings Mills, Maryland, Joe Brown spends his days in the idyllic to find a hidden gem. Contribution:
with her husband and their two cats, North Carolina countryside with his Sol Trigger.
Ganon and Zelda, and she hopes she wife and two cats. Still uses ZSNES.
lives long enough to see a Golden Sun 4. Contribution: Mystaria. Luke Maxwell is a writer from Dublin
Contributions: Kingdom Hearts, Digimon, covering food, film and games.
Rune Factory, Golden Sun, Baten Kaitos, John Harris wrote the Rogue-like column Contribution: Dragon Quest X.
Monster Rancher, Beyond the Beyond. @Play for GameSetWatch, various
features and Q&As for Gamasutra, and Marisa Alexander is a writer for Operation
Chris Hatala has a love of video games a number of gaming ebooks available Rainfall, where they like to delve into
that has led him to direct international at www.itch.io. Contributions: Mystery unfamiliar topics. New or old, they are
events, set world records, compete semi- Dungeon, Izuna, Z.H.P. willing to explore anything of interest.
professionally, and found a business Contributions: Brigandine, Gungnir.
that entertains and trains through Jonathan Kaharl is an obscure games
gaming. Romhacking Phantasy Star and critic and HG101 writer. He enjoys lo-fi Mathias Nowatzki is German guy
podcasting about fan translations are tech aesthetics and is working on a Mass who’s bad at skill-based games and
his latest adventures! Say hi on Twitter: Effect book. Contributions: Contact, has thus played mostly RPGs since
@Ghaleon. Contribution: Dragon Force. Dark Cloud, Infinite Space, Mario & falling for the genre on the SNES with
4
Secret of Mana and Terranigma. He Heaven & Earth (Soul Blazer, Illusion Word on the Wind is a stubborn, loud-
sends his random thoughts into the of Gaia, Terranigma, Granstream mouthed trans woman with a passion for
void as @cursedblessing on Twitter. Saga), Robotrek, SaGa Frontier 1 & 2, sizeable mammaries and video games.
Contributions: Crimson Shroud, Fantasy Saiyuki, SoulsBorne, Stella Deus, Stella She’s a regular on HG101’s Top 47K
Life, Jade Cocoon. Glow, Suikoden Tactics, Tenshi no Uta, Games audio show. Contributions: Final
Treasure Hunter G, Unlimited Saga, Fantasy Legend, Romancing SaGa, SaGa:
Michael Gridman has been playing JRPGs Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume, Scarlet Grace, Pokémon, Breath of Fire,
since Dragon Warrior. He’s currently Vanguard Bandits, Xak. Mother/EarthBound, Rudro no Hihou,
working on a book about first-person The Last Remnant, Final Fantasy XIV.
dungeon crawlers, tentatively titled Sraëka Lillian is an interstitial game
The DRPG Book (www.drpgbook.com). designer, programmer, and critic in Special thanks go to: Felipe Pepe,
Contributions: Elminage, Labyrinth of Toronto. Contribution: Battle Chasers: the author of The CRPG Book (also
Refrain, Stranger of Sword City. Nightwar. published by Bitmap Books), which laid
the foundation that helped formulate this
Patrick Griffin writes a blog about Stephanie Sybydlo (known online as book from a vague idea into an actual
Japanese RPGs at www.JRPG.moe. He’s DiceSMS) has been playing games and workable project (and by providing a
currently living in Japan, working on drawing since before she could fully form working copy of Samurai Mech at the
his language skills and naming sense. sentences. Unable to write or program last minute); Sam Dyer, head of Bitmap
Contributions: Medarot, Hero Must Die. for the next big game, she passionately Books, for believing in and funding this
pursues creative venues in the industry project; Joseph Redon at the Japanese
Phil O’Donnell III is a film, animation, and has worked on numerous indie Game Preservation Society for his
and video game enthusiast from Central games and commercial projects. help providing some of the very early
New York, who also runs the Pro Gent Contribution: Cover artwork. PC games; John Szczepaniak for his
Show on YouTube. Contributions: invaluable Untold History of Japanese
Pokémon Conquest, Rondo of Swords, Steven Barbato is a lifelong gaming Game Developers volumes; Simon Carless
Lost Kingdoms, Project X Zone. enthusiast, passionate JRPG fan, and of MobyGames and Ken Horowitz of
dog lover, who contributes to HG101. SEGA-16 for allowing use of some of
Quentin H. has been a journalist in the Contributions: Last Rebellion, Dragon the images from their archives; Robert
games industry since 2015, and first fell Star Varnir. Fenner for fact-checking; Karen Giles for
in love with JRPGs thanks to the Lunar proofreading; Hanenashi no Error for his
series, localised by Working Designs in Thomas Nickel is often busy, teaching examinations of video game localisations
the ’90s. Contribution: Pier Solar. game history and game design at various (and helping me brush up on my
German schools and universities, writing Japanese!); Sam Derboo, whose ‘Dark Age
Queuethulu @queuethulu on Twitter. for print-magazine M!Games, working of JRPG’ column at HG101 kickstarted
Contribution: Sigma Harmonics. on his own game for the good old research into early PC RPGs; Samuel
Game Boy. You can find him on Twitter Messner for digging up some interesting,
Richard “The Great Klaid” Morgan is @bimbofortuna. Contributions: Final previously unknown titbits; Eirikr J.
a wargame enthusiast and MMO addict. Fantasy Crystal Chronicles, .hack, Smith for QCing Shin Megami Tensei;
The only time he stopped was to beat Evergrace, Eternal Ring, Lord of the Jeff Nussbaum for helping QC the Falcom
every Final Fantasy; they’ve made a few Rings: The Third Age, Lost Sphear. parts; Pat R, David DeRienzo, Alexander
since then. Currently hosting the Top47k Case, and many of the other RPG review
games podcast. Contribution: Final Tyler Trosper writes news articles for contributors to HG101 over the years; my
Fantasy XI. RPGFan. As a huge fan of the PlayStation 2 wife Sophia and daughter Violetta for their
classic Xenosaga, he hopes one day for love and support (and help with screen
Robert Fenner is a games journalist the series’ glorious return. Contribution: capturing!); and my parents, for indulging
and podcaster who still occasionally Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless my hobby as a teenager. Also thanks
enjoys freelancing for HG101. Originally Frontier. to invaluable Japanese sites such as
from Kansas, he lives in London with Game Catalogue (w.atwiki.jp/gcmatome)
his partner and their giant whiny cat, Wes Iliff is a small town dad with too and Tower of RetroGame (www.towerof
Borscht. Contributions: Cosmic Fantasy, many pets and a love for writing. Outside retrogame.blog.jp), along with Project Egg
Exile/XZR, Fairy Fencer F, Hoshigami, his day job, you can check out his after (www.amusement-centre.com/project/egg)
Hourai Gakuen, Idea no Hi, King’s Field, hours gaming and entertainment work and the books Old Gamers History Vol. 3
Koudelka, Last Bible, Lennus, Majin at www.messofcords.com. Contribution: and Challenge!! Personal Computer AVG
Tensei, Maka Maka, Oninaki, Quintet Phantasy Star Online. & RPG in help with research.
5
What is
a JRPG?
What is a “JRPG”, exactly? Literally, it just means most popular, and both remain internationally
“a role-playing game from Japan”, but over the successful to this day.
years it’s become the name of a sub-genre, a very However, there is more to a JRPG than
specific style of RPG, whose evolutionary branch approachability. The game style evolved from
led to a vastly different product from Western the 8-bit Famicom onto the 16-bit platforms, and
RPGs. So when did this happen, and where did the then the 32-bit CD systems. Broadly speaking,
term come from? elements include: an overworld that is divided
In the early ’80s, most RPGs in Japan were into discrete town and dungeon sections; separate
imported from the United States, and much of screens where battles take place, typically turn-
the locally developed software was based roughly based and executed via menu commands; a focus
on Ultima, Wizardry, or some combination of the on battle statistics in lieu of other RPG elements
two. The real flashpoint for this style of game was (e.g. charisma statistics to influence conversation);
Dragon Quest, published by Enix for the Nintendo unique character customisation systems; manga-
Famicom in May 1986. style artwork; strong soundtracks, as seen in other
Broadly speaking, Dragon Quest was console games; and linear storylines.
successful because it took the mainstays of RPGs – Obviously, even at the time, there were
that is, the feeling of a sprawling journey, combined exceptions to these rules. Square’s Final Fantasy
with character growth – and put them into a form used artwork by Yoshitaka Amano, whose
that was easily accessible. The Famicom audience illustrations are a far cry from typical manga
largely consisted of children, so the games needed (though Tetsuya Nomura, who joined the series as
to be easy to play and understand. Earlier RPGs an illustrator with the seventh instalment, is a little
had a reputation for being extraordinarily difficult, more standard). Data East’s Metal Max presented
often giving you no guidance or easily putting an open world that let the player explore at their
you in an unwinnable situation. Dragon Quest leisure. Atlus’ Megami Tensei (and its 16-bit sequel
was much friendlier, giving you some direction series, Shin Megami Tensei) kept the first-person
into and context for the game world. It was even perspective found in Wizardry. Namco’s Tales of
generous about player death, resurrecting you at Phantasia used an action-based battle system even
the starting point, letting you keep your experience though the rest of the systems were similar to other
and equipment, and only charging you half of games. RPGs grew to be so popular in Japan that
your gold. A strategy guide was helpful, but not there was quite a bit of experimentation, and this
necessary. Further, the Famicom controller only created an audience with a wide variety of tastes,
had four buttons and a directional pad, so the though America and Europe only saw glimpses of
controls needed to be simple and straightforward, this in the 16-bit era since (for the most part) only
compared to the complex keyboard commands the most mainstream games were localised.
required by computer RPGs. Combined with While this type of game is what most people
artwork by famed manga illustrator Akira think of when referring to a JRPG, the net is quite
Toriyama, who was seeing incredible success with a bit wider. While Dragon Quest had turn-based,
Dragon Ball, and the game became the reference menu-based battle sequences, it certainly wasn’t
point for generations’ worth of RPGs. the only popular game to feature them. RPGs from
There were many direct clones in the mid as early as 1984, like Nihon Falcom’s Dragon Slayer
to late ’80s, and most have been forgotten. Other and T&E Soft’s Hydlide, focused almost entirely
companies jumped on the RPG bandwagon but on action, though they were often clumsy, as
still crafted their own unique experiences – of this combat often consisted of bumping into enemies
era, Final Fantasy and Megami Tensei were the and hoping you had the stats to beat them.
6
Left-to-right,
top-to-bottom,
some of the most
important Japanese
role-playing games:
Falcom’s Dragon
Slayer, XtalSoft’s
Mugen no Shinzou,
Namco’s The Tower
of Druaga, and T&E
Soft’s Hydlide.
The flashpoint for this evolution, once again from developers like SSI. Nintendo’s Fire Emblem
a Famicom game, was Nintendo’s The Legend for the Famicom was the first big entry to establish
of Zelda. Like Dragon Quest, it was relatively the simulation RPG, as it gave your units individual
easy to understand and play, and moreover, had personalities, presented them in a grand storyline,
much better controls and combat than previous gave them statistics, and let them grow over the
computer RPGs. course of the game. Later games include Quest’s
Ironically, the Zelda series is not really Tactics Ogre (and its own sorta-sequel, Final
considered an RPG by most modern gamers, and Fantasy Tactics), Square’s Front Mission, SEGA’s
that’s mostly because so many of its elements Shining Force, Sakura Wars, Valkyria Chronicles,
are either simplified or abstracted. In the original and many others.
Legend of Zelda, there are only a few pieces of Then there are the Rogue-likes. Rogue was a
equipment, with most items used to open new dungeon crawler with randomly-generated levels,
areas or solve puzzles, and the only permanent dating from the early ’80s, which was widely ignored
character growth comes from expanding your life outside of the most hardcore PC circles. In Japan,
meter. Its sequel, Zelda II: The Adventure of Link, Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon series, beginning on
is a little more complex, having an experience the Super Famicom, created a new, then-unique
system, several magic spells, and other statistics, variation of this game. The first entry here was a
though later games reeled these back. That being tie-in with Dragon Quest, featuring Torneko from
said, by the definitions we’re setting down, Zelda the fourth game. Much like its parent series, it took
is indeed technically a JRPG … but only barely. this style and made it approachable for broader
Partially, this is because RPG elements audiences. Over the decades, other licences have
began cropping up in all kinds of other games. been plugged into the Mystery Dungeon style,
For example, the famous Metroidvania sub-genre, including Final Fantasy, Pokémon, and Chunsoft’s
which grew into existence with Super Metroid and own original character, Shiren.
Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, are basically Then there are the first-person dungeon
Zelda games with a side-scrolling perspective crawlers. While games like Wizardry eventually fell
(and Metroid, as with Zelda, also heavily abstracts out of style with ’90s PC gamers, they maintained
the statistical elements). some niche level of popularity in Japan, where
Even these are only a portion of what could the licence actually continued for many years.
be considered a Japanese RPG. There are strategy Atlus’ 2007 DS game Etrian Odyssey resurrected
RPGs (or rather simulation RPGs, as they tend to this style of game for a new generation, with
be referred to in Japan), where units of opposing bright visuals, attractive characters, and perhaps
teams are put on square (or hex) boards and must most importantly, mapping tools on the bottom
move to attack each other. This style of game has screen of the console. This sparked another
its roots in the PC game Daisenryaku, which in revolution, with similar games also being
turn was based on the sort of war games you’d see developed by others.
7
Nintendo and
Intelligent Systems
brought fantasy
strategy role-playing
to the Famicom with
Fire Emblem (left),
which has become
an international
success. Square’s
Final Fantasy
Tactics (right)
is another take
on this formula,
And the list goes on and on. There are MMORPGs However, genres evolve, and what made using an isometric
like Phantasy Star Online and Final Fantasy sense during a certain era may not always hold perspective.
XIV. There are monster-collecting RPGs, starting true. Popular games like Final Fantasy XV have
with the Pokémon craze. There are Souls-like barely any resemblance to a traditional JRPG,
games, a particular brand of action RPG begun by having rather more in common with open world
FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls, which emphasise WRPGs like The Witcher 3, though there is still
a high level of difficulty. There’s a unique branch a distinct stylistic difference. Similarly, Capcom’s
of Japanese arcade RPGs, like Namco’s Tower of Dragon’s Dogma comes from a Japanese
Druaga. Many action games, particularly in the developer, but has more in common in looks
PlayStation 2 era, with games like Devil May Cry, and style with Western RPGs. There are plenty
also started offering character customisation, of turn-of-century Western-developed RPGs
though since the focus is more on the action like Anachronox, Septerra Core, and Shadow
elements, it usually isn’t considered an RPG. Madness that are heavily inspired by Japanese
So now that we’ve defined (broadly) what a games, while there are tons of Western indie
JRPG is, where did the term actually come from? RPGs, perhaps most popularly Undertale, which
Searches of old Usenet forums from the mid-’90s draw from similar sources. At this point, “JRPG”
show the term popping up every now and again, but is far more a style than simply an RPG that came
it really didn’t come into popular usage until the from Japan.
PlayStation 2 generation, around the year 2000. So, like a lot of sub-genre labels, a “JRPG”
At this point, there was a distinction between designation isn’t really binary, so much as a
games like Final Fantasy, which grew from sliding scale. There are also hundreds upon
consoles, and Fallout and Diablo, which were hundreds of them. Obviously, we can’t cover all
franchises that started on PCs. Some gamers of these because then you’d have a book nobody
referred to these as “console RPGs” versus would be able to carry, but this book does cover
“computer RPGs”, which made sense, but made all of the major and important ones, so you can
for some confusion since the acronyms were get a feel for the variety and richness of what
identical. As more traditionally computer RPGs these games can offer.
began to make their way onto console systems, While the genre isn’t quite as prolific as it
like Bioware’s Star Wars: Knights of the Old was back in the ’80s and ’90s, Japanese RPGs are
Republic for the Xbox, the audience began to settle still an essential part of the vibrant video-game
on “JRPG” for the Japanese type, and “WRPG” landscape. They still provide unique mechanics,
(Western RPG, obviously) for American and distinct visual styles, brilliant soundtracks,
European types. By this point, these sub-genres of innovative stories, and other aspects that make
games catered to wildly different audiences, hence them stand apart from their Western-developed
the need for a different designation. counterparts.
Etrian Odyssey (left)

resurrected the old-
school first-person
dungeon crawler,
featuring attractive
visuals and a touch
screen mapping
system. Mystery
Dungeon: Shiren the
Wanderer (right) is a
distinctly Japanese
branch of the Rogue-
like sub-genre.
8
A History
of RPGs
in Japan
The ’80s Computer era eventually used to advertise Koei titles like
The personal computer industry as we know it Khufu-Ou no Himitsu, which were too slow to be
today was born out of American companies like “arcade” games but too focused on action to be
Apple and IBM. As such, most computers in Japan a “simulation”.
were imported from the United States, many being Western titles like Wizardry and Ultima were
the Apple II, and most of the early games they reasonably popular with hardcore Japanese game
played were in English. In late 1981, the electronics players, so some early attempts at Japanese RPGs
company NEC created the PC-6001 line of were based on these games, to varying extents.
computers, one of the first solely for the Japanese Indeed, many early PC games could be considered
market, and with it, up sprung a gaming industry conceptually identical to the kind of games being
in support. published in America, just in a different language.
At this early point in the industry’s There were a few key disparities, though. Firstly,
development, the “role-playing game” classification Japan had a small adult software industry. In the
was not widely understood. Even in the Western United States, retailers typically wouldn’t stock adult
industry, games were generally classified as either software for fear of being labelled as pornography
“arcade” games, which were action and reflex- dealers. At the time, there was even concern from
oriented, or “adventure” games, which were Sierra Online that relatively tame titles like Leisure
longer, more complex, and typically required more Suit Larry, which had an adult sense of humour but
patience. As such, it’s very difficult to determine little of the way of actual sex or nudity, would not
what the first “role-playing game” actually is. be carried by national chains. (They were proven
Arguably the first games that could qualify wrong, at least.) Japan didn’t stigmatise such titles,
came from Koei, and were termed “simulations”. and without any central regulation, the 18+ cottage
Many of these titles let the player input various industry could flourish. Many early titles were strip
statistics – things like health or stamina – then games or text adventures, but again Koei created
placed them in various scenarios, which were some unique titles like Danchizuma no Yuuwaku,
influenced by random factors. Since the concept where you played a door-to-door condom
of numbers and virtual dice rolls is basically the salesman with the ulterior motive of bedding any
same as how tabletop games like Dungeons and of the women you’d meet.
Dragons work, in retrospect, these can be called The other primary difference between the
“role-playing games”. The actual term “RPG” was markets had to do with the Japanese computer
The title screens

for early PC games,
such as Falcom’s
Panorama Tou and
Zat Soft’s Poibos,
pictured here, were
often fancier than
the in-game graphics.
9
PC games were
aimed at adults,
which meant they
could have darker
themes, as seen
in Hot-B’s Psychic
City (left) or simply
include gratuitous
nudity, as in
Kogado’s Cosmic
Soldier (right).
scene being connected with otaku culture – that that show the enemy you’re fighting. Even though
is, extreme fans of anime and manga. Again, if you it’s a collection of concepts from other titles, it
look at early computer titles like Dragon Slayer or proved to be a winning formula, because that
Xanadu, they use the same Western-type fantasy exact same template was used later in Enix’s
artwork you’d find in an American store, but Dragon Quest, the title that defines the Japanese
eventually game characters were patterned after RPG as it’s understood today.
the wide-eyed heroes and heroines with multi- The third pillar is Hydlide, published in 1984
coloured hair that typified popular Japanese by T&E Soft and developed by Tokihiro Naitou.
media in games like Romancia, giving them a This is an action RPG, in which you control a hero
clearly defined sense of style. marching across an overworld, defeating monsters
Amidst all of this, there are three pillars and occasionally diving through dungeons. It’s not
of the Japanese PC RPG scene that influenced the first of its type – on the surface, Dragon Slayer
the industry as we know it today. One is Dragon is similar – but it was more user friendly than
Slayer, published in 1984 by Falcom and designed Falcom’s titles, and had the appeal of an arcade-
by Yoshio Kiya. It is an incredibly difficult dungeon style action title while still wearing RPG clothing.
crawler, in which you explore a maze looking for Hydlide set down the formula used in Falcom’s Ys,
enough resources to beat the impossibly powerful but perhaps more importantly, Nintendo’s The
dragon hidden with its depths. On its own it wasn’t Legend of Zelda. Incidentally, Hydlide is also the
a massive success, but it was the predecessor only of these three that was released in English,
of Xanadu, published the next year and also but it didn’t come out until its 1989 Nintendo
designed by Kiya. This game was so challenging, Entertainment System release, at which point it
and so obtuse, that basically, a strategy guide was was massively outdated.
required to see it to the end. This is true of many
games of the era, but Xanadu was also easily the The 8-Bit era
most popular, following its appearance as the The first RPG on the Famicom was technically
focus of many magazine articles. This type of a 1985 game called Zunou Senkan Galg, which
game established the hardcore RPG player, who proclaimed itself a “scroll-RPG” on the box,
would pore over strategy guides like they were whatever that meant. In practice, it was a vertical
forbidden lore, and trade hints with other like- shoot-’em-up similar to the popular Star Force,
minded players. except there was level branching, and you needed
Another pillar was Mugen no Shinzou, to play levels over a few times to collect a certain
designed by Kazunari Tomi and initially published number of ship parts. Despite the label, most
by XtalSoft in 1984. It plays very similarly to people have agreed this isn’t really a role-playing
Ultima, in that you explore a large game world, game, but it shows that no one really understood
but it uses a turn-based battle system similar to what the label meant, even if it could be used for
that in Wizardry, complete with large portraits marketing purposes.
Dragon Warrior/
Quest IV (left) and
Phantasy Star (right)
are two of the best
RPGs of the 8-bit
console era.
10
During the 8-bit
console era,
developers were
trying different
things with RPGs.
There’s the self-
proclaimed “scroll-
RPG” Galg (left), a
shoot-’em-up where
you hunt for ship
parts, and River City
Ransom (right), a
beat-’em-up which
Of course, the defining RPG of this era was At the time, in the United States, the lets you upgrade
Dragon Quest. One of the main rules of business, common belief was that video games, being aimed your character’s
regardless of the industry, is to find what’s popular at adolescent boys, should be mostly action games. stats and moveset.
and copy it. When discussing Japanese RPGs, Meanwhile in Japan, RPGs were viewed as games
that’s what happened with Dragon Quest and the that everyone could play, because while they
many, many imitators it spawned for the Famicom. required a big time investment, they also didn’t
Many copied its basic aesthetic, battle system, and require reflexes, so they had a comparatively low
interface as well, because, if it works, why mess barrier of entry. Your mother, for example, may
with it? To be fair though, of these numerous have become frustrated if she kept running into
clones, most of them tried to include something those Goombas in Super Mario Bros., because
original to differentiate themselves, like the light- she hadn’t quite figured out the controller yet,
hearted tone of Hudson’s Momotarou Densetsu. but beating up slimes in Dragon Quest was a
There were games that were more little easier, since all she had to do was select the
ambitious, that adhered to the basics set down “attack” command. While RPGs of the era were
by Dragon Quest while still providing something often difficult, at least by modern standards,
new and original. Titles like SEGA’s Phantasy there wasn’t any hurdle that couldn’t be overcome
Star and Square’s Final Fantasy provided more by either grinding or reading a strategy guide.
advanced visuals and somewhat more elaborate Nintendo was able to successfully market The
storylines, and later games like Capcom’s Sweet Legend of Zelda, one of the premier RPGs at the
Home drastically reworked the template into a time to North American gamers, but it also took off
horror game. With the style of game becoming because, at its core, it’s still an action game. They
so popular so quickly, there were games that had somewhat less success with Dragon Warrior
tried to subvert its tropes – Metal Max offered a (the American title of the original Dragon Quest)
wide-open world to explore, focused on hunting and Final Fantasy, as these were turn-based RPGs
down monsters rather than following a trail from and didn’t quite have the same wide appeal. It took
town to town, while LaSalle Ishii no Child’s a bit longer before they were able to sell American
Quest replaced the typical band of heroes with console gamers on the concept of an RPG.
a child talent group. Perhaps the most popular It’s also important to understand the
of these was Nintendo’s Mother, later known limitations of the console platform. While
internationally as EarthBound, which presented the Famicom was initially designed for single-
a quirky take on Americana under attack from an screen arcade games like Donkey Kong, game
alien menace. Amusingly, NES ports of Ultima III developers were aware of the desire for longer,
and IV, published by Pony Canyon in Japan, were more complex titles. However, one of the big
remade for the Famicom to more closely resemble issues in the early days of the concept was the
Dragon Quest. The exceptions to the Dragon question of how to save your progress. Early
Quest rule were Wizardry, which received a Famicom cartridges used ROMs, which could
Famicom port courtesy of ASCII, and Atlus’ not record any additional data. In consequence,
Megami Tensei, itself patterned after Wizardry. games used cumbersome passwords to record
Both were first-person dungeon crawlers, quite your game, with more complex titles containing
different from Dragon Quest and its peers, but even longer passwords. If you wrote down a single
still popular with RPG players. RPG elements character incorrectly, your entire progress could
were also beginning to pop up in other genres, disappear. The Famicom Disk System solved this
most notably Technos’ River City Ransom, a by using rewritable disks, providing something a
beat-’em-up that’s a quasi-sequel to the arcade closer to the home computers of the time. Indeed,
game Renegade. While it plays similarly to its The Legend of Zelda was a launch title for the
predecessor, fallen enemies will drop coins, platform in 1986.
which can be used at shops to heal yourself, However, the system ran into numerous
increase your stats, or gain new abilities. It’s also problems – not only was piracy rampant, but most
one of the few of its type that let you save and of the technical benefits provided by the Disk
resume progress via a password system. System quickly became obsolete, as ROM size
11
16-bit games offered
more complex
storytelling, as seen
in Final Fantasy II/IV
(left), where hero Cecil
questions unethical
orders from his king,
and Dragon Quest V
(right), where the
protagonist witnesses
the death of his father.
expanded what disks could hold, creating more With that extra space, characters were injected
graphically-enticing games. Nintendo also created with more personality, and storylines became
a method that allowed cartridges to properly save more complex, not to mention that the worlds
games. In short, data cannot be written to ROM they inhabited became more varied. The focus
(it stands for Read Only Memory, after all) but was beginning to become less about traditional
it can be written to the RAM (Random Access RPG aspects – exploration and level raising – and
Memory). The problem had been that data more about guiding your characters through a
disappears from RAM once the power is shut off, story. These types of games had a broader appeal,
which was solved by including a lithium battery so their difficulty level was often lower. But that
in the cartridge to provide a little power, keeping didn’t mean that every type of RPG out there
the RAM active. This feature was used in the NES focused entirely on storytelling. There was still a
version of The Legend of Zelda, and in most RPGs big audience that had cut its teeth on the more
on the platform. With its major benefits obsolete, difficult titles of the earlier generations; they were
and the platform becoming riddled with cheaply catered to with more mechanically complex titles
developed junk, the Famicom Disk System was like Romancing SaGa.
abandoned within a few years. NEC also unveiled a CD-ROM attachment
for its PC Engine in 1988, being at the forefront
The 16-Bit era of technology. A CD could hold about 650
The next generation of games began in 1987 megabytes of data, an absolutely massive
with NEC’s PC Engine, which had an 8-bit CPU, amount compared to ROM cartridges. Graphics
as with the Famicom, but used a more powerful and script sizes were no longer of concern at
16-bit graphic processor for nicer visuals. This that scale; the extra space was typically used for
was followed up the next year by the SEGA Mega cutscenes, voice acting, and music. The visuals
Drive, a follow-up to the SEGA Mark III/Master in these cinematic elements were quite simple
System, which had floundered in Japan. In 1989, compared to those in later games – typically,
both were brought out in North America, renamed some stills with a limited amount of animation,
the TurboGrafx-16 and the Genesis, respectively. nothing compared to what was seen in TV
In 1991, Nintendo released its 16-bit competitor, or film animation – but they were still much
known as the Super Famicom in Japan and the more impressive than what could be found on
Super Nintendo Entertainment System elsewhere. cartridge games. Publishers often sprung for
Early 16-bit RPGs were basically 8-bit RPGs famous voice actors known for their work in
with slightly nicer graphics, but adhering to the anime production, giving video games an extra
same design templates. Some examples of these sense of legitimacy … though it also tended to
include Hudson’s Necromancer and SEGA’s chew through their budgets and result in games
Phantasy Star II. However, one of the main lacking in other, more important areas.
improvements of this era was the expansion of Strategy RPGs also became more popular –
cartridge ROM sizes. Early games weren’t much the style of game was established with Nintendo’s
bigger than Famicom titles, which mostly topped Fire Emblem in 1990, and its continuation on
out at four megabits (or half a megabyte); as the Famicom. Meanwhile, SEGA’s Shining Force
the generation went on and ROMs decreased proved to be a slightly less hardcore variation
in price, their size increased drastically, with meant for Mega Drive/Genesis gamers (and was
later releases like Chrono Trigger clocking in at one of the few of its kind localised into English)
32 megabits (or 4 megabytes). Part of this was to while Square’s Front Mission and Enix/Quest’s
allow for fancier graphics and visual effects. But, Tactics Ogre were hugely influential over later
perhaps more importantly, there was now room games. Nintendo also continued The Legend of
for larger scripts. Early games tended to have an Zelda series with A Link to the Past, while titles
opening text scroll and an ending, with the story like Square’s Secret of Mana, Falcom’s Ys IV and
delivered mostly through characters you talked to Quintet’s Heaven and Earth trilogy (Soul Blazer,
in towns. Much of this was due to size limitations, Illusion of Gaia, and Terranigma) refined the
which meant the storytelling had to be brief. action RPG concept.
12
The 32-bit era
brought along
plenty of fancy
cutscenes, as seen
in Final Fantasy VII
(left) but also even
deeper stories, as
in sci-fi mecha RPG
Xenogears (right).
On the English-speaking side, publishers still a television commercial campaign, quite rare for
struggled to introduce American and European the time, which focused almost entirely on its
gamers to Japanese RPGs. Game localisation was dramatic computer-rendered cutscenes. These
spotty, but most of those chosen were decent weren’t representative of how the game actually
enough to garner a faithful audience – Square looked during gameplay, but it didn’t matter – it
continued the Final Fantasy line with the fourth sure looked cool. That was how Square was able to
and sixth game, renaming them Final Fantasy II convince Americans to try out Final Fantasy VII,
and Final Fantasy III (the fifth game was skipped essentially by tricking them. But almost no one
entirely), SEGA localised its Mega Drive/Genesis seemed to mind, as the game became a critical
Phantasy Star titles, Capcom brought over its and commercial success, as well as a cultural
Breath of Fire series, and smaller companies, like phenomenon. Japanese RPGs had finally hit the
Natsume, licensed titles like Lufia. Unfortunately, international mainstream.
Dragon Quest/Warrior took a break from the With that foot firmly in the door, the
English speaking world during the 16-bit era. localisation of many similar titles could go ahead.
Despite this, there were still dozens of games, Square had already barrelled ahead, bringing us
many of excellent quality, like Seiken Densetsu 3, two more Final Fantasy games, the brainy sci-fi
that remained Japan-only. mecha game Xenogears, the cinematic horror
The PC Engine CD was released in North game Parasite Eve, and the oddball parallel-
America as the TurboGrafx-16 CD, but, outside dimension-hopping Chrono Cross. Along
of the port of Falcom’s Ys Book I & II, failed to with those was more eccentric fare like SaGa
make much of an impact. The SEGA CD made its Frontier, a follow-up to the obscure cult hit (and
way internationally, with its flagship RPG Lunar: previously Japan-only) Romancing SaGa series,
The Silver Star, which actually found a decent and Vagrant Story, a mechanically complex
fanbase in spite of a limited audience. But for the dungeon crawler. Sony was reluctant to focus too
most part, very few of these CD-ROM RPGs were much on RPGs, as their early offerings in Japan
released outside of Japan, as American publishers (Arc the Lad and Popolocrois) weren’t all that
opted to use the promise of full-motion video to graphically impressive, but they did begin their
appeal to gamers, something that proved to be a Wild Arms franchise, focusing on an anime-
fad relegated to the mid-’90s. style reimagination of the American Wild West.
Many other third-party companies localised
The 32-bit era their titles as well, ensuring a constant stream of
From an international standpoint, the PlayStation releases for the new, JRPG-hungry audience.
generation is one of the most important in the As for the type of games being produced,
Japanese RPG genre. And the most important again, many chose to follow the leader and base
game was, undoubtedly, Final Fantasy VII. themselves around the Final Fantasy template.
From a design standpoint, it wasn’t drastically That meant lots of cutscenes, typically spread
different from its predecessors, but it did feature across two or more CDs, either using computer-
numerous computer-rendered full-motion video rendered visuals or more traditional anime
cutscenes, as well as impressive 3D graphics cutscenes. This wasn’t necessarily true for some
during gameplay, which showed off the full power of the other franchises, who didn’t quite have
of Sony’s system. All of those videos also meant the budget to compete, improving their 16-bit
that the seemingly endless storage space of the games in other ways. Either way, all these games
CD-ROM was exhausted, as Final Fantasy VII was trended more towards longer, story-driven
released on three whole discs. It was, of course, experiences. For example, Dragon Quest V on
a massive success in Japan, but it finally the Super Famicom takes about 20 hours to
penetrated the overseas markets as well. beat, while Dragon Quest VII for the PlayStation
The common perception was that Americans easily takes over 100. That’s an extreme
liked action games … so what better way to sell example, but the playing time of 32-bit RPGs
them something than to advertise it as an action was often quite a bit longer than before, for better
game, even if it wasn’t? Final Fantasy VII received or worse.
13
Final Fantasy X
(left) for the
PlayStation 2
moved the series
closer to being an
interactive movie,
while the haunting
Shin Megami Tensei
series finally made
its official English
language debut
with the third
Strategy RPGs became more popular, largely Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, reorienting their game, subtitled
thanks to Final Fantasy Tactics, with games like gameplay to the portable format and making them Nocturne (right).
this, such as Front Mission 3 and Hoshigami, more suitable for a younger audience. This also
seeing release in North America. However, the type marked the first platform on which Fire Emblem
of action RPG that was popular in the 16-bit era would be released on in English.
largely fell out of favour, with the exception of a few
early Saturn games like Magic Knight Rayearth. The HD era
Action games in general were moving towards 3D, The high-definition consoles – the Xbox 360
with the standout being Nintendo’s The Legend of and the PlayStation 3 – proved to be an issue for
Zelda: The Ocarina of Time for the Nintendo 64, Japanese developers, owing to outdated practices.
so that became the benchmark for other games There were a number of reasons for this, but a
to follow, if they followed them at all. Dungeon big one was that they were not used to using
crawlers had largely died out. middleware graphics engine, instead creating
Interestingly, during much of this generation, their own in-house engines for each game.
most RPG developers were still reticent to use voice This may be have been workable in previous years,
acting. Almost none of the Square games of the but the increased budget and manpower necessary
era featured any of it (save for the humorous action to develop high-definition games made it far more
RPG Brave Fencer Musashi), and only a handful of difficult; meanwhile, Western developers were
games, like Game Arts’ Grandia, featured it at all. more comfortable working with other third-party
engines, particularly the Unreal Engine, which
The PlayStation 2/Game Boy Advance era was popular during this era. As a result, Western
The PlayStation 2 era moved the genres more into games flourished on these platforms while
cinematics. The greatly enhanced hardware meant Japanese games suffered.
that static 2D backgrounds were mostly discarded This was only in broad terms, though – there
in favour of fully 3D environments; characters were still plenty of Japanese games, particularly at
could be much more realistically rendered, and the beginning of the generation. The Xbox was a
animated as well. This led, of course, to even failure in Japan, and Microsoft was keen to make
more video, particularly as seen in Square’s a better effort for the Xbox 360, courting many
Final Fantasy X and Monolith’s Xenosaga series. Japanese developers so they made titles aimed
Dialogue in this type of game could no longer be at their own market. They were prolific early on,
pantomimed either, so it was provided by voice with titles like Mistwalker’s Blue Dragon and Lost
actors. By this point, the dubbing quality was Odyssey, and Namco’s Tales of Vesperia. However,
improving, so it was no longer as painful as in the this push only lasted a few years, as the PlayStation 3
old days. eventually caught up, and Japanese games
Many more titles were also chosen for returned to Sony’s home. The Nintendo Wii was not
localisation. Shin Megami Tensei finally had high definition, and thereby cheaper to develop for,
a release in English, as did its many spinoffs, but while the system had a large install base, it was
including the breakout hit Persona 3. Nippon primarily casual gamers, with role-playing fans
Ichi, a small company specialising in quirky preferring more powerful consoles; therefore, the
strategy-RPGs, also saw some hits with games number of RPGs released on the system ended up
like Disgaea. Franchises that were successful in being pretty small. However, near the end of the
the 32-bit era continued onward, like Grandia system’s life cycle, Nintendo published a number
and Suikoden. of high-quality RPGs, including Xenoblade
Meanwhile, Nintendo also unveiled the Game Chronicles, The Last Story, and Pandora’s Tower.
Boy Advance, with hardware quality roughly on a Unfortunately, none were scheduled for English
level with the Super Nintendo. As RPGs go, there release. This prompted a fan campaign called
wasn’t much original content – there were ports of Operation Rainfall, comparing the lack of games
SNES games like Breath of Fire, and new entries in to a waterless desert, and requesting that these
the Pokémon series. There was, however, Camelot’s games see international release. Nintendo of
Golden Sun, which was flashy and impressive, as Europe eventually localised these titles, which
well as follow-ups to well regarded SRPGs like soon came out in North America as well.
14
The long-awaited
Final Fantasy VII
Remake (left) and
Persona 5 (right)
are two of the most
popular JRPGs in
recent years.
Due to the ballooning costs of console games were wildly different from what one would
development, most Japanese developers instead normally consider to be Japanese RPGs, their
concentrated on portable platforms, which at this demanding difficulty levels made them a preferable
point were the Nintendo DS and Sony PlayStation alternative to the cinematic games coming from
Portable (PSP). This was particularly evident with Western developers at the time, which prioritised
Dragon Quest IX – typically, the latest Dragon the “experience” over gameplay, and were made
Quest was published on the most popular approachable so anyone could beat them. First-
system, which in this case, in Japan, happened person dungeon crawlers also saw a resurgence on
to be the DS. From a technical standpoint, the Nintendo DS, thanks to Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey.
this also meant that these games were closer
to their PlayStation or Nintendo 64 versions. The modern era
Generally speaking, the quality of many of these Things began to pick up for the Japanese scene,
games was often middling, attempting to reach though. The next generation of portable consoles,
the heights of previous generations but never the Nintendo 3DS and Sony PlayStation Vita,
quite getting there. The biggest example of this strengthened the hardware, putting them closer to
was Imageepoch, a company specialising in RPGs the PlayStation 2, even adding improvements like
that proclaimed they would save the genre, but analogue controls that made them easy to play.
their titles were rarely well-reviewed (some were The quality of the games improved as well, with
terrible) and never really all that popular. It didn’t the return of the Shin Megami Tensei series via
help that portable consoles in the West were often its fourth entry, as well as the new Bravely Default
seen as primarily for kids; rampant piracy on both from Square, a stirring tribute to Final Fantasy’s
platforms also meant that some publishers just 16-bit titles.
didn’t bother to localise many of their games. The next generation of consoles – the
Western RPGs were also beginning to PlayStation 4, the Xbox One, and Nintendo Wii
find their footing on consoles. Previously these U (and shortly after that system’s failure, the
games were focused primarily on the computer Switch) saw a resurgence in Japanese games,
market, but games like BioWare’s Mass Effect and particularly RPGs. This was simply down to
Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion proved increased experience with the hardware. While the
to be hugely successfully, primarily because they games still often look lower budget than Western
were created with both accessibility and mass AAA games, they still manage to look stylish, with
appeal. In some ways, this was the same thing surprise hits like Nier Automata. The Yakuza
Dragon Quest had done on the Famicom 20 years games, popular in Japan since the PlayStation 2 era
prior. During this time, gamers began to compare but long floundering in the West, also exploded in
these cinematic, sprawling, big budget Western international popularity, largely thanks to stronger
RPGs to their Japanese counterparts … and the localisation efforts and marketing. Atlus’ Persona
Japanese games ended up coming off lacking, series was already picking up steam, with the long-
especially thanks to tepidly received games like awaited fifth game becoming a massive hit among
Final Fantasy XIII. Some were eager to claim that English-speaking fans. The era of portable-only
the “JRPG was dead”. This wasn’t actually true – platforms had also come to an end, with Sony
genres don’t really die, they just rest – but it was bowing out after the Vita, and Nintendo making a
clear they were on the downturn. hybrid portable/TV console with the Switch, so the
That’s not say there weren’t some great line between the markets was basically gone.
games, though. The World Ends With You, a While Japanese RPGs are perhaps not as
stylish RPG from Square for the DS, was wildly abundant as they were back in the ’90s or early
innovative, and SEGA’s Valkyria Chronicles proved 2000s, and the market has seen its ups and downs,
to be a strategy-RPG cult classic. Xenoblade that’s certainly no indicator of low quality. Even
didn’t make an appearance until near the end though Western games like The Witcher 3 still get
of the Wii’s life, but it’s easily one of the best of rave reviews, Japanese RPGs are still unique in
the era. FromSoftware’s Demon’s Souls was a ways that make them stand out from their Western
surprise hit, and their follow-up series Dark Souls counterparts, making them an essential part of
became an international success. While all these the gaming landscape.
15
Localisation
When it comes to language translation, video Japanese can be written entirely using either (or
games have a number of issues that make it both) of these syllabaries, and early games often
significantly more difficult than in other mediums. used only them, but they can be difficult to read,
For books, you just write new text; for movies, you even for native Japanese speakers.
just subtitle or dub over the voices. Altering text The third syllabary contains the more
in video games is substantially more complicated complicated kanji characters based on Chinese –
because they require skilled programmers to there are thousands of kanji, with a bare minimum
replace the text. Ideally, these should be the same of about two thousand required for basic reading
staff that implemented the Japanese text in the comprehension. Despite the large number of
first place, but situations are rarely ideal, and this these, they provide structure and meaning to
was quite a difficult task, particularly in the 8- and Japanese sentences and make them quicker to
16-bit days. comprehend. The problem here is obvious though
To understand these issues requires some – there is no way to fit all of these kanji into an
basic knowledge of the Japanese language. 8-bit integer. Early games may have limited the
Japanese is remarkably compact, one of the main number to a hundred or so to fit under the limit,
reasons being that its phonetic symbols represent but that’s barely anything. And so, when more
syllables rather than individual letters. “Pokémon”, complex games began using kanji, the text engine
for example, is seven English letters, but is spelled was changed to use 16-bit (or double byte) integers,
in four characters in Japanese. For quite a long which can hold 65536 values.
time, Japanese games were made primarily with However, an issue arose with English, as
the Japanese audience in mind, with other double byte integers were a massive waste of
languages being a distant secondary concern, space. Sentences written in English would take
so only enough space for Japanese words was up substantially more ROM space than sentences
made. Thus in the in-game menus, “Pokémon” in Japanese. Considering that ROM space was
is often abbreviated to “Pkmn”. This applied to at a premium, this meant that there just wasn’t
character names too – many Japanese names enough space for a proper English translation.
fit within four characters, so that was the space Of course, this issue would be resolved if the text
provided. For example, the hero of Chrono Trigger engine were rewritten to use single byte characters,
is supposed to be named “Chrono”, which consists but the effort required was often too great for the
of three characters in Japanese. However, the programmers, resulting in a more straightforward
game limited this spot to five characters, so when solution – just tell the English translator or editor
it was localised in English, it had to be truncated to cut the script to make it fit. It was functional,
to “Crono”, which sounds the same but looks but also resulted in abridged English scripts of
pretty weird. There are scores of examples like this lower quality than their Japanese counterparts.
in early video games. Those are the most significant issues, but
The obvious solution to this problem should there are other conundrums. Japanese characters
be “just add more space” and of course the are monospaced, with each symbol having the
reasons why not are complex, and require some same width. Typical English fonts do not – the
technical knowledge. Text display in computers “l” is thinner than the “E”, for example. The most
is typically handled with 8-bit (or single byte) straightforward implementation was just to
integers, which can hold up to 256 values, each enforce English monospace fonts, which worked,
correlating to a letter or symbol (0 = “a”, 1 = “b”, but look ugly. (Many 8-bit games used these, but
2 = “c” and so forth). Both upper and lower case they can be seen as late as Dragon Warrior VII
letters (26 in each case) in the English alphabet, as on the PlayStation.) Alternatively, the text engine
well as punctuation marks and assorted accented would need to be rewritten to use variable width
characters easily fit into the 256 character limit. fonts, so letters could be spaced correctly.
Japanese uses three syllabaries, two of which We’ve gone over a few of the technical issues,
– hiragana and katakana – are phonetic. There but there were other roadblocks too. Japanese
are 46 characters in each, and together, these companies of the ’80s and ’90s operated on a
also easily fit into the 256 character limit. very different wavelength from their American
16
A couple of famous
translation gaffes
are pictured here:
Breath of Fire II
for the SNES
(left) with some
unnatural sounding
dialogue, and Final
Fantasy VII for the
PlayStation (right)
with an obvious
grammatical error.
counterparts. The ocean between them made there’s a monster called a “Wyvern” but the text
communication slow and problematic; it often relied refers to a “Y Burn”. This error is obvious when
on fax machines to send data. Despite the money looking at it during the game, but the translator
flowing in from overseas, Japanese companies also likely didn’t realise it was supposed to be an enemy
didn’t really feel it was of much concern to them, name, the Japanese programmer implementing the
since they were so physically far away, it may as well text likely didn’t understand it, and quality control
have been a different world. didn’t catch it, if such a department even tested it.
Additionally, translating text required … well, Another major issue with translation and
translators. Since these early video games were localisation is cultural. Different cultures across
often targetted towards kids, who are typically not the world have different histories and values,
the greatest judges of language quality, Japanese and commercial marketplaces are often different
companies skimped on hiring professionals, as well. Nintendo of America in particular was a
simply finding anyone in their vicinity who had little overprotective – their market was primarily
some grasp of the language and having them children, but the games were purchased by their
translate it. The poor quality of the results was parents, whom they didn’t want to offend. They
often extremely apparent, and while it may have prevented the use of crosses and pentagrams
flown in action-based games with little text, it in their titles, for fear of offending conservative
was a huge issue with titles like Final Fantasy II, Christian parents. References to alcohol were
where the story was the major point of the scrubbed out too, for fear that it would be seen
experience. In this case, Square eventually hired as promoting underage drinking. Japanese
skilled localisers, usually native English speakers, children’s media is also a bit more permissive of
to help improve the text, though they often had sexual humour than its American counterpart, so
to work on tight deadlines. One of the most such jokes had to be rewritten.
notable early English language translators and Other issues went beyond typical standards
script writers was Ted Woolsey (Secret of Mana, and practices, though. Pretty much every Japanese
Final Fantasy III/VI, Chrono Trigger), but other child at the time knew what Doraemon and
notable translators and localisation directors Gundam were, but these were completely unknown
for Square include Alexander O. Smith (Vagrant at the time to Americans. Seaweed-wrapped
Story, Final Fantasy XII) and Richard Honeywood rice balls (called origiri) are extremely common
(Chrono Cross, Dragon Quest VIII, Ni no Kuni). in Japanese cuisine, but at the time in America,
An early proponent of quality localisations was they were completely unseen outside of Asian
Working Designs, who largely trafficked in anime- grocery markets. The list goes on – historical and
style RPGs like Lunar: The Silver Star and Popful mythological references, Shintoism or Buddism
Mail. Their translations weren’t always authentic, – most American kids had no idea what any of
often sticking in bits of humour and pop culture these things were. Some games changed these
references where they weren’t entirely appropriate, references – changing rice balls to hamburgers
but they were also much better written than those was common – while others were left in place even
in most other 16-bit RPGs. if very few understood what they meant.
Video games are also unlike books or scripts in Some of these issues changed as the audience
that they are not linear. Much of the dialogue comes got older, and with this change, came the ESRB,
from NPCs, which the player can talk to at their leisure. the American ratings organisation that classified
Much of the text consists of item or enemy names, whether games were meant for kids, teenagers,
too. Japanese scripts were typically not organised or adults. As long as they were rated properly,
in a comprehensible manner, which meant that the the alcohol references could stay, and female
translator had to deal with disparate bits of text, characters no longer needed to cover up. Religious
lacking in context. And since the translators rarely iconography also stayed, because, as it turned out
had access to the games themselves to check, they nobody really took offence at their presence, and
had make their best educated guesses as to what the titles that did have overt religious themes (like
text was referring to. Mistakes were not uncommon Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne and Xenogears)
– in the PlayStation release of Final Fantasy V, flew under their radar anyway.
17
In the English
Dragon Quest
Builders (left), the
enemies known
in Japan as the
Lava Demon
and Ice Demon
get much more
amusing names: the
Magmalice and the
Firn Fiend. Some of
the character accents
Around this time, publishers also paid more give everything a medieval feel. That went away as are wild, as this
attention to localisations, to help better adapt the the series went on, but with Dragon Quest VIII on Goodybag monster
material for international audiences. This tended the PlayStation 2, Square Enix put a lot of effort (right) speaks in
to rankle with gamers who clamoured for more into the English language versions, adding in Polari slang.
“authentic” translations that hewed as closely voice acting that wasn’t in the original Japanese
as possible to the original Japanese text. But release, and utilising both British spellings
“authenticity” doesn’t really mean much when and British voice actors. Many of the enemies
translating between languages, especially ones as were granted new names that had either fun
different as Japanese and English. Translating a alliterations or goofy puns. (The Ham Shamwitch,
Japanese sentence literally can eliminate its nuance denoting a hat-wearing pig, is both hilarious and
and humour, so the better approach is to take the fun to say.) It also makes use of accents, though it
same concept and rewrite it in a way that’s natural can be hard to read out French or Scottish accents
to native speakers. A given line of text should when written in text.
inspire the same emotional reactions regardless of Other cross-cultural issues have become
the language, even if it means rewriting the actual more apparent over the years. The most prominent
sentence. example was Nintendo’s and Monolith’s Xenoblade
The amount of adaptation depends on Chronicles X – in its original Japanese release,
the game itself, as well as its audience. A good it features an android that looks like a 12-year-old
example of this is Pokémon, primarily meant girl, and includes an incredibly skimpy bikini as
for children, which localises many of the names an optional outfit for her. Nintendo of America
of the eponymous creatures. Fushigidane, for realised this wouldn’t fly, and so removed the
example, means absolutely nothing to an English costume. (They also removed the ability to
speaker, but its English counterpart, Bulbasaur, customise the female avatar’s chest size, regardless
brings to mind a dinosaur with a plant bulb … of her clothing.)
which is exactly what it is. On the other hand, The rise of social media also enabled
the Persona games are meant for teenagers minority voices to speak out against negative
and adults, who may be interested in Japanese portrayals. A key example of this is a scene in
culture, so the localisation even retains things Persona 5, where a teenage character, Ryuji,
like Japanese honorifics (suffixes like -“san” and is approached by a stereotypically homosexual duo.
“-kun”, which imply respect levels and camaraderie Their actions are meant to be comical but come off
between characters). Nintendo of America and its as perpetrating predatory stereotypes. For the re-
localisation department, Treehouse, tend to be release, Persona 5 Royal, the English localisation
more creative with its text, adding in quite a bit of team rewrote the scene to make the characters less
playful humour, resulting in games that may not be predatory, while still keeping the humour.
completely faithful to their Japanese counterparts, In the end, the old saying holds: translation
but feel far more natural to native English speakers really is more of an art than a science.
than a more direct translation would allow.
One of the best RPG localisations is Square’s Fan Translations
Vagrant Story by Alexander O. Smith. Much The language barrier in JRPGs obviously proves
of the English version was written as if it were to be a tremendous issue for non-Japanese
a Shakespearean play, with lots of flowery and speakers. Many gaming magazines through the
dramatic dialogue. It works stunningly well, ’90s had international sections that listed all of
and that same style has since been tied to the the amazing-looking games that would probably
works of that game’s director, Yasumi Matsuno. never leave Japan, including sequels to popular
Subsequent games, like Final Fantasy XII, and the titles, like Final Fantasy V and Seiken Densetsu 3.
re-localisations of the PSP ports of Final Fantasy Some intrepid fans wrote guides and posted them
Tactics and Tactics Ogre, share this style. on the internet, for print-out, to help during play,
Of particular note are the localisations but this was unwieldy. However, it was possible for
of the Dragon Quest games. When originally fans to hack into the game’s ROM files, translate
released in English as Dragon Warrior, the text the script, and add it back in, making the game
had a fictional Ye Olde English-style writing, to playable in English, or any other language.
18
Two early English
fan translations:
SD Snatcher (left)
for the MSX2 by
Oasis, and Tales of
Phantasia (right)
for the Super
Famicom by DeJap
Translations.
Naturally, this is all much easier said than has a fan translation by longtime EarthBound
done. The localisation problems we discussed fan Clyde “Tomato” Mandelin that’s easily on the
earlier were tough enough, despite assuming that same level as official translations from Nintendo.
the programming would be done by the original Some official translations were also
developers, or at least people who had access to notoriously poor, or suffered from technical
the source code. From the consumer end, all that’s constraints. One of the most notorious is Breath
available is the compiled ROM, which means it of Fire II for the SNES, but there’s a fan patch by
basically needs to be reverse engineered to figure Ryusui and d4s that completely retranslates the
out where the text is located, and how to change script into much more readable English, making
it. This requires a whole lot of trial and error, for a far better experience. Hacking fixes more than
not to mention various tools built into emulators. just text though, as glitches and other annoying
Even more problems arise, because some RPGs of localisation tweaks can also be addressed. Enix’s
the era tended to be held together with the digital The 7th Saga was made ridiculously hard in the
equivalent of duct tape, and often crashed if even overseas version; a fan patch can adjust it to match
something minor went wrong. As a result, it takes the Japanese original. Many Working Designs
an enormous amount of time and effort for the titles had stat tweaks that made the game more
hackers, translators, and testers to be able to create frustrating and difficult; fan patches also alleviate
a fully playable product in another language. these problems.
The first English fan translation, at least There’s an obvious issue of legality here,
as far as anyone can figure out, was Oasis’ which fan translation groups try to get around.
SD Snatcher for the MSX2, seemingly released in Distributing a pre-modified ROM is definitely
Europe in the early ’90s. As the game was released copyright infringement, so instead, patches are
on disks, it was fairly easy to read and modify distributed that only contain the revised text,
the game’s files. Cartridges are a different story which can be applied to a Japanese ROM to
though, and while there were black market game change the language. This still treads a murky
copiers that let people dump the ROM files onto line, because, technically, even spreading
a disk to be read (and copied) by computers, these translations of copyright text is not strictly legal,
were expensive and hard to get hold of. It wasn’t but it’s something that game publishers tend
until the mid-’90s that internet access became to look away from, especially in the case of very
widespread, and console emulators evolved to the old games where the publisher might no longer
point where they could offer an experience almost exist. But it’s helped keep many games alive in
identical to playing on a real console. At this point, English-speaking circles, enough that some even
various groups like Aeon Genesis and DeJap received official translations down the line (like
Translations began translating titles. the aforementioned Final Fantasy V, and Seiken
As for the quality of the translations, they Densetsu 3, localised as Trials of Mana).
are done by amateurs, so they can vary. One of However, even today, it’s really only
the most infamous fan translations is DeJap’s the popular titles that get a second chance
Tales of Phantasia for the Super Famicom, in the wider marketplace. There are still
which took liberties with some dialogue to inject scores and scores of games that will never
some adult humour. This is in line with many be released in English, and are really only
fan-subtitled anime of the late ’90s, particularly playable with fan translations; there are
Dragon Ball Z, which added numerous extra even more with no fan translations at all.
curse words, as anime is reputedly not for kids. As of 2020, none of the PC Engine Tengai
However, it’s not like professional translations Makyou games are playable in English;
didn’t often rewrite text in inappropriate ways despite being a huge factor in the 16-bit JRPG
(as Working Designs often did). Plus, since landscape, they are almost unknown among
amateurs are often doing it solely out of passion, English speakers. So the ROM hacking groups
and they aren’t working under deadlines or other play a hugely important part in making sure
constraints, they usually do a pretty good job. these games are more widely understood by the
In particular, Mother 3 for the Game Boy Advance international gaming audience.
19
Soundtracks
Video game music was simple in the beginning, the ’70s and ’80s. He was so impressed with
often relegated to little ditties as sound effects, one of Enix’s early shogi (Japanese chess)
played during the game. But arcade sound titles that he wrote them a letter, and was
hardware improved in the early ’80s, allowing for shortly thereafter hired to compose for them.
simple but catchy melodies as heard in games like For Dragon Quest, Sugiyama channelled the works
Namco’s Mappy and The Tower of Druaga. While of composers like Richard Wagner, with the title
systems like the ColecoVision could play music, screen theme becoming one of the most iconic in
they were rarely used effectively. The Nintendo all of video gaming. In 1986, the soundtrack was
Entertainment System was the first home console rearranged for a live orchestra for the Dragon
with more complex sound hardware, and theme Quest Suite soundtrack, which led to orchestral
songs for games like Super Mario Bros. and The concerts and many types of rendition for nearly
Legend of Zelda, both by composer Koji Kondo, every game in the series.
proved to be an essential accompaniment to the One of the other big RPG developers of the
action. This resulted in a whole industry focused late ’80s was Square, with many of its soundtracks
on video game music, selling soundtrack CDs being the work of its in-house composer Nobuo
with recordings of game compositions as well Uematsu. His soundtracks to the first three Final
as arrangements using live instruments. Many Fantasy games are decent, and also received
companies even formed their own in-house bands, arranged CDs, but it was really Final Fantasy IV
like SEGA’s SST Band and Taito’s Zuntata. for the SNES that put him on the map.
The video game music industry was spurred The SNES sound chip was sample-based, able
on first and foremost by hobbyists. Early on, sound to use recordings of various instruments rather
hardware companies used PSG (programmable than computer-generated sounds, and it was an
sound generation) synthesis. However, one of incredible bit of technology for the time. Uematsu
the big turning points was the YM2203 sound continued to compose for the Final Fantasy series
synthesizer, included with the PC8801mkIISR regularly up until the tenth entry (and contributed
home computer and also available as separate sporadically afterwards), while Square hired more
accessory. The music in early PC games was composers who would go on to fantastic careers
simple beeps, if it existed at all; many were played – Yasunori Mitsuda, known for Chrono Trigger,
in silence. The first big title with notable music was Chrono Cross, and Xenogears; Yoko Shimomura,
1986’s Xanadu Scenario II, which featured music who had worked on Street Fighter II with Capcom
by budding composer Yuzo Koshiro, who had sent and did Front Mission, Live-A-Live, Legend of
a demo tape into Falcom, which decided to use Mana, and Kingdom Hearts for Square; Kenji Ito,
his tracks. This sparked Falcom’s reputation for known for SaGa and its many related titles; Masashi
excellent soundtracks, leading to 1987’s All Over Hamauzu, originally a contributor to Final Fantasy
Xanadu, an arranged album played in a variety of X before being put in charge for Final Fantasy XIII,
styles using guitars, synthesizers and saxophones. as well as other games like SaGa Frontier II and
Credited to the Xanadu Rockalight Orchestra, the Unlimited Saga; and many others. They also created
company eventually formed the Falcom JDK Band, many types of arranged soundtrack for their games,
which is credited for the company’s soundtracks varying the musical style – Final Fantasy IV had an
to this day. Meanwhile, Koshiro supplied music arranged album called Celtic Moon featuring (of
for a number of other Falcom RPGs, like Legacy course) Celtic-inspired music, while Chrono Trigger
of the Wizard and Sorcerian, and later gained received one called The Brink of Time, an eccentric
international fame with his incredible music for jazz fusion album. This allowed for a wide variety of
Quintet’s ActRaiser and SEGA’s Streets of Rage. interpretations of the soundtracks.
He later returned to the FM synthesizer style that The Megami Tensei games were exclusive to
kickstarted his career with Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey Japan for a long time, but their soundtracks were
series, which was a throwback to classic first- fairly well regarded there. The early works were
person dungeon crawlers. provided primarily by Tsukasa Masuko, an early
Dragon Quest, released in 1986, was also employee of Atlus. Megami Tensei II is one of the
one of the most influential series in video game handful of Famicom cartridges to include an extra
music. This used the works of Koichi Sugiyama, sound synthesizer, bolstering the music with extra,
a classically trained composer who had worked stronger sound channels, and its moody rock style
on many films and commercials through continued on the Super Famicom and into the
20
Left-to-right, top-
to-bottom: All Over
Xanadu, Symphonic
Suite Dragon Quest
V, Final Fantasy VIII
Original Soundtrack
and Octopath
Traveler Original
Soundtrack.
32-bit era. With the PlayStation 2 games, Masuko the 16-bit era, Final Fantasy VI had over 60 tracks,
took a back seat, with Shoji Meguro becoming the with the soundtrack spread across three CDs.
series’ primary composer. While he has a distinct Beyond the ones listed above, there are
rock style, many of his works mix in other genres, several other notable composers. The duo Hitoshi
like the hip-hop tracks in Persona 3 or the jazzy Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata got their start
feel of Persona 5. similarly to that of Yuzo Koshiro, writing music
The advent of CD-ROM technology allowed the for homebrew Japanese PC games before getting
video game music industry to leap forward. Despite hired by Quest for games like Magical Chase.
the famous works in video games in the late ’80s and But it was their work on Ogre Battle that defined
early ’90s, the mass gaming audience still saw video their signature orchestral style, which can be
game music as being simple bleeps and bloops, but heard in later games like Final Fantasy Tactics,
CD-ROM games could play recorded music of any type, Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy XII. Sakimoto also
since they also functioned as audio CDs. Publishers founded the music production studio Basiscape,
pushed this hard, especially with games like Ys Book expanding its team of composers to work on
I & II, which took an already famous soundtrack games like Odin Sphere and Dragon’s Crown.
(in Japan anyway) and rearranged it with high- Motoi Sakuraba worked closely on many
energy synthesizers. Without the limits of sound titles for Telenet and Wolf Team, with his breakout
chips, composers could provide any type of music console games being Tales of Phantasia and Star
they wanted, though much of it was based on ’80s Ocean for the Super Famicom. He’s worked closely
and ’90s pop music. with both Namco and tri-Ace on many of their
While diverse styles of music were found games, but also contributed to work by Camelot
across many types of games, role-playing game (Golden Sun) and FromSoftware (Dark Souls).
soundtracks are typically the most lauded. The He’s big into progressive rock, though some of his
main reason behind this is that role-playing games works also use a firmer orchestral sound.
are almost always long. They feature plenty of These are but a few of the big names among
different locales, and you’re expected to listen to JRPG fans, but there are many other distinctive
the same songs on loop for hours on end. Since soundtracks from a wide variety of composers;
you’re subjected to them for so long, they’d better more recent hits include The World Ends With You
be good! Early soundtracks still didn’t have many (Takeharu Ishimoto), Octopath Traveler (Yasunori
tracks – Dragon Quest only has eight tunes – but as Nishiki), Bravely Default (Revo), and both Nier
the 16-bit era progressed, the games grew in size, as games (Keiichi Okabe, Kakeru Ishihama, Keigo
did the number of tracks they needed. By the end of Hoashi, and Takafumi Nishimura).
21
Anime
The worlds of Japanese video games, manga, and a TV series from 2001, which is Final Fantasy in
anime have been intertwined since their inception; name only. Later adaptations were more closely
consequently there are many cases of cross-media tied to individual games, like Final Fantasy VII:
adaptations. However, the nature of these often Advent Children, a fully CGI film sequel that takes
varies from property to property. Listed here are place after that game’s ending, and Final Fantasy
some of the more popular series. XV: Kingsglaive, another CGI film that explains
The first RPG adaptation was Falcom’s the game’s backstory.
Xanadu, a computer game released in 1985. The first OVA for Megami Tensei is an
However, the game itself didn’t have much of a adaptation of the original novel rather than the
story – there was a generic fantasy-world setting, game, though there was a follow-up released in
but as with most games of the time, the player 1994 that was released internationally as Tokyo
controlled a user-created avatar, and the entire Revelation. This anime borrows one of the main
game was spent crawling through dungeons, themes of the game, demon summoning, as a
which doesn’t exactly make for compelling way to appeal to fans of the occult, but otherwise
storytelling. In 1987, Falcom employee Kazuhiko doesn’t tie into any of the main games nor
Tsuzuki created a single volume manga called feature any of the other main aspects (the post-
Xanadu: Dragon Slayer Legend, which created apocalyptic, cyberpunk aesthetic, the mythological
a new backstory, involving a soldier from the creatures) that made the core series so compelling.
future who fell back into a medieval world. Due to the English name, it’s nearly impossible to
Despite being only tenuously related to the tell that it was meant to be a Shin Megami Tensei
game, other than sharing some terminology, tie-in to begin with, other than by the occasional
like “Dragon Slayer sword”, this was used as the appearance of the game’s logo.
basis for a single-episode OVA, released in 1988. Some games only received partial
The artwork for the manga and anime was later adaptations, like Nintendo’s Fire Emblem and
used for certain releases of the PC game, even Falcom’s Dragon Slayer: Legend of Heroes, both
though the characters, warrior Fieg and bikini-clad released as OVAs with two episodes each. Since
archer Riel, don’t appear in the game themselves. these only introduced the story, they’re either
By this time, Dragon Quest fever was meant as ways for fans to see these characters fully
sweeping Japan, which eventually led to two animated with voice actors, or as an introduction
anime series. Rather than directly adapting any for potential fans, leading them into the game.
of the games, new characters and stories were Both of these were released in English, but at
created, essentially giving a brand new experience, the time of their release in the late ’90s, none
even for those familiar with the games. The first, of the Fire Emblem games had been localised
Yuusha Abel Densetsu (“The Legend of Hero (the hero’s name was translated here as Mars,
Abel”) ran for 43 episodes between 1989 and 1990 rather than Marth, as he would later be known),
– the first 13 episodes were actually dubbed by and Dragon Slayer was only on the relatively
Saban Entertainment and released internationally obscure TurboGrafx-16 CD-ROM system.
as Dragon Warrior. The second series, Dai no One of the better OVA adaptations of the
Daibouken, was an even bigger hit, with 46 time was Falcom’s Ys, released as two series: four
episodes and three films, along with a 37-volume episodes based on the first game, and seven based
manga series. This resonated so strongly among on the second. Both of these effectively adapted the
the fanbase that it received a revival, along with a games’ stories, while adding in extra plot elements
video game tie-in, nearly 30 years later, in 2020. that made them more suitable for the format.
Final Fantasy’s first anime tie-in came with Fans could now see boss battles fully animated, and
Legend of the Crystals, a four-episode OVA released the soundtrack even consists of new arrangements
in 1994. Ostensibly a sequel to Final Fantasy V, of classic tunes.
it takes place 200 years after that game’s story. Namco’s Tales series has a number of
Despite the presence of elements like crystals and adaptations of varying natures. Of the TV series,
Chocobos, it barely feels related to the core series. Tales of Eternia (based on the game known as
The same can be said of Final Fantasy Unlimited, Tales of Destiny II in English) features the same
22
Featured left-to-
right, top to-bottom:
Dragon Slayer:
Xanadu, Ys: Book
One, Dragon Quest:
Dai no Daibouken,
Fire Emblem, Sakura
Wars, and Tales of
the Abyss.
characters, but in new stories unrelated to the Of course, one of the most popular anime
games; meanwhile, Tales of the Abyss is a closer adaptations is Pokémon, which ended up being just
adaptation of the actual game. Other entries, like one part of a massive franchise. Beginning in 1997,
Phantasia, Symphonia, Vesperia, and Zestiria and based on the original Game Boy games, the tale
have shorter OVAs or film tie-ins, some of which of Ash Ketchum (based on the design of the main
flesh out the games’ stories. tri-Ace’s Star Ocean: trainer from the game) has gone on for 22 seasons,
The Second Story also received an adaptation all based on various Pokémon games, along with
known as Star Ocean EX, though even across its 26 22 animated films, and one Hollywood live action/
episodes, it doesn’t quite reach the end of the story. CGI blend, Detective Pikachu. This set down the
Sakura Wars also received a few anime template for many other properties aimed at kids,
releases, including a full TV series covering the including Digimon, Medabots, Monster Rancher,
events of the first Saturn game, a few OVAs, and Inazuma Eleven, and Yo-kai Watch.
even a movie. Since SEGA had neglected to bring There have been numerous manga tie-ins too,
the actual games out in North America, this at some of which were, technically, used as the basis
least allowed overseas fans to enjoy the franchise for the anime. There is plenty of video game manga
in some capacity. that doesn’t directly adapt a game’s story so much
Some of the modern Shin Megami Tensei as focus on individual characters. Many of these
spinoffs have more accurate anime adaptations are displayed in 4-koma (“four-panel”) format,
– Persona 3 received a number of films, while most of which are comedic in nature. These are
Persona 4, Persona 5, and Devil Survivor 2 typically created by artists other than those who
received faithful ones as well, so anime watchers made the main game, allowing them to reinterpret
can experience the story without having played familiar characters in different contexts, without
the games. having to adhere to a particular story.
23
Attack and
Dethrone God
There are plenty of well known tropes in Japanese due to Christian intolerance of Shintoism and
RPGs, like dudes with spiky hair and big swords, Buddhism, and slave trading), so a series of
but probably the most unusual, at least to Western edicts was introduced at the end of the century
audiences, is the recurring trend of killing God. that banned the religion from the country. This
Please note that this section includes spoilers for continued until the Meiji Restoration in 1868, after
several games, since the fact that a god is actually which Christian practice was again permitted, but
evil is a common plot twist. Major plot elements it’s still a minority religion, with about 1.5 million
are revealed here for Megami Tensei II, Final practising as of 2015.
Fantasy Legend, Xenogears, Breath of Fire II, Probably the most important video game in
Final Fantasy Tactics, Final Fantasy X, Xenosaga, terms of understanding the broad attitude towards
and Dragon Quest VII. Christianity is Atlus’ Megami Tensei series, in which
The most obvious explanation is that gods and mythological beings of all faiths and
“godhood” is the ultimate form for a human to religions co-exist. Thor, the Greek god of Thunder,
achieve, particularly bad guys. Conflicts need is just as real as Amaterasu, the Japanese god of the
villains, and many RPGs feature tyrannical sun, or Lucifer, the Christian devil. And if Zeus, the
kings, demons, or monsters, so eventually things leader of the Greek gods, who toyed with humans
escalate further and further until you’re taking in cruel ways, is real, then why not the Christian
on something or someone with almighty power. God? A recurring enemy in the series is YHVH, or
This is seen a lot in 16-bit games, especially titles Yahweh, the Hebrew name of the Christian God –
from Square, where the main bad guys fashion here, he is based on his Old Testament activities,
themselves as incredibly elaborate idols, which such as destroying nearly all of humanity with a
was not only thematically impressive but also a flood, rather than being the love-thy-neighbour
good way to show off the skill of the company’s version described by Jesus Christ in the New
sprite artists. Testament. YHVH ends up being a recurring
But beyond this, many JRPGs have antagonist in the franchise, it being one of the few
another recurring theme – namely, distrust of in which you actually fight the Biblical God, rather
organised religion. To understand why, involves than a non-denominational or allegorical being.
understanding religion in Japan. Most Japanese This can be seen in Capcom’s Breath of Fire II,
practice Shintoism, Buddhism, or both, since where the main antagonist, Deathevan, creates
they are not mutually exclusive. They actually the St. Eva Church with the intention of collecting
differ substantially from other world religions human souls. Considering how, historically,
like Christianity, Hinduism and Islam in that European Christians preached the gospel of Christ
they aren’t organised in the same way; they are a while capturing Japanese citizens and selling them
series of spiritual rituals and beliefs. Shintoism into slavery, it’s easy to see how the Christian
is polytheistic, with thousands upon thousands church could be viewed negatively. Something
of “kami”, which can be gods or other forces of similar can be seen in Final Fantasy Tactics and
nature. While Shintoism has its own creation the Church of Glabados, which focuses on the
myth, there is no established creator in Buddhism. Christ-like figure of Saint Ajora, who was actually
Indeed, Buddhists don’t even worship Buddha as a possessed by an evil demon. Final Fantasy X has
god, but rather as a figure to be admired. followers of the teachings of Yevon, drawn in due to
The history of Christianity in Japan is a little the constant cycle of death that plagues their land,
rocky. Christian missionaries came from Europe in although Yevon is eventually revealed to be the
1542 and actively began to convert many Japanese, cause of all their world’s destruction and suffering.
but the daimyou Toyotomi Hideyoshi became All in all, entities that make great promises, but
threatened by its growing influence (primarily are full of lies, make for great villains.
24
JRPG gods through
the ages: left-to-
right, top-to-bottom:
YHVH from Megami
Tensei II and Shin
Megami Tensei II,
the Creator from The
Final Fantasy Legend,
Kefka from Final
Fantasy VI, Queklain/
Cúchulainn from
Final Fantasy Tactics,
and God from Dragon
Warrior VII.
Furthermore, if you agree with the Buddhist these games are exported overseas to countries that
Truth “existence is suffering”, why not be avenged believe in Christianity more firmly.
on the creator responsible for your existence? However, not all game religions are
Indeed, what if all of the pain and suffering are just represented as evil. Central to the Dragon Quest
to entertain some cosmic being? That’s the exact series is a Christianity-like religion that follows
premise of the finale of Final Fantasy Legend, in the teachings of a Goddess; the Church is a place
which your heroes travel across several worlds, you need to visit regularly to save your game or
only to learn that all of their adventures were just resurrect fallen comrades. God is a figure in Dragon
for the entertainment of the creator. Rejecting Quest VII, and he’s actually presented as a friendly
their reward, they instead strike back in retaliation, character. Dragon Quest IX features a race of angel-
angry at being manipulated. (In Japanese, he is like beings, called Celestrians, who watch over
called Kami, or “god”, while the English version the humans below, though they also tend to the
translates this simply as “Creator”). gigantic World Tree, based on Yggdrasil of Norse
Japanese fiction often plays with world mythology, another recurring trope in JRPGs.
mythology in creative ways, as can be seen in games Indeed, religious themes, of sorts, are found
like Valkyrie Profile. But Xenosaga plays fast and regularly in JRPGs. Beneath the planet in Final
loose with Christian mythology, as Mary Magdalene, Fantasy VII is the Lifestream, not only the source of
one of the followers of Jesus Christ in the New all life but where the departed return to, when their
Testament, plays a central role in the story. Since lifetime is over. The harvesting of this resource by
Japan isn’t really a Christian nation, they can write the Shinra Corporation not only shows how evil
stories like this without worrying about offending it is, but also functions as a metaphor for climate
customers or committing blasphemy. Obviously change, and how humanity must respect nature if
this ends up coming off a little bit problematic when it wants to survive.
25
Remakes
Technology marches on, and what was once state of the art In some cases, these go beyond just mere touch-ups and
can become outdated very quickly. Publishers often reissue instead change so much that they’re almost new products.
their older catalogue, sometimes simply by releasing console Among those pictured here is Final Fantasy Adventure (Game
emulations, which are basically identical to the original Boy, Game Boy Advance, Vita), also known as Sword of Mana
versions. But other times, they’ll enhance the game by and Adventures of Mana, as well as Phantasy Star (SEGA Master
redrawing the graphics or rearranging the music to be more System, PlayStation 2). Some were entirely remade for 3D,
suitable for the platform they’re issuing on. Sometimes they including Romancing SaGa (Super Famicom, PlayStation 2)
keep the mechanics the same, maybe just fixing up some and Trials of Mana (Super Famicom, PlayStation 4). Of all of
bugs, but other games will get changes, particularly reducing these, Final Fantasy VII (PlayStation, PlayStation 4) underwent
the difficulty or increasing the amount of gold and experience the most drastic changes, hugely expanding the setting,
gained through battle, to reduce the tedium. This can be seen changing to a more action-type combat system, and adding
in Final Fantasy (NES, PlayStation, PlayStation Portable) and hours of fully voiced cutscenes. It’s also only the first chapter
Dragon Quest (NES, Super Famicom, and Switch). in what’s intended to be a multi-game spanning-saga.
Final Fantasy
Dragon Quest
Final Fantasy Adventure – Sword of Mana – Adventures of Mana
26
Phantasy Star
Romancing SaGa
Trials of Mana
Final Fantasy VII
27
28
Japanese
PC RPGs
The ’80s video game industry was basically an are pure dungeon crawlers are featured in their
open frontier, regardless of the genre or territory. own section later in this book (see pg. 556).
There were no real established genres and no This section covers the PC RPG industry of
idea of what the consumers really wanted, so the the ’80s through to the mid-’90s. As with most
games put out were often the creative whims of the things with Japanese RPGs, the eras can be
programmers. Companies like Enix and Bothtec divided into before Dragon Quest (circa 1986) and
held contests and solicited submissions (not unlike after Dragon Quest. During the early period, it was
Electronic Arts in North America), with the best difficult to decide what an “RPG” actually was, so
games getting commercial distribution in some there are some games featured here that termed
form. Of course, since no one really knew what themselves “simulations”, while others advertised
they were doing, there were plenty of interesting themselves as “RPGs” even though the role-playing
ideas, but the games themselves often suffered elements as we understand them today are sparse.
from various technical or design issues that make During the latter period, even PC RPGs took a little
them difficult to play, by modern standards. That more closely after their console counterparts, but
was just as true in the ’80s, so gamers often turned were often a little different – aimed at an older
to magazine strategy guides to help them out. This and more sophisticated audience, they were more
was frustrating, but in many ways it didn’t matter – difficult (or perhaps, just not as refined) – plus they
back then, just playing the role of some little dude took advantage of the extra disk space afforded
on a monitor or TV screen was its own reward, and to computers to create more visually arresting
there was no expectation of actually “beating” the games. A good number of these were later ported
game you’d purchased or typed in. to consoles. By the time the console CD-ROM
When it came to RPGs, there were some formats rolled around, the space advantage of PCs
templates for Japanese developers to follow, had essentially disappeared. Those developers still
primarily Wizardry and Ultima, both of which were focusing on PCs mostly did so in order to avoid
imported from the United States. While very early console licensing fees, and to publish whatever
games hew closely to these formats, developers they wanted, without regulation. But most elected
quickly started taking elements of them and to make the jump to consoles eventually, since
steering them in new and interesting ways. Some that’s generally where the money was.
games aren’t much different from what Western Even though it’s not technically a computer
developers were putting out at time, but others, game, we’re also sticking Namco’s Tower of
particularly the adult software from Koei, was Druaga series into this chapter. As a 1984
wildly divergent. Many of the more interesting ones release, it has more in common with the design
are featured in this chapter, though the games that philosophies of this era than any other.
Early 8-bit RPGs

were graphically
quite simple,
though they became
more complex as
technology advanced
throughout the ’80s.
29
Mugen no Shinzou (series)
Developer: XtalSoft | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98
XtalSoft (pronounced “Crystal Soft”) was one of

the handful of publishers specialising in RPGs
in the early days of the Japanese PC scene. Their
most important series is Mugen no Shinzou
(“Heart of Fantasy”), heralded as one of the pillars
of the country’s RPG history. The series was
helmed by Kazunari Tomi, who began his career
with XtalSoft, then left in the late ’80s to work for
Falcom for a few years, on titles like Star Trader
and Dinosaur. He then struck out on his own
to form Studio Alex, the production team that
created the Lunar series for the SEGA CD.
The Mugen no Shinzou trilogy tells the story
of a warrior who lost a battle and has been whisked in Japan and made its way internationally on Mugen no Shinzou II
away to a limbo-like dream world. He has a certain the SEGA Master System. As in the early Ultima (all screenshots on this
amount of in-game time in order to obtain the games, dungeon exploration is handled via a first- page) is the defining
“Heart of Fantasy” so he can escape, and avoid a person wireframe view. All in all, it is a typical entry in the series.
fate worse than death. The series isn’t very well game of the time – very difficult, very grindy, and
known even among Japanese players, since none worse, since there’s a time limit, you can’t spend
of their games were ported to consoles, plus even too long wandering about or the whole game will
at release, the games were overshadowed by more be over. You only control a single character here
popular games like Xanadu. However they remain too, so there’s not really a whole lot to combat.
foundational pillars of the JRPG world. The sequel, released in 1985, is a big
Mugen no Shinzou takes the overhead improvement. It’s not as overwhelmingly difficult,
exploration elements of the early Ultima games the load times are faster, and the visuals on
and combines them with the turn-based combat of the overworld map are greatly improved – the
Wizardry. In the first game, the player character is characters are basically just stick figures, but
not shown on the screen, but is rather represented the higher resolution and use of colour actually
by a square that you guide through the land, make it look quite a bit better than the Apple II,
defeating enemies and exploring dungeons. The Commodore 64, or IBM PC versions of the first
view of the map is quite small, restricted to 5 × 5 four Ultima games. You can find party members
squares; the right side of the screen is reserved all around the land to fight alongside you too,
for larger visuals, when you enter a town or fight of four different races and seven types of innate
a battle. The artwork for these is pretty decent ability. The premise here is that the hero escaped
considering the graphic display technology of the dream world from the previous game to find
the time. The closest English-language parallel is himself back in the land of the living … but it’s
Miracle Warriors: Seal of the Dark Lord, another not his original world, but rather a parallel one,
early PC RPG, which was released the next year so he needs to fight the Dark Prince to find his
30
The enemy artwork
is indeed excellent
for its time.
way home. There are also three overworld maps to added back in some complexity, like multiple party
explore, based on the human, elf, and dark worlds. members.
There’s some discussion among Japanese A third game was released in 1990, though
RPG enthusiasts about whether Dragon Quest is a without its original creator. The warrior here
rip-off of Mugen no Shinzou II. There are certainly has escaped back to his original world … except
some similarities in the structure and (arguably) billions of years have passed, so everything is
the overworld map design, though some of them completely unrecognisable. This game fleshes
are just fantasy tropes (there are dragons and out the backstory of all of the others, with 15
princesses!) and it’s not like any developer had parallel worlds bound together by a magic sword,
a monopoly on an “Ultima/Wizardry combo”. though chaos broke them all apart. Five years
But Mugen no Shinzou II is aimed towards an passed between this game and its predecessor, so
older, PC-based audience, so it’s a bit more the visuals were much better, actual music was
complex. Your warriors need to watch their hunger included, more types of beings (including dragons
– they need constant feeding – plus there’s a line and giants) to join your team, as well as a class
of sight mechanic that keeps the player from change system. The battle system has changed too,
seeing behind obstacles, two aspects that were with an overworld perspective closer to Ultima III
ditched from Dragon Quest. And while random and IV, along with an auto battle function to speed
encounters were standard in JRPGs for a long time, things up.
largely thanks to Dragon Quest, here in Mugen Around the time Mugen no Shinzou III
no Shinzou II, enemies are actually visible on the was released, XtalSoft went out of business, with
map (called “symbol encounters” in Japanese). many of its staff going to T&E Soft, while others
Mugen no Shinzou II, as with its predecessor, also joined Square, where they worked on games like
has no music, something which doesn’t really fly Final Fantasy Legend III and Final Fantasy: Mystic
in the console space. Since Dragon Quest was a Quest. Other RPGs put out before the company’s
Famicom game, and was primarily for children (or closure include the action RPG Jehard (which
at least families), it’s easy to see why some PC RPG seems to be a misspelling of the word “jihad”) and
mechanics were simplified, though later games three games in the Crimson series.
The original Mugen

no Shinzou (top row)
has a tiny exploration
window, while the
third game (bottom
row) is similar to
other contemporary
(early ’90s) PC RPGs.
31
The Tower of Druaga (series)
Developer: Namco | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): ARC, FC, PCE, SFC, PS2
During the ’80s, Namco was known for worldwide

arcade hits like Pac-Man, Galaga, and Dig Dug.
However, there were also a substantial number of
games developed by the company that never really
left their home country. The Tower of Druaga is
one of the most interesting, because it presents an
experience completely unique to Japanese arcade
culture. It was designed by Masanobu Endou, the
creator of Xevious.
The premise is that the priestess Ki has been
kidnapped by the evil monster Druaga, who has
imprisoned her at the top of a 60-floor tower. As
the heroic knight Gil (short for Gilgamesh), you
must scale the tower to find her. Initially, the game
seems pretty simple – you navigate through mazes Tower of Druaga is perhaps the purest example of Developed on the
to find keys to unlock the entry doors to further this. The difference between this and, say, Falcom’s same hardware
stages. The layout of each level is static but the Xanadu, is that this was an arcade game, and thus as Mappy, the
locations of the keys, doors, and enemies change a communal experience. There are tales of arcade visuals and music
with every game. Additionally, nearly all of the cabinets that had little diaries, where players could in the arcade
floors contain hidden items, and the conditions share their experiences and give clues to other version (header) are
for getting these to appear are not only different gamers, enabling them to find the many hidden charming in their
for each stage, but aren’t actually revealed in the items, as well as imparting the secret techniques simplicity. Directly
game itself. Some are relatively straightforward – for to beat Druaga at the end of the game. Eventually, above is the artwork
example, kill a few black slimes in the second stage enough gamers playing enough times could solve for the enhanced PC
to reveal the jet boots, which will let Gil walk much the mystery of the game. Later console ports Engine port, while
faster. But the game quickly becomes more obscure switched up the levels, as well as changing the the screen above
in later stages, where you might need to, say, touch conditions for item appearance. left is the Famicom
a specific wall, walk on certain tiles, do something There’s no real equivalent to this in Western version, included as
weird like opening the exit door without actually culture, and indeed, when versions of The Tower a bonus pack-in with
going into it, or just hit the Start button. Some of of Druaga finally started making their way outside the GameCube RPG
the collected items make the game easier. Others of Japan, contained on compilation discs, no one Baten Kaitos.
are almost essential, for example, items that light knew what to make of it. It’s an expression of a
up otherwise dark stages. Some items are needed very particular place and time, one which passed
to beat the game; if you miss one of these, and go most of the world by.
to the next floor, or lose them when getting zapped There was never a straight sequel to the game,
back to a previous floor, you’re basically screwed. although the PC Engine release is greatly enhanced,
RPGs of the early ’80s seem to be defined by with zoomed-in visuals. But the series continued,
how impenetrable they are to complete, and The with a variety of spinoffs, dubbed the Babylonian
32
Main panel, clockwise
from top left: The
Tower of Druaga (PC
Engine port), The
Return of Ishtar, The
Blue Crystal Rod, and
The Quest of Ki. Also
featured above is the
artwork for The Quest
of Ki, as the damsel-
in-distress proved to
be quite popular.
Castle Saga. The Return of Ishtar (1986), released you use her jumping powers to weave through
in arcades, is a direct sequel, as Gil and Ki must 100 stages of incredibly difficult platforming
descend the tower after being rescued. However, challenges. Its design was inspired by the 1983
the layouts have changed, and indeed, it’s a Atari arcade game Major Havoc. The Blue Crystal
completely different game. There are two joysticks, Rod (1994) is an adventure game for the Super
one to control each character, so it either requires Famicom, mostly presented from the first-person
two players, or one player must control both Gil perspective. It expands the story of the world,
and Ki simultaneously. It’s about as clumsy as it and includes 48 different endings. Finally, The
sounds. Gil is the only one who can attack directly, Nightmare of Druaga: Fushigi no Dungeon
while Ki will be killed (thus ending the game) if an (2004) for the PlayStation 2 is a Mystery Dungeon
enemy touches her. Meanwhile, she has a variety of game developed by Chunsoft and Arika, and is a
magic spells … but they’re limited in use, with no Rogue-like.
indication of how many times you can use them. An anime TV series was broadcast in 2008
While gamers were enamoured with the obscure and 2009, subtitled The Aegis of Uruk and The
charms of the original title, design choices like Sword of Uruk. The stories take place long after
these led to this entry being widely ignored. the adventures of Gil and Ki, so the characters are
Next up was The Quest of Ki (1988) for the mostly new. It contains various lore from all of
Famicom, a prequel that gives a starring role to the previous games, and also pokes fun at various
the heroine. This is a straight-up action game, as fantasy and RPG tropes.
The Tower of
Druaga plays such
a big part in the
Japanese video game
consciousness that
it actually inspired
an anime series
25 years after its
initial release.
33
The Black Onyx
Developer: Bullet-Proof Software | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC88, MSX, SG1000, GBC, FC
The Black Onyx wasn’t the first original RPG

to be released in Japan – it was preceded by
Falcom’s Panorama Tou and Koei’s Dragon and
Princess – but it was easily the most successful.
Released in early 1984 (though some sources
to point to a very late 1983 release), it sold over
150,000 copies and is credited with introducing
many Japanese gamers to the concept of role-
playing games.
Curiously, it was not created by a Japanese
developer, but rather by a Dutchman named
Henk Rogers, who founded the company Bullet-
Proof Software. (The company would later
develop many of the ports of Tetris, including the actually visible on the screen, even if just in a tiny The Black Onyx isn’t
Famicom version.) He had noted the popularity little window. Their outfits and weapons are also the first Japanese
of Wizardry among Japanese gamers, but at the reflected here when you change them. RPG, but it is one of
time, it was only playable by importing American Your major stats are actually hidden most the most well-known
computers and playing the game in English. (The of the time – you actually need to visit a certain of the early batch,
first Wizardry game wasn’t officially released place in the town to have them revealed – and even beating the
in Japan until 1985.) Rogers figured he could your hit points are displayed as a bar rather than localised Wizardry
create a similar game, marketed directly to the numerically. During combat, your opponents’ games to the market.
Japanese audience, somewhat simplified in order health is displayed as well, which is another rather
to make it a better introduction to the genre. unusual feature for the time, in games with turn–
The story takes place in a land shrouded in based combat. This lets you plan your attacks
perpetual darkness. At the top of a tower inside accordingly, since the damage calculations are
of the cursed city of Utsuro, it is said that there pretty simple.
lies a precious gem called the Black Onyx, which Indeed, much about The Black Onyx is
could restore light to the realm. Many adventurers fairly straightforward, since it was meant as a
have attempted to explore the labyrinth that lies simplified counterpart to Wizardry. When it
underground, but none have yet succeeded. comes to fighting, all you can do is choose which
At the outset, you create a party, with up other character to attack, with no other special
to five playable members at a time. However, abilities or magic. The only way to cure yourself is
you don’t choose a character class, or race, or through drugs, which are limited in number, or by
even stats, like you would in Wizardry. Instead, returning to the doctor’s office in town. However,
after naming them, you pick their faces from 50 just because it’s less complicated than other RPGs
choices and then their outfits. Indeed, one major of the time, doesn’t mean that it’s easy. It is still
difference from other first-person dungeon very much a game where you can get lost easily,
crawlers of the time is that your characters are or get wiped out at a moment’s notice.
34
Before engaging other characters, you can Outside of the initial run of releases on
attempt to talk to them. If you have the space, Japanese PCs, there were a handful of console
they may join you as well – these replacements ports. SEGA developed a version for the SG-1000
are very handy, since if a character dies, there’s in 1987, the only RPG released on the console. This
no way to resurrect them. Many of the folks you is the weakest-looking port, though it does have
find wandering about are also more powerful than a single looping music track, compared to the
the ones you can initially create. The names for occasional ditties in some of the other versions.
the human characters are randomly generated in This was translated into English and ported by
English, so they all tend to sound pretty ridiculous. fans to the ColecoVision.
The Black Onyx is also a little different from BPS later (1988) made a version called Super
Wizardry in that you can actually explore the Black Onyx for the Famicom, which is more of a
town, instead of it just being represented by a sequel than a port. Among the changes, you can
series of menus. There are actually three different create a character class, choosing from fighter,
entrances to the six-level labyrinth, two being magician, or monk. There are 12 floors, each While The Black
hidden, which bring you down to different areas. with a different theme, and you no longer begin Onyx was forgotten
The game is also well known for the cryptic phrase in town. The dungeon view is almost full-screen, through most of
“iro ikkai zutsu” (“one colour each”), a clue to while the characters are slightly bigger and the ’90s, Taito
solving a colour-based maze on the lowest floor. more animated. Still, in spite of its changes, it’s brought the series
The game was also developed with sequels in still pretty basic compared to Wizardry, which back briefly, for
mind, as seemingly, they were unable to implement had been ported to the system a year prior. the Game Boy Color.
all their plans, due to memory (and/or time) The game is also entirely in English, which was
constraints. As a result, a few areas – the temple, baffling to Japanese gamers. The Black Onyx was
the gate, and the arena – are off-limits in the briefly resurrected in 2001 with a release for the
original game. It wasn’t until the sequel, The Fire Game Boy Color by Taito and Atelier Double. This
Crystal, that you could finally visit the temple. This is faithful to the original PC release, but has an
has six brand new floors to explore, plus a second added mode with updated graphics.
character class, magician, which lets you use The Black Onyx franchise didn’t last very
magic. Otherwise, it feels more like an expansion long, simply because it was created for beginners
than a sequel, despite being a standalone … but as gamers became more savvy, and went
product. A third game, called The Moonstone, on to more complicated games like Wizardry,
was planned, which would have let you explore it quickly became outdated. The cancellation of
the world outside of Utsuro. Though screenshots The Moonstone effectively killed the series, and
were released, the game was ultimately cancelled the later console ports failed to impress anyone
after development difficulties. A fourth game, who was already familiar with games like Dragon
called Arena, was also cancelled, and would have Quest. Still, its legacy is undeniable, and it still
introduced player-versus-player combat. stands tall in video game history.
The top two screens

are from the original
PC release, while the
bottom two are from
the Famicom (left)
and Game Boy Color
(right) versions.
35
Hydlide (series)
Developer: T&E Soft | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): FM7, MSX, MSX2, NES, PC60, PC88, PC98, GEN, WIN
T&E Soft’s Hydlide series is one of the most

important and foundational in the JRPG genre.
For most of the early ’80s, RPGs in general were
really only for hardcore players, as they required
intense planning, map drawing, and other
strategies that made them impenetrable to most
people. The first Hydlide game, released in late
1984, is more approachable – the world is fairly
small and easy to explore, there are few stats to
keep track of, and the combat is action-based so
it’s easy for newcomers to understand. It’s also less
intimidating than other action RPGs of the time,
such as brutal games from Falcom like Dragon
Slayer and Xanadu. In other words, Hydlide set something hidden. You’ll need to find the three The NES version of
down the template for better-known games, like Ys fairies, of course, with the first task being to find Hydlide made it to
and, perhaps even more importantly, Nintendo’s a cross and then take down the nearby vampire. North America in
The Legend of Zelda. The series was pioneered If you know what you’re doing, you can beat the 1989, released by
by Tokihiro Naitou, who credited Namco’s arcade game in about 30 minutes. FCI, where it was
game The Tower of Druaga as his inspiration. There is no direct attack button; instead you lambasted by critics
Before Hydlide’s development, Naitou had no fight enemies by bumping into them. Whether you and seen as a joke for
familiarity with either Western or Japanese RPGs. inflict damage or get hurt depends on both your a number of years.
The story takes place in Fairyland, a realm stats and your foe’s, but your odds of succeeding are Of course, when
where humans and fairies coexist. In the first higher if you attack from one side or from behind. placed in its proper
game, the demon Varalys has awoken, and cursed You can also switch from Attack to Defence mode if historical context,
the Princess Anne to be transformed into three you’d rather protect yourself from harm than fight. it’s something of
fairies and scattered throughout the land. A hero There are few items and no gold, but you do gain a legend.
named Jim is tasked with rescuing all of these levels when you beat enough enemies. Standing
fairies, and defeating Varalys. still for a few moments will also cause your health
The map in the original Hydlide is pretty to regenerate. The NES port also has a few magic
small, with the overworld consisting of 5 × 5 spells, a feature imported from Hydlide II.
screens, with five small underground segments Across the many computer platforms, as well
that link parts of the map. (Compare this to the as the Famicom port, the original Hydlide sold over
original The Legend of Zelda, in which it’s 16 × 8, two million copies, making it an outstanding hit.
not including the many dungeons). There are no It was also one of the few early JRPGs to make it
towns or NPCs, so determining the goals requires outside of Japan, as the MSX2 version was released
either reading the manual or exploring … and in Europe, and the NES version made it to North
exploring typically means pushing up against America. However, its international reception
everything and anything in hopes of finding was much more frigid. The NES release didn’t
36
come out until 1989, nearly five years after its weighting towards mêlée fighting or spell
initial computer release, and it was horrendously casting. There’s a time system, which flows
outdated when compared to The Legend of Zelda. between days and nights, and you need to keep
While it was considered relatively approachable at your warrior fed and rested or their performance
the time, its vague direction, harsh balance, small will degrade. There’s also a weight system that
overworld, and lack of an attack button made it disallows you from carrying too much stuff, plus
immensely clumsy to play. Moreover, it looked the morality system from the previous game.
ugly and had only one song, imported from the PC There’s an actual attack button too, so you no
version of Hydlide II, which sounded an awful lot longer need to bump into enemies. This game
like a chipper version of the Indiana Jones theme. also introduces boss fights. Finally, there’s a
It was widely derided, and become something of a twist ending that falls into sci-fi territory, as
joke among NES fans. the final foe is a five-eyed being named Kaizack,
Hydlide II is a much more expansive game, who created the entire universe and has decided
which has a larger overworld, a few towns, NPCs to destroy it now it’s grown too large for him to
you can chat with, and money to purchase items. handle. So it’s basically a variation of the “killing
In other words, it has a lot more traditional RPG god” scenario that’s common to many JRPGs.
elements. In addition to magic spells, there’s also Hydlide III was ported to the Famicom and
a training program to build up your stats, plus a the Mega Drive, with the 16-bit port released in
morality system, in which your FORTH goes up North America and Europe as Super Hydlide.
when you kill bad monsters and goes down when While it’s much more advanced than the first
you kill innocents or otherwise “good” characters. game, it’s still rather difficult to play, and since it
This was similar to the karma system found in is basically an 8-bit computer game, it felt pretty
RPGs like Xanadu. This version was only released outdated on these consoles. At least the music in
on PCs and was not ported to consoles. this version is pretty good. An American PC port
The main Hydlide trilogy ends with the was planned by Kyodai, who also brought a few
third game, subtitled The Space Memories. The other Japanese PC games to the West, like Psychic
storytelling here, related in a brief prologue, is War and the first Ys, but the plans fell through and
a little more ambitious, telling of how a fissure it was never completed.
opened in deep space and allowed demons to All three games were also ported to
spread over the land. There are four character Windows in 1999, in celebration of the series’ 15th
classes to choose from – Fighter, Thief, Monk, anniversary; this edition included the original
and Cleric – each with different abilities and PC88 versions with new and updated graphics.
Hydlide starts off

as a typical fantasy
but ventures off into
strange sci-fi as it
goes along, though
this trajectory is
not unlike some
of the original
Ultima games.
The Japanese
covers for Hydlide
were almost
certainly inspired
by the album
artwork for prog
rock band Yes,
illustrated by
Roger Dean.
37
Virtual Hydlide
Developer: T&E Soft | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SAT
Hydlide’s time in the limelight may have been in

the ’80s, but T&E Soft brought the property into
the 32-bit era with Virtual Hydlide for the SEGA
Saturn, which was published internationally by
Atlus. Conceptually, it’s a pretty interesting idea
– it’s basically a remake of the original Hydlide,
but the entire game world is not only much bigger
but also randomly generated from a handful of
preset overworld maps and dungeons each time
you play. So you go through many of the same
basic beats (find three fairies, fight a vampire, etc.)
and it can be beaten in a few hours maximum, but
theoretically you’d need to play it many times over
to see everything. It also grants you a password in before analogue control sticks, but it’s even worse Virtual Hydlide was
case you want to revisit specific worlds. than usual here. The sprites are 2D, with the main rushed to the market
Unfortunately, in practice, nothing about character actually being a digitised actor. Even so it could claim to be
it works. This style of RPG just wasn’t what the though arcade games like Mortal Kombat could the first RPG for the
modern audience was looking for, as they’d become make this work, in a 1995 title it looked incredibly Saturn. The numerous
accustomed to long-form adventures with a strong silly, especially with all of the ridiculously shiny technical issues and
story and characters. Even divorced from that, fantasy armour you can equip him with. Still, silly character visuals
from a technical standpoint, it’s a disaster. The altogether it creates one of the best kinds of noble further mar the game.
game world is rendered in 3D, but the frame rate failure, the kind that is ambitious and seemingly
is atrocious and the controls awkward – these were unaware of its obvious failings, but tries its damn
common issues at the time, especially in the era hardest anyway.
Rune Worth (series)

Developer: T&E Soft | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): MSX2, X68, PC88, PC98
After the Hydlide series, T&E Soft followed them
up with the Rune Worth series of games. In this
game world, gods and humans coexist. The intro
cinematics illustrate how the kingdom of Saris
was invaded by the neighbouring Bachmane
Empire, ostensibly for some kind of holy power
it possesses. You control a young boy, the sole
survivor from a mountain bandit tribe that was
massacred by a mysterious man more than a
decade after the invasion; he eventually learns
how these events are connected.
Much as Ys was inspired by Hydlide, Rune
Worth pays back the favour by looking and feeling Rune Worth was also packaged with an While not taking
like Ys, though it’s still a different beast – there’s extraordinarily detailed tome that explains the place in the same
an actual attack button now, instead of just creation myths, religions, geography, magic world, Rune Worth
ramming into bad guys. There is no experience systems, and history of the land. Unfortunately, is the spiritual
system, and instead you collect items found in very little of this is reflected in the game itself – it’s successor to the
treasure chests located in each area. It seems like a more elaborate than the Hydlide games but still Hydlide games.
unique concept, since you grow more powerful by only a fraction of what it should be. You do need
exploring rather than grinding, but in practice, the to reference the book in a few cases, seemingly as
balance is off, so enemies often overpower you, a form of copy-protection, but it ends up feeling
and there’s no recourse other than running away. like a huge waste. The first game was released on
Plus, without any rewards, there’s no satisfaction a variety of platforms, while the two sequels were
in combat. only released on the PC98.
38
Tir Na Nog (series)
Developer: SystemSoft | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX2, WIN, PS2
SystemSoft was a publisher that put out quite a few

simulation games, including the genre-defining
Daisenryaku series and its fantasy spinoff, Master
of Monsters. They also dabbled a bit in RPGs,
primarily with their Tir Na Nog series. Unrelated
to the graphic adventures by Gargoyle Games,
it’s an RPG very similar to Origin’s Ultima series,
though focusing on Celtic mythology. In its write-
up, Project EGG’s website indicates that Celtic lore
was fairly unknown in Japan at the time, and this
series helped introduce it to computer game fans.
There are two main games in the series: the
first, subtitled Kindan no Tou (“The Forbidden
Tower”) and the second, Chaos no Keishou (“The The main draw of each game, however, is its Tir Na Nog promised
Chaos Bell”). There was also an exclusive release automatic scenario generator. When you begin limitless adventures,
on the MSX2 without a subtitle, though this is a new game, a whole new world is generated, with a system that
based on the second game. You control a heroic creating unique landscapes to explore, as well as randomly generated
fairy who has to save the world of Tir Na Nog, and different goals, like rescuing someone or killing the world as well as
can draft friends at a bar, or even convince enemy monsters. (The creation time depends on the PC its various quests.
monsters to join you. model, anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.) It also
For a game developed in 1987, Tir Na Nog’s gives you a code for that world, allowing you to
graphics are incredibly simple, presented using revisit it in case you reset it, or trade with another
a vastly zoomed-out camera and tiny characters. player. Much of the series simplicity is based on
There are towns and castles in the overworld, the fact that everything is procedurally generated,
though when you enter them, they’re just but it also presents games that can be played
presented as a series of menus. There are also infinitely, with over a billion possible worlds.
caves, which are dark, allowing only a limited range SystemSoft also developed a spinoff called
of view. The battles look like Ultima III, taking Bretonne Lais for the X68000, in 1990. The visuals
place on a separate overhead screen, on which the here are a little more detailed. Rather than having
combatants move towards each other and trade an automatic generator, it enables the player to
blows. However, the mechanics are simplified, as create their own scenario. There’s only a handful of
you don’t need to directly move your characters; short chapters included, but at the time of release,
you can just choose a target and have them there was a contest held for submissions, with the
automatically head towards a target to engage, or winners being released to the wider public. The Tir
even just rely on autobattle. A sequel, released the Na Nog series continued with several entries for
following year (1988), has some slightly improved Windows, including a remake of the first game,
visuals, as well as other enhancements, like town with the fifth entry also being released on the
maps and an actual soundtrack. PlayStation 2 and PSP.
39
Cruise Chaser Blassty
Developer: Square | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X1
Square’s first role-playing game, Cruise Chaser

Blassty, sure has a lot going for it. For starters, it
eschews fantasy traditions for a sci-fi flavour, as
you pilot a gigantic transforming mecha called
the Blassty. The robot designs were provided
by Nippon Sunrise, the production company
behind the tremendously popular Gundam series.
(They were initially created for an animated feature
that didn’t really go anywhere.)
And Square really does put them to good use.
The main draw of the game lies with its brilliantly
animated combat sequences. Many turn-based
RPGs show their combatants as static images, but
here, every attack of both warriors – sword swipes, even though you’re not. It’s so disorienting that The animation in
missile barrages, explosions, and so forth – is they had to fix this for the later PC98 version. Cruise Chaser Blasty
smoothly presented. The first time you see it in Combined with the fact that you can easily run is incredible, but
action, it looks incredible. out of energy and die, the game becomes nigh also drawn-out and
Unfortunately, this being an RPG, you see unplayable. It’s a shame, because there are a lot of repetitive. Square
these same animations over and over, and they cool ideas. The game world is made up of several didn’t quite learn
quickly grow tiresome. And at that point, the small, stratified dimensions, surrounded by anti- its lesson, as the
shallowness of the game shows through – given matter – essentially the “floors” of the “dungeon”, same criticism can
the number of frames that needed to be drawn, which you travel between via warp gates. You be levelled to the
there are only eight real enemy types (plus some control a soldier who fights for the Commune, Summon spells
palette swaps). Combat is simple: you pick from the organisation that controls these universes. in later Final
one of four commands, queuing up three in a row, But as the game progresses, you can choose to Fantasy games.
then sit back and watch as they’re executed. Fights turn against them, allowing for two endings.
are one-on-one, and there’s little strategy. The story was an early work by Final Fantasy
But there are far bigger issues than the director Hironobu Sakaguchi.
combat. The game is presented from a first- Square referenced the Blassty in later games,
person perspective, but since you’re flying in first as a summon named Ark in Final Fantasy IX,
outer space, you can’t see much of anything other then as a boss just called Cruise Chaser in Final
than stars. Even walls (presented as fields of anti- Fantasy XIV. There were also novels and model
matter) can only be seen when you’re right in kits based on the original mecha designs, though
front of them. Essential navigation tools like the they have nothing to do with Square’s game.
compass or coordinate display are relegated to Square continued with a few more RPGs, like
hidden commands. In the initial PC88 version, the PC88/98 game Genesis: Beyond the Revelation
the scrolling is confusing too – if you turn right and the Famicom Disk System game Cleopatra no
or left, it appears that you’re flying forward, Mahou, before striking it big with Final Fantasy.
40
Chikyuu Senshi Rayieza
Developer: Enix | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): FM7, MSX, PC88, X1, FC
Enix is known for its massively influential Dragon

Quest series, but its first RPG was actually the PC
game Chikyuu Senshi Rayieza (“Earth Warrior
Rayieza”). It’s one of the rare RPGs to feature
a sci-fi setting, rather than the fantasy worlds
featured in most of these types of games. It could
be compared to Square’s Cruise Chaser Blassty,
released a year later, and while it’s not nearly as
flashy, it is a better game.
The story takes place in the year 2300,
when Earth is under attack by the evil Garm
empire. You control an unnamed pilot fighting for
Earth, who is teamed with a fellow soldier named
Blue, as you both jet around the galaxy in your virus that will wipe out everyone on Earth, so the Go Nagai is a well
Rayieza mechas. At the beginning, you discover hero must shoot her to save humanity. Quite the respected artist,
a mysterious girl named Rimi, in hypersleep, who downer, indeed! but his cover art for
has lost her memory but stays on Earth and lends Rather unusually, Nintendo licensed this Nintendo’s Famicom
her ESP powers to the fight against the Garm. game for release on the Famicom in 1987, renaming conversion, Ginga no
You move through space by choosing it Ginga no Sannin (“The Galactic Trio”). This Sannin, looks wildly
a destination on a map. Once the distance is version has redrawn character artwork, including out of place.
calculated, you travel using a certain number of a cover by famous manga artist Go Nagai. The
“jumps”, though you can be attacked between them. PC version is silent for most of the game, but this
You can extend the range of these jumps, which version has a new soundtrack by Yellow Magic
in turn lets you reach destinations faster, though Orchestra member Yukihiro Takahashi, who
this can damage your mecha. The battles are provided a battle theme that sounds an awful lot
straightforward turn-based affairs, as you use like their song “Rydeen”. The battle system has
beams or more powerful (but numerically limited) been greatly retooled, so there are many more
missiles, or attack with mêlée strikes. The first half types of weapon to purchase (it still uses bullets
of the game takes place in Earth’s solar system, and missiles, though the mêlée attacks have been
while the second half puts you into uncharted mostly removed). Plus, Rimi plays a more active
Garm territory. Much of the game is spent fighting role in combat – she’s still stationed on Earth,
against enemy forces while visiting outposts to but she uses her psychic powers to debilitate foes.
replenish your ammunition. There are also side-scrolling sections in which you
The story seems basic during gameplay, but it explore the various planets.
has a rather famously tragic ending. Blue sacrifices Time has mostly forgotten this game, as it
himself to defeat the Garm emperor, while Rimi is can be quite tedious even for an 8-bit RPG, but it’s
revealed to be not only the emperor’s sister, but an interesting title from before RPG conventions
also an unknowing sleeper agent containing a were really established.
41
Miracle Warriors
Developer: Kogado/ASCII/SEGA | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): FM7, X1, PC88, PC98, MSX, FC, SMS
Kogado was a Japanese developer that had a

reputation for hardcore simulation games like
Schwarzchild and Power Dolls. Prior to any of
these, they created Haja no Fuuin (“Seal of Evil”,
also known as Miracle Warriors). As far as setups
go, it’s pretty typical – you’re commanded by the
king to defeat the demon queen Terarin (the naked
female gargoyle on the cover), who’s summoned
monsters to the land. Though you start the
adventure alone, you can find three companions:
Guy, a fearsome warrior; Medi, a female warrior
who works as a dancer; and Treo (Tremos in the
Japanese version), a hulking, axe-wielding pirate.
The names of many places and items are references fangs from defeated enemies can be traded for Miracle Warriors
to Greek mythology. items. Defeating enemies can either increase or for the SEGA Master
In the original PC versions, there’s no decrease your fame, depending on the type of System seems to be
on-screen overworld map. Most of the screen enemy. Enough fame lets you enter certain villages the first Japanese
is taken up by a huge window that represents or get extra information out of people. You lose RPG to have been
the player’s viewpoint, while your character(s) fame if you run away from battle. released in English.
appear motionless, sitting on the bottom of the On its own, Haja no Fuuin is just a mild Its American cover
window frame. Whenever you move, the horizon curiosity, but it’s historically important, because artwork is a redrawn
slowly moves, giving the appearance that you’re it was the first Japanese RPG released in English, version of the
actually moving. To help you get your bearings, in early 1988. SEGA was hard up for content for Japanese release,
the packaging includes a full map of the kingdom, their Master System, and thus translated nearly which also covers up
divided into squares, with a little figurine that everything that came out of their development the topless demoness.
represents your party. In other words, you’re studios; titles like Dragon Quest didn’t make
supposed to move your token every time you move it into English until over a year later. As far
your character in the game, unless you want to just as SMS games go, though, it’s outclassed by
stumble around aimlessly. It’s supposed to replicate SEGA’s own original title, Phantasy Star, but the
the feeling of tabletop role-playing, but in practice, enhancements to this port (a good soundtrack,
it’s really tedious. The Famicom version dials this improved visuals) make this the best version, even
back a bit by giving you a small on-screen map, if the English packaging is missing the figure.
though it lacks in details like towns or caves. The A pseudo-sequel called Algies no Tsubasa was
Master System version provides a more detailed released only for PCs. Kogado also released a few
map, to the point where the physical board isn’t other RPGs, including Mashou Denki: La Valeur,
necessary, but your range of view is pretty limited. which is another traditional-style RPG, though
Combat is generally simple, though there are only featuring a single character; nonetheless, it
a few twists. In addition to the standard currency, was ported to the PC Engine CD.
42
Cosmic Soldier / Psychic War
Developer: Kogado | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): FM7, MSX, PC88, PC98, X1, IBM
Kogado Studio, founded in 1916 as a print and

design company, may be one of the oldest
Japanese companies in the game industry.
While Miracle Warriors is its better-known RPG,
it was preceded by Cosmic Soldier, released in 1985
for Japanese home computers. Like many early
RPGs, it leans heavily on the influence of Wizardry
and similar western RPGs, but it differentiates itself
in a few important ways. It is an early RPG to use a
pure sci-fi setting, beating the venerable Phantasy
Star to the market by two years. In Cosmic Soldier
and its sequel, Psychic War, you play as a soldier
(accompanied by a scantily clad android) on a
mission to sabotage an evil plan being set into with hundreds of hit points often consist of holding The second game in
motion by the Quila empire. the space bar for 30 seconds or more. Also, as this series, Psychic
A prominent feature of the series is the enemies attack you the instant the battle starts, it War, is one of the
conversation system. During battle you can is recommended to always hold the space bar down. few early JRPGs
talk to the enemy. Your choices are to get hints This can create issues as allies recruited late in the to be released in
from them, run away, or (sometimes) have them game (who start with almost no health) can often English on IBM PCs.
join your party. As recruited allies permanently be incinerated by an incautious trigger finger.
die when defeated, it is important to always be While both games are dungeon crawlers,
building up a squad of grunts to protect your main the game structure is fairly open-ended. Most
character. It’s a simpler version of the conversation areas are accessible immediately, with deeper
system later used in the Megami Tensei series. progress in each area gained by finding passwords,
The combat in the first Cosmic Soldier obtaining parts for your android or Turbogun, and
follows a standard turn-based battle system. One other assorted activities. There’s even an ending
unique wrinkle is the ability to choose how hard sequence where you set a bomb in the enemy
you want to hit your enemies. Choosing to use a HQ and have to run to an escape pod before the
weaker attack offers little advantage, and risks your timer runs out.
recruited allies upon counterattack, so it is usually The original was a Japan-only release, but the
best to use full strength attacks. Combat in the sequel received an English translation by Kyodai.
sequel, Psychic War, attempts to differentiate itself It takes a lighter, cheekier tone, which suits the
from its inspirations with mixed success. Battles game well. Characters will exclaim goofy phrases
are a beam clash of ESP waves between you and while cracking safes, passwords to later areas
the enemy, with you occasionally using a shield to have been rewritten to imitate popular phrases,
block damage or a suction ability to absorb some etc. Some naughty elements have also been toned
ESP back. Unfortunately, while early game fights down. For one of the earliest translated PC RPGs
can last only seconds, later battles against enemies out there, it holds up well.
43
Last Armageddon
Developer: Brain Grey | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC98, MSX2, X1, X68, FMT, FC, PCECD
Last Armageddon takes place on the planet

Earth, after humanity has destroyed itself. The
mythical monsters of old, long driven into hiding
underground, have returned to the surface to
reclaim it for themselves. The game itself begins
with a cutscene in which a skeleton and a minotaur
overlook a barren wasteland. Seemingly out of
nowhere, an alien appears, wielding a machine
gun, shoots the minotaur with such force that it
explodes, and then delivers an ultimatum to the
monsters – we rule Earth now, deal with it. Fuming
in their lair, the monsters draft the most powerful
among them to fight back, and in doing so, not only
learn the origins of the aliens, but also discover from our own human one, just mostly deserted. Last Armageddon
what happened to the decimated human species. The story begins to get somewhat meta here, has a wild premise
The story very much wants to be the antithesis especially as it concentrates on the nature of role- that just gets more
of typical fantasy RPGs, though it still rather plays playing games themselves. Needless to say, both insane as it goes
like one. You explore the world from an overhead the crazy “monsters vs. aliens” story and its fourth- along, though
perspective, though interiors are explored via a wall-aware story have granted Last Armageddon it is hamstrung
first-person view. Time flows from day to night, the rank of cult classic. The soundtrack is by late ’80s RPG
and since certain monsters are nocturnal, your especially excellent too, particularly the high conventions,
roster shifts back and forth. There’s also a once- intensity battle theme in the PC Engine port, an ultimately making
a-month super-long day called Salvan, which has early work by Choaniki composer Koji Hayama. this game better
its own particular set of characters. Units include Ambitious as it is, it’s still very much a late in concept than
an orc, a gargoyle, a harpie, a cyclops, a naga, ’80s RPG, with an odd combat balance and lots in execution.
and a sphinx. They evolve over the course of the upon lots of wandering. Though initially released
adventure, and you can actually splice in DNA from on several home computers, the later PC Engine
other creatures, allowing for unique variations. CD and Famicom ports make things a little easier,
Stat gains work similarly to those in Final Fantasy at least in speeding up the first half of the game.
II, in that you repeat specific actions to increase Game creator Takiya Iijima developed a pseudo-
attack, defence, magic, and so forth. sequel for the Mega CD, called After Armageddon
At first, the ultimate goal appears to be to Gaiden, in which you control five monsters as they
read the 108 lithographs spread throughout the explore a parallel world called Eclipse. The main
land, so you can enter the mystical Tower of No gruesome gimmick is that humans still exist in
Return. Here, you learn about the downfall of this world, and eating them can allow you to evolve
humanity through various historical events. This into all sorts of wild monsters. But otherwise there
is only the first half of the game though, as the were never really any other RPGs that followed up
monsters then find a world not too dissimilar on this title’s bizarre brilliance.
44
46 Okunen Monogatari (series)
Developer: Enix | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): PC98, SNES
46 Okunen Monogatari: The Shinkaron (“The

4.6-Billion-Year Story: The Evolution”) takes place
at the beginning of life on an earth-like planet.
You are merely a fish, struggling to survive against
predators in the ocean. However, when you fight
and beat an enemy, you’ll gain an evolution point,
which can be allocated to one of four statistics.
Depending on how you spend these points, you
can evolve into different, more complex creatures.
However, not all evolution is advantageous, and
certain forms will be doomed to extinction, but
if you evolve properly, you’ll fast forward to a
new era. As the game progresses, you take the roles
of amphibians, reptiles, dinosaurs, mammals, RPG, it is fairly straightforward, as fights are one- This unusual sci-fi
and eventually humans. on-one, and the evolution system is more of a RPG is more fiction
Conceived by Japanese novelist Chiaki puzzle to figure out than a method of character than science, but
Kawamata, the game may be inspired by customisation. But it also has an unusual sends your epoch-
Darwinism, but it also has plenty of fantasy, sense of humour, particularly in how dead-end spanning spirit
religious, and science fiction elements. Many of evolutionary paths end. Evolve into an elephant through some pretty
the creatures are based on real ones, but others and you’ll end up in the circus; evolve into Godzilla wild adventures
are fictional, and the humans that show up near and you’ll wreck Tokyo. as you protect the
the end of the game are closer to elves than regular This entry was never ported outside of its planet from evil.
humans. From the beginning, you are watched initial PC98 release, though its concept lived on in
over by the earth goddess Gaia, represented as a the SNES sequel, which was known internationally
beautiful woman with flowing blue/green hair, as EVO: Search for Eden. The idea is the same:
who is opposed by Lucifer, represented as a you start as just a mere fish swimming through
Marilyn Monroe-esque villainess. Early on, you’ll the sea, defeating enemies and evolving into new
be guided by a race of aliens from the moon, called forms. However, it’s switched from a pure RPG to
Lunarians, who later establish themselves in the a side-scrolling action RPG. The forms into which
city of Atlantis. you evolve are more customisable, and unlike the
The game was developed by Enix, who had initial game, there are no “wrong” answers either.
largely moved onto console platforms following The eras you go through are mostly similar too,
the success of Dragon Quest, but before that, as you can evolve into dinosaurs and eventually
their primary strength was adventure games. That humans. However, the wild, pseudo-biblical story
lineage heavily influenced 46 Okunen Monogatari, of good versus evil has been canned, as the plot
especially in terms of the impressively gorgeous is barely present. In spite of that, it’s still an
artwork that illustrates the many environments unusual title, and both have gone on to become
and the strange lifeforms that inhabit it. As an minor classics.
45
Arcus (series)
Developer: Wolf Team | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX2, MCD
Wolf Team began as a part of Telenet, before

spinning off into a separate company. One of its
first works was Arcus, a trilogy of RPGs with a
relatively strong focus on story. The first game puts
you in the role of fighter Jedah Chaffas, who must
save the land of Arcusas and hunt down the golden
dragon Rig Vearda. During your adventures, you’ll
come across a six-year-old half-elf named Pikto
Anexios Pionto, who grows up and becomes the
main character for the second and third games.
As originally released on computer
platforms, the first and third Arcus games are
viewed entirely from the first-person perspective.
The second, subtitled Silent Symphony, uses an make them consistent across the trilogy, and they Telenet’s RPGs
overhead perspective, though battles are still first- look fantastic. It also adds a number of voiced tend to have fancy
person. It takes some inspiration from the Might cutscenes with fantastic animation – along with graphics and
& Magic games, in that your explorations are not those in Annet Futatabi, another Mega CD game character designs
confined totally to dungeons, as you’ll also visit by the same developer, they’re some of the best- but mediocre
forests, canyons and other areas. Combat retains looking on the platform. This version adds in gameplay, and to
the armour class system of Advanced Dungeons experience and equipment, making it feel a little some extent, that
and Dragons, though in other ways, it’s similar more like a regular RPG, plus an automap function. applies to the Arcus
to Wizardry, though much simplified. There is no While none of the main series was ever games as well.
character creation; instead, other party members localised, there is an action RPG spinoff called
join you as part of the story. In the original PC Arcus Odyssey, the Genesis port of which made
versions, there is no experience or level progress it into English. While it features characters
at all – there seems to be a hidden stat such like Jedah and his warrior maiden friend Erin
that repeatedly fighting a type of monster will Gashuna, the focus is on arcade-style action, and
eventually make you stronger against it, but that’s the story is thin. Functionally, it plays a little like
about it. There is no equipment, and gold is only Gauntlet, viewed from an overhead perspective,
found in treasure chests, but ultimately there’s not with different character types having different
much use for it other than buying healing items. skills. As with Telenet’s Valis series, the rights
You do lose stamina, which weakens your fighting were sold to the adult game company Eants, who
ability, though you can find safe places to rest and created an 18+ rated adventure game called Arcus
replenish it X, which is the last entry in the series. Arcus is
The trilogy was later remade and bundled part of a larger shared universe with other Telenet
together for a Japan-only Mega CD release, which games, including the adventure game Gaudi:
standardises all three games into the first-person Barcelona no Kaze, the action series Final Zone,
perspective. It redesigns all of the characters to and the fantasy-themed shoot-’em-up Mid-garts.
46
Exile (series)
Developer: Telenet | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX2, X1, TGCD, GEN
XZR is a series as subversive as it is obscure.

First brought to life on Japanese computers
in 1988, each game stars the anti-hero Sadler,
a Syrian Hashishin, an assassin disciple of
Hassan-i Sabbah, as he fights to end oppression
and bring about revolution in 12th century Syria.
Assassin’s Creed touches on similar territory, but
it sure never cast you as a Shia Muslim eventually
sent to the future to kill both Mikhail Gorbachev
and Ronald Reagan.
Based on the apocryphal legend that
Sabbah controlled the Hashishin through liberal
distribution of hashish, Sadler is aided in his quest
by everything from alcohol to heroin. Drugs heal same basic structure, though the remake eschews Two of the three
HP or buff stats, but overdosing can cause cardiac the Cold War arc, picking up after the Caliph’s XZR/Exile games
arrest and game over. Each game follows the same assassination. Sadler and his party are hiding out in were released in
general gameplay format: Sadler explores towns the desert, when a local man warns Sadler that he’s English, though
from a top-down perspective, meeting several spotted the Knights Templar’s scouts. Sadler soon they tone down the
historical figures along the way, while dungeons finds himself in uneasy alliance with Grandmaster craziness of the first
transition you to side-scrolling action. None of the Hugues de Payens, who claims a desire to put a stop game, which was
XZR games are remotely well-balanced, but XZR is to the Crusades. To do this, Payens wishes to locate released only on
to be experienced for its madcap stories. the Holimax, an artefact capable of ending holy war Japanese computers.
The first game, Idols of Apostate concerns forever. The story daringly ends with Sadler, having
Sadler’s journey to destroy an oppressive Caliphate. lost everyone he loves, in a state of existential crisis.
Joining him are Rumi, his genius teenage love Wicked Phenomenon, only released for the
interest; Fakhyle, an elderly sorcerer; Kindhi, TurboGrafx-CD, is easily the black sheep of the
a learning-disabled strongman; and Sufrawaldhi, series: Sadler is now off to fight the embodiment of
a scientist who operates in the underground. all evil. His party’s back to help him, explaining that
After a trek across the Middle East, he eventually they never actually died, which negates some of the
assassinates the Caliph, who turns out to be his emotional heft of the previous game. They’re actually
biological father. It’s at this point that XZR takes playable too: Rumi favours speed; Kindhi, power; and
a hard swerve into the surreal and controversial, Fakhyle, range; with Sadler being the all-rounder.
with the aforementioned time travel plot. They’re also joined by Lawrence, an antagonist who
XZR II is the true gem of the series. Initially sees the light. It ends on a monologue about the
released on computers, it received remakes for Power of Friendship, which is very out of character.
the Genesis and TurboGrafx-CD in 1991, which The Working Designs-published English release
were known as Exile internationally. All versions is notoriously unbalanced, as regular monsters
of XZR II are immediate sequels that follow the have tons of HP and can one-shot Sadler.
47
Xak (series)
Developer: Micro Cabin | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX2, FMT, X68, PCECD, SFC
Micro Cabin was a developer virtually unknown

outside of Japan. Of all its varied titles, Xak was
undoubtedly their flagship series, and given how
many entries it received, it’s a shame that it never
made its way outside Japan.
The Twilight of the Gods, 750 years ago
allowed demons to rise up. Ravaging the world, the
gods, with the last of their power, chose to split the
world into three different planes: Xak, the human
world; Oceanity, the world of the fae; and Xexis,
the demon world. All returned to peace, until
500 years later, when the demon lord Badu led
a war of conquest against Xak and Oceanity.
The warrior Duel, one of the last gods, defeated Ultimately, Xak is a series of Ys clones – the Xak may be one
Badu and sealed him within an icy mountain. first two entries were even bundled together on of the many rip-offs
In the present day, teenage Latok Kart of the PC Engine CD, à la Ys I & II, with assistance of Falcom’s Ys, but
Fearless Village takes care of his blind mother after from longtime Falcom rival Nihon Telenet. They’re it’s also a well-
the disappearance of his father, the unfortunately very pretty, though; early entries feature art by executed one.
named Dork Kart. He meets Pixie, an emissary Kia Asamiya (Martian Successor Nadesico), while
of the Wavis Kingdom with a letter addressed to Xak III is much darker in tone, with redesigned
Dork. Latok reads the letter in his father’s absence, characters by Nobuteru Yuuki (Escaflowne) to
learning that an unknown force has broken the reflect this. The shortest Xak title, computer
seal and revived Badu, and that the Kart family are exclusive The Tower of Gazzel, is arguably the
direct descendents of Duel, making them the best series at its most adventurous: taking place after
hope to stop the coming catastrophe. Xak II, a max-level Latok tackles the titular, trap-
Each Xak title picks up immediately after filled tower. With no more experience to gain, the
the last, following Latok on his journey to fulfil player has to use their dexterity, wits, and Latok’s
his destiny, from unassuming teen to Duel’s companions to reach the top floor. It’s not unlike
successor. Latok’s kind of a dope, and tends to a short tabletop campaign, and the focus allows it
find himself bewildered when facing a cast of to shine brighter than the rest of the series.
beautiful women all vying for his affection. The Latok’s main love interest, the mage Fray
stakes are raised with each successive entry, Jerbarn, received a spinoff called Fray in: Magical
as bigger and bigger threats come spilling out Adventure, a vertical shooter with RPG elements.
of Xexis, culminating in Xak III: The Eternal Here, Fray wishes to become a great mage to
Recurrence, where Latok and his longtime rival impress Latok, so she sets off on her own journey
Rune, another descendent of Duel, are forced to to improve her magical abilities. It’s a pretty sexist
put their differences aside and combine forces to plot, but an undeniably adorable game, featuring
vanquish the dark god Zomu Dizae. chibi art by Masato Kanamono (Crime Crackers).
48
SD Snatcher
Developer: Konami | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): MSX2
While Hideo Kojima is known internationally as

the creator of the Metal Gear series, one of his
early titles was the adventure game Snatcher.
Taking place in the future in Neo Kobe City,
it stars a man named Gillian Seed, part of a task
force called JUNKER that hunts down human-
snatching robots; Gillian hopes that he can uncover
his mysterious, forgotten past. While the story is a
pastiche of various Hollywood sci-fi movies, Blade
Runner and The Terminator in particular, its
strong world design rendered it a classic.
In its original computer incarnation, released
in 1988, the story also ended on a cliffhanger.
Rather than creating a sequel, the team at Konami This is the main tactical difference from other One of the most
instead made a rather strange remake called SD RPGs, as you can disable enemies piece by piece, famous scenes of
Snatcher (the SD standing for “super-deformed”). plus the pixel artwork mechanical designs Snatcher is when
Not only does this shift genres from adventure are absolutely top-tier. There are no random fellow JUNKER Jean-
game to RPG, but it also changes the art style encounters, as enemies appear on the screen, Jack Gibson is found
so all of the characters have a diminutive, chibi though they’re tough to avoid. Indeed, the with his head twisted
look. One of the most famous images of Snatcher constant dungeon crawling and fighting means off. Recreating this
shows one of the characters with his head twisted there’s not as much exposition as in the original scene but with cutesy
off; that same image, rendered in this cutesy art game. The music is entirely new, and as with many super-deformed
style, is both horrifying and hilarious. Your robo- Konami MSX games, takes advantage of the SCC characters leads to
buddy partner, Metal Gear Mk. II, even makes an sound chip for bolstered sound. some dark comedy.
appearance at handheld scale, now called Metal The story isn’t a direct retelling of the
Gear Petit. original, as it features a few new scenarios,
The plot of SD Snatcher is based on the including one regarding a cult that worships
original, though areas where you just clicked Snatchers, and another one that takes place
through commands and dialogue have been in an amusement park, which is a front for
replaced with either maze-like dungeons, or an underground Snatcher-producing lab.
locations you can explore to talk to people. The It also properly finishes off the storyline.
battle system is displayed from a first-person When the original Snatcher was eventually ported
perspective, with nearly all of the enemies being to consoles (first in 1992 for the PC Engine CD,
some kind of robot. Rather than selecting foes then in English in 1994 for the SEGA CD), it
directly, the entire screen is divided into a grid, included an epilogue similar to this game. While
allowing you to target individual body parts. There this saw a few other ports down the line, SD
are several types of guns, with different effects, Snatcher has largely been ignored, and never re-
though it is possible to run out of ammunition. released outside of its MSX2 confines.
49
Emerald Dragon
Developer: Glodia | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FMT, MSX2, X68, PCECD, SFC
Long ago, in the country of Ishuban, humans

and dragons lived together in relative harmony.
But racial tensions eventually arose, causing a curse
to be placed on the dragons. Forced to flee through
a dimensional rift, they made their home in another
world, called Draguria. Centuries pass with no
contact between the two, until a ship washes up on
the shores of Draguria containing a human child.
She’s discovered by a dragon named Atrushan, who
adopts the girl and names her Tamryn. He raises her
as his own, but 12 years later, she yearns to return
home to Ishuban. Atrushan gives her one of his
horns and instructs her to blow it if she ever finds Emerald Dragon gameplay is pretty rough. The The computer
herself in danger. Sure enough, just a few years later, battle system is based on an earlier game by the releases of Emerald
he hears the call across dimensions. Using a spell same team, called Zavas, which is presented from Dragon have some
that lets him take human form, Atrushan crosses an overhead perspective and is roughly similar to issues, but the
back into the human world, where he finds that Ultima III. You only control the main character polish given to the
the evil lord Tiridates is attempting to conquer (Atrushan in this case), and you can only move PC Engine CD port
the whole of Ishuban. Not only must he save his a limited number of spaces on the field before turns it into one of
surrogate daughter, but also remove the curse that moving to the next party member. However, the best RPGs on
exiled his clan in the first place. every one else is loosely commanded and mostly the platform.
That’s a pretty elaborate setup, particularly governed by AI … and it’s pretty bad. If any one of
in an RPG from 1989, and it’s where Emerald them dies, you lose. There are other issues, like
Dragon’s strength lies. The late ’80s were a time maps that are far too large and aimless, and an
when RPGs were getting away from hack-and- assortment of bugs, depending on the platform.
slashers and dungeon crawlers, and implementing However, it was given a second chance with
stronger stories. There are over a dozen party a PC Engine CD release in 1994. Developed by Alfa
members, each with their own personality, with Systems (who worked on the TG-16 CD ports of Ys)
plenty of lively dialogue, and the ability to regularly and overseen by Shoji Masuda (Tengai Makyou),
chat with each other. This is all fairly common in who fixed up a lot of its issues, added in fresh
JRPGs nowadays, but compared to contemporary voice acting and cutscenes, and turned it into
games like Final Fantasy II and Dragon Quest IV one of the best RPGs on the platform. A Super
for the Famicom, it was definitely ahead of its time. Famicom conversion was released in 1995, and
It’s rounded out with fantastic opening cinematics, like a lot of CD-ROM-to-cartridge conversions,
attractive character designs by Akihiro Kimura. it scales back quite a lot of things, removing
and a catchy soundtrack by Tenpei Sato, later areas and most of the cutscenes. While it’s not
known for his work on Nippon Ichi games. as complete, it still maintains the excellent story,
As initially released on PC platforms, and it’s decent enough on its own terms.
50
Zavas
Developer: Glodia | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X68
The devil king Darg has been reborn and is

causing massive destruction across the land.
The hero is a young man named Marty, whose
family has been destroyed by Darg’s rampaging.
He swears to God that he will have his vengeance …
only to have his prayers answered: he is granted an
immortal body to help him fight back.
Zavas was novel for a few reasons, primarily
its size, boasting over 15,000 screens. There are
tons of characters who can join Marty’s quest,
though they need to be paid daily for their services.
You also need to keep yourself and your teammates
fed, or your health won’t be replenished when
you camp at the end of each day. In addition to the immersion.) However, he wasn’t actually The world of
chatting with characters, you can also offer them credited on the package, due to some development Zavas is absolutely
food or booze, or challenge them to fights. Battles disputes. Given the massive size of the game world, massive, plus it
take place from an overhead perspective, but you it takes forever to do things, and parts of it feel lays down the
only directly control the hero; your compatriots unfinished. Still, it was popular enough to receive tracks for later
are controlled by AI. a sequel, where you can play as three different games by its
The game was designed by Enjou Sanyuutei, characters (a prince, a fisherman, and a merchant), developer.
a rakugo comedian who was also a huge game and it established some systems used in Glodia’s
fan, and had his own column in the magazine later games, including Emerald Dragon and
Popcom. (It’s actually his face on the god that Alshark. Unlike these games, neither Zavas title
grants the hero immortality, which kind of breaks received any console ports.
Alshark
Developer: Right Stuff | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): PC98, FMT, X68, MCD, PCECD
Alshark takes place in the universe of Wispread,
consisting of three kingdoms with varying spheres
of influence. The hero is a boy named Sion, whose
life is shaken up when a meteorite hits his planet.
He goes to investigate, only for his girlfriend’s
father to become possessed, and kill his own
dad. Shaken by this disaster, he sets off on an
intergalactic adventure to discover the root of the
problem, requiring him to navigate the political
tensions of the galaxy.
The game is the inaugural title from Right
Stuff, a company formed by staff from Glodia. Most
of the staff had previously worked on Emerald
Dragon, including supervisor/writer Atsushi Ii, enemies out in space, with combat here presented Sci-fi RPGs are
character artist Akihiro Kimura, and musician as a shoot-’em-up similar to Konami’s Time Pilot. artefacts to be
Tenpei Sato. As such, for the most part, it looks The concept is cool, but the original PC treasured, though
and plays like a science fiction version of that game is still a bit rough around the edges, Alshark is no
game, right down to the battle system, in which particularly since the space exploration is a little Phantasy Star.
the player commands Sion and the computer too open-ended. And while the console ports of
controls everyone else. The art is pretty good, and Emerald Dragon got some polish, the Mega CD
the characters include robots and cyborgs. During and PC Engine CD versions of Alshark really
space exploration, you can directly control your didn’t, making it feel kinda crusty. Still, space
ship, presented from an overhead perspective, and opera RPGs are uncommon enough that it’s
guide it from planet to planet. You’ll also run into interesting for that alone.
51
Chitei Tanken
Developer: Koei | Released: 1982 | Platform(s): PC80
Chitei Tanken (“Underground Exploration”,

also the Japanese title for the Jules Verne book
Journey to the Centre of the Earth) is believed to
be the first original RPG to be developed in Japan.
At the outset, you choose to take five explorers for
an expedition (their stats are randomly generated
each time), then spend some money to purchase
(or sell) gold, medicine, and food. Then you enter
the cave to hunt for treasure and fight monsters,
which include Japanese movie favourites like
Godzilla, Rodan, and Mothra. Unusually, you’re
not given an actual view of the exploration, but
rather just coordinates and other statistics, which
are pretty confusing to parse without a manual. another Shibusawa game, this time focused on the Japan’s first role-
Combat is shown in tiny visuals at the bottom of stock market. Indeed, at this point Koei wasn’t playing game? It
the screen, if you have a gun, otherwise it’s just an using the term “role-playing game” (though they depends on how you
image of a fist. would later), instead advertising Chitei Tanken as define the word …
The game was part of Koei’s Simulation a “simulation game”. So much of it is dependent
Series, which included Kawanakajima no Kassen on random chance that it is more of a simulation
(“The Battles of Kawanakajima”), the first game in that respect … but the major aspects of early
by Kou Shibusawa and a strategy game that was a RPGs – party creation, exploration, balancing of
predecessor to the similar, though sci-fi-themed, resource consumption, turn-based combat – are
Nobunaga’s Ambition: Ginga Senryaku (“Galactic all found here, even though there’s no experience
Strategy”); and Toushi Game (“Investment Game”), or level gaining.
Spy Daisakusen
Developer: Pony Canyon | Released: 1982 | Platform(s): PC80, MZ
Spy Daisakusen literally translates as “Spy
Operation”, but it’s also the Japanese name for the
famous ’60s television show Mission: Impossible.
The premise here is borrowed wholesale, complete
with a tape reel that addresses the player as
“Mr. Phelps” before giving them a mission to
infiltrate an enemy building and steal documents
from its library. There are six floors and ten rooms
on each floor, making for a total of 60 areas (plus
the hallways) to explore.
Much of the game is randomly generated,
including your spy’s starting statistics. Then you’re
given access to an equipment bunker, allowing you
bring in fun weapons like flame throwers, assault encounter enemies. If you do, you’re presented This is another
rifles, and submachine guns, and other things like with an overhead view of the room, with bad guys “simulation” title,
explosive briefcases and gas grenades. You are, represented by dots, and you can choose how to though the first-
however, limited by your character’s strength; if attack (aiming directly or firing wildly) and which person perspective
you overequip you’ll end up collapsing in front of weapon to use. Since the locations change every and emphasis on
the building’s front door. game, it’s a new challenge every time, and the both equipment
The building consists of six floors, each elevators have a nasty habit of randomly shocking and combat make
with a single hallway containing many doors. (and killing) you, so it doesn’t exactly play fair. it feel a little closer
This section is explored from a first-person Like many of these early games, this is arguably to an “RPG”.
perspective. The goal is to hunt for objects more of an adventure game than a role-playing
around the different rooms, though you may also game, though the packaging calls itself the latter.
52
The Dragon & Princess
Developer: Koei | Released: 1982 | Platform(s): PC80, PC88
The Dragon & Princess, the next game from

Koei, more closely resembles what would now be
considered a “role-playing game”, though it defines
itself as a “fantasy adventure” game. Developer
credit is given to “Y. Hayase” and “Locke”, but it’s
not clear what their real identities are.
The initial goal is to take down some bandits
at the orders of the king, but then you’re tasked
with rescuing a princess from a dragon. When
the game starts, you pick names for your five
heroes, each of whom has predetermined stats.
Much of the game is actually played out like a text
adventure, as you move from area to area, between
the main town and the expansive wilderness. fighting, but can also equip weapons to increase A blend of text and
Movement is handled via the numpad and single their power. Sometimes, visiting buildings will graphical elements,
letter commands, so you don’t need to type full also grant riches, though enemy bandits can also this is probably
words each and every time. sack them, an element later seen in games like the first of what
When you’re out and about, you’re randomly Fire Emblem. would nowadays be
drawn into combat, which is the only part of the The maps are confusing, plus it is wildly considered an “RPG”.
game that has any non-text visuals. These episodes unbalanced in the same way that most early
play out similarly to those in later strategy games; RPGs are, but it’s still an interesting game.
the field is divided into a square grid, and you An English fan translation exists for those who
move your five heroes towards the enemies to do want to experience this essential part of Japanese
battle. Your characters gain experience through RPG history.
Khufu-Ou no Himitsu
Developer: Koei | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC80, PC88, FM7
Advertisements for Khufu-Ou no Himitsu (“The
Secret of King Khufu”) bragged that it was the first
RPG developed in Japan, though that has already
been disputed. You control an explorer making
their way through a pyramid, looking for the
treasures of the titular Egyptian pharaoh.
While other early Japanese RPGs take after
the likes of Ultima or Wizardry, this one is a little
different, since it plays a lot like one of the entries
in Epyx’s Dunjonquest series, which began in 1979
and includes games like Temple of Apshai, Hellfire
Warrior, and The Datestones of Ryn. This game
opens up, as with many Koei games, with your stats
randomly generated, including your endurance, dies; weapons you can find will greatly help. Your This pyramid
food stash, and Attack Success Points. The game is endurance and food drop constantly, but the exploration game
a simple dungeon crawler, in which you move from various items you find can replenish them. is probably a little
room to room, find items, and attack enemies. The It calls itself a “Roll Playing Game” on the too simple to be
rooms are fairly small (though each is given a name), title screen, though except for some simple considered an RPG,
and while you can move to new rooms, you can’t statistics, it’s a pretty straightforward game, even but it’s not the
backtrack to old ones. There are branching rooms, compared to the Dunjonquest titles. Item types only one to bear
however, and the map seems consistent each time. are limited and due to the linearity there’s not a resemblance
Combat is as simple as walking up to an even much to map. Still, it’s an interesting piece to a Western series.
enemy (those include bugs like scorpions and of history, especially considering that none of the
spiders) and hacking at them until one of you Dunjonquest games were released in Japan.
53
Seiken Densetsu
Developer: Compaq | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC80, PC88
Seiken Densetsu translates as “Legend of the

Holy Sword”, though it’s completely unrelated
to Square’s later series of the same name, also
known as the Mana series. It came out courtesy
of Compaq and is a fairly standard Ultima clone.
The game begins with character creation and
allocation of numbers to five different stats, at
which point you enter the world map. Moving is
frustrating since you need to select the “Move”
command with the “M” key every time you
walk a square. When you encounter an enemy
army, you can choose how many rounds you
want to fight, which are illustrated by tiny
stick figures pummelling each other until the gear, as well as fishing equipment. As with most This game is
prescribed number of rounds is completed. The RPGs of the era, you need food to survive, which unrelated to
goals are to find the four sacred swords and you can also purchase. Defeated enemies yield Square’s later series
rescue a sleeping princess. experience points, plus you need to hunt for gold of the same name.
There are towns you can enter, which look to purchase more items. There are also characters “Holy Sword Legend”
almost identical to those in Ultima games, with on the overworld map that give obtuse hints. is a pretty generic
each room and location described with English Compared to some of the other Ultima-type title for an RPG.
letters. In addition to weapons and armour, games released around the time, like Poibos and
you can also purchase various methods of Dungeon, Seiken Densetsu is a little simple, as you
transportation, including a bicycle, a horse, a boat, only play as one character, and there aren’t any
and a magic carpet. You can also buy camping dungeons to explore.
Dungeon
Released in late 1983, Koei’s Dungeon is often
cited as the first Japanese RPG. We’ve seen many
examples already that disputes this, not only with
borderline games like Spy Daisakusen, but also
earlier titles like The Dragon & Princess, as well
as Falcom’s Panorama Tou, released around the
same time. At its core, the game is very similar
to the early Ultima titles. New for Dungeon is
that you can pick from five character classes –
Warrior, Wizard, Monk, Bandit, and Ninja – then
roll for starting stats. You’re then plopped down
on a random part of the island of Zargos, with the
ultimate goal of finding the lost city of El Dorado.
In addition to monsters roaming the land, there attack (plus magic spells), as well as four defensive Dungeon may be
are several towns, as well as numerous entrances moves. The enemy designs, though static, are nicely a pretty generic
to the titular dungeon. Every move saps your drawn for the PC88 version – the PC80 version is title, but its massive
endurance, plus you need to be mindful of your much lower res, with foes being rendered in single labyrinth seems to be
food, which also depletes constantly. colours pixels. Though there are only five floors, the size of the entire
Towns are handled entirely via text interface, the base level is absolutely huge – it seems to overworld island.
through which you can purchase food and other extend below the entire area of the island.
items, while dungeon exploration is handled from Dungeon is more interesting from a historical
the first-person perspective. Encounters are one- perspective than anything else – it is a competent
on-one, as enemies move in semi-real time around Ultima clone, and while it is unwieldy, the same
the dungeon. There are four types of physical can be said for most titles of the era.
54
Ken to Mahou
Another RPG from Koei, released in August 1983,

this game is known by both its Japanese title, Ken
to Mahou, and its translated English name, Sword
and Sorcery. It’s a pretty standard fantasy setup, as
the princess of the kingdom has been kidnapped
by an evil wizard, and you must venture across
the kingdom to rescue her. At the outset, you
can choose from nine character classes – Fighter,
White Knight, Black Knight, Human, Pilgrim,
Druid, Wizard, Dwarf, and Elf (mis-spelled “Fairly”
in some versions). Then you’re plopped down in the
starting area, from where you can visit the town or
the castle, before venturing out into the overworld.
Exploration is handled as in Ultima, though as it will regularly put you up against powerful The “text characters
you’ll run into random encounters when out dragons right at the start, in which case your as graphical tiles”
on the map. Battles are fought one-on-one in a fledging hero will likely be doomed. aesthetic is severely
turn-based fashion, though here there are several While released for several platforms, the underrated, and
commands beyond just the straightforward PC80 version is the most visually interesting, can also be found
Fight, including three types of physical attacks, since it displays everything via the computer’s in a few interesting
three types of defensive moves, and magic spells. text character set rather than as sprite-based Japanese PC titles,
Given this, there’s a sort of rock-paper-scissors visuals. Heads and shields are rendered as zeroes, like the MZ-700
mechanic that helps decide how the battle will arms are shown as slashes, and bodies rendered port of Mappy.
play out, as opposed to direct comparison of stats. as either white squares or triangles, which is
Nonetheless, it is an exceedingly difficult game, extremely creative.
Arfgaldt
Developer: ASCII | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC80, PC88, FM7
When discussing lots of these early Japanese PC
releases, the question is often asked, “Is this an
RPG?”; the answer often boils down to, “Not really,
but it depends how you define RPG”. In the case
of Arfgaldt, the answer is definitively “yes”, as it
contains pretty much all of the hallmarks. It was
originally published as a type-in in ASCII magazine
before receiving a retail release on tape a little way
down the road.
The game is entirely text driven, and gives
you a predefined character, put out into the
world to explore. You can get a report of all of
your stats, which include your current location,
as X/Y coordinates on the hexagonal world map many can join you, though they need to be fed as The game is nothing
(which was included with the magazine or in the well. Imagining dozens of fellow warriors, a literal fancy, but its title
package), and all possible exits. You can also hunt small army, traipsing around the countryside and alone justifies its
for monsters, and if you find one, you’ll enter a beating up stuff, is a pretty amusing pastime. importance in the
turn-based battle, though the only selections you The title of the game is also historically pantheon of Japanese
can make are to attack or to run away. If you step important. While various sources render the RPGs, having very
off the main paths, you also run into random English title as Arfgaldt, in Japanese, the spelling probably inspired
encounters. You search for treasure, as well as food is extremely close to Alefgard, the name of the Dragon Quest.
to keep yourself from starving. You’ll also level up kingdom in the first Dragon Quest. It’s almost
the more you fight. You can find fellow warriors certainly the case that Yuji Horii played this game
to join your journey too, with no limit as to how and named that setting as a tribute.
55
Genma Taisen
Developer: Pony Canyon | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC60, PC88, FM7
Genma Taisen, literally translated as “Great War

of the Phantom Demons” but also known as
Harmagedon, is a sci-fi manga by Kazumasa
Hirai and Shotaro Ishinomori that began in 1967.
It focuses on the heroic trio of high school student
Jo Azuma, alien cyborg Vega, and Translvanian
Princess Luna, who gather together to use their
psychic powers to defeat the demon Genma Daioh.
An anime film was released in 1983, including
distribution in the United States, which was also
used as the basis for a full-motion video (FMV)
game from Data East called Bega’s Battle.
Another computer game tie-in was released
in 1983, published by Pony Canyon. As with many or possibly even be wiped out immediately. Harmagedon was
early RPGs, the term can be applied only very It doesn’t appear to use any mathematical one of the first
loosely. There is no exploration or movement of computations to resolve conflicts, so all outcomes official tie-ins with
any kind; the game is divided up into several battle are predetermined based on your choices. Given an anime and/
scenes, which pits the heroes against various this, it’s probably more accurate to say that this or manga, and it
enemies. The stats for Jo, Vega, and Luna are is more of a choose-your-own-adventure, which certainly wouldn’t
listed at the top of the screen, along with their PSI uses the trappings of a role-playing game as be the last.
(psychic) abilities, and then the game asks you to window dressing. Some versions are text-only,
select a character to make the attack, and poses while others show simple renditions of characters
some questions, typically yes-or-no. Based on in the corner of the screen; many of these look a
your choices you’ll either inflict or take damage, little on the goofy side.
Poibos
Developer: Zatsoft | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC60, PC80, PC88, PC98, FM7, MZ, X1
Poibos was published by Daimyou Microcomputer
Academy, and was released on nearly every
computer platform of the time. While some other
contemporaneous RPGs, like Seiken Densetsu and
Dungeon, used typical fantasy themes, Poibos was
one of the first to use a sci-fi setting, inspired by
Star Wars. The title is a misspelling of Phoebus,
the Greek/Roman god also known as Apollo.
It actually has a pretty cool backstory, too.
The tyrannical Dark Emperor of the nation of
Krane has destroyed the planet of Poibos, and
has captured its few remaining citizens, including
the hero, Jorg. Jorg is tasked with breaking out
of prison, finding the few remaining citizens of than in other RPGs of the time. Since all of the Poibos Part 2 joins
Poibos, and escape off-planet. In addition to a few player characters are escapees, the only way to The Moonstone, the
key characters needed to complete the game, there find weapons is by claiming them from defeated would-be sequel to
are nearly 20 potential party members, though enemies, though they’ll run out of energy after a The Black Onyx,
only six can join at once. number of uses. as one of the early
Exploration is handled in a small window, The title indicates that this is Part 1, subtitled Japanese RPGs that
with a highlighted square that indicates your Dasshutsu (“The Escape”). Unfortunately the was planned but
position. When in combat, you can choose both developer went out of business after this game, never saw release.
attack and defence values for all party members, so there was never a Part 2. Nonetheless, it’s one
from 0-100. By choosing how aggressively to of the more interesting and innovative early
attack, you can build more elaborate strategies Japanese PC RPGs.
56
Dragon Lair
Developer: Fugen Electronics | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC80, PC88, FM7
Dragon Lair is a simple action RPG, roughly similar

to Automated Simulation/Epyx’s Dunjonquest
games. The game starts in a shop, where you can use
your limited amount of gold to purchase equipment.
You then set off to explore a fairly large maze.
Everything is rendered as coloured dots – your hero
is white, equipment is yellow, while treasure and
curatives (and also traps) are green. Enemies are red,
and the text that pops up at the top of the screen
helps identify exactly what they’re supposed to be
(vampires, werewolves, etc.) Sometimes the screens
are filled with tiny red dots that are supposed to be
things like spiders, which don’t move but need to
be avoided. In addition to collecting treasure, you Patty Bell. These were the owners of Crystalware, Dragon Lair (no
have to find the Golden Dragon within the depths a company that developed and published relation to the
of the maze, while both dealing with enemies numerous games in the United States, primarily laserdisc arcade
and keeping an eye on your stamina. The maze for the Apple II and Atari 8-bit computers. Their game) is like The
layout is the same in every game though the actual titles House of Usher and Beneath the Pyramids Black Onyx, in that
contents are randomised. You can also hunt for are a whole lot like Dragon Lair. So it’s not clear an early Japanese
hidden passages to reveal more treasure, but that whether they developed Dragon Lair specifically RPG is linked to
has the tendency to crash the game. for Japanese computers, or they licenced the a non-Japanese
What is curious is the game’s background. idea to Fugen and let them develop it, or Fugen developer.
Though published by Fugen Electronics, the FM-7 just ripped off their design but decided to at least
version credits two American developers, John and credit them.
Courageous Perseus
Developer: Cosmos | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC88, FM7, X1, MSX
Courageous Perseus was one of the first action
RPGs to be released in Japan, coming out the
same month as Dragon Slayer and beating Hydlide
to the market by a few months. However, it tends
to be forgotten, since both of those went on to
produce many sequels and console ports, whereas
this one didn’t. It stars the Grecian hero Perseus,
who explores an island ruled by the Gorgon, with
the goal being to collect either the three goddess
statues, or the 12 Zodiac symbols.
The map is fairly open, though the many
impassable forests and mountains make it hard
to manoeuvre. Combat is simple, as you just hold
down a button and bump into enemies to attack. they can kill you instantly.) You also have to deal One of Japan’s
At the beginning, Perseus is too frail to kill most with your energy meter, which drops regardless earliest action RPGs,
enemies, so you need to find and prey on the weaker of whether you’re fighting, and is replenished by Courageous Perseus
foes, killing them to slowly increase your offence finding bells left throughout the land. received no console
and defence, which will eventually allow you to Courageous Perseus is basically all about ports or sequels, so
take on stronger enemies. Defeated enemies don’t the grind, but it’s actually far less difficult than it ended up being
respawn either, so the island will slowly become most of the other action RPGs that followed in mostly forgotten.
more and more deserted. However, there’s no its immediate footsteps – once you understand
indication of which enemies you should be taking the chain of enemies to attack, it’s not that hard
on, so it’s all trial and error. (Make sure to watch to beat, compared to the dark magic you need to
for the crabs when you’re on the raft, because summon to get anywhere in Xanadu.
57
The Screamer
Developer: Magical Zoo | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC88
The year is 199X. Due to a food crisis, Japan

establishes a genetic laboratory called BIAS
(Biological Intelligence in Artificial System) to
find a solution. However, World War III happens
anyway, and much of the world populace is
wiped out. Humanity survives, but due to lack of
resources, the halls of BIAS have been neglected,
along with the strange and mysterious creatures
that dwell within. Unable to do much themselves,
the government offers rewards to mercenaries who
will clean it up, known as Screamers.
This first-person dungeon crawler has an
impeccably drawn scenario with some incredible
art, as a post-apocalyptic bio-horror cyberpunk Too bad The Screamer is almost impossible Magical Zoo was
tale. For 1985, the atmosphere is incredible, in spite to play. Rather than creating a party and engaging mostly known for
of its simplicity, with its grimy halls and dimly-lit in turn-based combat, you control a single educational and
corridors, as well as the terrifying mutants that character and the action-based combat is viewed utility software,
lie within. The townspeople in Beast City, the from a side-on perspective. However, these battles so The Screamer
settlement that has grown up around BIAS, are an are incredibly clumsy, plus it has a permadeath was a rare venture
eclectic cast of characters, and fellow Screamers mechanic, which will delete your saved game into gaming.
include a whip-brandishing Nazi woman and a when you die (unless you write-protect your save
mask-wearing claw wielder. The concept takes disk). This game begs for a remake, and indeed
the Wizardry formula and really does something one was in the works at one point, though it never
interesting with it. came to fruition.
Lizard / Aspic
Developer: XtalSoft | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC60, PC88, FDS
Lizard and Aspic are two related RPGs developed
by XtalSoft. In Lizard, initially released in 1984,
your goal is to climb a tower and defeat monsters,
thus obtaining the Book of Truth from the Great
Lizard, in order to help rescue a princess. It’s a
standard first-person dungeon crawler, though
when you enter combat, your hero and the enemy
(which is always represented by a lizard sprite
regardless of what it is) duke it out. You just mash
the Fight command and whoever has the higher
stats or more health wins. There’s not much to it,
though there are three character classes to pick
from (Warrior, Thief, and Merchant).
Its sequel, Aspic, was released two years resolution, and makes the combat action-based, The shocking ending
later, in 1986, and is much more elaborate. The which ends up being pretty clumsy. of Aspic, the sequel
same hero, now named Samson, is tasked by the It does have a pretty cool plot twist, though. to Lizard, remains
king with defeating the evil serpent king of the Once you defeat Aspic at the end of the game and one of the most tragic
game’s title. There’s an actual overworld now; its return to the king’s castle, he kicks you out, as he among early RPGs.
towns, caves and other structures are explored in believes you’ve been cursed as well. So you storm
a first-person view, as in its predecessor. There are the castle and murder him, revealing that the
characters in the battlefield that you can draft into king was right – Aspic actually has an immortal
combat, which is also displayed side-on, though it soul and merely transfers himself into the body of
otherwise works similar. A Famicom Disk System anyone who kills him, which in this case, was you.
port from Bothtec is uglier, due to the lower How dark and tragic!
58
Gandhara: Buddha no Seisen
Developer: Enix | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X1, MSX, FM7
Gandhara: Buddha no Seisen (“The Crusade

of Buddha”) is an action RPG from Enix based
on Buddhist mythology, in which your hero is
commanded by the bodhisattva Akasagarbha to
save the world from demons. Loosely based on
the six planes of existence, there are six different
worlds to fight though – human, hell, demon,
beast, war, and finally heaven. There’s little to
the game beyond beating up enemies, visiting
caves and purchasing equipment, but the worlds
are fun to explore. Your hero attacks by stabbing
or using magical rays, while he needs to manage
his hunger by defeating certain kinds of enemies.
He also restores health by praying at specific trees. and a few others) that the novelty alone makes it Gandhara is
The visuals are excellent, blowing away what fairly interesting. one of the few
the Famicom was achieving at the time, with large The game design and art are by Tadashi RPGs to feature a
sprites and comical designs, though the action is Makimura, a manga artist who worked with Go Buddhist theme.
fairly slow. The game’s sluggishness and simple Nagai, and the programming is by Toru Hidaka, both
story mean it doesn’t quite hold up compared of whom were involved with many of Enix’s early
to Ys, which was released later in the year, but works. The music is by Koichi Sugiyama, known
it’s a big step up from Hydlide. There are so few for his world-famous Dragon Quest soundtracks.
games that focus on Buddhist mythology (Namco’s This game came out after Dragon Quest, but Enix
Youkai Douchuuki and Taito’s Fudou Myououden, mostly ditched the PC platform after this, except for
drastically localised in the West as Demon Sword, a few games like 46 Okunen Monogatari.
Illusion City
Developer: Micro Cabin | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FMT, MSXR, PC98, MCD, X68
In Illusion City, after the return of Hong Kong
to China, the city was affected by a mysterious
earthquake that levelled almost the entire island.
An international intelligence group named SIVA
sent in investigators, and after a few months,
declared it safe for habitation, though what they
discovered was never made public. Fast-forward
a couple of decades, and people have returned,
though the city is now stratified into two layers:
a new artificial crust on the top, and the remains
of old Hong Kong below. The story begins when
a detective named Tien Ren begins investigating
the kidnapping of a young woman, leading him to
uncover the role that SIVA still plays. that platform, but its deficiencies show in ports This cyberpunk RPG
Illusion City has a distinctive cyberpunk for more powerful platforms (PC88/98, X68000, preceded similar
aesthetic, mixed with a bit of Oriental mysticism. FM Towns and Mega CD) – the sprites are tiny, games like Megami
This blend of technology and magic is similar to the animation is choppy, and most landscapes Tensei II and the
that in Shadowrun, albeit with an Asian setting. are rather unimpressive. Mechanically, the battles, Mega CD version
Together with its themes of demons and eastern displayed from an over-the-shoulder perspective, of Shadowrun.
religion, this makes for an interesting game that are slow and difficult, though encounters are at
has earned its reputation as a cult classic. The story least visible. The music, though, is pretty good.
is pretty cool, though it ends up being too elaborate Overall, it’s a decent, albeit rough-around-the-
and confusing. As one of the few games released edges, title from Micro Cabin, who proved here that
for the MSXTurboR, it’s technically advanced for they could do more innovative RPGs than Xak.
59
Psychic City / Kaleidoscope
Developer: Hot-B | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC88, FM7
Hot-B wasn’t exactly a top-tier developer, being

known mostly for its Black Bass fishing games
and a few alright shoot-’em-ups like Steel Empire,
but they were also early to the RPG game. Their
first entry was Psychic City, released in late 1984.
It takes place on an alternate Earth where a select
group of humans called Rapps developed psychic
powers. However, they are subject to routine
prejudice, and were hunted down during World
War III, forced to live in the ruins of New York City.
As a fighter, initially hunting down Rapps, you
end up changing sides and learning some psychic
powers yourself, as you fight back to protect them.
This is a great concept, and the intro ambitious, as you can choose from eight different Hot-B’s RPGs
cutscenes are stunning. However, the actual game races, each with different skills and life spans, plus had really cool
is rather dull-looking. At the outset, you can you can select their classes. However, the game concepts, but
allocate points to several types of psychic powers itself is still fairly simple. The visuals have been generally awful
(telepathy, psychokinesis, etc.) but when you play upgraded to resemble those in the Ultima games, execution, even in
the game, it’s very basic, as your character is but navigation is a tremendous pain, since it’s their early days.
represented by a square, and turn-based battles never clear what kind of terrain you can walk on. Pictured here is
occur against tiny sprites. In the end, it doesn’t live The game was initially intended to have multiple Kaleidoscope.
up to its ambitions. scenarios, but only two were ever produced.
Hot-B tried again with Kaleidoscope, a sci- Hot-B made their next RPG on the Famicom,
fi series. The character creation here is incredibly the famously dreadful Hoshi wo Miru Hito.
Genesis: Beyond the Revelation

Developer: Square | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98
Genesis: Beyond the Revelation opens with an
elaborate cutscene animation, showing the
nuclear destruction of a city skyline. After creating
your character, choosing from four classes –
Soldier, Karateka, Esper, or Doctor – you explore
the wasteland in this early RPG inspired by Mad
Max and Fist of the North Star.
Beyond the post-apocalyptic setting, Genesis
offers a novel battle system. When encountering an
enemy, combatants enter an arena presented from
an isometric perspective. Unlike the combat scenes
in Ultima III and other similar games, these arenas
take height into account, allowing you to hide
behind parts of the scenery to avoid enemy attacks. both 1985 and 1987, but all sources point to The battle system
It’s novel, though the game is extraordinarily 1987 being its true release date. The game was in Genesis is pretty
difficult, putting you up against hordes of thugs also distributed by Takeru vending machines, interesting, but the
or tanks (or both) before you can even get your which created disks for customers on demand, difficulty is so out
bearings. The Project EGG listing advises that you then printed out an accompanying label and an of balance that it
try to find the missile weapon as soon as possible instruction manual. The main menu also credits makes it hard to
and attack from high altitudes. Hiromichi Tanaka, a game designer on Final appreciate.
This game’s release is poorly documented. Fantasy III and Trials of Mana, who was still with
Cruise Chaser Blassty, released in 1986, is the company in a production role as of 2016, and
believed to be Square’s first RPG, though Genesis Toshiaki Imai, a sound programmer for many of
might actually predate it. The title screen lists the early NES games.
60
Suiryuushi (series)
Developer: Shambalah | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, WIN
Suiryuushi (“Water Dragon Knight”) takes place

in Saltia, a land that has discovered the magic
properties of water using a skill they call hydrology.
The land was guided by the Great Water Dragon,
until he was killed by dissidents, causing the
civilisation to fall into disarray. A millennium later,
a young orphaned boy sets off on a journey to
resurrect the Great Water Dragon and save the land.
Released in 1989, Suiryuushi feels a little
basic, with a simple interface and battle system
that more closely resembles early titles like Mugen
no Shinzou. While the hero can eventually meet up
with a companion, a healer from his hometown,
fights are one-on-one. However, the unique starring a merman named Pantello, who casts spells While the game itself
worldview, based on the power of water, as well as using his musical skills. The last game in the series is a little simple for
its fantastic illustrations, eventually earned it some is Suiryuushi Gaiden: Getsuryuu no Yama (“Moon a 1989 release, these
recognition from the Japanese PC community. Dragon Mountain”), a first-person dungeon crawler “spiritual water
The game was followed up by a sequel starring the sister of the hero from the second magic” RPGs have
that takes place 18 years later, starring the game. The series was well-remembered enough for excellent stories, and
son of the protagonists from the first game. a “reprint edition” for modern PCs to be released in a unique worldview,
He can’t use hydrology, but does have special 2018, featuring updated art, but mostly playing the as well as decent art
skills, and he is accompanied by a mermaid named same. All of these games are classified as “adult” and music.
Mahe. This was in turn followed up by a side story, because they feature many topless women (both
Mediflora no Izumi (“Fountain of Mediflora”), monsters and other girls), but they’re quite tame.
Record of Lodoss War (series)

Developer: HummingBirdSoft | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X68, WIN, PCECD, SFC
Lodoss-tou Senki (“The Record of Lodoss War”)
was one of the most popular fantasy-themed
pieces of Japanese fiction in the late ’80s and
early ’90s. Written by Ryo Mizuno and based on a
story that emerged from Dungeons and Dragons
campaigns, it takes place on the titular cursed
island, featuring the usual Western archetypes.
The hero is ostensibly a man named Parn, though
Deedlit the blond-haired elf-woman was by far the
most popular character. Of course, it inspired a
number of RPGs, the first series of which came
from HummingBirdSoft and started on PC
platforms. The first game, Haiiro no Majo (“The
Grey Witch”) is loosely based on the novel of the Both PC games were also ported to the Record of Lodoss
same name, and you can create your own party PC Engine CD in the early ’90s, with greatly War was one of
members, or recruit various familiar characters. improved visuals and the use of art and voice the most popular
These games are pretty typical late ’80s JRPGs, acting consistent with the contemporaneous fantasy-themed
though the dungeons are first-person, while the anime adaptation. Following this, there was a third properties of the
battles within use a turn-based tactical perspective. game for the Super Famicom, in which the battle era, with numerous
The first sequel was Goshiki no Maryuu (“The Five- segments used an isometric perspective. Later anime, video game,
Coloured Magic Dragon”), also based on assorted Lodoss War RPGs include a strategy RPG for the manga, and novel
novels. Also released were several “Fukujinzuke” Mega CD, and a hack-and-slash dungeon crawler tie-ins.
fan disks, a reference to the pickled vegetables for the Dreamcast (see page 487), one of the few
typically served with curry. Lodoss games released internationally.
61
Danchizuma no Yuuwaku
Danchizuma no Yuuwaku (“Housewife Seduction”)

is Koei’s third RPG, and deviates wildly from
anything they’d done before. Rather than an
adventurer or an explorer, you control a condom
salesman patrolling an apartment building.
Technically you’re there to sell prophylactics, but
your secondary goal is to seduce any bored
housewife. At the outset, you roll your character’s
stats, before being given free rein to roam the halls
of the building, which is explored from a first-
person perspective. In between knocking on doors,
you may also be confronted by wandering spirits or
dangerous yakuza, whom you can fight. When you
meet a woman, you’re shown her age and ends. For as saucy as the premise is, there’s no This offbeat Koei
attractiveness rating. When you’ve convinced actual nudity, as even the sex scenes are censored. RPG is sort of the
a woman to sleep with you, you hit the return In that way, it’s far more like Sierra’s Leisure Suit Eastern equivalent
key to thrust, while a graph indicates progress, Larry than an actual porn game, since it’s more to Sierra’s Leisure
though you can (and often will) get a negative about the humour than the sex. Suit Larry.
performance review. The game was the first in Koei’s Strawberry
The entire game is just managing dwindling Porno series which includes Oranda Tsuma wa
resources – your strength and intelligence go down Denki Unagi no Yume o Miru ka? (see below). It was
with every action, and the curative items you find later bundled with Night Life, which isn’t a game so
lying around don’t restore you much. Ultimately, much as a bedroom aid: it suggests sexual positions
you only have so much virility before the game and helps estimate safe days to avoid impregnation.
Oranda Tsuma wa Denki Unagi no Yume o Miru ka?

Developer: Koei | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC88, FM7
Oranda Tsuma wa Denki Unagi no Yume o Miru
ka? (“Do Dutchwives Dream of Electric Eels?”,
where “dutchwives” is a Japanese term for sex
dolls) is an obvious parody of Philip K. Dick’s Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, otherwise
known as the inspiration for the movie Blade
Runner. Here, some robotic pleasure models
have gone rogue in the Tokyo red light district
Kabukicho, and as a private detective, it’s your
job to suss them out. After rolling for stats, you
begin prowling the town, which is presented from
an overhead perspective, à la Ultima. You can
visit shops (many of which are love hotels and
adult toy stores) and interrogate people for advice, than there was in Danchizuma no Yuuwaku. You It’s your job to
ultimately leading to a love doll factory. The game do need to be mindful of the police, as you can be track down some
operates on a timer, and different stores are open arrested; you can also be attacked by yakuza. If you escaped “pleasure
at different times of the day. You also need to keep meet up with a sex doll without protection, you’ll model” androids in
an eye on your cash supply. instantly climax, and lose too. this sci-fi parody.
The only way to determine whether a woman As a sci-fi parody, the game has an amusing
is one of the escaped sexbots is with actual physical premise, but it’s unfortunate that its cavalier
combat … and this is where the game gets a little attitude towards sexual assault is such a major
gross. You can assault any woman you come across, theme. But it is indicative of the unregulated
which leads into an interactive sex scene. While attitude of the early Japanese PC gaming scene,
still censored, there is quite a bit more nudity here which had little concern for social mores.
62
Lost Power
Developer: Winkysoft | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): PC88, X1
The Makai is ruled by a number of demon lords,

each vying for higher status on the food chain,
obtained by devouring each other. The Demon
Lord Tyza has devolved back into a weak human
form, so he scales a seven floor tower to fight the
other demons and regain what was lost.
The screen is divided into several windows.
A tiny window shows an overhead perspective of the
maze, which you navigate with the numpad arrows.
A larger window shows a side-scrolling perspective
that advances as you move along. Other windows
show your stats and main inventory, combatant
strength, and the keyboard commands. In the
lower right is a huge portrait of Lord Tyza. Not only that hang around in set spots, which will drop The transforming
does he look buff, but as you become stronger, important items, plus in some cases you’ll eat picture of your
bits of him return to their original demonic forms. them to increase your demon transformation level. character as he
When fighting monsters, combat is displayed Lost Power is a very typical mid-’80s RPG, turns bit-by-bit from
in the side-view window and is completely turn- with pretty basic dungeon-crawling, hack-and- human to demon is
based. You can choose to queue up five commands slash gameplay, but it has a high concept that striking, even if it
at a time, allowing you to advance towards (and allows the player to fill in the narrative gaps. does take up rather a
attack) the enemy or retreat. Beating up regular The presentation is also noteworthy, as the enemy big part of the screen.
opponents will increase your max health, and portraits are very well done, and even seeing the
they also drop coloured stones with various uses. undie-clad muscleman slowly transform into a
More important are the mid-level boss monsters ferocious monster is its own particular reward.
Digan no Maseki
Developer: Artec | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX2
Digan no Maseki (“The Magic Stone of Digan”)
begins with a young couple named Dino and
Abiria getting married and setting off on their
honeymoon. But on their trip, they are told a
terrifying fortune: something will tear them apart
… sure enough, when they return home, the bride
is afflicted by a mysterious disfiguring disease,
so Dino begins a journey to look for a cure.
While most RPGs put you into role of a
warrior, Digan no Maseki hammers home the
fact that Dino is just a regular guy. There’s a day/
night cycle, and you need to eat and sleep to stay
healthy. There are monsters that can be killed, but
they don’t give much money, and injuries can be on expensive purchases. It’s all rather tedious, but Naoyuki Kato’s
extremely debilitating, so instead it’s better to work among late ’80s RPGs, there’s nothing quite like it incredible artwork
a job to get money. There is a variety of diseases, – the closest modern equivalent is something like makes this stand
as you can catch colds from NPCs or get an STD if SEGA’s Shenmue. out from many other
you visit red light districts. Various characters can The fantasy world the game takes place RPGs, Japanese or
join you and help in combat, but their world does in is also richly detailed, filled with characters Western.
not revolve around Dino’s quest, so they might of different races and religions. While most
hop in and out on a whim. Therefore, building of the visuals are somewhat basic, there are
relationships is important if you want them to many illustrations provided by sci-fi artist
stick around. You can also faff about, work all day, Naoyuki Kato, which help give this game a very
build up a huge bank account and fritter it away distinctive feel.
63
Curse of Babylon
Developer: XtalSoft | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): PC88, FM7, C64
XtalSoft was known for relatively hardcore RPGs

like Mugen no Shinzou and Fantasian, but perhaps
its staff saw the popularity of action-based games,
particularly on the Famicom, and tried their hands
at it. This resulted in Babylon, a game in which
you control a hero who must save the eponymous
kingdom from monsters. It’s presented from a
side-scrolling perspective, and you run around a
large map, find items, and kill enemies.
From an RPG standpoint, it’s all pretty
simple, especially compared to the complexity of
Falcom games like Xanadu, or even T&E Soft’s
Hydlide. Combat is handled much as in these
games though, in that you simply collide with and Faxanadu. It does seem like it was meant for Kyodai was a
enemies to attack them, and your success is the Famicom, but never got ported there. short-lived venture
determined by your strength compared to theirs. This game is also notable in that it was one bringing Japanese
You do get magic for projectile attacks, at least. So, of the very few early Japanese RPGs to receive PC games to the
much of the game is just spent exploring, hunting an international release from Kyodai, for which Western market,
for keys, items, and other things to make you it was renamed Curse of Babylon and ported to including this
stronger. Unique to this game is that there are six the Commodore 64. The conversion was handled title, Murder Club,
different songs, that you change at your discretion. by Cathryn Mataga, known for Synapse’s popular Ancient Land of Ys,
It’s not a particularly outstanding game, but is an action game Shamus. The visuals do suffer a bit and Psychic War.
interesting early blend of 2D action-platforming due to the computer’s chunkier resolution, but
and role-playing, heralding later games like Zelda II it’s a good port.
Zeliard
Developer: Game Arts | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, X1, IBM
Game Arts was well known in the mid-to-late
’80s among Japanese PC fans for its technical
wizardry, creating action games like Thexder and
Silpheed that were almost on a par with their
console counterparts. In 1987, they developed
Zeliard, an action RPG in which a red-haired hero
named Duke Garland must save the kingdom from
the evil Jashin by hunting down nine magic jewels,
and free the princess Felicia from her Stone Curse.
The game is fairly similar to Falcom’s Ys III,
in that it’s a side-scrolling action game, though
it predates the latter by about two years. While
there are occasional towns where you can talk to
folks and purchase equipment, most of the game can succumb to enemies pretty quickly. There are Sierra also published
is spent in caves. Lots and lots of caves. There’s a no experience points, but you can buy an additional Game Arts’ other
vast, interconnected world to explore, and while sword and armour, and obtain a number of magic PC games in North
there is some visual variation between the caves, spells to aid your quest. America, as well as
it’s still pretty samey. Still, the visuals are fairly Zeliard is one of the handful of Japanese PC Falcom’s Sorcerian.
nice considering the era, and both the controls and titles that was ported to IBM PCs and localised
the movement are fairly smooth. There are keys for into English by Sierra. It’s a faithful port, though
swinging your sword or casting spells, and you press it’s missing the small bits of digitised speech that
Up to jump, which is always clumsy, especially were impressive in the Japanese original. For some
when aiming your sword slashes upwards. There’s reason, Duke Garland, who wears a winged helmet,
no invincibility period after damage either, so you is rendered as a Viking on the cover.
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War of the Dead (series)
Developer: Fun Project | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, MSX2, PCE
War of the Dead (a.k.a. Shiryou Sensen) takes

place in the town of Charney’s Hill, which has
been overrun by an assortment of gruesome
monsters. You control a woman named Lyra
Alfon, a member of the S-SWAT (Supernatural
and Special Weapon Attack Team) sent to round
up survivors. Functionally, the game plays a bit
like Zelda II, so you explore the town, and the
occasional structure within it, from an overhead
perspective. When a random encounter occurs,
the view switches to a side-on perspective, and you
battle enemies, as in an action game. Lyra begins
equipped with just a knife and a pistol, though
you can obtain other weapons as you go, including is a little rough but in different ways – ammunition Though it has a
bazookas and flamethrowers. She also has psychic is rare in the MSX2 version, but is dropped by number of issues,
powers, though this really only lets you boost your enemies in PC Engine version, which also has an the PC Engine port
weapon’s power. The game is heavily inspired by explicit levelling system. The PCE version also runs of War of the Dead,
Hollywood horror-action movies, with characters more smoothly, but is less impressive visually and pictured here, is
given names made famous by Hollywood (the is stuck with gigantic passwords instead of a save probably the best
priest Carpenter, the teacher Carrie, fellow S-SWAT system. They’re all a bit messy, but horror action version to play.
member Jake Romero, etc.) RPGs are rare, so it has a unique appeal. A sequel
There are three different versions of War of takes place in the city of Sun Dorado, though
the Dead: the initial MSX2 version, then PC88 and only for the MSX2 and PC88 platforms. However,
PC Engine remakes. The balance in each of these it strips out most of the RPG elements.
Hiouden (series)
Developer: Wolf Team | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98, FMT, SFC
The main character of Hiouden: Mamonotachi
tono Chikai (“Legend of the Scarlet Kind: Pact
with the Demons”) is Richard A. MacIntyre, who
has been deposed from his throne by the rival
Macaulays. The only one in his castle to escape
execution, he makes a pact with a dryad that
gives him the ability to summon demons, thereby
gaining a dark army to take back his kingdom.
Hiouden isn’t technically an RPG, instead
being more of a real-time strategy game. The story
is divided into several scenarios, as you command
Richard and his loyal monsters, overwhelming
their enemies. It was originally released for the
PC98 and spawned a sequel there, while the first included several team members who worked on Given the staff
game was ported to the Super Famicom. Due to Namco’s Tales of Phantasia, including the three involved, the
the interface, it’s pretty clumsy with a controller, – Masaki Norimoto, Yoshiharu Gotanda, and real-time strategy
though it does support mouse use for a control Joe Asanuma – who would break off and form action of Hiouden
scheme closer to that of the PC game. The action tri-Ace, leading to the Star Ocean series. The team can be seen as a
is a bit chaotic to understand easily, regardless, also included some other shared staff, including foundation laid
since there’s so much going on at once, and the graphic designers and Telenet regular musician for later, more
animation is quite choppy. Motoi Sakuraba, whose work sounds particularly mainstream
Ultimately, the Hiouden series is more excellent in the Super Famicom version. In other RPGs like Tales
interesting from a historical perspective than words, the innovative real-time battle systems of Phantasia and
in itself. The Wolf Team core development staff of those games can be traced back to this title. Star Ocean.
65
Tritorn (series)
Developer: Sein Soft | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC60, PC88, PC98, X1, FM7, MSX, MSX2, X68
Sein Soft (also known as Zain Soft and Xain Soft)

was a shifty game development outfit that cranked
out tons of titles, many buggy and unfinished,
most of which were rip-offs of more popular
games. That’s also the case for Tritorn, their first
noteworthy title, which basically took T&E Soft’s
Hydlide and turned it sideways. But this does also
make it one of the very early side-scrolling action
RPGs, as it was released in the same month in 1985
as Falcom’s Xanadu.
It takes place on the island of Luwanda,
which has been overrun by the evil Pay-Valusa,
and only the heroic Tritorn can stop him. The goal
is to explore the land and hunt for items that will This was followed up by an MSX2 revision None of Sein Soft’s
allow you to progress. There are many potions to called Super Tritorn, which enhanced the graphics titles made it outside
find, which increase various skills, plus shields to and completely changed the map, though it’s of Japan, which is
increase your defence. Unlike Hydlide, Tritorn has an inferior game in most respects. Follow-ups fine, since they were
a separate button for swinging your sword, plus you included Tritorn II and its X68000 port, Tritorn mostly buggy pieces
can toss magical balls at foes. The world is linked Special, which at this point mimicked the look of of junk, though
together by doors, which will warp you around to Falcom games, though were much more poorly Tritorn is at least
different areas. It’s quite difficult, as the combat programmed. The series ended with Valusa no kind of interesting for
is clumsy and enemies can easily kill you, though Fukushuu, an X68000 side-scrolling action game being an early side-
there is a memory save/load function that lets you that features a warrior who looks a whole lot like scrolling action RPG.
experiment and quickly reload if you get killed. Adol from Ys.
Laplace no Ma
Developer: HummingBirdSoft | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX, X68, SFC, PCECD
HummingBirdSoft was known for the Deep
Dungeon series, comprised of typical Wizardry-
type dungeon crawlers, but they bucked the trend
with Laplace no Ma (“Laplace’s Demon”), which is
influenced by Lovecraftian horror. In 1920s America
in the fictional New England town of Newcam,
you take a squad of adventurers into the haunted
Weathertop Manor. The town is a base where you
create characters, buy equipment, and obtain info,
while the mansion is a gigantic dungeon.
The character classes are different from
those in typical dungeon crawlers – Detectives and
Psychics are equivalents to fighters and magicians,
but there are also Journalists, who are relatively but basically incapacitating them until they are Most versions of
frail, but can also take pictures of the monsters cured. It’s a tough game, for sure, but its unique Laplace no Ma are
for sale to the local newspaper, the primary way to mechanics and terrifying atmosphere are very first-person dungeon
generate income. Scientists can use inventions to strong for the era. crawlers, but these
attack, while Dilettantes use magic. In this game, All of the original PC versions are first- must have been
MPs are not magic points, but rather mental person dungeon crawlers, as is the PC Engine CD considered to be out
points, which are expended in psychic attacks or port, but the Super Famicom version changes to of style by the time
when using some of the Scientists’ inventions, but an overhead perspective. The game is the first the Super Famicom
are also drained by certain enemy attacks. When instalment in HummingBirdSoft’s Ghost Hunter port came about.
their MP hits zero, then a character goes insane, series, which also includes Paracelsus no Maken
the exact effects differing from version to version, (PC98) and Kurokishi no Kamen (3DO).
66
Märchen Veil (series)
Developer: System Sacom | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FM7, X1, MSX, FDS
Märchen Veil is a well-remembered action RPG

released for many home computers in 1985, as
well as the Famicom Disk System. You control the
Prince of Felix, a young man who has not only
been whisked away to another land, but cursed
with the body of a faun-like race called the Veil.
With his sword at his side, he explores this foreign
realm in order to both return home and regain
human form. Though technically an action RPG,
Märchen Veil is broken down into eight separate
levels, each with a specific goal. Most of the time,
this involves hunting down specific items and
taking them to certain spots. Along the way, you
can hunt for both health extensions and weapon Märchen Veil’s claim to fame lies in the story Though this
power-ups, though it’s all somewhat directionless. scenes between its levels, as the Prince makes his screenshot (above
Unlike Hydlide or Ys, the prince can shoot way from one place to the next, begging to find left) is from the
projectiles rather than needing to bump into a way to reclaim his human form. Considering PC88 version,
enemies. However, it’s hard to aim at them, and many RPGs in 1985 had most of its plot told in the Famicom
they’re not only small, but move pretty quickly. the manual, it makes the game more involving. Disk System
The action is quite clumsy, plus the landscape is However, the game ends on a downbeat note, port, published
filled with pits, which will drain your health unless which was meant to lead into its sequel. This was by Sunsoft, has
you can leap out of them. In the FDS version, you only released on the PC98, so players on other cover art more
can at least jump, which makes dodging enemy platforms were unable to see the conclusion to the representative of
attacks a little easier. prince’s tale. the game (above).
Tokyo / Shanghai / Kowloon Island

Developer: Starcraft | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC88
Stuart Smith was one of the pioneers of early
computer role-playing, with a trilogy of games
originating on Atari 8-bit computer platforms:
Fracas, Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves, and The
Return of Heracles, along with the Adventure
Construction Set and its accompanying game,
Rivers of Light. As in other RPGs of the time,
you explore interconnecting rooms, looking
for treasure. Friendly characters can join your
adventure (and be controlled by other players, if
you want), while hostile characters often fight
among themselves instead of targetting the player.
Starcraft was a company that published many
Western games in Japan, including Ali Baba. They Kowloon Island puts you into the role of a mercenary Starcraft published
then used the engine to create three original games: trying to prevent the spread of a bacterial weapon. numerous ports of
Shanghai, Kowloon Island and Battle King/Tokyo. And Tokyo takes place in a futuristic landscape American PC titles
What’s interesting is that Smith’s own games where Japan has been annihilated by nuclear throughout its
borrowed from history and mythology, rather than missiles. The visuals in these are simple, but still existence, primarily
Tolkien or other swords-and-sorcery fiction. These more advanced than in Smith’s original games. adventure games
Japanese games use similarly atypical settings, These weren’t the only Japan-only sequels like Sierra’s Mystery
generally set in the future, even though he wasn’t that Starcraft created. SSI’s RPG series Phantasie House, but also RPGs
involved with any of them. had three games in North America, while a fourth like Origin’s Ultima.
Shanghai has you exploring a space shuttle one, subtitled The Birth of Heroes, was released in
that has crashed into the eponymous Chinese city. Japan in 1991, but never ported back to English PCs.
67
Paladin
Developer: Bothtec | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC88
Paladin (or “The Paladin”, in-game) is an early

action RPG released by Bothtec in 1985. The
English-language introduction tells the tale of
how a stranger named God “did all of the evils
in the would” [sic], including killing the king
and transforming the princess into a swan. The
game was developed by Ken Akamatsu while
still at high school; he would later become a
world famous manga author, thanks to his series
Love Hina and Negima!
Visually, the game looks a lot like the
computer classic Lode Runner, with each stage
constructed of bricks and filled with ladders,
and enemies positioned around. Each level headed dragon before reaching the finale, in Like many early
is presented as a single screen, with both an which you square off against God himself. Then Japanese titles,
entrance and an exit (except for the very first you can backtrack to an earlier level to find the Paladin was a
level, which only has an exit). It uses a simple swan princess. successful entry
bump system for mêlée combat, though you have It’s a pretty decent game, considering its in a game-writing
magic too. You technically don’t have to kill all of vintage. Combat is clumsy, and much of the game contest. Who knows
the enemies to proceed, but doing so will give you simply involves finding or buying the proper what games Ken
experience and cash. Some screens have shops equipment and managing your money, but it’s Akamatsu could’ve
where you can buy things, get hints, and gamble definitely less confusing than the typical computer developed if he
to earn more money. There are 100 screens in RPG of the era, plus it’s an early example of one hadn’t followed a
total. In the next-to-last screen you fight a three- with God as the ultimate foe. career in manga!
Riglas
Developer: Random House | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FM7, X1
Most RPGs of the ’80s utilised an overhead view
or a first-person perspective, while a select few
(such as the Falcom titles Xanadu and Romancia)
were side-scrollers. Riglas is one of the few that
uses an oblique perspective, which is technically
side-scrolling but lets you walk upwards and
downwards, commonly called belt-scrolling” when
applied to beat-’em-ups like Double Dragon.
Riglas is a continent largely ruled by two
races: the Miria and the Galt, who are at constant
war with each other. Caught in the middle is a
minority race, the Osborn, oppressed by both
sides. You control an Osborn named Mei, who
leaves his village to find the mysterious secret of it changes quite a bit throughout the game, Kazurou Morita,
Bershuna, in order to free his people. Much of the depending on what you’ve seen and done. Plus, founder of Riglas
game is spent wandering, running quests to find the scrolling is pretty smooth for PC hardware – developer Random
items, and beating up enemies to increase your quite a technical achievement. House, was something
score, and thus your life meter. Unlike Ys and The game was programmed by Kazurou of a genius, and had
Hydlide, there’s actually an attack button that Morita, who founded Random House, and is been one of Enix’s
swings your short and unwieldy sword. While known for crafting high-level artificial intelligence star programmers,
much of the game has a typical fantasy setting, for shogi games. The story also ties into the works along with Chunsoft
the finale introduces sci-fi elements like robots, a of author Yuuto Ramon, taking place in the same founder Koichi
recurring theme in some early RPGs, like Ultima universe as Minelvaton Saga, Gdleen, and Digan Nakamura.
II and Hydlide 3. Though the dialogue is terse, no Maseki.
68
Burai (series)
Developer: Riverhill Soft | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FM7, MSX, MCD, SFC, PCECD
Riverhill Soft was mostly known for adventure

games like J.B. Harold Murder Club, but it also
dabbled in RPGs, like its Burai series. Written
by author Takeo Iijima, the premise is similar
to that of Dragon Quest IV, despite pre-dating
it by a couple of months. In the land of Kypros,
eight warriors are chosen to venture from
their homelands to stop the resurrection
of the dark lord Daar.
The heroes include Zan Hayate, a Robin
Hood-esque character; Sakyou Maboroshi, the
human form of a dragon god; Gonza Prott, a
member of the Wash tribe, who look like humans
wearing animal suits, hunting for his parents’ The game plays like a typical late ’80s JRPG. The diverse cast
murderers along with his little sister Maimai; However, certain abilities are represented by of characters in
Lilian Lancelot, an acupuncturist; Kuuk Lo Tam, glowing orbs; when these weaken, eventually they Burai make for
a boy who can talk to animals; Romal Sebastian shatter. The original PC versions are obviously an interesting
VI, a lizard-like Lizaz noble, who ran away to join a little basic, but the ports to the consoles, group of travelling
the circus; and Alex Heston, a fortune teller. The particularly the CD versions, polish things up. companions.
story was too big to fit into a single game, so it was The character designs are by Shingo Araki
divided into two. The first game features individual (Saint Seiya) and collaborator Michi Himeno, with
chapters for each character before they join up; music by all-female rock group SHOW-YA, in the
the second game has them pair up for a few more first game, and Hiromi Imae (formerly of rock
chapters before they regroup for the finale. band Crystal King) in the second.
Kumdor no Ken
Developer: ASCII | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): WIN, MAC
As the galaxy’s Master of Blind Touch, you’re
about to visit the backwater planet Kumdor on
vacation. Right before your voyage, a Kumdoran
arrives and urges you to save them from global
catastrophe. All seems fine until you get drunk
en route, right before your ship’s systems fail.
Though you survive the crash landing, all your
money, experience, and keyboard keys are gone.
It’s time to journey across the land, facing secrets
and dangers even the locals fear, all to answer the
stranger’s call and return home.
Imaginative edutainment! Kumdor no
Ken (“Sword of Kumdor”) teaches touch- Alongside Kumdor, Michiaki Tsubaki created Kumdor no Ken’s
typing through meticulous Dragon Quest-style another series, INSIDERS, in which you must unique, experimental
combat, exploration, and town-dungeon-town escape your own PC, à la Tron. ASCII released the direction typifies the
progression. You start off with only the F, J, and games within mooks, each containing hints and creativity of many
Space keys for menus and navigation; acquiring side materials for users. Kumdor’s mix of addictive overlooked Japanese
more keys lets you handle new battles and play, absurd, evocative aesthetics, and world- PC RPGs and their
puzzles. Typing challenges (except in tutorials) building, akin to the Mother series, made it a cult creators.
gradually but constantly drain your health, classic in Japan. While INSIDERS pushes you to
hurting more if you mistype. Fast, accurate touch- learn difficult electronics and computer science to
typing is essential to survive and progress, as you win, Kumdor’s ease and linearity make it excellent
encounter Kumdor’s troubles, save its civilisation, for teaching anyone touch-typing, a skill then
and prevent a galactic pandemic. uncommon in Japan.
69
Gage
Developer: Mindware | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98
You awaken within the tower of “Mick Albert”,

equipped with little but robes and a scrying
scepter. Albert, a stand-in for Gage’s creator
Mikito Ichikawa, beckons you to assemble a party,
loot chests to supply yourselves, and reach the
top of his trap-filled, monster-infested tower – or
perish like many before you.
With its detailed isometric view and
procedurally-generated levels, Gage presents
dungeon crawling in miniature diorama. You play
a Leader unit who can recruit party members,
manage inventory, and see ten spaces ahead on the
map, using magic. However capable you and your
party may seem, resources remain scarce, stowed every floor can mean rearranging your party for a Gage is a dungeon
near dangerous foes. To defeat said enemies, the tricky encounter, or just to keep your companions crawler that is
game offers a typical RPG class roster: fighters, on-screen. This makes things fiddly for some simultaneously
healers, and mages a-plenty. Gage’s automatic players. For others, it hardly dents the game’s familiar and
turn-based combat involves micromanaging mêlée methodical pace and deftly illustrated atmosphere. unique. Plus, some
and ranged combatants, all while conserving The game also features music from Yuzo Koshiro, of the sound effects
items, equipment, keys, and escape routes. providing an experimental orchestral score are straight out of
Gage’s greatest challenge, however, is preceding his work on Beyond Oasis. Streets of Rage.
map traversal. You have neither formations nor Mindware struggled to develop and publish
automatic party regrouping. Micromanaging each games. Afterward, Ichikawa focused on pinball titles
unit requires careful mouse clicks. Every bend on and remakes of classic Japanese PC-era releases.
Libros de Chilam Balam

Developer: Right Stuff | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98
The books of Chilam Balam are a record of the
history of the Mayan civilisation, and they’re the
central topic of this PC RPG from Right Stuff.
Taking place in the United States right after the end
of the Civil War, its protagonist is a young cowboy
named Fred, living in the largely lawless Wild West.
His childhood friend, Christina, is kidnapped, and
the ransom note tucked behind his father’s old
gun. Obviously, this is no mere firearm, and it
plays into a larger story involving cults and ancient
gods. While the story begins as a fairly standard
Western, it delves into the supernatural, having
been inspired by HP Lovecraft’s Cthulhu stories,
woven in with Aztec lore. In addition to the gunslingers, you’re also joined There aren’t many
Unlike the unusual battle systems found in by characters like Luka, a Native American who JRPGs that take
Emerald Dragon and Alshark, this has a pretty escaped ritual sacrifice; Sylvia, a fortune teller; place in the Wild
standard one in most ways, its closest equivalent and Vivienne, a magician who loves cats. West, and the ones
being Phantasy Star II. Battles are viewed from an The Wild West setting is extremely that do often make
over-the-shoulder perspective, on a generic black uncommon in JRPGs – the few other examples interesting use of
background, with enemies placed on a grid. They include Wild Arms and Shadow Hearts: From the setting. Libros
can move back and forth between the front and the New World – so Libros de Chilam Balam is de Chilam Balam
back rows, which determines what kind of weapon noteworthy for that aspect alone. It would probably is no exception.
you’ll need to effectively damage them. The story is have made a good console port, but it was left in
pretty good too, with a large roster of characters. obscurity on PC platforms.
70
Kuro no Ken
Developer: Forest | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): PC98, PS1
Kuro no Ken, which also has the translated English

subtitle Blade of the Darkness, takes place in the
nation of Kreutzen, which was long ago devastated
by a vicious black dragon. This was defeated using
the eponymous weapon, which disappeared after
it served its purpose, but evil forces are attempting
to resurrect the fallen dragon, so the sword
must again be found. The story focuses on two
heroes – magic-wielding kunoichi Shinobu and
armour-clad swordfighter Kayes – who initially
are controlled separately, before joining forces for
their adventure.
This is a pretty standard JRPG, though
its battle scenes are notable for their large The game was developed by Forest, who While somewhat
character sprites, which are viewed from an otherwise only put out adult titles, including behind the times
over-the-shoulder angle. There’s little about the 2D fighter Ningyou Tsukai, which was used when it was released,
it that’s particularly original, but the story is as the basis for the IBM PC game Metal & Lace: Kuro no Ken is still
fairly decent, if mostly because this type of The Battle of the Robo Babes. With its scantily a valiant effort for a
dark fantasy was fairly rare among clad characters and occasional partial nudity, it’s company otherwise
console RPGs at the time. It might be a little too more licentious than most other console RPGs of known for nothing
simple though, considering you only ever control the time, though it’s tame compared to other PC but porn games.
the two heroes in battle, and there’s no really games. Indeed, nothing had to be cut out for its
interesting upgrade or battle mechanics – it feels a 1997 PlayStation port, which is mostly the same,
little bit dated for a 1995 release. though it does add in plenty of voiced dialogue.
Sword World (series)

Developer: T&E Soft | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98, SFC
Sword World is a tabletop RPG designed specifically
for the Japanese market. It was designed by Ryo
Mizuno, the author of Record of Lodoss War,
which itself was based on a replay serialised in the
magazine Comptiq, itself based on Dungeons and
Dragons and other tabletop RPGs. The first game
tie-in, Sword World PC, was created by XtalSoft
and T&E Soft. In typical fantasy RPG fashion, you
create your character and then set off on a journey
with other adventurers you meet. It’s relatively
open-ended, with several different scenarios that
you can undertake, with the ultimate goal being
to take down the dark priest Maazel Soglan.
Since it’s based on the rules of the tabletop game, half for the final release. For the Super Famicom Sword World is
it works differently from most other computer version, titled Sword World SFC, the designers basically Dungeons
RPGs, in that fighting doesn’t gain you much reconstructed everything, deleting some scenarios and Dragons with
experience – indeed, it should be avoided – but reinstating some of the ones originally cut, its serial numbers
whereas scenario completion benefits you, by for an overall better experience. (A TRPG book was filed off, made by
strengthening your hero. When you do engage in released featuring all of the scenarios.) Since some hardcore Japanese
battle, the game shifts to a turn-based system in scenarios are mutually exclusive, you need to play tabletop role-
which each character can move a certain number the game three times to see everything. An SFC- playing fans.
of squares, and then attack. exclusive sequel called Inishie no Kyojin Densetsu
The PC version was intended to have 100 (“Legend of the Ancient Giant”) features a brand
scenarios, but this had to be cut down by about new story but plays similarly.
71
Princess Minerva
Developer: Riverhill Soft | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98, PCECD, SFC
One day, Princess Minerva of the Whistler

Kingdom got bored, and decided to form an elite
squadron of eight female bodyguards. While at
first this squadron acts as little more than an
entourage, eventually the land is threatened by
the sorceress Dynastar, who sends her own demon
generals against Minerva and her crew.
Originally released for the PC98 by Riverhill
Soft, then later ported to the PC Engine CD and
Super Famicom, Princess Minerva mostly plays
like any only regular JRPG, except that, with
so many characters, the parties are broken up
into three teams of three. When battles occur,
which team actually fights is totally random. cast is female, ranging from Minvera’s bodyguards Though it originated
If one is wiped out, then one of the teams in through Dynastar’s underlings to most of the on the PC, Princess
waiting will hop in to take their place. random enemies. There are succubus-like demons, Minerva is better
The idea was generated by Red there are women dressed in S&M outfits, there known for its console
Entertainment, who had found great success with are girls in bear, dragon, cow, and bee costumes, ports. The PC Engine
their offbeat Tengai Makyou PC Engine series, and and even female kappas. The character designs are CD version also
knew how to come up with ideas that resonated attractive and the sprites are very well designed, so has a bit of nudity,
with their audience. In Princess Minerva’s case, the game fulfils its purpose fairly well. In addition due to NEC’s looser
that audience is mostly boys, adolescent in age to the games, there was also a novel series, as restrictions for this
(or at heart), given that the game’s characters are well as an anime OVA, which unlike the rest, was platform.
mostly women in scanty outfits. Nearly the entire translated into English.
Wind’s Seed
Developer: Compile | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): PC98
It’s a regular day for siblings Mina and Otto,
tasked with foraging for forest offerings to give
at their town’s upcoming festival. But things
go awry: after leaving their home, they witness
their older brother being kidnapped by the
treacherous Black Unicorn group. It’s up to
them to set things right!
Wind’s Seed is much the other JRPGs
released by Compile through their Disc Station
periodicals: cute, easy to learn, and rather short
overall. It stands out due to its side-scrolling
perspective and more complex combat system,
centring around the siblings’ ability to Call upon
inner powers. Either character can Call three darker undertones. The world around you is full Like most Compile
times, with each instance giving them access of territorial wildlife, as well as lowlifes like the Disc Station games,
to unique command tiers. When fully charged, enigmatic Black Unicorn. Some characters, such Wind’s Seed is short
Mina and Otto can even unleash powerful special as hometown totem pole Gillespie, flaunt foul – it can be beaten in
moves upon enemies. All this ties into an ordinary, mannerisms around Mina and Otto when they can. an hour or two – but
but polished, turn-based battle flow, paced to The team behind Wind’s Seed would go on to has quite a bit of
showcase the game’s whimsical characters. make many worthwhile games for the Disc Station charm stuffed into
Towns and other respites break up the pace during Compile’s waning days. But Wind’s Seed that space.
between overworld and dungeon explorations. remains uniquely representative of their past and
While its NPCs and story characters are quite future principles, all while pushing the PC98’s
inviting, Wind’s Seed doesn’t shy away from graphical potential.
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Samurai Mech
Developer: Hulinks | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): MAC
Samurai Mech takes place in the distant

future, and is a science fiction tale blended with
traditional Japanese designs. The eponymous
hero is a samurai mixed with RoboCop, more
or less; he ventures through Oedo, a gigantic
artificial city in space, to investigate a troupe of
mysterious ninjas. It plays like a traditional JRPG
for the most part, though it’s controlled entirely
with the mouse. Battles are fought one-on-one,
and you can choose different spots to attack the
enemy, with different stances having different
vulnerabilities. In addition to levelling up your
character, you can also gain blueprints to upgrade
your cybernetic gear. So given that lack of experience, it’s The incredible
The game comes courtesy of Hulinks, shocking how cool Samurai Mech looks – the monochromatic
a company that dabbled mostly in assorted field screens are basic but they have the “future visual design of
computer applications; its only previous game Japan” aesthetic down pat, while the artistry Samurai Mech
experience was porting a few SSI strategy games for the hero and enemies in the fight scenes is makes it a unique
to the PC98. Samurai Mech and its sequel were fantastic, as are the mechanical designs. It uses artefact.
their only original games, and also seem to be the monochromatic colour scheme of early
among the few Japanese-developed games for Macintoshes to great effect, creating a game
the Macintosh – by this point in 1992, computer that’s unlike anything else out there. The sequel
gaming generally used the PC98, before shifting to supports colour and while it doesn’t look quite as
Windows a few years later. striking, the illustrations still stand out.
Lunatic Dawn (series)

Developer: Artdink | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): PC98, PCFX, WIN, PS1, PS2
Known today more for its experimental PS1
games than its history of popular, award-winning
Japanese PC simulation titles, Artdink created
Lunatic Dawn more as an RPG simulation than an
RPG proper. Like System Soft’s RPG sim-game, Tir
Na Nog, Lunatic Dawn has some basic plot hooks
and world-building to offer. Both series, however,
focus more on freeform exploration, character-
building, and dungeon crawling, compared to
their contemporaries.
The first two games, released in the early
’90s, start with creating characters, buying
items and equipment, recruiting party members,
and accepting quests. Depending on the game, many foes waiting to slaughter your avatar and The original
various aspects are also procedurally generated. hapless party. Lunatic Dawn
Wordy menus with detailed Western-style pixel The third and fourth games, released in the generated almost
art replace the typical town exploration of JRPG late ’90s, changed with the times to resemble everything on the
games. Overworld exploration entails moving point-and-click action RPGs, a little more like fly, making for a
your party’s icon across various types of terrain, Diablo but with less of a focus on straight dungeon uniquely tailored
evading or meeting other symbols for areas or crawling. The PlayStation exclusive Lunatic Dawn experience.
encounters. Outside of quests you can accept Odyssey returned to the older format, slightly
in towns, there’s no obvious goal to a regular updated, while Lunatic Dawn Tempest for the
Lunatic Dawn playthrough. There’s a whole PlayStation 2 shifted to a first-person perspective,
world to explore, much loot to plunder, and as used in the King’s Field games.
73
74
Falcom
There were a number of companies that specialised Unlike Square and Enix, both companies
in RPGs in the early days, like Koei and XtalSoft, as that began in home computers before quickly
considered in the previous chapter. But one of the transitioning to consoles, Falcom mostly stayed
earliest was Nihon Falcom (or just Falcom), which with PC software for much of its lifetime.
was named after the Millennium Falcon from It was, however, eager to license out many
Star Wars. Founded by Masayuki Kato in 1981, it of their titles to other parties for conversion,
established itself as a personal computer retail which is why the first few Ys games can be
shop called Computer Land Tachikawa in Tokyo, found, in often wildly different form, on over
mostly selling imported Apple II PCs. However, a dozen platforms Their staff often dabbled
they quickly began developing their own software in console development, but it wasn’t until the
for the then newly-released NEC PC88 platform. 2006 PSP port of their 2004 game Legend of
Much of their early RPG output came Heroes: Trails in the Sky that this really took off,
courtesy of Yoshio Kiya, who first created at which point they abandoned the PC space in
Panorama Tou, before working on the Dragon favour of portables, and eventually consoles. And
Slayer series, a very loose set of RPGs connected that’s mostly where their focus lies nowadays,
only by a few common references. The second along with continuing the Ys series.
game in this series, Xanadu, became wildly Falcom has gone through a few iterations
popular, for PC software, which helped catapult over the years. Many of the staff left in the late ’80s
the firm to fame within the community. and early ’90s, including their star developers.
However, it was their 1987 game Ys I: Yoshio Kiya left the company for greener pastures,
Ancient Ys Vanished that brought them wider while Masaya Hashimoto and Tomoyoshi Miyazaki,
recognition. With an interesting story, fast action two of the key staff behind the first three Ys games,
(for a PC game), and a brilliant soundtrack, it left the company to found Quintet, makers of
quickly enthralled the PC audience. When it was ActRaiser and other action RPGs, like Illusion of
converted for the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 CD, Gaia and Terranigma. Kazunari Tomi, formerly of
it was further enhanced and used as a killer app XtalSoft, also left, to form Studio Alex, the creator
for the system; it was even bundled with certain of the Lunar series; while he was not involved in the
hardware configurations in North America, where Ys games, it does rather shamelessly borrow some
fans and critics widely praised its cinematics and aspects, including floating cities and reincarnated
amazing synthesised music. The series currently goddesses. Falcom puttered along through the late
has ten entries, along with various remakes of ’90s and early 2000s, mostly releasing Windows
previous games. ports of their older games, before rejuvenating
Music plays a big part in Falcom games, the Ys series, along with other PC titles like Zwei
most of it credited to the in-house JDK and Xanadu Next, some of which eventually made
Band. Comprised of many members over the it into English courtesy of XSeed. But it was the
decades, this band developed some of the finest aforementioned Trails in the Sky that signalled
FM-synthesised music on the market, and their rebirth, drawing in fans internationally;
often published arranged albums using live these may not be large in number but they remain
instruments. Many of these had a hard rock bent extraordinarily devoted. From 2007 onwards, the
to them, distinctively different from the music of company has been guided by Toshihiro Kondo,
Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, two other big a fan living the dream of working for (and
hitters in video game soundtracks. eventually leading) his favourite developer.
Red haired heroes?

Skyscraper towers?
Floating islands in
the sky? These are
all essential aspects
of the Ys series.
75
Panorama Tou
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1983 | Platform(s): PC88
As noted already, both the definition of a JRPG

(does the term include, for example, Koei’s
“simulation” games?) and the identity of the
first JRPG (that is to say, not a type-in program
or a port of a Western game) are debated. Many,
however, point to Nihon Falcom’s Panorama
Tou (“Panorama Island”), released in 1983 and
developed by Yoshio Kiya, as the first such game.
The packaging and the title screen show a
sword-wielding woman in a bikini against an exotic
backdrop … but is as to be expected, the reality of
the game is far less exciting. Your goal is to explore
the depths of the pyramid on the eponymous
island, though things are never easy for would- Panorama Tou was programmed in BASIC, Panorama Tou was
be adventurers. The entire map is shown on the which means that not only is every action extremely one of Falcom’s
screen, divided into hexes, but it’s filled with traps. sluggish, but there are also substantial load times many titles to be
As you move around, you may fall into pits when you do much of anything. The game is quite released in 1983,
(probably a LOT of pits), or come under attack by ambitious, given that it’s trying to represent the alongside text
snakes or lions. Luckily, some of the aboriginals struggles of exploring a hostile island, but the adventure Horror
are friendly and will help you out if you call for constant pitfalls and ever-dwindling resources House. Galactic
them. Any type of interaction, including combat, make it extremely difficult to get anywhere. Wars 1, their first
is shown in a tiny window in the bottom right Still, it was a historical landmark, especially game, was released
corner of the screen, so you may need to squint to considering it’s the first RPG in Falcom’s library. in 1982.
see much of anything. Supplies are limited, so you However, unlike the later Dragon Slayer games,
must either scavenge for food or purchase some in Panorama Tou was never ported or upgraded –
one of the towns. perhaps it’s just too dated.
There’s a river dividing up of the island,
inhabited by a creature that looks a lot like the
Loch Ness monster. If you manage to catch the
attention of the ferryman, he’ll take you across
the river. There’s also a network of tunnels that
you can enter, providing you have a flashlight and
the batteries to power it. These, and the few other
dungeons, are presented from the first-person
perspective, as in the early Ultima games. Many
of the enemy and character graphics are made
from simple shapes, and there’s a certain charm
to them.
76
Dragon Slayer
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1984 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X1, MSX, GB, SAT
Dragon Slayer is the catch-all name given to a series

of RPGs designed by Yoshio Kiya. Developed after
Panorama Tou, there are technically eight entries
in this “series”, though there’s little connection
between them, beyond some small references.
The game was the result of a competition between
Kiya and another Falcom employee, Tadanobu
Inoue. Kiya’s version won, and received retail
publication, while the other version was published
as a type-in program in LOGIN magazine. The PC88
version by Inoue has a similar concept, though it’s
much simpler; it’s easy to see why Kiya’s version won.
The latter game was inspired by the American
Apple II game The Caverns of Freitag by David Certain versions include a bizarre mishmash of As with Panorama
Shapiro, released in 1982, which is another early enemies, including television sets and kangaroos. Tou, Dragon Slayer’s
action RPG with similar visual and playing styles The game is certainly an improvement over fantastic cover
that also involves exploring a dungeon in order to Kiya’s previous work, though it’s still quite basic. artwork had to make
slay a dragon. Movement is handled clunkily, as you move tile-by- up for the fact that
The inaugural entry, which is, of course, just tile, and combat involves characters smashing into early PC visuals were
titled Dragon Slayer, was released for an assortment each other, while you hope the gods of statistics quite simple.
of Japanese PCs including the PC88 (pictured above) are on your side. Each of the many versions of
and MSX (above right). It takes place entirely within Dragon Slayer has a different dungeon, with
a dungeon, and, obviously, there’s a dragon waiting certain versions allowing you to make your own.
to be slain. But at the outset, your poor hero is in The difficulty balance is rough, as enemies are
no condition to do it, and assuming you happen both aggressive and substantially more powerful
upon the creature, you’ll be absolutely slaughtered. than you at the outset, plus they can trap you in
So, this ultimate goal requires you to explore the levels narrow hallways. Sessions can last a significant
and find power stones to increase your strength, and amount of time, as you slowly amass the power
coins to expand your HP. Handily, your hero lives you need to actually beat a level.
in the dungeon, and you can actually pick up your Dragon Slayer later saw a port to the Game
home and move it around – this is useful, since you Boy, though it lacks a save function and has only
need to deliver the items to your home before they a couple of maps. A Gaiden game was created
actually make you stronger. Magic potions will also for the Game Boy by another company, but it’s
allow you to cast spells, allowing you to break down unrelated, and is more of a typical Dragon Quest-
walls, warp across the dungeon, save the game, or style title. It also appears in remade form alongside
bring up a map. Items can be found, like crosses Ys and Xanadu in the Falcom Classics package
to turn you invincible (though you can’t attack), on the Saturn, which includes revised 2D visuals
and rings, which let you pick up heavy objects. and smoother movement.
77
Xanadu
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FM7, MSX, MSX2, SAT, WIN
While Falcom was early to the RPG game with

Panorama Tou and Dragon Slayer, it was really
Xanadu that put it on the map. The game is a
side-scrolling dungeon crawler, which begins
in a town where you can spend gold to train up
the various stats of your hero, before delving into
the dungeons below. Each dungeon is several
screens tall and several screens wide, and loops
horizontally. The goal is to not only find the exit,
but also gain enough strength and find enough
equipment to defeat the boss, before moving onto
the next dungeon, of which there are ten in total.
The levels are littered with enemies, and
colliding with them will bring up a separate and upgrade your character, lest you get stuck Xanadu was popular
overhead battle arena where you engage in in a position in which you’re too under-powered enough that it
combat with multiple foes. As in Dragon Slayer, to continue, and either need to reload an earlier received an anime
you run up and nudge them to attack, with save or start over from scratch. However, these OVA spinoff, albeit
damage distributed based on both characters’ elements ended up working in the game’s favour, largely unconnected
stats, though you can obtain projectile-based as computer magazines regularly featured strategy with the game
magic too. Mêlée and magic experience points guides on how to conquer the mazes and optimise itself. Nonetheless,
are distributed separately, so you need to playthroughs. This acted as free advertising, and the artwork for the
attack with both methods if you want a well led to sales of over 500,000 units, which was anime was used
rounded character. Your weapons also level up tremendous for a computer game. for the cover of
independently; you need to keep reusing them Falcom released an expansion called Xanadu the MSX release.
so they will gain in power. Finally, you need to Scenario 2, which adds several extra dungeons
keep track of your Karma stat. Every enemy is and assorted gimmicks. More importantly, it has
classified as “good” or “bad” (though even good an expanded soundtrack – the original release
enemies will attack you). If you kill too many only had a main tune that was played occasionally,
good enemies, your Karma will go up, which will whereas in this release, most dungeons have their
disallow you from entering certain areas, like the own themes. Much of this music was provided
temples where you level up. The only way to lower by Yuzo Koshiro, his first work for a video game.
your Karma is by drinking poisonous potions Xanadu received a few other remakes, including a
found during exploration, which also deplete a set of PC releases called Revival Xanadu, as well
good chunk of HP. as being featured on Falcom Classics Vol. 1 for the
Xanadu is renowned for its brutal difficulty Saturn. Amusingly, the shopkeeper graphics in the
level, primarily because there are limited numbers original release are mostly traced from the Ultima
of enemies and resources in each dungeon. You III manual, something that reportedly angered
need to be careful in how you attack, use items, creator Richard Garriott when he found out.
78
Romancia
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, MSX, X1, FC, WIN
Romancia bills itself on the packaging as

“Dragon Slayer Jr.” Along with the rather
simplified stat display, which shows HP as heart
icons and weapon power as swords, this might
suggest that it was meant for kids, or at least as
an introductory level role-playing game. Don’t fall
for this, though! Romancia is just as hateful to
the player as Xanadu and Dragon Slayer before
it, though to be fair, it is much smaller and
shorter – you’re expected to complete it within a
30-minute limit.
Back in the ’80s, there wasn’t a really a strict
divide between “adventure games” and “role-
playing games”. Indeed, Romancia leans a little cursed citizens. Your sword barely has any range Romancia utilised
bit more towards the “adventure” side, because though, and the lack of any invincibility period cutesy anime-style
there’s actually not very much combat, with the means that you can be killed pretty quickly. visuals rather than
emphasis more on fetch questing. As the visiting Romancia is the quintessential ’80s the Western fantasy-
hero Prince Fan Freddy, you need to rescue the “obscure for the sake of it” RPG, and while trying style artwork seen in
Princess Selina, who has been kidnapped by the to outwit it is somewhat amusing, it is a difficult most of their previous
neighbouring kingdom of Azoruba, and then find game to enjoy. Without the huge levels of its RPG releases.
the Dragon Slayer sword to defeat the dragon brethren, it is lacking in depth, and has too much
Vaides, who has cursed the land. fetch questing and not enough exploration. Still,
The original version of the game was it’s well regarded for its technical prowess: in the
packaged with a manga that gave some guidance, disk versions, the game never stops to load after
but otherwise there are few hints about what you begin, meaning the core is less than 64kb in
you’re actually supposed to be doing. One of size. Plus, the game was completely developed
the first major goals is to find the outfit that lets over the course of only about a month. Early
you enter heaven without actually dying. This is on, Falcom may not have developed the most
because most of the important items are granted approachable games, but they were programming
by a group of wise men who live in the clouds. They wizards. The character designs, by manga artist
don’t grant these items to just anyone though, so Kazuhiko Tsuzuki, are also fairly attractive,
the other major goal is to raise your Karma, one and the title screen theme by Yuzo Koshiro is
of the holdovers from Xanadu. This is done by solid too.
performing good deeds, like ferrying medicine Compile developed a Famicom port, and a
from the church to sick townspeople, and curing number of things were tweaked, including the
the town’s poisoned water supply. Though there world (expanded) and the combat sequences (new
are enemies, killing most of them will actually ones added). The timer is also gone, plus you can
lower your karma, since they’re technically just resurrect after dying – with a certain item.
79
Legacy of the Wizard
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): NES, MSX, MSX2
Through its early life, Falcom was primarily a PC

developer, opting to license other companies to
make conversions. Dragon Slayer IV was their
first console-focused game, with the only other
versions being released on MSX platforms. It’s also
the first in the series to receive an international
release from Brøderbund, for which it was renamed
Legacy of the Wizard. It features the Worzen Family
(or Drasle Family in Japan, a combination of
DRAgon SLAYer – it makes more sense in Japanese),
whose house is right on top of a gigantic labyrinth.
The goal, similar to that in previous games, is to find
the four crowns and then the Dragon Slayer sword,
then kill the dragon Keela. Visually, it does look like the dungeons of Brøderbund brought
There are five active members of the family, Xanadu, complete with the square-sized sprites, Legacy of the
each with a different talent, mostly allowing them but each area is much more visually distinct, plus Wizard west, the
to enter certain parts of the dungeon. Xemn, the there’s a much greater focus on action and puzzle- first Dragon Slayer
father, can equip gloves that allow him to move solving. Rather than using a separate combat game to an English-
bricks; Meyna, the mother, has magical items display, you just attack enemies directly on speaking audience.
that let her manipulate blocks; Lyll, the daughter, the main screen, with each character wielding
can jump very high; Pochi, the pet dragon, projectiles, fueled by a magic meter. Enemies drop
goes unharmed by normal enemy attacks (since restoratives or money (and in some cases, poison),
he’s technically a monster too); and Roas, the son, while regular inns and shops will help you keep
doesn’t have his own section to explore, but is the your supplies replenished. Each section of the
only one who can wield the sword and defeat the dungeon is long and unforgiving, especially the
final boss. Once you’ve chosen a family member, you boss fights, and defeat will send you right back to
can’t switch until you return to your house on the your home base to start over again.
surface, and you can only carry three items at once. In spite of its high level of difficulty, Legacy
Legacy of the Wizard is very slightly easier of the Wizard is a fascinating game. There are few
than the previous games, primarily because there’s titles that match its uneasy sense of delving into
no way to get stuck in a permanent, unwinnable a cavernous, seemingly incomprehensible maze,
situation. But it is just as vague and directionless, and the focus on action and exploration rather
requiring that you experiment with each of the than hellish grinding or tedious fetch quests make
family members, using their talents to narrow this one superior to its predecessors. Plus the
down where they’re supposed to be going. While soundtrack, again by Yuzo Koshiro, is as excellent
it’s structurally similar to other NES action as always. The MSX versions are worth checking
adventures like Castlevania II or The Goonies II, out too, for their slightly altered maps and some
it’s much, much more demanding. changes to the music.
80
Sorcerian
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): MSX, PC88, PC98, X1, IBM, MD, PCECD, DC, WIN
Sorcerian is the fifth Dragon Slayer entry, though

the series isn’t actually mentioned anywhere
in the title. It uses a scenario-based design and
allows complete customisation of your party,
recalling pen and paper role-playing games. You
create characters of four types – Human Fighter,
Human Wizard, Dwarf and Elf – then pick their
genders and assign various stats. In town, you can
purchase weapons and train in other skills, then
you can pick from a variety of scenarios. There are
14 at the outset in the initial PC version, and they
can be played in any order, though the 15th and
final one, with the battle against the usual dragon,
is unlocked towards the end. There’s very little Sorcerian actually made it out of Japan, and Sierra brought
overarching story, though each level does have its was localised by Sierra for IBM PC computers. Sorcerian out in
own little mini-narrative, which are typically just While it’s nice to play it in English, some elements North America.
told in the manual rather than the game itself. You really didn’t make the transition. The brilliant They also worked
can enter and exit scenarios at will, returning with music, by Yuzo Koshiro (and others), really wasn’t with Game Arts to
any gold or experience you’ve obtained, plus you converted properly for Adlib FM sound cards, release a few other
can play them over and over, even if you’ve beaten so it sounds quite bad. One of the draws was Japanese PC games,
them. Characters age over time, and can take on its modular design, which allowed third party like Zeliard, Thexder,
full-time jobs when they’re not adventuring, which developers to create and sell their own scenarios. and Silpheed.
also influences their stats and salary. Neither this feature nor any of these utilities ever
The stages are presented as side-scrolling made it outside of Japan. And it’s a shame, because
action segments. The level design and graphics there are tons of extra level packs, some based on
have advanced significantly from the squat different times in history (e.g. Sengoku Sorcerian,
character sprites of the previous Dragon Slayer Pyramid Sorcerian, Gilgamesh Sorcerian).
games, but it does look a little bit silly, considering Sorcerian was popular enough in Japan
you control your entire party (of three or four that it was ported and remade for several different
characters) at once, with the first taking the lead, platforms, including the PC Engine, Mega Drive,
then the rest following in a line and shadowing and Dreamcast. All of these versions consist of
their motions. There’s no jumping animation some scenarios from the original PC game plus
either, so your characters just kinda float into some exclusive levels. Falcom later made a sequel
the air and then fall. In effect, you’re controlling called Sorcerian Forever for Windows 95, complete
a small squadron that looks like a railway train with new SVGA visuals, though it only had five
made out of people. Depending on their class and measly scenarios. Sorcerian Original uses this
equipment, characters attack with either mêlée same updated style but features all of the stages
weapons or magic projectile spells. from the original PC game.
81
Ys Book I & II
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): PC88, MSX2, FC, SMS, TGCD, WIN, PSP and more
Falcom was known as one of the most prominent

RPG developers in Japan throughout the ’80s,
thanks to its Dragon Slayer line of games.
But it was really its Ys (pronounced “ees”)
series that brought the greatest success, and
for quite a long time, was its flagship series.
Unlike most other Falcom RPGs, it was not created
by Yoshio Kiya, but rather a duo of programmers
named Tomoyoshi Miyazaki and Masaya
Hashimoto, who had previously worked on the
Asteka series of adventure games. They developed
the Ys series up to the third entry, after which they
started their own development studio, Quintet.
The hero of the Ys games is the wandering who ends up being kidnapped by the big evil, Darm. Screenshots of the
red-haired swordsman, Adol Christin. He’s a The games are so closely connected that they PC88 release of Ys:
wandering adventurer who finds action, danger, tend to be packaged together. Plus, the first game The Vanished Omens
and romance in every new journey, and operates as is fairly compact – there are two towns, a small are shown on this
a silent protagonist in nearly all of the games. The field, and three dungeons, the last of which is the page, but it was
first games in the series revolve around the ancient sprawling Darm Tower, which consumes most released on almost
land of Ys, which is a mysterious, mythical city off of the playing time. The second game is quite a every platform of
the coast of Brittany, which purportedly vanished bit longer, lacking in an overworld, but sending the time in Japan,
into the ocean. Here, instead, it actually broke itself Adol through caves, an ice world, a volcano, and both computers
away from the Earth and launched itself into the then finally the Solomon Shrine for the climactic and consoles.
sky. Later games in the series move away from the encounter.
legend of Ys, fully fleshing out the game world, Taking after Hydlide, Ys is an action RPG
which has rough analogues to areas in Western where you don’t actually swing your weapon, but
Europe and Northern Africa. He is accompanied by instead ram into enemies. However, it’s been subtly
his partner Dogi, a hulking blue-haired fellow who tweaked in a number of ways. When attacking
will bust down any wall (literally) to rescue his pal. enemies, you can gain an advantage by running
The first game in the series, Ys: Ancient Ys into them slightly off centre, rather than from the
Vanished (alternatively: The Vanished Omens), side. It is still, ultimately, a battle of numbers, and
has Adol searching for the lands of Ys. Here, he stronger enemies will still harm you regardless of
meets two mysterious women with blue hair, later how you approach them, but it is much smoother.
revealed to be the twin goddesses Feena and Reah. Additionally, combatants that take damage will be
The ending leads directly into the second game: knocked back slightly, allowing you to more easily
Ys II: The Final Chapter, as Adol is engulfed in a retreat if you’re taking too much damage, or blow
pillar of light and sent to the floating land of Ys. through foes if you’ve sufficiently over-powered
Here, he connects with a village girl named Lilia, them. It takes some getting used to, but it’s fun.
82
Ys is also known for its legendary the platform. It wasn’t until the TurboGrafx-16 CD The stunning title
soundtracks. These are two of the first release that the series really obtained international screen artwork, as
games from Falcom to support the fame. It was chosen by publisher Hudson to be the well as the image
FM sound board on PC-8801mkII SR killer app for the platform, showing off not only the of Lilia from the
computers, and the result is just absolutely fancy cinematics, but the brand new soundtrack, prologue of Ys II
brilliant, mostly due to the intense action arranged by Ryo Yonemitsu and played as an audio (above left and far
themes that pump blood into even the calmer CD. It also had a stellar localisation, with professional left) were burned
moments of the game. Indeed, it’s also very English voice actors, a rarity for the time. into the brains of
cinematic: every shopkeeper gets their own There were other ports through the years, Japanese PC fans.
detailed portrait, and the opening sequence for though the most significant began with the Directly above is
Ys II, as Adol is whisked into the sky and first Eternal series, which remade these two Ys games artwork from the
encounters Lilia, is legendary among Japanese for Windows. They included brand new SVGA Ys Eternal remake.
RPG fans. The soundtrack was contributed by graphics, as well as smoother movement (including
Mieko Ishikawa, Yuzo Koshiro, and Hideya Nagata. a faster walking speed for Adol, and diagonal
The first two Ys games were ported movement) that made the bump system easier to
to several Japanese computer and console handle. It also expanded the first game slightly,
platforms. Conversions of the first game for the IBM with a larger overworld, and a bigger script.
PC and Apple IIGS made their way to North America This was used as the basis for Ys I & II Chronicles
courtesy of Kyodai, though they were rather for the PSP, which was later ported back to
poor ports and were largely ignored. The SEGA Windows by Xseed and released internationally
Master System port of the first game was released on Steam. These are probably the best versions,
internationally, though this also failed to make through the TG16 CD release is still ideal for those
much of an impact, thanks to the unpopularity of who love the look and sound of late ’80s JRPGs.
The TurboGrafx-16
CD version of Ys
Book I & II (left,
upper row) and the
Ys Chronicles as
remade for modern
Windows platforms
(lower row).
83
Ys III / Ys: The Oath in Felghana
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, MSX2, FC, GEN, TGCD, WIN, PSP and more
The third game in the Ys series didn’t even start off

as an actual Ys game, but as a separate Falcom side-
scrolling action game. Somewhere along the line,
the developers stuck an Adol sprite in there, and
decided to turn the whole thing into a proper entry
in the series. At first it was just deemed a spinoff,
granted the name Wanderers from Ys, before later
versions gave it the proper moniker, Ys III, on the
packaging. The story takes place in Felghana, far
away from the land of Ys, and the hometown of
Adol’s buddy Dogi. Foul things are afoot there,
caused by a young man named Chester, who seeks
artefacts to resurrect an ancient god.
Of course, since the perspective has changed and feels even more insubstantial than the first Ys While very
from an overhead to a side view, the game plays game, which itself was pretty short, outside of the different from
completely differently, as Adol can now jump and final dungeon. its predecessors,
swing his sword. Holding down the attack button The game was a technical marvel when the third Ys game
will cause repeated sword swings from Adol, it was originally released on the NEC PC88/98 maintains the same
so you can still have the satisfaction of slicing platforms, because it implemented parallax sense of style, and
through hordes of enemies, presuming you’re at scrolling backgrounds, which was nothing short awesome music, as
the necessary level. You can also stab upwards, of a miracle for the hardware. This aspect is the first two games.
or jump and point your sword downwards, à la significantly less impressive on other platforms,
Zelda II. The attack motions can make boss fights particularly in the 16-bit console ports, where such
difficult though, as you often need to jump to effects were standard. The music, however, is easily
reach their weak points. There is no magic system, the high point, with nearly every song being an
and instead you can equip rings that temporarily instant classic.
increase various effects. For a long time, Ys III was probably the
The action is clumsy, and it’s quite best-known game in the series, among English
dependent on levelling, though that aspect isn’t speakers, because all three 16-bit console ports
really any different from the first two games. It were released in America, while the previous games
is, however, extremely short, and linear. There’s had been relegated to less popular platforms.
no real overworld, just a map screen where you Since they all come from different publishers,
can choose your next location. The stages are though, the translations vary somewhat. The
small and only have a few branches, so there’s Genesis version is the most well-rounded, while
not much to explore, and there’s only a single sub- the TurboGrafx-16 version has an amazing CD
quest. There’s only one town, the central village audio soundtrack, much like its predecessor.
of Redmont, and not many people to talk to. The However, they skimped on the voice acting budget
game can be beaten in about three or four hours, with this one, so the spoken dialogue is terrible.
84
Unlike the mainline
Ys games of the time,
Ys III allows Adol to
actually swing his
sword instead of just
bumping into bad
guys. Hold down the
button for rapid-
fire swings, and
Adol chops through
baddies like a
human buzzsaw.
The SNES version is ugly and glitchy, and The story itself hasn’t really changed from
generally not worth playing. The series effectively that in the original release of Ys III, but the
disappeared in North America for a long time after dialogue has been greatly expanded, adding many
this game, and frankly, this isn’t it at its best. more characters to the town, as well as fleshing
Ys III was viewed as the black sheep of out some characters and subplots. The map screen
the series for quite a while. However, it was not has been replaced with a small field area from
forgotten, and in 2005, Taito licensed the Ys which you can travel to the next stage, and each
games for a series of PlayStation 2 remakes. area has been drastically reworked and expanded.
Ys III for the PS2 remains faithful in many ways, It makes the game feel much fuller, but at the same
though it has brand new, more detailed 2D sprites. time, it doesn’t wear out its welcome, as it can be
However, the action is arguably even more awkward completed in eight to ten hours. All of the music
than before, and it removes the scrolling in favour has been rearranged, often with live guitars, and
of flipscreens. Very little else has changed, and it it all sounds fantastic. In other words, this little
all feels pointless. remake completely redeems Ys III.
Around the same time, though, Falcom was After the initial Windows release, a PSP
planning its own remake, called Ys: The Oath in version was developed and released worldwide by
Felghana, initially released on Windows platforms Xseed. Though running at a lower resolution, this
in 2005. This is a much more radical reimagining, version has some improvements, including some
using the same engine as Ys VI: The Ark of difficulty tweaks, full voice acting, and the ability to
Napishtim. It plays basically identically, with an choose soundtracks from the PC88 and X68000
overhead perspective consisting of 2D sprites and versions (though sadly not the TurboGrafx-CD
3D backgrounds (and boss fights). The action now music) in addition to the version arranged for
feels more authentically Ys, plus it’s rather more this game. The original Windows version was also
polished than Ys VI. translated for English-speaking markets.
The Oath in
Felghana is a hugely
improved remake
that elevates this
entry from “kinda
bad but fun” to
“legitimately one
of the best action
RPGs of all time”.
85
Ys IV / Ys: Memories of Celceta
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): PCECD, SFC, PS2, PSV, WIN, PS4
Ys IV has a pretty confusing release history, in

that there are technically four different variations
of it, all from different developers, for different
platforms. There’s the PC Engine CD version,
by Hudson (Dawn of Ys), the Super Famicom
version by Tonkin House (Mask of the Sun),
a PlayStation 2 remake from Taito (Mask of
the Sun: A New Theory), and finally, another
remake from Falcom themselves for the Vita
(Memories of Celceta). They are all drastically
different games, though they do have some
commonalities.
They all take place in Celceta, a land thick
with forests, and the home of a special healing Dawn of Ys for the PC Engine Super CD It may not be the
plant, which is found in the other Ys games. doesn’t differ too drastically from the system’s canon version of the
The storyline delves into the history of the ports of Ys Book I & II. However, the fighting story, but the PC
Eldeen, a winged people from another age, is much smoother, partially because Adol can Engine CD version
revealed as the race of Feena and Reah from the finally move diagonally. The character designs are of Ys IV is easily the
earlier Ys games. Many town names are the same, also improved and cutscenes appear with more best of the initial
and there’s always a town that exists in the trees. frequency. Whenever a character talks, there’s a versions, especially
Between the versions, the core cast members are gigantic portrait with lip-synched speech, and with character
mostly the same, though occasionally they are the history of Celceta is fleshed out with elaborate designs, styled at the
placed in different roles. Recurring characters full screen pictures, which is probably why Ys IV peak of ’90s anime.
include Karna, a warrior woman; Eldeel, one requires the Super CD-ROM card rather than
of the Eldeen; and Leeza, Eldeel’s caretaker. the standard system card of its predecessors.
There’s also a trio of miscreants who will accost The visual improvement is welcome, because the
Adol throughout the journey, named Gadis, plot is much more elaborate in this game than
Bami, and Gruda. any of its forebears. It’s also a much longer game,
The game also introduces the Romun requiring more playtime than the first two games
Empire, an army who are occasionally a thorn in put together.
Adol’s side. And all the versions revolve around The Super Famicom version, subtitled Mask
two artefacts known as the Mask of the Sun and of the Sun, is something of a pale imitation –
the Mask of the Moon. The soundtracks also it lacks most of the visual enhancements and
use much of the same music, though the tracks cutscenes. Not only does it look and feel poor in
are used in different areas, and there are some comparison with other ports, but it feels stark
songs unique to each game. It’s an expansive even compared to other Super Famicom RPGs
soundtrack, too – the Perfect Collection album of the time. The action feels rougher, as Adol can
version spans three CDs. only move in four cardinal directions. The music
86
sounds chintzy, and key things like shopkeeper as the visuals are quite muddy, though this was The Super Famicom
portraits are missing. Many of these issues fixed in later Windows and PlayStation 4 releases. version of Ys IV:
were due to the fact that it was developed for a So how did all of these wildly disparate Mask of the Sun,
cartridge, which had far less capacity than the versions come about? It began with Hudson, is nowhere near
CD-ROM, but it still feels hastily made. which published the PC Engine/TurboGrafx-16 as high-quality
Much later down the line, in 2005, ports of Ys I-III. These titles were very successful, as the PC Engine
Taito began porting and publishing remakes of so Hudson approached Falcom about creating a CD release.
older Ys games for the PlayStation 2. While their sequel for its console. Unfortunately, a substantial
Ys IV version was based on Mask of the Sun, it number of staff had quit Falcom at this time
took some substantial liberties with the plotline, (including Tomoyoshi Miyazaki and Masaya
and the gameplay systems are also completely Hashimoto, the series’ original creators), largely
different. It plays a little more like Ys VI, using 2D due to payment disputes, so the company lacked
sprites on 3D backgrounds, but it looks and feels the resources to develop it. Unable even to provide
cheap and clumsy. a full script, they created a loose framework for a
Finally, in 2012, Falcom developed its scenario and supplied the music, which Hudson
own remake of Ys IV for the PS Vita. Subtitled used to create the PCE game. Since Falcom had a
Memories of Celceta for the English release, it basic game design document, they also pitched
reworks the storyline even more than the others, it to Tonkin House, developer of the SNES port
adding a number of extra characters and basing of Ys III, who used it to create their own Ys IV.
the gameplay systems on those of Ys Seven. The later remakes were just the result of different
In addition to Adol, secondary characters like development teams trying their own takes on
Duren and Karna can now fight alongside you, the material. Previously, Mask of the Sun (for
each offering different types of attack. It’s a the SFC) was considered the “true” version of
much larger game too, challenging you to map the story, since it stayed the closest to Falcom’s
the expansive forest of Celceta, while hunting for original plan while the PC Engine wildly deviated
fragments of Adol’s lost memory. It’s an excellent from it, but given that Memories of Celceta was
game, though it’s missing much of the music developed by Falcom, it is now considered the
from the earlier titles. Plus it feels like a PSP port, canon rendition of the Ys IV storyline.
Initially released for

the Vita, Memories
of Celceta is the
fourth version
of Ys IV, and the
first to have been
developed in-house
by Falcom.
87
Ys V: Ushinawareta Suna no Miyako Kefin
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, PS2
Ys V: Ushinawareta Suna no Miyako Kefin (“Lost

Kefin, Kingdom of Sand”) begins as Adol lands
in the region of Xandria, in the realm of Afroca
(the Ys parallel to Africa). He is contracted by a
wealthy merchant named Dorman to hunt for
some crystals, which are said to unlock the secrets
of Kefin, a city that disappeared centuries ago.
The desert has mysteriously been spreading,
displacing some of the towns in the area, and
Kefin supposedly holds the key to stopping it.
It’s a pretty standard story, though there are some
memorable characters, like Tera, a young girl who’s
part of a gang of outlaws, and Stoker, a ghost who
longs for his fiancée, who has been encased in ice Falcom published the original design documents, Ys III was considered
for centuries. which illustrated just how much had been the black sheep of
While the PCE and SFC versions of Ys IV were cut from the final game. Dogi, for example, is the series for a short
handled by outside developers, Ys V was created completely missing, and considering the locale, while … until this
by Falcom, but it feels remarkably different from you spend very little time in an actual desert. one was released.
any of the previous titles. Though it keeps the It’s also on the short side, with a full adventure
overhead perspective, the bump system is gone, taking maybe five or six hours. The initial release
and Adol attacks by swinging a sword at the push was not only buggy, but was also deemed too
of a button. He can jump too, and there’s some easy by the audience, so just a few months after
light platforming action. However, movement is publication, a revised version called Ys V Expert
slow and it just doesn’t feel satisfying. There’s a was released, which, among assorted tweaks,
magic-like system that lets you shoot projectiles, includes an extra dungeon.
though here it’s called alchemy, and you can use As with the two previous games, Ys V
elemental crystals to craft your own spells. received a remake for the PlayStation 2 courtesy
Aesthetically, Ys V is worlds apart from any of Taito. The visual style is closer to their release
of the previous games, with character designs and of Ys IV, and it also reintegrates some of the
a muted colour palette that scream “stereotypical elements removed from the SFC release, including
Super Famicom RPG”. Cutscenes are scarce, making Dogi a part of the story again. However,
and things like close-up portraits of characters the controls remain ropey, and whole thing still
and shopkeepers are missing. The soundtrack feels very low budget. While Falcom did remake
has an orchestral feel, and while it’s really very Ys III and IV (as The Oath in Felghana and
good, it’s also nothing like any of the previous Memories of Celceta), they have yet to revisit
(or subsequent) Ys games. Adol’s adventures in Kefin. Neither the SFC nor
The game also feels very obviously the PS2 release was localised, making this the only
incomplete. In its 2003 book Ys Complete Works, story in the series unreleased in English.
88
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): WIN, PS2, PSP
Falcom withdrew from console development after

Ys V, and spent the next several years working on
Windows ports and remakes of their older titles.
Finally, in 2003, they resurrected the series, with
Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim for Windows.
The game begins with Adol getting
shipwrecked in the Canaan Vortex, the Ys
analogue of the Bermuda Triangle. Part of this
tropical area is inhabited by a native elvish tribe
called the Rehda. The other side of the island is
a colony of humans, all of whom, like Adol, have
been captured by the vortex. Tensions are high
between the two villages, because the humans
insist on destroying Rehda ruins in order to
build their town. Then the Romun army invades, up for this, enemies drop a variety of curatives. Ys VI was a soft
seeking another mythical artefact: the eponymous These can even be used in boss battles, although reboot of the series,
Ark of Napishtim, which has the power to control you can only carry so many at once. and while it has
the weather. The story has plenty of callbacks to Design-wise, the game is pretty rough some roughness,
earlier titles, including some returning characters, around the edges. Hacking and slashing at foes it works pretty
like Tera, the bandit girl from Ys V. is generally fun, but certain enemies have attack well, and set down
The environments are now 3D, though the frames that are difficult to discern, and the camera the template for
camera is fixed, while most characters are 2D. perspective can make some boss fights confusing. succeeding entries.
The mechanics are similar to Ys V but more There’s a dash-jump manoeuvre that lets you leap
refined. Adol can still jump and swing his sword farther, but the timing to pull it off is unforgiving.
with a button press, but the controls are smoother, The worst part of the game is that you spend
and the fast-paced action is much closer to that in an inordinate amount of time navigating the
the older Ys titles. Boss battles are also significantly Limewater Cave, an expansive maze that is mostly
more impressive, with gigantic hulking beasts, clad in darkness, and filled with enemies that do
rendered in polygons, exemplifying the arcade- tremendous damage, even when you’re properly
style action that sets the series apart from other levelled up. Overall, it’s a fine revival, but the later
action RPGs. And the music maintains the games are substantial improvements.
glorious synth rock style of the 16-bit days. Konami brought the series to the PlayStation 2
Some minor elements have deviated and PlayStation Portable internationally, adding
from the formula. You can no longer save some badly dubbed voice acting. Neither are ideal –
anywhere, instead being required to visit specific the PS2 version replaces the 2D sprites with simple
monuments to record progress. You can’t heal 3D models, while the PSP port has substantial
by standing still either, although visiting the technical issues. XSeed brought out the Windows
monuments will max out your health. To make version in English in 2015.
89
Ys Origin
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): WIN, PS4, PSV, XB1, NSW
After Ys VI and Ys: The Oath in Felghana, Falcom

went back into the series’ history with this prequel.
In fact, it takes place 700 years prior to the first
Ys game, not long after the kingdom of Ys was
launched into the sky in order to save it from
demon attack. The two goddesses of Ys, Feena
and Reah, have mysteriously disappeared from
their home in the Solomon Shrine. A search party,
consisting of members of the Holy Knights of Ys,
is sent to the site to discover what has become of
them. What they find is a broken, desolate land,
barely fit for human life. Their search leads them
to a gigantic spire, where invading forces want
to use the power of the goddesses for their own
nefarious ends. times to unlock The Claw, who’s not only the most As a prequel to the
The entire game takes place in that gigantic fun character, but also has the best storyline, since series, Ys Origin
spire, which is also known as Darm Tower, the he’s technically something of a villain. It’s a short includes a ton of
final dungeon in the first Ys game. At the outset, game, but there’s not really sufficient difference references to the
there are two playable characters – Yunica Tovah, between their journeys to justify the multiple first two Ys games,
a mêlée fighter who is controlled similarly to Adol playthroughs. though it stands
from the previous two games, and Hugo Fact, a The story itself, as usual for Ys games, is just pretty well on its
powerful magician with projectile based spells, okay, but there’s plenty of fan service for long-time own, too.
who gives the game a run-and-gun feel. A third, Ys aficionados. Aside from the main characters
unlockable character, initially just referred to as mostly being related to the priests of old (whose
The Claw, is another mêlée-focused character with books you had to hunt for at the beginning of
some cool dashing abilities. Ys II), it sees the return of Feena and Reah, and
Each character plays uniquely, and has their the plot centres on an evil artefact called the
own storyline, complete with different supporting Black Pearl. You’ll meet up with little Roos, the
cast members, who pop up for important story monsters you could transform into via magic, and
scenes. However, the climb through the tower is find a Mask of Eyes to hunt for hidden passages
mostly the same for all three, as you fight through as in the first Ys. Most of the bosses are based on
a section flooded with water, one mired in lava, those in battles from the first two games as well.
and another drowning in sand. The trek is mostly It’s not essential to have played these games to
linear, and the game feels cramped without some understand the story, but it certainly enriches it.
kind of hub area, though you do often need to Overall, in spite of its repetitive structure, it’s
jump back and forth between floors. And while still a damn solid Ys title. Originating on the PC,
the hack-and-slash combat is as much fun as ever, it was ported to the Vita, as well as other consoles,
the game expects you to play through it multiple making it more available than some other entries.
90
Ys Seven
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): PSP, WIN
After taking a detour in remake/prequel territory

with The Oath in Felghana and Ys Origin, Falcom
finally returned to the ongoing story of Adol with
Ys Seven in 2009, initially released for the PSP.
It begins at sea, as our heroes land in the country
of Altago, which is the in-game equivalent of
Carthage. The land is being ravaged by disease,
earthquakes, and even gigantic monsters known
as Titanos, and Adol is the one chosen to explore
the land and discover the five dragons that can set
things right. Things go amiss somewhere along the
line, as Adol and company end up on the wrong has been replaced with a dash roll. This gives you Ys Seven shows the
side of the law, having to fight against those whom extra manoeuvrability in combat, but it also means influence of Legend
they are trying to save. that the levels feel much flatter in the absence of Heroes: Trails
Ys Origin introduced multiple playable of all the platforming elements. There’s also a of the Sky, which
characters, but Ys Seven goes several steps further block button, as well as Flash Guard manoeuvre, at this point was
by making several characters active companions executed by hitting R in the middle of a block – surpassing Ys
on Adol’s quest. This is the first game (outside if you time it right, you get a few extra perks. in popularity.
of the Japan-only mobile games) where one can The scope of the game has also been
actually play as Dogi, which long-time fans should drastically expanded. The previous games were
enjoy. Other playable characters include Geis, fairly compact compared to typical JRPGs, with
a mercenary from Ys VI; Aisha, a runaway princess, minimal equipment and journeys that lasted
and her bodyguard Sigroon; Elk, a young boy maybe ten hours. Ys Seven has dozens of different
from a forest village; Mustafa and Cruxie, a weapons, numerous skills, and a substantially
brother and sister from the desert; and Mishera, longer quest, lasting 20 hours or more. It’s much
a blind priestess and magician. Three characters more loot-based, as enemies will drop various
fight together, as you can switch between them, knick-knacks, which can either be sold or used to
while the AI controls the others. Thankfully, unlike, forge new equipment. As a counterpoint, though,
say, those in Secret of Mana, they are invincible, so it’s not as demanding when it comes to arcade-
you don’t need to babysit them. Characters have style action, and is thus much easier than the
different weapon types, effective against different previous Ys games.
kinds of enemies, as well as their own unique attack However, even though it’s longer, the story
skills, activated by holding the shoulder button. just isn’t very interesting – after all, how many
The characters are now polygonal as opposed other RPGs feature elemental dragons? Plus the
to sprites, and they look significantly better than latter half of the game drags, with quite a bit of
the models used in the PS2 version of Ys VI. backtracking and revisiting old areas. The sequels
The basic fighting system feels quite similar to that improve on things, but the action is still fun and
in the previous trilogy, although the jump button punchy, and the music is excellent as always.
91
Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): PSV, PS4, WIN, NSW
After Ys Seven, the series diverted into another

remake of Ys IV (called Memories of Celceta) before
returning to the main plot with the eighth entry,
Lacrimosa of Dana. Set between Ys V and Ys VI,
Adol has gotten himself shipwrecked again!
Except this time, it’s on a deserted island
called Seiren, complete with ancient ruins,
and inhabited by a whole lot of monsters.
The main goals are to gather up all of the other
stranded folks from the shipwreck, build a
new boat, and kill the monsters that patrol
the island and would otherwise prevent them games. Since there aren’t any other people on the Ys VIII takes
from escaping. In the meantime, the game island, currency is worthless, and instead you place entirely on
takes you several centuries back into the past, barter using the many natural goods found around a tropical island
when the island was still inhabited by people, the island. Including Adol, there are six playable forgotten by time,
and focuses on a girl named Dana. She is eventually characters, including the stuffy scholar Laxia, the making it feel
transported to the present day to journey boisterous fisherman Sahad, the mysterious gun- simultaneously
with Adol and gang. Her fate will turn out to be go wielder Hummel, and the cutesy girl Ricotta. more focused and
far beyond merely helping the group of castaways. Taking a page from Falcom’s Trails series, you more restrictive.
Ys VIII starts up in earnest with the sunny can ingratiate yourself with the other characters by
guitars of the “Sunshine Coastline” theme, one of running sub-quests for them, or by finding and
the most stellar themes in a series already filled giving gifts. Once you’ve done all you can, there’s
with outstanding soundtracks. Gameplay-wise, it’s an extra scene that reveals that character’s
pretty similar to Memories of Celceta, though the backstory or enhances their relationship with
camera switches to a behind-the-back perspective, Adol. Some of these characters are stock anime
and it re-introduces the jump button, which in tropes, but there are some more unusual folks, like
turn makes for more interesting environments the elderly swordswoman Silvia.
than in the previous two games. The combat As a tropical island, Seiren is filled with
feels a bit weightier but is as satisfying as always. beaches and ocean views, but the environments do
As with the forest of Celceta, there’s a significant grow repetitive, as they’re mostly just variations on
focus on mapping the island of Seiren. You also build mountains, swamps, and caves, with some ruins and
a community of shipwreck survivors, who form a a ghost ship tossed in. The game is quite a bit longer
base and perform various tasks, including crafting than Seven or Celceta, and the story takes a while to
and enhancing equipment, tailoring new outfits, and go anywhere, since you spend about half the game
creating medicines. When you find enough people, hunting for people. And it was developed as a Vita
they can help you move obstacles and allow you to game, so even on stronger platforms, the visuals are
enter new parts of the island. Overall, it’s somewhat a little low tech. Still, these issues aside, this is the
like a smaller version of the castle from the Suikoden height of this particular incarnation of the Ys series.
92
Ys IX: Monstrum Nox
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2019 | Platform(s): PS4, WIN, NSW
Ys VIII was a decent game, but from an overall

story standpoint, it was spinning its wheels.
Following up on Ys VIII, many Falcom fans half-
expected the company to remake Ys V, especially
considering the large number of references to
that game contained within Adol’s adventures
on Seiren Island. Instead, the company opted to
finally push the series’ story forward with Ys IX:
Monstrum Nox, the first such step in a decade.
Ys IX takes place in the Romun-occupied city of
Balduq – a settlement well-known for its gigantic,
towering central prison. Thanks in no small part Adol has now dyed his signature red hair Ys IX is a bit darker
to his prior interactions with the Romun Empire, to blue to keep undercover, while many of his than its predecessor
Adol finds himself imprisoned within its walls – companions are fellow fugitives called Monstrums, – hardly surprising
and thrust into the mystery surrounding the who have various unique capabilities. Over the given the contrast
prison and its history. Although he does manage course of the game, you’ll also uncover their true between a prison city
to escape before too long, but this act entangles identities. Much as in Ys VIII, players have access and a sunny island.
him in an unseen conflict surrounding the town, to a central hub through which they can upgrade
involving the Monstrum Curse, which enables facilities and recruit new allies – Dandelion,
select individuals to participate in the otherworldly a pub just outside of the central city, hosted
Grimwald Nox. within an alley away from prying eyes.
The vast majority of Ys IX takes place It isn’t as memorable as Castaway Village in Ys
within the city of Balduq proper, if not in or VIII, however – like many of the gameplay systems,
around the imposing prison at the centre of it which seem to have been taken directly from
all. For the most part, the gameplay is identical Lacrimosa of Dana. For better or worse, Ys IX
to Ys VIII ’s with only a few additions, mostly feels a little too derivative – in the sense that it lifts
centred around Monstrum Gifts – abilities much of its game design directly from Ys VIII, such
that Cursed members of Adol’s party can as how its side quests and base progression work,
access. These can be anything from Heaven’s without feeling as thematically appropriate for the
Run – which offers you the ability to run new story and setting.
up walls and other vertical surfaces – to the Meanwhile, the wholly new content in Ys IX
ability to glide, break down certain walls, is entirely too hit-or-miss – the areas, particularly
and more. With a wide-open city to explore, early in the game, are lacking in terms of visual
Ys IX takes Ys VIII ’s exploration and condenses variety, and the soundtrack isn’t quite as good as
it more or less into a single map, with much less in other entries. The story, for what it’s worth, gets
emphasis on specific fields, and much more on rather interesting at the end – but it’s hard to say
the one central environment with its various that the game’s pacing didn’t suffer at all from the
unique districts. renewed emphasis on story.
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Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): MSX2, PC88, PC98, TG16CD, X68, MD, SFC, PCECD
The RPG scene in Japan changed drastically

over the course of the ’80s, with most developers
moving over to console platforms. While early
Dragon Quest games saw ports to the MSX,
for the most part, if you wanted a game in that
style, then you needed to buy a console. Previous
Dragon Slayer games had been action RPGs,
but Yoshio Kiya and Falcom wanted to make a
console-style turn-based RPG, so they created
one as the sixth entry in this series, titling it
The Legend of Heroes (a.k.a. Eiyuu Densetsu).
Indeed, at first glance, it looks and plays
similarly to Dragon Quest, complete with a first-
person battle system. You play as Prince Selios, the land and revealed an expansive underground The final game in
who initially lives a cozy little life bullying the kingdom. Much of the game is very similar, even the Dragon Slayer
local slime monsters, until his castle comes under reusing many locales, though the magic system series feels more
attack and he’s forced to flee. Fighting back has been altered; foes are visible at all times like Dragon Quest
against the usurpers, he gathers a party to venture without using any items, and you now recover than anything
out into the world. health when moving. else, a sign of the
However, there are many quality-of- Both titles were ported widely beyond their changing times.
life additions that make the game nice and initial PC release, with the SEGA Mega Drive
comfortable. Enemies’ HP is displayed beneath getting one of the better ones, though only the
them during combat, you can save at any time, PC Engine CD version of the first game made it
and if you die, you can either restart the battle into English. This version changes some of the
or transport to the last town you visited, without names to sound like typical American names
any real penalty. Technically, there aren’t any (Selios becomes Logan) and the voice acting is
random battles – however, invisible monsters do absolutely atrocious, especially the bad accents
roam around, so you need some special items given to the characters. The CD soundtrack,
to make them appear. Any of the characters can arranged by Ryo Yonemitsu, sounds very similar
learn magic, though they can only memorise a to his work on the TurboGrafx-16 Ys games,
certain number of spells at a time, and need to though the compositions aren’t quite as strong.
visit various sages to cycle them out. The narrative Generally, compared to other 16-bit CD RPGs, it
itself isn’t anything innovative, but its storytelling is a little lacking – there aren’t any real cutscenes
feels slightly more like a Final Fantasy game than outside of the intro and ending, for example – but
a Dragon Quest game. outside of some mandatory grinding, it’s a very
The sequel takes place 20 years after the first approachable game. However, the later entries in
game, featuring Atlas, the son of Prince Selios the Legend of Heroes series overshadow this one,
and Princess Dina. An earthquake has torn apart as they’re far more ambitious.
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The Legend of Xanadu
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): PCECD
While Falcom’s games were a huge success on

video game consoles, particularly their Ys series,
the company was primarily a computer developer,
and all of the console ports were licensed to third
parties like Hudson, so it didn’t see much revenue
from them. Seeking to find in-house success with
a wider audience, it developed and published
The Legend of Xanadu, a.k.a. Kaze no Densetsu
Xanadu (“Legend of the Wind Xanadu”) for the
PC Engine Super CD. As with the Ys games, they
took advantage of the CD platform, offering huge
worlds, expansive cutscenes with lots of colourful
characters, and voiced dialogue. It’s considered the
eighth part of the Dragon Slayer series, though, and towns; you cannot revisit a completed area. The Legend of
like all of the others, there’s very little connection Time flows forward through days and nights, Xanadu is basically
to its PC forebears, and it has almost nothing to do which changes various events. Indeed, one of the Falcom ripping
with the original Xanadu. biggest issues with this game is that it can be themselves off.
The game takes place in a world where magic troublesome to find the flags necessary to advance They do a pretty
use is commonplace. As the story goes, 1000 the story, often requiring just running around and good job!
years ago, the legendary hero Aeneas fought the experimenting. At the end of each chapter, the
dragon Daldantis. He won and became the king. perspective changes to a short side-scrolling action
His descendent, Areios, is a soldier in the imperial sequence. The difficulty of these is somewhat off
city of Ishtar, and he must follow in the footsteps balance, but they’re a nice change of pace.
of his forefathers. Some of the visuals and the While other Falcom PC Engine games were
character names are taken from Greek mythology, known for embracing redbook audio, The Legend
although these references are only skin deep. of Xanadu is surprisingly quaint, as nearly all
Legend of Xanadu is extremely similar to the of its soundtrack is chip-generated. It’s a little
Ys series, using the same bump combat system. disappointing, but the compositions are still top-
Although you start the game as Areios, you tier. The graphics, outside of the side-scrolling
eventually gain more party members, who fight areas, are underwhelming though.
in formation at his side, creating a veritable wall The sequel, which stars the same main cast
of destruction. The experience system is a little and takes place three years after the first game,
unusual, as you don’t gain levels, per se, but your improves the graphics to bring it into line with
HP maximum is increased as you take damage. other, later 16-bit RPGs. Otherwise, it’s a pretty
The equipment items – weapon, armour, and shield similar, albeit much shorter, game. The Legend
– also gain experience the more you use them. of Xanadu series really didn’t live beyond the PC
The story is divided up into 12 chapters, Engine CD era, as Falcom instead went back to
each usually containing a number of dungeons concentrating on the Ys series.
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The Legend of Heroes (Gagharv Trilogy)
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): PC98, WIN, PS1, SAT, PSP
Yoshio Kiya, the creator of the Dragon Slayer series,

left Falcom between the first and second Legend of
Xanadu games, but the company continued on
his Legend of Heroes series, though it ditched the
Dragon Slayer branding. While styled after console
RPGs, it evolved beyond its roots as a Dragon Quest
clone into something more ambitious. This marked
the start of the Gagharv Trilogy, otherwise known
as Legend of Heroes III, IV, and V, all of which share
the same basic look, feel, and mechanics. They all
take place in the same world, divided by the titular
Gagharv Abyss, albeit on different continents and
at different points in time.
Legend of Heroes III is subtitled Shiroki larger than themselves. In terms that may be more The contrast in
Majo, meaning “White Witch”, though the official familiar to English-speaking RPG fans, they’re artwork between the
English translation is Prophecy of the Moonlight a bit similar to the Lunar games, in the way that PC version of Shiroki
Witch. The stars are two children, Chris and Jurio, the main characters are closely bonded, with lots Majo (above) and
who begin a pilgrimage across the land to visit six of dialogue exchanges, mixed with the expansive the Saturn remake
magical mirrors. Typically, those who gaze in them world-building of the Suikoden series. by Hudson (below)
find something beautiful, but instead the children Visually, all three games are more or less indicates the difference
see something ominous, so they begin to hunt identical, though they take advantage of the high- in marketing styles
down the mystical white witch of the title in hopes resolution displays afforded by PCs to offer crisper for the older, PC-
of saving the country. Legend of Heroes IV: A Tear visuals than on console RPGs of the time. The based gamers and the
of Vermillion, focuses on a young man named music is a little more laid-back than the action- younger console users.
Avin, who searches the continent for his long- heavy themes of Ys, but it’s still high-quality
lost sister. And Legend of Heroes V: Song of the Falcom. Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch and
Ocean, focuses on a group of travelling musicians – Song of the Ocean are the closest thematically and
the young boy Forte, his friend Una, and his structurally, as they’re both fairly linear, whereas
grandfather McBain (and his dog Jan) – as they A Tear of Vermillion is a little more typical in its
explore the realm to find the 24 Resonance Stones, plot and characters, but also more open-ended.
which contain powerful melodies that can be woven The battle system, particularly in the first
together into spectacular pieces of music. release of Shiroki Majo, is a little unusual, in that
Falcom strongly emphasised the narrative in you don’t have much direct control over your
these games, marketing Shiroki Majo as a “poetry characters. Instead, they act of their own accord,
RPG”. The games’ stories are nice, because they walking over to and attacking enemies based on
involve regular people going on journeys of self- a loose set of AI commands. Later versions as
discovery, exploring the history of the land, which well as the sequels, give a little more control over
result in them getting caught up in events much your companions, but it’s still pretty hands-off
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compared to other JRPGs. There’s little in the While the original series was extremely
way of character customisation too – indeed, the well regarded by Japanese fans in the ’90s, the
strength of these games is more in the narrative PSP releases were received rather more tepidly
than the combat. by English-speaking fans. This is partly due
Shiroki Majo received a ground-up remake to the PSP ports being not particularly great:
for the Saturn, courtesy of Hudson. This version they’re just kinda slow and ugly. Furthermore,
revamps the game as a more typical console-style the English translation in all three releases is
RPG, complete with brighter, anime-style character pretty bad, as the dialogue is both awkward and
designs, full motion video cutscenes, voice acting, lacking in character. For a series with such a
and a more typical turn-based battle system. huge emphasis on narrative, bad writing really is
The flashy makeover is so extensive that it feels a killer blow.
out of place among the surrounding titles, but on But the series was, in many ways, pretty
its own merits, it’s pretty decent. Shiroki Majo and dated anyway. When the Gagharv Trilogy began
A Tear of Vermillion received straighter ports to in 1994, its contemporary was Final Fantasy VI
the PlayStation, though since the high resolution on the Super Famicom, at a time when RPGs were
graphics were ported directly to the low resolution really beginning to take their plotlines seriously,
console, the graphics are super-zoomed in. so Falcom’s entries really stood out among their
The whole trilogy was also remade and peers. But over a decade later, such storytelling
ported to the PSP, published by Namco Bandai. was standard, and so what was once unique
These versions are a little closer to the PC originals, became just another RPG.
using similar 2D character sprites but with 3D Still, the Gagharv Trilogy is an incredibly
backgrounds. Major characters have large dialogue important series of titles for Falcom. Toshihiro
portraits, too. The battle and encounter systems have Kondo, who became the president of Falcom
been changed to a more typical turn-based system in 2007, created a fan site for the series in
that takes placement and distance into account, so the late ’90s, before he was officially hired by
it’s similar to that in the Lunar games. All of these the company. The basic storytelling style was
ports were released in English, though they were drastically expanded and led to the creation of
published out of order, with Tear of Vermillion the Kiseki/Trails series, the next in the Legend
coming first, then Prophecy of the Moonlight Witch, of Heroes line, which grew to worldwide fame.
and finally Song of the Ocean. Since they take place So while these games feel almost quaint in
out of order chronologically anyway, it doesn’t really comparison, they’re still more than worthwhile,
matter, though Song of the Ocean should be played in that they laid the groundwork for the modern
last since it contains spoilers for the other two. incarnation of Falcom.
When the Legend of

Heroes games finally
came out in English,
much of what made
them special on their
release in the ’90s
had become common
in the 2000s. The
poor localisations
didn’t help matters.
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The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): WIN, PSP, PS3, PSV
Following in the footsteps of its popular Legend

of Heroes Gagharv Trilogy, Falcom endeavoured
to design a world larger and more detailed than
their contemporaries had; in 2004, The Legend
of Heroes: Trails in the Sky (known in Japan as
Sora no Kiseki) was released, and the sub-series
has spawned numerous sequels and successors
that continue to add substance to the continent
of Zemuria and her myriad citizens to this very
day. This game takes place in the Liberl Kingdom,
a small coastal country bordered by greater
powers; players take control of Estelle Bright and timeline – these buffs (or in some cases, debuffs) Trails in the Sky
her adoptive brother Joshua as they travel the don’t actually move location on the timeline, games began on the
country, learning about its history, helping those but actions that take place during combat can PC, but really took
in need, and fulfilling the requirements to become re-arrange which party member or enemy might off when they were
full-fledged Bracers – a sort of paramilitary get that buff. These can include, for example, ported to the PSP,
organisation whose goals are to protect the peace HP/EP regeneration, guaranteed critical damage which caused Falcom
and prosperity of the continent as a whole. on that turn. to refocus their
Trails in the Sky’s gameplay works on a Trails in the Sky’s largest combat-related attention onto
tactical RPG grid, not unlike that of Grandia or gimmick, by far, concerns exactly how party the platform.
Popolocrois. Players move their characters across composition is handled. As well as having
the grid, attacking enemies with a variety of traditional equipment slots for armour, weapons,
regular attacks, Arts (spells), and Crafts (skills). and accessories – players can influence both
While Arts use EP – Energy Points, which are very the stats and the available Arts of any party
much akin to Mana or MP in other RPGs – Crafts member, by slotting Quartz into each character’s
instead use Craft Points, or CP. Characters gain CP Orbment. These contraptions have different
by attacking enemies, taking damage, and in some slots and lines for different party members,
cases as a buff associated with certain items, as a and depending on the number and type of
by product of certain Crafts, and more. Quartz on each of these lines, characters will
Battles use a turn-based system, in which gain access to newer and stronger Arts as they
players can always see the turn order on their progress through the game. Trails in the Sky
screens. Arts require a casting time to use, which doesn’t allow players to automate this process,
can be tracked both when choosing the Arts, and so players will inevitably become familiar with it
at any time on the battle’s timeline, displayed by the time they finish Trails in the Sky’s story.
on the left side of the screen. Part of Trails Trails in the Sky is split across three games –
in the Sky’s battle system’s depth is in micro- each of them following up and expanding
managing your parties’ actions to best align upon world-building and plot threads from the
with the various buffs assigned to turns on the previous entry. While the first game in the trilogy,
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colloquially known as FC or First Chapter, has elemental types (unrelated to their “regular”
your party unravelling a political conspiracy that elements) prove more effective.
threatens to topple Liberl’s political structure, The defining characteristic of Trails in
SC or Second Chapter (2005) deals with a larger the Sky, and the Trails series in general, is
threat that has the potential to endanger Zemuria probably the care and detail put into the games’
as a whole. Along the way, players learn more respective worlds. Nearly every NPC has unique
about the histories of both country and continent, dialogue that will change as players complete
as well as those of our protagonists. quests and progress the story, with select NPCs
Trails in the Sky: The 3rd (2007) is in a weird from as early as Trails in the Sky: FC reappearing
situation where, despite the “3” in the title, the as recently as in the Trails of Cold Steel titles a
game is just as much of a prologue for the next decade later.
arcs in the series, as it is a send-off for the cast This might seem surprising, considering Estelle Bright is the
from Trails in the Sky. It’s definitely an odd duck today’s market, but although Trails in the Sky main protagonist
for the series, even now – not only does the set eventually saw releases on both the PlayStation in the first two
of protagonists switch, from Estelle and Joshua Portable and PlayStation 3, the series started its entries in this series,
Bright to two supporting characters, Kevin life as a Windows PC exclusive. Indeed, even with alongside a roster full
Graham and Ries Argent, but both the structure the trilogy’s Western release, Trails in the Sky: of interesting and
of the narrative and the gameplay loop take a The 3rd has only ever been officially released likeable characters.
stance as of yet unseen in the rest of the series. on PC, and Trails in the Sky: SC’s Western PSP
Instead of travelling a country and completing release lacks some of the polish of the official
side quests, the player’s party descends into western PC version. We never received the
Phantasma, an ethereal realm where the series’ PS3 versions, although their assets were
scriptural entities manifest, and the histories incorporated into Marvelous USA’s PC versions.
of countries and individuals are laid bare. Only released officially in Japan, enhanced
The 3rd plays like much more of a dungeon crawler, Evolution versions of the Trails in the Sky
and instead of traditional side quests, side trilogy, for the PlayStation Vita, were published
stories and mini-games can be found locked by Chara-Ani, complete with redone character
behind Memory Doors. It’s also the first entry portraits, voice acting, and balancing changes to
to introduce areas where the “higher” elements combat, to bring the games more into line with
play into combat – in which three of the games’ the revised combat introduced in later entries.
Trails in the Sky

runs on the same
basic engine as Ys
VI, and shares a
similar visual style,
with 2D sprites on
3D backgrounds,
reminiscent of the
PlayStation era
of JRPGs.
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The Legend of Heroes (Crossbell)
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): WIN, PSP, PS4
After releasing the first two titles in the Trails

sub-series, developer Falcom started work on
the next arc of the series’ story – to take place
in a different country, with a different set
of characters, and with some additions and
changes to gameplay. While Trails in the Sky:
The 3rd (2007) would go on to set the stage for
this next arc, and others to come, it would be
Falcom’s departure from the PC gaming market
that would most influence the trajectory that
the series would take going forward. Despite
the series’ history of releasing on PC first and take place in. Crossbell State is a trading hub The Crossbell
PlayStation Portable later, Zero no Kiseki and wedged between two world powers in the land of duology shifts
Ao no Kiseki – “Trails from Zero” and “Trails to Zemuria. Throughout the region’s history, the gears by focusing
Azure” respectively – were released first on PSP, nations of Erebonia and Calvard have fought over on a different
with only Zero no Kiseki receiving an official PC control of the territory, before eventually settling region of the Trails
release from Falcom later down the line. for a treaty declaring the area a buffer state. game world, and
Taking place within the city-state of Crossbell, A land ripe with technology, more so than the rest introducing a new
players have taken to calling these titles the of the continent, it struggles under the weight of cast of characters.
Crossbell duology. As the first true follow-ups these world powers, which control and stifle the
to Trails in the Sky, both games share most populace – and just below the surface waits a
of their DNA with their direct predecessors, powder keg waiting to blow.
rather than subsequent games. Both titles While Trails in the Sky’s main casts centre
have a nearly identical art style to that found in around the duos of Estelle and Joshua Bright, or
Trails in the Sky, with the main difference being that Kevin Graham and Ries Argent, Crossbell’s main
Katsumi Enami (who also worked with Falcom cast starts out as a full group of four. The Special
on Ys Seven) handled the character portraits. The Support Section, headed by Detective Lloyd
use of gameplay components like the Orbment Bannings, is part of the CSPD – the Crossbell
system, Arts and Crafts, and others make this State Police Department – and is tasked with
more of an iteration of Trails in the Sky, rather settling problems that other branches of the force
than a true generational leap – smaller changes, might be ill-equipped to deal with. In practice,
like the introduction of group attacks and both they act more like Bracers – the paramilitary
Combination Crafts and Support Crafts, expand organisation that players were part of in Trails in
the scope of the systems from Trails in the Sky, the Sky. The Special Support Section also offers
rather than overhauling these systems entirely. another unique dynamic halfway through Zero
What truly sets the Crossbell games apart no Kiseki, when the mysterious child KeA is
from Trails in the Sky has to be the story, its pacing, adopted into the family, who work tirelessly to
and the unique region that the games themselves determine her history; the Section begins to
100
uncover many of the schemes unfolding within As at the time of writing, neither Crossbell
the city walls. title has been officially released in English, nor
Whereas Trails in the Sky’s story had players has a localisation been announced. It’s incredibly
moving from one region of a larger country to the unlikely that either of the original PSP versions
next, Crossbell features a much greater emphasis of the games will ever come over in an official
on its central city. While players will explore capacity, though both Zero and Ao no Kiseki
and learn more about Crossbell as a whole, even currently have fan translations of varying quality.
outside of the state’s metropolis, these games are The official PC version of Zero no Kiseki received
unique in the series for their near total emphasis a rather extensive translation that included a
on their major defining location. By the end of variety of performance improvements and
Ao no Kiseki, players will know the city as well as quality-of-life additions, thanks to the fine folks
they would their own neighbourhood – a fact that at Geofront, but the chances that such an effort The Trails games
Falcom clearly understands, and takes advantage might be made with Ao no Kiseki seem slim. are all linked to one
of later on in the series. Unlike Zero no Kiseki, Falcom never officially another, and the fact
The Crossbell games offer a variety of non- released Ao no Kiseki on PC in Japan – while a PC that the Crossbell
essential gameplay additions that would later grow version exists, it was primarily released for other games are not
to constitute more and more of the series’ identity, Asian territories, and there’s no easy way for fans currently officially
especially from Ao no Kiseki onwards. Mini-games in the West to buy a copy for themselves, unlike available in English
like Pom-to, or expansions to the fishing side with Zero. means Trails is like an
activity, help flesh out the experience as well as the Thankfully, Falcom recently unveiled new epic novel with several
game-world. Master Quartz – a gameplay system PS4 versions of the Crossbell duology, complete chapters missing.
that would be expanded upon in later entries – with additions and changes: bringing some
started life in Ao no Kiseki. Bonding Events from characters from Trails of Cold Steel into story
Trails of Cold Steel can be traced back to certain scenes where it might make sense for them
events that players were given choices about in to appear, alongside higher resolution and
Crossbell. Even voice acting, which was originally quality-of-life improvements. While a localisation
limited to battle cries in Trails in the Sky – and has yet to be confirmed at this time, it looks as
originally only on PSP – was expanded to include if bringing the titles to a Western audience in
actual dialogue during select scenes in both an official capacity is finally a long term goal for
Crossbell titles. the company.

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The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2013 | Platform(s): WIN, PSP, PS3, PSV, PS4, NSW
With Falcom’s release of The Legend of Heroes:

Trails of Cold Steel on PlayStation 3 and Vita back
in 2013, the Legend of Heroes Trails sub-series
saw its first major overhaul – while Zero and Ao
no Kiseki could be seen as an evolution of Trails
in the Sky’s concept, with very similar overhead
art styles, battle systems, and general mechanics –
Falcom’s stated goal with Trails of Cold Steel was
to offer an entry allowing new fans to latch onto
the series. After five games in a row that more or
less expected players to have explored the worlds of Rean Schwarzer and the rest of the party can also Trails of Cold Steel
the previous entries before starting, Trails of Cold be increased by viewing Bonding Events; little introduces some
Steel instead offered a fresh chance for players to vignettes that help the player learn more about social elements, as
get started with the series. their party members’ values, interests, and so you can explore the
From a gameplay standpoint, almost every on. There are initially nine students in Class VII, campus of Thors’
aspect of the Trails design ethos got an overhaul including Rean, each from different backgrounds, Academy and
for Cold Steel. The graphics shifted from pre- and many of the field missions involve exploring spend time with
rendered models for character sprites to full, true the part of the Empire they come from. Most your classmates
3D character models. The isometric view was amusing is Sara Valestein, a veteran Bracer and or teachers.
ditched for an over-the-shoulder camera, which surprisingly laid-back homeroom teacher.
players could control for themselves, by means of Perhaps the largest difference, and the one
the PlayStation 3’s and Vita’s dual analogue sticks. that draws the most comparisons to certain other
Although Zero no Kiseki started out life as a PC JRPG series, is Trails of Cold Steel’s setting. While
title, Trails of Cold Steel was a console JRPG from the Erebonian Empire’s society is divided between
the very beginning, and took plenty of inspiration royalty and commoners, with the former enjoying
from some of its contemporaries. privileges the latter lack, in a world that changes
The once-confusing Orbment system has by the day, most of Cold Steel’s plot takes place at
been simplified – instead of lines determining Thors Military Academy, complete with quizzes,
which Arts a character could learn, Quartz now field activities, and more. Players get to see the
directly offer certain Arts, as well as buffs to tensions between those in the country who would
certain stats. What’s been lost in equipment prefer to put the aging political system behind
complexity is made up for by a combat system them, and those who will fight to preserve the
that better emphasises your party dynamics – status quo.
Combat Links allow party members to follow up After certain events in the story, the arc
on attacks, automatically heal you, and more. includes a number of Divine Knight mech battles
These same Combat Links could be strengthened that break up the pacing. These offer a different
by just playing with the same characters in a party, sort of combat flow: instead of moving your
of course – but links between main character character on the battlefield to position yourself
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for attacks, you target specific spots on an two are significant, more so than between Trails in
opposing mech in order to best counter their the Sky First Chapter and Second Chapter, or Zero
movements. Usually these battles happen at key no Kiseki and Ao no Kiseki. Ironically enough,
moments in the story. although Trails of Cold Steel was initially designed
Another key characteristic of the Cold Steel as a beginner-friendly entry in the series, both
story arc is its scale – while Trails in the Sky Cold Steel III and IV rely rather heavily on callbacks
technically featured three entries, most would to previous entries in the series, including the
argue that Trails in the Sky: The 3rd was more of currently Japan-only Crossbell games. While the
its own thing. Meanwhile, Crossbell (Zero and Ao no games themselves do offer enough explanation
Kiseki) took two games to complete its over-arching to avoid confusion for newcomers, it’s hard to
story. Trails of Cold Steel has four main titles in recommend them before players have first finished Consisting of four
its arc – including two of the longest titles in the the rest of the series. (extremely long)
series by both total word-count and playtime. The As of right now, it’s incredibly difficult to games that partially
second game moves away from the school setting say whether newly released Trails into Reverie in depend on having
– Erebonia has fallen into civil war, and Rean must Japan should be classified as part of the Cold Steel finished previous
track down his old classmates, and the third sees series or not. Although Rean Schwarzer will play a Trails games,
Rean return to Thors Academy as an instructor. role in the title, the game’s narrative is divided into completing the Cold
In fact, partially owing to how late the first three, with characters from both Erebonia and Steel arc requires
two Trails of Cold Steel came out in both the Crossbell having their own stories to tell, alongside quite a commitment.
PlayStation 3’s and Vita’s life cycles – Cold Steel is new ones. If Cold Steel III and IV are anything to go
so far the only Trails arc that made the jump from by, the game itself should be massive – especially if
one platform to another mid-story. Both Trails it’s aiming to juggle three stories at once.
of Cold Steel III and Trails of Cold Steel IV were It’s been over 15 years since the Trails sub-
originally released as PlayStation 4 exclusives in series started, and Zemuria’s scope and scale
Japan. While NIS America brought Trails of Cold have only continued to grow with every release.
Steel III and IV to both Nintendo Switch and PC, Although it’s hard to recommend the series to
these ports didn’t come until much later in each just anyone, given how much of a commitment
game’s life cycle. it can be to see it through to the end, with such
Owing to this jump in hardware, the a connected narrative and world, there’s truly no
differences between the first two and the second other JRPG series like it.
The Cold Steel

games shift to full
3D, making the
series feel more
modern than
previous entries.
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Xanadu Next
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): WIN, NGAGE
Xanadu Next was released to commemorate

the 20th anniversary of the original Xanadu.
The main character is a knight, who has wandered
aimlessly since a war, but now sets off to explore
the mystical Strangerock Castle on Harlech Island.
Upon beginning his exploration of the ruins, his
quest seemingly comes to an ignoble end when
he’s slaughtered by a mysterious swordsman, only
to be resurrected via the power of spirits called
Guardians. Their aid can only sustain the hero’s
renewed life for so long though, so he begins his
journey again, seeking to make his resurrection
more permanent.
The action is primarily controlled via can be opened up to make traversal easier, though Xanadu Next is a
mouse and keyboard, though there is support there are warp portals too. brilliant blend of old
for a gamepad. It feels close to something like The story is fairly minimal, and the only and new, a crossing
Diablo, in which you move and attack by pointing other notable character is a scholar, a childhood point of Western and
and clicking. However, all of the levels are pre- friend who has hired the hero to be her bodyguard Japanese RPG design.
designed, and there isn’t nearly the same focus on and who stays at the local inn. The music is low-
randomised loot. You do need to collect gold and key compared to that of the Ys titles, but it’s
other stuff to sell, so that you can afford to buy both haunting and beautiful, and is a wonderful
new weapons, as well as keys that will unlock new accompaniment to the hacking and slashing.
areas. (Amusingly, collected bones can be used Outside of borrowing its main theme and a
to create skeleton keys.) You can distribute stats few old references, there’s not much that connects
upon levelling up, which determines what kinds it to the Dragon Slayer series of old … but it
of weapon you can wield. Individual weapons does hearken back to the days of early Japanese
will also teach your character skills, which, when RPGs, in that it feels very much like a Western
levelled up appropriately, stay with them even title. It maintains the Japanese approach to tight
when you equip other weapons. combat and level design, making it a unique
Harlech Town acts as the hub for the cultural blend.
adventure, containing the usual shops and an inn, A version of Xanadu Next was released in
as well as a church where you can switch out your North America for the ill-fated N-Gage mobile
Guardian, which levels up independently from the phone/portable console, but it’s a completely
hero and provides various stat boosts. Outside of different game from the computer version, being
town, there are several different areas, including much smaller, and suffering from terrible controls
various ruins, a forest, aqueducts, a volcano, a and an intolerable frame rate. The original
snowy mountain, and of course, Strangerock Windows version was released in English by XSeed
Castle. The maps are interconnected, so shortcuts in 2016, a decade after its initial release.
104
Tokyo Xanadu
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): PSV, PS4, WIN
Much as Xanadu Next was a 20th anniversary game

celebrating one of Falcom’s earliest titles, Tokyo
Xanadu was developed for its 30th. However, while
Xanadu Next at least paid some tribute to retro
RPGs, Tokyo Xanadu, title aside, is almost entirely
unrelated to it. It stars a young man named Kou,
living in a modern Japanese city, who discovers an
alternate dimension filled with demons, called the
Eclipse. He meets a girl named Asuka, part of a
group called Nemesis, which seeks to close all of
the portals between these two worlds. randomly generated, but they’re not. The combat Compared to
There’s a lot about Tokyo Xanadu that is fun, but combined with the disappointingly Xanadu Next,
seems reminiscent of the modern Persona games, middling soundtrack, it all feels rather blasé. Tokyo Xanadu is
particularly in how you divide time between That sentiment permeates every other really related to the
exploring the main city, running through the aspect of Tokyo Xanadu. So much of the story is old Dragon Slayer
dungeons of Eclipse, and socialising with your drawn from other sources, but it’s just not nearly games in name
fellow classmates, many of whom are also members as well executed. Kou is a boring wet blanket as only – it’s more of
of Nemesis and fight alongside you. However, a protagonist, most of the other characters are a Trails game in a
the social sim elements are a smaller part, and typical anime archetypes (there’s even a subplot modern setting.
ultimately it ends up feeling more like an offshoot involving pop idols, another aspect that veers too
of Falcom’s Trails of Cold Steel series; the interface closely towards ripping off Persona 4), and it takes
and style of music is almost exactly the same, and forever for anything interesting to happen. Some
it even includes an alternate version of one of Cold of these are issues with Falcom’s Trails series as
Steel’s characters, teacher Towa Kokonoe, as a bit well, particularly the slow pacing and character
of fan service. tropes, but at least those games had rich
In contrast to the turn-based battle systems histories, with several games’ worth of world-
in Trails of Cold Steel, Tokyo Xanadu is all action building, while Tokyo Xanadu lacks that level of
based. Falcom has some experience with creating lore. The end result is a game that’s acceptably fun
fun and exciting combat, as seen in its Ys games, but not particularly compelling.
and it works similarly here. Up to three characters Initially released for the Vita, the later
can join you in dungeon crawling; they are PlayStation 4 and Windows release, dubbed Tokyo
governed by AI and can be switched between to use Xanadu ex+, adds a few extra chapters focusing on
their unique weapons. Kou has a cool sword-whip, a mysterious character called White Shroud, who
similar to Ragna’s in Zwei 2. However, in contrast to originally spent most of the story in the shadows.
the beautiful dungeons of The Legend of Nayuta, On a technical level, this release runs at a much
the dungeons here are pretty boring; they’re the higher resolution and with a smoother frame rate
type that have lots of corridors and large rooms than in the rather choppy Vita release, making the
with repetitive scenery, which look like they’re combat more satisfying.
105
Zwei: The Arges Adventure
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): WIN, PS2, PSP
Zwei is a series of cutesy dungeon crawlers from

Falcom. The name, German for “two”, comes from
the fact that you control (and can switch between)
two different characters. The story takes place on
a floating continent called Arges, where a masked
man has stolen six goddess statues in order to
resurrect the dark lord Vesper. Two village kids,
Pipiro and Pokkle, explore the dungeons of the
continent in a hunt to recover the statues.
The word “dungeons” is used loosely here,
because this is an extremely colourful game. Nearly
everything (outside of the bosses) is rendered
in gorgeous SVGA 2D, and it’s quite pretty. The
fantastic soundtrack has a jaunty serenity, similar
to that of works like Yasunori Mitsuda’s Chrono experience system is unique – you can eat any One of Falcom’s
Cross. The interplay between Pipiro and Pokkle is grub you find in the dungeons, but if you return properties, created
also a highlight – Pokkle has a thing for the ladies to the village, you can combine those ingredients in the early 2000s
and a fondness for puns, while Pipiro is almost into meals that heal you better and grant more amidst Windows ports
pure sass. points. Otherwise, compared with Falcom’s earlier of older games, Zwei
Combat is simple and rarely evolves beyond Brandish series, it’s fairly mindless, and really is cute and charming,
mashing buttons – Pokkle attacks with a spear-like relies on its pleasant aesthetic and amusing sense but somewhat shallow.
weapon, Pipiro uses magic – and the puzzles are of humour to get by. Still, it was popular enough to
similarly uncomplicated. You can find and raise receive PS2 and PSP ports, and eventually received
a pet, who helps out in combat. The food-based an English release in 2018 from XSeed.
Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection

Developer: Falcom | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): WIN
The second Zwei game focuses on a treasure
hunter named Ragna, who crash-lands his
plane onto the continent of Ilvard. His life is
saved by a vampire princess named Alwen.
She has been stripped of her magic and is looking
for her missing castle, so she uses Ragna’s
near death experience to make a Blood Knight (i.e.
servant) out of him. After some initial squabbling,
the two establish a more amicable relationship,
and set out to find Alwen’s lost magic.
The action has moved into 3D in this second
entry, using cel shading that gives a simple and
clean anime look to the characters. The action While the smoother combat makes this a Zwei II makes the
feels smoother too, though it’s still pretty simple. substantial improvement over its predecessor, transition to 3D
Your characters can now jump, and there are Zwei II is still fundamentally a simple action RPG fairly well, though
simple platforming challenges throughout the that relies on its charm to get by. It’s short enough the 2D artwork
dungeons. It uses an isometric perspective, that it doesn’t wear out its welcome, but at the and the beautiful
though the camera feels a little too zoomed-in. same time, it’s still not quite up to the level of soundtrack of its
The pet types have been expanded, so in addition Falcom’s better output. Plus, it feels like some of predecessor are
to the cats and dogs found in the first game, you the spirit of the first game is missing. Ragna and missed.
can also journey along with birds and fairies. Alwen don’t quite have the same goofy interplay
A gaudy new casino called the G-Colosseum has as Pipiro and Pokkle (who do make cameos), and
been added, plus an Adventurer’s Guild, where you while the soundtrack is decent, it’s nowhere near
can sell treasures found on your journey. the quality of the original.
106
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails
Developer: Falcom | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): PSP
Nayuta Herschel is a young boy who lives on an

island surrounded by a seemingly infinite ocean.
Most of its denizens believe that they are the
last survivors on the planet, but Nayuta believes
differently, owing to the star fragments that drop
out of the sky like meteors. One day, a huge set
of ruins collapses into the sea, leading him to
explore; he finds a tiny fairy named Noi. Together,
they discover a different world, called Lost Heaven,
and explore it to uncover what happened in the
world’s distant past.
The Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails the PlayStation. Noi travels alongside Nayuta and The Legend of
shares a name with one of Falcom’s big RPG series, casts spells, but also has access to Gear Craft skills, Nayuta is closer
known in English as Trails of the Sky and Trails which can be used to grapple from certain points, to being a third
of Cold Steel. The initial concept was to create or encase the duo in a gigantic wheel, allowing Zwei game than an
an action game similar to their famous Ys games, them to roll around the stages. The action is actual Kiseki/Trails
rather than the turn-based games that defined the slower than in the Ys games, but no less satisfying title, though it’s
core Kiseki series. In practice, it didn’t quite work – – Falcom has a habit of creating satisfying combat still quite good.
beyond using the name, and sharing some similar that puts its games in a different league from
art and music, the connections to the core Kiseki/ comparable action RPGs by other companies.
Trails series are extremely sparse: some naming As you play through the game, the seasons in
conventions and a few cameos for Mishy, the feline each continent cycle – this not only changes the
mascot. Anyone expecting the epic storytelling or look of the stage, but also the landscape, changing
gigantic cast of characters of the mainline Kiseki up enemies or sending you down different paths.
games will be disappointed, as there’s little of There are plenty of optional challenges and items
those here, either. to find – like the second Zwei game, this one has
Otherwise, the game more closely resembles a museum that you can fill with the artefacts
Falcom’s Zwei series, in that there’s no overworld, you find, an interesting way to document the
but rather a map screen where you can choose lost civilisation you’re uncovering. The music is
from various levels. It even uses the same concept excellent, as with most Falcom games, and the
of gathering and cooking food to gain experience visuals are extraordinarily colourful, managing to
points. However, while those games’ levels were shine even on the low resolution of the PSP screen.
fairly simple dungeon crawls, the stages in The The Legend of Nayuta was initially only
Legend of Nayuta are much more elaborate, released for the PSP in Japan, which does no favours
taking advantage of the third dimension to create to its otherwise gorgeous visual design, though an
sprawling stages with plenty of platforming HD port was released in 2021, and a localisation
challenges – in function, this game resembles scheduled for 2023. It may have been disappointing
the likes of Square’s Brave Fencer Musashi on to series fans, but on its own, it’s a great game.
107
Popful Mail
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, SCD, PCECD, SFC
Created by Falcom and directed by Yoshio Kiya

of the Dragon Slayer games, Popful Mail is a
fun little side-scrolling action RPG with anime-
style graphics and loads of personality. It stars
a pink-haired elven bounty hunter named Mail.
Her wacky adventures heavily resemble those of Lina
Inverse in Slayers, which at this point in time (late
1991) was a fairly popular light novel series, before
gaining worldwide recognition with its later anime
series. The Japanese title is technically Poppuru
Mail, which was changed to the slightly easier to
pronounce Popful Mail for English release – it still
isn’t exactly a word, but is meant to emphasise her
bubbly personality. The SEGA CD version is the most well- Despite the many
Compared to the more hardcore RPGs that known, since it was released in English in versions of Popful
preceded it, Popful Mail is styled after console North America. Developed by SEGA and SIMS, Mail, there were no
games. Levels are linked with a Super Mario Bros. 3 it redoes the whole game in the style of Westone’s real sequels, but
-style world map, and the action is displayed from a Monster World games. The graphics are totally it did spin off into
side-scrolling perspective. There are also a number different, with much larger character sprites, a series of audio
of cute and colourful cutscenes that relate the story, and it removes the bump combat in favour of drama CDs.
in which Mail and her friends become embroiled in regular sword swinging. Initially, SEGA planned
a scheme to resurrect old demons in order to create to replace Mail with their own character, a sister
chaos around the realm. The stages run through of Sonic the Hedgehog, but fan outcry led them to
the usual video game tropes, including a jungle, create a more faithful version. The localisation takes
a volcano, underground mines, and an ice kingdom a lot of liberties, like most Working Designs games,
(complete with ridiculously cute penguins). There but, besides a few dated pop culture references,
are two other playable characters – Tatt, a magician maintains its complete silliness. However, some
in training, and Gaw, a bat creature. unnecessary balance tweaks make the localised
There are technically four different versions of version much more difficult.
the game. The PC88/98 versions have short, squat The Super Famicom version was developed
characters, and look somewhat like Legacy of the by Falcom themselves, and while it’s similar to
Wizard. Mêlée combat is like that in Ys, in which the SEGA CD release in how it looks and controls,
you just bump into enemies, though projectile it’s a totally different game. The graphics are
weapons like throwing daggers and magic spells completely different, and the level designs have
can be used to attack from a distance. The PC changed drastically too. The controls are a little
Engine CD version, released by NEC Avenue, is based bit awkward, and this being a cartridge release,
on this version, with some new cutscenes, enhanced it lacks the cutscenes and voice acting of the
graphics, voice acting and a few extra levels. other versions.
108
Brandish
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): PC98, FMT, PCECD, SNES, SFC, PSP
Brandish is a series of overhead dungeon crawlers

from Falcom, directed by Yoshio Kiya. They are
known for their rather unique (and uniquely
infuriating) perspective – instead of the character
turning left and right, the player characters are
always facing upward, and the world rotates around
them. It’s as if you took a first-person dungeon
crawler like Dungeon Master, then displayed it
from an overhead viewpoint. The movements are
tile-based and aren’t at all smooth, and the whole
world shifts suddenly in 90° angles every time you
turn. Needless to say, the first play of a Brandish
game is massively disorienting.
Beyond that, Brandish is fairly classical. wearing bikini armour. The sequel, subtitled The Japanese PC
You pilot your character, scavenging for weapons Planet Buster (it’s the name of a powerful sword) artwork for Brandish
and magic, finding keys, flipping switches, hunting is far more ambitious, with many more locales, (above) was provided
for fake walls, and finding the exit to the next not just cavernous dungeons. The third, Spirit by Isutoshi, who
floor. Occasionally, you’ll be asked to solve some of Balcan (pictured directly above), expands the is mostly known
simple puzzles, which are usually spelled out via roster to four characters, allowing gamers to play for erotic artwork
helpful plaques. You’ll also have to deal with traps, as Ares or Dela, along with two new faces: Umber, nowadays, as well as
which include everything from arrows to gigantic a female wrestler, and Jinza, a ninja. The fourth, for the manga Furies:
boulders. There are plenty of enemies of course, also known as Brandish VT, drastically mixes Silver Wings in
as well as some boss fights every now and then. up the formula by switching to an isometric Empty Sky, while the
Due to the tile-based movement, combat is rather perspective and removing the screen rotation. The SFC/SNES has cover
clumsy and takes some adjusting to. Thankfully all storytelling is sparse, but the first three games are art by Nobuteru
of the Brandish games include an automap, one connected. The first two were ported to the Super Yuuki (Escaflowne,
of the few things that helps keep the exploration Famicom; the original (pictured in header) was Chrono Cross).
from becoming too dizzying. There’s also a Rest released in English.
function that allows you to regain all of your HP A PSP remake subtitled Dark Revenant was
and MP at any time – however, it also leaves you released in 2009 and localised by XSeed, though it
defenceless, so you’d better only nap when there was only released digitally in English. Now rendered
are no bad guys around. entirely in 3D, it allows for smooth rotation when
There are four games in the Brandish series. turning, making it much less confusing. It’s still
In the first, you control a warrior named Ares, who’s pretty faithful, but also includes a new, separate
trapped in a series of underground ruins, through quest, in which you control Dela. It’s also a great
which he’s being chased by a woman named Dela. remake, but the sequels are so much more fully-
She, unsurprisingly, became the far more popular featured that it’s a shame they didn’t revive one of
character, given that she’s a gorgeous blonde those instead.
109
110
Dragon
Quest
Dragon Quest is undoubtedly the most important all the way back to the first. Though the stories Dragon Quest
of the Japanese role-playing game series. are largely disconnected, there are recurring established
It certainly wasn’t the first, but it did make the themes, including references to the ancient many of the
genre appealing and accessible for the average Zenithian civilisation, or the Yggdrasil world JRPG mechanics
gamer. In the early ’80s, many RPGs were difficult tree. The plots are fairly typical “save the world and tropes that
and inscrutable, often requiring hours of play, or from evil” ones, low-key compared to some of the we know today.
complicated strategy guides, to get anywhere. The wilder JRPG stories out there, but are enriched
Famicom, however, was the “Family Computer”, by the episodic style of storytelling, in which
aimed at a wide audience, including children. the heroes explore, investigate local tragedies,
Therefore, in the first Dragon Quest game, the and solve problems. However, the individual
story is relatively simple, and the world fairly small, games do experiment a bit in both storytelling
but it works well to ease an audience into this style and character development. The turn-based
of game. The game takes the overworld exploration battle system hasn’t changed drastically since
of the Ultima series, and combines it with the first- the Famicom games, and many NES chiptune
person, turn-based battles of Wizardry. sound effects are still used in HD games. This
At the helm of the series was Yuji Horii, a permanence has given the series a nostalgic,
writer and game designer at Enix. After joining the comfort-food feel, allowing older players to
company in 1983, he created the text adventure reminisce about the games of their youth.
mystery Portopia Renzoku Satsujin Jiken (“The The series was less successful outside Japan,
Portopia Serial Murders”). A sequel to this though not for lack of trying. The first game made
game, Karuizawa Yukai Annai ("The Karuizawa it to North America in mid-1989, nearly three
Kidnapping Files"), had a chapter with an RPG- years after its Japanese release. It was renamed
style segment, including overhead exploration, Dragon Warrior, to avoid copyright conflicts with
à la Ultima, and some simple turn-based battle SPI’s pen-and-paper RPG DragonQuest. It was
sequences. This in turn paved the way for the accompanied by an advertising blitz in Nintendo
first Dragon Quest, released for the Famicom in Power magazine, including strategy guides
1986. It featured package artwork and character showing how to beat the game. None of the Akira
designs by Akira Toriyama, an extremely popular Toriyama art was featured, as he was unknown in
manga artist known at the time for works like the USA at the time, but instead, lavish Western
Dr. Slump and Dragon Ball, whose imaginative fantasy-style illustrations by Katsuya Terada were
monster designs and sense of humour were often used. Alas, it wasn’t quite the success that Enix
blended within the games. The music was by or Nintendo had expected, and excess stock was
Koichi Sugiyama, a classically trained composer given away as a bonus with subscriptions to the
who had worked on previous PC games for Enix. magazine. The remaining Famicom games were
The initial Dragon Quest games were developed eventually translated into English, but were largely
by Chunsoft, helmed by Koichi Nakamura, a friend ignored; assorted remakes and spinoffs were
of Horii’s. The release was successful, though not released for the Game Boy Color, while the seventh
immediately – sales eventually picked up over entry for the PlayStation looked dated compared
months, leading to a second game. By the time the to Square’s flashier Final Fantasy series.
third game was released in 1988, Dragon Quest With the eighth entry, Square Enix sought to
had become a Japanese social phenomenon. push the series harder outside of Japan, reclaiming
Compared to other long-running Japanese the Dragon Quest name, and finally releasing
RPG series, like Final Fantasy and Megami Tensei, the games in Europe. These had lavish English
Dragon Quest mostly stays faithful to its roots. language localisations, filled with accents, puns
All of the games take place in similarly themed and other wordplay that make them delightfully
worlds, based loosely on medieval Europe. The distinctive. While the series will probably never be
Toriyama art is mostly the same, and while the as successful internationally as it is in Japan, it has
main characters are different in each entry, all of carved out a large enough fanbase, who appreciate
the games contain NPCs based on designs going its more low-key qualities.
111
Dragon Quest
Developer: Enix/Chunsoft | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): NES, MSX, SFC, GBC, IOS, AND, PS4, NSW
In Dragon Quest (or Dragon Warrior, in the

original American version), you control a young
man, descendent of the legendary hero Erdrick
(Loto, in Japan). Your goal is to explore the
kingdom of Alefgard, rescue the Princess Gwaelin,
find all of Erdrick’s old equipment, and then defeat
the evil Dragonlord.
Going back to this game, decades after its
release and after nearly a dozen sequels, Dragon
Quest naturally feels very quaint. There are only
seven weapons, seven pieces of armour, and ten
spells. The maximum level you can obtain is 30;
the maximum HP probably won’t be much more
than 200. Battles are one-on-one, and since the you’ve found the way to uncurse it. And when One of the first
only offensive moves are attacking or casting one you meet the Dragonlord, he’ll make you an offer enemies you meet is
of two spells, there’s not much strategy beyond and ask you to join him in ruling. Obviously, it’s the goofy slime. This
overpowering your opponents. So you pretty a trick, and if you agree, you’ll take a “long rest”, creature eventually
much just grind for more gold and experience, essentially soft-locking the system and requiring became the mascot
and buy new stuff, allowing you to cross bridges that you reset if you want to start over. of the Dragon Quest
and get to parts of the world with strong enemies, There have been many subsequent ports, franchise, and even
and thus the cycle starts anew. Some elements and other than tweaking the stats to reduce starred in a few
have long been removed from the series, like the difficulty and quantity of grinding, not spinoffs.
the need for torches to explore dungeons, or the much has really been added or changed.
rare keys that open locked doors. There’s only That’s for the best, because while it’s pretty
a single save point – the king, at Tantegel Castle – simple, there’s a straightforward, addictive quality
so you’ll often have to retread quite a bit of ground to the progression, and it’s easy to see how the
when you die or reload a game. game caught on with the Japanese audience.
There are still some nice touches that It never quite had the same effect in other
make the game worth remembering – once you territories though, perhaps because they had
leave the starting castle, you can actually see the trouble marketing it. It wasn’t for lack of trying
Dragonlord’s own fortress sitting right across – it was granted some nice features in Nintendo
the lake (if only your hero could swim!) Rescuing Power magazine, even before they gave it away for
the Princess is not, in fact, the final goal, as you free – but without a celebrity comic-book artist to
find her midway through the game. And once you help sell it, it’s understandable that it floundered
beat the dragon holding her hostage, you get the outside of Japan. The US version did benefit from
honour of carrying her back to her father. There a slightly improved interface and better sprites,
are also a few cursed items; if you foolishly wear as well as replacing the password system with a
one, you will be unable to enter the castle unless battery backup, but it still felt kind of dated.
112
Dragon Quest II
Developer: Enix/Chunsoft | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): NES, MSX, SFC, GBC, IOS, AND, PS4, NSW
Over the years, as the Dragon Quest series

exploded in popularity, it gained a reputation as
an RPG anyone could play, the games’ moderate
difficulty level enabling casual RPG players to
enjoy them. That absolutely does not apply to
Dragon Quest II, which is widely acknowledged as
being one of the most brutal 8-bit RPGs of the era.
Like many sequels, it presumes that you mastered
the original, and therefore wanted something
significantly more advanced.
In that way, Dragon Quest II really hits the
mark. There are now three playable characters –
at first you just control the Prince of Midenhall,
a stout warrior, before you eventually recruit actually look distinct, compared to the old bland Dragon Quest II is a
the Prince of Cannock and the Princess of red brick ones. The torches have been ditched, and typical RPG sequel.
Moonbrooke, both adept with magic but with you can now see your immediate surroundings More characters!
fairly weak defence. You can now fight multiple when exploring caves. There are several towers More monsters!
enemies at once, though the trade-off here is that where you can fall down pits or jump off edges, Longer quest!
battles are fought against plain blackness, instead tossing you down to lower floors. You can also
of the backgrounds from the first game. It is a little find lottery tickets, which will let you play games of
unusual in that if there are multiple enemies of chance in certain towns, and are the first of many
the same type, they tend to be grouped together implementations of gambling found in the Dragon
– you cannot attack specific enemies, only target Quest series.
a group, so your character may attack a different It’s a pretty brutal game, as you finally make
enemy each time. The number of weapons your way to the end to beat the evil Hargon,
and spells has greatly expanded, plus there’s a only to have to defeat an even stronger monster,
defensive Parry option. the demon Malroth. As with many subsequent
The game world has expanded enough that ports, the difficulty level has been lowered
it necessitates multiple castles, each acting as (and the graphics improved to bring back the battle
an independent save point. In fact, the entire backgrounds, in the case of the Super Famicom
kingdom of Alefgard, as it appears in Dragon and mobile versions), if you don’t really have the
Warrior II, is an island. Although it’s significantly patience for it. Since the first Dragon Quest is so
smaller than in the original game, the basic short, it’s often bundled together with this sequel
layout is the same, and you get to revisit a few old in the same package. As with its predecessor,
locations. This includes the Dragonlord’s castle, the American NES version has a battery backup
where you can find the evil lord’s descendent, save, plus some minor tweaks, including a new
who actually helps you out this time around. The introductory sequence that shows the destruction
dungeons are now quite a bit more advanced and of the castle of Moonbrooke.
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Dragon Quest III
Developer: Enix/Chunsoft | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): NES, SFC, GBC, IOS, AND, PS4, NSW
The first two Dragon Quest games were very

popular in Japan, but it’s the third game that
really cemented the series’ reputation as a national
phenomenon. Even in the United States gaming
media, rumours circulated that lines to purchase
the game were obscenely long, and Japan had
passed a law mandating that the games could only
be released on weekends, since folks were skipping
both school and work to buy it (this was actually
just a suggestion, rather than an actual law).
Dragon Quest III: Soshite Densetsu e
(“And So, Into the Legend”) establishes many of
the tropes for not only this series but many other
JRPGs. For every game that begins with the hero’s you face. Seeds are items which can be given to any Dragon Quest III
mother waking them up from bed, or every game character to increase their strength, HP, or other is one of the most
where the characters explore a ghost ship, you can statistics. One town has a monster arena, where beloved RPGs
point to Dragon Quest III. The protagonist (male you can bet on the outcomes of fights. The world in Japan, firmly
or female) has the Hero character class, and sets off map is roughly based on Earth – the pyramids of establishing the
to find out what happened to their warrior father, Isis are located where Egypt would be, the town formula for scores
Ortega. However, you can create a whole roster of of Romoly is in Italy, Portoga is in Portugal, and of other games.
companions by visiting Patty/Luida’s Bar. There Edinbear is on an isle analogous to Great Britain.
are standard classes like the Fighter and Soldier And in contrast to Final Fantasy’s airships, you
(both physical warriors), the Pilgrim/Healer, control a gigantic bird to soar over the map.
and the Wizard/Mage. More unusual classes The biggest twist, though, is after you defeat
include the Merchant/Dealer (who gets extra the evil Baramos, purported to be the game’s big
money after battles and appraises items) and the bad. But instead of victory, you’re tossed into the
Goof-Off/Jester, who is almost useless but has a World of Darkness, which is actually Alefgard from
high luck skill. There’s also a powerful Sage class, the first Dragon Quest. This reveals that the game
to which you can promote units, provided you’ve is actually a prequel, and the protagonist is the
found the right item. You can multi-class by visiting Erdrick of legend, in whose footsteps the hero of
a shrine after reaching level 20 – characters restart the first game would tread.
at level 1 in the new class, but keep all of the skills Later ports to the Super Famicom, Game
they had in their previous class. Created characters Boy Color, and mobile platforms add plenty of
can be male or female too (the guy Goof-Off is a enhancements, including a quiz to determine
clown while the lady is a bunny girl). The number the stats of the hero and a new Thief class. Most
of player combatants has also expanded to four. of these were released in English, except the SFC
Day and night cycle, as time passes, which port; the smartphone release gave the English the
affects events in town as well as the monsters subtitle The Seeds of Salvation.
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Dragon Quest IV
Developer: Enix/Chunsoft | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): NES, PS1, DS, IOS, AND
Dragon Quest IV: Michibikareshi Monotachi

(“The Chosen Ones”, also subtitled Chapters of
the Chosen for the English DS remake) flexes the
series’ storytelling muscles more than the prior
releases. As with the third game, you name the
hero and pick their gender, but the focus isn’t
on them … at least, not initially. Instead, you’re
introduced to all of the supporting characters,
each starring in their own chapter. In the first, the
knight Ragnar must investigate the nearby tower
to uncover the mystery behind some missing
children; in the second, princess Alena escapes
the boring drudgery of her castle life and explores
her kingdom, joined by two castle guards meant hopes of winning the jackpot, and a sub-quest to Dragon Quest IV
to protect her. The third is the most unique, hunt for numerous hidden medals, which can be expands its narrative
as you control Torneko (a.k.a. Taloon) the merchant, presented to the Medal King for exclusive bonuses. skills with a diverse
who balances his time between running a store, Dragon Quest IV was later remade for cast of characters,
selling to and buying from local adventurers, the PlayStation 2, using the 2D sprites on 3D and is one of the few
and scavenging the land for more stuff to sell. backgrounds style of the seventh game. This was games in the series
The fourth stars two sisters, Meena and Maya, then used as the basis for the Nintendo DS and in which you can
one a dancer and the other a fortune teller, as they smartphone versions, which were translated into pick the gender of
hunt down their father’s murderer. And the hero English. (Oddly, the English DS version excises the protagonist.
finally becomes the star in the final chapter, as the party talk function found in other versions
all of the supporting cast come together, discover of the remake, in which the characters would
how all of the stories are linked, and defeat the bad discuss the current events. This was reinstated
guy at the centre of it all. for the smartphone release.) Beyond the aesthetic
The game hasn’t really changed all that much improvements, the remake also fixes one of
compared to its predecessor, and since there’s the biggest issues of the original game: in the
no way to create characters, it actually feels a little last chapter, you could only control the hero in
thinner. But considering that your party members combat, with the AI taking over all of the other
have actual personality now, it’s a reasonable trade- combatants, but now you can direct everyone.
off. Since there is a total of eight party members There’s also a brief chapter in which you play as
in the final chapter, the caravan is introduced to the hero in their hometown, plus an extra chapter
allow you to swap between active combatants, at the end starring Psaro, one of the main villains.
though it can’t be taken into areas like caves. A Other quality-of-life improvements from later
few other long-time Dragon Quest traditions have games appear here too, as well as the return of
been introduced here, including the presence of the Immigrant Town sub-quest from Dragon
a casino, where you can gamble your money in Quest VII.
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Dragon Quest V
Developer: Enix/Chunsoft/ArtePiazza | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SFC, PS2, DS
In Dragon Quest V: Hand of the Heavenly Bride,

the hero starts as a young child, accompanying his
father Pankraz (Pappas in Japanese), the king of
the land, on an adventure. As a kid, he is unable
to fight a pack of slimes without his father’s help,
and goes on crazy adventures before even learning
to read. Everything is flipped on its head when the
hero’s father is murdered before his eyes, and he
is sold into slavery. Ten years pass, and as an adult,
the hero escapes, and following in his father’s
footsteps, seeks the legendary Zenithian hero who
could save the kingdom. In the process, he gets
married, and has children of his own. But then
misfortune returns: he is turned into stone. More your children. This choice was a hallmark among Dragon Quest V
time passes, and his offspring, now little warriors Japanese RPG players at the time, though the SFC purports to let the
in their own right, rescue him from the curse. version obviously wants you to pick Bianca, given player choose between
Finally, the whole family assembles to find the that you go on some fun childhood adventures tomboy Bianca and
hero who can enter the demon world and save the with her in a spooky castle early on, and she the more ladylike
world from chaos. appears on the game’s cover. Conversely, Nera isn’t Nera … but Bianca is
Dragon Quest V is the JRPG equivalent of an even mentioned in the manual. Later versions try more prominently
epic poem, detailing the story of three generations to balance out the characters a little better. featured everywhere,
of heroes. SEGA’s Phantasy Star III for the Genesis This scenario is one of the reasons why so she feels like
tried something similar around the same time, but Dragon Quest V is so beloved in Japan, though its the choice the
Dragon Quest V is a much more personal story, influence goes far beyond the romantic choices. developers intended.
and also happens to be a far stronger game overall. The hero is unique because he’s not a strong
One of the main reasons for this is the warrior, like past DQ protagonists, but rather a
emphasis not only on family, but on courtship. monster tamer. Dragon Quest IV established, in its
The biggest decisions are about which of the first chapter, with the healslime that joins up with
game’s heroines to make your wife. Bianca is a Ragnar, that monsters can actually be friendly and
blond woman with an adventurous spirit, while work alongside humans. One of the first creatures
blue-haired Nera (Flora in Japanese) is a more you recruit is Saber (named Borongo in Japanese),
traditional lady, being the daughter of a wealthy a young sabretooth cat, who later rejoins the hero
businessman. The DS remake adds a third when they are both fully grown … after you tame
potential partner, raven-haired Deborah, who him, anyway. Once the hero gets the proper ability,
is Nera’s older sister and a typical tsundere, who there’s a random chance after a battle that a
treats the hero as something more like a servant wounded monster will switch sides and join him.
than a husband. Your wife has her own individual While not every monster is friendly, there are
stats, and she determines the hair colour of 40 potential recruits, which makes for a large
116
number of player characters when put alongside A later remake for the DS uses the same engine Released in 2008,
the humans. Only three can battle at a time in as DQVII (and the earlier remake of DQIV), with the DS remake of
the initial Super Famicom version, though this is 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds. The music can’t Dragon Quest V
expanded to four in later versions. really compare here, but otherwise it’s an arguable was the first time
Indeed, the Super Famicom version is step above the cheap-looking PS2 version. It does the game had been
pretty basic. It’s more colourful than its 8-bit inherit that release’s improvements, in addition to available in English.
predecessors, and it now includes appropriate adding Deborah as a potential wife. This version
backgrounds for combat, but it still looks and was released in English and other languages,
feels like the NES game. And while the soundtrack making it the ideal way for international gamers to
benefits from the Super Famicom sound chip, experience this legendary title.
it’s not nearly as strong as some of the better While Dragon Quest III is the game Japanese
games around at this early point in the gamers are most nostalgic about, Dragon Quest
system’s life, like ActRaiser or Final Fantasy IV. V is the best one. Its characters and story are so
Unfortunately, Enix was much more selective strong that they were used as the basis for the
about the games that were localised for the Super 2019 CGI film, subtitled Your Story. As is to be
Nintendo, and decided not to release this version expected for a 20+ hour RPG whittled down to a
outside of Japan. sub-two hour movie, some things are glazed over
A remake was released for the PlayStation 2 and removed. The most egregious example is that
in 2004, which redid all of the visuals in 3D. the childhood segment has maybe five minutes of
They’re pretty basic though, and compare screentime, so little that the relationships don’t
poorly to those in the gorgeous Dragon Quest make sense unless you’ve played the games. A
VIII, released less than a year later. On the plus controversial ending has resulted in this film
side, it’s the first Dragon Quest game to have a getting a divided response, but its themes will
fully orchestrated soundtrack within the game resonate deeply with anyone who spent childhood
itself, and has several extra recruitable monsters. summers playing RPGs.
Dragon Quest:
Your Story offers
respect to video
games for their
power and the joys
they can bring. It’s
meant for Japanese
fans nostalgic for
the Super Famicom
game, but its themes
are universal.
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Dragon Quest VI
Developer: Enix/Chunsoft | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, DS, IOS, AND
Dragon Quest VI: Realms of Revelation

(Maboroshi no Daichi or “The Phantom World”
in Japan) features a “dual world” setup, being
broken up into the “real world” and the “dream
world”. The story begins with a trio of young
warriors mounting an assault on the evil warlord
Murdaw. However, you and your party prove no
match for his power, and all of you are banished
into thin air. Then, you awaken back in your room,
your confrontation apparently having been just a
dream. Upon resuming your daily routine, you find
a strange gaping hole in the earth, which leads
to another world almost exactly like your own.
However, you appear only as a spectre, and most to train, which gives them permanent skills. Later While earlier Dragon
people can’t see or interact with you. Eventually on, switching the class of this character lets you Quest games were
you come across the companions from your dream obtain new skills for them. Unlike Final Fantasy V hardly lookers, the
(who’ve lost their memories, of course), before Jobs, these skills can be used at any time, so there’s sixth entry has
eventually figuring out a way to jump between no need to swap abilities. The starting classes are some brilliant sprite
the worlds. mostly the same as DQIII (plus a Monster Mauler work, and shows the
Then you learn the truth about these two class that lets you capture monsters as the DQV fantasy artwork of
dimensions – the opening segment wasn’t really hero does), and there are more-powerful hybrid Akira Toriyama at
a dream, but rather took place in the real world: classes when you’ve reached certain ranks. It’s a the top of his game.
Murdaw has banished you to the dream world. cool way to customise your characters, but it does
The rest of the inhabitants of the real world have require a lot more grinding to get the skills you
projected their minds into this dream world, want. It’s also a huge game, much larger than
leading to some interesting connections – for any of the entries before it. There are two large
example, one guard in the real world hates his overworlds, plus the ability to explore underwater,
name, and his identical version in the dream as well as the demon world near the end of the
world has the name he wishes he had. You’ll do game. It’s also much more open-ended – at a
a lot of jumping back and forth between the two certain point, the game opens up and you can do
worlds, uncovering the hopes and dreams of the anything in almost any order.
townspeople and fixing their problems. Only the DS version was released in English,
Dragon Quest VI tries to balance the and while that’s stylistically the same as the
unique personalities of the previous two games previous two DS ports, the SFC version had its own
with the character-building of the third game by unique aesthetics, especially with the bassy sound
implementing a class system. At a certain point in orchestration. With that uniqueness removed,
the game, when you visit Alltrades Abbey, you can it disappointingly looks and feels like every other
assign a job to any party member, allowing them DQ game from the era.
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Dragon Quest VII
Developer: Enix/Heartbeat/ArtePiazza | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1, 3DS, AND, IOS
At the outset of Dragon Quest VII: Fragments

of the Forgotten Past (Eden no Senshitachi, or
“Warriors of Eden” in Japan), the world is a lonely
place, consisting of one single island, alone in a
sprawling ocean. However, when exploring some
nearby ruins, three young adventurers end up
time-travelling to the past and discover new isles.
At some point in history, each of these islands
succumbed to its own mini-cataclysm – saving
these lands in the past makes them appear in
the present. During your adventures, you’ll travel
between the two time periods, slowly repopulate
the world, and clash against the evil that caused
these disasters in the first place. building in the Suikoden games. However, the types Dragon Quest was a
Dragon Quest VII was a latecomer to the of people you collect will in turn affect the town. constant latecomer
PlayStation generation, and from a technical The major issue with a game this size is its in North America,
standpoint, it looked somewhat dated – it uses glacial pacing. The opening segment, in which where the seventh
2D sprites over 3D backgrounds, though the you explore the nearby ruins and uncover magical entry had to compete
enemy battle animations are still static. Even the shards, is dreadfully long, especially in the PS1 against Final
music sounds weak compared to what Square version. In between the vignettes, you need to Fantasy X for the
was producing at the time. At least all this allows search for more shards to open up new locales, PlayStation 2 after
for extremely quick loading times. but this involves scrounging around in the same only a few months,
Still, what it lacks in visual gusto, it makes up areas in past and present, and they often look making it seem
for in content, as it’s an incredibly long game, with identical, in spite of the lengthy period of time incredibly dated.
the average playtime clocking in at over 100 hours. between them. (It certainly doesn’t have the
The vignettes are arguably the strongest in the wide variation of eras seen in Chrono Trigger.)
Dragon Quest series, too, in equal parts comic and The game inherits the job training system
tragic. In one village, the humans have turned into from Dragon Quest VI but with even more
animals, and vice versa. Once you set everything jobs, to the point where there are just too
right, you can revisit them in the present to see many. Only those who really have the time and
their festival, in which they wear animal costumes. patience to devote to it will be able to see it to
In another, you find a lonely inventor who creates the end.
a robot who will live by his side forever. Back in The 2013 3DS remake includes 3D graphics
the present, you find the mechanical creation and a vastly improved localisation, plus it tunes
tending to its master’s bones, unaware that he’s things up by streamlining some segments,
long dead. Along with this, there’s also an extra replacing random battles with visible encounters,
sub-quest in which you populate a deserted and giving you a radar to more easily find those
island with various villagers, sort of like the castle shards, though it’s still a slog at points.
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Dragon Quest VIII
Developer: Square Enix/Level-5 | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2, 3DS, IOS, AND
Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

(Sora to Umi to Daichi to Norowareshi Himegimi or
“The Cursed Princess of the Sky, Sea and Earth”) is
a monumental step forward from its predecessor in
presentation. Development was passed to Level-5,
a company known for the stunning cel-shaded
artwork in Dark Cloud 2 and Rogue Galaxy, and the
result looks like a real-time 3D rendered version of
an Akira Toriyama cartoon. The improvement goes
beyond just the visuals, as the size of the overworld
is also greatly expanded, offering a sprawling land
and cavernous dungeons to explore. Such things
have been commonplace since the beginning, but
everything now looks and feels fresh. Where Dragon Quest VIII feels at odds with This is the first game
However, some other areas have been scaled itself, at least in the initial PlayStation 2 release, is in the series to use
back. The storyline is a little simple compared to that it’s visually so hugely advanced, but remains the Dragon Quest
the high concepts of the past few games – the King, rather conservative in other ways. Random (rather than Dragon
Trode, and his daughter have been transformed battles are a constant, and both the added attack Warrior) name
into a ghoul and a horse, respectively, so the animations and the lengthier load times mean they outside of Japan,
hero sets off on an adventure to help him, which take much longer than before. Even the dungeons as Square Enix had
involves trailing an evil jester magician named feel drawn out, just because of the larger scale of seemingly worked
Dhoulmagus. There are only four party members, the environments. At least the story doesn’t quite out any copyright
including the hero, but they’re a memorable bunch. drag as much as in DQVII. issues. It was also
The whip-wielding, wayward princess Jessica, with This game signalled the international the first game in the
her pigtails and enormous bosom, seems designed re-launch of the series. The English language series to be released
to please male gamers, but the real star of the localisers went the extra mile, adding an in Europe.
game is Yangus, a stubby thief with a heart of gold. orchestral soundtrack and full voice acting. Both
However, there’s no sort of class system. Instead, the European accents and the delightfully goofy
whenever you level up, you’re assigned some extra puns set the tone for subsequent English releases.
points that you can allocate to certain character- The 2015 3DS version isn’t a full-on remake
specific attributes. New to the battle system is like Dragon Quest VII was, but it does make
the Tension gauge, which lets you use a turn (or some key changes – random battles are gone,
more) to build up strength, Dragon Ball Z-style, fights can be sped up, and two minor characters,
and focus on increasingly powerful attacks. The Morrie and Red, are now playable. The graphics are
camera in the battle system is more dynamic, downgraded, but otherwise this is the definitive
focusing on character attacks rather than purely version. Sadly, the English version loses the
viewing from a first-person perspective, so combat orchestral music due to some bizarre licensing
looks and feels more engaging than before. rights issue with the composer.
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Dragon Quest IX
Developer: Square Enix/Level-5 | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
In Dragon Quest IX: Sentinels of the Starry Skies,

(Hoshizora no Mamoribito or “Protectors of the
Starry Sky”) you play as a Celestrian, one of a race
of angels who lives in a castle in the sky called the
Observatory. At first, you are assigned as a guardian
to a village on Earth down below, doing good
deeds and obtaining a force called Benevolessence,
which you then give to the world tree Yggdrasil
in hopes that you will enter the Realm of the
Almighty. Unfortunately, the Observatory gets
attacked by a mysterious force, and you fall to
the world below, causing you to become mortal.
Now acting as the world’s protector, you set off a
journey to find out what happened, and are caught
up in a battle of the heavens. as well, giving every player’s party a unique look. In the United States,
Due to the immense popularity of the This ties in with the multiplayer elements: other Dragon Quest IX
Nintendo DS in Japan, this mainline Dragon Quest people can join you using the system’s local was marketed
went portable there. Obviously, from a technological wireless capabilities. You can also use the Tag with a commercial
standpoint, that means it’s a huge step back from Mode to communicate with other nearby players featuring actor Seth
its predecessor. The visuals are substantially and get new quests or items, a concept that was Green, which may
downgraded (though they look decent considering implemented on a system-wide scale with the have contributed
the system), and both the voices and the orchestral Streetpass functionality of the 3DS. There are it to becoming
music are gone. It is different from the DS remakes, tons of quests to find and complete, this being the substantially more
in that most of the characters are 3D rendered, as game’s focus, considering the relatively short length successful than
opposed to 2D sprites, so both the cutscenes and the of the story mode. However, since the Nintendo previous games,
battle segments are more dynamic. The battle system WiFi connection has long been shut down, and selling over a million
is similar to that in Dragon Quest VIII, including both almost no one is running around with DS systems units between North
Tension, and Skill distribution, plus combos that and Dragon Quest IX in their pocket, much of this America and Europe.
grant increasing damage multipliers. The game also is meaningless now, leaving unofficial servers the
takes its biggest inspiration from Dragon Quest III. only way to unlock much of the optional content.
The party is completely customisable, initially The story is okay, but it lacks the storytelling
offering a choice of six character classes (more hooks and the memorable characters of previous
advanced ones come later). Characters can switch games. The only personality, through much of
classes, though their level is tied to each class, and the adventure, is Stella, a ganguro gal Celestrian,
skills don’t cross over between them. who feels a little out of place. Overall, as a modern
There’s also a character creator that lets you multiplayer iteration of Dragon Quest III, this is a
pick gender, hair colour, face, body frame, and great experiment, but ultimately there’s really not
more. Equipment is reflected on your character much memorable about it.
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Dragon Quest XI
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): PS4, WIN, NSW, 3DS
In Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, the

young hero learns that he is the Luminary, the
reincarnation of the chosen hero who defeated
evil long ago. However, for reasons that aren’t
initially clear, the king of Dundrasil views him
as a threat, sees him as the Darkspawn, and calls
for his imprisonment. After escaping, he begins
his journey to reach Yggdrasil, the World Tree,
to understand his true destiny.
After the diversions of the previous two
games, this one feels like a true follow-up to Dragon
Quest VIII, now rendered in high resolution. The cursed with the form of a (rather sassy) child, and Dragon Quest XI is a
cel-shading is more subtle than before and the Jade and Rab, a young woman and an old man fine blend of modern
colours aren’t quite as bright, but it’s still a who are exiled royalty and who play off each other and traditional,
splendid-looking game, and the enemy animations in amusing ways. But the breakout character is replacing random
are especially endearing. It shifts the combat to a Sylvando, a flamboyant entertainer, who often feels battles with enemy
third-person perspective and adds some quality- more like a hero than the game’s silent protagonist. encounters and
of-life elements from the more modern games, The story itself is typical Dragon Quest, though the speeding up the battle
including visible encounters, speedier combat, and three-act structure is probably where players will system, while still
the ability to run (and even jump). Fights work a either fall in love with, or burn out on, the game. keeping the charming
little differently, in that the character’s actions are The first part introduces the world; the second characters and
timed based on the speed stat, rather than each part sees it after it’s been marred with tragedy and scenarios, along with
side taking turns. New to this game is the Pep destruction. The third (technically an extended an often hilarious
system, in which an invisible counter will increase as epilogue) travels back in time a bit and lets you English localisation.
characters take damage, and eventually send them re-do the second act but with an overall more
into a heightened state that makes them stronger positive outcome. It is a little long, but it feels
and lets them perform special attacks, sometimes more justified than some other drawn-out Dragon
in tandem with other characters. While this feels Quest scenarios.
a little random, since you can’t pre-determine In Japan, DQXI was released simultaneously
when it’ll happen, it carries over for several on the PlayStation 4 and 3DS, the latter being a
turns (and even between battles), so you need to scaled down version of its HD counterpart, as well
use it strategically when it does trigger. The as including as a 2D mode that lets you play the
customisation system is similar to DQVIII ’s too, entire game as if it were a 16-bit title. The later
though it’s displayed on a grid and you have a little Definitive Edition includes this mode as well,
more room in determining character growth paths. plus other niceties, like an orchestral soundtrack,
The characters shine here, including Veronica Japanese voice acting, and some extra character
and Serena, twin sisters reminiscent of Meena and quests. The visuals are only slightly downgraded
Maya from DQIV, except one of them has been and the portability on the Switch is a nice feature.
122
Dragon Quest Builders (series)
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4, PSV, NSW, WIN
Dragon Quest has had a history of melding itself

with other game types to create new and interesting
games, such as Mystery Dungeon (Rogue) and the
Monsters series (Pokémon). Dragon Quest Builders is
basically Dragon Quest plus Minecraft, a unique take,
if ever there was one. You play as the titular Builder,
in charge of rebuilding towns, protecting them
from monsters, completing quests, and defeating
bosses. The entire landscape is built of various
square-shaped blocks, and nearly all its elements
can be dismantled for materials to build your own
structures, while various things can be collected and except something goes wrong, and he’s reborn as a Given that 8-bit
combined to create new items. As in Minecraft, this demon child who doesn’t quite realise he’s supposed RPG worlds were
allows for quite a bit of creativity, while bringing in to be evil, so he joins your cause to rebuild the land. basically constructed
the Dragon Quest touch by giving the game an RPG- The first game is ambitious but plenty rough out of tiles, Dragon
like structure, along with other elements from the around the edges – the landscapes are huge and Quest Builders
series – there are familiar monsters, and all of the it takes forever to trudge anywhere, combat is does feel like you’re
characters are super-deformed types in the Akira awkward, and essential resources are often hard to running through
Toriyama style, the package completed by a light- find. It can get frustrating when you’re running low greatly expanded 3D
hearted English localisation as usual for the on food, or need to replace degrading equipment. versions of the older
series. Many of the characters have arcs that develop The sequel acknowledges and fixes most of these games, something
as you build up their towns, and there’s a warm aspects: it lets you run and establishes several warp that’s readily
sense of community as you build up broken points, Malroth regularly joins the Builder and apparent when
cities from scratch. In some ways, it feels a lot like helps fight monsters, there’s an experience system looking at the
Quintet’s ActRaiser, in that you’re managing both to make combat more meaningful, equipment map screens.
town creation and adventuring, though it melds the degradation is gone, and villagers pitch in more
two closer together. to reduce some of the tedious aspects. Plus,
There are two games in the series, both sequels in the first game, there were four chapters, and
to the original Dragon Quest games. Famously, in basically everything from items to inventory was
the first game, the hero could choose whether to reset every time you completed one. The second
join the evil Dragonlord at the end of the game. game maintains some things from chapter to
In the initial Dragon Quest Builders, he chose chapter, so it doesn’t feel like you’re starting again
poorly and thus Dragonlord was able to destroy from zero, plus it has a central island that
the world, leaving it up to the protagonist, known you can build up and populate with characters
as the Builder, to return the kingdom of Alefgard recruited from other locales. It can become a time
to its former glory. Dragon Quest Builders 2 is a sink, but even those who don’t normally like
more straightforward sequel, as here an evil cult Minecraft can find this game more purposeful,
is attempting to resurrect the nefarious Malroth … thanks to the concrete goals.
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124
Final
Fantasy
The Japanese company Square was created Iranian programmer; and Nobuo Uematsu, who Spiky hair
in 1983, with their early work being primarily eventually became known as one of the best video and big swords
adventure games, though they also helmed DOG, a game musicians of all time. Artist Yoshitaka may be well worn
label that published Famicom Disk System games Amano was chosen to handle the cover artwork, tropes by now, but
for other companies. They dabbled in RPGs too, giving the series a slightly more adult, and classier, were also hugely
including the elaborate (but tedious) Cruise Chaser look than Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Quest, which popularised by
Blassty and the simple Cleopatra no Mahou. was primarily targetted at adolescents. Final Fantasy.
One of their big initial efforts was Seiken Densetsu, Later games added more developers to the
a Famicom Disk System title that would’ve stable, many of whom went on to work on notable
spanned multiple releases … except it ended up titles within and beyond the series, including Koichi
getting cancelled, with a public note requesting Ishii, who later helmed the Mana series; Takashi
that anyone who pre-ordered it please look forward Tokita, who co-directed Chrono Trigger and Live-
to the company’s next RPG, Final Fantasy, instead. A-Live; Yoshinori Kitase, who took over directorial
Like many Famicom RPGs, Final Fantasy owes duties from Sakaguchi after Final Fantasy V and
a large debt to Dragon Quest, though it managed helmed the series through to the tenth entry; Tetsuya
to differentiate itself in a number of ways – the Nomura, the main character designer for the series
graphic style was cleaner, the battle system moved from Final Fantasy VII onwards, who also directed
to a side-scrolling perspective that allowed many the Kingdom Hearts games; Tetsuya Takahashi,
more enemies on the screen at once, and it wore its who later founded Monolith Soft and created the
Dungeons and Dragons influence more openly, Xenosaga and Xenoblade games; and Kazushige
featuring some familiar, if plagiarised, monsters Nojima, a writer who also worked on Data East’s
and inheriting its Vancian magic system. Coming Heracles no Eikou games; and countless others.
out just a few months before Dragon Quest III, Sakaguchi was the executive producer of the
it didn’t quite steal its thunder, but it did prove to series until Final Fantasy X. But he had greater
be a massive success, allowing for two sequels to ambitions than just video games, helming the
be developed for the platform. production of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within,
Final Fantasy was long believed to have a full length computer-generated motion picture.
gotten its name from director Hironobu Sakaguchi, It was an expensive endeavour, and unfortunately,
who had worked on a few other Famicom titles for a very costly one for Square, as it lost quite a bit of
Square, like King’s Knight and 3-D WorldRunner. money. There were a number of reasons – it had
Since these were not particularly popular, he little connection to the video game series, and it
was planning to leave the game development was aimed primarily towards an older audience,
industry if his next work was not a success – in whereas many CG movies were aimed at kids,
other words, it was his own “final fantasy”. He later for example – and it resulted in him leaving the
noted that this was really only half-true, as the company. He later founded his own production
title was primarily chosen because they wanted studio, Mistwalker, which worked on a handful of
an alliterative English name, like Dungeons and RPGs for the Xbox 360 and Wii, including Blue
Dragons. Their first choice, “Fighting Fantasy”, Dragon, Lost Odyssey, and The Last Story.
was already taken up by a British game series, Considering the various staff members is
so they went with Final Fantasy instead. important when contrasting this series to Dragon
Under Sakaguchi, development was primarily Quest. Most of that series was led by (or at least
handled by six other staff members – Akitoshi credited to) three key staff members: director Yuji
Kawazu, who later went on to helm the quirky Horii, artist Akira Toriyama, and musician Koichi
SaGa series; Hiromichi Tanaka, involved in battle Sugiyama. These central roles did not really change
design and scenario writing in many Square over the series’ life, resulting in a consistency
products during the 32-bit era, such as Xenogears that kept the Dragon Quest identity strong.
and Chrono Cross; Kenji Terada, another writer; On the other hand, the development of Final
Kazuko Shibuya, whose distinctive spritework gave Fantasy was often passed between various
the series its unique identity during the 8- and departments and staff, resulting in individual
16-bit console eras; Nasir Gebelli, the genius entries that feel quite different from one another.
125
Compare the
battle scenes of
the original Final
Fantasy for the
NES and Final
Fantasy XIII for
the PlayStation 3
– they’ve come a
long way!
This isn’t to say that each Final Fantasy game is any medium, but it’s especially the case with Final
totally different from the next – some entries do Fantasy. Many long-time fans have a preference
share the same staff, and there are recognisable for Final Fantasy VI, the last 16-bit console entry,
common traits between entries. But, despite for its outstanding scenario, music, and visuals
the advancements in technology, you can look – basically, for being consistently the strongest
at Dragon Quest and Dragon Quest XI and see in all of the elements the series is known for.
their similarity, while it’s hard to see such More hardcore fans profess a preference for Final
commonality between the first Final Fantasy and Fantasy V, which has a more flexible Job system,
Final Fantasy XV. allowing you to find creative ways to succeed in
One key aspect of many Final Fantasy games difficult battles.
is the Job system. There are several types of Job The most popular – and most historically
class, though whether they’re chosen by the important – is Final Fantasy VII, released in 1997
player or assigned by the story depends on the for the PlayStation. During the mid-’90s, most
game in question. Many of these are standard for computer-generated animation was found in short
RPGs, though the series has created some unique films and multimedia CD-ROM computer software.
designs: the blue-cloaked Black Mage, whose Despite its ubiquitousness in the modern era, at
gigantic yellow hat overshadows his face, showing the time the only major motion picture to use
only his glowing eyes; the Dragoon, a knight in this style of animation was Pixar’s Toy Story. Final
dragon-esque armour who wields spears and has Fantasy VII ramped up its cinematic aspects by
the ability to jump high into the sky and wage war including regular, full-screen cutscenes at key points,
from above; and the Samurai, who can literally toss making full use of the space on the game’s three
money at his enemies to cause damage. Again, CDs. These also effectively acted as its marketing
some games have greater customisation systems campaign, which was the first, among games of its
than others, with each entry tweaking the ability- type, to use television advertising in North America.
learning systems to provide unique experiences. What this effectively did was to bring role-playing
Another signature element is the Active games into the English-speaking mainstream,
Time Battle (ATB) system. Previous games were helping turn Final Fantasy into an internationally
completely turn-based, allowing you to take your recognised brand; its popularity helped greenlight
time when choosing commands. With this system, the localisations of many later RPGs.
time flows even when you’re not performing Subsequent titles were popular, albeit still
actions, with character’s turns coming up based divisive. In spite of erratic popular reception,
on their speed/agility stat, and requiring that you they still routinely received high marks from
make quick decisions, lest you dawdle and let the contemporary critics. That changed with Final
enemy get in extra attacks. This system is found Fantasy XIII, the first title released in the HD era,
in most entries from the fourth game onward, and for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It suffered
many other, later RPGs borrowed from it. substantial development difficulties, something
It’s clear, based on the ATB, that the developers experienced by many Japanese companies at the
always wanted this to be a more exciting, engaging time, which had trouble scaling up their
experience than most other RPGs, and as time programming practices and manpower to meet
went on, the battle systems tended to become the needs of these new consoles. All of this was
more action-based. As graphical technology apparent in the end products, which were flashy,
improved, the special moves became more visually but saddled with numerous problems. These same
impressive, particularly the summon beasts that issues plagued later games, to varying extents,
can be caused to wreak havoc. This is why the though their reception has generally been more
more modern incarnations of Final Fantasy have favourable. This doesn’t take into account Final
moved away from a purely turn-based system. Fantasy XI or Final Fantasy XIV, both online-only
Of course, with a series that’s constantly entries, which are addressed separately, later in
evolving and changing comes fan receptions this book. There are also a large number of spinoffs
that are often wildly divided. This is true among outside of the mainline games – some of the RPG
hardcore fans of any long running franchise across ones are featured near the end of this chapter.
126
Final Fantasy
Developer: Square | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): NES, MSX2, WSC, PS1, GBA, PSP
Final Fantasy begins not with a title screen,

but rather a prologue text scroll that tells of
the coming of the four Warriors of Light who
will save the world from darkness. From there,
you can create your party of four members, from
six different character classes. Fighters are the
strongest physical attackers, while Black Belts
aren’t quite as powerful, but they don’t need
expensive equipment. Thieves have average
attack skills but can run away very easily. White
Mages and Black Mages have healing and attack
magic, respectively, while Red Mages have a bit of
both but lack access to the most powerful spells.
Once you’ve put together your team, your first from Dungeons & Dragons. Rather than having Like Dragon
adventure involves saving the Princess Sara from MP, there are eights levels of spells, each with a Warrior, Final
the evil Garland. After this, you cross the bridge to maximum stockable number (up to nine per level) Fantasy received
the rest of the world, and the title screen is finally before needing to recharge when depleted at an inn. strong promotion
displayed, and you hear the song that would later The battles are more complicated than in Dragon in North America
become known as the Final Fantasy theme. Quest, allowing you to fight up to nine enemies at thanks to the
For the rest of the game you adventure all once, viewed from a side-on perspective. However, Nintendo Power
over the world, taking down the four elemental you need to keep track of both your characters’ magazine special
fiends, before returning to fight the demon attack abilities and your enemies’ HP. You order all strategy guide
Chaos. You’ll also find various methods of of your characters before the turn starts, and if an issues in late 1990.
transportation, including a canoe to row up enemy is killed, subsequent attacks will not target
narrow rivers, a boat to sail the seas, and an airship a different enemy, so you may waste turns basically
to fly almost anywhere. There’s also a quest that swinging at thin air.
allows you to promote each of your warriors to Other than the time-travelling plot twist at the
advanced classes – a Warrior becomes a Knight, end, Final Fantasy is fairly basic, but it holds up well
a Thief becomes a Ninja, a Black Belt becomes next to Dragon Quest III, which was released two
a Master, and the Mages become Wizards. months later in Japan. It was ported several times,
These unlock extra abilities, like simple healing the best being the PlayStation version. This version
spells for the Knight and some Black magic has improved visuals and music, and you can
for the Ninja. There’s also an optional hidden play at either standard or reduced difficulty level.
boss, a super-powerful robot named Warmech, Every later port just includes the easy mode,
a feature that has become standard in many but since there’s not much story, there’s not
later JRPGs. much reason to play this game if you remove the
Magic works differently from that in most challenge, other than to experience the origin of
games, in that it uses the Vancian magic originating the Final Fantasy tropes.
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Final Fantasy II
Developer: Square | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): FC, WSC, PS1, GBA
Final Fantasy II starts off dramatically, as four

characters are thrust immediately into battle
against the soldiers of the Palamecian Empire.
There’s no real fighting against them, and your
entire team is demolished almost immediately.
The hero, Firion, awakens safely in a castle far away,
and is greeted by his companions Guy and Maria,
who also escaped with their lives and have become
part of the Wild Rose Rebellion. But the fourth,
Leon, has gone missing. The rest of the game is
spent fighting against the evil Emperor Mateus,
as well as discovering what happened to Leon.
Final Fantasy II looks and sounds just like its
predecessor. However, this sequel demonstrates of which actions will grow your character. Final Fantasy II
the series’ flexibility when it comes to story and (This system was inherited by the later SaGa series.) establishes a
mechanics. You can no longer select character It also implements a more typical MP system for recurring story
classes, sure, but the party members here magic. This is all very interesting conceptually, theme, that
have set names, backstories, and motivations. but it’s also time-consuming, awkward, and fairly of rebellions
Additionally, the character in the fourth party buggy, especially in the initial Famicom release. rising against
slot changes throughout the story, as new It can be difficult to build your characters properly evil empires.
adventurers join and leave, or more usually suffer too, especially as having a high evasion level is
some dramatic death. In a not-so-shocking twist, important for the later parts of the game.
Leon is revealed to have joined the Empire after This is the first title in the Final Fantasy series
falling in the introductory battle, requiring you to feature Chocobos, the large bird creatures that
to face off against your old friend. While most acts as steeds, and also the first game to feature a
English-speaking gamers are more familiar with character named Cid. It also uses a “word memory”
this style of melodrama from Final Fantasy IV on conversation system, allowing you to learn certain
the SNES, it originated with this game. topics and discuss them with other NPCs, giving
The story is pretty decent for an 8-bit it an adventure game feel. For example, “rose” is
RPG, if basic compared to later games. a secret word to communicate that you’re part of
But mechanically, Final Fantasy II is … unusual. the rebellion.
There are no set levels, and any party member Final Fantasy II is a weird experiment
can equip weapon or armour; instead characters that was tough to play at the time and is even
gain stats based on specific actions. Characters’ rougher nowadays. Storywise, most of the things
maximum HP will increase when taking damage, it accomplishes are better implemented in later
and their attack ability or spell level will improve titles, although some of the later ports fix the
with repeated use of the relevant weapon or balance, helping to make the game a little more
specific magic. It means you need to be conscious approachable, but it still gives you a hard time.
128
Final Fantasy III
Developer: Square | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC, DS, PSP, WIN, IOS, AND
Final Fantasy III begins when four kids stumble

into a cave and discover a crystal of light.
It bestows special powers upon them, and instructs
them to bring balance back to their world. And so
begins an adventure, during which the quartet
learns the history behind the floating continent
they inhabit, the four legendary warriors that
came before them, and the vile Cloud of Darkness
that seeks to enshroud everything in chaos.
After the weird experiment that was Final
Fantasy II, this one is something of a return to
form, with a standard experience system and
customisable, blank-slate characters, though it
uses the standard MP system rather than the On its own merits, Final Fantasy III is a pretty Final Fantasy III
magic level system of the first game. The big good game. But its biggest feature, the swappable is back-to-basics,
addition here is that any of the four characters can job system, was implemented in refined form in with a thinner story
switch job classes at any time, with 22 (23 in the Final Fantasy V a few years down the line. And and less obscure
DS remake) in total, compared to 12 in the original since FFV has so many other improvements, mechanics than its
game. While their default role is that of Onion that leaves FFIII without much of an identity. predecessor, though
Knight, which is weak at first but can later grow If anything, it’s mostly remembered for its insanely it does establish
extremely powerful, there are plenty of new and long final dungeon, which includes five boss fights the basis for the
improved classes: Thieves can actually steal from but has no save points. Job system found
enemies (as opposed to just having high agility); While the first two Final Fantasy games in later entries.
Dragoons have powerful Jump commands, which received a few upgraded ports over the years, the
send them flying into the air and hurtling back to third game was passed over until it was completely
ground with a powerful strike; and Summoners remade in 2006 for the international release on
can call upon a creature for various effects the Nintendo DS (ported to a few other platforms
(a concept borrowed from Square’s strategy game like the PSP, Windows and smartphones).
Hanjuku Hero). Job levels grow separately from In addition to redoing the game in 3D, this remake
experience levels, and switching jobs requires gave the four characters new, unique designs and
spending Capacity Points. The battles are personalities, fleshed out the narrative a bit, and
faster and look sleeker, and now automatically provided some extra quests. Job switching no
move to a new target following defeat of a foe. longer requires points, but instead just weakens
Also introduced are Moogles, the cutesy white you for a few battles. Due to the redesign, the pace
mole/bat hybrids that became one of the mascots has changed, and fights play out differently, since
of the series. There are also companion characters there are fewer enemies at once. Its improvements
that join for short spurts and aid in combat, but don’t really “fix” much of the game though, and at
are not directly controllable. heart, it’s still an 8-bit RPG.
129
Final Fantasy IV
Developer: Square | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): SNES, PS1, WSC, GBA, PSP, DS, WIN, IOS, AND
With the move to the 16-bit SNES, Final Fantasy IV

is an astronomical jump up from its predecessors.
The hero is Cecil, a dark knight who’s the leader
of the Red Wings, a military outfit working for
the King of Baron. During the introduction, Cecil
and his crew are shown murdering fairly helpless
people in order to steal their crystal. He pauses to
consider that what he’s doing might not be on the
right side of the moral scale, eventually deciding to
turn coat and fight against his old master.
There’s a fairly extensive roster of characters
who join Cecil’s rebellion, including his
girlfriend Rosa, a healer; Cid, a buddy from the
kingdom of Baron and engineer of the usual (Cecil switches from Dark Knight to Paladin once Initially released as
Final Fantasy airship; Tellah, a powerful he renounces his evil past), and since the party can Final Fantasy II in
sage; Edward, a cowardly bard; Rydia, a young only hold five at once, many characters hop in and North America, the
summoner girl; Edge, a ninja; Palom and Porom, out of the party as the story demands, reducing game suffered from a
twin magicians; and Yang, a karate master. The your strategic options to whatever hand the game bad translation, cut
most compelling, and popular, crew member is deals you. And while the plot is pretty decent, content, and nerfed
Kain, a dragoon, who is Cecil’s best friend and considering the sparse amount of dialogue, there’s difficulty, but still
war buddy, but constantly switches allegiance also an overwhelming amount of melodrama, as provided a story that
between our heroes and the bad guys. The cast nearly half of the cast sacrifices themselves …. but enthralled gamers
also contains a stereotypical if amusing villain in most of them turn up alive later on, sometimes in in ways that weren’t
Golbez, the true seeker for the crystals. Even when comically unrealistic ways. It’s fast and well-paced, possible on the
the real final boss seems to have gone down, it’s though the final dungeon presents a big difficulty original NES.
not over yet, as the penultimate foe summons all spike. It’s nowhere near as dreadfully long as the
of his hatred, creating an ultra powerful monster, one in its predecessor, but a good amount of time
the sort of “true, ultimate, final boss that comes will probably be spent grinding here, before you
out of nowhere” unique to this kind of video game. can hope to survive the final encounters.
It’s a classic story, filled with likeable heroes Much of the game feels familiar from the
and memorable villains. Plus, 8-bit RPGs were 8-bit days, though with more detailed sprites, and
constantly pushing the boundaries for the size and some fancy Mode 7 effects during airship flight.
number of overworld maps – at its climax, Final The music quality has improved by leaps and
Fantasy IV sends its heroes to the moon, where bounds – nearly every track on here is a classic,
they pilot an airship called the Lunar Whale. But cementing Nobuo Uematsu’s place as one of the
with the emphasis on strong characters, the best composers of the era, and putting the game
customisation mechanics are basically cut out next to ActRaiser as one of the best-sounding
completely. Each character has their own class early games on the SNES.
130
Final Fantasy IV also introduces the Active Time your party for the final dungeon, giving you more The DS remake (also
Battle (ATB) system. Turns don’t happen in a set freedom of action than in the earlier ports. on smartphones and
order, but are rather dictated by the character’s (or There are also two later remakes. The first, Windows) makes
enemy’s) speed; some actions, like spell casting, for the DS, is a ground-up reimagining using 3D substantial changes
take more time than just straight attacking. Time models, as well as redone music and full voice to the game, and the
flows while you pick commands too, requiring that acting. Unfortunately, the technical limitations polygonal models are
you make quick decisions. It’s a way to make battles of the system result in a messy-looking game. pretty rough.
feel more exciting without drastically changing the This version was later ported to mobile phones
way they play, and it was popular enough to be and Windows computers, but their higher
used in several subsequent Final Fantasy games. resolution doesn’t fix the janky polygonal models
When the game was localised into English, or the poor frame rate. These ports try to give
under the name Final Fantasy II, the publishers some level of character customisation using the
must’ve felt it was too difficult, so some things were Augment system, in which using specific items
simplified. Some of these just involve tweaking on a character will give them certain abilities,
enemy stats, but others are less welcome, such depending on the point in the story. However,
as removing many of the class-specific special there’s no way to identify these effects ahead of
abilities, like Cecil’s Dark Knight skill that damages time without reading a strategy guide, so it feels
all of the on-screen enemies in exchange for some tacked on. The game was also designed for people
health. This altered version was then tweaked who had already played the SNES game, so the
further and used as a basis for a re-release in Japan difficulty level is significantly amped up, especially
called Final Fantasy IV Easytype. The English in boss fights. It’s also missing some of the tweaks
translation is also quite poor, as it reads like it from the GBA version.
was written by a ten-year-old, and it’s a wonder A later PlayStation Portable release is more
that any of the drama comes through. Other than faithful to the original, rebuilt with new 2D
as fan translations, North America didn’t get the sprites, as well as the choice between the original
original version of FFIV until the release of the SNES or later DS music, though without voice
Final Fantasy Chronicles compilation pack on the acting. It does include the GBA extras, making
PlayStation (which also included Chrono Trigger). this the best version.
This included a brand new, good quality English Final Fantasy IV also received a sequel of
translation. Compared to all Square’s other SNES- sorts, as an anthology called The After Years.
to-PS1 ports, this one is free of technical issues. Initially made for mobile phones, it takes place many
The game was later ported to the Wonderswan years after the original, and focuses on Cecil’s son
Color in Japan, creating a version with rather fun Ceodore. While it’s fun to revisit the world of this
8-bit renditions of the music, but not much else. game, the story is just official fan fiction, and the
It was also extremely buggy, which carried forward design has numerous problems, including far too
to the Game Boy Advance release. Subsequent many dungeons in which you don’t have enough
versions eventually cleaned these issues up. The characters. These made their way into English on
biggest improvement here is that you can select both the Wii Virtual Console, and on the PSP port.
The PSP port touches
up the original 2D
visuals and looks much
better than Square’s
later efforts. It’s
also the version with
the most complete
content, though it is
missing the voiced
dialogue from the
DS remake.
131
Final Fantasy V
Developer: Square | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1, GBA, WIN
Final Fantasy V was regarded as a lost classic

through most of the ’90s – like the second and third
entries on the Famicom, it was denied localisation,
and was only officially released in 1999, as part of
the Final Fantasy Anthology for the PlayStation.
By this point, the series had earned a reputation
for having interesting characters and dramatic
narratives. And Final Fantasy V … really doesn’t.
The game stars five warriors – wanderer
Bartz, princess Reina, pirate Faris, old man Galuf,
and little girl Krile – as they fight against Exdeath,
sort of a very evil tree. There are dragons and
there are crystals; there are three different worlds
to explore; there is a mildly amusing scene where Job abilities.) The boss fights are also substantially Want a challenge?
Bartz and Galuf discover that Faris is actually a harder than those in most of the other 16- and 32-bit Join the annual
woman masquerading as a man. It also introduces games, so you really need to experiment to find the “Final Fantasy V
the trope of the comedic boss character, with class builds that combine most effectively for the Four Job Fiesta”, in
Gilgamesh, who, despite being at the centre of given scenario. Since you’re given so much freedom which you must play
the climactic Battle on the Big Bridge, is a bit of to customise your characters, it’s also immensely through the game
a goofball. It’s not an awful plot, but it feels fluffy more replayable than other Final Fantasy titles, in with four randomly
compared to the stories that surround it. which the stories lose their impact after the first chosen Jobs.
Instead, Final Fantasy V excels through its playthrough.
implementation of the Job system. As in the third The initial English PlayStation release is
game, the characters can change jobs, based on not great. The load times are noticeable and the
what crystals they’ve found. However, they do script is rather poor, comparing badly to the fan
gain Ability Points in battle, allowing them to translation that preceded it by a few years. The later
permanently learn skills from that Job, so they Game Boy Advance port is the ideal version, as it
can remain thus equipped even after switching to has much better writing, improved graphics, and a
another one. This allows you to multi-class, so you few extra Jobs that pop up near the end.
can use the Monk’s high HP gains to bolster up a Final Fantasy V was the last FF game to be
weaker magician class, or learn the Ninja’s dual- directed by creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, who
wielding skill so anyone else can use two weapons moved to a producer role in later games, before
at once. leaving Square after the failure of the Final Fantasy:
Though there are four characters in your The Spirits Within movie. With the passing of
party, there are some limitations, as you can only batons to a new team, it feels like a change of
equip one other skill in addition to your main Job generations, both in aesthetics and storytelling,
skills. (You can switch to a Freelancer class that but one necessary to keep the series fresh,
lets you equip more, but you don’t gain any new especially when the PlayStation rolled around.
132
Final Fantasy VI
Developer: Square | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC, SNES, PS1, GBA, WIN
Final Fantasy VI (initially released in North

Amerca as Final Fantasy III) begins with a young
woman named Terra, who’s been brainwashed
into becoming a superweapon for the Empire. She
is rescued by a heroic thief named Locke, himself
part of a resistance group, where she learns that
she’s actually a member of an ancient race called
Espers. And so, the heroes band together to
save the world. Except they fail, as the maniacal
Imperial mage Kefka causes ruin across the
land. With everyone scattered to the winds, post-
apocalypse, they must band back together and
once again fight for justice.
There are 14 characters in Final Fantasy VI, items called relics. This, combined with the ability There’s no real fan
and while Terra is the protagonist in the opening to customise the four members of your battle consensus as to
section, the viewpoint regularly switches to focus team, allows for a fairly large amount of flexibility. which is the “best”
on others. The scenario design balances comedy The structure is also different in each part of the Final Fantasy
and tragedy much better than before, with one of story – in the first half, the World of Balance, game, but this sixth
the highlights being the Phantom Train, this game’s everything is pretty linear, while in the second, entry is certainly
version of the River Styx. However, the centrepiece the World of Ruin, you’re given open access to the one of the most
is the Opera, where former Imperial general Celes world once you find the airship, as you hunt down beloved, owing to its
must impersonate a singer to woo the high-flying the rest of your crew to take on Kefka again. steampunk setting,
gambler Setzer, all while outwitting the recurring This game is the first directed by Yoshinori large cast of likeable
comic villain, the octopus Ultros. Complete with Kitase, who helmed the series through to the tenth characters, and
sampled faux-vocals coming out of the SNES, it’s a entry. Not only is it graphically more impressive amazing music.
masterpiece of storytelling and sound engineering. than the previous games – the map sprites are now
The game blends the unique character abilities identical to the larger battle sprites, the elaborate
of FFIV with the customisation of FFV, offering a tile work is gorgeous, the magic spell effects
large number of interesting skills. Edgar, the playboy show off SNES technical wizardry – but it also
prince, has unlimited use of tools like crossbows and marks Final Fantasy’s shift away from traditional
chainsaws; a musclebound Sabin, his brother, can fantasy. While previous games had some elements
execute powerful moves in response to Street Fighter of sci-fi, this entry leans more towards steampunk,
II-esque command motions, to execute powerful with advanced technology that allows castles to
moves; the young artist Relm can sketch characters bury themselves and tunnel under the ground, as
on the battlefield to make them temporarily fight well as walking mechas called Magitek. Combined
in her favour. Anyone can equip Espers, which can with Nobuo Uematsu’s brilliant score – the
be used as summon beasts as well as permanently overworld theme is a masterpiece – it’s Final
teach magic spells; other abilities are enabled using Fantasy firing on all cylinders.
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Final Fantasy VII
Developer: Square | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, WIN, PS4
Final Fantasy VII focuses on Cloud, a mercenary

and ex-member of the elite guard squad SOLDIER,
who’s found himself working with an eco-terrorist
group called Avalanche. The Shinra Electric Power
Corporation, such a gigantic entity that it’s built
its own city, is harvesting a natural resource
called Mako, which is slowly draining the planet
of its life energy. The game begins in that city,
a sprawling, dual-layer dystopia called Midgar, and
Cloud and his partners are attempting to blow up
one of the Mako reactors. As is the case with many
Final Fantasy games, Shinra is an antagonist but
not THE antagonist – that title goes to Sephiroth,
another member of SOLDIER and the result of a Tetsuya Nomura stepped in as character While Japanese
genetic experiment with a mysterious life force from designer in this instalment. Cloud defined the RPGs had a modest
the planet’s past. As the group of heroes tracks him Japanese trope of big swords and spiky hair, but the international fanbase
down and attempts to prevent him from using the rest of the cast is almost as iconic: gruff Barrett, who beforehand, it was
planet’s life force for his own evil purposes, Cloud’s has a machine gun for an arm; Tifa, a bartender/kung- Final Fantasy VII that
own distorted past catches up with him, as he isn’t fu master; Aerith (or Aeris in the original translation), introduced the genre
necessarily who he thinks himself to be. a flower girl who is sought after by Shinra; Cid, the to the international
The plot is kind of a mess, partially because grouchy airship pilot; Vincent, an undead gunslinger; mainstream audience.
having an unreliable narrator as a protagonist Red XIII, a sentient, talking lion-like beast; Yuffie,
in this type of RPG is hard to pull off, and an impish ninja thief; and Cait Sith, undoubtedly
partially because the English localisation is only the weirdest character, a cat with a megaphone
barely comprehensible. Still, it’s hard to fault riding on top of a gigantic moogle. Shinra and
the ambition of the story, and it does make for Sephiroth make for memorable antagonists, but
some interesting plot twists. It also shares its the series’ trope of goofy not-quite bad guys is
predecessor’s knack for interesting locations, maintained with the Turks, an organisation of
setpieces, and characters. The dingy slums of stylish investigators who often find themselves
Midgar remain the most memorable part of fighting the heroes but are so gosh-darned
the game, decades after its release, but it also likeable – especially rookie agent Elena – that they
features the hedonistic amusement park Golden become endearing.
Saucer, and the pilgrimage site Cosmo Canyon, Most of the areas – towns, dungeons, etc.
where the mysteries of the planet are explained – are now CG-rendered bitmaps, consisting of a
in a planetarium. There are plenty of mini-games, handful of screens, so you can’t explore as much.
as you escape via the highways of Midgar on a Simultaneously, it can be a little difficult to navigate
motorcycle, snowboard down a wintry slope, or them, since it’s not always clear where you can
defend a fortress in a real-time strategy game. and can’t walk. The characters here are rendered
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Despite being such
a monumental
release, the English
translation for the
PS1 Final Fantasy VII
is kind of a mess, if
still often amusing.
in chibi-polygonal form, which look a little silly This led Square to the Compilation of Final
when the camera is zoomed in. Battles, however, Fantasy VII multimedia project, which began in
are rendered entirely in 3D, with more realistically 2004. This included Before Crisis, a Japan-only
proportioned characters; these are basically mobile game focusing on the Turks; Dirge of
the same as in the previous games, just adding Cerberus, a rather dire third-person shooter for
a more dynamic camera that pans and zooms the PS2 starring Vincent; Crisis Core, a prequel
around, making things a little more exciting. for the PSP starring Zack, a minor but important
The full motion video cinematics, which are character in the original Final Fantasy VII; Advent
what caught the public’s eye, and why the game Children, a full length animated movie sequel that
is on three CDs, seem quaint nowadays. The has some impressive fight scenes but questionable
animation is choppy, there’s no voice acting, and storytelling; and Last Order, a brief animated piece
the character models are inconsistent, occasionally elaborating on one of the key scenes of the game.
using super-deformed styles. Still, the art design The quality of these was inconsistent,
remains fantastic, and it’s leaps and bounds beyond though, and for a long time, Square teased a
what most other game developers were doing. full-on remake of Final Fantasy VII. This didn’t
The soundtrack is stellar; among its many famous actually become a reality until much later down
tunes, ranging from the cinematic “Bombing the line, as the project was split into several parts,
Mission” track that plays in the prologue, to the with the first being released in 2020. Everything
seven-minute long overworld theme, is “One has been completely remade, with near-movie
Winged Angel”, the final battle theme, which is quality cutscenes, fully voiced dialogue, and many,
accompanied with spoken Latin chants. many remixes of popular songs. The turn-based
In combat, the number of characters is battle system has given way to an action-based
reduced to three, and character customisation is one, similar to those in Kingdom Hearts and Final
performed by equipping orbs called Materia. It’s the Fantasy XV, though with the ability to switch
Materia, not the characters, that learn the skills, so between any of the characters. The first release
they can be swapped back and forth as necessary. focuses entirely on Midgar, which only occupied
This has the side effect of making all of the about five hours (out of 40 or so) of the original
characters almost interchangeable, outside of their game, but has been drastically expanded, beyond
Limit Break attacks, which are super-moves that are what was on the original PlayStation release;
enabled when someone has taken enough damage. this one also includes some backstory elements The long awaited
There’s some roughness to Final Fantasy VII, from the tie-in media. For the most part, it works Final Fantasy VII
which can be attributed it to being so ambitious, and incredibly well – the characters are given much Remake was finally
while some parts are a bit dated, most of the core more personality than in the original version released in 2020;
aspects still hold up; it more than earns its place as (particularly Aerith), though some segments do it recreates many
a hugely influential classic in its own right. drag on for way too long. There are also some of the game’s most
After this game, Square continued the plot changes and additions, and by the end, it’s popular moments,
Final Fantasy trend of sequential stories for clear that director Tetsuya Nomura wants to try including Cloud’s
each new sequel, but that didn’t stop fans from something different instead of just retelling the famous cross-
wanting to learn more about Cloud and company. story we already know. dressing experience.
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Final Fantasy VIII
Developer: Square | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
Final Fantasy VIII is about a teenage mercenary

force called SeeD, as it squares off against an
evil Sorceress who is threatening all existence.
It starts off simply enough, but it eventually gets
pretty wild, as you deal with immortal witches,
time travel, monsters from the moon, and a few
shockingly dumb plot twists. Visually, it marks a
move towards more realistic-looking characters,
both in and out of battle; they are also texture
mapped, unlike FFVII’s shaded character models.
The setting is less traditional fantasy and instead
more modern, with some sci-fi elements, though it
still has incredible architectural designs, thanks to
Square’s ever-excellent artists. so just grinding is useless. The popular Final Fantasy The heroes of Final
This realistic approach extends to the writing, summon beasts called Guardian Forces (GFs), Fantasy VIII are a
with the characters tending to act more like real take centre stage here. They are equipped on your bunch of teenage
people than fantasy heroes. And given that all of character, which modifies their stats, and can be mercenaries who
the playable party members are teenagers, that summoned almost without limit in battle. Magic attend a gigantic
leads to plenty of drama. Squall, in the “hero” is not cast via MP, but rather spells are individually flying school. Also,
position, is in fact an anti-hero loner, irritated by stocked like items. In addition to being cast, they there are dinosaurs
his position as group leader. The heroine is Rinoa, can be “junctioned” to your stats, with each type of on its training
a misfit in her role as underground resistance spell having different effects, including modifying grounds, and the
team leader. The central tale of Final Fantasy elemental affinities or giving you the ability to whole place is
VIII is their love story, and nothing about it feels inflict status effects. The most straightforward partially ruled by a
earned. (One climactic moment, accompanied way to get magic is to Draw spells from enemies blob-like monster
by a song “Eyes on Me”, from Hong Kong singer that hold them, though they can also be crafted that lives in its
Faye Wong, is more cheesy than romantic.) Of the from stones dropped by foes. It’s very easy to basement. It’s hard
supporting cast, the most interesting is Laguna, play this game “wrong”, because if you just run to understate how
a mysterious man from the past who regularly through every battle summoning GFs or Drawing incredibly bizarre
appears in Squall’s dreams. With his goofy constantly, it’ll get tedious, but once it clicks it this game is.
demeanour, awesome machine gun, and rocking allows for plenty of flexibility, and is a ton of fun
techno battle theme, he ends up being way more to play with. Plus, there’s an optional sub-quest
likeable than the actual heroes, even if his actual involving a fun card game called Triple Triad.
role in the main story doesn’t really fit. Final Fantasy VIII is hugely experimental
The character customisation system is by far in both storytelling and mechanics, which is
the most unique the series has ever seen. There admirable after the international success of
is no armour, weaponry is limited, and while you its predecessor. It doesn’t entirely work, but it
do gain levels, enemies scale along with the party, remains fascinatingly weird nonetheless.
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Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy VII and VIII were marked changes of

style, so the final entry in the PlayStation trilogy
returns to its fantasy roots – swords and sorcery!
Airships! Classic character classes! The game
begins as the Tantalus theatre troupe, led by the
hero Zidane, attempts to kidnap Princess Garnet
of Alexandria during one of its stage shows.
Things don’t go quite as planned, mostly because
Garnet actually wants to be kidnapped, and ends
up running off with them. The evil Queen, who is
creating an army of magic automatons, and has
ambitions to take on the world, chases after them.
But actually pulling the strings is Kuja, Zidane’s
brother, who is the game’s primary villain. The visuals, outside of the weird characters, are Final Fantasy IX
Final Fantasy IX has a much more gorgeous, and while Nobuo Uematsu appears to be isn’t the most
lighthearted tone than the preceding games, spreading himself thin, the soundtrack is generally popular game in
owing much to its characters. Zidane, the thief excellent, and the vocal track “Melodies of Life” is the series, but it
with a monkey tail, is a lighthearted and charming better used here than “Eyes on Me”, especially the is one of the most
ladies man, while goofy knight captain Steiner rendition in the overworld. There’s also a new card universally loved,
remains baffled at the world outside of the castle game called Tetra Master, though it’s not quite as largely thanks to its
walls. The most endearing character is Vivi, the much fun as Triple Triad. excellent writing and
little Black Mage kid who gets wrapped up in the Final Fantasy IX’s gameplay systems are cast of characters.
adventure. The character designs are not quite simplified from predecessor’s, disappointingly
super-deformed, but not quite realistic either, and so. Abilities are attached to specific equipment,
some of them are just strange, particularly the and the only way to learn them permanently is
anthropomorphic characters like Freya, the rat to continually use it. Considering certain items
woman Dragoon, and Quina, the Blue Mage, who can only be used by certain characters, the
is some kind of grinning, ravenous clown monster. customisation is thus extremely limited. The battle
There are little bits that reference elements of scenes do allow four characters, but the trade-off
past games, though some of them relate to titles is that the loading times are long, and the speed
that hadn’t been released in English at the time (like is extremely slow, though these problems are
a story that references Josef from Final Fantasy mitigated by speed-up options in later ports.
II) or use inconsistent localisations that make Considering how divided the reception was
them hard to appreciate. (The Gurgu Volcano to the previous PlayStation Final Fantasy games,
from the first game is rendered as “Gulug”, for this one is certainly more agreeable. So although
example.) FFIX also pays tribute to the “super it’s a charming game, the absence of any narrative
big bad boss that comes out of nowhere” in the or technical risk-taking means that it’s lacking the
final battles, à la Zeromus from Final Fantasy IV. ambition that has otherwise typified the series.
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Final Fantasy X / X-2
Developer: Square | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PS4, PSV, WIN, NSW
Tidus is a young athlete, famous throughout the

city of Zanarkand for his skills as a Blitzball player.
But disaster soon strikes, as a gigantic beast
destroys the entire city, and sucks Tidus up with it.
He doesn’t die, but instead awakens in a land called
Spira. Here, he learns that the Zanarkand he calls
home was destroyed hundreds of years ago. More
pressingly, that same monster that sucked him
up – an enormous beast called Sin – is regularly
terrorising Spira. As he learns, Sin can never be
completely defeated, only briefly quelled, a task least offered towns to explore, or overworlds While perhaps too
taken on by a summoner making a pilgrimage to traipse around, to at least give the illusion of cinematic and linear,
across the land. This summoner is a young woman freedom. That’s only barely the case here, where Final Fantasy X is
named Yuna, who immediately takes to Tidus, and many areas are just straight lines forward, with still a masterclass
he comes along as her guard for her journey. To add paths offering occasional small branches that hide in world design,
to the drama, Tidus learns that Sin is actually, extra items. There’s not even a proper overworld in terms of both
somehow, his father, who gave him a rather abusive map, and once you get access to the usual airship, visuals and lore.
upbringing, and is the target of much resentment. it’s just a menu of previously visited places from
Final Fantasy X marks a further turning which you can select. Its emphasis on narrative
point towards cinema for not only the series, but is so strong that you can’t even skip cutscenes,
Japanese role-playing in general. With the power which makes replaying it something of a pain.
of the PlayStation 2, the character models are not But to some extent, that linearity pays off, as it
only much more realistic, but nearly the entire allowed Square to lavish attention on the supremely
game world is created with polygons. This allows for gorgeous world of Spira, among the best in any JRPG.
more dynamic cameras, as well as more prevalent Based on the tropical regions of Southeast Asia, the
cutscenes, filled with voice acting. This is common architecture, the outfits, and everything else are
nowadays, but in 2001, it was groundbreaking. uniquely defined; it’s a game world unlike any other.
It was also somewhat in its infancy, as the cutscene This level of detail is carried over into the intricacies
direction now looks a bit robotic. This had an of the cultures that inhabit it. As is understandable
effect on the quality of the voice acting, which, for for a culture that’s constantly in a cycle of death
the most part, is fairly well done … but the lips and and rebirth, the people of Spira have developed
actions were created for Japanese dialogue, and their own religion around it, for better or worse.
the English voice sync is awkward. To replace the card games from other Final Fantasy
Perhaps in keeping with the feel of being an titles, there’s also Blitzball, which is a sort of turn-
interactive movie, Final Fantasy X is incredibly based underwater version of soccer.
linear. To some extent, this has been true since the The main cast includes Wakka, another
16-bit days, as the narrative was always propelling Blitzball player and man of religious faith;
you in a forward direction. But those games at Rikku, a member of the mechanically inclined
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Final Fantasy X
certainly tells a
better love story
than FFVIII, if
mostly because the
couple is actually
somewhat likeable.
Al Bhed race; Auron, an old man and powerful the sidelines here. They’ve formed a gang called
swordsman, who knows more about the mystery the Gullwings, who hunt spheres from the ruins
of Tidus and Spira than he lets on; Lulu, a black around Spira.
magician with a goth fashion sense; and Kimahri, a Despite starring many of the same characters,
strong but silent beastman. Tidus and Yuna remain much has changed in Final Fantasy X-2. The
the heart of the story though, and their romance is structure is mission-based, and you choose, using
far more touching and believable than Squall and a menu, from various areas to explore, some of
Rinoa’s in Final Fantasy VIII. The main antagonist which are reused from the previous game. The ATB
is a minister named Seymour, who seeks to use battle system returns, and also uses an alteration
Sin for his own power, and rather comically, also of the Job system found in the 16-bit titles. Here,
tries to marry Yuna, allowing for a dramatic scene any of the three woman can change outfits in or
where the team crashes their wedding. out of combat, to change her abilities. Not only is
The battle system ditches the usual Final this a ton of fun, but it’s a veritable fashion show,
Fantasy ATB setup in favour of a typical turn- as each outfit is adjusted for each woman, and
based one. Here, the turn order is displayed on a many of them are just fabulous.
queue on the side of the screen, indicating when But it’s a strange game, since the vibe is so
each combatant will react. You can switch between different. Final Fantasy X’s Spira was gorgeous
any party members at any time, which is useful, but morose. Everything is so much peppier here,
since certain characters are strong against certain with the main trio coming off as something like
types of enemies – Wakka’s Blitzball attacks make an anime Charlie’s Angels. The music, provided
quick work of flying enemies, while Auron can by Noriko Matsueda, is much poppier than the
slice through thick armour. average Final Fantasy soundtrack, but not really in
The character customisation system is the a good way. Similarly, the sense of humour doesn’t
Sphere Grid, which is shaped like a game board. often work – Brother, a compatriot of Rikku’s,
Each character travels on a path and unlocks is stunningly obnoxious, and the rival sphere-
various stat upgrades and skills, with occasional hunting gang, led by a woman named Leblanc,
forks in the road. It only really gets interesting later who has two incompetent underlings, feels
in the game, when you can pick up a character’s rather juvenile. There are other problems too – in
piece and move it to a different path, allowing particular, how you unlock the good ending (and
for more interesting hybrids. The Expert grid find out why Tidus is missing) is so obscure that it
added to the later re-releases allows you to choose requires a guide. Altogether, the battle system is
where each character starts off, though once you incredibly fun, but the framework surrounding it
commit, you still can’t actually customise much. is only barely tolerable.
Even though it’s such a guided experience, Both games were compiled together for
the incredible world design is what really sells Final Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster, on assorted
Fantasy X. It also marks the first time that Square platforms. Beyond the high-definition graphics,
developed a straight sequel in the same game it also redoes many of the main character models, Final Fantasy X-2
world, called Final Fantasy X-2. Taking place a few at least for FFX, though the results are mixed. is such a drastic
years after Sin’s defeat, Spira is basically holding There are also some new arrangements of certain departure in tone
a near-continuous party. The game casts Yuna in songs, though none of them really needed this and style from its
the leading role, along with Rikku, as well as a new treatment. This release also included extras found predecessor that
character, Paine, a brooding swordswoman who in the re-issued International versions, which were it almost feels like
takes over the goth look from Lulu, who sits on not initially released in North America. fan fiction.
139
Final Fantasy XII
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): PS2, PS4, WIN, NSW, XB1
The Final Fantasy series typically changed things

up between entries, but the 12th game got more of
a shake-up than most. That said, it’s not entirely
divergent from previous games in the series. The
story takes place in the world of Ivalice, introduced
in Yasumi Matsuno’s PlayStation SRPG Final
Fantasy Tactics. Square also looked to Final
Fantasy XI, the online-only entry. FFXII was thus
created in a new style: basically a single-player
MMORPG. The end result, as always, was divisive,
but with plenty of strong merits.
As with most Matsuno plots, the story is The areas are larger and much more open Final Fantasy XII has
dense with politics, but the main conflict revolves than in Final Fantasy X, giving much more room a distinctly different,
around the small country of Dalmasca, which has to explore. Though the plot is still linear, the more mature feel
been invaded by the powerful Archadian Empire. deserts that connect the various kingdoms of compared to rest of
At the core of this is Captain Basch, a Dalmascan Ivalice are expansive, and the world feels much less the series, largely
knight captain who is framed for killing the king, constrained than in previous games. There are also due to the influence
and Princess Ashe, who fakes her own death and tons of sub-quests, on behalf of the various guilds. of Yasumi Matsuno.
goes into hiding. However, the player views these There are no longer any random battles,
events through the eyes of young Vaan, a street and combat occurs in real time. Since you can
urchin who ends up getting caught in the rebellion realistically only control one character at a time, the
against Archadia. The main cast of characters also Gambit system essentially allows you to program
includes Penelo, Vaan’s friend, and the sky pirate all of your other characters’ AI. While many other
duo: dashing Balthier and his partner Fran. action-oriented RPGs, like the Star Ocean and
With Matsuno as the writer/director, Final Tales series, have similar features, Final Fantasy
Fantasy XII feels similar to his previous games. The XII offers a lot more freedom in customising your
character designs by Akihiko Yoshida have a more actions by allowing if-then statements. The most
Western medieval feel with extra flamboyance, basic Gambits can simply tell all of your characters
while musicians Hitoshi Sakimoto, Masaharu to attack the same monster as the party leader,
Iwata, and Hayato Matsuo bring their signature or target the enemy with the lowest HP. You can
orchestral stylings to the moody dungeon- prearrange for one ally to cast a healing spell if
crawling themes and rousing battle pieces. another’s HP dips below a given percentage. You
This entry includes some of the races found in can set up a character to immediately cure any
Final Fantasy Tactics Advance, such as the bunny- status ailment, target fire-based enemies with ice
like Viera and lizard-like Bangaa, and the Moogles spells, or make sure that your party always has
are back. The game also makes airships, another Haste or Protect cast on them.
Final Fantasy standby, an integral part of the story, While it may seem that the use of Gambits
with some cool magic/science hybrid designs. essentially lets the game play itself, in fact you need
140
The character
models look
incredible on the
PlayStation 2,
and hold up
remarkably well
even in the HD
re-release.
to constantly tweak and adjust the programs you much presence, and as a result, when it’s time
devise, until you find a combination of commands to fight them, the major battles lack emotional
that works for the party you’ve built, while jumping resonance. It’s not that the game is dour –
in to issue manual commands as necessary. Balthier has some particularly brilliant one-liners,
Still, it has some issues – you’re given limited delivered in a slick, faux-aristocratic British accent
slots, especially in the beginning, and the Gambits – but the narrative itself is just thin. This becomes
themselves are slowly administered over the course more evident the further you get in the game,
of the game, greatly limiting what you can do with where many dungeons and several hours often
them until you’re quite a way into the game. pass between plot points. Matsuno left the project
The License system is similar to the Sphere partway through, citing health reasons, and you
Grid from Final Fantasy X, though far less can definitely see the cracks. Still, the localisation
restrictive. Each character has a starting spot on is stellar – it’s that rare game that never once
a board, and can use obtained License Points to reminds you that you’re playing a game that was
unlock a square, teaching that skill and allowing originally in a totally different language.
you to move to any of those surrounding it. That It seemed jarring at the time, but Final Fantasy
way, you can control the emphasis, towards beefing XII marked an evolutionary branch that other RPGs
up stats, or learning specific abilities. Unusually, later followed, particularly Monolith’s Xenoblade
access to various pieces of equipment also needs series. It ends up feeling a little bit more like a
to be unlocked, too. In the original release of the Western RPG, but with the style and mechanical
game, each character starts on a different part of depth more prevalent in Japanese RPGs, and it still
the board, but in the long term, they all converge. feels modern even years after its release.
The later International PS2 version (and The Final Fantasy XII did take some heat for
Zodiac Age HD revisions) allow you to choose putting young pretty-boy Vaan in the starring
different boards based on various Final Fantasy role, when the grizzled war hero Basch is really the
Job classes, allowing better customisation. main character. Vaan doesn’t have a major role in
This all takes getting used to, and there’s the story, just kinda tagging along as it proceeds,
quite a bit of dungeon crawling, more so than so he feels a little redundant once the plot starts
Final Fantasy fans may be used to. However, as far moving, but the developers make up for this in
as the story goes, it feels like Final Fantasy XII is the spinoff sequel, Final Fantasy XII: Revenant
missing something. Though the plot is typical of Wings. A real-time strategy game for the DS, it Revenant Wings,
the series – rebellion fights evil empire! – it’s told casts Vaan and Penelo as sky pirates, and brings in the Final Fantasy
in a slightly more highbrow manner, but this also further elements from other Matsuno games, like XII DS sequel/
means it’s missing the romance and melodrama the winged races seen in Tactics Ogre. It’s a little spinoff, tends
that made the previous games so effective. The messy, as all of these touch-screen DS RTS games to be forgotten,
villains – the Archadian prince Vayne and his were, but it retroactively fixes up Vaan’s role in the because it’s a
Judges, an elite guard dressed in striking black universe, and nicely expands both the characters totally different
armour – sure look cool, but they don’t have and the world. type of game.
141
Final Fantasy XIII (series)
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): PS3, X360, WIN
Final Fantasy XIII begins on a world called Cocoon,

a gigantic sphere floating above another planet
called Gran Pulse. There is growing paranoia
about Pulse, and citizens that are thought to have
been in contact with it are evicted as part of a
massive Purge. Six characters are initially chosen,
by godlike beings called fal’Cie, for a mysterious
purpose, communicated only through visions,
ultimately leading them to save both worlds.
This is the short version of the story,
but as presented in the game, it’s more vague
and confusing. It’s filled with jargon (fal’Cie as girl Vanille is so inappropriately upbeat that it The Japanese game
the gods, l’Cie as the chosen ones, a Focus as almost seems like she’s suffered brain damage. industry had many
their goal) and communicated poorly to the The game’s saving grace is its battle problems adapting
player. Much of the backstory is doled out in system, which combines the pre-FFX ATB system to HD development
bits and pieces, and substantial amounts of with FFXII’s Gambit system. The player only in the PlayStation 3
lore are contained solely in the option menu’s directly controls one character, and instead the and Xbox 360 era,
guidebook, instead of being communicated actions of the others are dictated by Paradigms, and those issues
by in-game characters and cutscenes. This is giving roles like attacker, tank, and healer to greatly affected
mostly because Final Fantasy XIII’s development the others. There is no MP, so magic spells the quality of Final
was a mess. While Western developers were (except super-power attacks) can be cast freely, Fantasy XIII.
adapting to middleware platforms like the and characters are fully healed after battle.
Unreal Engine, Square decided to make its own, It’s consistently engaging, since you need to observe
called Crystal Tools. This resulted in substantial the flow of combat and change tactics on the fly,
delays, and these problems manifest themselves and the battle animations really make it feel like an
in the final product, as the game attempts to action game, despite your limited direct control.
cobble everything into something sensible, Alas, the game very slowly unveils aspects of the
and ultimately fails. battle system over the course of the game, so you
It doesn’t help that the writing, provided don’t get to use it fully until near the end.
by Final Fantasy X-2 scribe Motomu Toriyama, Sadly, the game focuses on the story and
is pretty bad. It does cast a female character as battle system above everything else. Final Fantasy X
the primary protagonist, in Lightning, but she’s was quite linear, but at least that had towns and
stoic to the point of being boring. Sazh is a less assorted pit-stops to break up the action. Here,
stereotypical black hero than Barrett was, and even almost every area is presented as a straight line
has a tiny Chocobo living in his afro, but he’s one – you just run, fight some battles, watch some
of the few standouts. As the teenage leader of a cutscenes, and continue, until you’re near the
resistance movement, the dunderheaded Snow is end of the game. There are no towns, barely any
completely unbelievable, and incredibly chipper NPCs; shops are simply found at save points.
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The area opens up a bit when you reach Pulse, the apocalypse, with the clock ticking down in real
near the end of the game, but until then it’s time. The premise is somewhat similar to tri-Ace’s
just open areas containing a bunch of monster- Valkyrie Profile, though it’s not as heavy on the
hunting quests but not much else. As expected of melodrama, considering that collecting souls usually
Square, the visual design is incredible, and Tetsuya just involves making people happy by running fetch
Nomura’s characters still look great, but there’s quests, instead of watching them die tragically.
no cohesion to the locations, compared to the There’s quite a bit of pressure to play the
lush island of Spira. The soundtrack by Masashi game correctly – indeed, if the original Final
Hamauzu (Final Fantasy X, Unlimited Saga) is Fantasy XIII was too linear, this one almost
very different from Uematsu’s music, but it’s still feels too open. There are four large main areas
quite good – he has a propensity for violins and you can explore, which you can conquer in any
they work very well in the main battle theme. order, and you can even hop between questlines. Final Fantasy XIII-2
Final Fantasy games have always been However, the time limit is more generous than fixes some of its
divisive, but its numerous issues caused this one it initially seems. On normal difficulty, time predecessors more
to have more of a mixed reception than most. flows so that an in-game day passes in about egregious issues, but
Nevertheless, it led to two direct sequels. an hour in real-time. However, in practice it’s its storytelling is still
Final Fantasy XIII-2 starts three years actually quite a bit longer, since time doesn’t a minor disaster.
after the ending of the first game. Lightning has pass in battle or during cutscenes, plus there’s
seemingly sacrificed her life to save the worlds, an ability which lets you freeze time, and pretty
and her sister Serah mourns her loss. Then, a often too. When exploring, you’re given a variety
mysterious boy named Noel appears, claiming to of quests, both main storyline and optional ones,
be from hundreds of years in the future, and that and completing storyline quests will extend the
Lightning is alive and in a place called Valhalla. time left until the end of the world. In other
Additionally, various time paradoxes have been words, as long as you’re not frittering away
occurring, causing out-of-place artefacts to be your time, you probably won’t end up failing.
scattered about. So, Serah and Noel venture out And even if you do, there is a New Game+ to carry
on a journey through time and space, hopping over progress and try again.
around different areas in the timeline in order to The battle system has changed a bit, since
set things right, and find Lightning. you only control Lightning. Instead of Paradigms,
FFXIII-2 seems to have learned at least some she has three Schemata she can switch between
lessons from its predecessor. The areas are more at any time. These not only have unique weaponry
open. The combat system is basically the same, but also skill sets. Each also has its own ATB bar,
though you’re given full access to it much earlier on so basically, you attack until one is exhausted,
than before, and it now includes some unfortunate then switch to another while the previous one
but simple QTE-style button pressing events. recharges. Enemies have unique conditions,
Newly added is the ability to capture enemies, train many revolving around element weaknesses,
them, and have them fight alongside you. allowing them to be Staggered. It’s a little tough
The visuals are still gorgeous and the music to wrap your head around when you’re fighting
is generally excellent. However, the story is still more than one enemy, but it’s still quite a bit of
borderline incomprehensible, thanks to all of fun. Health also no longer recharges after battles Below left is Final
the timeline hopping, and while Serah and Noel and you can only carry a handful of curatives. Fantasy XIII-2 ’s
aren’t as obnoxious as some of the cast from the Ultimately, the story is still a complete mess main duo of Serah
first game, they aren’t all that likeable either. – many characters return but they’re radically and Noel, who are
Altogether, it’s mostly a better game than its different from their previous selves, and while less insufferable
predecessor, but still something of a mess. Lightning isn’t exactly the most interesting than the first game’s
The third game in this sub-series is Lightning character, at least the story is more focused, crew. To their
Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Having sat out most with less time spent watching tedious cutscenes right, and below, is
of the previous game, Lightning awakens from a and more time spent actually doing stuff. While Lightning Returns,
centuries-long slumber to a world that is about to it is weighed down by all of the mishaps of the which is more
be destroyed. The God of Light, Bhunivelze, tasks previous games, and it feels intimidating at first, tolerable if mostly
Lightning with exploring the world and collecting it’s actually a pretty solid RPG in its own right, and because it relegates
its denizens’ souls, so that they may live again in a it’s well worth playing, even for those who didn’t most of the core cast
new world. At the outset, she has six days before care for the first two Final Fantasy XIII entries. to the sidelines.
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Final Fantasy XV
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS4, XB1, WIN, NSW, IOS, AND
Prince Noctis of the kingdom of Lucis is engaged to

Lunafreya, a political marriage that forms part of a
pact between his father and the nation of Niflheim.
He and his three buddies set out on a road trip
across the country before he says goodbye to his
bachelorhood, but things quickly go pear-shaped
when Niflheim double-crosses Lucis, kills Noctis’
father, and takes the country’s magical Crystal for
its own. And so Noctis, out in the greater world for
the first time, must gather his power to take back
his throne and defeat the Imperial army.
Final Fantasy XV was conceptualised as creatures and other things typical of the series, Final Fantasy XV
part of the Fabula Nova Crystallis series in 2006, and it all feels very incongruous. The open world was a mess on
the same project that included FFXIII and FF- aspect also feels kinda pointless, because it doesn’t release, though
Type 0, though it was in development so long it feel like there’s much to actually do when exploring substantial patches
was eventually spun off as a numbered entry. the wilderness, short of simple sub-quests and and post-release DLC
It makes further changes to the Final Fantasy whatever diversions the plot takes you on, before it helped fix up a lot of
formula, perhaps the biggest being that it’s becomes more focused in the game’s latter half. it, even though there
given up any pretence of being turn-based and The story suffers from the same basic issues are still some issues.
becomes a full action RPG, the closest equivalent as Final Fantasy XIII in that it’s an okay plot that
being Square’s own Kingdom Hearts. Players suffers from substantial storytelling problems –
control Noctis directly; he has a keen warp-strike it’s just way too disjointed, and almost requires
ability that looks cool but doesn’t always work viewing of the separate Kingsglaive movie to
correctly. The CPU controls his three pals – really understand it. What sets this one apart is
Gladiolus, Ignis and Prompto – who can also be the likeable cast of characters, who share quite
summoned for individual special attacks when the lively banter in every situation, from frantic to
relevant bar has built up enough. It also takes place mundane. It really does nail the “buddy road trip”
in a vast open world, and your party members vibe that it aims for – sailing down the highway
spend a good chunk of time driving around the listening to classic Final Fantasy tunes on the
roads in their fancy car or riding the wilderness radio has a nice vibe – and that alone helps make
on Chocobos. up for its deficiencies elsewhere.
The series has been distancing itself from Square also developed a Pocket Edition,
pure fantasy for quite a while, but this one feels originally for mobile phones, that downscales the
more real-world than most, because many of visuals greatly, abridges the story, features chibi
the landscapes you drive through don’t feel that models for the characters, and removes the open
different from, say, the southwest/midwest United world for a more linear game. This was then ported
States, right down to American-style diners. But to other platforms, including other consoles like
then there are magic structures, mechas, summon the Nintendo Switch.
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World of Final Fantasy
Developer: Square Enix/TOSE | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS4, XB1, NSW, WIN
World of Final Fantasy is basically a fan service

game, created for the series’ 30th anniversary.
Taking place in the world of Grymoire, it stars two
siblings named Reynn and Lann, who are trying
to recover their memories and save the land from
the Bahamutian Army. During their adventures,
they have run-ins with assorted characters from
the Final Fantasy games and fight many of their
famous monsters, as the story finds various ways
to push the nostalgia buttons.
The main characters look like they came out older games so well-loved. Reynn and Lann’s story World of Final
of Kingdom Hearts, while most of the rest of the eventually resolves in a touching way, but there’s Fantasy is only an
characters are presented as chibi Liliken beings; not much to the main cast other than a cutesy- adequate game,
the light-hearted tone ends up feeling like a Crystal talking Moogle, the story drags in long spots, and though the super-
Chronicles title. The fighting does hearken back to most of the classic Final Fantasy characters are cutesy characters,
the 32-bit days, complete with random encounters just involved for a brief period and then shuffle off goofy writing, and
and the Active Time Battle System, though you can until the end of the game. At least there’s a wider Final Fantasy fan
speed up battles with a fast forward button. Here, variety of representation than in the fighting service keep it at
though, smaller characters can be stacked together game Final Fantasy Dissidia, which operated on a least somewhat
to create larger units, bolstering their stats and similar fan service-type premise, though there’s no amusing.
abilities. However, they can also be toppled, representation from Final Fantasy XII. An updated
weakening them until they can be reassembled. release called World of Final Fantasy Maxima
There are only two main units to control though, adds a bunch of extra characters and Mirages, and
which feels like a step back from the old days. is also available as DLC for the original release.
There’s a big monster-collecting aspect too; The cutesy tone and low difficulty also
the monsters are called Mirages, and due to the suggest that this game is aimed towards kids,
way that they can be stacked together, there’s quite but it does little to explain to new fans why they
a bit of flexibility in how you can approach combat. should care about the older games. There are
However, the game seems tuned for beginners, so other things that don’t feel quite right – the
it’s not like it’s really all that necessary. Since some soundtrack by Masashi Hamauzu is pleasant and
Mirages also have field abilities, there are certain some of the remixes are good, but it still doesn’t
spots where you’ll need to repeatedly fight until match the feel of the 16- and 32-bit days. On the
you obtain the necessary one to proceed. plus side, some of the dialogue is legitimately
It’s a little questionable who this game is funny, as are the database entries for the monsters,
actually for. It’s too easy for Final Fantasy veterans, which often lean into parody. It’s a light
and while the appearances made by cute versions and breezy game on its own, but anyone who
of all of these characters are amusing, the game wants a truly modern-retro game would be better
doesn’t really tap into what actually made the served by Bravely Default or Octopath Traveler.
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Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest
Developer: Square | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SNES
Role-playing games like Dragon Quest and Final

Fantasy were gigantic hits in Japan through the
late ’80s and early ’90s, but they had yet to reach
that same level of popularity internationally.
The consensus at the time was that they were too
complicated for Westerners. There were constant
efforts to try to introduce Americans to this
type of game, either by creating thorough guides
distributed through the Nintendo Power magazine,
or in the case of Final Fantasy II, simply stripping
out features and making the game easier. Final
Fantasy: Mystic Quest was a more concentrated
effort to appeal to international markets, being an
entry-level RPG marketed at a budget price of 40 Visually, the sprites look like Final Fantasy Mystic Quest was
USD, about half of what Final Fantasy II had cost ones, but the game actually has more in common part of the early
at retail. The game is known as Final Fantasy USA: with the Game Boy game Final Fantasy Legend campaign to get
Mystic Quest in Japan. III (a.k.a. SaGa 3), as it was designed by some Americans and
The story is pretty basic, essentially an of the same team at Square’s branch in Osaka, Europeans to play
adolescent version of a Final Fantasy game; you composed of former XtalSoft staff. The hero can Japanese RPGs,
name your protagonist (canon names: Benjamin jump, rare for an RPG, plus there are various advertising itself
in English or Zash in Japanese), then he sets off items, like axes and claws, that can be used to as “entry-level”.
to find the four elemental crystals needed to save cut down trees or scale walls. While there’s an
the world. There are only two party members overworld map, you can’t explore freely, and
max, with various helper characters that jump in instead travel on paths to your destinations.
and out to occupy the second slot. Only the hero There are no random encounters, so enemies
gains experience points and equips items; each appear on the map, completely stationary, until
new piece of equipment automatically supersedes you defeat them. Combat is easy, but if you do get
the last, magic spells are doled out at appropriate killed you can simply restart the battle with no
points in the story, and gold is mostly just used penalty, and you can save anywhere. The script
to buy curative items. There are three types of is incredibly brief, and the story is not only basic
magic spell – Black, White, and Wizard – and as but rather silly, obviously being aimed at kids.
in the original Final Fantasy, you can only cast Mystic Quest fulfils its goal of being a
any one class of spell a certain number of times beginner RPG, but it’s also simple to the point
before you need to rest. By default, hit points are where anyone beyond its target audience will find
measured by a meter, but this can be changed to it boring. Nowadays, it’s mostly remembered for
a standard numerical display. The battle system Ryuji Sasai and Yasuhiro Kawakami’s excellent
is completely turn-based and shown from an soundtrack, which is almost as good as those in
overhead perspective. the core SNES games.
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Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Developer: Square/Matrix | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
The DS ports of Final Fantasy III and IV were

developed by a company called Matrix, who
were handed the keys to the franchise to create
their own spinoff title. This game, Final Fantasy:
The 4 Heroes of Light, harks back to the Famicom
days of the franchise, though done with (then)
modern tech. As expected of games from times
of old, the story and characterisation are pretty
straightforward, as four warriors come together to
save the world from peril. From there, the heroes
split off into pairs and have their own adventures,
often finding temporary companions to flesh out
their ranks. Halfway through the game, the heroes
finally join up again to revisit all of the old areas and which can be upgraded by finding certain types of The 4 Heroes of
solve new quests. gem. There are 27 Crowns, each with varying levels Light is a retro
The developers’ choices as to which aspects of ability. These aren’t permanently attached to throwback to the
to update, and which to keep, were a little unusual. your character, though, and disappear when you 8-bit age, although
Some elements are actually a little closer to the swap Crowns. Enemy level scaling is implemented in that’s an era that not
Dragon Quest series, like the day-night cycle, the second half of the game, so it’s more important many Western JRPG
the way the party members march in line on the to develop your Crowns than your levels. Magic fans have a lot of
field, and the per-character inventory limit. Since isn’t learned either, and is instead determined by nostalgia for.
there’s not much in the way of cutscenes, you any spellbooks you have in your possession.
need to spend some time talking to the villagers Visually, it most resembles the Final Fantasy III
to identify each next goal, as the direction can remake, right down to the Akihiko Yoshida
be quite vague. And indeed, you need to be character designs. In spite of the low resolution
properly equipped for most battles, and it’s on the DS, it has a bright and charming look, and
impossible to get this right ahead of time unless certain areas, like the towns, appear as you’re
you’re following a guide. The biggest point of running around a globe, as in Animal Crossing.
contention in this game is the auto-targetting The music has a pleasant retro chiptune feel, with
system. When attacking, you cannot choose some more modern instrumentation mixed in,
your foe; when healing, you cannot choose your and it’s quite good.
ally. Instead, it’s up to the game to determine the The 4 Heroes of Light runs into the same
best course of action, and it doesn’t always get issue as Final Fantasy III, the game that it most
it right. On the plus side, this makes the pacing closely resembles – much as that is overshadowed
fairly breezy. by Final Fantasy V, this game just ends up feeling
The character development system is similar like a prototype for its spiritual successor, Bravely
to the Job system from Final Fantasy III. Here, Default. It still has a unique vibe, as long as you’re
you can wear Crowns to grant you new abilities, okay with its many quirks.
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Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): PSP
Of all of the spinoffs to result from the

Compilation of Final Fantasy VII project, the
best was Crisis Core, a PSP prequel starring
Zack, Cloud’s buddy from SOLDIER. Zack wasn’t
exactly a major character in Final Fantasy VII, but
this game makes him an excellent protagonist,
particularly since he became Cloud’s role model
and personal hero. The story begins with Zack as
an aspiring mid-rank warrior, investigating some
fellow team members who have gone rogue. There
are some minor characters, like Tifa, Yuffie, Aeris,
and Tseng (from the Turks), while both Cloud and the older Tales games. Not only does it introduce The drab dungeons
Sephiroth play more integral roles. Seeing them a weird, if short, lag, it makes things a little too and random
before the events of Final Fantasy VII paints a easy, since you just need to mash the attack elements in the
clearer picture of that game’s story, especially button and then occasionally dodge. There’s also battle system are
since so much of it was told through the lens of an a slot machine called the DMW (Digital Mind a little annoying,
unreliable narrator. Zack’s also a great character, Wave), meant to represent Zack’s thoughts, which but Zack is a great
a fine contrast to the dour heroes that tended to randomly gives status enhancements and special character, and the
be thrust into the spotlight in this era of games. attacks. It’s unpredictable, plus it disrupts the story expands the
Unfortunately anyone who’s familiar with Final action for several seconds, which ruins the pacing. Final Fantasy VII
Fantasy VII knows that he meets a tragic end, and The game is also pretty linear, as Zack is led from universe in (mostly)
the events of this game make those moments all mission to mission. There are 300 side missions, if good ways.
the more powerful. you want to bust some time and gain some extra
All the aspects not tied directly to Final stuff, but the story mode clocks in at less than 15
Fantasy VII are more questionable, particularly the hours, a good length for this type of story.
antagonist, Genesis, an irritating rogue SOLDIER The visuals are improved over FFVII, with
member who’s based on J-rock idol Gackt, and everything rendered in polygons. The character
whose sole character trait is quoting a poem called models are fantastic, though the environments are
“Loveless”. There is some retconning, in the form drab, although it is cool to revisit areas from FFVII.
of elements never mentioned in FFVII, though, The voice acting is excellent, and the rocking
and some parts don’t feel like they fit. soundtrack by Takeharu Ishimoto includes several
The game also shifts to a real-time battle excellent original songs along with numerous
system, with Zack being the only playable remixes of classic tunes.
character. Players select Materia and items by Those who weren’t enamoured of Final
using the D-pad, as in Kingdom Hearts. Hitting Fantasy VII will find almost nothing here. But the
the “attack” button doesn’t directly attack, but fan service, along with Zack’s inherent likeability
rather commands Zack to run to the closest and the excellent music, help Crisis Core overcome
targetted enemy and then attack them, a bit like its other issues.
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Final Fantasy Type-0
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): PSP, PS4, WIN
Final Fantasy Type-0 is the second of the Fabula

Nova Crystallis sub-series, though it doesn’t share
much of anything with its forebear, Final Fantasy
XIII. It does, however, have many of the traditional
elements of the Final Fantasy series. The story
focuses on the continent of Orience, where four
kingdoms are locked in a war over the power of
elemental crystals. There are Eidolons and there
are l’Cie, there are Chocobos that you can breed
and Moogles that give out mission objectives. You
control members of the elite Class Zero, part of a
military school called the Vermillion Peristylium, can venture between cities. This also acts as a For a few years, Type-0
similar to Final Fantasy VIII’s SeeD, although this battlefield for some simple real-time strategy was another “lost”
story concerns fighting in wars and attending battles, in which you can command and fight Final Fantasy game
classes, rather than the direction taken by FFVIII. alongside forces to take various territories. for the international
For the most part, the Final Fantasy games Also like Crisis Core, it has a battle system market, hyped up by
have done a good job of establishing their main that’s entirely real-time. You control a single importers. At least
characters and using their conflicts to help explain character, with two others, controlled by AI, until the HD release,
the world around them. Unfortunately, Type-0 falls in active combat, and the rest in reserve. Each at which point people
victim to the type of narrative disasters found in character has their own unique fighting style – got to play it and
the Final Fantasy XIII games, and in some ways swords, guns, musical instruments, playing cards, wondered what all
it’s even worse. The story begins with a gigantic chain whips, etc. – so there’s a lot of variety, the fuss was about.
cutscene infodump, before Class Zero is sent into but combat feels weightless and unfun. The
the fray. There are 14 class-members in total, 12 environments are repetitive, and while the story
based on various card suits, plus two more, Rem eventually does go in the sort of crazy directions
and Machina, who are ostensibly the protagonists. you expect from a Final Fantasy game, the bad
But you’re not introduced to any of the team storytelling makes it hard to be invested.
members, or any of the characters, really, so it’s Type-0 initially began as a PSP game only
hard to care about any of it. The school uniform released in Japan, and didn’t hit the international
designs are pretty cool, especially their distinctive markets until 2015, when it was released on the
red capes, but most of them could just as well PlayStation 4 and Windows. However, it looks
be tossed together using a “create a character” terrible when blown up to HD resolution, and
function. It’s also violent for a Final Fantasy game, the bite-sized chunk structure doesn’t feel right
as evidenced by its Mature rating. outside of a portable setting. Overall, there’s a lot
Much of the game is split between attending of cool ideas here, but very little of it is executed
the school, which you can explore to run side well. At least the soundtrack by Takeharu Ishimoto,
quests, and running actual missions. Unlike which features a hummable leitmotif and some
Crisis Core, it has a small overworld, where you dramatic orchestrations, is brilliant.
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Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
Developer: Square | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): GC, DS, WII, PS4, NSW, IOS, AND
In the early 2000s, Square was in a bit of a pickle.

Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was a colossal
flop in cinemas and this put a serious dent in the
companies’ finances. Revenues from games on
Sony’s successful, but demanding, home systems
were coming in, but other income streams went
missing. Although Square supported Bandai’s
Wonderswan, that system was quickly steam-rollered
by Nintendo’s Game Boy Advance. After spectacularly
burning all bridges to Nintendo by releasing Final
Fantasy VII on the PlayStation, the GBA, a potentially
perfect system for lucrative 16-bit ports, was out
of reach. However, Nintendo wasn’t too averse to While Crystal Chronicles keeps some While Square
having some nice Square-RPGs, and an agreement key elements of the main series, such as spell kept the mainline
was reached: Square could develop for the Game nomenclature and monster designs, everything single-player Final
Boy Advance – but also on the GameCube, please. else is a huge departure. The game eschews RPG Fantasy games on
A separate studio was repurposed to circumvent elements; there’s no levelling system, no magic the PlayStation 2,
an exclusivity deal with Sony: using a Nintendo points, player energy is measured in little hearts, the GameCube
developer fund, The Game Designers Studio, and instead of using turn-based battles, Crystal got this cute little
owned 49% by Square and 51% by SaGa creator Chronicles feels more like an action adventure. multiplayer spinoff.
Akitoshi Kawazu, was going to develop a game for There are four new races: the human-like Clavat,
Nintendo’s beautifully angular home system. the beastly Selkie, the small, but powerful Lilty,
That game, the only one Square ever and the magically-inclined Yuke, from which
produced for the GameCube, is Final Fantasy the player chooses and names their character.
Crystal Chronicles and it would be the game that The game has a clear focus on multiplayer
strayed farthest from the established Final Fantasy dynamics – easily the most controversial element,
formula in terms of presentation, storytelling since you couldn’t just invite friends over and
and game design, although it maintained the plug in some additional controllers. Instead, every
expected quality. While Akitoshi Kawazu served player needs a Game Boy Advance connected to
as producer, many veterans from Final Fantasy the GameCube via link cable, a complex setup that
IX were involved in the game’s creation, among nevertheless works beautifully when complete.
them Kazuhiko Aoki (director), Toshiyuki Itahana Every player has information they can share with
(character designer), and Masahiro Kataoka (event others: monsters’ weaknesses and level maps are
planner). The soundtrack was primarily composed displayed on individual screens, just like the secret
by Kumi Tanioka, using instruments from the objectives for every player that decide who gets the
renaissance and medieval periods; the intro song first pick of the loot after a level is finished.
“Kaze No Ne” was performed by Yae Fujimoto in Still, the concept was hard to communicate
Japanese and Donna Burke in English. to the audience, especially since many reviewers
150
of the day complained about the cost of buying
not only the game, but also four GBA systems and
link cables. Another controversial element is the
crystal chalice, more commonly known as “the
bucket”. Since the world is shrouded in poisonous
miasma, each party has to carry around a chalice
to ward of the poison – a clever gameplay device
used to keep the players close together. Solo
adventures are accompanied by a Moogle carrying
said chalice; in multiplayer groups however, one
character always has to carry the chalice, and must case: instead of utilising the much stronger Wii The Crystal Bearers
put it down before joining the battle. hardware, Echoes of Time uses the same graphical for the Nintendo Wii
In spite of all these idiosyncrasies, Crystal assets as the DS game and puts the two handheld was almost nothing
Chronicles sold pretty well, and has found quite a screens into two separate windows. like the GameCube
few fans, leading not only to a remaster on current- For Nintendo’s WiiWare service, Square game that spawned
gen hardware, but also a handful of sequels on produced two spinoffs titled My Life as a King it, and while it’s
Nintendo DS and Wii. (2008) and My Life as a Dark Lord (2009). Both decent, it also failed
The first of these sequels, Ring of Fates, was veer more towards strategy and base- or kingdom- to take off.
released on Nintendo DS in 2007. It’s a prequel to building and are considered some of the most
the original game, taking place thousands of years complex games on the service. The first one also
before the miasma covered the land. The handheld got a browser-based companion-game called
adventure puts a much larger emphasis on story My Life as a King - Everyone’s Kingdom.
and characters, and classical RPG elements like The series would come to an end in 2009
experience points are present as well. Typically for with Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal
DS games of this vintage, there are some touch- Bearers, a single-player game for the Nintendo Wii,
screen shenanigans involved: it’s possible to switch taking place long after the GameCube episode and
the main screen between upper and lower screen eschewing the cute art style of previous games in
in order to initiate attacks via stylus. The game favour of more naturally proportioned characters.
was directed by Mitsuru Kamiyama, who served Initially intended as a bold, free-roaming adventure,
as the main programmer in the first game. He also the Wii’s success among non-hardcore gamers led
directed the second sequel, released in 2009 and the team to aim the game at more casual players
subtitled Echoes of Time, which is pretty similar and implement typical Wii features like WiiMote
to Ring of Fates, but puts a larger emphasis on aiming. Despite nice presentation and a good plot,
multiplayer action, allowing local co-op between DS middling reviews and poor sales put a premature
and Wii players. The latter version is an interesting end to the Crystal Chronicles series.
Final Fantasy Dimensions

Developer: Square | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): MOB, IOS, AND
In addition to porting some of their older games to
mobile platforms, Square also tinkered with new
entries done in a retro style. After the unnecessary
sequel Final Fantasy IV: The After Years, they
decided to create an original game called Final
Fantasy Dimensions. While it’s an original game,
the gameplay and general style are based on
the SNES Final Fantasy games, even using the
fan-favourite Job system from Final Fantasy V.
You control two parties, the Warriors of Light and
the Warriors of Dark, each of whom have their own
Jobs to choose from. The story and characters are
not particularly noteworthy, and the ugly sprites being retooled into a product for purchase. It’s a They’re not a patch
and high-resolution visuals of the smartphone little more modern-looking, but the focus is almost on the old games,
ports (the only versions released in English) are entirely on battles, so it feels much less like a classic but these mobile
terrible, giving it an amateur RPG Maker-style RPG. It was directed by Takashi Tokita, one of the phone games at
vibe. But the soundtrack is pretty good, and it still vets from the old days, and its story was based on least provide new
functions well as a nostalgic throwback. the concept for Chrono Break, a discarded sequel adventures.
The sequel is almost entirely unrelated, as it to Chrono Trigger, but ultimately, it’s nothing
originally started as a free-to-play social RPG before too interesting
151
152
Shin Megami
Tensei and
Persona
In 1986, Aya Nishitani wrote a novel called While it took a while to catch on, the Persona Embracing their
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei (“Goddess series achieved international success with its third identity as post-
Reincarnation”), a story about opening the gates entry, which mixed up social elements and dungeon apocalyptic
of the demon world using computers. It’s a crawling. It’s now reached the point where Persona cyberpunk, the
little cheesy, in the same way that Stephen King is much more popular than the series that initial Shin Megami
horror stories can be, but played to the anxieties spawned it, much to the chagrin of long-time fans. Tensei games are
people had about the new-fangled technology, Of course, it took a long time for any of quite a bit darker
and spawned numerous multimedia tie-ins. these games to be released outside of Japan than other RPGs
One of these tie-ins was a Famicom game by at all. Role-playing games were hard sells in of the time.
Atlus, a company that was just getting its start in the Western console markets in the late ’80s/
game development. The staff were fans of 3D PC early ’90s, doubly so in this case, given the first-
dungeon crawlers like Wizardry, and decided to person dungeon crawling and complicated
make a similar game using the Megami Tensei demon-breeding mechanics. The core concept
licence. Playing as the human characters, Akemi of the series is that every figure from every world
or Yumiko, players could also talk to the many mythology or religion co-exist, which means that
enemy demons and potentially recruit them into trickster god Loki could hang out with biblical
their party, then fuse multiple demons together to devil Lucifer. This could have been an issue in
make new and stronger creations. It was popular countries like the United States, or other regions
enough, and thus spawned a sequel, Megami with a strong religious population, that might
Tensei II, that took place in a post-apocalyptic view this as blasphemy – it doesn’t help that
Tokyo overrun by demons, while the rest of Christian angels are routinely characterised as
humanity tried to eke out an existence under their villains. Some of the spinoffs, like Revelations:
rule. Another sequel was released on the Super Demon Slayer for the Game Boy and Persona
Famicom, now called Shin Megami Tensei (“True for the PlayStation, were released in the ’90s;
Goddess Reincarnation”), a key point in one of it wasn’t until 2004 that the first core game in the
Japan’s longest-running RPG series. series, Shin Megami Tensei Nocturne (known as
Within this novel post-apocalyptic setting, Lucifer’s Call in Europe), saw international release.
the developers were keen to experiment with a For quite a while the key people leading the
number of themes, creating a large number of series were programmer/designer Kouji “Cozy”
spinoffs. The 32-bit Devil Summoner games take Okada, and artist/designer Kazuma Kaneko.
place in modern Japan, and have you controlling However, in the mid-2000s, their involvement
a small squad of paranormal detectives. The diminished, as direction was passed to Katsura
PlayStation 2 Devil Summoner series is a spinoff Hashino, a planner who worked on some of the
of a spinoff, using a similar concept but set in 16-bit games, as well as artists Shigenori Soejima
1930s Tokyo. Majin Tensei is a strategy RPG series and Masayuki Doi. Kaneko continues to be credited
similar to Fire Emblem and Front Mission; the much on many games, mostly because even newer titles
later Devil Survivor is similar, but closer to Tactics reuse his demon designs, some of which have
Ogre in style. Last Bible takes place in a fantasy become iconic over the years. Every RPG has
medieval setting, while DemiKids is basically its mascot – Dragon Quest has the slime, Final
Shin Megami Tensei mixed with Pokémon. Shin Fantasy has the Chocobos and the Moogles – so
Megami Tensei if… featured regular high school Shin Megami Tensei and Persona have Jack Frost,
students instead of cyberpunk warriors, which in a little snowman in a blue jester’s outfit, along with
turn sparked another sub-series, Persona. several other similar themed family members.
153
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, MOB
In the original Megami Tensei, a palace called

Devilpolis has risen from the ground. Its master,
Lucifer, has kidnapped the goddess Izanami.
Akemi Nakajima, a brilliant high school student
who has the power to summon demons with
his computer, joins up with classmate Yumiko
Shirasagi to save her.
This being the first entry in the series,
Megami Tensei hadn’t yet developed many of the
thematic elements it would later be known for.
At the outset, the story is pretty threadbare, and
the emphasis is entirely on dungeon crawling and
demon recruitment. You can customise Nakajima’s
and Shirasagi’s stats at the beginning, though get your first recruit. You can only fight one type Akemi and Yumiko,
while Nakajima can summon demons, he can’t of demon at a time, though they often appear in reincarnations of the
use magic. Unlike a typical Wizardry dungeon, the groups. The only automap is a spell called Mapper, husband-and-wife
Devilpolis isn’t a straight line from the beginning which only shows your immediate surroundings. creation gods Izanagi
to end, but rather a labyrinth divided into sections, And since this is a cartridge game that predates and Izanami, fight
which are connected at certain points. Each of battery backup saves, you record your progress with against Loki and other
these areas is ruled by a different mythological a password. mythological figures
figure – you’ll run up against the Minotaur, The visuals are simple, but they have a strong in the establishing
Medusa, Loki, Hecate, and Seth before the ultimate identity compared to typical dungeon crawlers of entry of this series.
fight against Lucifer himself. If you die, the boss of the time, especially with the strange shopkeepers
the area taunts you in the game-over screen. (one of whom looks like a twisted version of Yoda
There are two consumable resources you from Star Wars) and interesting character designs.
need to keep track of. Macca is the currency of The music by Tsukasa Masuko is pretty catchy
the demon realm, and in addition to being used at too. It’s a little tough to play nowadays, but it is
shops, is needed to summon demons. Magnetite interesting to see where many of the classical ideas
is the “fuel” for demons, which is consumed at of the series took root.
every step, based on how many are in your party, While Atlus developed this game for the
to discourage you from running around with too Famicom, Telenet put out their own version for
many powerful characters at once. You also collect Japanese computers. It’s a completely different
jewels, which can be used to restore health or game using a similar premise, being an overhead
in bargaining. There’s also a moon cycle, which action RPG that looks like the arcade game
determines things like demon behaviour. Gauntlet. There’s no demon recruitment, and you
There’s a lot of roughness due to its age. The only control Nakajima, as you explore two gigantic
in-game conversation is pretty simple but also towers. It’s an interesting alternate take, but Atlus’
relies a lot on luck, and it can be tough to even version is historically more important.
154
Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, MOB
Megami Tensei II begins with a nuclear explosion,

which destroys most of the planet and drives
the humans underground. After creating your
characters – yourself, your best friend, and the
heroine – it then shifts to a game-within-a-game
called Devil Busters, which bears an uncanny
resemblance to the original Megami Tensei.
Once you beat the Minotaur, the first boss,
you are greeted by Pazuzu, who grants you the
power to speak to demons, and commands you
to fight against the creatures that rule Tokyo.
After your character and your buddy leave their
bunker, they meet the heroine, who is shunned
by the rest of the populace as a witch. She warns choose to kill him or spare him. If you spare him, Megami Tensei II is
that Pazuzu is actually tricking them – the it will open up a path to a longer endgame, like a Japanese version
hero believes her, but his friend does not, and culminating in fights against both Satan and of Western RPGs
abandons the team to fight alone, eventually YHVH, otherwise known as Yahweh. The concept like Wasteland or
becoming an enemy. of defeating the creator is common in JRPGs, but Fallout, though with
While the first Famicom game set down the here you are literally fighting the Abrahamic God, the addition of tons
basic conventions of the series – mythological represented as a floating blue head. of mythical beasts.
demons, demon negotiation, and so forth – it’s The graphics have been enhanced
in this entry that the Megami Tensei franchise considerably over the dingy corridors of Devilpolis,
really found its voice, with its focus on post- though the colour scheme is perhaps a little too
apocalyptic Tokyo, as well as the moral quandaries bright in some areas. The cartridge uses the
that come with being heralded as the Messiah and Namco 163 mapper chip, which gives a richer
the saviour of the human race. It’s also a much sound to the already fantastic soundtrack. While
larger game, with an actual overworld to explore, it’s still a tough game – many negotiations can go
linking the many real-world locations, dungeons, wrong, after which enemies call for back-up that
and towns, plus a second overworld within the can overwhelm you – but the fascinating setting,
Makai (demon realm). While the series had yet compelling story, and excellent music create one
to introduce the Law-Neutral-Chaos alignment of the best RPGs of the 8-bit era.
paths (that doesn’t happen until the following Both of the Famicom games were remade
game), the way that the friend turns against the together and bundled on a single cartridge for the
player anticipates these dynamics. There are two Super Famicom, dubbed Kyuuyaku Megami Tensei
competing factions though – the Christianity- (“New Testament Megami Tensei”). While they’re
like Order of Messiah, and the chaotic Deva Cult. decent ports, they do mimic the aesthetic of the
There is also an important plot branch midway other SFC Shin Megami Tensei games, so the unique
through the game – after fighting Bael, you can aesthetics of the original 8-bit platform are lost.
155
Shin Megami Tensei
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SFC, PCECD, MCD, PS1, GBA, IOS
Megami Tensei II showed us post-apocalyptic

Tokyo, while its Super Famicom sequel ponders
the events that would lead up to such a cataclysm.
The story in Shin Megami Tensei begins with a day
like any other, except weird things are happening
… disappearances, creature sightings, your mother
being eaten by a demon, and so forth. The hero is
visited by a mysterious man in a wheelchair, who is
basically Stephen Hawking, and given a device that
allows them to communicate with demons, and
befriend the monsters that have begun to overun
the city. But soon things get out of control, with
a zealot named Gotou staging a coup, and then
Japan being annihilated by missiles in order to the post-apocalyptic world … even though the The artwork for
contain the demon outbreak. Time fasts forward “best” ending is usually the Neutral one, which the Super Famicom
as the hero ventures through a devastated Tokyo; also ends up being the hardest. version is iconic,
he must now lead humanity down a new path. The move to the Super Famicom has given showing the many
One of the key elements of Megami Tensei the game a graphical punch, with a darker colour demons that you can
II was the (pre-determined) dynamic between palette that feels more appropriate than the gaudy command, towering
the hero, the heroine, and the friend. Instead, colours of the 8-bit games, and the electric guitar over their human
in Shin Megami Tensei, there are three different samples do wonders for the soundtrack. Elsewhere, counterparts.
alignments you can follow, determined by it’s still a little rough – demon conversation is
assorted actions: Law, Chaos, and Neutral. fairly simple, you can still only fight one type of
At a certain point in the game, the story splits enemy at a time, the balance is pretty wonky, and
off into three directions, allying you or putting the map screen is buried deep within a menu. Still,
you at odds with various factions, as well as some it’s an all-time classic, with a compelling story and
of your former companions, plus it determines oppressive atmosphere that’s mighty impressive
the types of demon who will join you. The game for an early SFC release.
also plays a few tricks on you before it reveals Shin Megami Tensei received a number of
which of the various women is the true heroine. ports, with the Mega CD and PlayStation versions
Some basic plot elements are similar to its offering smooth scrolling compared to the SFC’s
predecessor’s – there are two main competing choppy movement. The only officially released
factions, the (Law-oriented) Messians and their English version was for iOS, and it’s more or less
counterparts the (Chaos-oriented) Ring of a straight port of the Game Boy Advance version
Gaea, and various humans are actually demons using the upgraded soundtrack of the PlayStation
in disguise, which became a recurring thing release. While the interface is cumbersome with
throughout the series. The various philosophies a touch screen, it’s workable. Unfortunately it’s
present give much more depth and ambiguity to incompatible with newer iOS versions.
156
Shin Megami Tensei II
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1, GBA, IOS
In the Neutral ending of the first Shin Megami

Tensei, the hero decides to create a world where
people can live and worship as they please.
Fast-forward to several decades later, when Shin
Megami Tensei II starts. Unfortunately, things
didn’t quite work out as planned, and things are
far from peaceful – the Law-abiding Messians and
Chaos-following Gaeans are at war with each other.
A new city, Tokyo Millennium, has been built upon
the ravaged ruins of old Tokyo, and there’s a sharp
class division – the holy priests of the Center, and
the slums of Valhalla.
Things are not so good in Valhalla, where
gigantic TV screens tell of demon invasions like There have been a few improvements What happens when
they were weather forecasts. It is here that we over the original – you can now fight multiple society rebuilds
meet our hero, a man with no name or memory, types of demon as the same time, and fused after the world is
and your character. A washed up fighter finds you demons can now inherit skills from their parents. destroyed? That’s
fighting demons, takes you under his care, names The conversation system has been slightly the question Shin
you Hawk, and trains you to become the best expanded, with demons now occasionally asking Megami Tensei II
gladiator in Valhalla. Alas, your career is cut short you questions about your feelings on life. Some seeks to answer.
when you receive a message from the Center – you interface improvements are included, like having
are actually the Messiah, whose true name is Aleph, the map available at a single button press instead
and whose true destiny is to save the world and lead of having it buried in a menu, and a little coloured
everyone to paradise. As you get used to the role of bar that indicates when you’re about to be attacked.
Messiah by doing the usual RPG good guy stuff – Overall, it’s a fantastic sequel.
saving villages, running fetch quests, and running Originally released for the Super Famicom,
up against your counterpart, the anti-Messiah Shin Megami Tensei II also got a PlayStation
– you soon begin to realise that the Center is not treatment similar to that for the first game. And
all it initially seems. Once again, it’s up to you to once again, the graphics have been improved
decide how you want to shape this post-apocalyptic via the smooth scrolling effect; some areas have
world. The story is even more central in Shin received drastic overhauls, and there’s an option
Megami Tensei II than its predecessor, especially for a lowered difficulty level. Unfortunately, the
in relation to all the supporting characters, who first print run is known to be buggy, and while a
are more deeply defined than just Law and Chaos fixed version was released, trying to find the right
archetypes, particularly the two heroines, Beth and one might be difficult, as there is no distinction on
Hiroko. It also carries over a few elements from the package. Game Boy Advance and smartphone
Megami Tensei II, including a quest for the pillars versions were released as well, though none of these
of Solomon, and a final standoff against YHVH. have been officially made available in English.
157
Shin Megami Tensei if…
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1, IOS
Shin Megami Tensei if… is a side story, exploring

the question of what if Tokyo hadn’t been
destroyed, back in the first Shin Megami Tensei?
It takes place in Karukozaka High School,
which has been mysteriously warped off into
the demon realm of Makai. If the strange void
outside of the school weren’t enough, you see
visions of a student named Hazama, who now
claims to be the ruler of Makai. It’s up to you
to venture through the world of the demons,
investigate Hazama’s role in this, save yourself,
and maybe your school.
In the Makai, there are five worlds, based on five
of the seven deadly sins. For example, in the World alter the statistics when you gain a level – if they Shin Megami
of Greed, picking up more treasure will increase the have a higher power rating than you do, you’ll Tensei if… sets down
strength of the boss, Chefei. The most gruesome is gain a little bit of extra strength. It works in the the template that
the World of Gluttony, in which you need to shrink opposite direction too – if they have a lower magic would be used in
yourself and get eaten by the demon Orcus, then ranking, you’ll lose magic strength. They’ll also the Persona games
defeat him from within. The series’ unusual sense alter the magic skills of their human partner. on the PlayStation.
of humour remains, particularly around the evil It’s an interesting system, although it’s a little The heroine of this
chemistry teacher Otsuki, who remodels his body weird to have to kill yourself so you can change game even makes an
with every encounter, to the point where he’s a your Guardian. appearance in both
human head on a gigantic mecha. Much of the game is based on the engine Persona 1 and 2 under
The character customisation is a little from Shin Megami Tensei II, reusing much of its the name Tamaki.
different, as you can make them male or female soundtrack and some of its visuals, so it feels more
(which changes parts of the story slightly) and like an expansion pack than a true sequel. As much
their starting stats are determined by answering fun as it is to fight demon-worshipping professors,
questions given by a creepy fortune-telling SMT if… lacks the driving plot and philosophical
machine. Then, you can choose to ally yourself with quandaries of the other two SFC games. Still,
one of three fellow students (a fourth is available in both the high school setting and the Guardian
subsequent playthroughs). Your choice will alter the system laid the groundwork for the Persona series.
course of the game, taking you through different (The heroine from this game is later named Tamaki
dungeons and ultimately deciding the ending. So and shows up in Persona 2.)
while SMT if… is quite a bit shorter than the other As for the previous 16-bit entries, there was
games, there is at least a heavy replayability factor. also a PlayStation release. Additionally, a special
The other major addition is the Guardian prequel chapter starring Hazama was released, only
System. When a human character is killed, for Japanese mobile phones. Neither game has been
they are granted a Guardian Spirit, which can officially released in English.
158
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): PS2, NSW, PS4
The core Shin Megami Tensei series skipped the

32-bit generation, as Atlus concentrated instead on
the Devil Summoner and Persona spinoffs. But for
the third game, on the PlayStation 2, they returned
once again to the post-apocalyptic setting, though
viewed through an entirely different lens. The
world still ends, but rather than being framed as
destruction, it’s presented as an essential stage in
reincarnation. As in the other games of the series,
Tokyo is at the centre of this new creation, as the
entirety of existence is wrapped in a sphere called
the Vortex World. Only a few humans remain, who
must each find their own paths in this new, demon-
possessed world. The ideas of Law, Neutral and half-demon (referred to as the Demi-fiend), he can Shin Megami Tensei:
Chaos are changed to a variety of Reasons, held wield magic powers, whereas previous SMT heroes Nocturne feels like
by the remaining human characters. Shijima is the needed to rely on their demon armies. New to this a soft reboot of the
philosophy that everything can become one; Musubi game is the Press Turn system, whereby inflicting series, juggling aspects
imagines a world where every being can shape their elemental damage will give an extra turn to your of the series around in
own existence; and Yosuga is survival of the fittest. side, while using spells that enemies are strong an effort to modernise
The hero can choose one to help shape the world, or against, or whiffing attacks, will make you lose a them. Variations on
reject them to alter existence in other ways. turn. The rules apply to both player and CPU, and it’s the Press Turn battle
Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne (a.k.a. essential to assemble a demon team that provides system are seen in many
Lucifer’s Call in Europe) makes the move to 3D, and both strong offensive and defensive capabilities. subsequent games.
naturally, it’s an astronomical improvement over Magnetite, previously used to power demons when
the 32-bit Persona and Devil Summoner games. walking around, is gone.
Areas include both familiar Tokyo landscapes and Nocturne was the first title in the core series
hellish, inhuman works of sprawling architecture, to be released outside of Japan, though the English
giving this world a presence that the older games version was actually based on the Maniax revised
couldn’t dream of. The polygonal models also release. This included various balance tweaks, but
perfectly replicate Kazuma Kaneko’s demon also several returning bosses from older games,
designs, though the overall number is cut back. including, most infamously, the skeletal Matador.
Shoji Meguro provides the soundtrack, alternating Appearing just a few hours into the game, he’s a
between moody and hard-rocking, with distorted huge difficulty spike for those unfamiliar with the
vocals that accompany the game’s many different game’s stat and buffing skills, though those in
battle themes. the know won’t find him much of an issue. This
There’s still a heavy emphasis on dungeon version also includes a rather goofy crossover with
crawling, and random encounters occur almost Dante from Capcom’s Devil May Cry series – it
everywhere, including towns. Since the hero is now must have made some kind of sense at the time.
159
Shin Megami Tensei IV
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2013 | Platform(s): 3DS
Atlus spent much of the PlayStation 2 generation

making Shin Megami Tensei spinoffs like Devil
Summoner Raidou Kuzunoha and Digital Devil
Saga, with Persona 3 and 4 being the ones that really
hit the jackpot. They stayed away almost entirely
from the first era of HD consoles, instead focusing on
portables. After the first-person DS dungeon crawler
Strange Journey, they returned to the mainline
series with Shin Megami Tensei IV for the 3DS.
Rather than playing as an average boy, you
control a member of the Samurai of Mikado, an
order of warriors who essentially live in a ivory up with snazzy special effects, like wind spells Shin Megami Tensei
tower atop the ruined remnants of Tokyo. Viewing blowing foes off the screen. The Press Turn system IV is a deliberate
the people on the ground as filth, they eventually is familiar, though there’s a new Smirk status that throwback to the
make their way below the surface, to explore this grants extra effects for successful attacks. older games in the
land of gods and demons. The hero is joined by Shin Megami Tensei IV also excels in mood. series, but most
three other Samurai – Jonathan and Walter, the The 3DS can’t match the visual designs of its Westerners haven’t
Law and Chaos heroes, respectively, along with PlayStation 2 predecessor, but Tokyo is still a played those, so any
Isabeau, the heroine. strong central character. The music enhances the references come off
The design is a mix of old and new. experience, a combination of the guitar-heavy rock as meaningless.
Hearkening back to older RPGs, particularly the that typified early titles and the synthesizers of a
Super Famicom era of the franchise, the story is John Carpenter movie. The overworld is confusing
relatively sparse, depending how much time you to navigate, but the music is something you can let
spend talking to people or running sub-quests run, just soaking in the vibes.
to learn more about the remnants of humanity. However, in trying to return to its roots, the
As with previous games, humanity has largely game ends up feeling regressive in other ways.
divided into two organisations – the Ring of Gaea, The Reasons of Nocturne have been replaced by
which is much as it was before, and the Ashura- the earlier Law/Chaos/Neutral alignments, and it
kai, basically a yakuza filled with demon hunters. doesn’t feel as thematically or politically daring as
There are plenty of references to past games, even older titles. The number of dungeons is sparse, and
including the Demonica suit from Strange Journey. while the story takes a few interesting turns, like
Mechanically, the advances made by the Persona some views into alternate Tokyos ruined by Law or
games have made this game more approachable – Chaos, the thin characterisation makes it feel flat.
it uses a third-person perspective in exploration, The difficulty balance is also strange, as the intro
demon fusion is the easiest it’s ever been, random dungeon is harder than almost all of the rest of the
battles have given way to visible encounters, and game, because everything becomes quite easy as
the penalty for failure is light. Even the first-person you build up skills. Overall it’s still a pretty decent
battle perspective, dry in other RPGs, is spiced title, but it never reaches its full potential.
160
Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): 3DS
Most Atlus RPGs receive some kind of updated

release down the road, like Persona 4 Golden for
the Vita. Shin Megami Tensei IV instead got an
expanded pseudo-sequel, subtitled Apocalypse.
It is technically a whole new story with new quests,
though it reuses many areas and assets from the
original 3DS game.
The story picks up after the Neutral ending
from SMTIV. You play a Tokyo native named
Nanashi (literally “nameless”), part of a group of
demon hunters with his lady pal Asahi. Life is harsh
for this team, and Nanashi meets an early end at characterisation just doesn’t match up with the Apocalypse, for the
the hands of a demon, but he’s resurrected by the typically dark overtones of Shin Megami Tensei. most part, is better
old god Dagda, who then commands him as a slave. When Asahi and Toki begin to fawn over the hero, than its predecessor,
He is manipulated into freeing Krishna, who bands it feels like the writing is too heavily influenced by but some aspects of
together other gods from assorted polytheistic Persona, and despite the better overall storytelling, the story indicate
religions to defy Merkabah and Lucifer. This makes it’s less authentic than the original SMTIV. There’s that Atlus had no
things even worse for the people of Tokyo, who even a beach episode, though at least that’s idea how to write a
now have to contend with a giant flaming serpent relegated to DLC. The Law and Chaos endings are modern Shin Megami
named Shesha. Nanashi and his team then set technically bad endings, and instead the game Tensei game.
out to correct their mistake and save Tokyo once asks whether you want to ally with your friends to
and for all. kill Dagda, or embrace Dagda’s power and murder
Atlus correctly identified that the side them all. It’s a little too “power of friendship” vs.
characters from the original SMTIV were pretty “total grimdark”, and it shows a lack of subtlety
boring, so the secondary cast here is much stronger. that hampers the writing.
Some are minor characters from this game’s Most other areas have seen substantial
predecessor, including Nozomi, the queen of the improvement, at least. The battle system is mostly
fairies who fights evil with a rifle and thigh-high the same, other than tweaks to the Smirk system;
boots; the ghost of Navarre, an arrogant Samurai there are some fantastic boss battles, and the
who had gotten himself killed; Hallelujah, a young difficulty curve is well balanced. The number
member of the Ashura-kai; Gaston, another (living) and length of the dungeons have been expanded
Samurai of Mikado; and Toki, a teenage ninja (though the last two are overly long). Some areas
assassin girl. The SMTIV hero, canonically named are pretty empty, a result of pasting locales from
Flynn, plays a central role in the story, as does the original game but not putting anything
Isabeau. Walter and Jonathan are allied with the interesting there. Otherwise, it’s a more polished
angels and demons, and so they are your enemies. experience than its predecessor, and the story
While the supporting cast members are is pretty alright if you are okay with its lack of
far more interesting than before, their lively authenticity in terms of the series’ classic ideas.
161
Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SAT, PSP
The first 32-bit Shin Megami Tensei game, Devil

Summoner, made its way to the Saturn in 1995.
Moving away from the apocalyptic themes of
the original series, and inspired by occult TV
dramas like The X-Files, the setting is modern-
day suburban Japan, where demons have started
to roam free. As the story begins, you’re on a date
with your girlfriend, during which you’re attacked
by demons. No worries – you’re saved by a suave
demon hunter named Kyouji. Unfortunately,
shortly after this heroic rescue, Kyouji is killed
under mysterious circumstances. Things aren’t
going too well for you either – you’re soon The conversation system has been expanded, Devil Summoner
kidnapped and subsequently murdered by a crazy as the monsters will now ask specific questions was accompanied
lunatic named Sid. Things in the afterlife don’t and require particular answers, though these by a side disc
go quite as planned, and your soul ends up back quickly grow repetitive. More questionable is the called Akuma
in the human world, in the reanimated body of introduction of the demon loyalty system. You Zensho (“Demonic
Kyouji. After crawling out of the morgue, you need to keep your demons happy, by utilising their Compendium”),
team up with your partner Rei, grab your GUMP preferred moves over and over, otherwise you won’t which details all of
(a demon-summoning gun, it sounds silly but it’s be able to directly control their attacks. In the worst the demons in the
a contraction of “gun” and “computer”) and try to cases, they’ll ignore your commands altogether or game. Later entries
solve the mysteries of the demon infiltration, as even leave your party. It’s an attempt to give depth integrate this
well as maybe get your old body back. to the game, but it adds more aggravation than directly into the
The move to a more powerful platform allows fun. The multiple pathways and endings are also game itself.
for a substantial visual overhaul. The 3D dungeons gone, as your alignment only determines which
are now full-screen and fully animated, though monsters can join your party. The dungeons can
this being the Saturn, the movement is pretty also grow to be incredibly difficult.
choppy and the draw distance is pretty short. The It’s hard to say that Devil Summoner is
general flow of the battles is slower than in the a good first try, because its technical issues
previous games, the auto-battle being especially are apparent, the loyalty system is a gigantic
plodding. The enemy graphics are lacking, as they pain, and the story is so much better in its sequel,
tend to look like barely animated, blurry masses of Soul Hackers. It was well regarded enough to get
pixels, and the backgrounds are weird psychedelic a port to the PlayStation Portable, though there
clouds of colour. The battle transitions are were barely any enhancements, other than making
rather cool, as the floors and walls fly off into the demon loyalty a bit less troublesome, covering
the distance before you face your opponents. up some bits of nudity, and a few other quality-
Still, it is clear that Atlus was just learning the of-life changes. Neither version was ever translated
ropes of SEGA’s new system. into English.
162
Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): SAT, PS1, 3DS
Soul Hackers takes place in Amami City, the

home base of Algon Soft, which is unveiling a new
virtual reality sim called Paradigm X. However,
there seem to be strange glitches damaging its
users; it should be no surprise that demons are the
cause of it. The hero and his friend Hitomi, who
ends up being possessed by a relatively friendly
demon named Nemissa, join with a hacker group
called the Spookies, in order to get to the bottom
of everything.
Pretty much everything about this sequel is
an improvement over the original Devil Summoner. devil summoner in the last moments before their Soul Hackers
It keeps the loyalty part of the battle system but it’s death. While these give clues on how to proceed, returns to the “what
not as strict, it’s much sounder from a technical they’re unfortunately under-utilised, as there are if computers were
perspective, and the difficulty is much better only three of them and the sequences are brief. The actually evil?” theme of
balanced. It retains its eccentric cast of supporting virtual reality setting also allows for a number of the original Megami
characters and villains, this time including a unique and unusual settings, including an area Tensei novels, now
genius talking ape and a rocker named Carol J, based on a chessboard and a fight against a dolphin, focused on the
who uses his guitar as a GUMP. The leader of the though many areas are still just warehouses and burgeoning internet.
Spookies is obviously based on Fox Mulder of office buildings. Some parts are more
The X-Files, while Kadokura, the president of As a product of the late ’90s, Soul Hackers silly than scary, but
Algon Soft, is basically an evil Bill Gates (his name feels like a period piece – it was imagining what the it still works.
has the kanji for “gate” in it). The members of internet would be like in the near future, at a time
the Spookies gang also play a central role in the when it was first becoming popular. The game was
story, giving some extra emotional resonance to initially released for the Saturn, then ported to the
the epidemic plaguing the city. Since Hitomi and PlayStation, the latter including a bonus dungeon
Nemissa are constantly fighting for control over that could originally only be unlocked by obtaining
a single body, and their personalities are quite a rare add-on disc straight from Atlus. Both of these
different, they make for amusing companions. were Japan-only, but the game got another lease
Kyouji (or rather, whoever’s body Kyouji is on life on the 3DS, and this version was released
inhabiting) and Rei also make a cameo appearance, internationally. It includes full voice acting and
though the story in Soul Hackers is completely some hidden bosses that tie in with the Raidou
separate from its predecessor’s, so not much is lost Kuzunoha series, plus various “hacks”, which are
if you’ve not played the earlier one. basically cheats that let you turn off some of the
There’s some influence from Native American more annoying aspects of the game, like eliminating
mythology, as the hero is guided by a voice that the need for Magnetite. The series had ditched this
sends him on a few spirit quests, in which he goes around Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne, so it helps
back in time and briefly inhabits the soul of another make the game feel a little more modern.
163
Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2
Straying from the usual present-day or post

apocalyptic Japan of other Shin Megami Tensei
games, the Digital Devil Saga sub-series (subtitled
Avatar Tuner in the Japanese release) takes place
in a dystopic wasteland that combines futuristic
elements with Hindu architecture and mythology.
This land is known as The Junkyard, and is
occupied by several tribes, which are locked in
constant war with each other, all hoping to be
the last tribe remaining, which will ascend to the
paradise known as Nirvana. As Serph, the leader of
the Embryon tribe, you discover a mysterious egg
that awakens dormant demon forms. Furthermore,
you discover a girl named Sera underneath this to learn attack and defence spells, or concentrate What if the heroes
egg, who has the power to control these beasts more on healing spells. Each of your characters is were actually the
with a soothing song. Only by interrogating the fully customisable, and the development is far less demons? That’s
other tribes can you solve the mystery of the abstract than the demon creation/recruitment of the premise behind
demons, the girl, and Nirvana. the other Shin Megami Tensei games. this PlayStation 2
Digital Devil Saga uses the same graphic There are technically two Digital Devil Saga duology, which was
style and Press Turn battle system as Shin games, but it’s probably more accurate to say the follow-up to
Megami Tensei: Nocturne, though many of the that it’s one large game that was broken up into Nocturne.
other gameplay elements have been scaled back. two releases. Indeed, the story in the first game
No longer do you talk to demons, or even recruit is pretty thin, as it’s really just a prologue for the
them – instead, you’re restricted to main party much meatier sequel. In that, Serph and friends
members, with three fighting in battle at a reach Nirvana, but they find that it’s more like
time. For the majority of the time you fight as a hell than heaven. A cruel sun beats down on a
transformed demon, though occasionally you’ll desolate landscape, filled with human-like statues,
be forced to fight in weaker, human form. There and ruled by an evil organisation known as the
are special Devour attacks, where you’ll shove Karma Society. Mechanically, it’s pretty similar,
an enemy into your mouth and obtain extra though the Mantra system here is less linear, and
experience points if you kill it, but you’ll get a the blazing sun can sometimes turn your party
stomach ache if you abuse it. members into Half-Demons, which grant huge
The character development system is similar strength, at the expense of restricting magic and
to Final Fantasy X ’s Sphere Grid system, with lowering defence.
several linear paths a character can take. (In Despite feeling padded out – it should’ve
keeping with the Hindu theme, these paths are been one release – Digital Devil Saga still has the
called Mantras while regular experience levels are stylish designs, fantastic story, and compelling
referred to as Karma.) You can start on the fire path battle system the series is known for.
164
Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha
Taking the name of the 32-bit era Devil Summoner

series, the PS2 Raidou Kuzunoha sub-series moves
away from the modern/futuristic settings and into
the past, back to pre-WWII Japan. It’s the year
Taisho 20 in the Japanese calendar, in an alternate
history in which the emperor of Japan lived longer
than he did in our world. As a young detective
who’s inherited the name Raidou, it’s your job to
investigate all of the strange demon outbreaks
around town. Joining him is a talking cat named
Gouto, a reincarnated form of an earlier Raidou
Kuzunoha, who teaches him the ropes. There are
two games in the series – Raidou Kuzunoha vs.
Soulless Army, featuring a legion of beings clad in special ability. For example, fire-based demons The Taisho era of
full metal armour, and Raidou Kuzunoha vs. King can anger people and make them shout out clues. Japan is fascinating,
Abaddon, pitting you against an evil lord’s horde of Others can read minds and obtain vital secrets, or and not something
man-eating insects. scout for items. You can even take control of any that often appears in
Raidou Kuzunoha is the first in the Shin demon and have them talk to people – it’s amusing Western publications,
Megami Tensei series to ditch the standard turn- to see their reactions. making this sub-
based system in favour of action-based gameplay. The first game is pretty rough around the series an enthralling
There are still random battles, in which you’re edges – outside of the battle system, there are tons historical lesson.
zapped to a separate screen to fight. Here, Raidou of fetch quests, and the constant random battles –
can attack with his sword, fire his elemental- which even happen in towns – are frustrating. The
based gun, and block attacks. Additionally, you’re sequel tones this down, thankfully, plus it adds in
joined by demon companions who act of their own the Law/Chaos/Neutral plot branches, along with
volition (with some vague AI commands) and can appropriately aligned characters, that make the
be switched out at any time. The battle system story much richer. However, the second game also
feels pretty undercooked in the first game – you recycles so many assets, particularly the city that it
can only take out one demon companion at a time, takes place in, that it feels more like an expansion
and the camera is set in a fixed position, making it pack than a sequel.
difficult to see the action as you walk away from it. Still, the setting is fascinating, particularly
You can obtain new demons by finding their weak the pre-rendered backgrounds and architecture
spots and stunning them. The sequel improves – there are few games that take place in this era,
things by allowing two demons at a time, featuring and even fewer that are localised. Shoji Meguro’s
a more dynamic camera, and also reinstating the soundtrack mixes his usual rock with a more
demon conversation system. jazzy flavour, the localisation is filled with period-
Outside of battle, you can also call demons appropriate lingo, and the pulpy mystery feel is a
out when running around, and each one has a refreshing change for the franchise.
165
Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey
Developer: Atlus/Lancarse | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS, 3DS
The Shin Megami Tensei series effectively ditched

the first-person perspective with the release of
the third game, Nocturne. However, Atlus then
sparked a small revolution with their classically-
styled DS dungeon crawler Etrian Odyssey, so
they decided to return to that more retro style
for this spinoff game. Released between the third
and fourth canon Shin Megami Tensei titles, this
opted to be a spin-off rather than a numbered
title. The game no longer takes place in Tokyo,
unlike the others. Instead, it focuses on something
called the Schwarzwelt, basically a black hole that
begins forming at the South Pole and threatens to with each other (with the two most prominent ones Strange Journey
consume the Earth. The best and brightest minds becoming the usual Law and Chaos heroes), and the is a homage to the
come together to launch a military expedition difficulty is much less forgiving than in the other sci-fi/action/horror
inside of it; you play as one of the surviving teams, SMT spinoffs that were released around the same movies of the ’80s,
which discovers a strange world infested with (as time. Part of this has to do with the fights, which particularly Aliens
to be expected) demons. ditch the Press Turn system. The combat system and The Thing.
The game is structured more like Etrian does re-introduce demon alignments (absent since
Odyssey than any of the classic Shin Megami Nocturne). If you attack an enemy’s weakness, then
Tensei titles – your vessel is a home base, and you demons of the same alignment will attack alongside
choose from sectors via a menu. Each area is based you, which usually isn’t quite as big an advantage
on one of mankind’s sins – a battle representing as getting an extra turn. But at the same time,
the horrors of war, a red light district reflecting the fights are not quite as satisfying. The music is
lust, a giant shopping mall representing greed, a a big departure from the usual too, ditching the
big garbage dump as a stand in for pollution, and rock in favour of moody orchestrations and creepy
so forth. Entering new zones is particularly scary, chanting. It’s very good, though there are few tracks,
since new demons show up as static, and are only and they begin to sound the same after a while.
revealed once you’ve defeated them, so you’re The requisite 3DS update, dubbed Redux,
never quite sure what you’re fighting until you’ve tunes up the visuals, adds voice acting, makes the
had some experience roaming around. While usual balance tweaks, and speeds up the battle
early areas seek to ease you into the first-person system. There’s also an expansive side quest
dungeon-crawling style, the later areas go in hard starring a mysterious woman, which leads to three
with darkness, teleportation tiles, damage zones, new endings, giving six in total. However, the
and other things that make life miserable. actual story in this new part is kind of ridiculous,
Strange Journey is at its best when it makes and it doesn’t really fit. Other than this thread,
everything feel dire and hopeless. Your crew Strange Journey in general feels truer to the ideals
members are dying, the ones that remain are at odds of the series than the actual fourth entry.
166
Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE
Developer: Nintendo/Atlus | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): WIIU, NSW
In 2013, Nintendo announced a collaboration

between themselves and Atlus, creating a crossover
between the Shin Megami Tensei and Fire Emblem
series. It’s an odd combo, especially since the Super
Famicom game Majin Tensei was already basically
a Fire Emblem clone in a Shin Megami Tensei
wrapper. No one could have expected the end
result of this project, which was released at the end
of 2015 for the Wii U, titled Tokyo Mirage Sessions:
#FE (the “#” is “sharp” not “hashtag”).
The story takes place in modern day Tokyo, Idolasphere realm, where the heroes must fight The English version
focusing on the Japanese idol and entertainment someone possessed by an evil Mirage. The combat of this game made
industry. The main trio – Itsuki Aoi, Tsubasa is very similar to that in the latter-day Shin Megami some curious
Oribe, and Touma Akagi – are all high schoolers Tensei and Persona games, using many of the changes, including
and newbies to the industry, who have joined same spell and attack names. Exploiting enemy altering Tsubasa’s
the Fortuna Entertainment company. The cast is weaknesses will trigger Session Attacks, allowing job from gravure
rounded out by other folks in their music group, other team members to follow up with another idol (in the Japanese
including Kiria Kurono, a veteran singer; Eleonora attack. Most fights are conducted in the middle of an version) to regular
Yumizuru, a half-Scandinavian actress; and arena, giving them an over-the-top theatrical feel. model, and removing
Mamori Minamoto, a cooking show host. At the The dungeon design is a little boring and panty shots. Some
centre of the story is energy called Performa, which the load times are a little long, but otherwise it’s of these alterations
fuels people’s creative passions. This draws in a solid RPG. But it’s also unclear who this game make the game feel
beings called Mirages from another universe called was really designed for. The upbeat tone is closer less gross, but others
the Idolasphere. Some are good, and some are evil, to Persona 4 than Shin Megami Tensei, but neither are unnecessary.
and the crew must fight the bad ones. the characters nor their relationships are nearly
The Mirages are roughly similar to the as interesting. There’s none of the strategy of the
Personas from the Persona games, with the catch Fire Emblem games, and given the drastic pop-
being that they’re all based on Fire Emblem heroes. star makeovers of the characters, they don’t even
Chrom, Virion and Tharja hail from Fire Emblem resemble their normal game selves. It’s no surprise
Awakening, the 3DS entry (and at the time, the that it didn’t find much of an audience.
latest game in the series), while Cain, Draug and There were some curious changes when the
Navarre come from the original Famicom Fire game was localised into English. Many of these
Emblem. Tiki the dragon girl, also from the first involved cutting back on some the raciness, but
game, acts as a guide who helps link the Mirages to it’s done inconsistently – panty shots are clouded
their Masters. but there’s still plenty of breast jiggle, and some
Most of the game focuses on Shibuya, and costumes that weren’t all that revealing to begin
other parts of Tokyo, like super-fashionable with were modified. The voices were left in
Harajuku. Dungeon action takes place in the Japanese as well.
167
Persona
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP
Beyond the Devil Summoner series, Atlus sought

to expand its RPG stable with a new series called
Persona. It doesn’t use the Shin Megami Tensei
name though, but rather the monikers Megami
Ibunroku (“Strange Goddess Chronicles”) in Japan
and Revelations in North America. Borrowing
generously from the setting and concepts of Shin
Megami Tensei If…, it focuses on a group of high
school students in modern Japan, who discover
the ability to summon beings called Personas from
within themselves by playing a fortune telling game.
The characters are a bit more fleshed out than in changing the setting from Japan to America, The original Persona
the Super Famicom games, though they still fit into and altering some characters to make them less was rough around the
the standard stereotypes (the rich snob, the classy “anime”. The most awkward of these was the edges even when it
girl, the delinquent, etc.) The story begins when goof-off Masao being redesigned as an African- was released; even the
their town of Mikage-cho is overrun by demons, American. A significant amount of content was slightly upgraded PSP
which ties in with a sick, hospitalised girl named cut as well. In the Japanese version, you could port doesn’t do much
Maki, and an evil local corporation called SEBEC. choose to either follow the main route to take to make it palatable
Dungeon exploration is still done from down SEBEC, or take an alternate route called the to modern audiences,
the first-person perspective, but in many other Snow Queen quest, which is a little shorter but and actively makes
sections, particularly in combat, the game switches more difficult. For some reason, the Snow Queen the soundtrack worse.
to an isometric overhead viewpoint. You can plot was removed completely.
configure your party members formation on a grid, With the popularity of Persona 3, Atlus
thus determining which enemies they can attack revisited the original game with a port to the
on the battlefield. You still chat with demons, PSP. The English release is much more faithful
but this differs from the main Shin Megami this time, restoring all of the cut and changed
Tensei mechanic. Instead, each party member has content. However, in all versions, the entire
various ways of talking that can provoke emotional soundtrack was redone in the style of the later
responses. If you make the demons angry or scared, games, complete with extensive vocalisations.
they’ll fight or run away. More important is making The original music was one of its biggest strengths,
them happy or interested, after which they’ll give and the new music just doesn’t fit.
you items, including tarot cards, which can be Persona is certainly a unique game in style
refined into making more Personas. Characters and setting, but it’s still extremely rough, even in the
can then swap Personas, influencing their abilities. retooled PSP re-release. The characters really aren’t
It's all less vague than the demon recruitment of all that developed, and the battle system is slow and
the old games. tedious, since so much of it relies on positioning.
The original PlayStation version made some Subsequent games have improved on the formula so
questionable localisation choices, which included much that it’s really difficult to go back to this one.
168
Persona 2: Innocent Sin / Eternal Punishment
Persona 2 is a welcome change from the original.

It ditches the first-person dungeons in favour of
a completely overhead view, with sprite-based
characters and polygonal landscapes. It’s also
so big that it had to be divided into two games:
Innocent Sin and Eternal Punishment. The story
is separate from the first game’s, although taking
place in the same universe.
Innocent Sin focuses on a group of high
schoolers living in Sumaru City, including
Tatsuya, a quiet motorcycle enthusiast; Eikichi,
a hormonal punk; and Lisa, an American girl raised “reset” world. It casts Maya as the main protagonist, Split into two
in Japan and a kung-fu enthusiast. Rounding out though Tatsuya is still a big part of the story. New releases, only the
the cast is Maya, the upbeat reporter from a teen party members include Ulala, Maya’s best friend; second, Eternal
magazine, and Yukino, Maya’s photographer and Katsuya, Tatsuya’s police officer older brother; and Punishment,
a returning character from the first game. There’s Baofu, a hacker with mafia connections. initially made it
an urban legend that if you call your own phone The plot and characters are where Persona 2 over in English. It
number, a being called the Joker will appear to really shines. They have strong relationships with was an odd choice
do your bidding. However, it seems that this Joker each other, and you really get attached to them for localisation,
is responsible for quite a number of murders while the absolutely crazy plots unfold. Also, while since so much of
across the city; plus, he seems to have taken a they don’t really have “dating” elements, as the its rests on having
curious interest in the main characters, who are later games do, there are potential romances for played Innocent
apparently guilty of some kind of past sin they’ve Tatsuya to pursue, including one with a male party Sin, and it feels like
forgotten about. Joker’s powers have also caused member, Jun. Not even the later games offered starting a book
rumours to alter reality. At first, this power is same-sex options. The cast of Eternal Punishment halfway through.
subtle, but eventually it falls into the wrong hands, is also unique because they’re adults rather than
a conspiracy-theory cult that believes in an ancient high schoolers, dealing with more mature issues,
spaceship lying beneath the city, and causes Adolf However, it’s still a huge pain to actually play.
Hitler to return, commanding an army of flying The dungeons are long and repetitive, with high
mecha soldiers. random encounter rates. The battle system has
At the ending of Innocent Sin, reality is removed the grids that made fighting so obnoxious
so messed up that the powers-that-be need to in the first game, but it’s still too slow.
hit the reset button, so to speak. This required Despite the two halves being essential to
that the heroes forget each other; however, each other, only Eternal Punishment was initially
Tatsuya feels so strongly about their bonds that localised, leaving players to learn the plot of
he refuses this memory loss, causing remnants Innocent Sin from the manual and a short anime.
of the broken world to bleed into the new The latter was finally released in America as a PSP
reality. Eternal Punishment takes place in this port in 2011.
169
Persona 3
The first two Persona games were moderate

successes, but the third acted as a soft reboot
for the series, drastically reworking its structure,
and leading it to international acclaim. To that
end, it looked towards dating and social sims like
Konami’s Tokimeki Memorial and SEGA’s Sakura
Wars, and merged it with the “teenagers face
demons” theme that’s core to the series.
The hero is a transfer student to Gekkoukan
High School, where he learns that he has the power
to summon Personas. He comes across other
students with similar powers, known as SEES, who JRPGs don’t, appropriately for a game about trendy Leading a dual
are investigating a phenomenon called the Dark teenagers. Rather dramatically, the Personas are life as “student
Hour, a mysterious time after midnight when most forced out of users’ heads via a pistol-like device by day, demon
of the rest of the world freezes, and their school called an Evoker, so every time they summon one, hunter by night”
takes on the form of a distorted labyrinth called it looks like they’re shooting themselves. proved to be
Tartarus filled with evil shadow monsters. During The game operates on a calendar, with an enthralling
the day, you live the life of an average high schooler various tests and events held on specific days. prospect for RPG
– attending classes, joining clubs, hanging out As with most dating sims, the protagonist has players all over
around the city after school, and such. But at night, a number of personality stats, increased by the world.
you explore the halls of Tartarus with your buddies, performing various day-to-day tasks. This not
fighting monsters, eventually taking on major only informs other activities, but also affects who
threats against all life. you can socialise with. One of the main aspects
The first friends made by the main hero in of Persona 3 are Social Links, each of which is
SEES are Junpei, the male “best friend” character focused on various characters in the game world –
(a type who makes regular appearances in the some being main party members, others students,
series), and Yukari, a cheerful young woman, while and some just various people around the city, like
boxer Akihiko and upper-class lady Mitsuru show an elderly couple who are grieving over their dead
the characters the ropes. Some of the more unusual son, and even an online pal you meet in an MMO.
characters include Koromaru, a dog that can As you continue to get to know them, you level
somehow summon Personas, and Aigis, a female up these links; in turn, characters are associated
robot created by Mitsuru’s family’s company. The with tarot arcana, each linked in turn to certain
presentation is super-stylish, with flashy menus types of Personas. So, when you fuse one of those
and a blue-dominated interface. Accompanying Personas, it will get a power boost, potentially far
this is a poppy soundtrack by Shoji Meguro, beyond what your character could normally use,
a regular on the PS2 SMT titles, this time making and will eventually unlock a new Persona to create.
it slightly jazzier, and including English language On most days, you can also choose to enter
rap lyrics. It feels hip in a way that most other Tartarus before going to sleep. This tower consists
170
of well over 200 floors, each randomly-generated popular worldwide. So Atlus quickly released an Persona 3 Portable
every time you enter. Unlike the previous PS2 enhanced follow-up called Persona 3 FES, short retrofits many of
Shin Megami Tensei games, there are no random for “festival”. The major draw here is an expansive the improvements
encounters, and enemies are visible. The battle epilogue chapter called The Answer, putting Aigis added in Persona
system is similar to the Press Turn implementation in the starring role. The story is thin and it’s largely 4, though since it’s
in Nocturne, but here, if you hit a weakness, you’ll focused on dungeon exploration and combat, still missing some
also knock your opponent down, causing them though it does add quite a bit of extra play time. stuff like the FES
to lose a turn. If all of the enemies are knocked Atlus was keen to listen to players’ complaints post-game story,
down, you can execute an All-Out Attack, greatly about Persona 3, and thus many issues were there’s no real
damaging all of them and potentially ending fights addressed in Persona 4, released a few years definitive version.
quickly. Demon conversation is gone, and instead later. Many of those improvements were then
Personas are obtained via card shuffles after combat. retroactively carried over to another release,
You gain Personas far more readily than in the Persona 3 Portable for the PSP. Beyond the
previous games, though only the protagonist convenience of being able to play the game on the
can switch theirs, and others’ evolve as they level go, there are tons of quality-of-life improvements
up. Your party is also guided by a navigator, who – every character can be controlled in combat, and
doesn’t participate in combat but gives feedback as the Stamina stat is gone, so you just leave when
well as commentary during battle. you run out of SP and can’t use magic anymore. In
As often happens with innovative products, the original release, one particular quirk was that
Persona 3 suffers from questionable design among the Social Links, the main character could
decisions. The most egregious is that you can interact with the female party members but not the
only directly command the protagonist in combat, male ones, seemingly to emphasise the romantic
while everyone else is governed by AI. Most of the relationships you could engage in. To compensate,
time, they act intelligently, but it’s still frustrating this version includes the ability to choose a female
that so much control is removed from the player. protagonist, each with her own Social Links, many
Each character also has a hidden Stamina stat featuring brand new characters, and granting
that prevents them from staying in the dungeon Social Links for the main party. There’s quite a bit of
too long – they’ll tire out and become useless new dialogue and music to complement this mode,
in combat, which basically forces you to leave as well as a pink UI colour scheme. A few things are
and resume the run another day. Also, due to cut back though – instead of running around your
the randomly-generated dungeons, the game dorm or in town, navigation is handled entirely
is pretty repetitive, as so much of Tartarus just through menus, and cutscenes are all implemented
looks and feels like the same aimless hallways over with simple character portraits and text. It makes
and over. It changes scenery and music every once the game move faster, at least.
in a while, but otherwise, the only variations are The PSP version is also missing the FES post-
the boss dungeons that occur as you progress game, so despite its many improvements, it can’t
through the school year. Between drawn-out be considered definitive. Plus, in the grand scheme
dungeon crawling, the social aspects, and the of things, both of its sequels are mostly better
slow-moving story, it just seems to go on forever. games. Still, they both lean more into the dating
These issues are frustrating, but the concept sim aspects, while Persona 3 maintains a dour
was just so fresh, the look so stylistic, and the atmosphere that makes it feel thematically closer
combat so slick that it proved to be immensely to the classic Shin Megami Tensei games.
The addition of a
female protagonist
in the PSP version
of Persona 3 is
fantastic, and it’s a
little disappointing
that the heroes of
subsequent games
remained male-only.
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Persona 4
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): PS2, PSV, WIN
Persona 4 opens with the protagonist (canon name:

Yu Narukami) moving out to the developing rural
town of Inaba. Some strange murders have begun
taking place, coinciding with the discovery of a
mysterious dimension that appears on televisions
as the “Midnight Channel”. Once again, the hero
makes some friends, unlocks their Personas, and
begins to investigate.
This sequel addresses nearly all of the issues
with Persona 3. First and foremost, you can directly
control your characters! Secondly, your characters
no longer get tired when exploring, and instead TV World who looks like a gigantic stuffed bear and In spite of the
you’re simply compelled to leave when you run out acts as the game’s mascot. high stakes, end-
of SP. The dungeons have improved dramatically. Persona 4 leans more heavily into the dating of-the-universe
Each chapter focuses on a single character, who sim aspect of its predecessor. It functions the same mystery they end up
has been kidnapped, and has a dungeon themed way, but the characters all act as if the protagonist embroiled in, the
around their insecurities. For example, Rise is a is the centre of their universe, so it feels more heroes of Persona 4
pop idol who feels exploited, so her dungeon is a like fantasy wish fulfilment than before. Along have a laid back,
strip club; Kanji is a hot-headed delinquent who with this, the vibe is generally so much more friendly vibe, with
prefers traditionally feminine things like sewing, so upbeat than in Persona 3, with bright interface their central base
his area is a bath-house filled with gay stereotypes; colours and an incredibly peppy soundtrack. being the local
Naoto is a female detective dealing with sex It’s very effective at what it does, because it’s easy to department
discrimination, so she envisions a robotic lab where get attached to your buddies – there’s a reason this store, Junes.
her gender can be changed. Visually, these are so game is so well-loved – but it’s also astonishing to
much more interesting than the repetitive Tartarus, see how this type of game grew from something as
even though they’re still randomly generated. grim as the original Shin Megami Tensei.
Thematically, they also tie into the main thread of A Vita port, dubbed Persona 4 Golden, tweaks
being true to one’s identity, and allow for strong a few elements, like letting you visit certain parts
characterisations, since you’re fighting inside of Inaba at night, and makes a few quality-of-life
the minds of your friends and sympathising with adjustments, like letting you pick individual skills
their struggles. during demon fusion instead of the computer
Most of the dungeons are based on party doing it for you. The game’s calendar runs longer,
members, though one of them features an allowing for a fairly lengthy post-game segment
antagonistic nerd, whose dungeon is themed on starring a new, mysterious character named Marie.
retro JRPGs. Other characters include Yosuke, the The added storylines here – a beach episode!
standard “bro” best friend; Yukiko, the daughter the team forms a band! – are even goofier than those
of the town’s famous inn; Chie, a kung-fu loving in the original version, and it’s quite a bit easier,
tomboy; and Teddie, a mysterious resident of the though those issues aside, it’s the best version.
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Persona 5
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4
Society is ruled by the powerful and the corrupt, but

what can the average person to do to fight back?
In Persona 5, as a masked superhero codenamed
Joker, you lead a group called the Phantom
Thieves, who find such individuals, infiltrate their
minds, and “steal their hearts” to get them to
confess to their crimes. It’s a daring concept, with
many themes and villains drawn from real life –
an abusive gym teacher, a plagiarising artist, an
exploitative business owner, even a politician who
resembles real-life Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo
Abe. The dungeons are themed “palaces” based attacking everything. Combined with their long One of the most
on their crimes – a fancy sex castle, a museum, a duration, this exacerbates one of the series’ other scandalous
space station, a cruise liner, etc. Conceptually, it’s biggest issues: its sluggish pacing. There is still a Confidants in
the inverse of Persona 4, as instead of entering the random dungeon called Mementos, where you can Persona 5 is
minds of your friends, you’re exploring the thoughts run assorted sub-quests. your teacher, Ms.
and feelings of the villains. You are introduced The “rebels fighting against the system” Kawakami, who
to this world through Morgana, a talking cat- theme hits the right middle ground between the moonlights as a
creature mascot. gloominess of the third game and the peppiness maid named Becky,
Persona 5 brings back elements of the classic of the fourth, but its thematic ambitions are attempting
Shin Megami Tensei series. Rather than taking undermined because mainstream JRPGs just to address the
place in fictional cities like the other Persona aren’t equipped to handle it. The first villain, the ethical issues of
games, this one is focused on Tokyo. Some combat aforementioned gym teacher, treats his female students dating
elements return, like the inclusion of guns, and students as sex objects, which is bad. But then teachers while still
enemies are no longer shadows but rather the the game does the same thing by dressing the indulging in it.
demons themselves. Conversation is once again heroine Ann in a fetishy leather suit, despite her
the main method of procuring new Personas, protestations, so the messages are mixed. And
accomplished by exploiting the weaknesses of all of since the main characters are largely defined
the enemies and holding them up at gunpoint. The by their associations with their villains, their
interface is as stylish as ever, particularly the menu characterisation isn’t as strong as in Persona 4.
transitions, as simple button presses are met with (The exception is Futaba, the shut-in teenage girl.)
flashy full-screen animations. It’s still a good cast though – Yusuke the eccentric
Unlike the repetitive, randomly-generated artist is a standout, and some of the Confidants,
dungeons of Persona 3 and 4, Persona 5 has like the teacher who moonlights as a maid and the
individually crafted ones. These makes exploration struggling politician, are highlights. In spite of its
much more interesting, but since you’re supposed fumbles, it still plays to the series’ strengths, as
to be thieves, you need to play stealthily, which a super stylish RPG that’s approachable without
means you can’t run straight through them sacrificing depth.
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Persona Q (series)
Developer: Atlus/Lancarse | Released: 2014 | Platform(s): 3DS
The Persona series began as a first-person dungeon

crawler, before ditching this mode for subsequent
entries, as it was apparently becoming outdated.
So it’s ironic that Atlus doubled back to the format
for this side series, which is based on their popular
Etrian Odyssey games. The title makes more sense
in its original language – the Japanese title for
Etrian Odyssey is styled in English as Sekaiju no
MeiQ, which explains the “Persona Q” title.
There are two games in the series, both
crossover “festival” titles, in which assorted
characters from the later generation of Persona status for your character, letting them perform While it’s nice to
games meet. In the first game, you can choose moves without HP or MP cost. If multiple characters revisit the heroes of
from introductory chapters focusing on either the are Boosted, they can also perform co-op or All- the various Persona
Persona 3 or Persona 4 cast, before they eventually Out Attacks. Though characters are equipped with games in this
meet up. The story is centred around two a main Persona, each can also be customised with spinoff series, their
mysterious characters named Zen and Rei, who assorted sub-Personas, bolstering stats or providing personalities have
have lost their memories, in a world patterned after extra attacks. Considering the huge character been reduced to
Yasogami High from Persona 4. Each dungeon is rosters in both games (even more in the second one or two singular
based on a themed exhibit: Alice in Wonderland, a one), you can create many different types of party, traits, leading
dating cafe, a spooky haunted house, a traditional or just concentrate on your favourites. to a lot of jokey
Japanese festival, and a clock tower. The second The stories, however are mostly just loose dialogue that just
game stars the Persona 5 cast, who are stuck in context allowing everyone to get together – on their isn’t very funny.
a movie theatre, as they meet with three more own, it isn’t very interesting. Since the Persona Q
original characters trapped with them, named titles are aimed at fans who’ve already completed
Hikari, Nagi and Doe. Each dungeon is a parody the main games, there are no real character arcs
of a movie genre, including superhero flicks, (and no social elements), so most of them have been
dinosaur monster movies, sci-fi films, musicals, reduced to one or two defining characteristics.
and documentaries. It also brings in the Persona It’s fun to see how the various characters from
3 Portable heroine, who was conspicuously absent the different games interact with each other, but
from the first Persona Q. otherwise the writing is kind of dim. The cutesy
The dungeon crawling is very much Etrian super-deformed art style provides an alternate look
Odyssey, complete with the presence of the vicious for the cast, and the soundtrack draws from many
FOE monsters, which are initially meant to be of the styles of the previous games, including new
avoided rather than confronted directly. The battle raps by Persona 3 vocal star Lotus Juice. They’re
system is a sort of blend of its two sources. Five also certainly easier than the Etrian Odyssey
characters are divided up into front and back rows. games, so they’re a good introduction to first-
If you hit an enemy weakness, you’ll trigger Boost person dungeon crawlers.
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Last Bible (series)
Developer: Atlus/Multimedia Intelligence Transfer | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): GB, GBC, SFC, GG
Predating Pokémon and developed concurrently

with Shin Megami Tensei, Megami Tensei Gaiden:
Last Bible is a child-friendly interpretation of
Atlus’ flagship series. It’s largely a Japan-only sub-
series, though the first game did receive a localised
Game Boy Color release titled Revelations: The
Demon Slayer. Coming out at the height of
Pokémania, this dated take on the formula ended
up a commercial flop.
The first two Last Bible titles were released
a scant 11 months apart for the Game Boy.
They’re fairly similar games that take cues from
Dragon Quest: our heroes embark across a
nondescript fantasy world, allying with both too much time with your monster pals, constantly Last Bible III is
humans and monsters in their quest to vanquish filling the party with Ciel’s human friends. the nicest-looking
the ultimate evil. The second game gets a little Following Last Bible III, the series received of this rather
more characterisation, and a plotline focusing a pair of oddball side games. The first, Another scattershot Megami
on how the heroes on the first game inspired a Bible, was released for the Game Boy and Tensei spinoff sub-
climate of discrimination and genocide against all developed by HAL subsidiary DICE. It is a strategy series, and also the
monsters, who also largely wish to live in peace. game that has virtually nothing to do with Last sole console entry.
Despite its pedigree, the Last Bible series has Bible or SMT, aside from the ability to recruit
plenty of mythological figures, along with pulling monsters. The barebones plot sees heroes Kashiel
the bulk of its bestiary from the Dungeons & and Peutia journey from Earth to Heaven to battle
Dragons monster manual. Still, SMT ’s trademark the titular bible, a giant book with angry eyes. It’s
negotiation and fusion are both here, though in a janky little game, though it has some cool tunes
unsurprisingly simplified forms. by Mega Man composer Manami Matsumae.
The series made the jump to the Super More interesting is Last Bible Special,
Famicom in 1995 with Last Bible III, which is the published by SEGA for the Game Gear without any
series at its best. A more story-centric game, it involvement from Atlus. Much closer to SMT than
is set 200,000 years after its predecessors, in Last Bible proper, Special is a hard-as-nails first-
a society where humans and monsters live in person dungeon crawler in which the hero Mahtel
peace. Ciel and his friends are students of Bulton traverses Jerusalem to track down and slay the
Magic School, until the Polis government bans Antichrist. In the mould of Wizardry, dungeons
the practice of magic on grounds of heresy, which are trap-laden, and even early encounters are
sparks a rebellion. The negotiation and fusion capable of wiping out the party. Each floor is an
systems have been overhauled nicely, bringing increasingly complex maze, and the game can only
Last Bible III closer to SMT mechanically, though be saved in town – an unfortunate choice when
strangely the plot never seems to want you to spend one considers the Game Gear’s poor battery life.
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Giten Megami Tensei
Developer: ASCII | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PC98, WIN
The Megami Tensei series began on home consoles,

which had to adhere to certain content guidelines.
That’s definitely not the case for Giten Megami
Tensei: Tokyo Mokushiroku (“Pseudepigrapha
Megami Tensei: Tokyo Apocalypse”). It’s dark, gory,
and has quite a bit of nudity and sex. The story, for
the most part, is typical of the early games in the
series – you and your friends are part of a group of
Devil Busters, who adventure out from their shelter
to explore post-apocalyptic Tokyo. It actually takes
place within the timeline of Shin Megami Tensei,
after the bombs destroyed the city but before
the hero reappears. Except that in this game, the
heroine is killed and eaten by various monsters games is pretty nice too. Without those
right at the beginning. In the course of the story, But the game is a nightmare to play. Sadly, pesky console
you track down her body parts, which may allow it’s glitchy, unbalanced, grindy, vague, and censors, this
her to be resurrected. monstrously difficult. It also ditches the turn-based PC-only entry
There are a few key differences from the main system in favour of a pseudo real-time system, but does occasionally
games – the mechanics are based on the Shin the speed is dictated by your computer’s CPU, find itself in gore-
Megami Tensei tabletop RPG, so there are extra and if it’s too fast, enemies will kill you before you porn territory.
statistics as well as drug-related status effects can properly fight. It’s only really playable thanks
like Trip. This is also the first game in the series to assorted fan-made patches. The original PC98
in which demons level up, plus they have their version is entirely 2D, while the Windows version
own equipment. The high resolution art of the PC features 3D dungeons but still uses 2D sprites.
Shin Megami Tensei NINE

Developer: Atlus/NexTech | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): XB
Microsoft made a few early attempts to cater to
the Japanese market with the Xbox, and Shin
Megami Tensei NINE was the first JRPG on the
system (and it remained in Japan). The “NINE”
isn’t because it’s a numerical entry, but refers to
the nine alignments – in addition to the usual
Law-Neutral-Chaos of the series, there is also
Light-Neutral-Dark, in varying degrees.
Like Giten Megami Tensei, the story takes
place in the aftermath of Tokyo’s destruction. The
remaining humans live in underground bunkers,
and spend most of their time in Idea Space, a
virtual reality recreation of ’90s Tokyo. However, various commands. Whenever you come across a As the online
irregularities called Noise have begun attacking its locked door, you can also enter a hacking game, component of
users, and can also harm their bodies in the real which resembles a simple RTS. Characters don’t this release was
world, sending them into a coma. You control Kei gain experience; rather, abilities (and the number cancelled, a totally
Azuma, who has joined a squad called Debuggers, of demons you can equip) are determined by gems. different MMORPG
tasked with taking them out. The game was intended to have online called Shin Megami
When exploring virtual Tokyo, the components – a single player “standalone” version Tensei Imagine was
backgrounds are pre-rendered but the characters was released, with an online version to follow, released in 2007, and
are 3D; humans can be seen wandering around but that was cancelled. The game is extremely shut down in 2016.
with their monster companions. Battles take unpolished, though the tie-ins with the original
place in a 3D cyberspace environment and are Shin Megami Tensei, particularly in the story and
mostly automated, though you can intervene with music, are cool.
176
The logo of the
Shin Megami
Tensei series is
striking, though
seldom used
anymore.
177
178
Namco’s
Tales of …
series
Namco is known for all-time classic video games the same game. Most of the games in the series
throughout the ’80s and ’90s, ranging from are separate, story-wise, from each other, though
golden-era arcade classics like Pac-Man and a few have direct sequels (Destiny, Symphonia,
Galaga to early 3D franchises like Ridge Racer and Xillia) and there are some small references that
Tekken. While other companies jumped onto the connect some of the games in various ways, not to
RPG bandwagon fairly early on, Namco really only mention non-canon guest appearances from old
published games by other companies, like Atlus’ heroes and foes.
Megami Tensei and Birthday’s Kaijuu Monogatari. Of course, with so many games in the series,
They didn’t toss their own hat into the ring until they do tend to blend together. For a period of time,
the 1995 Super Famicom title Tales of Phantasia. Tales was nearly annually produced, alternating
This sparked a franchise that led to 18 entries over between various development studios, often with
the course of 25 years, not including numerous varying results in quality. The world designs
spinoffs. It was initially developed by Wolf Team, a tend to be generic anime fantasy, the storylines
part of Telenet (known for ’80s and ’90s PC games themselves tend to suffer from narrative issues,
and some B-grade action games, like Valis), which and as the series went on, the lack of development
was eventually absorbed by Namco and given the time and budget clearly showed. But they excel for
name Namco Tales Studio. two main reasons: fast and fun real-time battle
Tales of Phantasia (like all the later games) sequences (initially presented as side-scrolling 2D
feels like an anime series in the form of an RPG. in the early games, before shifting to 3D later on),
To an extent, this sentiment can be applied to and a roster of fun, likeable characters. Most games
most other RPGs as well, but it’s true of Namco’s feature numerous optional “skits” in which the
series more than most, especially due to its use of cast chats about the events of the story, providing
opening vocal songs, animated introductions, and characterisation and fleshing out the game world.
casts of popular voice actors. The first game There are numerous spoken win quotes after each
features character artwork by manga artist Kousuke battle, a small detail that adds a lot of personality.
Fujishima, known for You’re Under Arrest and Oh Add in regular series features, like a cooking system,
My Goddess, while the next two games (Destiny and a Title system where characters get nicknames (and
Eternia) feature work by Mutsumi Inomata, who potentially stat changes) based on their actions,
isn’t quite as big a star, but provides excellent, plenty of bonus mini-games, and cameos from
attractive art nonetheless. Subsequent games other Namco games, and it’s easy to see how the
have bounced between these artists, and in some series has retained an enthusiastic fanbase, in spite
cases, each has provided different characters for of its ups and downs over the years.
Key to the Tales

games is the
real-time battle
system, making
fights a little
more exciting.
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Tales of Phantasia
Developer: Namco/Wolf Team | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1, GBA, PSP
Tales of Phantasia begins when young swordsman

Cless (also spelled Cress) and his buddy Chester go
out for a pleasant hunt in the woods. But then the
alarm bell from town sounds – it’s been invaded
by enemies, and everyone except them is tragically
slain. The perpetrators seek Cless’ pendant,
passed down from his forefathers, which is a key
to resurrecting the demon lord Dhaos, sealed away
100 years prior, as shown in the game’s prologue.
Dhaos’ power transcends time itself, so the heroes
must travel to the past (and then the future)
in order to be able to beat him.
Despite the time-travelling theme, Tales
of Phantasia isn’t exactly Chrono Trigger, as
the various eras of the land of Aselia don’t really This isn’t technically a new thing – older games Tales of Phantasia
show any drastic changes. In many ways, its story like Zelda II did something similar – but was quite was one of the last
is still fairly typical for an RPG of the era, right novel for a 16-bit RPG; other games typically kept great RPGs on the
down to a quest featuring the four elements, as to a command-based menu. The execution is also Super Famicom,
well as the presence of a life-giving tree. This is, a little different, particularly in the default Semi- before most
of course, Yggdrasil, and the story features a Auto setting, in which hitting the attack button developers shifted
number of references to Norse mythology, even if will send Cless automatically running up to to the PlayStation.
they’re often misused. But the story is so effective an enemy, hitting them, then running back. The vocals in the
because of the characters, which have consistently (An optional item will give more direct control of opening song are
shown themselves to be the Tales’ series biggest the hero.) In order to really do damage, you need to a technical marvel.
strengths. Cless is a likeable protagonist with an string together regular attacks with special moves
affection for puns, who ends up caught in a love called Artes, fueled by Technique Points (TP),
triangle between the sweet, shy priestess Mint and which can be assigned four at a time and activated
the boisterous, upbeat half-elf (and pseudo-witch, by pressing the special button and holding a
given her flying broom) Arche. The cast is rounded direction (or leaving it in neutral). Additionally,
out by Cless’ lifelong archer buddy Chester and the other three party members are controlled by
moody but cool scholar Claus. Dhaos is one an AI, so you can work in conjunction with their
of the great RPG villains, presented as a tragic attacks to string together combos, inflicting
figure with his own motivations, beyond just maximal damage while preventing enemies from
“power” or “insanity”. counter-attacking. In its initial implementation
Many games in the Tales series feature what here, it’s a little stiff, and many fights can devolve
it calls the Linear Motion Battle System – there are into button-mashing, but it is more viscerally
random encounters, in which combat is action- stimulating than most RPGs of the era, even if it
based and viewed from the side-on perspective. doesn’t exactly challenge the brain.
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Since the game was released as the Super Famicom though the Super Famicom version, localised by The PlayStation
was entering its twilight years, and competing DeJap, takes enormous liberties with the script port of Tales of
against 32-bit CD-based platforms like the by embellishing it with plenty of adult humour. Phantasia is
PlayStation, it’s also a bit of a technical marvel. It Meanwhile, the PlayStation version is not only generally regarded
uses 48 Mb of ROM, a huge amount of space, more more faithful, but goes the extra mile by subtitling as the best version.
typical of fighting games, and much of that is used the speech, something the official localisation of
for the game’s digitised speech. Most of this is Destiny didn’t bother with.
assorted battle cries, but a full vocal song is also The first official localisation of Tales of
featured in the intro, entitled “Yume wa Owaranai” Phantasia popped up for the Game Boy Advance,
(“The Dream Will Never End”). The soundtrack, released to tie in with Tales of Symphonia on the
by Wolf Team regulars Motoi Sakuraba and Shinji GameCube. This is mostly based on the Super
Tamura, is also well rounded, though the battle Famicom version, with some aspects from the
themes in particular stand out. PlayStation version, like its revamped sprites and
While many later entries refine both the battle playable Suzu. Unfortunately, this port is fairly
mechanics and the storytelling, Tales of Phantasia poor, as the battles are comparatively sluggish.
is still a pretty fun game, especially because of its The localisation has assorted problems too – it
characters. As a late-era 16-bit RPG, it’s an easy removes the intro vocal song, all of the vocal clips
one to return to, to re-experience the origins of the have been re-recorded in English with both terrible
series, compared to the harsher initial entries in voice acting and bad sound quality, and there’s an
other series like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest. infamous mistake, whereby it translates the term
Tales of Phantasia was remade for the “Ragnarok” as “Kangaroo”.
PlayStation just three years after its initial Super The game also showed up twice for the
Famicom release. In many ways, this brought it up PlayStation Portable – first as the Full Voice
to the level of its PS1 sequel, Tales of Destiny – it Edition, which adds in much more spoken
contains a refined battle system that strengthens dialogue, then bundled as an extra with the spinoff
the supporting characters and adds in multiplayer Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon X, the extra
support, an implementation of Tales’ signature including the spinoff’s character Rondoline, as
“skits”, improved visuals (including sprites that a bonus. These versions have assorted tweaks –
more closely match Fujishima’s artwork and a the character sprites have been redone again but
3D overworld) and sound, an FMV anime intro, they’re too tall, and the action no longer freezes
an extra playable character in the form of ninja during spell-casting. While this was done for
girl Suzu Fujibayashi, and other enhancements. consistency with later games, it also messes up the
This is considered the best version of the game. balance. The other ports aren’t awful, but there’s
Unfortunately neither of these versions got enough jankiness to them that the PlayStation
localised – the Super Famicom version came too release is preferable. The PSP versions were used
late in the system’s life to be commercially viable, as the basis for the smartphone game, which
and Namco likely skipped over the PlayStation was released in English as a free-to-play game
version due to the tepid reaction in North America (save points cost money), though since the servers
to Tales of Destiny. Both have been fan translated, were disabled in 2014, it is no longer playable.
The PSP port marks

the second time the
battle sprites were
changed, this time
to match Tales of
Eternia, but they
look incongruous
up against the
enemies.
181
Tales of Destiny (series)
Developer: Namco | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, PSP
In the world of Tales of Destiny, there are sentient

swords called Swordians, who fought in the ancient
Aeth’er Wars. They have slept for thousands of
years, only awakening in a time of need, and only
certain humans can hear them. One of those
humans happens to be Stahn, a simple country boy
who gets swept up by a grand adventure to hunt
down the Eye of Atamoni, a powerful relic from the
Aeth’er Wars.
While Tales of Phantasia pushed the
boundaries of the Super Famicom to their limits,
Tales of Destiny is fairly unambitious in what
it does with the PlayStation. Other than the
increased sprite detail, it looks and plays more or
less identically to its predecessor, though it does “strong swordswoman” archetype, while the Released only
have an FMV anime cutscene with a vocal track priestess Philia is a more typical soft-spoken months after Final
supplied by J-pop band Deen. It also introduces female, à la Mint. There’s also Leon, initially an Fantasy VII, Tales
optional little interludes where the main characters antagonist, whom the heroes are forced to join of Destiny did little
chat about their situations on the world map, up with, whose brooding mannerisms and tragic to show the Western
done entirely with spoken dialogue. While Tales story have helped make him the most popular audience why they
of Destiny was released in North America, both character in the game. Kousuke Fujishima did not should care about
the vocal song and these interludes were cut out return to do the art; instead the reins were handed the Tales series, as
entirely – the former likely for licensing reasons, to Mutsumi Inomata, and while her artwork isn’t it appeared quite
the latter because Namco had opted not to hire quite on the same level (it gets better in later old-fashioned.
English voice actors (or add subtitles). These cuts, entries), the super-deformed sprites still look as
along with some mediocre writing, really harm the goofily likeable as before.
localised version of the game. After Tales of Destiny, Namco continued with
This being the second entry, the combat a whole new story and cast of characters in Tales
is still a little rough, and the enemies are pretty of Eternia (released as Tales of Destiny II in North
dumb, making it kinda boring. This is the first America), before returning to the story to create a
entry that allows multiple players, though, as direct sequel. As the fourth entry in the mainline
the entire party can be controlled by human series and the first on the PlayStation 2, Tales of
players, providing you have a multitap. The Destiny 2 takes place about 15 years down the line.
story is not quite as compelling as Phantasia’s, The main character is Kyle, the son of Rutee and
but it does contain likeable characters. Stahn Stahn, who desperately wants to be a hero like
is a bit of a naive doofus, who often exchanges his father, who set off on a journey when Kyle was
barbs with Rutee, a sharp-tongued thief. Mary is very young; he hasn’t been seen since. He and his
Rutee’s partner in crime, fitting into the rare adopted brother Rodi discover a mysterious girl in
182
some ancient ruins, who’s muttering something This is also the first game in the series to implement The screenshots
about looking for a hero. They join together as they the Grade function, giving you a score at the end of above left are from
rise to the occasion, which puts them at odds with each encounter. When you complete the game, you Tales of Destiny 2
Elrane, the human manifestation of the goddess can use those points at the Grade shop to unlock and the Tales of
Fortuna. Their actions create a split timeline, various features for subsequent runs. Destiny remake,
requiring them to go back to the past to fix it, Overall, the story is rather dumb but the both of which use
during which Kyle learns the sacrifices required to battle system is super fun, which applies to a lot large sprites for their
be a true hero. of the later games in the Tales series. Alas, Namco characters in battle.
JRPGs are stereotyped as having teenage didn’t feel that the 2D entries would appeal to
characters talking about justice and heroism and overseas fans, so none of these were localised into
such, and Tales of Destiny 2 is one of the purest English. Which is, of course, unfortunate, because
examples of this kind of thing. Kyle is super- the battle systems are the best of them – they have a
enthusiastic, but he’s also kind of a dingus. Other subtly different feel from the 3D games
aspects of the plot are kinda dumb too – there’s a that makes them feel tighter, despite their
character named Judas who is very obviously just mechanical similarity.
Leon in a mask (who shows up here for reasons After continuing the 2D Tales line with Tales
that aren’t initially clear), and the time travel plot of Rebirth, the series doubled back with a remake
was already done, and done much better, in Tales of the original Tales of Destiny. This is a ground-up
of Phantasia. remake, implementing many aspects of the other
Visually, it’s an evolution of Tales of Eternia, 2D PlayStation games, the major difference being
using sprites on 2D backgrounds, but the higher that the field backgrounds are 3D, though the
resolution allows for a greater level of detail. characters are still sprites. Much of the script has
(The world map is totally 3D though, and does been expanded too, with much more voice acting
not look great.) These larger, more detailed than was present in the original game. Some of the
sprites greatly improve the battle system over characterisations have changed, though, to match
its PlayStation era counterpart. The camera how they were represented in Tales of Destiny 2 –
also zooms in and out as the player character primarily Stahn, whose dumbness has been played
moves towards the enemies, the combat is even up beyond the original “simple country bumpkin”
smoother, and the whole thing feels like an SNK persona. Stahn’s younger sister Lily, who existed
fighting game. in the original game’s code but was left unused, is
It also handles the criticism that previous now playable too.
games were too button-mashy by implementing However, the biggest improvement is the
a Spirit Points (SP) gauge. Every attack will drain battle system. This game introduces the Chain
the SP gauge a bit, so you’ll need to retreat for a Capacity (CC) system, which totally eliminates the
few moments to recharge when it gets low. TP is concept of TP. Instead, you can create combos,
also handled differently, as it now maxes out at using regular attacks or Artes however you want,
100, and regenerates as you use regular attacks. though the length of the combo is capped at a
As a result, you can use Artes without being certain level, determined by your equipment. After
concerned about TP running out, because you just the combo is completed, it replenishes almost
recharge it, though there are still restoratives if you instantly, though the cap resets at a higher or lower
want to replenish it immediately. In order to ensure limit. As such, the kind of combos you can perform
that your characters are facing enemies head on, if is constantly in flux. Many later Tales entries use
you try to run around and attack them from the this system, with various tweaks. In addition to this,
back, you’ll be subjected to an SP penalty. There’s there’s a super-fun mid-air combat system whereby
also a hidden gauge that increases as you attack, you can leap and attack enemies in mid-air. As
which, when maxed out, will engage the Spirit with the later Tales games, you can also command
Blaster mode, which allows you to attack without characters other than Stahn. The Director’s Cut re-
losing SP. This is found in many later games under release includes some tweaks and additions, but,
different names, though usually with an on-screen most importantly, includes a new scenario starring
indicator, and player control over its activation. Leon, though it’s only a few hours long.
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Tales of Eternia
Developer: Namco | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP
The title of this game is rather confusing – in

Japan, it’s known as Tales of Eternia, but for the
North American PlayStation release, it was retitled
Tales of Destiny II, even though its storyline is
not related. Later on, Namco actually did release
a direct sequel called Tales of Destiny 2 (which was
unlocalised), but this book will refer to this title by
its original name.
The twin worlds of Inferia and Celestia lie
right next to each – look to the sky of one and
you can see the other gazing back. But in spite
of their proximity, the people of the two planets
have not interacted in thousands of years. That
is, until a girl named Meredy crashlands onto normal proportions in battle, ditching the super- Namco gave Tales
Inferia, where she’s picked up by two hunters, Reid deformed sprites of the last two games. another shot in
and Farah. After breaking the language barrier, The battle sequences have been improved North America
Meredy reveals she’s from Celestia and brings bad substantially, in both presentation and control. with this entry,
tidings – the barrier that divides the two worlds They simply feel much smoother than before, but it still didn’t
is collapsing, and if something isn’t done, they’ll and have tighter formation control for your allies, make much of
crash into and destroy each other. Eventually, the as well as a scoring system to grant bonuses, a mark.
crew learn to travel between the planets, and stop a feature carried forward to subsequent Tales
the forces that threaten to doom everything. games. The story and characters are okay, though
Tales of Destiny felt like a slightly souped- neither the personalities nor designs stand out
up Super Famicom game, while Tales of Eternia very much. The game does introduce the cutesy
feels like a legitimate PlayStation release. The animal mascot in the form of Meredy’s squirrel-
backgrounds are now fully illustrated, like most like pet Quickie, as well as having a propensity for
other PS1 RPGs, and while the art isn’t as lovely gibberish to flesh out the world’s science, mostly
as that in Legend of Mana or SaGa Frontier 2, spewed by the nerdy scholar Keele.
it’s still quite pretty. It comes on three CDs, Tales of Eternia is a sort of stopgap in
featuring some FMV cutscenes and substantially the larger context of the series, because while
expanded voice acting, which was previously it’s an improvement (at least in mechanics and
primarily confined to battles and skits. presentation), most of its sequels do everything
The downsides are that much of the pre-rendered this game does, but better. The game received a PSP
video has aged poorly, and that while Namco was port early in the system’s life. Other than adding in
kind enough to actually translate the English widescreen and making the battles smoother, not
dialogue this time instead of just hacking it much was really changed. Its only English release
out, the voice acting is mediocre at the best of was in Europe, since Sony of America frowned on
times. The characters also have slightly more 32-bit ports that didn’t add much new content.
184
Tales of Symphonia (series)
Developer: Namco | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): GC, PS2, WII, PS3, WIN
Tales of Symphonia focuses on a girl named

Colette, who’s chosen to recharge the world with
mana, and initially takes her friend Lloyd with her
on this journey. However, it’s eventually revealed
that the quest is something far darker than she
had anticipated.
This, the fifth Tales game, is an important
entry for the series. It featured the return of
character designer Kousuke Fujishima, who had sat
out for every game since Phantasia. It was basically
a relaunch for the series in North America, as both a hidden affinity system that determines Lloyd’s Since the PlayStation
Destiny and Eternia had been flops, and Nintendo relationship with the rest of the party, affecting Tales games were
put quite a bit of marketing behind it, as it was one certain events. The localisation is generally well widely overlooked,
of the first original JRPGs for the GameCube. As done, though the opening song was changed Symphonia is
the first in the series to go 3D, it also established and the skits were left unvoiced. A later PS2 port seen as one of the
the look and feel for most of the subsequent entries. released only in Japan adds some extra content, establishing games
While the battles takes place on a 3D field, but halves the frame rate of the battles to 30 FPS, of the series in
you can only move forwards and backwards in so they don’t feel as smooth. North America.
relation to your targetted enemy. The camera is Symphonia received a direct sequel for the
more dynamic, though, zooming in and out and Wii, called Dawn of the New World. It stars two
allowing you to get a better view of the action. There new characters, Emil and Marta, and takes place
are some new abilities, like the Over Limit gauge two years after the first game. It focuses on a tree
to temporarily increase power (a modified version spirit named Ratatosk, which has been causing
of the Spirit Blaster from Destiny 2) and Unison chaos. Emil believes that Lloyd murdered his
Attacks to join forces with other characters. parents, but what begins as a quest for vengeance
The cel-shaded visuals are excellent, though ends up much larger. While some of the extra party
the proportions of the models make many of them slots are taken up by characters from the original,
look childlike. The story, for better or worse, is the for much of the time you’ll be fighting alongside
kind that the Tales series would become known for monsters that you’ve recruited. Unfortunately,
– an interesting premise and some fun characters much of this entry is fairly poor. The visuals ditch
(the smarmy, womanising Zelos, the mysterious and the cel-shaded look, and it looks much worse. The
powerful swordsman Kratos, the ninja magician new characters are awful and the returning ones
Sheena) but these are balanced out by some annoying are butchered; much of the game feels redundant.
ones (the ditzy Colette, the child genius Genis) as Both Symphonia games were bundled together for
well as some slow pacing and tedious padding. an HD port on the PlayStation 3. The first entry is
The story later introduces parallel worlds, and deals based on the PS2 version, so it’s also stuck with
(clumsily) with themes like racism, though it does 30 FPS battles, though it brings back the original
tie in eventually to Phantasia, at least. There’s also opening song and the option for Japanese voices.
185
Tales of Rebirth
Developer: Namco | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2, PSP
Tales of Rebirth takes place in a world inhabited

by Huma (humans) and Gajuma (beastmen),
who have coexisted peacefully for a number
of years. However, when the King passes away
mysteriously, it causes an awakening in many
humans, granting them magical Force powers
previously known only to Gajuma. These
newfound abilities have tragic consequences,
as the users can’t always control them properly;
the hero, Veigue, learns this quickly when he
accidentally encases his girlfriend Claire in ice.
A year passes and some adventurers free her,
but before a happy reunion can take place, she is
kidnapped by the princess Agarte, who has her undertaking aggressive actions and decreased Tales of Rebirth
own plans for the kingdom. by taking defensive ones. This has various effects is another 2D
While previous Tales games had themes that can include increasing strength but lowering PlayStation 2 entry,
involving racism, they’re at the core of Tales defence, and managing it is extremely important. and as such was
of Rebirth. The story is not bad, though there But the most unusual change is that there is no passed over for
are some notable homages to (or perhaps rip- healing magic, and healing items, particularly localisation, but
offs of) various chapters of the manga JoJo’s at the beginning, are very sparse. Instead, HP is the battle system
Bizarre Adventures. Veigue is also a pretty boring replenished when using a special attack while is fun as heck, like
protagonist – he barely speaks, and fans have noted its Force Gauge is maxed out, giving you the the others of its ilk.
that a disproportionate amount of his dialogue opportunity to regain lost health based on how you
is him shouting his girlfriend’s name. fight. This is also heavily influenced by the Rush
The story is not really the main draw of this Gauge, as you won’t gain as much HP if it’s too
game though; rather, its strengths lie in its battle high. Along with this, you can tweak HP recovery
system. It’s 2D and can be seen as a follow-up to distribution so the other characters can regain
Tales of Destiny 2, as it was designed by the same health at different rates.
staff. The key difference is that the field is split up Tales games tend to get divided up into
into three tiers that you can leap between, à la “story” games and “battle” games, based on where
Guardian Heroes, which gives some versatility as their strengths lie, and this is definitely one of the
to how you can approach and surround enemies. latter. It’s a little tough to wrap your head around
The TP system is gone too, and instead each at first, but once you fully understand it, it’s one
of your four skills is governed by an individual of the best in the series. Despite a PSP re-release a
Force Gauge, which determines its strength and few years down the line, and much like the Destiny
replenishes automatically. Additionally, there’s sequel and remake, no localisation was granted, as
a Rush Gauge shared among the cast, which Namco wasn’t doing this for 2D entries then, so it is
measures their emotional tension, increased by mostly unknown to the English speaking audience.
186
Tales of Legendia
Developer: Namco | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2
Tales of Legendia is sort of the bastard stepchild

among the PS2 games in the series. It was made by an
in-house group called Project MelFes, a collection
of not only Tales developers, but members of the
Tekken and SoulCalibur teams as well. This gives
its combat system a unique identity, differing from
the series’ sixth-gen releases, switching out the
more open ended arenas for a 2D plane to duke
it out on. Titled X-LMBS (Crossover Linear Motion
Battle System), this tweaked system is meant to
mimic the feel of a 2D fighting game, that point
being made clear by lead hero Senel fighting with
fists and pulling off moves that wouldn’t be out of
place on a shoto character. With this, you’re in the The structure is also pretty odd, as the main story Legendia is one
thick of the action, and encouraged to create large resolves in the first half of the game, while the of the weaker PS2
combos with the Eres system. Think magic spells, second half focuses on the characters’ individual Tales games, and
but contextualised as fighting game special moves. stories and finishes up some plot threads. there is of course
Senel can also pick up and throw enemies around This character focus sounds great on paper, some bitterness that
the field, knocking over other enemies, which is but in practice, this part of the game just this was localised
pretty fun! Additionally, there’s a climax bar that involves playing through repeated dungeons, when none of the
builds during fights and can be spent to freeze where nothing too significant happens for long 2D games had been.
enemies for a short time, giving you a chance at a stretches, plus the English version had the voices
free damaging combo. in these sections cut out.
It’s one of the most unique systems in the For a roughly 40-hour JRPG, this is a
whole series, though it is quite contentious among massive problem, and has caused Legendia to be
series fans – it feels a little restrictive, it runs at ranked low among many Tales fans, constantly
a low (30 FPS) frame rate, and it returns to the overshadowed by Symphonia and Abyss – and
random encounters that other Tales games had rightfully so: in many ways it feels like a step back
gotten away from by this point. Indeed, this feels from those. At the very least, it’s fun to play in a way
closer to one of the PS1 entries than the PS2 ones. the rest of the series never attempted. It also stands
The bigger problem is that Legendia’s out for its character designs by Kazuto Nakazawa
narrative is bare bones, starting off on a simple (Samurai Champloo), which look quite different
and uninteresting note, with you on a mysterious from the other games’, and the brilliant soundtrack
island (actually a ship from an ancient civilisation), by Go Shiina, who goes for a more orchestral style,
looking for Senel’s missing sister Shirley, compared to Motoi Sakuraba’s prog rock themes.
who clearly has some kind of strange power. With Namco seemingly having no interest in ever
As is typical for Tales games, the characters are revisiting the unique battle system, Legendia is still
kinda fun, but the overall story is not that great. worth looking at, if only for its novelty.
187
Tales of the Abyss
Developer: Namco | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2, 3DS
Luke fon Fabre is the spoiled noble of the kingdom

of Kimlasca, who has barely set foot outside of
his manor. Until one day, an assailant whisks
him out into the real world and far into enemy
territory, forcing him to come to terms with his
responsibilities, as well as his mysterious past.
The politics of the world in Tales of the
Abyss are quite intriguing – there are two nations,
Malkuth and Kimlasca, struggling to maintain
control over the Score, a record of history and
prophecy. Not only do regular people worship it
as literally gospel, but it’s believed that whoever
possesses full knowledge of the Score can crush
their enemies. A neutral entity, the religious Order with Guy, Luke’s best buddy, and Anise, a young JRPGs tend to be
of Lorelei, acts as a mediator, but they are subject girl comically obsessed with status and money. stereotyped as being
to corruption, and Luke’s disappearance begins a But the standout is the dark magician Jade, about “the power
cavalcade of events that break the peace. whose sarcastically detached nature make him of friendship” and
It’s a great story, somewhat poorly told, an unusual ally. The party dynamics in Abyss are Tales of the Abyss
thanks to the overwhelming use of confusing rather uncommon, since many of them are hostile is most definitely
names and terms, especially in the early part towards Luke or betray the party at some point, not that.
of the game, so it’s hard to figure out who is though the narrative requires they be forgiven
allied with what. It’s further complicated by the almost immediately.
game’s magic, referred to as Fonons, for which The visuals are similar to those in Symphonia,
every explanation sounds like gibberish. It’s also though they lose the cel-shading, and characters
badly paced, as you visit the entire map fairly are proportioned to look less like children.
early on, meaning that many scenarios involve The battle system now allows you to run around
tediously slogging between towns or running the field instead of just towards targetted enemies,
through already visited dungeons. Combining this which makes it feel far less restrictive. There’s
with an unnecessary third act makes much of it an overcomplicated system in which other party
drag on. members can leave elemental circles on the ground
Thankfully, as with many other Tales games, for you to stand in and launch super attacks, but
the story thrives thanks to its characters. Luke is the fights are rarely hard enough that you’ll need
a comically jerkish lout at the outset, but major them; similarly, a customisation system regarding
events cause him to mature fairly quickly. Tear, elements is largely unnecessary. Tales of the Abyss
the female assailant who kidnaps him, is a typical doesn’t quite come together – it’s a good story,
tsundere but makes for an endearing love interest, badly told – but the interesting backdrop and the
while his betrothed, Natalia of the kingdom of lively cast keep things interesting, even when parts
Kimlasca, is a suitable foil. The cast is rounded out of the journey become a slog.
188
Tales of Vesperia
Developer: Namco | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): X360, PS3, PS4, XB1, NSW, WIN
The world of Tales of Vesperia is fuelled by

an energy source known as Blastia. The story
begins when Yuri Lowell, former Imperial knight,
investigates the disappearance of the Blastia core
in his neighbourhood, putting him at odds with
the kingdom’s nobility. This eventually leads him
and his compatriots to form a group called Brave
Vesperia, dedicated to preventing acts of Blastia
abuse around the world.
In many ways, this is a fairly typical Tales
game, though it takes into account criticisms
from Tales of the Abyss – the characters are less in his mouth and manages to have some great Yuri is regarded
hostile to each other, it dials back the jargon, and moments despite being unable to talk. as one of the best
the battle system is less needlessly complicated. Tales of Vesperia has a strong reputation protagonists in
The visuals aren’t fantastic, but the brightly cel- among series fans, and that’s less because it does the series, because
shaded character models are a step up from the anything particularly well (aside from Yuri as who doesn’t love a
PS2 era, and they capture Kousuke Fujishima’s the hero), but rather because it doesn’t have any rogue-ish do-gooder?
character designs quite nicely. But the biggest major flaws. There is some aimless pacing and the The fantastic voice
strength is Yuri, probably one of the best final act is not great, plus the world design is a bit performance by
protagonists in a series filled with interesting and dull, as is the soundtrack. However, these are also Troy Baker doesn’t
likeable characters. Though he has a strong sense consistent issues with many other Tales games. hurt either.
of justice, he’s also frustrated at having to work But contrast this with other titles in the JRPG
against a flawed system filled with corruption. boom in the early days of the Xbox 360, which often
This often puts him at odds with his former buddy suffered design, narrative, or technical problems:
Flynn, still a member of the Imperial knights, this game is largely free from those. Plus, it marks
thus sticking them on opposing sides of the law, the first time Namco took the localisation for a
despite their shared values. This sort of rogue do- Tales game seriously, by including the complete
gooder character is not uncommon in fiction, but vocal song in the anime intro (with English lyrics
it is strangely atypical of JRPGs, especially in a sung by the original artist, Bonnie Pink) and fully
leading role, so Yuri’s presence is refreshing. voiced skits.
The rest of the cast is fun as usual, including While initially an Xbox 360 exclusive, the
Estelle, the usual “sheltered princess” stereotype, later PS3 version added some extra elements,
though she’s so sunny it’s hard to dislike her; including two new characters – Patty, the oddball
Judith, a flashy and flirtatious dragon rider and pirate girl, and Flynn, who should have been
member of an elf-like race; and Rita, a smart but playable in the original version. Alas, despite
sharp-tongued researcher in the vein of Claus many pleas, this was not localised until the 2019
from Tales of Phantasia. There’s also Repede, one Definitive Edition, released internationally for
of the few playable dogs in JRPGs, who has a pipe several platforms.
189
Tales of Graces
Developer: Namco | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): WII, PS3
Tales of Graces stars a group of friends led by a

boy named Asbel, who discovers a mysterious
purple-haired girl lying in a field of flowers. Who
is she? She doesn’t really know, and has trouble
understanding basic human emotions, plus
seems to be extraordinarily powerful. He decides
to call her Sophie. At the same time, he befriends
Richard, the prince of the kingdom, who has
recently been the subject of some assassination
attempts. During one of these, Asbel is seemingly
fatally injured, only for Sophie to intervene and
sacrifice herself to save him. and replaces it with the CC system from some of Tales of Graces
Fast-forward seven years and the friends have the Japan-only PS2 games. Rather than having has the reputation
all grown up, including Asbel, who has become special moves that drain TP, you have a meter of having the best
a royal knight. He seems to be harnessing some that indicates how long a combo you can perform. battle system but
mysterious powers, and things get stranger when, If you do well in combat, then the CC is extended, one of the worst
during a moment of danger, Sophie mysteriously and you can pull off more moves. There are two stories.
re-appears, again with no memory of what has types of attack, with different chains based on
happened. Political intrigue occurs, as people are which direction you push the controls. Though
still out to kill Richard, while the gang gets back the free-run has been weakened, there’s a quick
together to fight back. side-step move, as well as three different types
Tales of Graces’ story is fairly average, but it’s of blocking manoeuvre. Everything just works
really let down by its cast of characters. Asbel is together brilliantly, because it forces you to do
an incredibly generic hero, and a huge downgrade more than just button-mash, and constantly
from Luke and Yuri in the previous two games. rewards smart offensive and defensive planning. It
Sophie is a blank-faced robot, and every kid that also expands on the Title system of previous games
they grew up with turns out to be either awful or by granting dozens of them to each character, and
uninteresting. Pascal, the quirky girl with weirdly using them as a way of customising stats.
multi-coloured hair, would be pretty obnoxious in This entry began as a Wii game, which was
any other game, but here her goofiness gives the incredibly buggy and never left Japan. The PS3
crew some kind of personality. port was localised, though, as Tales of Graces F,
Instead, the strength of the game rests almost which includes an extra “future” chapter as an
entirely on the battle system, which is one of the epilogue. However, it’s still a scaled-up Wii game,
best the series has ever seen. The previous 3D and looks markedly worse than Tales of Vesperia.
entries stayed with the side-scrolling perspective Ultimately the battle system really makes this
just to maintain the feel of the older titles, but the game, and at least the storyline isn’t as offensively
camera here is instead placed above and behind bad as, say, Star Ocean: The Last Hope, so it’s still
the characters. It also ditches the TP system quite enjoyable overall.
190
Tales of Xillia / Tales of Xillia 2
The “X” in Tales of Xillia stands for “crossover”,

owing to the dual protagonists within the game,
as well as the collaboration of the two character
artists of the series, Kousuke Fujishima and
Mutsumi Inomata. As in Star Ocean: The Second
Story, players can choose to view the game from
the perspective of Jude, a medical student, or
Milla, a mysterious woman who says she is a King
of Spirits named Maxwell. Together they must
work to destroy the Lance of Kresnik, a terrible
super-weapon powered by a source called Spyrix.
There are a few changes with regard to the considering the low standards of the series. Bits Tales of Xillia is
perspective – the viewpoint is moved behind the and pieces of the plot seem drawn from previous hardly the most
player, who can manipulate the camera, instead Tales games. interesting game in
of the perspective shifting automatically. This A direct sequel was released, taking place a the series, and the
works into how the areas are structured, as they’re year after the original, and featuring many of the fact that it got a
generally larger and more open. There’s no real same characters. The hero is Ludger Kresnik, who sequel seems more
overworld anymore, just large areas filled with finds himself entangled with a mysterious girl about reusing assets
monsters. The battle system introduces a feature named Elle. He’s mostly a silent hero, but you can than because the
called Linking, whereby you can choose one of also make choices at specific points that influence writers still had
your fellow combatants as a partner, who will his dialogue or actions, though the effect on the stories they
help beat up on enemies from behind as well as story is often minimal. At the outset, Ludger finds wanted to tell.
provide particular skills. There’s also an Assault himself buried in medical debt, and must pay
Counter similar to the Chain Capacity seen in back money in increments in order to continue
some of the previous Tales games, influencing the story. Additionally, alternate dimensions
your combo length, though Artes still use TP. have begun popping up, causing all sorts of
Tales of Xillia is very much a typical instabilities in the main timelines. Ludger has the
Tales game, but it just feels like it’s missing power to explore, and eventually destroy, these
something. Milla has a cool design, but these “what-if?” parallel worlds, which are interesting,
strong, emotionless characters are a little too since characters that were dead are now alive, or
rote, and while Jude’s role as a student makes villains are actually good guys. But in the end,
him a little different from a typical RPG hero, he’s these dimensions need to be annihilated, forcing
also not really all that interesting. The story also their lives back to the main timeline, so it can be
suffers from the dual perspective: while Milla’s pretty tragic. The fact that so much is recycled
more involved in the story, there are parts that from the first game is tiring, and working off that
only really make sense from Jude’s perspective. debt feels like a cheap way to pad out the length,
Weirdly, the cooking system is also missing, and though the central conceit is more interesting
the music is fairly generic and repetitive, even than in a typical Tales game.
191
Tales of Zestiria
Developer: Namco | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4, WIN
Tales of Zestiria focuses on a young man named

Sorey, who lives in the sky among angelic beings
called Seraphim. Curious about the world below,
he regularly explores the ruins around the area,
where he eventually happens upon a human girl
named Alisha, princess of the kingdom of Hyland.
Sorey and his pal Mikleo decide to leave their
home and journey to the land of Glenwood down
below, where they find people plagued by war
and famine, whose negative emotions turn them
into beasts called Hellions. Sorey, who, unlike
normal humans, can see both Seraphim and Tales of Zestiria is another fairly middling Zestiria has a
Hellions, awakens a powerful sword and earns entry in the series, with nothing about it that really poor reputation
himself the title of the Shepherd, the fated saviour stands out, though most of its issues are no different among series fans,
of the land. from those in the other games in the series. But it mostly because it’s
The game is a cross-generational, released does have a terrible reputation among series fans, emblematic of all
on the PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, and Windows which has more to do with what it represents in that’s wrong with
internationally – as such, there’s not much the grand scheme of the franchise. Post-Vespiria, the franchise up
technical improvement over the previous Xillia Namco had begun to milk the series, producing until this point.
games, though its lankier, more realistically titles that were average in quality, with budgets
proportioned characters take some getting used that were getting noticeably smaller, resulting in
to. When you encounter enemies, battles occur both technical deficiencies and stories that felt
there and then rather than on a separate screen, rushed. Zestiria just happened to be emblematic of
which leads to two primary issues – the frame these issues, and fans felt that the 20th anniversary
rate is cut down to 30 FPS, making it feel much of the series should have engendered more respect.
choppier than previous games, and the camera A minor controversy also arose around the
can often become a problem if you’re caught in game’s characters in Japan, where the marketing
tight quarters. The battle system itself is roughly indicated that the main heroine would be Alisha,
similar to that in Tales of Graces, with a camera the stoic princess knight, who seemed like an
that hovers behind the main character’s shoulder. interesting character. However, when the game
Characters are divided into humans and their actually came out, Alisha was sidelined fairly early
Seraphim partners, the former strong in a mêlée, on in the story, with the heroine role being taken
the latter at magic. Certain characters can perform up by the merchant/assassin Rose, and Alisha’s
Armatization transformations to fuse with their story was sold separately as DLC. Much of this was
Seraphim. There’s also a system to customise your silly fandom drama, though the way that Alisha
characters’ abilities by placing symbols in a grid, was shuffled off and Rose shoved in her place was
and arranging them in different formations can thought bizarre enough that the anime adaptation
produce bonuses. rewrote their roles.
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Tales of Berseria
Developer: Namco | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4, WIN
Velvet and her little brother Laphicet live in

relative peace in a rural village, protected by their
older relative Artorius. However, when monsters
invade the village, Artorius chucks Laphicet into
a mysterious pit as a sacrifice; Velvet jumps in
after him and emerges with a dark, mutated arm.
After spending a few years in demon jail, she
breaks out and finds the world under the religious,
authoritarian rule of the Abbey, with Artorius as its
leader. By banding together with a group of fellow
misfits, she works towards her main goal: revenge.
The title is inspired by the term “berserker”. It does take place in the same universe as Zestiria, The tale of half-
Tales of Berseria plays to the series’ biggest but 1000 years earlier, so while the storyline demon Velvet and
strengths, with its strong cast of characters, mostly connections are technically thin, you can her struggles against
anti-heroes whose goals aren’t exactly noble, understand how the Berseria world evolved into an authoritarian
but are more than understandable. This focus on that of Zestiria. religious government
raw anger gives the story a strong sense of The battle system takes the character proves to be more
direction and purpose. Velvet struggles with her movement off its rails, allowing free movement compelling than
vanishing humanity, especially as she’s joined by a around the battlefield. There are no “normal” the stories in most
boy who resembles her deceased brother so closely attacks; instead each is a unique special move Tales games.
she renames him Laphicet. She’s naturally a little (an Arte in Tales lingo), which can be assigned to
dour compared to other Tales heroes, and her a button and customised into combos. Attacks
outfit is more revealing than those of most other are dictated by a Soul gauge, which regenerates
female characters, especially considering the series on its own, but can be collected on the battlefield
never really felt exploitative in the same way as other to lengthen combos or perform more powerful
anime-themed RPGs. But at least it is acknowledged abilities called Break Souls. It’s one of the better
in-game – her apparent failure to notice freezing implementations of the Tales battle system,
temperatures, despite her skimpy outfit, is though it’s not quite as fun as Tales of Graces F.
explained as being due to her loss of humanity, The only real downside is that the areas are
and you can change her default outfit if you prefer. large, empty, and barely detailed; they’re even more
The rest of the cast is strong, like Magilou, the selfish, downgraded than in Zestiria. Dungeon and field
eccentric sorceress, and Eleanor, a former Abbey exploration feels pretty dull, and the somewhat
exorcist who questions their cruel methods. Also, overcomplicated loot system only offers little
while evil religions are a pretty typical JRPG trope, baubles for you to grab. But, after sputtering along
at least here it’s presented as such pretty much for a number of years post-Vesperia, and flat-out
from the outset, rather than being held as a late floundering with Zestiria, Berseria is not merely a
game twist. Overall, the story is excellent, and runs return to form for the Tales series, but one of its
counter to the series’ reputation for generic plots. best entries.
193
Tales of (Portable Entries)
Developer: assorted companies | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): GBC, GBA, PSP, DS, 3DS, PSV
Every major RPG series got at least one portable

spinoff, and the Tales games are no exception. The
first such series was subtitled Narikiri Dungeon,
released for the Game Boy Color. A storyline sequel
to Tales of Phantasia that takes place about 100
years later, it stars a brother and sister named Dio
and Mel, who must undergo a “spirit test” to uncover
their past. Narikiri refers to the ability to change
costume, transforming characters into different
classes, including some based on other Namco
characters. The dungeons are randomly generated,
and battles use a turn-based Petit-LMBS system.
Tales of Phantasia: Narikiri Dungeon is very
well regarded for its deep philosophical story, which a strategy game, though it’s actually a sequel to an Many of the portable
goes into more depth about the world of Phantasia. earlier Game Boy Color game called Pocket King, Tales games are
It’s pretty surprising, since most of these spinoffs which in turn was an update of the Namco Famicom dungeon crawlers
have either throwaway or completely negligible game King of Kings. with crossovers
stories, relying instead on the return of favourite The next Tales of the World game was Radiant involving characters
characters. The game was later remade for the PSP Mythology for the PSP. Like the second Narikiri from the main
as Narikiri Dungeon X, using the more standard game, its goals are to obtain quests and hunt down games, or are simply
Tales real-time battle system. While this does monsters, commanding a user-controlled character unrelated genres.
improve X compared to its predecessor, some of the and allying with assorted Tales characters. It doesn’t Tales of Hearts is
darker elements of the original story have also been quite have the same costume system, but there are still an original game
removed, taking much of the bite out of it. a number of classes to pick from. The battle system though, and is one
This was followed up by Tales of the World: is basically the same as in Tales of the Abyss. This of the better ones.
Narikiri Dungeon 2, for the Game Boy Advance. This is the only one of these spinoffs that was localised.
was the first of a number of crossover games, this It was followed up by two more sequels, also on the
one featuring characters from Phantasia, Destiny, PSP, though released only in Japan, that expand the
and Eternia. In it, the two heroes accept quests character classes and the cameos from other games.
from townspeople and then explore a dungeon. Starting with the Nintendo DS, Namco began
The conventional action battle system returns as releasing new entries in the series that were closer
well, plus costumes can now be tweaked. The third to the mainline games, instead of being spinoffs
Narikiri Dungeon game, also for the GBA, changes with differing styles of gameplay. The first of these
things up again, implementing a tactical map, was Tales of the Tempest for the DS, co-developed
where conflicts then play out in the traditional Tales by Dimps. The story focuses on two kids, Caius and
fashion. Tales of the World spun out once again, Rubia, in a world in the middle of racial turmoil
producing Summoner’s Lineage, another storyline between humans and beastfolk called Leymon. In
sequel to Phantasia, also for the GBA. This is also battle scenes, the field is divided into three lanes,
194
which your characters can hop between. Ultimately, from other Namco games. The weapons, called Of the two remakes
though, the game has a slapped-together quality – Somas, can also be customised via raw materials of DS Tales games,
the polygonal visuals are poor, the voice acting is found throughout. English speakers
sparse, and the quest is pretty short. It was so poorly Probably the weirdest aspect of this game is missed out on
received that it was downgraded from a “flagship” that there were two separate releases, completely Innocence R, which
game to a “gaiden”. identical except for their cutscenes. The Anime isn’t bad … but Hearts
The next game, Tales of Innocence, was an edition, obviously, uses the anime FMV typical R is slightly better.
improvement. It was outsourced to Alfa System, of the rest of the Tales series, while the CG
who had previously worked on some of the Tales of version uses really ugly computer-rendered versions
the World games. The protagonist is a boy named of the movies.
Luca, who’s kind of a wimp, but has dreams of a The game was later remade for the Vita, under
powerful warrior named Asura. It turns out he’s the name Tales of Hearts R, and it got a complete
seeing visions of his previous life, as people all over 3D overhaul, using the same engine as Innocence
the land begin to recall memories of a bygone war. R (and only releasing an anime cutscenes version).
It’s a neat idea for a story, though the game is a bit The battle system resembles that of the other 3D
too short to really pull it off. entries, still using the old TP system. The Connect
The game is still 3D, but it’s a huge Commands are gone, but instead there’s a Chase
improvement over Tempest, if obviously not on the Link ability whereby you can knock enemies into
level of the console games. The battle system is an the air and extend the combo by having your
amalgamation of other Tales systems, primarily that fellow party members join in. The DS game originally
of Tales of the Abyss, along with the mid-air combos linked areas with a series of paths, but now there’s a
of the Tales of Destiny remake. Also included is the proper overworld, and the Soma upgrade system has
Guild system, which includes randomly-generated changed. Many events have been deleted or changed,
quests and dungeons, as in Radiant Mythology. and while no one will miss the randomly-generated
The game was ported to the Vita in 2012 as Spiria mazes, most of the other cuts are to the
Tales of Innocence R, this being the first RPG for game’s detriment. As with Innocence R, the random
the system. It has improved graphics, closer to the encounters are back as well. This is also one of the
level of the PS2 games (though it still looks a little few portable Tales games localised into English,
sparse), some tweaks to the battle system, and much though the voice acting was left in Japanese.
more voice acting. Some events have been altered, Innocence and Hearts are surely a huge step
the guild missions are totally gone, and visible up from Tempest, but ultimately, they’re still just
encounters have been replaced with random battles. middle-of-the-road Tales games. As usual, the best
The next game, Tales of Hearts, was initially things about them are the characters, like Hisui
released for the DS in 2008. As the game begins, from Hearts, just because he’s a hotheaded jerk
sister and brother Kohaku and Hisui are being who goes against the typical meek and kindly healer
chased by a mysterious woman. They elude capture, stereotype. Hearts is also the better of the two,
and happen upon a young man named Kor Meteor, if mostly because it feels more fleshed out.
who has the ability to enter people’s Spiria, a While not officially part of the series, Namco
representation of their emotions. While attempting did also produce a spinoff title as a tie-in with
to save Kohaku, he meets a mysterious sleeping the Sgt. Frog series for the DS, titled Keroro RPG: Keroro RPG is a secret
beauty, and ends up shattering her Spiria, rendering Kishi to Musha to Densetsu no Kaizoku (“The Tales game, but also
her a half-awake husk, and begins a journey to not Knight, the Samurai, and the Legendary Pirate”). remained Japan-only,
only rejuvenate her but also save the siblings from Overseen by Tales Studio, it’s very similar to Tales for licensing reasons.
the woman who was chasing them. of Hearts for the DS, even including the trademark
In the initial DS release, Tales of Hearts grading and cooking system. You control a group
primarily uses 2D graphics, making it look and of frogs who have been sucked into a video game
play like 2D PS2 entries, such as Tales of Destiny 2. console and arrived inside of an RPG-style world,
The Emotion Gauge (EG) replaces the CC system themed around samurai, pirates, and knights.
of the Tales of Destiny remake, but otherwise it’s It’s filled with parodies of other games – heroes
fairly similar. Though only three characters appear wear Gundam models as armour, and a character
in battle at a time, as in the other DS games, other named Rain is patterned after Leon from Destiny.
characters can be called upon to execute Connect It’s a little simple, since it was made for kids, but
Command attacks, including guest characters it’s a decent title.
195
196
Other
Franchises
We started this book by looking at the ’80s Imageepoch, and Compile Heart. Their games
JRPG scene, and then addressing the four most include the Chrono Trigger/Cross duology,
prolific franchises. But the JRPG landscape Xenogears and other games in the Xeno series,
goes incredibly far beyond just these series, with EarthBound (Mother), Phantasy Star, SaGa,
hundreds upon hundreds of other games from Breath of Fire, Wild Arms, Lunar, Shadow
various developers and publishers, big and small. Hearts, and many, many others. There are
This section explores many of these. As such, also sections on RPGs that were prolific in
it’s also by far the largest chapter in this book. Japan but almost entirely unknown outside it,
It’s consequently broken up into several like Data East’s Metal Max and Glory of Heracles
sub-chapters. To begin, we’ll look at Star Ocean, series, as well as Hudson’s Tengai Makyou.
itself a step-sibling to Namco’s Tales series After addressing franchises, we’ll be looking
of the previous chapter. Next come other games at some individual games. These are ordered
by tri-Ace, which share some common design roughly chronologically by era, beginning with
sensibilities. We then explore several other 8-bit RPGs on the Famicom (as well as the Game
franchises that, while not quite as prolific as Boy and Game Gear), then 16-bit games on the
Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest, still made their Genesis, Super Nintendo and TurboGrafx-16,
mark on the genre, with their own devoted moving onto the 32-bit generation with the
fanbases. Some are other RPG series by Square PlayStation, Saturn, then the PlayStation 2 and
or Enix (who eventually merged in the early Dreamcast, as well as assorted portable machines
2000s), but other developers and publishers like the Game Boy and Nintendo DS. Finally we’ll
represented include Capcom, SEGA, and Sony, move onto modern games on platforms like the
as well as smaller publishers like Sting, Gust, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
EarthBound (known
in Japan as Mother)
remains a beloved
series, thanks
to its charming
sensibilities and
goofy take on
modern Americana.
197
Star Ocean
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC, PSP, PS4, NSW
Wolf Team was a small, if prolific, developer

throughout the ’80s and ’90s, creating titles like
El Viento and Sol-Feace, but their big break came
when they were drafted to make the SFC RPG Tales
of Phantasia for Namco. But some of the staff
seemingly disliked their new corporate overlord.
Three of them broke off and formed tri-Ace, and
quickly developed their own competing product,
Star Ocean.
Star Ocean begins on the backwater
planet of Roak, which has become ravaged with
a mysterious disease. As the heroes, Roddick
and Millie, fruitlessly search for a cure, they are
contacted by two beings who teleport from outer The battle system here is a little undercooked The opening
space. Named Ronyx and Ilia, they belong to the compared to later games – you can’t directly move cinematic sequence
Pangalactic Federation, and offer to help. However, around the field, but instead you just target an is voiced in English
the only solution is to transport themselves back in enemy, then you’ll run up and attack them. It’s a by none other than
time to defeat the evil being Asmodeus, and thus bit daft, but it’s fun and frantic. But the real treat Robert Belgrade,
obtain the cure. The plot is obviously based on Star here is the skill system, which lets you individually actor who voiced
Trek, particularly its fourth entry (the one with the power up a whole bunch of talents. Some of these Alucard in the
whales), though despite the sci-fi premise, most are related to combat skills. However, certain original version
of the story takes place in a medieval, magic-filled skills, when levelled up together, will enable other of Castlevania:
world, populated mostly by beast-human hybrids abilities that have uses outside of the battlefield. Symphony of
called Fellpool (a reference to the cat-like Felpurr Many of these are crafting skills, allowing you the Night.
from Wizardry), but also with winged beings to create your own items, upgrade equipment,
called Featherfolk. identify unknown items, create duplicates of
The game borrows a whole lot from Tales of common items, or cook more nourishing meals
Phantasia, including the time-travelling plot, the from raw ingredients. Others will let you decrease
action-packed battle system, in which you directly your character’s strength in exchange for more
control a single character alongside AI-controlled experience points, or raise or lower the frequency
partners, and a soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba. of random battles. You can also write books
Rather than a vocal J-pop song, the intro is fully to teach skills to other characters, or play in a
narrated in English, plus there’s plenty of digitised band, which can have a whole variety of effects
speech used as battle cries. It also uses a whopping depending on the instrument and kind of song.
48 megabit ROM cartridge, in addition to a The amount of customisation and variety of skills
compression chip, to fit as much detail as possible is unprecedented among 16-bit console RPGs.
into the game. The only thing it doesn’t have is a The story is also structured for replayability.
famed manga artist for the character designs. Altogether, the game isn’t very long, clocking in
198
First Departure for
the PSP is in many
ways an improvement
over the SFC original,
though it loses many
of the aspects that
made the former
such a technical
marvel on the
16-bit platform.
at less than 20 hours in length. There’s no real original game. While it doesn’t expand the story
overworld to speak of, just paths that connect drastically, it does add in two more characters – one
major areas, and the areas feel a little small in that appeared originally as an NPC, and the other
spite of the exquisite detail they contain. But a character from later games just shoved in here.
while the main story is fairly linear, there are It also adds a proper overworld map, plus plenty of
many minor branches that determine which of voice acting and FMV cutscenes.
the game’s ten party members you can recruit. The battle system here is an unquestionable
Since you can only have up to eight in your improvement, and while the skill system isn’t
party, and you can’t dismiss anyone that you’ve drastically different, it is more refined. However,
found, it’s impossible to draft everyone by the the “modernised” visuals are missing the utterly
end-game. Some of the requirements for the gorgeous spritework of the SFC game, and the
optional characters are also pretty obscure (good rearranged music is somehow worse. As such,
luck trying to figure out how to find the catgirl it feels like it’s missing something.
Pericci without using a guide). This intentional This version was then ported to the PS4 and
obscurity has since become a hallmark of Switch in 2019, now subtitled First Departure R.
tri-Ace games, for better or worse. It’s mostly the same but changes the artwork to
The SFC Star Ocean was not released include character designs by Katsumi Enami, who
outside of Japan, though its PSP remake, subtitled also provided the artwork for Star Ocean: The
First Departure and published in 2007, reached Last Hope. The PSP version featured bright anime
English-speaking territories. The remake basically character portraits that are a little too close to those
did the first game in the style of Star Ocean: The of the Tales games of the time, but the updated
Second Story. Its field scenes are entirely 2D, using versions are much more distinctive, and also much
pre-rendered backgrounds, while the battle scenes better-looking. They also include a speed-up option
are 3D, and feature much more control than in the and one to toggle between spoken languages.
The Star Ocean

series has never
had consistent
art design, so
the revamped
characters for the
2019 port bring
it more into line
with Star Ocean:
The Last Hope,
the fourth game
in the series.
199
Star Ocean: The Second Story
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP, PS4, PSV, GBC
Star Ocean: The Second Story begins with Claude

Kenny, son of Ronyx from the first game, being
stranded on a backwater planet called Expel.
His fancy technology leads the locals to believe
that he’s a prophesied hero, so he’s teamed with
a local girl named Rena to investigate a recent
meteor crash. Their adventures eventually lead
to them facing off against a shadowy cabal that
threatens to destroy the planet.
This sequel expands significantly on the
original, being a much longer, more elaborate
game with stronger characters, while at the
same time, having the breezy pacing lacking
in many 32-bit RPGs. At the outset, you can in battle. You can also summon a gigantic bunny In its PSP port,
choose either Claude or Rena as the protagonist, that lets you travel quickly on the overworld, Star Ocean: The
though other than the opening segment, which similar to a Final Fantasy Chocobo. If you know Second Story has
is viewed from their perspective, it only changes what you’re doing, you can totally break the fewer changes –
a few things in the course of the adventure. game balance, though conversely, there are some more enhancements
As with the first game, there are plenty of frustrating difficulty spikes unless you know really – than were
recruitable characters, many of whom are both how to find the right items. (Make use of that implemented for the
optional and hidden. New to this entry are Private pickpocketing skill!) This is a recurring theme in first game’s port,
Actions that pop up when you enter towns, allowing tri-Ace games, but otherwise, Star Ocean: The though the added
you to explore the backstories of the various side Second Story is the highlight of the series, with a character portraits,
characters. (Ashton, the cursed swordsman with well-paced plot, likeable characters, and a fantastic as seen here, aren’t
two bickering dragons on his back, and Opera, the soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba. the greatest.
three-eyed gun-wielding soldier, are highlights.) This game was the Western world’s
Depending on your interactions, and a variety of introduction to the world of Star Ocean, since the
other factors, there are tons of ending variations. original Super Famicom game was not localised.
The game uses 2D sprites for the main The translation is average, though, and the voice
characters and pre-rendered backgrounds for most clips are laughably bad. A PSP port released in
areas, though the battlefields and overworld are 3D. 2008 isn’t as drastic a remake as its predecessor’s
You have more freedom of movement in this game PSP release, but does retranslate the text and
compared to its predecessor, though it still feels a employ professional voice acting. This entry also
little clumsy. The skill system has been expanded received a Japan-only sequel for the Game Boy
even more though, allowing you to do ridiculous Color called Star Ocean: Blue Sphere. It takes
things like create “illegal” items that, for example, place two years later and stars the same characters.
let you stay at any inn for free, or get insurance so It’s obviously much downgraded for the 8-bit
you get some cash if one of your characters is KOed portable system, but otherwise is fairly well done.
200
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): PS2
The third Star Ocean begins with the improbably

named teenage hero Fayt Leingod hanging out at
a resort with his parents and his childhood friend
Sophia. Alas, their vacation is interrupted when
they’re attacked by mysterious forces, and during
the ensuing evacuation, Fayt gets separated, ending
up on the planet of Vanguard III. As he tries to
reunite with his family, he finds himself at the
centre of a conflict between a various interstellar
factions. This is fundamentally the same “character
from advanced world ends up on technologically
underdeveloped planet” plot as prior games, but
Fayt’s origin as a regular Earthling teenager, as
opposed to either a member of the Federation or to be extremely careful with your special attack Fayt Leingod began
an inhabitant of that planet, gives it a different feel. usage. The skill system has been dialled back, a trend for goofy
The graphics are now fully 3D, with though, as you can only upgrade stats, while battle JRPG hero names,
tri-Ace embracing its cinematic side, for better skills are improved by repeated use. In its place is including Edge
or worse. For the most part, it looks pretty a crafting system by which you can “invent” items. Maverick (Star
decent, though some of the character models This is governed by a girl named Welch Vineyard, Ocean: The Last
have proportions that make them look more who became a sort of recurring mascot for the Hope), Kor Meteor
creepy than anything else. The music is no longer series, even being plopped into the PSP ports of (Tales of Hearts R),
sequenced though, allowing Motoi Sakuraba to the first two games as a playable character. and L’arc Bright
go hog wild with a crazy prog rock soundtrack. For the most part, Star Ocean: Till the End of Lagoon (Arc Rise
Bonuses are given out if you completely map out Time is a solid game, but it’s impossible to really Fantasia).
each area, though this is more exasperating than discuss it without bringing up its controversial,
anything else. rather meta, plot twist, in which the characters
The battle system is faster and more chaotic realise that the world isn’t what it seems to be.
than before, with two types of attack (weak The problem is that this has repercussions for
and heavy) as well as a block command. Every the previous two games. It is actually a pretty
combatant, friend or foe, also has a Fury meter, cool science-fiction philosophical conceit, but
which dictates how often they can attack, which sticking it into the middle of a well-liked franchise
both discourages button mashing and indicates may not have been the best idea. It angered many
when foes are about to attack. There’s also a Bonus series fans, and effectively caused a problem for
Gauge, which will provide extra experience if you all subsequent Star Ocean games, which dance
can beat your foes quickly. More unusually, MP around it by being prequels. Gamers who take
here works as a second life meter: draining it will video game’s canon seriously will be annoyed by
cause a character to be knocked out. Many enemies this, but if you know about and accept the twist
have attacks that will drain MP too, so you need going into it, you’ll probably enjoy it a lot more.
201
Star Ocean: The Last Hope
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): X360, PS3, PS4, WIN
Star Ocean: The Last Hope is a prequel, setting

itself aside from the messiness inherent in the
previous game’s ending. Earth has been consumed
by war, so people look to the stars to find a new
planet to inhabit. The hero here is Edge Maverick,
alongside his childhood friend/love interest Reimi.
There’s quite a few references to various bits of Star
Ocean lore, particularly from the first game, as you
visit the planet of Roak, and characters from races
like the Lesser Fellpool (cat people) and Featherfolk
(winged people) join your party. Additionally, while
previous games involve only a few planets, here you technical limitations, low budget, and developer The cutscenes in
get command of a whole starship, allowing you to inexperience. But those here are uniquely terrible, Star Ocean: The
trek off to many different worlds, which adds to the for a number of reasons: creepy, doll-like character Last Hope are
space-opera feel. The story never gets quite as wild models, awkward animation, terrible dialogue, and embarrassingly bad
as Till the End of Time, although there is a diversion even worse voice acting. Some of the characters – look up the “Nappy
that sends the crew time-travelling back to here are insufferable just because they’re either Time” scene for a
Earth, specifically Roswell, New Mexico in the ’50s. annoying, like the air-headed Featherfolk Sarah, or very particular kind
The battle system ditches many of the incredibly creepy, diminutive Lyle, who sounds like of horror – but the
changes from the third game – no MP death, a five year old who’s spent her entire short existence battle system is as
only one attack strength, and four players in strung out on sedatives. The result is some of the fun as ever.
combat. However, there’s a dodge button now, most unintentionally hilarious cutscenes in this
along with a Blindside manoeuvre, which will generation of gaming. Which is great if you enjoy
put you in position to counterattack if you hit it deliberately consuming such excruciating stuff,
at the right time. There’s a new “Rush” gauge, but not so great if you actually want to play and
which will activate a powered state when it’s enjoy a JRPG. To the game’s credit, you can skip
filled up, plus an enhanced combo system and cutscenes, after which you’re granted a short
the ability to customise your fighting style. summary of what happened. This is probably
Skill enhancement is also more like that in the the best way to play the game, because, while the
older games, in which you distribute points into story is cringeworthy, the battle system is one of
different skills, though there are far fewer than the best of the series. Unfortunately, after the
before, plus many characters have exclusive divisive third game, most fans felt that this entry
abilities. The environments are large – too large, is where the Star Ocean series jumped the shark.
actually, with not enough save points – but they In a weird bit of localisation, in the original
were probably designed that way to expand the Xbox 360 release, the English version uses CGI
exploration aspect. character portraits while the Japanese version has
Now, many games in the early 2000s anime-style portraits. Subsequent versions let you
had issues with cutscene direction, owing to pick which type you’d prefer.
202
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness
The fifth Star Ocean game takes place on the

under-developed planet of Faykreed, and is a
prequel that takes place between the second and
third games. The hero, Fidel Camuze, and the
heroine, Miki Sauvester, are caught in an emerging
war, which descends further into chaos when a
spaceship crashes from the sky, holding a young
girl named Relia, who has the mysterious power to
freeze time.
Integrity and Faithlessness feels a lot like
tri-Ace’s Xbox 360 RPG Infinite Undiscovery,
primarily since battles now take place directly You can have up to seven playable members The most recent
where you encounter them on the field, rather than in your party at the same time, and not only do Star Ocean game
switching to a separate screen. Also, there are very they run beside you on the field, they also all fight feels like it was
few cutscenes, and instead dialogue is delivered simultaneously during combat. Other than in built on the back of
with the characters standing around. On one hand, its large number of characters, the battle system Infinite Undiscovery,
considering the terrible cutscene direction of The is closer to the third game’s, in which you have an earlier Xbox
Last Hope, this might be for the best, but on the two levels of attack, though it doesn’t have any 360 RPG that also
other hand, it does make things feel cheap. of the oddities, such as MP death. Special attacks featured wide open
That budget feeling permeates the whole are executed by holding down the attack button, areas and tons
game. The environments are pretty, but they’re so which is a little awkward. While you can block and of AI-controlled
large and there are so few of them. Considering how sidestep, it still feels like a big step back from The characters.
you could jump between planets in The Last Hope, Last Hope. It’s still fun, in the same way that Star
and at least hopped between a couple of worlds in Ocean generally is, but some difficulty spikes make
the earlier games, being constrained to one planet things frustrating too. Attributes are modified
feels claustrophobic. Plus there’s noticeable asset by equipping and levelling up roles, which also
reuse, including recycling music tracks directly doesn’t feel as gratifying as some of the previous
from the two previous games. Finally, it feels like games in the series.
much of the game is simply spent running back The story is just okay, with predictable
and forth between destinations. beats and bland characters, plus it is rather short
The character designs were provided compared to other JRPGs. While it’s nice to have a
by Akira “Akiman” Yasuda, a noted artist for game you can complete in about 25 hours, it feels
Capcom, who worked on its many fighting games. too insubstantial to be truly satisfying. And while
The character models are much better than in it doesn’t have anything as dramatically divisive as
past games, though the design for Fiore Brunelli, the third game’s egregious plot twist or the fourth
a green-haired witch with a fishnet checkerboard game’s grating sense of humour, Star Ocean:
outfit that barely covers her figure, ranks as one of Integrity and Faithlessness commits an arguably
the most ridiculous in any JRPG. greater sin – it’s just kinda boring.
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Valkyrie Profile
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP, IOS, AND
Ragnarok, in Norse mythology, is a world-ending

clash of the gods, which will lead to a rebirth
of the world. In tri-Ace’s Valkyrie Profile, you
control a warrior goddess, the Valkyrie Lenneth,
as she scours the land in humanity’s final days to
recruit souls for the apocalyptic battle. She can fly
anywhere, listening out for the cries of potential
soldiers in their death throes. Those whose deaths
she witnesses are added to the ranks of her
Einherjar, although they may still be unprepared
to reach their true potential. Their training is
accomplished through their joint exploration of
the many caves and ruins of Earth, before you send
them to the afterlife in Valhalla. However, even early in their life, tri-Ace was In most RPGs, it’s
Post-apocalyptic games are common, but known for making somewhat opaque games with your job to stop
pre-apocalypse settings, that is, worlds on the numerous hidden elements, and Valkyrie Profile is the end of the
verge of inevitable collapse, are fairly rare, but probably the worst of them. The game is divided world. In Valkyrie
that’s where Valkyrie Profile finds itself. The story into chapters, and there are only so many actions Profile, it’s your
has an episodic feel, as each segment concentrates you can take – visiting towns, hunting souls, job to start it.
on a specific character (or characters) as they meet clearing dungeons – before it ends. Then you need
untimely and tragic ends, but there’s a running to select which warriors to send to the heavens.
story involving Lenneth’s own human life before It’s all rather vague and stressful, since you’re
she joined the ranks of the Valkyries. It’s dark and never entirely clear if you’re meeting your goals or
oppressive, but consistently compelling. making adequate trade-offs – after all, once you
The dungeons are presented as 2D side- send a character off, they’re gone forever.
scrolling labyrinths, complete with platforming There are multiple endings and it’s pretty
challenges. Enemies can be frozen and pushed difficult to get to the good one; moreover, while
around or used as steps, but of course they can there are two difficulty modes, the hard mode is
also be engaged in combat. Here, each of the arguably easier, since you have more characters
four warriors in your party is assigned to one of and more powerful moves. This is a game
the four controller buttons, and has their own where you almost definitely want to play with
attack pattern. It’s a test of timing and reflexes, as a strategy guide, lest you find yourself making
you combine your warriors’ attacks to juggle the an unfortunate mistake and needing to replay
enemy and fill a power bar; if you’re successful, you the game to see the proper ending. Altogether,
can then execute a super-powerful move to crush it can be frustrating, but the flashy battle system,
them. It’s incredibly satisfying, though it does get oppressive atmosphere, and a soundtrack from
old after a while, especially since you can’t skip Motoi Sakuraba – who composed unique themes
those flashy super attacks. for every dungeon – turn it into an enduring classic.
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Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria
The follow-up to Valkyrie Profile is actually a

prequel, taking place several hundred years before
Ragnarok. It focuses on Silmeria, one of the other
Valkyrie sisters, whose soul inhabits the body of a
girl named Alicia, the princess of Dipan. Thought
to be possessed, Alicia is not only ordered executed
but also hunted by Hrist, the third Valkyrie sister, at
the order of the almighty Odin. As Alicia/Silmeria
escape, they must prevent events that would send
gods and humanity into devastating conflict.
tri-Ace must have realised that the first
Valkyrie Profile was maybe a little too opaque.
But rather than fine-tuning it, they threw away
much of what made it so original. Progression here The battle system has seen a significant overhaul, The mini-stories
is much more typical and structured – go from one one that makes it feel far less static. Combat focusing on the
area to the next, with no time limit – as the idea of takes place in a separate 3D arena, where you can departed warriors
training souls and delivering them to afterlife falls move around freely, limited by your action points. were the best part of
by the wayside. There are still Einherjar to recruit, However, time only flows when you move, so you’re the original Valkyrie
but they’re already dead by the time you meet free to strategise. Both your party’s and the enemy’s Profile, and their
them, and barely have any personality or backstory, targetting ranges are visible, so you must try to get absence is definitely
so they feel more like bonus items. Instead of close to them while avoiding their line of sight. Once felt in this sequel.
the episodic minitragedies of its predecessor, it you’ve found a foe to attack, the view switches to
concentrates on Alicia/Silmeria and the rest of a the side-view action-based system used in the first
smaller core cast. Storytelling was rarely a strength game, with four character actions assigned to the
of tri-Ace, and here, it feels like something’s four buttons. The extra tactical options that come
missing, especially without the sense of world- with outmanoeuvring your enemies make it much
ending dread of the first game. The stories don’t more interesting, plus you can hack off the body
seem to connect at the outset, though the game parts of many monsters to make them vulnerable.
does feature a few familiar faces. The number of arenas is limited and battles can
The visuals are entirely polygonal this time, still get a little old, but you can resolve encounters
and are at the apex of the PlayStation 2’s display quickly by hunting down the enemy leader.
capabilities, although exploration is still presented Valkyrie Profile 2 ’s straightforward structure
as side-scrolling 2.5D. The lighting, the character is unlikely to frustrate players in the same way
models, the physics, the beautiful renditions of the as its predecessor’s format. But by changing and
towns and dungeons – all of it is remarkable and removing so much of what it made the first game
runs at a smooth 60 FPS. The dungeons themselves special, this sequel’s impact is lessened, and its
play similarly to those in the first game, though you snazzy visuals and fun battle system alone are left
can switch places with frozen enemies now too. to carry it.
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Radiata Stories
In 2005, Square Enix and Star Ocean developer tri-

Ace released Radiata Stories on the PlayStation 2,
one of the most underrated games in both
companies’ libraries. You play as Jack Russell,
a knight-in-training who ends up getting fired
and joining a warriors’ guild after fellow trainee
and noble Ridley ends up hurt on a mission. As
you start living an average life in the country of
Radiata and exploring its capital city, leaving to do
quests in the countryside, a larger story is building,
in which the fairy folk and other non-humans are
facing the coming of a great magical disaster, and
a war with the humans. Ridley becomes central
to this, and your major choice in the game is to time arena fights of Star Ocean. Your party is AI- Yes, hero Jack
either follow Ridley or stay within human society; controlled, but you can give them commands and Russell may be
your choice radically changes what happens in the use a formation system for offensive and defensive named after a dog
second half of the game’s story. strategies, absolutely necessary in several major breed, but at least
Functionally, it’s like a different take on the story fights, because your enemy will do the same, his name’s not as
Suikoden 108-stars-of-destiny concept, as you can with destructive results. This keeps battles lively ridiculous as Edge
gather up to 176 different characters as possible and a tad unpredictable, plus it’s rewarding to get Maverick.
party members. It’s a varied roster, filled with many through by means of your ability to think on your
races and classes too, though that plot-branching feet. In practice, though, it lacks the “oomph” that
decision you have to make mid-game can lock makes the Star Ocean fights so fun.
several out of your grasp. The game runs on an in- The visuals have a very muted look, though
game day/night cycle following a specified calendar, the colourful and varied character designs are
with major story events occurring based on the charming; it’s a tremendous step up from Star
calendar, and not your progress. Every NPC also Ocean: Till the End of Time. It’s a fairly humorous
has their own daily schedule, which was something game overall, especially in the way you can kick
rarely seen in this era. The downside to this is that almost anything (and initiate combat with those
trying to recruit these NPCs is incredibly difficult thus irritated). Noriyuki Iwadare’s score also
unless you’ve got a strategy guide handy. remixes several Motoi Sakuraba tracks from past
Radiata Stories has an impressive amount tri-Ace games, many of which have already been
of detail in its world and history, with characters reused in multiple Star Ocean games as well as
having well-established and complex relationships. Valkyrie Profile. There are other shout-outs to these
It’s a very rich experience that rewards replay, and past works, including special armour and extra
has staying power due to a strong mechanical base. bosses you can search out. These are probably the
There’s a huge mess of side quests to find and do, oddest parts of the game, because Radiata Stories
while combat tries adding a tactical edge to the real otherwise feels so different from their past works.
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Infinite Undiscovery
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): X360
In the world of Infinite Undiscovery, the

Dreadknight Leonid has chained the moon to the
Earth, causing devastation in every region where
those chains lie. Only the hero Sigmund has the
strength and resolve to take him down ... except
you don’t play as Sigmund, you control a layabout
named Capell, who just happens to look almost
exactly like him. Due to a case of mistaken identity,
Capell is broken out of prison, and reluctantly
joins the Resistance.
Like Star Ocean, Infinite Undiscovery
is action-based, though there are no battle disabling enemy magic, but it’s only barely Infinite Undisovery
transitions and all fights take place on the field. It’s useful. The visual style is fairly bland, outside of feels like tri-Ace was
not quite as snappy nor as satisfying as the Star some cool architecture, plus many areas are filled still learning the
Ocean games, but it’s fun enough. Though you with invisible walls. The story is also relatively ropes on the new
can have four members in your main party, many short for a JRPG, clocking in at between 20 and 30 console, resulting
sections let you create two extra parties that roam hours. The cutscene animation is generally pretty in an experience
around the area and fight of their own accord. The bad, and some scenes just don’t have voices, for that feels somewhat
main draw of the game is seeing a dozen fellow some reason. Motoi Sakuraba’s orchestral score incomplete.
combatants fight and slay foes alongside you, keeps things interesting, thankfully.
though this also causes the frame rate to suffer Plus, Capell makes for an unusual doofus hero.
significantly. There are also many scenarios with Nowadays, the game is mostly remembered for an
specific goals, like hunting down crystals in a town embarrassing cutscene in which the twin children
or escorting migrants through a desert. Though Rico and Rucha – terrifying, doll-like monstrosities
these grant bonuses if completed under the right in their own right – do a ridiculous “dinner
conditions, they’re often frustratingly designed. dance”, and Capell copies their absurd little frolic.
Much of the game suffers from this lack It’s emblematic of the game’s questionable
of polish, to the point where it feels incomplete. animation, though even in context, the scene is
You can only directly control Capell, and while supposed to be funny. He also openly lusts after
you can Connect with other party members to every female party member and attempts (and fails)
use their attacks or talk to them, actually doing to ditch the party multiple times. Goofy bits like
this is incredibly clumsy, particularly in battle. this, as well as occasional glimpses into the game
There are 18 playable characters in total, and Infinite Undiscovery wants to be, give some charm
while some of them are pretty cool (the rideable to what’s otherwise a fairly middling experience.
bear in particular), the story just doesn’t It’s the only non-Microsoft Xbox 360 title to
focus much time to make them interesting. receive no ports to other platforms, which shows
Capell is a flautist, and his playing produces the level of enthusiasm the audience has for
various effects, such as buffing party members or Infinite Undiscovery.
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Resonance of Fate
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PS3, X360, PS4, WIN
In tri-Ace’s Resonance of Fate (End of Eternity in

Japan), the Earth has been ravaged, and humanity
has moved to a gigantic tower called Basel.
Its citizens are stratified, literally and figuratively,
across various levels, which are ruled by elite
Cardinals. A trio of mercenaries – young man
Zephyr, grizzled soldier Vashyron, and ambitious
newbie Leanne – find themselves opposing these
Cardinals over the fate of Basel. It’s a fascinating
steampunk-style game world – any townscape is
worth admiring just for the sprawling buildings
and many interconnected gears, though the although these can be replenished by killing Resonance of Fate
dungeons, where most of the action takes place, enemies, or be picked up on the field. Keeping ranks right up there
are fairly boring in comparison. your Bezels stocked is of the utmost importance, in terms of battle
To access missions, you need to unlock because if you run out, you can’t do run-and-gun system complexity
squares on the map screen, which are either manoeuvres, and your party members’ defences in JRPGs, but it
doled out as part of the main story or found by will drop. If you plan correctly, you can also use all sure looks cool.
killing foes. The real meat of the game lies in the three characters to perform a powerful Tri-Attack.
gun-focused combat system, which does its best The battle system has a steep learning curve, but
to recreate a John Woo-style bullet ballet in the overcome that hurdle, and it’s a fascinating blend
context of a Japanese RPG. It’s a blend of real- of action and strategy seen in few other games.
time and turn-based action, in which you move The many rocking battle themes by tri-Ace regular
characters individually around the battlefield, Motoi Sakuraba are fantastic too, plus there are
finding cover and targetting enemies. Choosing variations for the more intense action, while Kohei
weapons is important, as machine guns do only Tanaka, typically known for anime soundtracks,
Scratch damage, which is temporary and can provides some stellar works outside of the fights.
slowly be healed, while pistols and grenades do Like many tri-Ace games with flashy battle
Direct damage, which will register Scratch damage systems, it does tend to get repetitive in the long
as permanent in addition to inflicting its own. run, especially for weaker encounters. This could
You need to charge up, the time needed for have been be salvaged by a decent story, but in
this depending on various factors, before you can spite of the cool game world, it’s just a hugely
actually attack, though sometimes you can do this confusing mess. It does have an offbeat sense
multiple times in a turn. You can also command of humour, though, particularly evident in the
a party member to run in a straight line (called goofy costumes you can use to dress up the
a Hero action), allowing them to dodge enemies characters. Together with the unique combat,
attacks and unleash a number of super-flashy these elements bestowed cult classic status on
acrobatic moves as long as they’re moving. This Resonance of Fate, along with enough goodwill
will consume one of your party’s Bezel gems, for a 2018 HD remaster.
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Exist Archive
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV
Developed as a collaboration between tri-Ace

and Spike Chunsoft, Exist Archive begins with a
typical Japanese isekai (alternate world) premise –
12 teenagers are killed in the real world, and sent
to some fantasy realm. They’re not quite dead
though, as they’ve actually been whisked away to a
faraway planet called Protolexa. Each of them has
been made to carry a part of the soul of a demon
named Yamatoga, and only by assembling together
and resurrecting him do they have a chance to
return to their former lives on Earth.
Exist Archive was clearly designed for the By stringing together combos, you can also build Exist Archive takes
Vita first and then ported to the PlayStation 4, enough strength to execute super-powerful the core of the
as the graphics aren’t exactly HD quality. The art Demon’s Greed attacks. You can assign roles to Valkyrie Profile
design is well done though, complete with lush, the 12 characters, using various weapons, like exploration and
colourful forests and caves. The characters were swords, whips, guns, rocket launchers, scythes, battle systems,
created by Mino Tarou, who was also behind the and elemental magic. Each character also has and improves
Love Plus series, though as usual for JRPGs, the affection ratings for each of the others, which some aspects, but
characters look more like fashion models than changes based on their interactions. the story is still just
actual teenagers, and the slightly super-deformed The combat is pretty fun, though it does feel not that great.
character models are a little off-putting. tri-Ace like a step backwards compared to the advances
regular Motoi Sakuraba provides the music, in made in Valkyrie Profile 2. But you’d better enjoy
another excellent, albeit typical, work. it, because it really is the best thing about the
The game is fundamentally a spiritual game. Perhaps reflecting its origins as a portable
sequel to tri-Ace’s own Valkyrie Profile series. game, there’s no overworld or exploration, and the
You run around dungeons using a side-scrolling entire thing is mission-based, often sending you
perspective, and then run into enemies to engage through the same dungeon multiple times. There’s
them in combat. With four combatants in battle, not much visual variation either, and there are
each is assigned a face button, which commands few enemy types, resulting in a flow that quickly
them to attack a targetted enemy. It does differ becomes repetitive. The story has an interesting
slightly from its forebear in a few ways – your attacks premise, but plot points are dished out slowly,
can hit multiple enemies if they’re next to each and the characters are all typical anime teenagers,
other, depending on the type of strike, and your occasionally amusing but hardly worth caring
actions are affected by a bar at the bottom of the about. There are some great ideas here, but it’s too
screen, so certain characters can attack multiple undercooked to make it worthwhile in the long
times in a turn. After attacking, you are switched run. As it currently stands, it’s the last original
to a guard mode, in which you can command title developed by tri-Ace, which now mostly works
combatants to defend, consuming some of that bar. on ports and mobile games.
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Chrono Trigger
Developer: Square | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SNES, PS1, DS, WIN
Some 25 years after its release, longtime JRPG

fans still point to Square’s Chrono Trigger as one
of the best of the best. Although this was hardly a
point of interest at its American release, Chrono
Trigger resulted from the combined efforts
of Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yuji Horii – the
masters behind Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest,
competitors at that time, and the two most
popular JRPG series in the world. Along with this
dream team came artwork by Akira Toriyama,
the Dragon Quest artist, but even more widely
known for manga like Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump.
By combining Square’s talents at storytelling
and aesthetic design with Horii’s skilful scenario a technologically advanced civilisation attempted The diverse cast of
design and knack for simplicity, the almost-perfect to use Lavos’ power for themselves … which, of Chrono Trigger,
game was created. course, is one of the events that contributed each character
The story takes places in the year 1000 towards the world’s destruction. associated with one
AD, as a young boy named Crono visits the local The Dragon Quest series is also known for its of the time periods
Millennial Fair. Together with a girl named Marle, snappy scenario design, full of memorable events you visit, is one of
secretly a princess in disguise, they watch a show and NPCs. The story here maintains comedy the key reasons
put on by the inventor Lucca, who accidentally against dramatic urgency, with plenty of goofy that it resonates
sends them hurtling 400 years into the past. scenarios. The courtroom scene, where Crono is so strongly.
After assorted shenanigans, they end up time- falsely charged with kidnapping Marle and judged
travelling again, this time into 2300 AD, far for all of his seemingly inconsequential actions at
into their future, only to find the landscape the Millennial Fair, is a highlight. There are also
absolutely devastated. The source of the oddball villains, like the trio of Ozzie, Flea, and
apocalypse? A being called Lavos, who dropped Slash, along with their more imposing leader
to the Earth as a meteor, far in the distant past. Magus. It’s also quite compelling to see how the
After witnessing the devastation, the crew swear relatively small game world changes across all of
to find a way to destroy Lavos, to ensure a healthy the different time periods. Near the game’s end,
future for their planet. a handful of sub-quests really show off how cool
Beyond the initial trio, the cast members it is to amend the mistakes of the past to change
are all associated with one of the time periods the future. Time travel is such a fertile ground for
you can visit. Frog is an expert swordsman interesting storytelling that it’s a shame few games
from 600 AD, cursed with the form of an explore it, although Horii himself tried it later in
amphibian; Robo is, of course, a robot from 2300 Dragon Quest VII, with less interesting results.
AD; and Ayla is a cavegirl from 65,000,000 BC. The story is fast paced, and the only real
There’s also 12,000 BC, during a Dark Age in which downside of cutting out all the treacle is that the
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While Crono’s spiky
red hair-do might be
a little too similar
to Goku’s, the rest
of Chrono Trigger’s
cast is artist Akira
Toriyama bringing
his A-game.
quest is pretty short – it can be beaten in around it’s Square at its finest, and Toriyama’s art comes
15 hours. To counteract this, Chrono Trigger through here much better than in the 16-bit
introduces the New Game+, which allows you Dragon Quest titles, particularly in the animated
to restart the game from scratch while carrying enemies. Although Final Fantasy composer
over the stats from your winning game. After Nobuo Uematsu provided some tracks, the real
a certain point in the plot, you can time travel star here is newcomer Yasunori Mitsuda, who
directly to fight Lavos, and depending where you crafted most of the music, including a particularly
are in the story, defeating him will reveal one of stirring overture. Each of the time periods calls
over a dozen different endings, making for tons for a different style of music – for the character
of replayability. themes, towns, maps, and dungeons – and it’s
While Chrono Trigger is clearly a narrative all pulled off brilliantly, crafting one of the best
blend of two of the heavy hitters of the 16-bit soundtracks of its era.
JRPG age, for the most part, it really feels more A subsequent PlayStation port added some
Final Fantasy than Dragon Quest, probably nice but unnecessary FMV cinematic segments;
owing to the fact that it was actually developed it also added an extra layer of clunkiness, with
by Square. It is progressive is many ways, as noticeable load times and worse music. A later DS
random battles are absent, and combat occurs port includes the cutscenes but fixes the technical
either when colliding with an on-screen foe issues; it also re-translates some bits in ways that
or (more regularly) at set locations in an area. are more faithful to the original Japanese but
It uses the same Active Turn Battle System as found removes some fan-favourite dialogue, like Frog’s
in most of the Final Fantasy games, but rather faux medieval speech. Both versions include
than transitioning to a separate battle screen, some extra minor plot points to tie the story more
fights take place right on the field. Since enemy closely to its follow-up, Chrono Cross.
positioning is taken into account (changing for
every encounter), area-of-effect skills can be used
to attack multiple foes at once. New to Chrono
Trigger are Double- and Triple-Techs, which are
special moves that combine the skills or magic
abilities of two or three party members. If there’s
one downside to the game, it’s that it lacks any
real character customisation, beyond hunting
for Dragon Quest-style seeds to tweak stats. And
you can only fit three characters into your party
at once. But each character has an elemental
affinity, and because of the Techs, party selection
still plays a big part in your strategy. Visually,
Fight dinosaurs
in the distant past
and monsters in
the distant future –
herein lies one of
the biggest appeals
of Chrono Trigger.
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Chrono Cross
Chrono Cross is only barely a sequel to Chrono

Trigger. Trigger’s claim to fame was based on the
combinations of Square and Enix, Final Fantasy
and Dragon Quest, Sakaguchi and Horii. With the
Enix folk unavailable to participate in a follow-up,
Square was left to its own devices to take up the
task. Even Square’s key players had either moved
on or their work had evolved – writer Masato Kato
had since been in charge of penning Xenogears,
and his scripting tended to waft into metaphysical
territories; musician Yasunori Mitsuda had been
bitten by the Celtic bug, giving his music a
distinct sound that, while achieving excellence in
the field of video game music, lacked the variety Although seemingly insignificant, and While it met with
that gave Trigger so much of its energy; and unrecognised at first, this event has completely critical praise,
Hironobu Sakaguchi was too busy with his work reshaped the history and events of the “otherworld”. Chrono Cross is far
on the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. He quickly meets up with a bounty hunter less lauded among
Akira Toriyama’s distinctive designs were out – his named Kid, and eventually amasses a huge party fans, where the
spot was taken by Nobuteru Yuuki, previously to help untangle the web of time gone awry. general consensus is
of anime like Escaflowne. Ultimately, Chrono Most of the game takes place within the El Nido that it’s an excellent
Cross neither looks, nor sounds, nor plays like archipelago, a part of the game world that didn’t game with a brilliant
its predecessor. exist in Trigger (for reasons that are explained, soundtrack, but
Indeed, Chrono Cross does not intend eventually). As a result, much of the game has a poor sequel to
to revisit the adventures of Crono, Lucca and a breezy, tropical feeling. You routinely slide Chrono Trigger.
Marle. Rather, it expands significantly on both between “home” and the “otherworld” – although
the mythos of the series and the concept of time they are visually similar, they are made distinct
travel. The time travel in Trigger was very light- thanks to the soundtrack variations, with the
hearted and straightforward – if something was “home” versions generally being light and bouncy,
wrong in the present, you simply went back to and the “otherworld” dark and mysterious. The
the past and corrected it. Cross asks a question: sound quality is incredible, considering that it’s all
what happens to that “bad” timeline, before it’s sequenced – even Cross’ greatest critics will admit
corrected? It doesn’t simply disappear – rather, a this is one of the best video game soundtracks of
parallel universe is formed, and this is where we all time, particularly the intro track, “Time’s Scar”.
find the hero, a young fisher boy, Serge. Ultimately, though, Cross’ biggest mistake
At the outset, Serge gets sucked into an is that it underestimates the affection fans had
alternate world. It’s largely the same as his own, for its predecessor. Lucca, for example, plays a major
with one huge difference – he learns that his role in the plot, but she appears only very briefly,
otherworld self drowned when he was younger. in flashbacks. Old heroes are casually murdered,
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The story starts
off with a low-tech
tropical setting, but
veers into science
fiction as it goes on
– it does deal with
time travel after all.
Cross’ battle system is also quite different

from its predecessor’s, though it’s a positive
change. Trigger’s combat was just a variation
of Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle system.
In Cross, outside of a few Double and Triple Techs,
there is little resemblance to the original game.
Characters have a set number of stamina points,
with stronger attacks costing more – you can
deplete these and run into the negative, causing a
longer delay before that character’s next turn. Each
of the party members and enemies is assigned a
colour – six are used, in three opposing pairs, with
effects between opposites being fiercer. In addition
and the events that link the two are barely to the character affinities, each spell or ability has
coherent. Characters like the swordsman Glenn its own colour, which can again be used to attack
and the floating magician Guile play tribute to opposing elements. The most important aspect
Trigger’s cast (Frog and Magus, respectively), but is the Field Element, which changes its colour,
they have no real connection otherwise. depending on the attacks being used, whether
Of course, it’s easy to brand Cross as fan by friend or foe. You can play strategic games of
fiction, twisting the events and characters of a tug-of-war by gathering particular party members,
previous work into something that was never equipping them with particular spells, and
originally intended. Cross’ link to Trigger revolves overwhelming the bad guys through these means.
around the unexplained fate of a minor character, Combat is also quite user friendly. During any
going on to make a whole game out of it. It’s fight, you can flee and regroup without penalty,
basically an expanded version of the sound novel reducing the appearance of frustrating game over
Radical Dreamers, a Super Famicom Satellaview screens. Most non-boss fights are optional, too,
game also written by Masato Kato. (That game’s and stat growth is capped until you beat larger
plot, involving a trio of thieves sneaking into a foes, eliminating the need for grinding. It also
mansion, also appears as a subplot here.) However, includes its predecessor’s New Game+ feature, with
even in its best moments, it never captures a new fast-forward function to speed things up, so
the endearing tone of Trigger. Its character you can unlock several non-canon endings.
roster is huge – 44 in total – but they’re mostly Considering the fervent fanbase and Square’s
more weird than likeable. For example, there’s a tendency to milk its properties, the lack of a third
sentient radish, an obnoxious pink talking puppy, Chrono title is a mystery; rumours of a purported
a dancing straw doll, and a cyborg with ridiculous sequel called Chrono Break evaporated into thin
hair. Most of them have unique speech patterns or air. As such, Chrono Cross remains a divisive
accents to make them stand out, but few are tied element of Square’s legacy, though it’s genuinely
into the story in a meaningful way. excellent on its merits.
Chrono Cross’ tie-

ins with Chrono
Trigger are indeed
quite curious, as
exemplified by its
rather rushed climax.
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Xenogears
Xenogears is the follow-up from the Chrono

Trigger development team, though it bears little
resemblance to it. Directed by Tetsuya Takahashi,
a graphic designer on many earlier titles, with a
script by Masato Kato, this sci-fi mecha game is
one of the most ambitious RPGs of its era, though
it also over-extends its reach.
The hero is a young man named Fei Fong
Wong, whose village has come under attack by
invaders. Nearby, he discovers an abandoned
mecha, called a Gear, and attempts to defend his
home, only to accidentally destroy the whole place.
After being exiled, Fei learns that his destiny is
much more significant than he expected, leading CD is completed, the main characters narrate Square’s game
to the discovery of the roles he’s played in the origin the story, jumping from scenario to scenario, development
of his planet and the evolution of humanity. Some only occasionally allowing the player to explore a schedules were stuck
of his companions include Elly Van Houten, one of dungeon or fight a battle. If nothing else, Disc 2 to tight deadlines,
those who attacked Fei’s village, who quickly allies shows how much backstory was written into the resulting in games
with him; Citan Uzuki, a bespectacled doctor and world of Xenogears, even if it couldn’t be squeezed like Xenogears,
swordsman; Bart Fatima, a pirate who roams the into a single game. which were just way
seas of sand; Billy Lee Black, a shotgun-wielding The rest of the game is pretty good too, if not too ambitious to be
priest; and Chu-Chu, a somewhat out-of-place particularly innovative. The battles – which are presented properly
pink fluffy rodent. All of this culminates in a either fought on foot or from inside the mechas – are ... but it still turned
religious conspiracy, bringing into question the enjoyable, even if their depth doesn’t hold a candle out pretty well,
act of fighting against God. This topic had been to that of the story. In mêlée combat, characters regardless.
touched upon in a handful of other Japanese can string together various types of move to create
games, but at the time, for American audiences, it combos, and while it’s tremendously satisfying to
seemed remarkably innovative, and the many plot pummel enemies, there’s not really much depth to
twists still remain captivating. it. The mecha battles lack these moves, and instead
Though its creators deny it, Xenogears focus on conserving fuel, which drains with every
appears to draw a lot of inspiration from the mid- move. The exploration is a bit clumsy, especially
’90s anime classic Neon Genesis Evangelion. Both in the dungeons that involve platforming, but the
involve giant mechas pulling off crazy stunts. architecture feels more three-dimensional than
Both have heavy religious and philosophical in most RPGs of the era. The soundtrack, too, is
overtones, often mangling Christian symbolism a high point, consisting of both entrancing world
to unintentionally hilarious effect. And where music and powerful orchestrations, provided by
Evangelion’s TV series had an unfinished ending, Yasunori Mitsuda. The slow text speed drags down
Xenogears has its infamous Disc 2. After the first the pacing, though otherwise it’s a classic.
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Xenosaga
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2, DS
After leaving Squaresoft to form Monolith Soft,

two of the masterminds behind Xenogears –
Tetsuya Takahashi and his wife Kaori Tanaka
(also known as Soraya Saga) started work on
Xenosaga. Originally conceived as a six-part
series, Xenosaga was intended to be a new story,
but also a reboot of some of the themes and ideas
Takahashi had come up with for Xenogears.
Xenosaga Episode I follows Shion Uzuki, an
engineer at Vector Industries, who is leading the
research and development for a battle android
known as KOS-MOS. Her purpose was to fight the
Gnosis, a mysterious and dangerous entity that
appeared to resemble ghosts. Shion eventually infamous and disturbing scenes involving one of The Xenosaga
finds out that these beings have far more the main antagonists. series was originally
significance in their existence and purpose than The battle system is similar to that in presented to flesh
initially thought. The two are quickly thrown into Xenogears, in that you can enter commands with out the tale that
a huge conflict between the Galaxy Federation and the controller’s face buttons to chain attacks and couldn’t be fully
the U-TIC Organisation. In Episode I, we are also even perform special deathblows. In case you told in Xenogears,
introduced to the Zohar, a monolithic artefact desire more health and firepower, your characters though in practice,
that was a source of power and all sorts of secrets. can pilot giant robots called A.G.W.S. units. Every it turned out quite
This object will serve as the driving force for turn has a specific situational effect applied to it, differently.
many of the conflicts and character motivations such as an increased critical hit rate, an increase in
throughout the trilogy. the amount of Boost Gauge gained, or a multiplier
Xenosaga is a very cinematic experience. for the Ether, Tech or Skill points received at the
Episode I features over eight hours of cutscenes, end of the battle. These effects will rotate, with
so you can expect lengthy and frequent FMVs that the current one displayed in what is referred to
are, for the most part, well rendered for their time. as the Event Slot. By spending your accumulated
The futuristic atmosphere is as imaginative as it Boost Gauge, you can Boost a party member or
is engrossing. Many of the characters are complex grant them an extra turn. However enemies can do
and flawed, and often suffering from some sort the same, and reap the same benefits. All of this
of trauma that will haunt them throughout the results in a rather unique spin on the traditional
series. It’s all done in a surprisingly realistic turn-based formula.
manner, with the generally strong performances With an interesting combat system and a
from the English voice cast helping to bring great soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda, Xenosaga
credibility to the story. The English localisation Episode I started the series off strongly, and laid
of Xenosaga Episode I did see some changes in the groundwork for an intriguing story that will
certain cutscenes, most notably in one of the more leave you wanting more.
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Xenosaga Episode II
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2, DS
Xenosaga Episode II: Jenseits von Gut und Böse

picks up right after the ending of the first game.
Although most of the Episode I characters return,
some of their beloved English voice actors do not.
Musically speaking, Yasunori Mitsuda was replaced
by Yuki Kajiura and Shinji Hosoe, providing a
soundtrack that’s excellent, but very different in
style, with a more electronic feel. There’s also a
noticeable difference in the graphical style, as the
characters seem taller, skinnier and feature a more
realistic look, somewhat losing that stylised anime
aesthetic from Episode I.
The battle system saw some new additions,
such as air combos, team attacks and a Break Xenosaga Episode II is that rare beast, an Xenosaga Episode II
system. Every attack you perform will hit a specific RPG with no currency, and the few shops you come may be a shorter
Zone. Should you hit an enemy’s Zones in the across are mostly interested in trading items. It’s experience, but it
correct order you can Break them, rendering also a much shorter game than Episode I, clocking moves the story along
them stunned and significantly lowering their in at about 20–25 hours for the main story. There rather nicely.
defence capability. Early on, enemies can be put are, however, also over 30 side missions, which can
in the Break state after just one or two attacks, add a few extra hours. Once again, some disturbing
although as you progress you will encounter scenes were altered during localisation, and probably
enemies who require multiple attacks in to maintain the Teen rating. Despite the flaws with
succession to successfully Break them. You can the battle system, the story is still engaging, and the
address this by sacrificing a turn to Stock, up to cutscenes feature excellent compositions by Yuki
three times, which will grant you the ability to Kajiura, who would return to compose music for
attack more strongly in your following turn. While Episode III. Strangely enough, this was the only game
this system sounds interesting on paper, it has in the series to receive a European release.
some rather unfortunate drawbacks. Enemies have Xenosaga Episode I and Episode II were
a lot of HP and incredibly high defence, to the point bundled together and released on the Nintendo
where in order to even leave a scratch, you need to DS in 2006. This version was a sprite-based RPG,
Stock very frequently. Even normal encounters complete with anime-style portraits for all of the
can become really long, with several turns during characters. It’s not a straight retelling either, as
which you stand there taking damage, while there are substantial differences in the story,
you hope to eventually return the favour. Your giving a reason for fans to give it a shot. Obviously
characters can also now pilot robots called Ein Sof it’s downgraded from a technical perspective,
or E.S. units. These robots are powered by vessels of lacking the cutscenes and voices, but it’s an
anima, which draw power from the Zohar, allowing interesting package. Unfortunately, this version
for stronger and infinitely more versatile machines. never left Japan.
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Xenosaga Episode III
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): PS2
While Xenosaga was devised as a six-episode epic,

the middling commercial performance meant that
the series needed to be cut short. In consequence,
the third and final entry did what it could to
wrap everything up. To say they went all-out with
Xenosaga Episode III: Also Sprach Zarathustra
would be an understatement. Visually, they managed
to find a happy middle ground between Episode
I ’s heavily stylised art style and the more realistic
proportions in Episode II. This, combined with some
very clever use of lighting in the environments, made
for some of the best-looking visuals on the system.
Episode III begins as Shion attempts to break
into the Vector’s secret U.M.N. facility to uncover the make them extra dramatic. This makes for some The grand finale
secrets of the organisation she has been associated truly exhilarating battles, despite the incredibly for the series
with for so long. The story takes place a year after simple mechanics. Another neat feature is that at might have
Xenosaga Episode II, and most of the characters the cost of multiple Boost levels, your character come early,
and villains are back for one final hurrah. It also can perform a powerful special attack. If this but it delivered
seems that quite a bit occurred between Episode attack defeats an enemy, you will gain a Finishing a memorable
II and III, which is detailed in an in-game database Strike bonus that grants you a lot more experience experience for
accessible from the title screen. It’s highly from the battle. One of the biggest surprises about the fans.
recommended that you view this database before this game is that side characters like Miyuki,
even starting the game, as it contains a lot of Canaan, and Allen are actually playable for brief
information that will properly ease you into the sections of the game.
beginning of Episode III. As if that weren’t enough, the original
Combat has been streamlined significantly, actresses returned to play Shion and KOS-MOS, and
and that’s definitely for the better. The Boost their performances were just as memorable, if not
system returns, but the event slot and face button more so, than in Episode I. Episode III is also filled
combo system has been removed in favour of with plenty of references and nods to Xenogears in
a more traditional turn-based approach. What terms of the character designs and certain areas.
really shines about this system is its speed. Attack As with the other games, the North American
animations are quick, hit hard, and are shown version had some cutscene modifications due to
from a wide variety of camera angles, making each censorship. Blood was either significantly toned
feel fresh and exciting. The E.S. battles benefit down or outright removed. Fortunately those edits
the most from this, as battles now become these didn’t change the fact that Xenosaga Episode
breathtaking showpieces of robots flying around III delivered a satisfying payoff for the story and
and doing all sorts of crazy moves and stunts, along concluded what is one of the most fascinating and
with character cut-ins and follow-up attacks to memorable trilogies in gaming.
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Xenoblade Chronicles
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): WII, 3DS, NSW
Xenoblade Chronicles was initially intended

for release in Japan and Europe only, excluding
North America. Despite the positive ratings and
reception, it seemed that Nintendo of America
wasn’t interested in publishing the title, much
to the displeasure of fans. That didn’t stop genre
enthusiasts: they imported the game, and started
fan campaigns, like Operation Rainfall, to raise
awareness. The game was localised by Nintendo
of Europe, which paved the way for an American
release down the line, in 2012.
The game’s setting is rather unique. similar sources. However, Monolith sought a way Despite being a
Two titans, known as Bionis and Mechonis, to make combat more meaningful, compared to late release on the
are suspended in time in the middle of an FFXII ’s more automated approach. The twist in Wii, Xenoblade
epic duel, their swords mid-clash. Life has Xenoblade is that Shulk’s Monado allows Chronicles was
since flourished on top of these two titans, him to see the future. At various moments in an impressive
leading to the establishment of various races, battle you will be shown a vision of the showpiece for
most notably the Homs on Bionis and the enemy performing a powerful attack on one or the console.
Mechon on Mechonis. However the battle more of your party members, along with how
between the titans continues through their much damage will be inflicted. You will then be
descendants. Over time, various stories and given a small amount of time to try and defend
tales have been told regarding their world’s against that attack, warn your party members
origins, including one involving a legendary and tell them how to counter it, or try to
sword, the Monado, said to be hidden on the stun the enemy to prevent it. If you successfully
Bionis. This eventually comes into the hands of counter the attack, you have successfully
the Homs from a settlement known as Colony changed the future, and your party will gain a
9. You play as Shulk, a young boy fascinated by temporary buff.
technology, who spends his time researching Each of the playable characters has a
and trying to comprehend the secrets of different playstyle, complete with unique
the Monado. mechanics and three separate skill trees offering
Xenoblade Chronicles is often said to have a large variety of builds and ways for you to
MMO-like gameplay, in that the worlds are big, play the game. In addition there is an affinity
you can take on a large number of side quests rating between your party members, which can
at the same time, you auto-attack enemies, increase through character interactions
your skills have real-time cool-down, and your within battles, or based on decisions made
health recovers gradually as long as you are not in cutscenes and side quests. This can enable
currently in a battle. In some ways, it feels like an you to view special heart-to-hearts, in which
evolution of Final Fantasy XII, which drew from two or more characters can have a conversation
218
that further develops their relationship. This European release of the game. The cast put in very
affinity system also extends to NPCs within the believable performances, and certain plot points
game’s major towns. It really goes a long way are handled in a shockingly refreshing manner.
towards fleshing out these characters. It’s all accompanied by an excellent soundtrack,
The areas of the game are wide and offer blessed by the hands of multiple composers,
you plenty to find and learn. Each location feels including Yoko Shimomura, known for her work
distinct, with its own enemies, loot, and Unique on the Kingdom Hearts series. Xenoblade may
Monsters. Those are something like bosses, have had a bit of a hard time reaching North
and roam the overworld, among the normal American fans, but that did not stop it from
enemies but typically far stronger than any of becoming quite the sleeper hit at the time, and
them. Because of this, it’s not unusual for you one of the more memorable RPGs of its era.
to encounter an enemy of a much higher level A port for the New Nintendo 3DS was
than you, even in the early sections of the game. released, titled Xenoblade Chronicles 3D. This
Thankfully there is no real penalty for dying port is unsurprisingly scaled back in terms of
in battle: you simply respawn at either the its visuals, so it can fit on one 3DS cartridge.
beginning of the area or the last checkpoint. It does feature a model viewer and a music
While it might sound unbalanced, this adds a player, and is compatible with the Shulk amiibo.
certain element of strategy to navigating these While it was an acceptable mobile compromise
environments, as there is a lot to consider. when it came out, it was made redundant
Weather conditions, your party’s level, the when a remake called Xenoblade Chronicles
sounds your characters are making, and your Definitive Edition was released in 2020 for the
enemies’ fields of vision will all affect not only Nintendo Switch. This includes redone character
which enemies can appear, but how they will models and some quality-of-life enhancements,
react to you as you traverse. as well as a brand new epilogue called Xenoblade
Perhaps due to the fact that this game was Future Connected. This relatively short story
not intended for North American release, the follows Shulk, Melia, and two of Riki’s children
game features many British voice actors, with one as they explore the Bionis’ Shoulder, an area that
of the more noteworthy names among the cast was cut from the original release. It’s a nice little
being Jenna Coleman. She would go on to play story that wraps up a couple of loose ends from
Clara Oswald in Dr. Who about a year after the the main story.
The way
environments
change based
on the time of
day and weather
conditions goes a
long way towards
making each
area feel unique.
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Xenoblade Chronicles X
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): WIIU
Xenoblade Chronicles X is a completely new

experience, unrelated to the first game and
featuring a fresh cast and story. Unlike the
previous games in the series, you can create the
main character, and even pick a voice for them
in battle.
In July 2054, a war broke out between humans
and aliens. The Coalition government started
Project Exodus, whereby humanity was to flee
Earth, migrating to a new world by way of massive
Ark ships, big enough to contain entire cities, their
civilian populations cryogenically frozen inside of your way to look for them. It’s a shame, because Xenoblade
pods. An American Ark called the White Whale these side stories touch on some interesting topics Chronicles X might
encounters the aliens during its travels and crash- and themes, such as religion, immigration, and not have been the
lands on a distant planet called Mira. Its cryo-pods racism. It would have been nice to see more of that sequel some fans
are ejected and launched, scattering them across in the main story missions. expected, but was
the planet. You play as one of the frozen civilians, The game’s combat has been heavily nonetheless an
who encounters a mysterious woman named expanded from that of the first game. You now interesting title
Elma as she awakens you and frees you from your have classes, and all sorts of arts you can acquire, for the Wii U.
pod. She then brings you to New Los Angeles, the which will dramatically change the flow of battle.
crash site of the White Whale and the city carried There are also several new weapons available, such
aboard it. And thus begins humanity’s existence as dual machine guns and beam sabers. Enemies
on planet Mira. now actually have attributes and stats proportional
The world of Mira is enormous, but, unlike in to their size. Thus, regardless of an enemy’s level, if
Xenoblade Chronicles, a large amount of the world they’re bigger than you, they will still have higher
is available for you to explore from the outset, with defence and will hit harder.
most areas transitioning seamlessly. Later in the The soundtrack is quite unusual. Composed
game, you will gain access to giant robots called by Hiroyuki Sawano, typically known for his work
Skells, which not only grant you the gear necessary on anime soundtracks, it uses quite a lot of vocals,
to take on the bigger enemies, but also let you gain much of it in English and usually quite cheesy. It’s
access to even more areas. Once you finally gain the pretty good, though some parts get repetitive, and
flight module, the sky’s the limit in terms of where the vocals can drown out the character dialogue.
you can go in this game. Xenoblade Chronicles X While the apparent lack of a centralised
isn’t focused on one central narrative, but rather narrative might turn some players away,
tells day-to-day stories about the people of New Xenoblade Chronicles X offers a sense of freedom
LA. Many of the biggest and most interesting and depth in the gameplay that is rarely seen in
things to happen in the city occur inside optional JRPGs. That aspect alone makes it a notable title
quests that can be missed if you aren’t going out in the Wii U’s library.
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Xenoblade Chronicles 2
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): NSW
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 takes place in a new world

called Alrest, where living beings are thriving atop
or inside various massive titans floating in the sky.
The story follows a boy named Rex, a salvager who is
enlisted for a mission to recover a hidden treasure.
He eventually discovers that this treasure is actually
a woman in stasis. Rex is then betrayed and killed
by one of the people sent to accompany him. The
girl, named Pyra, then awakens, and revives Rex.
In return Rex promises to take her to Elysium, a
paradise that has been the subject of many legends
within their world. Rex soon learns that she is an various titans not just to reach the next cutscene, The release
Aegis, a legendary being possessing great powers but to discover the stories and cultures of the various of Xenoblade
and key to many of the world’s secrets. Many others regions. The music, by Yasunori Mitsuda, ACE, Kenji Chronicles 2 was a
in Alrest are trying to get their hands on Pyra, but Hiramatsu, and Manami Kiyota, features a wide great way to round
Rex vows to protect her no matter what, until the variety of compositions, making every scene and off the Switch’s
duo reaches Elysium. area stand out. All this helps to make a satisfying successful first year.
As you play the game, you will encounter and heartwarming experience of watching Rex
entities known as Blades, and be able to recruit grow as he discovers the world around him,
them. The Blades grant their users unique weapons and how this affects his relationship with Pyra.
and also have other abilities that can be used The combat system is similar to that in
to navigate the environment. Many puzzles and previous Xenoblade games, but streamlined in
obstacles throughout the game will require you to the sense that skills are now mapped to dedicated
have a particular Blade or combination of Blades buttons, and you can no longer attack and move at
in your party. You can obtain Blades by awakening the same time. While it sounds very limiting, the
core crystals found on your journey. The Blade you combat really opens up in the later portions of the
receive is usually random, although there are a few game, especially after gaining more Blades.
specific ones given to you in the course of the story. Xenoblade Chronicles 2 can take upwards
There are two types of Blade: Common and Rare. of 90 hours to finish, and you can easily spend
The Common Blades are generic allies that, while hundreds of hours more just getting lost in all of it.
useful, have abilities and potential that are often It’s a long journey, but one well worth going on.
limited in comparison to those of Rare ones. Rare In 2018, an expansion subtitled Torna: The
Blades have unique designs, backstories, and quests, Golden Country was released. This game takes place
plus skills that are far more powerful. However, due 500 years before the events of the main story, and
to their random nature, it can take several hours to features a faster, enhanced battle system. While it
encounter one. can be played and enjoyed separately from the base
One of the greatest strengths of Xenoblade game, it is recommended that you experience both
Chronicles 2 is your freedom to travel across the to get the most out of the story.
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Mother
Developer: Nintendo/Pax Softnica | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC, GBA, WIIU
Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest established the

primary templates for the JRPG genre that would
be iterated upon in various styles for decades to
come. These games were major players all in their
own right, all made by developers that have found
substantial success as a result. However, way back
in 1989, a game was released, with Nintendo’s
support, by a man who wasn’t, and still isn’t, a
figure in the industry. Shigesato Itoi was not a
programmer nor an artist, he was an essayist. At
the time, his works primarily consisted of ad copy
and a few public statements; in more recent years
he’s been running a website known as Hobo Nikkan
Itoi Shinbun, which is dedicated to “creating good
mood”. During a hospital stay in the late ’80s, he enters places that various agents of evil would According to Nintendo
played Dragon Quest II, and was inspired to make rather you didn’t. It has turn-based combat against Power magazine, the
a game with more emotional depth. This very a black backdrop, a party of up to three people, and English NES version
different perspective resulted in what would go magic spells presented as psychic powers. What of Earthbond was
on to be one of the most thought-provoking RPG makes Mother stand out, however, is its setting. scheduled for release
series ever made, starting with a Famicom game Rather than being some sort of medieval fantasy, in 1991, but never
bearing the rather humble title of Mother. like most of its forebears, the game instead features made it to market.
The story goes that in the early 1900s a a relatively modern landscape. One visits zoos, The reasons have never
mysterious event occurred in a small town in hospitals, and department stores, while dealing been made clear.
rural America, resulting in the disappearance of a with threats such as wild dogs, hippies, aliens, and
couple by the names of George and Maria. Years very angry cars. Rather than swords and staves,
later, George returned, but Maria was never heard Ninten and his allies utilise baseball bats, frying
from again. George never spoke of this, but began pans, yo-yos, slingshots and other domestic items
research into psychic powers. The game begins to save the world.
80 years later, with the player taking control of While on the basic side by modern standards,
George’s young grandson, Ninten, as his family’s Mother’s writing is the highlight of the feature.
home comes under sudden, unprovoked attack by Filled to the brim with charm, it treads the line
a poltergeist. Possessing the power of telepathy, between its sad, even sombre, story, and its quirky
Ninten begins to investigate strange occurrences humour, managing it all rather well. Ninten’s father
throughout the region, and to find out just what only exists on the other end of a telephone line,
his grandfather’s connection to it all is. always working and never able to see his family, yet
From a mechanical perspective, Mother is able to deposit thousands of dollars into his son’s
rather basic. Taking clear inspiration from Dragon bank account and save the game. The humourous
Quest, one traverses an overworld, visits towns, aspects aren’t just limited to the dialogue either;
222
sometimes, the player runs into situations where becomes distinctly more difficult partway through,
the silliness is rampant, such as fighting with a leading to widespread advisories from experienced
bat that tries to make sense of what’s going on, players: take advantage of relevant set pieces and
only to retreat into complete confusion. Elsewhere, power up the levels, which will help offset the
there’s a bar that the player can guide their party of significant damage and excessive deaths otherwise
children into, then sit down to have a drink with a expected in your party; and use a guaranteed-
lady and proceed to get arrested. The game keeps escape power to skip combat entirely.
you on your toes, never quite able to figure out Mother was initially intended to see Western
what to expect next. publication, and a prototype of the translated
The themes of memories, melodies, and game, bearing the name EarthBound, was made,
love are strongly present throughout the game, but cancelled before seeing release. The prototype
and nothing demonstrates this better than its was auctioned off to a collector and subsequently
other major highlight: the music. While later found its way onto the internet, becoming the
entries in the series could claim to have better first playable English version; some sprites were
writing, better combat, better visuals and more censored (like the smoking crow enemies), some The bright red
memorable characters, the music of the original names were changed, and the ending was expanded packaging of the
still stands out strongly. While Mother took its upon. The Game Boy Advance port, which Mother series has
combat blueprint from of Dragon Quest, it looked comprised both this game and its sequel, included been its trademark
at the orchestrations that the original chiptunes these changes. Despite the lack of release, the since the beginning,
were based on, and ran wild. Each major track in effort taught Nintendo lessons about considering though strategy
the game has a soundtrack companion with fully international audiences during development, guide cover (above)
vocalised English lyrics, released in 1989; critical leading them to include alterations even before the gives a slightly
reception of the soundtrack included comparisons initial release in Japan. In 2015, Mother finally saw better idea of the
to the Beatles. The most recognisable example is Western release on the Wii U eShop under the name characters
“Pollyanna” sung by Catherine Warwick. “Eight EarthBound Beginnings. in the game.
Melodies”, the most narratively important track in While by no means perfect, Mother is a labour
the game, was sung by the St. Paul’s Cathedral Choir, of love that carries with it the desire to inspire, as
an organisation dating back to the 12th century. emphasised by the fact that Itoi wanted girls to
While the writing and presentation are be able to enjoy and appreciate the game just as
superb, the gameplay itself is quite rough and much as boys, and reflected this in its marketing.
unforgiving. Owing to Itoi’s inexperience and an While here in the West it’s often overshadowed by
encroaching deadline, the game features long its sequels, Mother remains a very important piece
stretches of what seem to be filler dungeons, with of history, as the game that dared to be different,
uninteresting layouts and designs made worse made by a man not from the industry. No crying
by the high encounter rate. In addition, the game until the end.
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EarthBound
Developer: Nintendo | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SNES, GBA
While Mother’s story was one of broken families

and love without boundaries, entrancing those
who played and stuck with it, the gameplay was
rather unbalanced and the pacing of its story was
quite uneven, leaving those with less time and
inclination unable to appreciate those things.
So, when talk of a sequel started to emerge some
years later, with Itoi once again at the helm,
there were lessons from the original game to pay
attention to. Five years after the initial game’s
launch, Mother 2 was released, localised in the
West as EarthBound.
The game opens uneasily, to the alien
sounds of spacecraft, before depicting UFOs to stop an alien invasion. Over the course of the The retail price of
laying waste to human civilisation while the adventure, Ness will be aided by a psychically EarthBound in the
words THE WAR AGAINST GIYGAS hang over the gifted girl named Paula, a brilliant boy named Jeff, United States was
view and the screams of people echo amongst and a prince of the Far East named Poo. Together $69.95, which was
the sounds of destruction, the threat of Giygas they will contend with extra-cranky ladies, strange expensive, but on
returning someday having apparently been alien beings, and exploding trees. a par with, if not
realised. Appropriately for the series, it then While EarthBound shares structural cheaper than, Square
undergoes a hard tonal shift, treating the player features with Mother, it works independently and RPGs like Final
to the cute little sprites and Peanuts-esque art has improved on just about everything that the Fantasy III. It also
style. Sometime in the ’90s, in the fictionalised original game had to offer. The writing is wittier, included a huge box
United States known as Eagleland, a young the gags are sillier, the combat is better tuned, the and a strategy guide.
boy named Ness is awoken in the middle of the pacing is far more even, the cast is colourful, and
night by the sound of a meteorite crashing to the set pieces are varied and memorable. Being
earth. Upon investigating it, Ness is spoken to completely unafraid to have a sense of humour
by a small, insectoid creature named Buzz Buzz, and be just flat out goofy at points, in addition
who tells how he came from the future, where to having just plain weird situations, characters,
the Universal Cosmic Destroyer Giygas has laid and visuals, EarthBound cements itself as an
waste to everything, hinting that this is what you unforgettable experience.
saw in the game’s opening sequence. Buzz Buzz Retaining the romanticised American
provides Ness with a stone that records melodies aesthetic setting from Mother, EarthBound
before being set upon by an assassin intent on continues to use baseball bats instead of swords,
stopping them before they begin. Triumphing psychic powers instead of magic, and department
over this threat, only for Ness’ terrible neighbour stores instead of weapon shops. This is taken still
to mistake Buzz Buzz for a dung beetle and strike further, as many set pieces revolve around the kinds
him dead, Ness is left alone to begin his quest of things one can expect to find in a US town or city
224
in the ’90s, such as arcades, theatres, museums, at the moment of healing. Many enemies in
cultist communes, and corporate skyscrapers. Mother explode, or emit powerful, party-wide
Later parts of the game, however, travel more damage effects, when they die, which wears
widely, including to romanticised interpretations the team down mercilessly. In EarthBound, many
of Asia, Africa and Europe, with a special guest enemies still do this, but the Rolling HP Meter
appearance by the Loch Ness Monster. makes them more survivable, while adding tension
Mechanically, EarthBound maintains its instead of tedium.
basic Dragon Quest roots, as did Mother, combat EarthBound is a far more fun and
takes place over turns in which your party approachable game, helped by using a
will queue up actions and then play them all localisation that was explicitly allowed to be as
out in sequence. New to combat, however, funny and weird as possible, in order to appeal
are several points of distinction. Enemies are to Western audiences, rather than a more
visible within the world and must make contact direct and literal translation. The game also
with Ness and crew to instigate combat, so came packaged in an enormous cardboard box,
encounters are no longer random. As you can featuring an elaborate strategy guide, and
see approaching enemies, you can now make filled with charming clay models. Despite all
surprise attacks from behind, though enemies of this work, EarthBound was considered a The minimalist cover
can do this to you, too. In addition to this, financial failure, and at least some of that has of the Japanese
should the party be sufficiently powerful, the been attributed to its bizarre “THIS GAME STINKS” Mother games
game will simply declare, “YOU WIN!” and provide scratch-and-sniff magazine advertisements, which indicates how little
the proper rewards, instead of forcing a tedious didn’t really convey what the game was about. effort was required
combat engagement. It didn’t help that audiences in the West at from Nintendo to sell
Within combat, the battle backgrounds the time didn’t quite grasp the game, and this game in Japan,
are filled with what are now iconic psychedelic neither did reviewers, who complained that it compared to the
backdrops featuring constantly-moving shapes, looked childish. Ness was available as a playable uphill battle it faced
colours, and patterns. Finally, the party has the character in Super Smash Bros., sparking in North America.
advantage of the Rolling HP Meter. Whenever curiosity as to just what EarthBound was,
a character takes damage, rather than simple and finally bringing the West’s attention to
subtraction occurring instantly, the numbers it. It was eventually re-released on the Wii U
instead tick down in real-time. Should a Virtual Console and included on the SNES Classic
combat end mid-tick, the meter stops, and mini console. Over the years it came to inspire
the character doesn’t lose all the points they many other games, which imitated its cute
were hit for. In the event a character is dealt sprites, colourful visuals, and solid music, its
fatal damage, but someone heals them before emphasis on love, and its theme of contention
it ticks down to 0 and declares them dead, they with an ever-present, lingering darkness that few
will survive with the amount they had left can perceive.
Among the
many interesting
characters you meet
in EarthBound,
few are so weirdly
charming as Mr.
Saturn, a race of
people who are
walking heads with
large noses, and talk
in a squiggly font.
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Mother 3
Developer: Nintendo/Brownie Brown | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): GBA
The Japanese live-action television advertisement

for Mother featured music from the vocal album
and real children awkwardly re-enacting the
ending to the game. The American magazine
advertisement for EarthBound involved strange
scratch-and-sniff cards that smelled mighty
unpleasant, intended to highlight the weirdness of
the game. Both campaigns involved a general lack
of understanding of what the games were really
about; close, perhaps, but distinctly off. In 2006,
we instead saw a humble commercial featuring a
woman describing her emotional response to the
strange, funny, and heartrending Mother 3.
A third Mother game was initially planned tend to the ranch. Strange shadows and odd music Over a decade and
for the SNES in 1994, the power of the upcoming accompany the sunset as the day closes. Expecting a half after its
Nintendo 64 suggesting to the team that a his family home that evening, the father instead Japanese release,
stronger machine would allow them to develop receives the dire news that the forest his family English speaking
in a 3D environment with fewer limitations. The must travel through to return home is ablaze, the fans are still begging
reality of the development situation required them first inklings of grief to ever be forced upon this Nintendo to release
to put their efforts into a game for the ill-fated happy community. Mother 3 in English.
Nintendo 64 Disk Drive. When the platform was While Mother was a strong narrative marred Will the company
cancelled in the year 2000, it became clear that by inexperienced game design and tedious ever relent?
their vision for Mother 3 couldn’t be reasonably combat, and EarthBound was an immensely fun,
realised. It would be three more years before the silly game that didn’t quite achieve the same
game would resurface, and yet another three degree of narrative depth, Mother 3 takes the best
for it to see release on the Game Boy Advance, elements of both and ties them together, making
looking completely different from the original for the strongest entry in the series. Making use
N64 prototype. of a chapter-based narrative structure, the lead
In a large departure from its predecessors, is passed from person to person, beginning
Mother 3 does not open with an idealised facsimile with father of the family, Flint, before eventually
of an American rural town or urban centre. settling on his son Lucas. Aiding them in their
Instead, it takes place in a little archipelago known struggles are Duster the thief of justice, Kumatora
as the Nowhere Islands, a play on the definition of the badass princess, Boney the family dog, and
the word “utopia”, where you’ll find the idyllic little others. Their journeys will take them from forests
village of Tazmily. On the outskirts of this humble, filled with bizarre creatures to haunted castles,
happy village lives a simple family. The mother golem factories, and the capital of decadence, New
took her children to visit their grandfather in the Pork City, all while occasionally consulting the
mountains while the father remained home to local frog to save the game.
226
Finally stepping away from its Dragon development histories, each ultimately saw initial
Quest roots, Mother 3 uses the mechanics of release both domestically in Japan and then later
EarthBound’s Rolling HP Meter, while also internationally. Mother 3, however, has achieved
introducing the Musical Combat System. Every nearly legendary status for its developmental
enemy group has a “heartbeat” that matches woes. Which, at the time of this writing,
the rhythm of the battle music. Whenever the despite a petition of 100,000 unique signatures
player instructs a character to attack, pressing requesting localisation, has yet to achieve
the button in time with this heartbeat will chain international release, with no hint of change
additional hits upon the subject. The game, on the horizon. The reasons for this are many,
however, remains well balanced, and treats this as including the game’s depictions of drug use
a bonus rather than a necessity. Sufficient options and animal cruelty. It’s also suspected that the
are provided to allow those unable or uninterested Magypsies, characters that are strongly coded
in doing so to make their way through the game at as transgender, are another reason for hesitancy
their own pace. about localisation.
However, as expected, the real draw is the In 2008, a fan-translation patch was made
writing. Mother 3 explores ideas concerning the for Mother 3, the effort headed by Clyde “Tomato”
human condition, touching on themes of love, Mandelin of Legends of Localization. This not
loss, consumerism, corruption, and the unchecked only translated the text, but also adjusted many
march of progress coupled with the unethical visual points and gags to make them consistent
treatment of both flora and fauna. The game with their original presentation in EarthBound.
covers a span of years and observes how various The scope and passion of the project are nearly
people respond as the world around them changes, as renowned as the game itself, a testament to the
some for the better, and some for the worse. These strong feelings evoked by the series.
changes fill the reader with encroaching feelings Mother 3 is one of the greatest games ever
of dread and anxiety, yet Mother 3 never fails to made and even those not particularly interested
highlight the small moments of joy and hope in JRPGs should be encouraged to experience it
that help people make it through the day and for themselves. Much like its predecessors, it has
look forward to tomorrow. Simultaneously, it done its part to inspire. While the series was a
encourages the player to do what they can, when commercial and critical success, Shigesato Itoi
they can, to make the world a better place. has expressed no interest in continuing with
The emotional maturity of the game is it, stating instead that he is more interested in
comparable to few others, with critical reception seeing what others will do, seemingly a nod of
claiming that Mother 3 is the closest video games acknowledgement to those who would carry that
have ever come to literature. While Mother inspiration into the future, and make games with
and EarthBound had their own troubled thought, depth and consideration.
Mother 3 sees
the return of
a particularly
obnoxious
character from
the second game,
though due to
some translation
differences, it
might not be
immediately
apparent.
227
Phantasy Star
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): SMS, PS2, NSW
SEGA’s first attempts at RPGs were PC ports like

The Black Onyx and Miracle Warriors, but with
Phantasy Star, they crafted their first original
example, one that could not only go toe-to-toe
with better-known Famicom games, but also show
off the technical superiority of the Master System.
The development team included programmer Yuji
Naka, later known as part of Sonic Team; musician
Tokuhiko Uwabo, a regular on many Master System
titles; and artist Rieko Kodama, who would later
produce many RPGs at SEGA.
The game impresses right from the title screen
and prologue. Nero, a political dissident, has been
murdered by the evil king Lassic, leaving his sister during combat, which is pretty typical of the genre Phantasy Star is
Alis to avenge his death. Fairly early on, she meets – but in contrast to, say, Dragon Quest, where easily not only the
three companions – the talking cat Myau, the wizard the enemies are static sprites against generic best-looking 8-bit
Noah, and the warrior Odin – who help her to take backgrounds, here, each backdrop is themed RPG, but one of
down the evil monarch. Female representation was to match the terrain, and the enemies are fully the most visually
rare at the time, and when it did happen, women animated (though only one type of bad guy is fought incredible titles
were either presented so as to be attractive to men at a time and multiple foes are only represented by of the ’80s.
(wearing bikini armour and so forth) or relegated to numbers). The dungeons are also displayed from
secondary roles. Here, Alis is unashamedly the hero, a first-person perspective, with relatively smooth
and is dressed quite practically. scrolling replacing the block-based movement
The world of Phantasy Star leaves behind typical of other games. These visuals are full screen,
common medieval fantasy tropes in favour of and look brilliant, due to both the art style and the
something more futuristic, with influence from bright colour palette of the Master System,
Star Wars. Characters wield swords and magic A 2002 remake for the PlayStation 2, as
spells, but also guns. The series focuses on the part of the SEGA Ages 2500 line, gives it a total
planets of the Algol star system – the desert world makeover, including extra quests and dialogue.
of Motavia, the temperate world of Palma, and the However, while the graphics are higher resolution
ice world of Dezoris. and more colourful, they lack the charm of the
But beyond its scale, Phantasy Star is easily 8-bit original, and the soundtrack is quite poor.
one of the most graphically impressive RPGs of its Perhaps because it required too much translation
time, using a four megabit ROM cartridge. When work, it was released only in Japan. The 2018 Switch
talking to NPCs or entering shops, the viewpoint version is an emulation of the Master System game
switches to a first-person perspective, giving you but includes assorted balance tweaks, as well as
an up-close-and-personal view of not only the automapping for the dungeons, making it easier for
character but their surroundings. The same happens modern gamers to enjoy.
228
Phantasy Star II
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): GEN, PS2
Phantasy Star II initially began development on

the Master System, but when SEGA pulled the plug
on the system in Japan, it was shifted to the then
brand-new Mega Drive/Genesis. Together with
an expanded ROM size of six megabits, the 16-bit
platform allowed for an even grander adventure.
The story takes place several centuries
into the future, as a young man named Rolf has
dreams of a woman named Alis fighting the evil
Dark Force, the ultimate enemy from the original
game. He awakens in his apartment, where he then
begins his duties – the planets of the Algol system
are now terraformed, but the main Mother Brain
climate control system has gone haywire, causing
a flood of monsters throughout the realm. Rolf, of this class of RPG – the random encounters Phantasy Star II
along with his pointy-eared companion Nei, sets are numerous, the dungeons are exasperating, ditches the first-
out to investigate the cause. and while the story has a number of great twists, person dungeons,
The scale of the adventure has been expanded they’re thinly spread as you trudge through but replaces them
– there are still three planets to explore, though due those multiple, extremely similar dungeons. In with sprawling
to the number and length of the dungeons, it’s a an interview with the developers, these gruelling labyrinths that are
much longer game. There’s also quite a bit more affairs were attributed to a rookie staff member far more sinister.
lore, and it amps up the drama – one of the main who got a little carried away.
characters gets killed early on, and one of the planets These are only issues in a modern context.
is completely destroyed. There are now eight playable At the time of its release, its quality was recognised
characters with various skills, including Amy, a by the magazine Video Games and Computer
doctor; Shir, a thief; Hugh, a biologist; and Rudo Entertainment, who nominated it the Best Game
and Anna, two brands of hunter. The combat scenes of 1990. Indeed, it’s more impressive than the NES
now allow for fights with multiple enemy types, games that were being localised at the time.
with an Auto-Combat function to speed up battles. The English and Japanese versions of
However, several other elements have been Phantasy Star II use different drum samples in
scaled back. The dungeons are no longer first- the soundtrack. Plus, like its predecessor, it got a
person; NPCs no longer get their own separate PlayStation 2 remake that was released in Japan
conversation screen. The characters now appear on under the SEGA Ages 2500 line, but the visuals
the battlefield, shown from an over-the-shoulder look cheap, even though they added proper battle
perspective as they attack enemies, but every backgrounds. Other than adding an unnecessary
background is the same generic blue grid, and the system that lets you adjust your attack strength, it
enemies are no longer as big nor as impressively does nothing to adjust the difficulty, so those that
animated. It also suffers from the worst elements want to play it should just stick with the original.
229
Phantasy Star III
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GEN
Phantasy Star III: Generations of Doom begins on

the wedding day of Prince Rhys of Orakio, which
is summarily ruined when his wife-to-be Maia is
kidnapped by a demon from the enemy kingdom of
Laya. Rhys swears vengeance, and eventually rescues
her. However, the player is then presented with a
key decision – will Rhys still marry Maia, or will he
instead get together with Lena, another princess
who joined him on his journey? That decision
will determine who their offspring, the stars of
the next scenario, will be, roughly 20 years down
the line. Once this second stage is completed, the
hero is again presented with a choice of heroines to
marry, again creating a new protagonist; this third towards auto-battle, and issuing individual Phantasy Star III
generation will finally defeat the evil Dark Force. commands is a huge pain. Everything about it just certainly features
This narrative conceit at the centre of looks and feels bizarre. The soundtrack, at least, is some absolutely
Phantasy Star III is pretty interesting ... but it notable. While sometimes shrill, the music is pretty puzzling enemy
doesn’t make up for the fact that it barely feels good, and used in interesting ways. While you’re in designs.
like a Phantasy Star game. At the outset, it looks the overworld, it sounds simple at first, but as you
to be set in a medieval fantasy world, but then add more party members, more tracks are added,
you hit the overworld and find a woman who calls eventually creating a majestic theme; the battle
herself a cyborg just waiting by the lake for you. As theme changes mid-fight depending on how well
you adventure further, you find futuristic-looking the encounter is going for you.
caves, and some of the bad guys are mechanised. Phantasy Star III is the black sheep of
It’s eventually revealed that you’re actually on a the series, and not only because of its loose
spaceship containing seven different biodomes, connections. Even considered separately, it’s a
so indeed there are some sci-fi elements in the story. weird, barely functional, halfway nonsensical
But they’re barely present, and the story is so loosely mess. The concept of multi-generational heroes
connected to the previous games’, that the whole is fantastic, but neither the heroes nor the
thing feels more like a side story than anything else. scenarios change enough to make it worth
The battle system has returned to a first- playing multiple times. Enix’s Dragon Quest V
person view, though individual backgrounds used a similar idea a few years later, though
replace the generic blue grid from Phantasy Star with drastically different (and better) execution.
II, and five characters can participate at once. The only real addition this game provides to the
But these look strange in motion, as foes are series’ canon is the addition of cute bird enemies
poorly animated, often just waving a single limb called Rappies (Chirpers in the English version),
at you, and just kinda fall behind the scenery which became common foes in the later Phantasy
when they die. The UI is geared even more heavily Star Online series.
230
Phantasy Star IV
While Phantasy Star II was technically a 16-bit

game, in many ways it was still rooted in 8-bit RPG
design. Just over four years later, SEGA released
Phantasy Star IV, and it’s astounding how far the
genre had advanced in that short period. The story
is fairly similar – there’s a monster outbreak, linked
to various environmental factors, and mercenaries
Alys and Chaz lead the investigation to discover
what’s behind it all. The story and its developments
are relatively predictable, but the game plays to
the series’ strengths while mitigating nearly all of
its faults.
For starters, it’s a speedy game. The party
walks at a good pace, battles begin in a flash, fight as the first two games, but after 1000 years have The US version of
animations are fast, and encounters are resolved passed, so they’ve evolved substantially (plus one Phantasy Star IV
quickly. While the fights work similarly to those in was blown up and is basically just a cluster of debris). features a cover
Phantasy Star II (though utilising five characters The first game used some of its unique races only as by fantasy artist
and actual backgrounds), hidden combo attacks are NPCs, but each race now contributes a main crew Boris Vallejo. It’s
released when certain characters use specific spells, member. There’s an elf-like character much like Nei, nice art, but like
which can be easily programmed using a macro two cyborgs reminiscent of those in Phantasy Star most localised
system. The story moves along at a brisk pace, III, and one character is a reincarnation of Noah work, it bears little
sending you quickly from scenario to scenario, and from the first game. Even King Lassic comes back resemblance to the
while some may miss the crushing difficulty level of for another round of combat. Some of the references game it’s patterned
the olden days, frankly it’s nice to be able to explore do get mangled, thanks to some inconsistent after. The Roman
dungeons without having to grind for hours just localisations over the course of the series, but the numeral “IV” was
to get anywhere. The visual design is still excellent, writing itself is otherwise pretty decent for a 16-bit also added for
with a colourful early ’90s anime sci-fi style rarely RPG. Despite the many homages to the previous overseas release.
seen in RPGs of the era, this time bolstered by games, it’s not really necessary to have played them,
comic book-style panels during key events, and the as the story stands on its own fairly well. While the
soundtrack is excellent as usual. The ROM size is 32 Genesis was never remotely the RPG powerhouse
Mb, substantially larger than most other games on that the SNES was, this entry stands as not only the
the Genesis, and about the same size as most of the best on the platform, but easily hangs up with the
SNES’ more popular later-gen RPGs. (That’s also rest of the 16-bit greats.
why it retailed for 100 USD.) The Phantasy Star series slept through the
It was also the last “true” Phantasy Star game, 32-bit era but was reborn on the Dreamcast as
and does its best to not only wrap everything up Phantasy Star Online, an MMORPG that borrowed
but also act as a tribute to everything before it. Most some of the style and terminology of the classic
of the game involves exploring the same planets games, though not much else.
231
Heracles no Eikou (series)
Developer: Data East | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, GB, DS
Data East was a company largely known for offbeat

arcade games like Karnov and Bad Dudes, but
like many Famicom publishers, its developers also
tried their hands at RPG development. Their
first series was Heracles no Eikou (“The Glory of
Heracles”), which features a world influenced by
Greek mythology.
Like many early Famicom RPGs, the first
game in the series, subtitled Toujin Makyouden
(“Story of the Underworld Fighter”), is heavily based
on Dragon Quest. You play as Heracles, with a
quest based on his 12 labours, as he rescues the
kidnapped goddess Venus from Hades. Fights are
one-on-one, and each enemy type has one of three have been abolished. The biggest improvement The screenshots
different attributes (land, sea, or air), affecting is the story, due in no small part to writer on this page are
which weapons work best against each type. Kazushige Nojima. He had previously worked from the third
Weapons also degrade with use and must be taken on Data East’s Tantei Jinguuji Saburou (later Heracles game of
to a blacksmith to be repaired. There are some known in English as Jake Hunter) adventure the series, for the
unique aspects, as the towns are laid out directly games, and from this point on was tied into this Super Famicom.
on the world map rather than being separate series. (In 1994, he joined Squaresoft and worked
areas. You can talk to bosses in battle, and even on many Final Fantasy titles.) Here, Heracles is
use items to read their inner thoughts. Combat not the hero but rather a supporting character;
text also includes battle cries from Heracles, which instead the protagonist is a young boy sent to
make the fights feel a little less dry. However, Data defeat one of the Titans offspring, while meeting
East had a reputation for weird, kinda janky titles up with various folks from Greek mythology. It’s
and this game definitely qualifies. The balance nothing special, but it is a vast improvement over
is terrible and the programming is incredibly its predecessor, and helped form the baseline
glitchy, especially when it comes to password for the series.
entry or messing with the random number A spinoff game was also released for the
generators. So while it’s an interesting first effort, Game Boy, subtitled Ugokidashita Kamigami
it’s just not very good. (“The Gods Began to Move”): The Snap Story.
The second game, Titan no Metsubou (“The The story here corrects some inconsistencies
Downfall of the Titans”), is a marked improvement. between the first and second games. Again, you
It looks and feels closer to Dragon Quest II, with the play as Heracles, in a quest to defeat another demon
inclusion of multiple playable characters and a day/ king, though this time you are joined by various
night cycle, though some of the more innovative gods and goddesses including Ares, Persephone,
elements of its predecessor, like the towns Artemis, Hermes, Apollon, and more. Only one can
being on the world map and the mid-battle chats, join you at a time, though.
232
It’s in the third entry, Kamigami no Chinmoku due to the enemy level scaling with your own, The rather poor
(“Silence of the Gods”), that the Heracles series and some particularly brutal boss fights. artwork for the first
really hits its stride. You control a warrior who In the fourth game, Kamigami kara no Heracles no Eikou
wakes with a seemingly immortal body but Okurimono (“Gift from the Gods”), the hero is a game appears to
absolutely no memory. Worse, earthquakes have young man in the city of Atlantis, which has fallen have been made by
begun creating holes to the underworld, creating under attack by the Greeks. During their escape, tracing over an old
chaos across the land. During his adventuring, he and his friends unwittingly open Pandora’s box, Superman comic.
you meet more immortals, who also have amnesia. unleashing terrors on the rest of the world. In the
Together, you must piece together their true roles, meantime, they fall asleep for several millennia; the
and relationships to the plagues of the land, and protagonist eventually wakes up, finding himself
discover why the gods of Olympus have seemingly without a proper body. Instead, to start off with,
abandoned humanity. you inhabit a dog, but there are about 100 NPCs
While some may grow weary of amnesiac that you can temporarily possess, each with its
heroes, as they are exceedingly common across own abilities. Each also has a fitness level, which is
all types of story, this is one of the first JRPGs improved through fighting and, at the right level,
to include this trope, and it pulls it off extremely enables them to learn new skills. Beyond combat,
well, paving the way for later, better-known other characters react to you differently – obviously
games like Bioware’s Star Wars: Knights of the they’ll treat the king differently from a mere canine.
Old Republic and Mistwalker’s Lost Odyssey. (It is amusing the way that shopkeepers admit that
There are lots of clues that might raise questions, it’s pretty weird to be selling weapons to a dog but
but once the shocking truth of the main characters they don’t really care as long as you can pay them.)
is learned, everything falls into place. As you progress through the game, you rejoin with
Fundamentally, the game still looks and Plato and Epipha, your friends from Atlantis, to
plays like Dragon Quest, but some aspects have a discover why their city was invaded, and attempt to
more unique voice, such as learning new spells by set everything right with the world.
visiting various temples around the game world. The visuals have improved over its
Since your heroes are immortal, they show off their predecessor, and the music is excellent, thanks
strength by leaping from cliffs, impressing those to composer Shogo Sakai, later of Mother 3.
with lesser constitutions. (You also regularly hop The balance is not really a problem anymore, either,
in and out of the underworld.) There’s a trust stat, though the game is a little on the short side. While
showing how much your compatriots like you, some prefer the tragic story of the third game,
which goes down if you steal stuff from people’s this scenario is still very good, and overall, this is Heracles goes
houses, and may cause them to refuse orders in probably the best entry in the series. anime with the
combat. You can also escort NPCs, who join you Data East shifted away from RPGs after the second Famicom
in combat, though they’re obviously much weaker 16-bit era, and eventually found themselves in game, a big
than the core characters. The only real downside financial difficulties in the early 2000s, leading to improvement
lies in its off-kilter difficulty, in no small part their bankruptcy. Its staff and properties went in over the first.
233
different directions, with the Heracles games going it’s just very slow, particularly the spell effects, The story in
to a company called Paon. Together with Studio resulting in battles that drag on way too long. Heracles no Eikou
Saizensen (later known for Code of Princess and This was a major mark against the Japanese IV, pictured here
Sayonara Umihawa Kawase) and Nintendo, they version, though fights were sped up a bit for the with the English
resurrected the series in 2008 with a new entry, international release, including the ability to skip fan translation,
lacking a numeral but subtitled Tamashii no the touch-screen mini-games that charge up magic isn’t quite as good
Shoumei (“Proof of the Soul”). They also brought attacks. Even with this, fights are still slower than as its predecessor’s,
back Kazushige Nojima, now a freelancer, as the they should be. but it’s overall a
writer. This is the only game in the series to have But it’s not just the fighting: the overall better game.
been officially released in English. pacing is slow. The opening hours drag, especially
This final entry in the series seems to with the numerous tutorial messages. And
acknowledge that the third entry had the best story, thanks to all the extra dialogue, it feels so much
so this almost feels like a soft reboot using the slower than the 16-bit games. The actual story is
same concept. The main character wakes up with pretty good, especially once the plot twists and
no memory and a seemingly immortal body, meets revelations begin to happen, in the second half of
up with fellow adventurers in similar situations, the game, but what was progressive in the mid-’90s
and they explore their surprising and twisted isn’t quite as powerful in the late 2000s, and as a
past. It definitely maintains elements of the older result, it doesn’t have nearly the same impact.
games, including the battle yells during the fight, The backgrounds are 3D rendered, while the
party members admonishing you for stealing, and 2D sprites have a pre-rendered CG look that makes
lots of places to leap from great heights without them seem kinda mushy. Tetsuhiko Kikuchi (a.k.a.
getting harmed. Han), the graphic designer on many titles from
It also acknowledges that, as of its release in legendary developer Treasure (Gunstar Heroes,
2008, battles couldn’t just keep ripping off Dragon Guardian Heroes), worked on the character
Quest, so the perspective is changed from first- to sprites, but the low resolution makes it hard to
third-person. There are front and back rows, as see their details. The soundtrack, largely by
with the older games, but positioning plays a bigger Yoshitaka Hirota (Shadow Hearts) is decent, if not
role, offering various advantages like recharging particularly memorable.
MP if you’re in the back. There are plenty of skills In the end, the game was not terribly well
and abilities that can be activated or triggered too. received: Japanese fans professed their preference
While magic spells use MP, there’s also a pool of for the 16-bit era, while English-speaking fans just The English writing
element-related ether, shared among both friends considered it an alright RPG saddled with slow for the DS game
and foes. Available ether is needed to cast spells, pacing. This buried the series once more, though the sneaks in a clever jab
or else you’ll take damage, though you can increase fan translations of the earlier titles in the series have at Nintendo’s other
ether by beating enemies into submission. While helped spread awareness of their excellent quality Greek mythology-
a lot of work was put into the design, in reality, among hardcore JRPG fans. based series.
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Metal Max (series)
Developer: Crea-Tech | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, GBA, PS2, DS, 3DS, PS4, PSV
Data East began its work on RPGs with the

Heracles no Eikou series, which hewed pretty
closely to the Dragon Quest formula. But another
part of the company, later known as Crea-Tech,
went in a slightly different direction with the
Metal Max series. Inspired by Mad Max and
taking place in a post-apocalyptic world where
much of human civilisation has been wiped out
by a maniacal computer called Noah, you control
a monster hunter who seeks to make a name for
themselves, and hopefully rake in the cash. Its tag-
line in Japan was “I’m tired of dragon killing!”
In the first game, initially released for the
Famicom, you control a boy who aspires to leave completely lost. You do also have to worry about Visually Metal Max,
behind the boredom of life as a mechanic and ammunition, so you need to both attack wisely resembles a post-
instead wants to hunt monsters. He’s almost and visit supply depots regularly. If you do end up apocalyptic Final
immediately disowned by his father (though he’ll getting wiped out, you’ll be resurrected with no Fantasy. Header
still begrudgingly help out at his shop) and left real penalty, but you’ll need to revisit the location picture is from Metal
to explore the world on his own. Alas, the world of your smashed vehicles if you want to recover Max 2, box art and
is crawling with strange creatures, and walking them. Whenever you’re wiped out, a scar is added screen to the left from
around the wilderness on foot is a sure way to to the status screen, which doesn’t actually mean Metal Max Returns.
invite death. So one of the first things you need to much but exists as a memorial to all of the times
do is find a tank, which is one of the key elements you’ve fallen.
of the game. Much of your time is spent finding The structure and narrative are a little more
new tanks and customising them with various open-ended than in a typical JRPG, since at
pieces of equipment and weapons. In most games first, there’s no real goal beyond just becoming a
in the series, you can’t stack too much on there or stronger monster hunter. Instead, you explore on
you’ll exceed its weight limit. your own, and take on contracts to hunt down
Tanks don’t have typical HP, but rather wanted monsters or other villains. Many of these
armour plates (called SP or Special Points) that are optional sub-quests that you can do just for
absorb damage; once these are depleted, then the rewards. You’ll eventually gather a party of
further attacks will destroy other pieces of onboard other characters of different classes, each with
equipment until the tank becomes unusable, their own skills (the hero is a Hunter; others
forcing the pilot to attack on foot. Generally, you’re include Mechanic and Soldier), and amass a small
extremely vulnerable without a vehicle, though in army of customised tanks to roll with. However,
some areas where your tank won’t fit, you need at pretty much any point in the story, you can
to explore on foot anyway. Thankfully, vehicles return home to your family and call quits on your
can be repaired, so your tanks will never be monster-hunting days. This technically counts as
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an ending, but only by following the game’s main additional content. There was also a Game Boy Atlus played up
plot thread will you find the final boss and be Advance port of the second game, called Metal the anime side of
rewarded with a proper finale. Max 2 Kai, though it suffers from substantial the series for the
The series also has a rather quirky sense of issues, owing to a large number of bugs. At this American release
humour, which Data East games were known for. point Data East was suffering significant financial of Metal Saga.
Since the Metal Max series is basically aimed at problems, with a planned Dreamcast game called
adolescents, it can’t be too grim, despite the fact Metal Max WILD Eyes eventually getting cancelled.
that much of human civilisation has been wiped At this point, Crea-Tech staff joined up with
out. Monsters tend to be weird anthropomorphic the developer Success and wanted to continue
biological/mechanical hybrids, many of which are the series, but due to those financial issues, it was
kind of silly, like the gas cans with legs or the hippo unable to obtain the Metal Max name. So instead,
with a gigantic cannon in its mouth. Whenever they created their own series called Metal Saga,
you die, you’re resurrected by a Dr. Frankenstein- with two entries, for the PlayStation 2 and DS in
type character named Dr. Minchi, who seems a 2005 and 2006, respectively. Make no mistake,
little too excited about experimenting on corpses. these aren’t spinoffs, and they’re basically Metal
The first game was released at the end of the Max sequels in everything but name.
Famicom’s lifespan, so it didn’t make an enormous Metal Saga: Sajin no Kusari (“Chains of
impact, but it was given another chance with a Dust”) is the PlayStation 2 game, which brings
sequel, Metal Max 2, on the Super Famicom. This the series into 3D. While this may have been
is pretty similar, but brings with it a number of necessary for the market, the low budget for the
enhancements enabled by the shift to the 16- title shows, as it’s not an attractive-looking game,
bit platform. It obviously looks better, plus the and it’s plagued by long load times and other
battle system has been tweaked to allow different technical issues. Nonetheless, it’s pretty faithful to
presentation modes – one of these has both sides the previous games. Changes include the removal
exchanging blows simultaneously after selecting of the pure turn-based system, replaced by turns
commands, which both looks cool and speeds based on your machine’s weight, and the ability to
up combat. Its music is also much improved customise your party with a number of additional
too – as the title implies, the music has a heavy characters. The open-ended structure is still there,
metal sound, something which the SNES’ guitar with even more freedom than in the older games,
samples were decent at replicating. One of the though this means that it’s also more difficult and The box art for
battle themes, used for encounters with “wanted” unbalanced. This was also the first game localised the second game
enemies in the Famicom version, has been reused into English, released by Atlus, which keeps the emphasises its
in many subsequent entries in the series. somewhat silly tone of the series. most important
But the most distinctive (and silliest) aspect The DS entry, Hagane no Kisetsu new element: your
introduced in the second game is the addition of a (“The Season of Steel”) keeps the 2D visuals but canine companion.
canine companion. Although it can’t ride vehicles, suffers from other, more severe, problems. While
it can be equipped with absolutely ridiculous matching the older game in some ways, it’s
weapons – like strapping a rocket launcher to its hamstrung by requiring stylus use for practically
back – and faithfully fights alongside your team. The everything, and by its incredibly slow character
story in this game involves hunting down the four movement and large number of bugs. Other
Grappler Kings, including the maniacal Ted Broiler, changes are frustrating, like restricting you to only
who murders the hero’s parents at the beginning one tank at a time in battle (instead you can have
of the game. He has huge lips and a mohawk, two pilots) and having a more linear structure.
is equipped with flamethrowers, and proves It ended up being something of a flop.
himself to be quite a compelling villain. You’re also The series was then rested until being
given the option of getting married to one of the revitalised in 2010, this time using the proper
female characters, though this does end the game. name and thus being dubbed Metal Max 3.
Metal Max 2 was followed up by Metal Published by Kadokawa and developed by Cattle
Max Returns, a remake of the Famicom game, Call (another company consisting of ex-Data
upgraded to 16-bit level and including some East staff), it’s faithful to the look and feel of the
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16-bit games without the issues that hindered The most recent entry in the series is Metal Screenshots from
the Metal Saga entries. The hero is an amnesiac Max Xeno, released in 2018. This is actually a Metal Max 2
resurrected by Dr. Minchi, initially called Drum soft reboot for the series, which has a remarkably Reloaded pictured
Can (since that’s the first object he sees). He different tone from that of previous entries. above left, and the
begins to explore the world as a hunter, in hopes It eliminates many of the sillier elements in cover art of Metal
of understanding his forgotten identity. As in favour of a darker, more dire world, where Max 3 (above).
Dragon Quest III, you can create various party humanity has been almost completely wiped out.
members to join your squad – in addition to the The main character joins up with a small team,
established Hunter, Mechanic, and Soldier classes, finds a tank, and begins hunting for the remnants
it introduces Nurse, Wrestler, and Artist jobs. of civilisation. They initially believe that humanity
You can also define their gender, between male, is doomed, since they’re all men (except for a
and female, and crossdresser. The visuals here female robot, who obviously can’t reproduce),
use 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds, and they look though they do quickly discover a woman whom
pretty good, with some solid animations. The they believe to be the last female alive.
character artwork is by Masaki Hirooka, known The crux of Metal Max – tank customisation
for his work on Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia and and bounty hunting – is still in place, but it feels
Advance Wars: Days of Ruins. very stripped back. The previous games had
This was followed up with Metal Max 2: standard RPG towns to visit, whereas this game
Reloaded, a remake of the second game using the is almost completely desolate outside of the
new engine from the third. Though there are many main base. While this evokes a grim atmosphere,
other tweaks and additions, the biggest is that it also means that you spend most of your time
you can customise the protagonist, as you could just driving around wastelands. And although
the secondary characters from the third game, the colour scheme is actually quite pretty for
allowing you to choose your gender and class. a post-apocalyptic environment – green skies
It also allows subclasses for characters, creating during the day, red in the evening – the rest has
hybrids. Altogether, it’s an excellent remake. a low-budget look and feel. Everything else –
A fourth game was released for the 3DS, customisable characters, tank-building elements,
subtitled Gekkou no Diva (“Diva of Moonlight”), dungeon variety – are also scaled back or missing.
this time moving the series fully into 3D and And without its sense of humour, it feels like
adding in voice acting. In addition to player- a large chunk of its personality is gone – there
created characters, with two new classes, Rider isn’t a single dog to recruit anywhere! This game
and Dancer, there are plenty of story characters, was localised into English by Nippon Ichi, and while
plus you can recruit bears along with dogs. it’s not bad, it’s hardly representative of the
It also has a significant amount of DLC. Despite series’ quality. A revamped version called
the fairly high quality of these DS and 3DS entries, Metal Max Xeno: Reborn, released in 2020,
none of them were picked up for localisation, makes many tweaks, including the return of the
which is a huge shame. dogs, thankfully.
Metal Max
Xeno isn’t really
representative
of the best of
this series, so it’s
unfortunate that
this, rather than
the superior DS
and 3DS entries,
was localised.
237
Tengai Makyou (series)
Developer: Hudson/Red Entertainment | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PCECD, SFC, SAT, PSP and more
NEC was an early proponent of the CD-ROM,

offering an attachment to its PC Engine console,
released in late 1988 in Japan. Every piece of
new technology needs a killer app to get it into
homes, and for this platform, at least in its native
country, that was Hudson’s Tengai Makyou: Ziria.
Developed in conjunction with Red Entertainment,
a production company responsible for many
popular video games produced in the ’90s, it was
largely the work of two writers: Ouji Hiroi and
Shoji Masuda, both of whom went on to have quite
interesting careers in the industry. The concept
was kicking around production companies both as
a live action film and an anime, until Hudson got includes Tsunade, a delinquent little girl who’s Released six months
involved and turned it into a video game. actually quite tough, and Orochimaru, a serious after the launch of
“Tengai Makyou” directly translates as “The warrior with goofy blue hair and a samurai ‘tude. the PC Engine CD,
Demon’s Dwelling Outside the Heavens”, though Though Ziria is largely a silent hero, the interplay Tengai Makyou:
its official English title (despite none of the main between the others creates a comical atmosphere. Ziria was a killer
games ever having been released outside of Additionally, Tengai Makyou is one of the first app for the platform
Japan) is Far East of Eden. The framing narrative RPG series to put a big emphasis on unique boss in Japan, along with
has the games based on a chronicle of the same characters. There are 13 members of Daimon Ys Book I & II.
name, written by a Western traveller and historian Cult, each with unique personalities, making
named P.H. Chada, who journeyed eastward and them much more interesting than the typical
told exaggerated tales of the land he discovered. JRPG baddies of the late ’80s. The most popular
As such, the games present a distorted, generally is a ridiculous talking anthropomorphic monkey
goofy take on Japanese history and folklore. Nearly named Manto, who was so popular with fans that
all of them take place in a land called Jipang, the he reappeared in subsequent entries. Most of them
same name given to the country by Italian traveller have regular human forms, but make dramatic
Marco Polo, whose works were obviously the basis transformations into monsters when their battle
for this concept. goes down.
The first game in the series is taken from Going by any regular gameplay screenshot,
the folktale Jiraiya Gouketsu Monogatari, which Tengai Makyou: Ziria doesn’t look all that
also provided elements for the popular shounen impressive, with a level of detail only slightly
anime Naruto. A dark clan from outside the land, above that of Famicom RPG. The main addition
called the Daimon Cult, is set to resurrect the evil is digitised speech, and while much of the game
Masakado, so it’s up to a boy named Ziria to travel is still text-only, there’s still quite a bit of voice-
the country and assemble his fellow members over. There are occasional cutscenes (which look
of the Fire Clan to take them down. His party relatively simple compared to what came later,
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in the 16-bit CD era) and some NPCs have portraits, a fire breathing giant who’s over a thousand years Tengai Makyou II:
which make them a little more individual. A few old, and Kinu, a half-demon, half-human who Manjimaru includes
tracks were provided by legendary composer travels with a big fluffy dog. But the breakout an extensive opening
Ryuichi Sakamoto, which are played as redbook character is Kabuki Danjuurou, a loud and arrogant cinematic sequence,
audio, though the majority of the soundtrack is ladies’ man, who is almost comically immoral in which introduces the
played via PSG and is rather unimpressive. spite of technically being a good guy. The story powers of its four
The other main benefit of the CD-ROM is gets quite a bit sillier, but there’s also quite a bit main cast members.
purely storage space. PC Engine HuCards generally of violence and adult humour that are somewhat
had a storage limit of a paltry four megabits, uncharacteristic of early ’90s JRPGs. It sure is
greatly limiting what they could do. In advertising funny, though some of it had to be toned down for
the game, Hudson promised that it was 520 times subsequent re-releases, to avoid any problems with
the size of Dragon Quest III, and featured over CERO, Japan’s age rating organisation.
3,000 characters (most of which were generic The improvement due to the extra RAM can
NPCs, of course, but it’s still impressive). Thus, be immediately seen in the introduction, which is
the script was no longer constrained by ROM size, much more vividly animated than anything in the
making for a larger, richer game. On the downside, first game. The main selling point was that there
there is quite a bit of loading, at least on standard would be some kind of cutscene every 30 minutes
consoles, though all emulated versions are sped of play, with an estimated 70 hours to finish
up considerably. However, none of this changes the game. The in-game graphics have improved
the fact that it’s still a fairly typical Dragon Quest subtly, to the point where the characters now look
clone: it’s just a technologically advanced one with like they come from a 16-bit Final Fantasy game
a more unique theme. rather than a Dragon Quest one. Regular battles
Technology moves at a rapid pace, and are still pretty basic-looking, and take place on a
soon the 64 kb RAM expansion provided with black background (to reduce the need for constant
the original PC Engine CD-ROM system was not loading). But the boss battles are particularly
enough. Just a few years after its introduction, the impressive, as each sprite takes up half the
Super CD-ROM System Card was introduced, with screen and is actually animated, unlike those in
extra RAM totalling 256 kb. Again, NEC needed regular fights. The main themes were composed
something to help sell gamers on shelling out the by Joe Hisaishi, mostly known for his Ghibli film
extra money to upgrade, and of course, one of the work, and his tracks are excellent, though as in
big names was the second Tengai Makyou game, its predecessor, most tracks are played via PSG.
again subtitled for the protagonist, Manjimaru. This all comes together to create a game that’s
The evil Root Clan seeks to take over Jipang, regarded by Japanese fans as the best of the series.
this time wielding the power of plants, including The game saw a 3D remake for the PlayStation 2
a particularly vicious life-sucking orchid called the and GameCube, though it’s rather ugly and load
Dark Ran. The hero, part of the same Fire Tribe times are long. A better conversion was released
as Ziria, sets off to find companions and save the for the DS, which includes the ability to charge up
kingdom. Other party members include Gokuraku, your attacks with the touch screen.
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After this, in 1993, Hudson decided to create (though what’s present still looks pretty good) and
a spinoff subtitled Fuuun Kabukiden (“A Turbulent no digitised speech. Though the soundtrack is no
Kabuki Story”), naturally starring Kabuki. longer orchestrated, the music here is still fairly
The game begins in Kyoto; the women of the decent. The ROM size is fairly large, at 40 megabits,
city have been whisked away by a splinter cell of though it also includes a decompression chip (as
the Daimon Cult. However, Kabuki’s adventures did Enix’s Star Ocean) to allow more data to fit
eventually send him right around the world, to onto the cartridge. The in-game visual style has
London, England. Amusingly, the interface also changed: in most areas, the characters have more
changes when you travel – while in Japan, stats realistic proportions, à la Chrono Trigger, though
are displayed with Japanese kanji, while they the chibi sprites are maintained for the overworld.
change to English text later on. While the rest of The battle system has changed slightly, now
the main cast is new, characters from both Ziria viewed from an over-the-shoulder perspective, à la
and Manjimaru also make appearances. Given Phantasy Star II and IV, so you can see your party
Kabuki’s profession as a stage actor, there’s also a members attacking.
number of vocal songs. Gameplay-wise, it’s mostly The big gimmick of Tengai Makyou Zero
the same as before, though fights are viewed from is the PLGS (Personal Live Game System), as the
a side-on perspective, making it look even more cartridge also has a built-in clock that functions
like Final Fantasy. as a calendar. There are special events in various
While Hudson was still hard at work on a areas depending on the year and day, particularly
proper sequel, it also created a side story called on holidays; it also requests the player’s birthday
Tengai Makyou Zero, released in 1995 for the and gives them a customised celebration when
Super Famicom. By this point, the PC Engine was it comes around. The downside here is that this
losing steam, and the developers wanted to expose drains the battery more quickly than usual, so
the series to a wider audience – after all, Tengai most cartridges need to have them replaced, plus
Makyou was popular, but it wasn’t nearly as big the Japanese holiday schedule was changed, so Many Super
as either Dragon Quest or Final Fantasy. As with events don’t line up after the beginning of the 21st Famicom versions
many franchises that moved from CD platforms to century. None of these are issues when playing of CD games ended
ROM cartridges, a number of compromises had to on an emulator, since the clock can be tweaked up being substantial
be made, but the end result is still pretty good. manually, but there’s no way to manually adjust downgrades, but
The story takes place in a different era from the clock without restarting your saved game. while Tengai Makyou
that in the previous games, far in the past, when Plus, it’s possible to miss events if you can’t play Zero is missing the
Jipang was divided up into six nations, united by on a certain day, then you must wait weeks or even fancy cutscenes
the leader of the Dragon Kingdom. However, the months until these events come back around. and voices, it’s still
devious Ninigi has been resurrected, and it’s up to For the most part, the game plays similarly no cheap spinoff,
Higan, hero of fire, to destroy him. The story and to the others, though characters learn new skills offering interesting
humour is in keeping with previous games, but in different ways (Higan needs to hunt down gimmicks and high-
being on a cartridge, there are far fewer cutscenes and challenge hermits, his pal Subrau must find quality visuals.
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If there’s one
Tengai Makyou
game that
should’ve been
localised, it’s The
Apocalypse IV,
which includes
a hilariously
warped view of
the United States.
treasure chests hidden in each country, etc.) The series continued on the Saturn with
To tie in with the PLGS, you can also hatch eggs and Tengai Makyou: Daiyon no Mokushiroku (“The
breed pets, which act as summon spells in combat. Fourth Apocalypse”). There’s a roman numeral
There’s also a fairly elaborate sub-quest in which IV on the title so it kind of acknowledges that
you can visit tea houses and attempt to romance there had been a lost third game. This entry shifts
the women that reside there, by showering them the setting away from Japan to North America,
with gifts (up to and including buying them a starring a young man named Rizing, a member of
house). You can get some good items this way, the Fire Tribe, like Ziria and Majimaru before him.
though it is a little time consuming, plus it’s a Beginning in Alaska, the game eventually moves
little weird considering that Higan is a 12-year-old southward, visiting towns like Seattle, Chicago,
kid hitting on adult women. Overall, the game’s an and New York City, and even spend a little bit of
interesting bit of technology, though the story and time in Mexico. Along the way, you’ll meet Yuuno,
characters don’t really live up to those in the PC a Native American woman; Zengou, an immigrant
Engine games, and outside of its novelty, it fails to from Jipang who desperately wishes he was a
stand out in the SFC RPG crowd. samurai, but is actually just a butcher; Ace, a
By this point, the third Tengai Makyou game, cowboy gunslinger who’s a relative of the earlier
subtitled Namida, was in development for NEC’s hero Kabuki; Bob, a Jamaican bobsledder; and
PC-FX, the 32-bit successor to the PC Engine. Kamon, an evil robot who turns good.
Unfortunately, the system was performing very Much like that of Japan in the PC Engine
poorly against competitors, and support was Tengai Makyou games, this game world’s North
dropped for the system in 1997, which led to the American history and geography bear only
cancellation of the game. Very little of it has ever passing resemblances to the real thing. Alaska,
been made public, outside of some artwork, so it’s for example, is an island, Rizing crosses the
questionable how far development had actually ocean with the help of an enormous buffalo
progressed. Hudson later used the name and basic god, and Seattle and Portland are transplanted
concept for a 2005 PlayStation 2 game, though from their real-life locations to the state of
it’s quite different from the original scenario by Montana. Indeed, part of the appeal of this game
Shoji Masuda, which was adapted into a series of is seeing these JRPG interpretations of US cities,
novels called Haruka Tenkuu no Yamataikoku and areas like Carlsbad Caverns represented
and Haruka Enten no Yamataikoku. as dungeons. It’s also a mishmash of standard
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Oriental Blue was
a reboot of the
Tengai Makyou
concept, but
unfortunately it
wasn’t much of
a success.
role-playing magic (Native Americans have the The next entry, Oriental Blue: Ao no Tengai
ability to teleport around the country, for example) for the Game Boy Advance, released in 2003, is
and anachronisms (there are cars, tanks, robots, something of a soft reboot. The game still starts
gigantic mechas, and televisions, to name a few off in ancient Japan (and even leaves the country
items that didn’t exist in the early 20th century). to visit other areas of East Asia), but the style and
The bosses are just as ridiculous as before too: tone are drastically different from those of previous
Candy is a young starlet whose siren calls cause games, abandoning the bright anime character
young people to join her; Ron Terry is an evil designs for a more serious look. The first-person
Hollywood producer who uses the power of film battle system of the first two PC Engine titles is
to draw innocent wannabe actors and actresses retained, but otherwise you probably couldn’t tell
into the cult’s grasp; Madam Appetit is a large pig- it’s a part of the same series.
woman who leads a gang known as the Debu (“Fat”) The game opens with you choosing a
Rangers, and whose goal is to make everyone in male or female protagonist, who begins to have
southwest America obese, and then turning them visions in which a girl warns of monsters
into food; and TV Man is a man with a television that must be stopped. Oriental Blue features
for a head, who brainwashes the citizens of Atlanta what developers call a “free scenario system”,
with propaganda. whereby the storyline can be influenced by your
While the 2D sprite-based visuals actions – in addition to a plethora of sub-quests,
used throughout are high quality, it’s really the plot can change depending on whether you
the battle scenes that are most impressive. defeat certain bosses, and different characters
The enemies here take up almost the entire (over ten in total) can join you, depending on your
screen, looking almost like a real anime battle. The main character. While the somewhat non-linear
animation is a little limited, and you can only fight system is a great idea, it still goes at the molasses
a few enemies at once, but the effect is incredibly pace of the older games, without maintaining
cool-looking. It’s a shame so many 32-bit era much of the old goofy joy. The game was meant to
RPGs went for 3D over quality 2D like this. There be the start of a new trilogy, but it was a flop, and
are plenty of anime cutscenes too, many used for subsequent games were cancelled.
dramatic emphasis during boss fights. In the PlayStation 2 era, Hudson decided
Beyond the initial Saturn release, Daiyon no to revive the series by looking back at its
Mokushiroku was ported to the PSP, which alters infamously cancelled PC-FX game Tengai
the proportions to make use of the system’s 16:9 Makyou III: Namida and attempting to revive Tengai Makyou is
screen, and makes a few small minor additions it. The hero is Namida, a young man with one of the many
and changes. This would’ve been a good time to amnesia who washed ashore near a small village RPGs that just
introduce the series to English speakers, especially when he was a little boy. When evil demons couldn’t evolve with
since they’d be more likely to understand the – known as Ami – kidnap his friend Ichiyo the times, as the
themes and settings than any of the ones set in and destroy their town, it’s up to him to save her. subpar PlayStation 2
Jipang, but, unfortunately, it was not meant to be. Naturally, Namida has “great power”, and after entry attests.
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rescuing his friend, he sets off on a journey to free The visuals are entirely 3D, though given that Gaijinworks
Jipang from the evil demon leader. the game came out very early in the system’s life, began localisation
The battle system has been given a huge it looks quite basic. The battle system uses a third- production on the
overhaul, ditching the old-fashioned first-person person perspective, and allows you to summon Ziria remake for the
combat. While most RPGs have you fighting each character’s respective animal (Ziria has a Xbox 360, though
three, maybe four bad guys at a time, Namida toad, Tsunade a slug, and Orochimaru a snake). it ended up falling
routinely tosses around between ten and thirty It also has a number of brand new HD anime though. Going by
foes. Each attack by your character can knock cutscenes. It’s one of the few Japanese Xbox 360 the poor visuals, it’s
out as many as a dozen enemies, so combat games unreleased in North America and it’s easy unlikely it would have
moves quickly, and it’s pretty cool to see your to see why – it was mostly meant as a way to hit impressed anyone.
characters plow through rows of enemies like the nostalgia buttons of Japanese gamers, giving
a bowling ball, sending them flying aside. Each them something familiar in a new context and
character has a certain number of attacks per with more modern mechanics, but on its own
round, and can switch between regular attacks terms, it’s just a rather basic RPG with relatively
and special abilities. poor graphics.
The biggest problem, unfortunately, is There were a handful of spinoffs as well.
the load times. Every time you change screen Tengai Makyou Shinden is a 2D fighting game for
(including entering and exiting houses in towns), the NEOGEO, which is basically SNK’s Samurai
you’re greeted by a load time of between three and Shodown but using characters from Tengai
seven seconds. This would be tolerable if the game Makyou Ziria and Manjimaru. This is actually the
was worthwhile, but while the overall product only piece of Tengai Makyou output that made it
isn’t bad, it’s really missing a lot of the pizzazz outside of Japan, where it was known as Far East
and humour of the older games, and the new low- of Eden: Kabuki Klash. Kabuki Ittouryoudan is
budget 3D visuals just don’t have nearly the same another 2D fighter for the PC Engine Arcade Card.
charm as the old 2D artwork. It isn’t quite a sequel to Kabuki Klash – rather than
This spelled the end of the main Tengai aping Samurai Shodown, it more closely mimics
Makyou series, though Hudson did go back to it Street Fighter II, right up to utilising the six button
with a remake of the first game for the Xbox 360, pad. And Tengai Makyou: Dennou Karakuri
called Tengai Makyou Ziria: Harukanaru Jipang Kakutouden is a “full motion video fighting game”
(“A Far Away Jipang”). Released only in Japan, for the PC-FX – which essentially means you push
around the platform’s launch, it’s actually based buttons and watch footage of your character doing Kabuki Klash is
on an earlier draft of the story from before Shoji some special moves. a solid fighter, if
Masuda was involved, so while the characters Tengai Makyou’s golden age was in the 16-bit rather unoriginal,
and basic premise are the same, the actual events era – despite the quality of the Saturn game, it saw but at least it gives
are quite different. So as a remake, it’s indeed its greatest successes on the PC Engine and will English speakers an
quite liberal with the source material. Probably forever be associated with it. It’s unfortunate that it introduction to the
the biggest change is that Ziria, who was mostly was connected to a system with minimal presence main casts of the
a silent protagonist before, is now a much more outside of Japan, because it’s a delightfully lively PC Engine Tengai
active personality. series that remains largely inaccessible to this day. Makyou games.
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The Final Fantasy Legend
Developer: Square | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): GB, MOB, WSC
Following the success of the first two 8-bit Final

Fantasy games, Square began development of a
portable RPG. Rising to this challenge was Akitoshi
Kawazu, who had worked on both Final Fantasy
games as a designer, and was an avid Wizardry
player who desired a more advanced gameplay
experience from a Japanese RPG. The result of
all this was the first entry in what would become
Square’s other long-lasting popular RPG series,
SaGa, though it was initially known in North
America under the Final Fantasy Legend moniker.
The game opens up by relating the legend of
the tower in the centre of the world. It is said that the
top of this tower is where paradise can be found, but
none who have attempted to make the climb have
ever been heard from again. Undaunted, one person
sets out to find the answer for themselves. The enemy attacks. Should a party member fall, they will While this initial
bosses are all based on the Chinese constellations lose one of three hearts and in the event that all are entry in the SaGa
– Gen-bu the turtle, Sei-ryu the dragon, Byak-ko the lost, they cannot be revived without an extremely series was released
tiger, and Su-zaku the bird – and are led by Ashura, pricey item. Weapons also break after repeated use. as a separate
the Japanese god of war. The final battle is against This, along with the random growth of the mutants, franchise in Japan,
the “Creator”, this being one of the early JRPGs would become key elements of later SaGa games. it was marketed as a
where you fight against God. The music, composed by Square old Final Fantasy spinoff
Unlike most RPGs of the era, this one hand Nobuo Uematsu, is serviceable, though in North America.
lets you select your gender and choose from not particularly impressive. The visuals do a
multiple character races that grow stronger in surprisingly good job of conveying the various
different ways: Humans, who boost stats with environments the player will travel through,
items; Mutants, who gain stats randomly; and from basic fantasy plains and forests, to a post-
Monsters, who eat the meat of other monsters to apocalyptic sci-fi world. The scenarios are fondly
transform. Combat is simultaneously simple and regarded, owing to thoughtful construction of
complicated. Battles are turn-based affairs, wherein the set-pieces and characters in a vignette format.
you queue up actions for the party to undertake While the difficulty of the combat and the obscure
during an exchange of blows. The complications nature of some of its systems can be off-putting,
come from the difficulty of the encounters, and the the game has nevertheless become something of a
system of equipment and abilities available to the legend, and is, overall, a solid RPG.
party. Owing to the game’s Wizardry roots, multiple The game would see coloured, but otherwise
enemies of the same type are grouped together, similar, remakes on the Wonderswan Color and
necessitating a distinction between group and all- mobile phone devices.
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Final Fantasy Legend II
Developer: Square | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GB, DS
Seeing release a year after its predecessor, Final

Fantasy Legend II (subtitled Hihou Densetsu or
“The Treasure Legend” in Japan) features a stronger
story with an overarching plot and themes of unity
and struggle. At the outset, the protagonist is
entrusted with a magical shard called a Magi by
his father, who then disappears. When the boy
comes of age, he sets out to find his dad, becoming
involved in a war amongst gods over the Magi, of
which there are 77 to find.
While many of the systems within this game
appear to be the same with a new coat of paint,
some have been adjusted and others are entirely
new. Combat again takes place in a queued-
turn format whereby the party and monsters
will exchange blows. The heart system has been
removed and characters now recover to 1HP after opium in a Japanese shogunate-era world; truly a Everything from
combat. In addition, up to a certain point in the more heinous fruit there never was. the original Final
game, the party is given the option to attempt a In 2009, a DS remake bearing the title SaGa 2: Fantasy Legend has
fight again, should they be wiped out. Once again Hihou Densetsu: Goddess of Destiny, was released been refined, making
available to the player are Humans, Mutants and in Japan, developed primarily by Racjin. This version the second game
Monsters, with the latter two behaving similarly to retains the core mechanics of the original while the standout of this
those in the first game, while Humans play more being less opaque in its functionality, in addition Game Boy trilogy.
like Mutants that are equipment specialists with to including various features and quality-of-life
quicker growth potential. New to the roster are improvements. Of particular note is the Threads
Robots, whose stats have a direct correlation to of Fate system, in which using a currency best
what they’re equipped with, but can’t use magic described as divine favour, the party can purchase
and don’t otherwise grow. Guest characters will threads that carry a certain emotional bond. During
also occasionally join the party, and you even shrink battle the player will occasionally be prompted to
down to enter one of them to find some Magi. use a thread in offensive or defensive situations,
This game is also where the series’ primary leading to a threaded party member coming to
composer, Kenji Ito, first got involved, bringing another’s defence, or combining an attack with
with him the iconic musical stylings that the series them. Sufficient use of this system establishes a
is known for. bond defined by the most-used thread, allowing the
Among the Game Boy SaGa entries, this is party members to feel friendship, strife, hatred, love
largely regarded as the strongest. The Western and so on for one another, and this can result in
localisation saw a fair amount of censorship, the additional sequences, adding some personality to
most famous being the substitution of bananas for the otherwise rudimentary party.
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Final Fantasy Legend III
Developer: Square | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): GB, DS
While the initial SaGa game was the first handheld

effort by Square, the third entry in the series
would be the first effort of any kind by Square’s
branch in Osaka, filled by staff that came from
XtalSoft. As such, the series regulars, including
creator Akitoshi Kawazu, were not present for the
development. Taking the position of producer,
Chihiro Fujioka sought to make a third entry
for this successful series. Instead, he made Final
Fantasy Legend III.
The stage is set: a gigantic jar in the sky
pours an infinite amount of water into the world,
flooding it. Its denizens desperately conclude that
the only thing they can do is to send three children
into the past to somehow stop it. The player is
assigned a set party of four – two humans named
Arthur and Sharon, and two Mutants named visuals and tilesets, yet rather slipshod sprites and This final game in
Curtis and Gloria. mismatched fonts. the Game Boy SaGa
SaGa 3 is a drastic departure from previous On its own, this is a perfectly serviceable trilogy was designed
entries, featuring experience-based levelling, game but as a SaGa game it is something of an by a totally different
set equipment slots in a horrendous equipment anomaly. It looks like its predecessors, and shares team, and it shows.
menu, no monster groups in combat, and the attributes with them, but it doesn’t really grasp Though perhaps not
ability to jump even when not fighting. The what made them special. on the box!
defining characteristic of the game is that 2011 would see the Japanese release of a
mechanical and biological beings are no longer remake on the DS bearing the title SaGa 3: Jikuu
entirely separate. The meat-drop system now no Hasha - Shadow or Light, now with Kawazu
features both meat and robot parts, acquisition involved in its development. This version features
of which moves party members through a sliding series staples such as Sparking, action-related
progression series: Monster, Beastman, Human/ growth, and weapon skill-levels, in addition to
Mutant, Cyborg, Robot. The various attributes expanding on the racial transformations, such as
of the races in prior entries are included, indeed making Humans and Mutant distinct. The player
exaggerated, in these transformations, leading to can also make use of time manipulation, calling
a large degree of party flexibility. upon an echo of the past to repeat a character’s
The score was primarily composed by Ryuji action, just one of a range of new actions related
Sasai, who brought a much heavier rock style to to the time-travelling theme of the game. On the
the music, resulting in much more energetic tracks whole, the remake is a far superior version, which
than in previous entries. The visuals are an odd feels like a SaGa game and yet maintains the
mix, featuring highly detailed and involved locale distinct traits of the original.
246
Romancing SaGa
Developer: Square | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SFC, WSC, PS2
While the Osaka branch of Squaresoft was intent

on proving its value to the company with the SaGa
3 project, Akitoshi Kawazu and the usual SaGa
crew were working on the series’ first entry on the
Super Famicom, dubbed Romancing SaGa, which
was released just a few months later. The visuals
received an upgrade, though it still looks like a Final
Fantasy game, just now with 16-bit visuals. Artist
Tomomi Kobayashi became a series regular as the
character illustrator. Composer Kenji Ito resumed
his efforts, solidifying the kind of rocking sound
that would distinguish the series (particularly the
battle tunes) and composing the initial version of
the series’ iconic song “Overture”. Of note is the non-linear structure of the Romancing SaGa
Set in the world of Mardias, Romancing SaGa game. Quests will become available, or not, might look like
tells the story of one of eight protagonists (including based on your Battle Rank, which is in turn a Final Fantasy
princesses, pirates, performers, and more) as the based on how many fights you’ve been in. Some game at first
return of the god of destruction, Saruin, draws nigh. are quite large-scale, and are part of grander glance, but if you
In ages past, the gods created ten Fatestones to seal multi-quest plots, while others are more isolated try to play it like
Saruin’s power within themselves, imprisoning the and contained. A player’s ability to explore is one, you’ll be in
cruel god, after the chosen champion had battled limited only by where they’re able to walk and who for a surprise.
with and defeated him. Now the agents of Saruin in their party has knowledge of other locations.
seek the Fatestones, so that he will be at his full In 2005, Romancing SaGa received a
glory upon his return, leaving the heroes in a race remake on the PlayStation 2, called Romancing
against time to claim the Fatestones for themselves. SaGa: Minstrel’s Song, which incorporated
Romancing SaGa’s combat is simultaneously many lessons that had been learned in the
a simple and yet immensely complicated affair. The nearly 15-year series lifetime. It’s one of the
player’s party, which consists of up to six characters, most well-rounded entries, being among the
is arranged on a 3 × 3 grid and must face and most approachable of the systems-based games.
engage an enemy that can come from any direction. However, it is let down somewhat by the art
Complicating matters is the fact that weapons have department. While the original had character
set maximum effective distances, so shorter-range designs by Tomomi Kobayashi, the series’ primary
weapons are useless from further back. In addition, character designer, the remake’s designs were
weapon skills are tied to the specific weapon handled by Yusuke Naora, with character
and are gained as the character becomes more models that seem weirdly disproportionate. Still,
proficient with that particular weapon; should the the arranged music is excellent, and it’s the only
character unequip any weapon then the accrued official way to play the first Romancing SaGa
proficiency will be permanently lost. in English.
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Romancing SaGa 2
Developer: Square | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC, IOS, AND, PSV, PS4, WIN, XB1, NSW
Many SaGa games are notoriously unfinished for

one reason or another; as such, they tend to have
problems that constitute hindrances to proper
appreciation of their undoubted merits. Such
cannot be said, however, for the second Super
Famicom entry. Made in under a year following the
release of its predecessor, series creator Akitoshi
Kawazu and his usual suspects – composer Kenji
Ito and character designer Tomomi Kobayashi –
created one of the most fully realised entries in the
series, Romancing SaGa 2.
Romancing SaGa 2 follows the tale of the
Empire of Avalon. On starting a new game, the
player first names the Emperor or Empress; the retain permanently. Should a character be knocked The second Super
stage being set, the ruler listens to a minstrel out they’ll lose a Life Point (LP); should they lose all Famicom game
recount the tale, beginning with the first Emperor, of their Life Points they will be permanently dead. established many
Leon and his second son, Gerald. The bard sings Each generation of ruler will eventually be replaced aspects of this
of how the Empire was beset by the first of the as they become old or perish in battle, with the skills eccentric series as
Seven Heroes who had once saved the world, Leon’s and spells carried forward to the new generation by we know it today.
first son Victor being slain in the attack. Swearing the dynasty’s inheritance magic.
vengeance upon the heroes, now become demons, The non-linear structure shines, providing
Leon begins Avalon’s crusade to end the threat that many regions and nations for the Avalon Empire
these Heroes now pose against the world, a tale that to interact with, the latter often becoming involved
would span generations, with each new Emperor in the struggles of its neighbours. The ruler’s
and Empress inheriting the will and strength of all decisions matter greatly, as they control whether
that came before. the Empire makes allies and expands its borders, or
Many regard Romancing SaGa 2 the point has to contend with closed borders and mounting
where the series hit its stride, as it’s where many of disadvantages in its campaign.
the SaGa hallmark concepts and mechanics were Like its predecessor, Romancing SaGa 2
introduced, as carried into subsequent games. did not see official Western release until a 2016
A character’s competence with a given kind of remaster, released on various platforms, the first
weapon or spell is developed as they use it, their non-Japanese release for the series since 2005.
proficiency improving as they do so. In addition, a While Square Enix’s mobile versions of its SNES
character may be permitted a “spark of genius” in Final Fantasy entries are met with derision over the
combat (called either the Glimmer or Tech Spark visual stylings, the 2016 remaster looks very good,
system), symbolised by a light bulb flashing over using the original sprites and music while giving
their head. Thus, they can dynamically learn a new the backgrounds a pretty facelift that shows how
technique with their current weapon, an ability they it’s done.
248
Romancing SaGa 3
Developer: Square | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, PSV, PS4, WIN, XB1, NSW, IOS, AND
Oftentimes a game’s merits are weighed against its

flaws: “it would be good if it wasn’t for ‘this thing’”.
While it is rare for a developer to mar their work
on purpose, flaws are found even in the best of
things. The third Super Famicom SaGa game is
rather clearly the least finished. And yet despite
this, it’s also one of the most beloved entries in
the series.
The game opens with an explanation of the
Death Eclipse, a 300-year cyclical phenomenon
that ends the lives of all newborn creatures, be they
humans, animals, or monsters. None are spared.
And yet, historically, two children have survived
this event: a 600 year-old tyrant who overthrew the levity in the various little stories that it tells. Final Fantasy VI
world and then disappeared, and a 300 year-old Imagine botching an ambush because one of your may have had
hero who brought peace to the world in the wake own party members had to go to the bathroom, magic-wielding
of the tyrant. The most recent eclipse happened a masked fighter for justice who has a fat stunt- mechas, but
a decade ago, and the world waits in suspense double who is better at doing the job, the ability to Romancing SaGa 3
to find out what kind of child will have survived. have an actual snowman in your party, or fighting has tricked-out
Once again, eight playable characters are poised an out of control murder car while riding a murder murder cars.
to become involved with the destiny of the world, car of your own in an otherwise swords and sorcery
although their own concerns cannot be ignored, be setting; there’s no shortage of memorable moments
they the fragmentation of a nation, the recovery of in this game. So memorable, in fact, that it is held
a valuable heirloom, or the conduction of business. in high regard by the Japanese audience, with
Mechanically, Romancing SaGa 3 most modern day Square Enix higher-ups who played it
strongly resembles RS2 in its combat setup, with as children considering it a masterpiece. Amongst
characters becoming increasingly proficient with player communities it is the one most subject to
weapons and spells the more they use them, and fan-hacks to alter and expand upon it, leading
being able to dynamically learn new techniques to impressive cast compilations from the entire
mid-battle. New this time is the ability to shift series. It shares with its immediate predecessor the
the attribute of the battlefield towards one of honour of having had a live theatre performance
the magically aligned attributes, such as wind or based upon it.
water, which can empower or weaken given effects Romancing SaGa 3 was not initially
or characters, leading to tugs-of-war to deny released in the West, but as with its predecessor,
advantage to adversaries. a remastered version was released in 2019. It takes
Where the game really shines, however, is its many design cues from its predecessor and also
charm. Despite the dire tone of the introduction, includes some of the missing content, though it is
Romancing SaGa 3 isn’t afraid to provide some hampered by a questionable localisation.
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SaGa Frontier
Five years after the English-language release of

Final Fantasy Legend III, the SaGa series would
finally return to Western shores; SaGa Frontier
would be the first series entry to bear its original
identity on both sides of the Pacific. It’s not an
exaggeration to say that many American fans,
interested to see what the creators of Final Fantasy
VII would do next, ended up sorely disappointed
by its limited graphics and esoteric design.
A culmination of all of its predecessors,
SaGa Frontier combined the multi-protagonist,
non-linear story of Romancing SaGa with the
customisable characters and sci-fi/fantasy mash- for their climactic encounters – but the varied, Coming out in North
up of Final Fantasy Legend, constituting Akitoshi shorter questlines offered by SaGa Frontier make America only a few
Kawazu’s most ambitious project yet. The Battle multiple playthroughs much more accessible and months after Final
Rank and Glimmer/Tech Spark systems from enticing than in many of its series forebears. Fantasy VII, anyone
previous games are here, much the same as they The crew is a motley bunch – there’s Emelia, purchasing SaGa
ever were, plus the meat progression system a woman framed for her husband’s murder, who Frontier and expecting
from Final Fantasy Legend for transforming any eventually breaks out of jail and joins a secret something similar
monster party members. The biggest mechanical agent group; Red, who avenges his father’s murder would be utterly
changes are a new combo system, in which as the transforming superhero Alkaiser while baffled. But that’s
between two and five active combatants can chain juggling his day job aboard a cruise liner; Blue, basically the story
attacks together for obscene amounts of damage. a powerful magician on a journey to kill his of the entire series.
Also, there’s no way to run away from combat, a brother Rouge; Asellus, a young woman bound by
baffling decision offset by a quick-save system. blood to a lord as part of his immortal harem; Riki,
As in previous SaGa games, LP is present: once a monster from a dying world; T260G, an AI from
the protagonist’s LP is gone, it’s game over. With an ancient battleship that’s found itself in a robot
a scant few exceptions, characters who lose all LP body; and Lute, a lazy layabout who’s kicked out of
don’t die permanently, but rather stay unconscious the house by his mother.
until the next visit to an inn. SaGa Frontier, like Romancing SaGa 3
While each of Romancing SaGa’s multiple before it, is notoriously incomplete. Most noticeable
protagonists eventually found themselves is a handful of dungeons that can be explored top-
funnelled towards the same endgame, SaGa to-bottom but seemingly have no plot relevance.
Frontier’s seven heroes each have their own Even Blue’s ending is incomplete, fading to sepia
quest to fulfil and specific final antagonist to and superimposing “The End” as the boss’ last HP
conquer. That’s not to say there’s no overlap is depleted. A remastered port scheduled for mid-
the more nonlinear characters are dumped into 2021 seeks to reintegrate some of the cut content,
the same open world to grind themselves up including adding an extra character named Fuse.
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SaGa Frontier II
The previous two SaGa trilogies took place in

separate worlds, each series largely keeping the
same general setting and tone. SaGa Frontier II,
on the other hand, could not be any more different
from its immediate predecessor. The sci-fi/fantasy
mash-up is out the window in favour of a medieval
drama, and the visual style is a breathtaking array of
watercolour backdrops similar to those in Legend
of Mana. Longtime SaGa series composer Kenji Ito
sat this one out, in favour of Masashi Hamauzu,
a new musician at Square at the time, who’d go on
to compose for the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy.
Set in the world of Sandail, the player
appears to be a historian, poring over the records passing the torch on to his children and, in Compared to the
of the past century. To begin with, this consists due course, his grandchildren. The story of the previous SaGa games,
of a few scant points on a timeline, which open Egg eventually intersects with Gustave’s, leading there are so many
scenarios. When these scenarios are completed, to a grand conclusion involving the entire history changes that this
further points are unlocked on this map. There of Sandail. one doesn’t really
are only two protagonists this time: Gustave XIII, Compared to SaGa Frontier and Romancing feel like it belongs in
the newborn heir to the king of Finney, and Wil SaGa, SaGa Frontier II is fairly linear. While the series, but at the
Knights, a 15-year-old scavenger of ruins. optional quests exist, they’re kept to a minimum same time, it’s still
Gustave’s scenario is one of political intrigue. in favour of mandatory scenarios that can so out-there that
In the world of Sandail, a person’s worth is judged occasionally be tackled out of order. Combat has it couldn’t possibly
by their Anima – their innate magical ability. been tweaked, so you can restore HP at the cost fit anywhere else.
However, as a child, Gustave is revealed to be of LP, plus you can escape from battle after a few
unable to use Anima, causing the king to call for turns. Occasionally, you’re given the option to
his own son’s execution. Gustave’s mother, Queen duel an opponent. This changes the battle system
Sophie, pleads for their child to be spared, and the quite dramatically; the player is given the choice
two are exiled from the castle. Gustave’s scenario of several offensive and support abilities, which, if
follows his youth before, as an adult, he stakes his executed in a specific order, can be combined to
claim on his heritage. perform special attacks. These can be challenging
On the other hand, Wil is a commoner living but quite rewarding, though those who don’t wish
with his aunt and uncle after being orphaned, to engage can usually eschew duels in favour of
who sets off on his first expedition hoping to find fighting a few extra foes as a party.
forgotten artefacts called Quells. Soon he learns of After SaGa Frontier II, SaGa only became
the existence of a powerful Quell called the Egg, even more experimental. Sadly, entries would also
which is somehow linked to his parents’ demise. Wil become a lot more infrequent, which makes each
spends his life unravelling the mystery of the Egg, one all the more special.
251
Unlimited Saga
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2
Following SaGa Frontier II, Akitoshi Kawazu made

the decision to take SaGa in a bold new direction.
Inspired by his love of tabletop gaming, he wished
to develop a game in which the focus was solely
on the core mechanics, with all other details
communicated through semiotics. The result was
Unlimited Saga, an incredibly complicated board
game that baffled audiences.
Trimming the fat from a series already lean
on narrative, Unlimited Saga tells the story of
seven different protagonists, whose paths intersect
at the Iskandar Festival: Judy, a child travelling
with her family to rescue her grandfather,
who ends up trapped inside of a mirror; Ruby, Saga truly gets controversial: instead of being Unlimited Saga
a struggling fortune teller seeking to match the determined by hidden die rolls, actions are makes a lot more
talents of her sister; Laura, a former pirate who governed by the Reel System, a spinning slot sense if you think
ends up protecting a noble named Henri; Kurt, the machine that stops at the push of a button. Once of it as a video game
son of a lord, who is travelling the world to figure additional weapon skills are Glimmered, they’re version of a tabletop
out how to remove his cursed gauntlet; Mythe, an added to the reel sporadically, and the player must RPG, or some kind
inventor hunting for a mysterious silver-haired land on them to pull them off. The reel doesn’t of board game.
woman he saw in a photograph; Armic the Chapa, always stop immediately either, which makes for a
a type of anthropomorphic beaver, out to save frustrating marriage of dexterity and luck.
his village from a terrible drought; and Ventus, Aside from combat, the Reel System
a man out for revenge against the vampire who frequently rears its head outside battle, as the
killed his elder brother. party encounters traps – something with which
Towns function solely as beautifully painted Unlimited Saga is absolutely loaded. Traps are
backdrops to menus, so Unlimited Saga is encountered frequently and randomly, avoidance
primarily spent exploring wilderness and jungles. requiring deft use of the Reel, and the same goes for
This is represented by a minimalist board, revealed disarming chests; almost all of which are trapped.
as it’s traversed by the player, who is represented Once a dungeon is traversed, each character is
by a pewter miniature. The player can move as they awarded a skill panel. These can grant proficiencies
like, though every action taken counts as a turn, with weapon types, or bestow skills like the ability
during which monsters also move. to pick locks or swim through flooded areas.
Combat sees the player select five turns, The definitive black sheep of SaGa (as
choosing the combatant, attack type, and target denoted by its uncapitalised G), the world of 2003
ahead of time, which can then be executed in just wasn’t ready for Unlimited Saga. The Reel
any order or even chained together as combos. System combined with the game’s tacit refusal to
Executing commands is where Unlimited explain anything, makes it frustratingly opaque.
252
SaGa: Scarlet Grace
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PSV, PS4, NSW, WIN
Unlimited Saga was a pretty major blow to the

SaGa series. While Japanese audiences were more
forgiving of its rather pointed flaws, there was no
question that its infamy hurt the SaGa name to
the point that the series would see nothing but
remakes for over ten years, while the wounds
closed. While series creator Akitoshi Kawazu
had wanted to resume work on the series, it was
difficult for him to get the support necessary to
do so. It wasn’t until Yoshimitsu Inagaki, an artist
who had worked previously on the series and a
contributor to the Kingdom Hearts series, lent a feel to it. As usual, combat is a major focus of After resting
hand that a new SaGa, with the return of the old the game. While SaGa series is no stranger to the series for
guard of Kenji Ito and Tomomi Kobayashi, became complex strategies, Scarlet Grace has possibly so long, Scarlet
viable; SaGa: Scarlet Grace was ultimately released the most depth it has ever seen. Every round of Grace might be
in 2016 for the PlayStation Vita. combat takes place over a Timeline, and support SaGa’s shining
In somewhat typical fashion for the series, abilities, which, if executed in a specific order, can achievement.
Scarlet Grace is an open-ended and non-linear be combined to perform special attacks. Doing so
game, though this time only featuring four is important, as any time an actor is defeated, the
playable characters, rather than the usual eight. relevant gap on the timeline will close. Should the
The game is set after the fall of The Empire, two actors that fill the gap be on the same side,
a world-spanning super-nation that once ruled other connected actors on that side will perform a
all of civilisation, before the Last Emperor was Unite Attack, for a free combination attack against
assassinated, leaving the various territories to fall the opposition and discounts on the actions taken
into ruin. Taking cues from Romancing SaGa in the next round. Both allies and enemies alike
and SaGa Frontier, the four characters available are capable of performing Unite Attacks, and they
to the player have strikingly different positions in can make all the difference.
relation to this situation, such as Urpina being a Scarlet Grace received an updated version
young aristocrat of the Empire’s House of Swords, in 2018 for several other platforms, titled SaGa
while Leonard is peasant farmer with big dreams. Scarlet Grace: Ambitions, which addressed issues
The struggles of the four all revolve, in different in the original release, such as load times, while
ways, around the return of the Fire Bringer, the adding content, voice acting, and new music.
god that betrayed his peers. In late 2019, this version became the first
In practice, Scarlet Grace has many Scarlet Grace to hit Western shores. Critical
departures from the usual SaGa fare, forgoing reception was a bit mixed, but for the most part
dungeons entirely and making all battles set- people enjoyed what the game had to offer, and
piece oriented. The player moves about a region- appreciated its accessibility compared to that of
focused world-map that has a pop-up storybook earlier SaGa titles.
253
Lufia and the Fortress of Doom
Developer: Neverland | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SNES
Lufia and the Fortress of Doom is the debut game

from Neverland, created by former Wolf Team
employees, and published in Japan by Taito. The
story starts off with quite a bang – four heroes
storm the eponymous Fortress of Doom to take
down the four evil god-like beings known as
Sinistrals. This is not just a cutscene, but rather
a playable prologue, as these fighters are already
fully levelled up, with a comical quantity of
experience points, strong equipment, and tons
of spells. They succeed in saving the world, but
two of them, Maxim and Selan, end up sacrificing
themselves in the process. One hundred years of
peace pass before the Sinistrals are resurrected, The only really unique thing about the game The first Lufia isn’t
leading to widespread monster invasions, and is the presence of Lufia, the hero’s childhood particularly stellar,
Maxim’s descendent takes up arms to fight back. friend, who was important enough that the but it does lay the
Outside the introduction, Lufia and the English release was named after her. (The series is groundwork for the
Fortress of Doom is a pretty typical early 16-bit called Estpolis Denki or “Biography of Estpolis” in much better sequel.
RPG, both narratively and mechanically. The Japan, and none of the other games have Lufia in
fighting is a little like Dragon Quest’s, with large them, putting the international versions in a weird
enemy sprites displayed on the screen, able to move situation.) The setup is a lot like Game Arts Lunar,
very slightly, though your fighters appear at the right down to Lufia’s having blue hair as well as a
bottom next to their status windows and animate mysterious past. She’s also not really a warrior and
whenever you attack, resulting in something that just comes along with the hero to provide magical
feels a little less static. It’s still pretty basic though aid, but unlike Lunar’s heroine, who left the party
– random encounters are regular (though quick) early on, Lufia is instead a playable character for
and it’s pretty grindy in spots. The game lacks most of story. Though common now, it was rare at
auto-targetting à la NES Final Fantasy games, so the time to have a heroine fight alongside the hero,
if you have two characters fight the same foe, if the especially while portraying a romance between the
first disposes of the enemy, the second will swipe two, though the latter is pretty juvenile, since the
at empty air and waste their turn. There are only game is aimed at teenagers.
four playable characters in the main story, too. Lufia isn’t a particularly stand-out game,
In other words, it feels more like an 8-bit RPG, but the graphics are alright, and the soundtrack
just with prettier 16-bit graphics and sound. The is decent (albeit lacking in its number of tracks).
interface is a bit novel, at least, in that the various If nothing else, it helped establish a series that
commands are activated by holding a direction went on to do better things. It was originally
on the directional pad, rather than being selected conceived as a trilogy, though Neverland was only
through a menu. able to get two games out.
254
Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals
Developer: Neverland | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SNES
The brief prologue of the original Lufia, featuring

the sacrifice of heroes Maxim and Selan, proved
to be the most interesting part of that game, so
of course it made sense to make it the focus of
the sequel. Lufia II begins somewhat similarly, as
Maxim and his childhood friend Tia argue over
his dangerous monster-fighting ways, eventually
leading to them joining forces to fight the evil
Sinistrals. The story itself is still pretty typical,
but the dramatic irony present makes it so much
more compelling. We know that the main heroes
are doomed, as the final dungeon is of course the
same one as presented in the first Lufia’s prologue,
and nothing can change their fates. But it works in involve picking up or moving blocks; other items Though it doesn’t
smaller ways too, as we know that poor Tia’s crush like bombs and hookshots are used to make your have quite the same
on Maxim will go unrequited, since he’s meant to way through. Enemies are visible on the map and cultural pull as any
end up with warrior woman Selan. only move when you do, allowing you to engage or of Square’s or Enix’s
Beyond the narrative, other elements have avoid at your whim. There’s also an optional area many 16-bit RPGs,
been expanded quite a bit. Battles work much as called The Ancient Cave, a 99-floor randomised Lufia II ranks up
before, though the characters themselves now dungeon that strips your characters all of their next to most of them.
appear on the battlefield. New is the IP (“Ikari items and reverts them back to level one. However,
Points”) gauge. Points which fills up as you take certain items can be taken from here and used in
damage and can be channelled into super-attacks the main adventure, making it worth your while
appropriate to the equipped weapon. There are to crawl through it. It’s an early implementation of
also enemies called Capsule Monsters; you can the Japanese Rogue-like style of game, popularised
capture one of these to use as a fifth party member by Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon a few years earlier.
in battle. While there are only seven of these It’s also pretty impressive that it’s a mere side quest
Monsters, of different elements, they can evolve on top of an already fully featured RPG.
based on items that you feed them. It’s obviously Everything about Lufia II comes together very
inspired by Dragon Quest V, but it’s neat to see well. The visuals have improved and the soundtrack
the concept in action before Pokémon popularised is even better than before, especially its battle themes.
it worldwide a few years later. There are some localisation programming glitches in
Perhaps more ambitiously for a 16-bit the North American version, though many were fixed
game, the approach towards dungeon design has for the European release. So while the game may
changed, as dungeons more closely resemble those not be among the heavy hitters, it’s definitely one
in games like The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the of the classics of the 16-bit era. It was remembered
Past. Maxim can fire arrows to stun enemies or hit fondly enough to get a remake for the Nintendo DS,
switches from far away, there are many puzzles that although that also changes a whole lot.
255
Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals
Developer: Neverland | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): DS
There have been several remakes of classic

JRPGs over the years, but perhaps none are as
drastic as the DS remake of Lufia II. Indeed,
it’s more accurate to say that the developers made
a completely different game that was inspired by
Lufia II than that they actually adapted it.
The biggest and most obvious change is
the shift from a turn-based RPG to an action-
based one. It was still developed by Neverland,
the company behind the original Lufia games,
but their expertise had shifted to this style of
gameplay, having worked on Record of Lodoss
War for the Dreamcast and both Shining Force
Neo and Shining Force EXA for the PlayStation 2.
In practice, it looks and plays somewhat like the
modern Ys titles, with the player taking control of in a second replay, it is possible to change events This remake of
one character while the CPU manages two others, so Maxim and Selan can live at the end. Lufia II makes such
while you can switch between them at will. Rather The new artwork is typical JRPG stuff, but substantial changes
than having different tools, each character has differs quite a bit from the original, and gives more that it’s basically a
a unique skill, since there are still puzzles to be personality to the characters, since they didn’t even whole new game.
solved in the dungeons. Altogether, it’s hampered have portraits in the original game. The English
by numerous issues, including questionable release has plenty of relatively decent voice acting
camera placement, lack of analogue control, and as well. The soundtrack has been adapted to the DS
the low quality 3D of the original DS, but the hardware and sounds pretty similar, though since
fighting is still satisfying regardless. there are no longer any separate battle scenes, the
Much has changed with the story too. fighting tracks are now used as boss themes. The
The original had a slow ramp-up, as the hero Maxim world design, sort of a sci-fi/fantasy hybrid, is also
began investigating the resurgence of monsters, more interesting than the rather generic world of
while the DS game gets to the point more quickly, the original games.
as the Sinistrals have already awakened and are the Many of the changes to this remake seem
primary target. Several characters are very different to have been so fans of the original could enjoy
in looks and personality – Tia, the girly whip- seeing familiar characters in new context, while
wielding shopkeeper who ditched the party fairly still appealing to new players. That experiment
early on, is now something of a mechanic who seemed to have backfired though, with many fans
attacks with a briefcase and plays a much larger viewing this as far too drastic a departure to be
role in the story. The basic plot beats are more or even considered as Lufia II. Outside of that context,
less the same as the SNES original, though the it is a pretty good DS action RPG, if not quite up to
adventure still plays out very differently. However, Falcom standards.
256
Lufia: The Legend Returns
Developer: Neverland | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): GBC
Lufia was planned as a trilogy, with the third

entry, subtitled Ruins Chaser, to be released
on the PlayStation. However the publisher,
Nippon Flex, went bankrupt, and development
was suspended. A few years later, the series was
resurrected for the Game Boy Color, though
taking a very different form. Taking place 100
years after the first Lufia, this game stars another
red-haired swordsman, named Wain, who joins
with another blue-haired girl, named Seena,
to take down the resurrected Sinistrals.
All of the dungeons in this game are randomly
generated, filled with unique treasures and traps.
Because of that, all of the puzzle-solving elements
of the prior two games are gone. Enemies are still they can’t be learned unless the character has Lufia: The Legend
visible on the map (at least in the dungeons), but the appropriate amount of Spiritual Force points, Returns isn’t the
combat is a bit different, primarily because you converted from learning points obtained in battle. proper sequel fans
have up to nine characters in your party at once. Altogether, Lufia: The Legend Returns isn’t might have been
They are divided up into a 3 × 3 grid, with one bad, but the focus on battle and dungeon crawling expecting.
character in each grid square being able to act each really wasn’t what fans of the series wanted,
turn. Each character is also assigned one of four and the story lacks the elements that made its
Spiritual Force colours, granting them advantages predecessor so likeable. It is one of the few Game
if matching colours are placed together. Skills Boy Color RPGs that isn’t a monster-collecting
are obtained from scrolls found in dungeons, but game, so it has that going for it.
Lufia: The Ruins of Lore

Developer: Atelier Double | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): GBA
Lufia returns for the fourth time in this game,
which is regrettably another spinoff title rather
than being based on the original plans for Lufia
III. It features a group of kids who adventure
throughout the world, on a quest to explore
various ancient ruins. It takes place 20 years
after Lufia II and stars a young boy named Eldin,
who is following in the footsteps of his missing
father. It’s the only game in the series that doesn’t
revolve around the Sinistrals, though fan favourite
character Dekar pops in for a cameo.
After the rather disappointing changes in the
Game Boy Color game, Ruins of Lore plays much
more similarly to the SNES Lufia II. It maintains advanced forms with improved abilities. Also new This Lufia game
the puzzle dungeons (though each character has is a simple class system, which allows characters to was helmed by
their own skills rather than a single character gain skills based on which job they’ve undertaken. a new team, and
using different tools, an element passed forward The Ruins of Lore is a return to form for it shows.
from the Lufia II DS remake.) It does greatly expand Lufia, at least as far as the gameplay goes, but it’s
on the monster collecting though – before, there still not up to the level of Lufia II. The soundtrack
were only a small number of monsters you could is poor and neither the story nor characters are
capture, but now, almost any creature can join particularly interesting. This is the only game not
your team, levelling up, building relationships with developed by Neverland, instead created by Atelier
the humans, and evolving into different forms. Double, and it really does feel like it’s missing
Humans even can fuse with monsters, creating something without its original creators.
257
Lunar: The Silver Star
Developer: Game Arts/Studio Alex | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SCD, SAT, PS1, PSP, GBA
The early days of the CD-ROM marked an exciting

time for RPGs, especially on consoles. Without
the space constraints of cartridges, CDs could
hold cinematic sequences, voice acting, and much
larger scripts. The Lunar series was at the forefront
of this movement, having being released in mid-
1992 in Japan, then at the end of 1993 in North
America. It wasn’t the first of its type – in Japan,
the first big multimedia RPG was Tengai Makyou:
Ziria for the PC Engine CD, released three years
prior, plus there were other, lesser-quality efforts
like the dreadful Funky Horror Band. But the
Lunar series was still one of the most ambitious
and most well-loved of these efforts, especially other early RPGs. And much of this is because RPGs were rare
in the United States, where most of its earlier the characters are so darned likable. Boorish on the Mega Drive,
competitors were never released. warrior Kyle and headstrong mage Jessica have an and even rarer on
Lunar: The Silver Star focuses on a young on-again, off-again romance, while constantly the Mega CD, with
boy named Alex, bored of his life in the backwater trading barbs, while the arrogant Nash and meek Lunar easily being
town of Burg. Along with Luna, his lady friend, Mia are similarly paired off. Alex is a non-entity one of the best.
and Nall, his flying cat companion, he sets off on for most of the game, but Nall makes for a fine
an adventure to explore the land. As they continue comedic buddy who occasionally provides some
their journey, they learn that the Goddess Althena, sarcastic commentary.
saviour of their world, has been reincarnated as a It was also localised by Working Designs,
human, making her power vulnerable to abuse. whose work helped bring the characters to life.
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Luna is actually Granted, their approach revolved more around
Althena, and she is captured by the evil magician adaptation than literal translation, often weaving
Ghaleon. Banding together with a group of heroes, in jokes or completely replacing generic NPC
Alex must follow in the footsteps of his long- speech with much more colourful dialogue. A
departed role model, the Dragonmaster Dyne, to lot of it is really funny, especially in the ways
rescue the world and save his true love. it fleshes out the primary characters. Luna,
The story is predictable, especially since the as it turns out, is sweet but more than a little
opening animation gives away every major plot possessive, threatening any girl that seems to get
twist. But its strength doesn’t really lie with its too familiar with her dear Alex. The character
originality, so much as how it’s told, bolstered designs are attractive, and the opening sequence,
by strong dialogue and characterisation. The with its awesomely cheesy vocal song, helps set
Japanese script was written by novelist Kei the stage for the adventure. There are also some
Shigema (who also wrote some of the tie-in novels), cool location designs, particularly the flying city
which injects a certain level of charm missing from of Vane, which houses a magical academy, and the
258
Grindery, a mechanical castle with treads that can There are actually four completely different The 32-bit remakes
destroy nearly anything just by rolling over it. versions of Lunar. The initial SEGA CD version is change so many
The battle system initially seems like Final subtitled The Silver Star. The 32-bit versions, released aspects, both for
Fantasy’s, with characters on the right side of the on the PlayStation and Saturn, are both called Silver the better and the
screen and enemies on the left. But it’s actually Star Story, and have completely different graphics, worse, that makes
a little more complex, since the field is actually complete with anime FMV, as well a new soundtrack it hard to pin down
divided into invisible hexagons. Each character can by Noriyuki Iwadare, one of the composers of a definitive version.
move a certain number of spaces, and act a certain the SEGA CD game. There are many substantial
number of times. This means slower characters changes, particularly to the story, with the main
might waste a turn trying to get to a foe on the difference being that Luna stays with the party for
opposite side of the field, while a faster one might quite a while, whereas she leaves the adventure fairly
be able to attack a nearby enemy twice or more. early on in the original version. Random battles are
The Lunar series began as a joint project also replaced with visible encounters, plus there is
between two companies: Studio Alex and Game level scaling for boss battles.
Arts. Studio Alex was a production company The Game Boy Advance version is called Lunar
started by Kazunari Tomi, a developer who had Legend, but being a portable cartridge game, it’s
previously created the Mugen no Shinzou PC RPG missing the cinematic elements and voice acting,
series in the mid-’80s while working at XtalSoft, it condenses certain plot elements, and it has a
before moving onto a brief stint at Falcom to weak translation. The PlayStation Portable version,
work on Star Trader and Dinosaur. Game Arts Silver Star Harmony, has completely redone sprites
was previously known mostly for PC titles like and maps that are significantly smaller than before,
the mecha action game Thexder and the space though the constant loading when switching
shoot-’em-up Silpheed, but had begun to dabble screens and the dreadfully slow battle system ruin
in console development with the NES RPG Faria the pacing. The translation is still good, redone by
and the Genesis action game Alisia Dragoon. The XSeed. Opinions differ as to whether the original
character designs were provided by Toshiyuki SEGA CD or its 32-bit remakes are superior, since
Kubooka, the animation director of works like they’re so drastically different, but either of these
Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. beat the portable releases.
The arresting
character designs
play a big part in
Lunar’s appeal.
Pictured far and
middle left are shots
from the SEGA CD
opening; on the right
is a dialogue portrait
of Luna from the
PSP version.
259
Lunar: Eternal Blue
Developer: Game Arts/Studio Alex | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SCD, SAT, PS1
Lunar: Eternal Blue takes place 1000 years after

the original, and stars young Hiro, an archaeologist
fascinated with the stories of ages past. During an
expedition, he meets a strange woman named
Lucia, who predicts great danger for the world
of Lunar, and demands to speak with Althena.
They venture to the holy city of Pentagulia in
search of the Goddess, where they learn that
there is something amiss with the Althena who
currently rules the world. Due to the time span,
it’s not immediately clear how the two games
connect. However, the links eventually unfold, as
you explore familiar cities, and a few unexpected
faces show up too. It’s fascinating to see how these The ending is positive, but bittersweet; however, an This Lunar sequel is
places have changed as the world dealt with the Epilogue is then unlocked, leading to a few more better in most ways
consequences of the first game. adventures and one the most heartwarming finales than the original –
Eternal Blue improves on practically every in any JRPG. Overall, it’s a more mature game, but larger game world,
facet of the original. The visuals make better as a result, it feels like it’s missing the original’s more intricate story,
use of the Genesis’ limited palette, there’s much lighthearted sense of adventure. tightened battle
more voice acting, and the cutscenes are not The battle system remains mostly unchanged, system – and yet it’s
only more plentiful, but far better animated. with the only major difference being the magic just not quite as fun.
The characters are, again, pretty fun, with many of experience system, allowing you to improve your
them having close ties to the villains, giving them special attacks as you see fit. However, the English
stronger character arcs. Ronfar is a gambling ex- localisation requires that you spend these every
priest, Jean is a skilled fan-dancer, and Lemina is time you save the game, increasing the need for
a penny-pinching magician. Ruby, being a flying grinding. Other balancing changes make it harder
pink cat (or dragon, rather), occupies the same role than it needs to be, which was a trademark issue
as Nall in the original, while Leo is a religious zealot with Working Designs games.
who initially antagonises our heroes but eventually There is only one remake of Eternal Blue,
changes sides. Familiar faces from the previous released for the Saturn and PlayStation. As with
game return in surprising ways, as Nall has Silver Star Story, this changed the graphics and
somehow taken human form and Ghaleon seems removed random encounters. But rather than
to have reformed his ways (and is also still alive adding things, this one instead cuts out a lot,
despite the centuries-long gap). Hiro and Lucia’s including shortening many dungeons and ditching
dynamic is particularly sweet – at the outset, Lucia some plot elements. The SEGA CD version could be
cannot be controlled in combat. But at a certain brutally difficult, and while this one is easier, it still
point in the story, she learns to trust Hiro, and thus feels like too much was chopped out. At least you
the player, and allows herself to be commanded. no longer need to use magic experience to save.
260
Mahou Gakuen Lunar
Developer: Game Arts/Studio Alex | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): GG, SAT
Mahou Gakuen Lunar (“Magical School Lunar”)

focuses on the city of Vane, which floats through
the sky on a magical island, and is home to a
prestigious magical academy. The main characters
are Ellie and Lena, two rural girls whose lives
are changed when they’re chosen to enrol in the
school. Outside of taking place in the same world,
it’s a prequel, and connections to the original
Lunar games are tenuous, so it’s more of a fun
little side story.
It was originally released on the Game Gear
in 1996, subtitled Samposuru Gakuen (“Strolling
School”), as a way to play a Lunar game on the go.
But being on an 8-bit, cartridge-based machine, 16-bit games, though it removes the movement- This spinoff has
it’s lacking the voices and cutscenes of the SEGA based elements. Unfortunately, it’s completely the feel of Lunar
CD games, plus the simple visuals and first-person ruined by the absurdly high encounter rate: you down pat, but the
battle scenes make it feel more like a Dragon can’t go more than a few steps without being Saturn version
Quest game. So the next year, a remake was dragged into a random battle. is absolutely
released on the Saturn, with completely redone The game was passed over for localisation, ruined by an
graphics, plenty of anime FMV and voice acting, since Working Designs just didn’t feel it was very insane random
and a brand new soundtrack by Noriyuki Iwadare. good. Outside of the repetitive combat, the story encounter rate.
And while it uses the same scenario, the script is is simple but funny, and it’s unusual to see an
greatly expanded, and the content is substantially RPG of this era with a predominantly female cast
different. The battle system is similar to that in the (though a few boys join in later on).
Lunar: Dragon Song

Developer: Japan Art Media | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): DS
The Lunar series was in limbo for quite a while, due
to legal disputes between Studio Alex and Game
Arts, stemming from development difficulties
with the Saturn version of Mahou Gakuen Lunar.
Studio Alex eventually went out of business, and
the series was resurrected with this prequel, Lunar:
Dragon Song (also known as Lunar: Genesis
in Japan and Europe). The hero is a delivery
boy named Jian, who must fight against the
encroaching menace of the Vile Tribe. He’s joined
by a few friends, one of whom is, not shockingly,
a reincarnation of the Goddess Althena.
Although Lunar fans wanted a follow-up to
Lunar Eternal Blue, this was a real monkey’s paw, But even worse is that it’s just filled with Lunar: Dragon
because almost everything about it is terrible. The baffling design decisions. Combat is achingly slow Song is one of the
story is rote and the writing is awful, lacking the by default, requiring a triple-speed button to make worst JRPGs of
personality and humour the series was known battles run at a reasonable pace. It’s also braindead, its era, as it’s not
for under Working Designs. The character since you can’t even target your enemies. only completely
designs recall the 16-bit games, but aren’t half For some reason, you need to choose either disappointing for
as interesting; very little of it feels connected to experience points or items after battle, rather than series fans, but
the world in the previous games. Mahou Gakuen getting both. And for some insane reason, you is just filled with
Lunar had major problems, but it still felt like a lose HP if you run around the maps, forcing you baffling design
Lunar game at its core; this one doesn’t feel like to trudge very slowly across the boring dungeons. decisions.
anything except a disappointment. There’s nothing good to say about it.
261
Breath of Fire
Developer: Capcom | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SNES, GBA
While they had a few RPGs under their belt in the

8-bit era, Capcom started their own franchise in
earnest with Breath of Fire on the SNES. Each of
the five entries stars a boy named Ryu, who can
turn into a dragon, and a winged girl named Nina,
though they are technically different characters
in each instalment. The rest of the cast typically
consists of other anthropomorphic creatures.
Key staff include producer Tokuro Fujiwara and
lead designer Yoshinori Kawano.
The story of the first Breath of Fire is a rather
simplistic affair. Taking control of a blue-haired
young man named Ryu, the player experiences a
rather by-the-numbers tale involving the main means the boss is about to get a “second wind”, Capcom’s 16-bit
character’s sister being abducted by the Dark which is a missed opportunity for them to pull franchise began
Dragon Empire, because the two of them are out all the stops. Instead they simply have more here, and while it’s
among the last of the Light Dragon clan, and Ryu’s health than the game tells the player. arguably nothing
subsequent globe-spanning journey to save her. Just about every character is able to fantastic, it sets
Along the way, various demi-human allies will perform some kind of action while on the down the basics for
join Ryu’s quest for their own reasons, among overworld or within a dungeon, such as Ryu later titles. Plus,
whom the highlights are the princess Nina and being able to fish, while the archer Bo can use dragons are cool!
the sultry half-serpent sorceress Deis. While the his bow to hunt for game. However, the rather
game has no shortage of set pieces, few ever really high encounter rate with enemies can limit your
distinguish themselves as particularly interesting, chance to use these.
save a cameo from Street Fighter II ’s Chun-Li. While an entirely serviceable first entry in
The combat, displayed from an isometric the series, and released to considerable success
perspective, is the game’s high point. Ryu in Japan, Breath of Fire’s notations of distinction
himself has the ability to turn into a dragon once fail to elevate it above mere novelty. Capcom’s
the fight has started, making him immensely inexperience with regard to translating and
powerful with few weaknesses, various plot localising text-heavy RPGs led to a collaboration
items can actually be used in combat, rather with Squaresoft, of Final Fantasy fame, with Ted
than simply existing to take up inventory space, Woolsey handling the project. Due to the nature
and the party’s line-up can be adjusted even of the game’s programming, many names needed
mid-battle. Enemy sprites are animated, plus to be changed, creating inconsistencies with later
they have visible health bars that, while not series entries. A Game Boy Advance re-release in
displaying numbers, provide a fair idea of how 2001 managed some quality-of-life adjustments
tough they are. However, just about every boss to reduce grinding, at the cost of a washed-out
enemy’s life bar is a lie, as an empty one just colour palette and poorly adapted audio.
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Breath of Fire II
Developer: Capcom | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SNES, GBA
Capcom’s first entry in the RPG arena was broadly

met with success, so naturally the effort continued,
in the form of a sequel. Most of the development
team remained the same, with producer Tokuro
Fujiwara and lead designer Yoshinori Kawano
reprising their roles, but a new team handling
the art and music. The end result was the most
fascinating entry for a wide variety of reasons.
The game’s hero is a child called Ryu
(signalling the start of the series’ tradition of
reusing the name), who begins his adventure by
taking a nap outside his village, then returning
to find that no-one knows him or his family, and
his father has seemingly been replaced by another Shamans, who can fuse with the party members, Breath of Fire finds
man. In the evening, he meets an orphan of dubious enhancing their stats or even transforming them its voice with this
morals named Bow, who suggests that since into different beings with their own unique second entry, even
there’s nothing for him here, they should leave. actions; however this is implemented in a rather if it is muddled
Years later, the two have become mercenaries, glitchy manner and can lead to many moments of by a poor English
but things become complicated when Bow is varying frustration. translation.
framed for a crime he didn’t commit. Ryu sets out Without question, the most memorable thing
to clear his friend’s name, and in the process, learn about Breath of Fire II is the writing, which in the
the truth of his own heritage. Western release is simultaneously the best and
Once again using a wide cast of varying worst thing about it. The narrative covers heavy
animal-like races, including Katt the cat/tiger- subject matter and rather challenging themes, and
girl and Jean the frog, Breath of Fire II largely is famous for being an SNES game that not only
improves upon the low points of its predecessor, retains religious iconography, but revolves around
while maintaining the same notes of distinction. a religion as a central point of the narrative.
Combat is much tighter, and your allies personal On the other hand, the translation was handled in-
abilities have more satisfying usability. The score house, and is one of the most hilariously terrible
is more memorable, complete with the same sort translations ever put on a cartridge. Yet despite
of electric guitars found on the Mega Max X this, the core of the narrative shines through:
soundtrack, and the cast feels more fleshed a captivating story, with many emotional moments
out. New additions include building a town and and characters that leave a lasting impression.
inviting various homeless people to move in, Like the original, Breath of Fire II received an
with various tenants providing different results, enhanced GBA port. It added some new splash art,
from useless squatters to shopkeepers and quadrupled the money and experience the player
people who provide permanent upgrades for the gains, but oddly kept the same broken-as-hell
party. Another notable mechanic is the clan of translation, for reasons unknown.
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Breath of Fire III
Developer: Capcom | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP
Three years after the release of Breath of Fire II,

Capcom got around the releasing the next
sequel. Pretty much only the series artist, Tatsuya
Yoshikawa, had reprised his role; Makoto Ikehara
had both taken the director's chair and written the
new game, Breath of Fire III.
The story centres around a young boy named
Ryu (of course!), who is able to transform into a
dragon. He is an orphan and is befriended by Teepo,
another orphan, and Rei, a vagabond thief. Through
their efforts to make a name for themselves, they
earn the ire of a criminal syndicate that sends
hitmen after them. Overwhelmed, the three of
them are separated, leaving Ryu with nowhere Mechanically, Breath of Fire III is a fairly There are some
to call home. In the course of his struggles, Ryu straightforward turn-based combat affair with a growing pains
will make other friends, including the Windian few attempts at spicing things up, like the ability to associated with
Princess Nina, the Mad Scientist Momo, and the study under Masters to change how your character moving to the
enigmatic Guardian Garr. Their adventures will grows, or to learn enemy attack skills by watching PlayStation, and the
take them in search of Ryu’s missing friends and them in action. The execution of these novelties is music is certainly
the truth of the last 1000 years. a bit wonky. The most notable inclusion, however, unusual, but
The visual stylings of the game involve an is the Dragon Gene system, which involves finding Breath of Fire III
odd hybridisation of CG landscapes, CG effects, various aspected dragon attributes and being able still maintains the
character sprites, and environmental sprites. This to play Build-A-Wyrm with Ryu. This can offer series core identity.
is all set up on an isometric grid for movement, some variety, though a curious design choice
though the player is not able to freely rotate makes Ryu the primary healer of the party, which
the camera. Instead the player can pan about limits the opportunities to use this skill. The game
30° to the left or right by means of a button, is remembered for aspects like the customisable
which will shift objects about and stretch Faerie Village, which is a development of Breath of
textures in a hideous manner. The music, Fire II’s Township, and an aggressive dolphin that
composed by Yoshino Aoki and Akari Kaida speaks in such a strong Australian accent (Kansai
(who later worked on assorted Mega Man in Japanese) that the game offers to translate it
Battle Network games) is also unusual, for the player.
suggesting jazzy aspirations but not really Breath of Fire III is odd in spots, but it’s still
holding that theme with any cohesion. Several a decent title, and was moderately successful. In
pieces sound like they’re missing beats or 2006, it received a PSP port that expanded the
instruments, and while there are a few stand- aspect ratio and fleshed out the fishing mini-
out tracks and the credits feature full vocals, game, though only initially released in Europe
the overall result is divisive. and Japan.
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Breath of Fire IV
Developer: Capcom | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1, WIN
Breath of Fire IV features an interesting dual-

narrative structure, following the journeys of not
only Ryu and his friends, but also a demi-god
named Fou-Lu; both he and Ryu are capable of
transforming into dragons. At various points in
the game the perspective will shift from Ryu’s
group, as they try to navigate a messy political
situation and are forced onward by forces outside
of their control, to Fou-Lu, who has awoken 600
years after sealing himself away and is making
his way to the imperial capital that he himself
founded. The player controls both of these efforts,
and learns how the two are connected, while
separately exploring the positive and negative aged more gracefully than many other PlayStation The 2D characters
aspects of humanity. Amusing characters here RPGs. The visual stylings carry the East and West on 3D backgrounds
include Ershin, an eccentric robot-type creature themes in the game well. The sprite artwork and look was common
(though there’s a person inside), Scias the samurai animation are also absolutely gorgeous. Musically, in PlayStation RPGs,
sheep dog, and Ursula the pistol-wielder. the game features a blend of Western orchestra but Breath of Fire IV
Mechanically, Breath of Fire IV is similar to and Indonesian instrumentation, with the former is easily the best-
its predecessor, but with a greater degree of polish. being associated with Ryu’s group, and the latter looking of them all.
Encounters are again turn-based, but for the first with Fou-Lu, for most of the game; with the back
time since the first game, the reserve roster can be end of the game, the two are switched, as the
tagged in mid-combat. The dragon transformations groups come closer together. The introductory
are streamlined and better realised. Enemy skills can cinematic sequence is also one of the most striking
be learned mid-combat once again, but this time on the system, although it’s the only instance of
with the Defend command, so that the effort feels FMV in the game.
more like a tactical decision than a waste of time. Breath of Fire IV was released to fairly
The Master system returns with greater clarity and nominal success, with most recognising its
more usability. In addition to this, there’s a combo improvements over the third game, but not
system that allows for bonus damage, given certain finding much that made it truly stand out as a
conditions, and weapons that strike more than once late PlayStation entry. The game was localised
or hit all targets, giving tactical weight to their use. in the West with interesting priorities, featuring
However, outside of battle, the characters field skills fairly strong censorship regarding violence and
are gone, so the dungeons are less puzzle-based. alcoholism, and also leaving the dialogue in
The artists had a better grip on the technology the intro in unsubtitled Japanese. Despite this,
with this entry, so it looks and feels much better. Breath of Fire IV is a very solid entry in the series,
Certain areas can still be troublesome to navigate, and it’s difficult to find anything particularly out
but this is still a fantastic-looking game that’s of place in it.
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Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter
Developer: Capcom | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2
The Breath of Fire series was generally of pretty

decent quality, but it was hardly innovative. That
all changed with the fifth entry, Dragon Quarter,
so much so that the roman numeral was ditched
for the English release.
The story is set around a kilometre below
the surface in a massive subterranean bunker.
Concepts such as “sky” are spoken of as mythical,
and no one dares go to the surface for fear of
whatever led to its destruction making its way
down. Social status is determined by one’s
D-Ratio, and those with worse D-Ratios are forced
to live on the lower levels of the complex, with a
significantly worse quality of life. This game’s success. Players can make use of traps outside of Dragon Quarter
Ryu is a boy with a D-Ratio of 1/8192, the lowest combat to weaken or avoid foes. tends to be disliked
of the low. He’s part of a security force known The real enemy, however, is attrition. by series fans,
as the Rangers, alongside his friend Bosch. Resources are limited – Capcom seems to have because it really is
In the course of his journey, Ryu will meet Nina, taken inspiration from the “survival” elements of drastically different
a little girl with strange wings who can’t speak, games like Resident Evil. Plus, there’s a D-Counter from everything
as well as Lin, a cat-lady and anti-government that counts up constantly, and when it hits 100%, before it, but on its
resistance fighter who insists that Nina must be the game is over, and you must restart the whole own terms, it’s one
taken to the surface, or else she will die. adventure from scratch. When running around, of the best RPGs on
Wildly departing from series norms, Dragon it fills up very slowly, but activating Ryu’s dragon the PlayStation 2.
Quarter features no overworld nor any sense powers increases it tremendously, ensuring that
of freedom. Mechanically, it’s a corridor crawl you only use them in the most crucial moments.
through a series of dirty, dingy, and mostly The quest is fairly short – it can be beaten in under
abandoned industrial sites in the underground. ten hours – but, predicting that gamers may have
Enemies can be seen walking around, and if the trouble with these aspects, it uses something called
player uses their weapon against an enemy, the a Scenario Overlay System, which lets you restart
point-character will gain an extra turn. Combat the game while carrying over some elements, plus
takes place at the exact location of the initial it adds in extra cutscenes on subsequent replays.
engagement; all entities make use of an Active The atmosphere is impeccable, thanks to
Point system to freely move around and perform Hitoshi Sakimoto’s brilliant score. It’s such an
attacks in highly tactical engagements, SRPG style. oppressive and intimidating game, and so different
Each of the three members has a distinct role in from its predecessors, that fans largely rejected it,
combat – Ryu is a mêlée fighter, Nina can set traps spelling an end to the series save for a Japan-only
for enemies, and Lin has projectile weapons – and mobile game. It’s unfortunate, because in spite of
using their skills together effectively is the key to all this, it’s one of the best RPGs on the PS2.
266
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars
Developer: Nintendo/Square | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SNES
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars is a

dream-team collaboration between Nintendo and
Square, being an interpretation of the Mario world
and characters by the creators of Final Fantasy.
It also allows a glimpse into the Mushroom
Kingdom, which had not yet really been examined
outside of non-video game media like cartoons
and comic books. The story starts with Princess
Peach being kidnapped by King Bowser, as usual,
except their battle is interrupted by a gigantic
sentient sword called Exor. It shatters the Star Road,
scattering the seven stars to the far reaches of the
kingdom, and Mario is put in charge of getting them
back. There are five playable characters altogether, The combat introduces a reflex-based The computer-
including Mario, as Princess Peach isn’t a damsel in system where if you hit the button at the exact rendered graphics
distress for long, and joins the team; you even make moment before an attack hits, you’ll perform an definitely date
amends with Bowser to fight against your common extra attack for added damage (if you’re on the Super Mario RPG
foe. Original characters include Mallow, a cloud boy offensive) or block (if you’re defending). It’s a clever to the mid-’90s, but
who thinks he’s a frog, and Geno, an enchanted doll. way for turn-based battles to feel more interactive it still looks pretty
As a compromise between the side-scrolling than they usually are, one which has been adapted good nowadays.
platforming of a standard Mario game and the by several subsequent games, including the later
overhead perspective of a typical role-playing Mario RPG entries. Magic and special moves also
game, Super Mario RPG utilises an isometric limited by the size of a shared pool of flowers,
perspective, which allows Mario to run and jump which you increase by hunting around the
around. Floating treasure chests must be hit like areas. Upon levelling up, you can also choose an
question mark blocks, and there are often simple added bonus for strength, HP, or special attack.
platforming challenges. Enemies are visible on The game is really suited to beginners, especially
the map, and you can find star power-ups to as enemies can drop HP-restoring items in
become invincible and ram right through them. combat, and curatives may sometimes be used for
The graphics are all CG-rendered, as this look free without consuming them.
was popular in the mid-’90s, as evidenced by the Super Mario RPG does lack the grand
success of Donkey Kong Country. However, the style sense of adventure found in other SNES RPGs,
doesn’t feel all that dated here, due to the detailed and mechanically it is a little simple. Plus, later
designs and bright colours. Yoko Shimomura’s Mario RPGs, like Intelligent Systems’ Paper Mario
bouncy soundtrack lends an atmosphere that feels games or Alphadream’s Mario & Luigi series, offer
both consistent with Nintendo’s titles yet wholly various improvements on the formula. But it’s still
original, and the dialogue is routinely funny, a fun, clever, and engaging title, one worthy of
enough to cover for the rather simple story. these high-quality developers.
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Paper Mario
Developer: Intelligent Systems | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): N64
After Square’s Super Mario RPG proved to be

a success, Nintendo went back to the idea of a
Mario RPG during the N64 era, and produced
one of the system’s most memorable games
with Intelligent Systems, the developers of the
Fire Emblem and Advance Wars strategy games.
While the Paper Mario series’ third entry was
morphed into a bizarre platformer, Super Paper
Mario, the original, and its first sequel, Paper
Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, remain some
of Nintendo’s most beloved games and have an
enthusiastic fanbase.
Their graphic design plays a big part for large damage. Every single skill functions like RPGs were
in this. Similar to Sony’s Parappa the Rapper, this, with its own special input to be learned, extremely scarce
the characters are all 2D paper-thin illustrations, in order to make the most of it. on the Nintendo 64,
presenting the world as a story book or stage Paper Mario’s story is pretty standard, with and Paper Mario
play in which everything is a cardboard or Bowser as the big bad, but he gets to be an actual frankly blows stuff
paper prop. It’s bright, colourful, fits the Mario threat for once: the game starts with him stealing like Quest 64 right
universe better than the CG rendering in the the Star Rod (not to be confused with the star out of the water.
SNES game, and it’s aged far better than nearly rod from the Kirby games) and using its magic to
any other N64 game. The viewpoint is still a become invincible. The rest of the journey involves
side-scrolling perspective, and there are some fighting his lackeys and gathering star spirits to
simple platforming elements, so it feels more gain the power to fight back, meeting wacky
authentic than Square’s effort as well. characters who join your side. The game has strong
Another major reason for the series’ writing, both progressing the dramatic plot and
popularity is that it made turn-based combat keeping you chuckling with a flood of well-timed
fun and engaging again for non-RPG-playing gags and puns. Mario is typically accompanied by
audiences. The key to this was taking the action a partner in battle, generally an enemy character
command system from Super Mario RPG and given a friendly personality (no Luigi, oddly,
re-contextualising it into a less RPG/fantasy sort though he does make brief appearances), like
of scenario. Instead of simply pressing a button at the helpful Goombario, a Mario-worshipping
the right time to increase damage output, every Goomba in a blue hat; the haughty Bow, princess
move you can use has a special input. If you have of the Boo ghosts; and the punkish Lakitu named
Mario attack with a jump, you time a button press Lakilester.
to when you hit the enemy for extra damage, as Paper Mario is an excellent game, especially
in an RPG. However, his secondary basic move, for an RPG-starved platform like the N64, though
using the hammer, has you hold back the control by most metrics, the sequel is slightly better, and
stick for a set amount of time before releasing it is remembered a bit more fondly.
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Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door
Developer: Intelligent Systems | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): GC
The second Paper Mario game, subtitled

The Thousand-Year Door, is similar to the first
game, with some obvious aesthetic improvements.
Being a GameCube game, the graphics are higher
resolution and much crisper, the frame rate is
smoother and the soundtrack sounds sharper.
This is one beautiful-looking and -sounding game.
The story is a bit more involved this time
around. It involves you fighting an evil group
of bandits who are after a mysterious treasure
hidden behind the titular Thousand-Year Door.
The adventure begins in Rogueport, a scummy
port town that has a gallows in its town square,
because of course it would. Goofy scenarios useful items, and vice versa if you flub attacks. The visuals are
abound, like coming across a socially-awkward It also utilises the “paper” theme by turning it beautiful, the
Koopa whose home is decorated with Princess into an exploration mechanic, letting Mario music is fun,
Peach posters, and fighting a Hulk Hogan-inspired get folded into different shapes, like a paper and the writing
golden bird that wrestles. The partner characters aeroplane, to make progress. Amusingly, every is legitimately
are even goofier than before, like the super- new ability is presented as a “curse” from an hilarious. The
chipper treasure hunter Goombella, the dopey evil being, but it actually just ends up being GameCube wasn’t
Koops, or the flirty mouse Ms. Mowz. The game is something super-useful. much of an RPG
also notable for having a canonical trans character The Thousand-Year Door is a brilliant machine, but this is
in Vivian the ghost (in Japanese versions, though game, and easily the best RPG on the GameCube. one of the standout
not elsewhere). Regular characters have their Alas, many subsequent games drastically scaled titles of the era.
own unique bits, like Luigi, who goes off on an back the RPG elements, though Super Paper
adventure of his own and ends up getting a greatly Mario (Wii) is still worth checking out for its
exaggerated version of it published. Peach gets surprisingly complex and entertaining villain,
kidnapped but ends up attempting to escape with even if it’s more of a platformer. Sticker Star
the help of a computer, which falls in love with her. (3DS) and Color Splash (Wii U) have been met
Bowser even returns as a comic-relief character, with more mixed responses, having much more
becoming aware of the plot late on, and wanting generic stories at their centre and questionable
to interrupt it out of sheer pettiness. mechanical changes, especially Color Splash’s
The battle system has been expanded, with focus on cards. While reviews were okay, the
even more varied inputs, taking everything that sales were not great, and the fanbase has been
worked originally and making it much larger in visibly upset by these deviations. There was also a
scale. There’s a new audience system, in which the crossover with the portable Mario & Luigi games,
proper inputs excite the audience to grant star but this was based more on that series’ mechanics
power for more powerful skills and even net you than what those Paper Mario had developed.
269
Mario & Luigi (series)
Developer: AlphaDream | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): GBA, DS, 3DS
The Mario & Luigi series is a strange one, the tone

set by its bizarre first game. If Paper Mario was all
about whimsy, then Mario & Luigi was like some
experimental ’90s Nickelodeon cartoon, complete
with a few adult jokes and a zany, absurd tone. The
franchise has been in the hands of AlphaDream,
rather than Intelligent Systems, since its inception,
and they decided to take the Mario RPG concept
and go in a direction far removed from that of all
previous efforts. The end result is a series known
less for its base mechanics and more for each
game’s new gimmick, and the ridiculous scenarios
they keep coming up with. You can even run out of Bros. Attacks, now turned While the visual
The first game, Superstar Saga on the into items, in the final battle, simply because the style is quite
Game Boy Advance, takes the plumbers to the boss’ health is so vast. The most notable thing different from, and
new Beanbean Kingdom, a new, wacky country about Partners in Time is the messed up story, in less distinctive than,
terrorised by evil witch Cackletta and her which mushroom-like aliens invade the kingdom that of the other
henchman Fawful, who’s become a breakout star to harvest life energy from Toads, put it into Alien- Mario RPG games,
in the franchise and got promoted to lead villain in style nests, and transform Yoshis into mutated it still inherits their
the third game. They also have the honour of being cyborg slaves. It’s really, really weird, to say the penchant for goofy
Mario villains who have been canonically killed least. It also feels a bit too much like the first characters. Fawful
off, a rarity for the larger franchise. The game game, while the new ideas here half formed and for Smash!
uses a turn-based system, but has you controlling focuses on classic, established characters instead
Mario and Luigi at the same time, using the of giving us more new faces. It just feels like a step
A and B buttons respectively, with a huge focus on backwards, and AlphaDream aimed to correct this
dodging and countering enemy attacks. However, with the third game.
this game also introduces powerful Bros. Attacks Bowser’s Inside Story is a return to form.
that the duo can do together. Naturally, the whole Here, Bowser is tricked by Fawful into eating a
game is based around action commands. It was a magical mushroom, which causes him to suck
real showstopper for the already wildly popular up things like a vacuum cleaner. Mario, Luigi and
GBA, and that a franchise would spiral out of this pals end up getting stuck in his body, and part of
hit was not in any doubt. the game involves navigating his innards while
The DS sequel, Partners in Time, expands microscopic in size. In some parts of the game,
on the formula by having you also control baby you control Bowser, who can suck up bad guys
Mario and Luigi on the other screen, though this into himself, and then have Mario & Luigi fight
added little. The game also suffered greatly in them in his stomach. Bowser can also turn giant
the American release because bosses were given for certain boss battles, requiring that you turn
higher life HP counts, making these battles a slog. the DS on its side to pummel baddies.
270
It’s considered the best game in the series happen. It’s worth noting that this one came out two Partners in Time
by most fans, and sees the return of both Fawful years after the last game, which hadn’t happened creates some time
and the goofier writing style. This also marked since Partners in Time’s release, suggesting both of travel shenanigans
Bowser’s increasing importance in the franchise, these games were rushed through development. by pairing the
as he ended up becoming a central villain in the No original title for this series has come out brothers up with
next two games, instead of a throwaway joke. It’s since, but Superstar Saga and Bowser’s Inside their infant selves.
yet another game that shows off the wildly creative Story each received 3DS remakes, in 2017 and
ideas the DS was able to turn into reality, and is 2019, respectively, each and using an additional
easily one of the system’s best games. mode focused on minion side stories with new
Dream Team on the 3DS continued this unique mechanics. It’s a great series overall – even
inventive streak, giving Luigi a starring role, as the weakest entries have great comedic scripts and
you spend a large chunk of the game exploring fun base mechanics.
his dreams and fighting with an army of Luigis, The Mario & Luigi games were preceded by
using the 3DS’ tilt controls, which allows for more a Japan-only GBA RPG from AlphaDream, called
inventive action commands. The puzzles are also Tomato Adventure. In this world, there is a land
pretty amusing, making use of the dream Luigis in called the Ketchup Kingdom. However, those who
fun ways. Dream Team came out during Nintendo’s don’t like tomatoes are forced to live on the outskirts,
much hyped Year of Luigi promotion, and this in a place called Cobore Village, until they change
is probably the most interesting of the titles that their mind. The hero, a boy named DeMille, is one of
ran with the idea. It also helps that the overlooked these outcasts. However, when his girlfriend Patharan
plumber got the spotlight for once, after being the is kidnapped by King Abira, he must journey through
butt of everyone’s jokes in every previous game. the land, and face off against the six Super Kids. The
The last original game in the series is Paper battle system is based around gimmicks, with each
Jam for the 3DS, a crossover with the Paper Mario piece of equipment requiring some kind of action
series, which feels like a missed opportunity. Very few (hitting a timing bar, mashing buttons, etc.) in
original characters from either franchise made an order to do extra damage. It’s a bit simple, but it’s all
appearance, the Paper Mario cameos being limited incredibly goofy, in both its dialogue and visual style.
to characters who appeared in the forgettable Sticker Both the silly storyline and the reflex-based
Star, and little is added mechanically to the base battle system were carried forward to the Mario Tomato Adventure
Mario & Luigi formula beyond some basic paper & Luigi games. One of the key links between all is sort of a prototype
transformations, used mainly for puzzles. It got of these titles is Chihiro Fujioka, who began his for Mario & Luigi,
some of the most mixed reviews, not really satisfying career as a composer for XtalSoft, working on having been
fans of either franchise. Out of the whole RPG games like Lizard. He eventually joined Square, developed by the
crossover between two very funny universes defined where he ended up co-directing Super Mario RPG; same company,
by large personalities, only Bowser really got any love. later, he left and joined AlphaDream, where he and also being
It should have been made right after Thousand-Year directed Tomato Adventure, and designed several a co-production
Door, or even Paper Mario, but sadly that didn’t Mario & Luigi titles. with Nintendo.
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Grandia
Developer: Game Arts | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): SAT, PS1, WIN, NSW
Game Arts found some success with the Lunar

games, but they also had to share that with their
co-producers, Studio Alex. The two eventually
had a falling out, which is just as well, considering
Game Arts created its own original RPG series,
Grandia, to succeed it.
Grandia takes place in a world undergoing
an industrial revolution, in which the discovery
of steam power has allowed for new modes of
transportation. The hero, a young boy named
Justin, and his friend, a little girl named Sue,
dream of adventuring beyond the known world’s
boundary – which, in this case, is literally a gigantic
wall called the End of the World. Joined by a feisty give way to enemies visible on the field, while the While not directly
bounty hunter named Feena, they handily cross battle system from Lunar is evolved by grafting on connected to them,
this barrier, but that’s only the beginning, as they elements from Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle there’s a solid
discover whole societies on the other side … as System. During battle, each character’s turn order argument to be
well as encountering an evil military organisation, is depicted on a gauge at the bottom of the screen. made that Grandia
which aims to dig up the remains of ancient The action unfolds in real time, and you’re made is the spiritual
civilisations to harness their technology. explicitly aware of your foes’ places in the turn successor to the
Grandia borrows Lunar’s coming-of-age queue, allowing you to plot accordingly. The action Lunar games,
adventure tale, and even snatches some of its pauses whenever one of your character’s turns with a much better
broader plot beats. There’s also an emphasis on comes up, allowing you to make a move. Each battle system.
characterisation, especially through a number of character has two primary attacks – a Combo,
mealtime scenes, in which the various characters which consists of multiple powerful attacks, and
chat together over food. The English version was a Critical, a single, quick attack. There’s a short
translated by Sony, and neither their translation delay between the time when an action is decided
nor their voice acting is on the same level as and when it’s actually executed, indicated on the
Working Designs’ efforts, but the endearing action gauge. If you manage to hit an enemy with
likeability of the cast still comes across. The visuals a Critical attack during this small window, you’ll
are a mixture of 3D polygons and 2D sprites. stun them and cause them to lose their turn.
It looks a little messy, and the camera, as well as On the flip side, if you’re not paying attention,
the confusing dungeon design, make navigation the enemy can do the same thing to you. There
an extraordinary pain. The soundtrack by Noriyuki are also a number of character-specific special
Iwadare also shows significant evolution of his attacks, as well as magic spells, which are learned
skill, especially in his battle tracks. by equipping eggs, and strengthened by repeated
Indeed, the combat is the strongest point use. Magic takes even longer to cast than either
of every game in the series. Random encounters attack, leaving the user open to assault.
272
Justin and
Feena are a cute
romantic couple,
and provide a
more interesting
dynamic than
the (largely mute)
Alex and Luna
do in Lunar:
The Silver Star.
As a result, each time you pick a command, though, it’s still a solid port. What’s missing is the
you have to weigh your decision, be mindful of the Digital Museum, a fan disc only released for the
speed and range of your attack, and take some Saturn, which includes plenty of supplementary
risks at every turn. Depending on circumstances, materials, as well as some exclusive dungeons.
it is possible to emerge from battle completely Subsequent Grandia games go the Final
unscathed, which rewards you with additional Fantasy route by changing up the setting and
experience and a special victory theme. The characters in each game, with the exception of
shaky camera adds to the chaos, zooming around the Game Boy Color spinoff, subtitled Parallel
the battlefield and focusing on the most brutal Trippers. Aimed at children, it stars three kids
attacks. Crushing sound effects accompany from Japan, who get sucked into the world of
every blow, and slain enemies explode in a mess Grandia, and adventure alongside Justin, Feena,
of coins and shattered polygons. Altogether, and Sue. Visually, it more closely resembles 8-bit
it’s quite enthralling, definitely an achievement RPGs like Dragon Quest, though it tries its best
considering that you’re still just picking selections to replicate the flow of the battle system in its
from menus. bigger brother, if not exactly its intensity. It does
Before its international release, Grandia feature some puzzle-based dungeons though, as
was presented as the SEGA Saturn counterpart you’re allowed to leap up and around obstacles,
to Sony’s behemoth, Final Fantasy VII on the plus there are tons of playable characters.
PlayStation. This was a hugely unfair comparison,
because not only are they very different games,
Grandia’s budget was substantially smaller.
It uses two CDs, but the CGI cutscenes aren’t
particularly impressive. What it does offer over
its competition is some fully orchestrated music
(only a handful of tracks), plenty of voice acting,
and a more charming, much more comprehensible
(though more typical) storyline.
Grandia was ported to the PlayStation, on
which it was released in English. This version
sacrifices some texture detail and other effects
only possible on the Saturn, plus it inherits that
version’s sluggish technical performance. Overall,
273
Grandia II
Developer: Game Arts | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): DC, PS2, WIN, NSW
The original Grandia is basically a coming-of -age

story, but its sequel really ramps up the teenage
angst – it’s much darker, with an aura of unearned
sophistication. The new storyline is completely
unrelated to the original: you control a young man
named Ryudo, a Geohound (basically a mercenary),
given a seemingly straightforward mission to
escort a priestess named Elena to a ceremony.
Except something goes drastically wrong, and
the evil lord Valmar is somehow resurrected,
sending his influence all throughout the land.
Further, Elena has been possessed, and during
the night-time hours, she changes form into a
winged demon named Millenia, whose sultriness
contrasts strongly with her host’s meekness. integrate FMV effects when casting certain spells, While the battle
Overall, the story only just passes muster, which is probably the most dated-looking aspect system of Grandia II
especially as it uses the (by now) hoary old of this game. The character models have eyes but sees some decent
JRPG cliche that “the church was secretly bad no noses or mouths, although they’re otherwise improvements,
all along!” Still, even if that’s a well-worn trope, finely detailed, and despite the drastic change in overall, the game
how often do you face off against a super-villain tone, the aesthetics still feel uniquely Grandia. loses some of the
by actually entering into his body? As a result This applies to Noriyuki Iwadare’s soundtrack, heart of the original.
of the less light-hearted story, the characters which supplies some more excellent battle themes.
just don’t have the same charm as the original The orchestral themes from the first game are
ones – there’s a rather obnoxious little kid gone, but instead there are a few vocal songs in a
named Roan, a large beastman named Mareg, language that was meant to be Portuguese.
and a robot girl named Tio, but no one has the The mechanics of the battle system itself
likeability of Justin, Sue, or Feena. While the haven’t fundamentally changed from the original,
translation isn’t markedly better than the first though the methods for learning magic and
game’s, it does have much better voice acting, special attacks have been streamlined. The
with a number of well-known actors. These dungeon crawling is a little better too, owing to
include Cam Clarke, who helps sell Ryudo’s better design, as well as a compass which helpfully
cynical, sarcastic personality, as well as his guides you to your goal. From a gameplay
eventual transformation into an actual hero. perspective, Grandia II is a small improvement
Grandia II is one of the first JRPGs of the over the first game, and while the story isn’t quite
Dreamcast/PS2 generation, so it tries its best as good, it’s certainly workable. Too bad the later
to show off. The entire game is 3D now, which games weren’t able to keep at least that baseline
benefits the battle system the most, as it’s even level of quality, though, because they soon
more dramatic than it was before. It tries to become insufferable.
274
Grandia Xtreme
Developer: Game Arts | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2
Pretty much everyone lauded the combat system

in the first two Grandia games, so Game Arts
decided to take a chance and create the goofily-
named Grandia Xtreme, a spinoff which focuses
almost entirely on fighting and dungeon crawling.
In this game world, there are three races
that live in tense coexistence: Humans, the elf-
like Arcadians, and the beast-like Hazmans. The
hero is a Human named Evann, who leads an
expedition to investigate a natural disaster called
the Elemental Disorder. Much of this is done by
exploring seven different sets of ruins. Outside of
the introduction, the story is quite threadbare, but
when it does pop up, it’s nearly insufferable, filled this means you can use magic a lot more often JRPG fans tend
with unlikeable characters and terrible dialogue. than before, because if one egg is drained you to like the genre
The back cover makes a big deal of its famous can just switch to another. It’s especially useful because of its story,
voice actors, including Dean Cain (from the ’90s for healing purposes, because you can only save so having cut back
TV show Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of in the game’s sole village, and transport spots in on that to focus
Superman) as Evann, who shouts nearly every the dungeons are fairly sparse. There’s also an on battling and
line, while Mark Hamill and Lisa Loeb turn in expansive crafting system that lets you combine dungeon crawling,
subpar performances elsewhere. magic powers and create new types of eggs. Other Grandia Xtreme got
Other areas have been improved, or at least additions include bonus damage from successful an unsurprisingly
changed. The exploration camera has changed longer combos, and combination attacks involving chilly reception.
from the overhead perspective of the previous two or more party members.
games to an over-the-shoulder one, and provision The graphics are similar to Grandia II,
of an automap helps too. The maps are much except for poorer character designs, despite their
longer and more elaborate than before, and you do now fully detailed faces. Some compromises were
simple puzzle solving. Item drops are randomised made to ensure a smooth frame rate and nearly
as well, and there are some procedurally-generated non-existent load times. The music is as excellent
dungeons, if you really want to spend a lot of time as ever, with a large variety of battle themes,
hunting for loot. There’s also an Xtreme gauge provided, as usual, by Noriyuki Iwadare.
that will help clue in the player to any enemies or The combat and dungeon crawling are
treasures hidden nearby. indeed well done, though by nature they are very
The battle system has seen some tweaks, grindy. But with a barely existent story, Grandia
including some speed changes that ensure battles Xtreme feels like half of a game. That doesn’t
move along swiftly. Individual characters do not mean it’s necessarily a bad one, but it feels like it
learn magic, but rather they equip mana eggs, was made for gamers who prefer older RPGs, and it
which have their own MP gauges. Functionally, simply never found that audience.
275
Grandia III
Developer: Game Arts | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2
Grandia III starts off pleasantly enough, telling the

story of a young boy named Yuki, whose dreams of
becoming a pilot, like his hero, Captain Schmidt,
come to pass. One day, while out testing his
aeroplane, he comes across a girl named Alfina,
who’s being chased by a group of mysterious men.
Yuki rescues her, and along with his unusually
youthful mother, Miranda, offers to help her
search for her missing brother, but soon becomes
involved in a plot involving a war that nearly
destroyed the country centuries ago.
The setup is a little too close to SEGA’s Skies
of Arcadia, but it starts off pleasantly enough.
It has the same endearing sense of adventure that well, though, especially during a huge difficulty The first few hours
as the original Grandia, especially with Yuki’s spike that occurs at the start of the second disc. of Grandia III
determination to be the second person to fly Graphically, it’s worlds apart from Grandia are not bad, but
across the expansive ocean. The most interesting II and Xtreme, which makes sense, considering after the main
party member is Miranda, just because it’s so rare it came late in the PS2 generation. The character character’s Mum
to see the hero’s Mum come along for the journey. models are decent, and the environment design is leaves the party,
Unfortunately, she leaves the party fairly early gorgeous, especially in the opening area, where it’s all downhill.
on, and the story goes completely downhill from autumn leaves, sun glare, and laid-back music
there. Dumb characters, plot holes, and a badly- provide an aura of pastoral beauty. Unfortunately,
told narrative just completely ruin any of the the area design follows the Final Fantasy X
potential charm. philosophy, being very linear, if weaving, with
Luckily, the battle system still holds up. only occasional branches. For a game that
It doesn’t include many of the enhancements or supposedly focuses on aeroplanes, everything
character customisation options that were found feels weirdly constrained. The battle music is as
in Grandia Xtreme, but it does introduce an aerial good as ever, and while the J-pop opening theme
combo system. If you deliver a Critical attack at is good cheesy fun, it feels out of place with the
the right moment, it will send an enemy flying into rest of the game.
the air, allowing other party members to leap into Grandia III completed the series’ journey
the sky and deliver some extra attacks, producing into “bad story, great battle system” territory.
more damage as well as extra items. As in the It’s more engaging than Grandia Xtreme, but
previous games, this helps nail the action-like feel, it’s also monumentally dumb, which is a shame,
despite the fact that it’s completely turn-based. considering it starts off so well. Alas, it also
The game also occasionally gives advice on the best spelled the end of the series, more or less – there
type of attack to use on an enemy to slow them was an F2P MMORPG called Grandia Online, but
down. It does feel like the balance isn’t adjusted all that only ran from 2009 until 2012.
276
Wild Arms / Wild Arms: Alter Code F
Developer: Media.Vision | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2
In Japan, Sony had three main RPG franchises in

the early days of the PlayStation – Popolocrois,
Arc the Lad, and Wild Arms. Of these, Wild
Arms was chosen for English release. It’s a fairly
straightforward JRPG, developed by Media.Vision,
with an unconventional Wild-West aesthetic.
Wild Arms introduces many of the series’
set pieces. Among them are the setting of Filgaia,
a dying desert planet that gives the series its
cattlepunk sheen; the Elw (“El-loo”), an elf-
like ancient civilisation; ARMs, a mystical gun
technology; and the Baskar tribe, an ecologically-
minded Native American-esque society-slash- Graphically, Wild Arms is adequate, but Part of the early
hippie commune. You play three characters: Rudy, unimpressive. The 2D field graphics are colourful wave of JRPGs for
a silent, blue-haired boy; Jack, a treasure hunter; and varied, but the 3D battles are rudimentary, the PlayStation,
and Cecilia, a princess of the Kingdom of Adlehyde. with plain chibi character models and blocky Wild Arms fared well
The three unite to face a band of demons trying to monsters. Character designer Yoshihiko Ito does enough to spawn its
resurrect their leader and destroy the world. great work with the look of the protagonists, own franchise.
The series is sort of a spiritual successor however, establishing the sand-swept, poncho-
to Neverland’s Lufia games, as it’s noted for its and-bandana style standard throughout the
puzzles, which rely on the use of tools like bombs, series. Michiko Naruke’s gorgeous soundtrack
grappling hooks, and magic rods. While these incorporates whistling, mandolins, trumpets,
puzzles aren’t too hard, some solutions do require and acoustic guitar, all crucial to the game’s
thinking about. Meanwhile, battles have just Wild-West vibes. In fact, some songs sample
enough nuances beyond typical mechanics to keep spaghetti western scores: the track played
you engaged. Each character has a unique skill set, over the opening cinematic sequence, “Into
with its own approach to progression, like Rudy’s the Wilderness”, borrows the main riff of Riz
ARMs, which are ancient mystical firearms that Ortolani’s “Day of Anger” from the film of the
can be upgraded by gun specialists in exchange same name. Overall, the game is a fine start to
for Gella, the series’ currency. Cecilia, meanwhile, the franchise, and at the time, it was a decent
uses Crest Grids to cast magic spells, which require holdover until Final Fantasy VII was released.
scarce Crest Graph items to activate them. In 2003, a PlayStation 2 remake called
Characters can also equip Mediums, magic Wild Arms: Alter Code F was released. It adopts
tablets which invoke Guardians, the elemental spirits gameplay mechanics from the sequels, overhauls
of Filgaia, which in turn increase various stats and the graphics, and extends the narrative, adding
double as summons. There is also the Force Bar, more detail and personality. However, the visuals
which increases when you give or receive damage, are bland and plastic, and the English translation
and can be used to trigger limit break-like abilities. is worse, so you’re better off playing the original.
277
Wild Arms 2
Developer: Media.Vision | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1
Wild Arms 2 is one of the most mature and

ambitious games in the series, but it suffers from
an abysmal translation that renders the narrative
confused, and at times, incomprehensible.
A ragtag team called ARMS – Agile Remote
Mission Squad – faces a terrorist organisation
named Odessa, which is attempting a hostile
takeover of a new, more industrialised Filgaia,
which is once again suffering ecological
devastation. The three protagonists are recent
ARMS recruits: Ashley, a young soldier; Lilka,
a sorceress; and Brad, a war hero turned criminal.
Three more characters join the party later: Tim,
a Baskar boy; Kanon, a cyborg; and Marivel, them. MP has been eliminated, replaced by Force Wild Arms hits its
a vampire. The party takes on missions at the behest Power. You start each battle with an amount of FP sophomore slump
of ARMS’ leader, the morally dubious Irving. equal to your level. FP isn’t used up by spells, only with this fairly
In general, the story suffers from a lack of force abilities. The trade-off is that you cannot use average follow-up.
urgency. Odessa’s evil deeds feel so ambiguous magic outside of battle. With more tools at your
that it’s often unclear what ARMS is fighting disposal, and 360° environments, puzzles are
against. Still, within the muddled story there more intricate, but still not overly complex. Battles
are fascinating themes. Heroism is explored look nicer than in the last game, if still blocky, and
in particular. The game subverts the idea that have some new innovations like learning magic
individuals make history, emphasising instead from enemies.
the communal nature of heroism, and that heroic Michiko Naruke’s soundtrack is wonderful.
deeds are often done out of necessity or accident The theme music, “You’ll Never Be Alone, No Matter
rather than bravery. Where You Go”, is a catchy, brass-focused tune, in
Wild Arms 2 introduces new gameplay line with the music borrowed from westerns in
mechanics, both good and bad. The most egregious the original. The tracks here don’t appear to be as
is world map navigation. Instead of new locations transparently lifted from film scores.
simply appearing on the map, you have to send out Wild Arms 2 tried something new, and
a radar signal to reveal them. Another mechanic didn’t quite succeed. It wants to be postmodern
is more useful: the option to cancel battles before and complex, and it is, to an extent, but it never
they occur. For most random encounters, a white quite grabs what it reaches for. With more polish
exclamation point will appear over the player and a better translation, Wild Arms 2 might have
character’s head. If you press O in time, the been as revered as the similarly flawed masterpiece
battle will be cancelled. The sequel also sets the Xenogears. The way it is now though, it has its
precedent of no buyable healing items. You have charms and is worth playing, but its downsides
to find Heal Berries out in the world, and ration can be overwhelming.
278
Wild Arms 3
Wild Arms 3 is a culmination of all the

quintessential series elements introduced in the
first two games. It is the most representative, and
arguably the best that the series has to offer.
Filgaia is again on the brink of disaster,
in even worse condition than in previous games.
The entire ocean is gone, replaced by a vast sea
of sand. Our heroes are four drifters who meet
one night in a freight boxcar during a foiled train
robbery. This ragtag group of cowpokes then
get drawn into a story of ecological restoration,
cultural memory, artificial intelligence, and some
deeply disturbing body horror. The characters
and their dynamics are tremendously endearing. of the most essential to making the game easier, Most of the
Virginia is an excellent lead, written with depth for example, is the Valiant spell, which increases Wild Arms games
and sensitivity. The cold, brash Jet is the most your attack power based on the difference between are Wild West-
stereotypical, but he works as a great foil for his your current HP and max HP. inspired, but this
more kind-hearted companions. Gallows is a fun, Regrettably, navigation in Wild Arms 3 is entry embraces
if somewhat questionable, subversion of magical even worse than in the second game. The world is this aesthetic more
Native American tropes, with his slothful nature larger and uses a more uniform palette, location enthusiastically than
and hotheadedness. Clive is sweet and softspoken, clues are vague, and reaching locations can be the rest of them.
and he actually manages to be happily married complicated. The graphics are, for the most part,
and a loving father without either his wife or beautiful and stylish, testament to the fact that
child dying. good aesthetics go a long way. Cel-shading is
The battle system has been revamped. the key, with vibrant colours overlaying a brown,
Cosmetically, characters now run around the decaying landscape. Dungeons and the world
map rather than stand in a line, giving it a more map are bland, unfortunately, being drab and
cinematic edge. Most significant to the actual oversaturated with yellow-tan colours, but the
mechanics of battle, however, is the fact that all character models are great. As the game goes on,
the characters now wield ARMs as their primary the places you visit also get weirder, eventually
weapons. Upgrading ARMs is the only way to transmogrifying into bizarre, Giger-esque scenes.
manage physical equipment. Everyone uses magic Wild Arms 3 is the most refined of the
now, which can be used by equipping Guardian first three games. From here, the series heads
Mediums. Each Guardian has a set of four spells off in another direction. Perhaps another sequel
and each character has three spaces for equipping in the same vein as this trilogy would have
Mediums. In general, magic is a bit more proved to be an even more polished version of the
sophisticated, with stat-focused spells being a lot form, but Wild Arms 3 is still a pretty fantastic
more creative, and important to boss battles. One peak to reach.
279
Wild Arms 4
Although the signature tropes remain, Wild Arms 4

of all the games, probably fits the mould least, as
it reduces the Wild West influence in favour of
techno-fantasy trappings. The story concerns Jude,
a boy living in the floating town of Ciel. One day
Ciel is attacked by a military force. Jude infiltrates
one of their ships and finds Yulie, a captive girl.
It turns out that Yulie has the power to control
mystical weapons called ARMs, which this force is
bent on exploiting. Jude then finds out he can wield
an ARM too. They soon join up with two drifters,
Arnaud and Raquel, and travel Filgaia searching for
ways to protect Yulie. It’s a surprisingly dark game,
but ridiculous too. The story is, on the one hand, makes the game world more engaging to interact Wild Arms
a deeply traumatic exploration of the after-effects with. Locations are either fully 360° or have a fixed sought a new
of war, but on the other, it has a villain who cuts a side-on view. The former are more puzzle-oriented, identity with this
train car in half with a chainsaw. while the latter are platform-oriented. title, and doesn’t
The game suffers from a rushed development Combat is based on the HEX (Hyper Evolve quite find it.
cycle, purportedly to match up with an anime X-fire) system. Your player characters are placed
series that ended up being cancelled. You can on a grid of seven hexagons, six surrounding one
see corners cut everywhere: a scenario that was in the centre. To deliver most attacks, you have to
cut almost in half, a cutback world map, and be in a hex adjacent to your target. Most magic can
cutscenes that are mostly just 2D anime portraits be cast from any hex. In addition, any given battle
with dialogue, more like those in a visual novel. will have three elemental hexagons, which you can
The story may be too shounen anime for use to exploit weaknesses for extra damage.
some, as it’s clearly aimed at a teenage audience. The music is lovely, as always. Michiko
But the writing’s strength lies in the character Naruke returns as composer, though others,
interactions. The party will frequently pause in the namely Masato Kouda, Nobuyuki Shimuzu, and
middle of a dungeon or town to chat, bicker, or Ryuta Suzuki, also contribute songs composed
figure out what to do next. They’re a lively team. in her style. The Wild West influence, while still
A nice addition is the Meeting option available at present in a number of songs, is more muted
save points in town, which gives you the option of this time around, working with the rest of the
either gathering for a group chat, or having one- game to produce a mood more typical for a
to-ones between Jude and each teammate. Plus, sci-fi/fantasy JRPG.
this is the first Wild Arms game with voice acting, Wild Arms 4 is a jarring change for the series,
though it’s unfortunately quite poor. a clear attempt at reinvention. The change in style
Platforming is one of the more entertaining and the middling-quality story don’t help things,
new features. It’s never especially difficult, but but it was arguably a welcome attempt.
280
Wild Arms 5
Wild Arms 5 is a streamlined culmination of

all the series has to offer. Released on the tenth
anniversary of the first game, it pays homage to
the core of what made the series remarkable.
It brings back the trademark vaguely futuristic
Wild-West style, so it feels more faithful than its
immediate predecessor. It also had a smoother
production cycle, and consequently more fully
realises its ideas, as well as including numerous
cameos and references to previous games.
One day, a girl falls from the sky outside a
mountain village in Filgaia. Her name is Avril,
and she remembers nothing except for two
words: Johnny Appleseed. Dean and Rebecca, The battles are an evolution of the HEX Wild Arms 5
local teens who discover her, decide to help Avril system from the previous game. There are trick is a noticeable
by travelling the world with her in search of bosses on occasion, or ones that simply spike the improvement over
“Johnny Appleseed.” difficulty enormously, but once you get a feel for its predecessor,
The story was originally written by novelist the flow of combat, you’re set. Tools have been though outside
Kaoru Kurosaki. Having a legitimate novelist at discarded, and replaced by special bullets – freeze of some mobile
the helm might seem like it would help the story, bullets, fire bullets, explosive bullets – that act spinoffs, it would
though ultimately it again feels like a shounen in exactly the same way. Using these, and prove to be the
anime, particularly Dean’s naive optimism. The performing light platforming, are what will take last game in
focus is less on ecological disasters (at least up all your time in dungeons. the series.
initially) and more on racism, in relation to the This is the first and only main game in which
humans and the Veruni, the race that now rules the soundtrack was not composed by Michiko
Filgaia. Plus, the narrative takes forever to get Naruke. Her influence is still apparent, though,
going. You’ll find yourself running from place to and the result still contains some excellent tunes.
place seeking out hints about Johnny Appleseed, Masato Kouda, who is known for his work in
only for any lead to turn out to be a red herring. the Devil May Cry and Monster Hunter series,
Then, in the final third, the entire central conflict contributed songs alongside Noriyasu Agematsu,
suddenly reveals itself, and clumsily tries to a new composer primarily known for anime and
bring all the threads together. The characters are mobile game soundtracks.
endearing, at least, with strong designs. Three Wild Arms 5 was the last “pure” Wild Arms
additional characters join the party as the game game developed by Media.Vision, and while not
goes on, and everyone is given enough attention without its quirks and flaws, it kept the spirit alive.
in the writing to receive a decent character arc. Another entry might have topped it, but what we
The character models are expressive and crisp, have here is a great show of improvement, and an
and the voice acting is greatly improved. altogether fond farewell to a classic series.
281
Suikoden
Developer: Konami | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): PS1, SAT, PSP
The Water Margin is one of the four great

classical novels of Chinese literature, and has
seen numerous adaptations over the centuries.
Konami’s Gensou Suikoden (“Fantasy Suikoden”,
shortened to Suikoden for the international
releases) takes loose inspiration from it. Created
by Yoshitaka Murayama and Junko Kawano, each
of the five core games in the series focuses on a
hero and his 108 companions, as they become
entangled in the politics of war and experience
its human cost. The world is a blend of Western
and Eastern fantasy, with some unusual elements,
like intelligent anthropomorphic animals and the
occasional vampire. Many of the games revolve
around the power of the 27 True Runes, which as you progress through the game, though you Suikoden and Wild
govern the world. The first two games are 2D (with have to hunt for some of the others. However, Arms were the first
3D elements, like battle backgrounds), so they look it is possible to permanently miss some if you don’t two decent RPGs
better than most other early PlayStation RPGs. know where to look for them. Getting the best to show up on the
The hero of the first game is Tir McDohl ending requires that you recruit everyone; play with PlayStation, in the
(though you can name him whatever you want), a guide handy, so you don’t miss anything. days before Final
son of the general of the Scarlet Moon Empire. Up to six fighters participate in combat at once. Fantasy VII.
He discovers the Soul Eater, one of the 27 True Fights are speedy, with all characters attacking
Runes, and is quickly hunted by his own people and trading blows simultaneously. However,
for its power. After escaping, he joins a rebellion equipment is simplified, since there are so many
and must fight against the corruption in his old characters to juggle. You can attach runes to them
home, friends, and family. to cast spells, and the system works like that in the
To raise an army, you can recruit 108 characters original Final Fantasy, with a certain number of
to join your cause. Many of them are combatants, spells available at each magic level. There are also
but some are not, and instead perform various tasks a handful of brief, turn-based strategy segments,
around your headquarters. Watching your army in which you command units in your army, as well
grow from a ragtag rebellion to a full-fledged army as one-on-one duels that play out something like
is indeed one of the greatest strengths of the series. rock-paper-scissors.
And given that there are so many characters, many Suikoden is pretty good, but its main
of them are distinct and quite likeable. The hero contribution is to set up the world and characters
is a silent protagonist, but is surrounded by lively for its superior sequel. Playing this entry isn’t
characters, like Gremio, his devoted manservant, essential to understanding any of the later games,
and Flik and Viktor, two buddies who join your group but it is pretty short (less then 20 hours), so you
early on. Many characters join up automatically can breeze through it.
282
Suikoden II
Developer: Konami | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP
Suikoden II takes place a number of years after the

rebellion against the Scarlet Moon Empire, and
focuses on a different part of the world, centring on
a conflict between the City States of Jowston and
the Kingdom of Highland. The hero (again silent
and nameable, typically referred to as Rio) and his
buddy Jowy, new recruits in the Highland Army,
end up betrayed by their leaders. After joining with
a group of mercenaries, the two are split up, and
begin to rise through the ranks, but in opposing
armies. It’s a stirring set-up for a brother-against-
brother narrative, and their relationship is one of
the most important parts of the game, even if they
spend most of it apart.
It’s the characters that really make final boss, and indeed, the battle against him Suikoden II was
Suikoden II special, even beyond the central requires that you toss your whole army into combat, the feisty underdog
heroes. Nanami, the hero’s sister, plays a role replacing fallen warriors with fresh new ones. competing against
similar to Gremio’s in the first game, being Yet this fight only occurs partway through the big-name RPGs
a counterpart to bounce off the silent hero. game, and the war continues even after he is slain. released in North
Many characters from the first game return, War is never about a single villain, but rather America in 1999,
including Flik and Viktor, who play similar roles much more deep-rooted issues, and it’s that level but over time it has
in the mercenary group to those they had before. of maturity that sets the Suikoden series apart held up as one of
It’s really here that Suikoden fleshes out its world, from other JRPGs. But around the edges, there’s the greats.
in its examination of how that world, and the also a bit of levity, especially the bit where you can
characters that remain, have changed since the recruit a flying squirrel.
events of the first game. (You can import a saved The storytelling is the strongest aspect,
game from the first game too, so Tir will join your though it all holds up pretty well. Not much has
party.) It tells a separate story, though, and can significantly changed since the original, though the
still be enjoyed on its own. Many other characters character artwork is nicer, the soundtrack is much
come from different parts of the game world, more expansive, and the game itself is quite a bit
making it feel much larger than what’s actually longer. It also has one of the best JRPG endings ever,
available to explore. This type of worldbuilding providing you manage to recruit all 108 characters.
makes Suikoden feel more like a fantasy novel This is tough without a strategy guide, especially
series than a typical JRPG. since you can permanently miss many of them.
Through much of the adventure, the Suikoden II was released in North America in
antagonist is Luca Blight, an insane, ravenous the shadow of Final Fantasy VIII, leading to initially
madman who stalks the heroes, and destroys poor sales, but word of mouth eventually led fans to
anything in his path. He would make an excellent discover one of the best RPGs of its era.
283
Suikoden III
Developer: Konami | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2
The first in the series to be released on the

PlayStation 2, Suikoden III makes two major
changes. Firstly, it’s now entirely in 3D.
The environments are a little simple, as are the
character models, but they’re more than adequate
in capturing the feel of the artwork. Secondly,
and more importantly, it features three different
heroes, each with a distinct personality, ditching
the silent protagonists of the first two games. In
what the game calls the Trinity Sight System, with
chapters focusing on a character in one of the
land’s three major factions.
At the centre of the story are the Grasslands
tribes and the Zexen Confederacy, which after never at the centre of the excitement, his stories The multiple
years of tension, have signed a ceasefire. But are just as important in fleshing out the day-to- viewpoints of
that quickly falls to pieces as the Holy Kingdom day operations of the conflict. Unlike the first two Suikoden III add
of Harmonia waits for war to break out so it can games, there is only one ending, but if you recruit a more nuanced
invade the Grasslands itself. The Grasslands are all 108 characters, then an extra scenario unlocks, vantage of war
represented by Hugo, the son of one of the tribe’s starring the antagonists. (There’s also a joke than most RPGs.
leaders while Chris is a female knight with the scenario starring a dog, which is just adorable.)
Zexens, and Geddoe is the leader of a mercenary Konami had also released a spinoff series called
group fighting for Harmonia. While the three Suikogaiden, visual novels that bridge the second
heroes are initially in conflict with each other, and third games, and feature assorted fan-
they eventually join together to hunt for the Flame favourite characters.
Champion, a legendary warrior who wields the Where Suikoden III stumbles is with the battle
True Fire Rune. system. Here, you put characters into pairs that act
SEGA’s Shining Force III technically uses a as a single unit, so you’re only giving orders three
similar multi-scenario narrative mechanic, but times per turn instead of six, It might save time,
the storytelling and characters are much more but it also feels like you never have full control over
engaging here. Hugo himself is a typical hero, them. Additionally, most dungeons are just boring
but his buddy Sgt. Joe, a surly talking duck, is the straight hallways, and you often need to traipse
true star of his scenario. Chris is also compelling, through the same areas as different characters,
considering she takes on what would normally putting up with the redundant random battles.
be a masculine role. The three scenarios also There is no longer an overworld either, just a map
allow the supporting cast to shine, particularly on which are select destinations. Overall, the plot
Geddoe’s team. There is an optional fourth and writing is almost as good as in its predecessor,
character: Thomas, the keeper of the mansion though some of these gameplay issues drag it
where your army’s sets up its base. While he’s down slightly.
284
Suikoden IV
Yoshitaka Murayama, one of the creators of the

Suikoden series, left Konami near the end of the
development of Suikoden III, leaving the other co-
creator, Junko Kawano, to pick up the slack. As a
result Suikoden IV reels back many of the changes
from the third game – it again focuses on a single,
silent protagonist, and the classic battle system
returns, albeit with only four party members
instead of six, and a reduced number of enemies
as well. Kawano was also the character artist for
the first game, and her style returns, though it’s
improved considerably over the intervening decade.
However, the story is a prequel, taking place a full
150 years before the first Suikoden. At the outset, Nearly the entire game takes place on the Suikoden IV is
the hero (canon name: Lazlo) and his friend Snowe ocean, and it has a pleasantly bright, nautical vibe. the black sheep of
are knights defending the Island Nations from the The tactical segments also play out as ship battles, the main series,
nation of Kooluk. By happenstance, Lazlo ends up which is a nice change of pace. But outside of suffering from the
inheriting the deadly Rune of Punishment, after that, this is a pretty ugly game – the style is departure of one
which he is exiled from the force. He then takes up completely different from that of Suikoden III, of its key creators.
a command within the nation of Obel to continue with much worse-looking character models,
fighting back against Kooluk. awkward animation, and sparse environments.
The story is alright – the nautical setting is There are some voice-acted scenes, but they’re
novel, and it is pretty darn cool basically being a not very good. The overworld consists almost
pirate, plus there are some new anthropomorphic entirely of water, and not only is it gigantic and
buddies, including a cat, kobolds, and mer-people barren, but your boat moves insanely slowly (even
– but it does have some weak points. Since it takes when you use the fast-forward function), and the
place so far (chronologically) away from the other random battles are just constant. Coupled with
games in the series, there are barely any recurring the simplified combat system, it’s just dreadful to
characters, outside of the few seemingly ageless play. There is some interesting stuff in here – the
ones, such as Jeanne the sage and Viki the ditzy side characters are still decent – but it just feels
time-traveller. The story sets up Snowe to be sort undercooked; even the most forgiving Suikoden
of like Jowy in Suikoden II, in that he’s a former fans admit that this is easily the weakest entry in
friend who ends up being caught on the opposing the mainline series.
side of the battle, but seeing as he’s a spoiled, Not long after the release of this game,
jealous brat, it’s hard to feel much sympathy for Konami published Suikoden Tactics. While
him. The pacing is dreadful and the first half starring a different cast, it takes place in the same
drags. The game is also fairly short, and just feels era and around the same locale as Suikoden IV,
underdeveloped. and so it shares many of its secondary characters.
285
Suikoden V
In the fifth Suikoden title, you control the prince of

the kingdom of Falena (canon name: Freyjadour).
The queen is slowly going mad, thanks to her use
of the Sun Rune, causing her to violently lash out
against her people. This weakness allows her to
be overthrown by a rival noble faction, getting the
princess kidnapped in the process. The prince and
his entourage escape, and begin to rebuild an army
to take back their home, which includes righting
the wrongs done by the queen. Meanwhile, the
country is consumed by civil war.
Konami was cognizant of some of the blowback
from the changes in the third and fourth entries, so
this one looks and feels as close to the original two is dreadfully slow. There’s way too much aimlessly Various technical
PlayStation titles as possible. It heralds the return of running around large environments, and it takes and design issues
the six-person battle system, as well as the behind- several hours before the story really begins. Even somewhat cripple
the-back perspective, and uses an overhead isometric after this point, it feels slower and more drawn out what would
viewpoint for exploration. It also captures the look than the previous games. Part of this is also due to otherwise be one of
and feel of the older interface almost perfectly. technical issues, as there are noticeable load times the best entries in
The story, too, is excellent, full of war, tragedy, between the many room changes and going into the Suikoden series.
betrayal and political intrigue – in other words, the annoyingly high number of random battles.
all of the things Suikoden does best. It’s also a The character models are a substantial
prequel, but takes place only a few years before improvement over those in the previous PlayStation 2
the first game, so it feels less divorced from games, and the story scenes have much better
the story and world than Suikoden IV did. The animation and voice acting. Unfortunately, the rest
characters are excellent, particularly Georg Prime, of the game just looks really ugly, due to repetitive
one of the prince’s knights, himself a minor texturing and a muted colour palette. You can’t
character from Suikoden II. There have been some move the camera at all, other than zooming in, which
small gameplay tweaks, allowing for various makes navigation especially troublesome, especially
formations in battle, as well as the ability to as the designers liked to hide stuff just out of view.
bring backup party members in case you want to Suikoden V obviously suffered from budget
substitute them between fights. The tactical battle constraints, but at least it has most of the key
sequences have changed to real time, rather than ingredients that make the series truly great, so
turn-based, though. those who have the patience for its annoyances
The story is probably the best since the will still find it one of the strongest in the series.
second game, but Suikoden V is somewhat let However, the series diverged greatly from its roots
down by some other issues. Primarily, the pacing, after the PlayStation 2 era, in ways that tended to
particularly in the opening segment of the game, alienate long-time fans.
286
Suikoden Tierkreis
Developer: Konami | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
As with a lot of their long-running franchises,

Konami was really struggling with how to continue
the Suikoden games, especially as their original
leader had long since left, and they’d basically been
treading water since. With the DS entry Suikoden
Tierkreis, on a console primarily aimed at kids and
casual gamers who presumably wanted to experience
something without having to play catch-up through
five older games, they just rebooted the whole thing.
The story begins with a young man named
Sieg, who discovers a book that opens his eyes to
the existence of multiple realities. As he journeys
beyond his village, he and his friends come up
against a fanatical group called The Order, which
believes strongly in predestination and fate. a little weird. The game uses 2D backgrounds, Suikoden Tierkreis
The story was written by Kazuyoshi Tsugawa, which are nice, but with slightly super-deformed introduces the
who also wrote Suikoden V, and while it’s pretty character models, which are not. The battles, possibility of multiple
good in spots, it’s also far from the heights of the reduced to four characters, plus enemies, as parallel worlds, which
previous games. in Suikoden IV, at least look and play like usually makes for an
Some aspects of the previous games have those in the classic games. The soundtrack interesting premise,
been carried over, like the 108 Stars of Destiny is still excellent, though the voices are poor in both but also doesn’t feel
and the forts, as well as the anthropomorphic acting and sound quality. So on its own terms, a whole lot like a
characters, though the army and duel battles are it’s a pretty good game, but it only halfway feels Suikoden game.
gone. Having a non-silent protagonist also feels like Suikoden.
Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki

Developer: Konami | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): PSP
Konami was clearly fumbling around with Suikoden
Tierkreis, but they at least got a pretty alright,
if not exactly outstanding, game out of it. The
same can’t be said of the PSP follow-up, subtitled
(in translation) “The Woven Web of a Century”. It
takes place in one of the many parallel dimensions
referenced in Tierkreis. Three friends are thrown
back in time 100 years, and must face off against
monsters called Teras Falma that terrorise the
world once a century. You jump between three
different time periods, recruiting various characters focused on stories of war, while this one does This final entry in
(including the hero’s ancestors) to fight back. Often, not, and you can’t even walk around your base. the series tackles
when there’s a problem in the present, you just go It feels like Konami slapped the Suikoden name time travel, and
back to one of the two periods in the past to fix it. on a different RPG, cobbled together the bare feels even less
The visuals are fully 3D now, and pretty minimum of elements to make it part of the like a Suikoden
decent, better than in most of the PS2 Suikoden series, and kicked it out the door. Even on its own game than its DS
titles. However, this game feels even less like terms, it’s not very good – dungeons are difficult predecessor did.
a Suikoden game than Tierkreis did. Random to navigate due to viewpoint problems, and the
encounters are gone, and six characters are again time-travel concept is neat in theory, but executed
used in combat, but it uses a 3 × 3 grid, and allows poorly. In Japan it received a chilly reception,
units to combine together to attack. There are still and Konami didn’t bother to localise it.
108 Stars to find, but a much smaller proportion This spelled the end of Suikoden, though its
of them are playable; some are even technically series creator announced a spiritual successor in
dead, and only appear as names. Previous games 2020 called Eiyuden Chronicle, still awaited.
287
Koudelka
Developer: Sacnoth | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1
Around 1997, Mana series composer Hiroki Kikuta

led a small exodus away from Square to found a
new studio, Sacnoth, through a partnership with
SNK. The company was primarily founded to
develop Kikuta’s passion project: Koudelka.
Not unlike a survival horror game, Koudelka
is set over the course of a single night and localised
entirely within a haunted house – an abbey, in
this case. There are secrets to uncover, puzzles to
solve, and all manner of creatures to kill. Kikuta,
an avid reader of gothic horror and weird fiction,
took inspiration from the works of H.P. Lovecraft,
William Hope Hodgson, and Lord Dunsany.
Koudelka Iasant is a Romani Gypsy medium, other. A combatant cannot cross a foe’s first line Spread across three
drawn to Nemeton Abbey, in Aberystwyth in Wales, of defence, allowing those in the back rows to be CDs, Koudelka’s
by mysterious visions. When she arrives, she finds protected from mêlée attacks by a single frontline computer-rendered
the abbey overrun by monsters and the undead. combatant. Each character is able to equip every full motion video
She soon enters an uneasy alliance with two other weapon and cast all spells in the game, with each cutscenes and
interlopers – roguish adventurer Edward Plunkett, action increasing experience for its respective backgrounds are
who came seeking treasure; and Catholic bishop weapon class or spell. Each only has three levels, almost as high-
James O’Flaherty, who’s a little less forthcoming but it’s best to have each character take on only a quality as Square’s.
about his motivations. What’s fascinating about few specialities. Unfortunately, combat is incredibly
this party of three is the constant reiteration slow, to the point that it holds Koudelka back from
that their fellowship is solely one of convenience. being a true great. Each time a turn is taken, the
They’re not always likeable, either: Koudelka is entire board has to reload, which causes battles to
acerbic and single-minded; Edward is charismatic take far longer than they should.
but amoral, and isn’t above murder; while James According to Kikuta, his true desire was for
is a fundamentalist bigot who despises those who Koudelka to be a genre-breaker with an innovative
he deems “degenerates” – namely, immigrants and real-time combat engine, but he has alluded
the underclass. Each of their personalities shines to internal disagreements with staff that led to
through due to an expert localisation; while the compromise. Though he intended Koudelka to
voice acting can be a little spotty, the scripted be the first in a tetralogy, he was so dissatisfied
dialogue is easily on par with Vagrant Story ’s. with how it turned out that he stepped down
As Koudelka’s party scours Nemeton, as Sacnoth’s CEO immediately after the game’s
enemies are encountered randomly and fought release. Art director Matsuzo Machida picked
within a turn-based strategy grid. A little chess- up the torch with the cult hit Shadow Hearts,
like, Koudelka and her comrades start on one side a spiritual sequel set in the same universe.
of the grid, while her foes are positioned on the Koudelka herself even shows up along the way.
288
Shadow Hearts
Developer: Sacnoth | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): PS2
Shadow Hearts takes place in Europe in an

alternate version of 1913, the year before the
start of World War I. It focuses on a girl named
Alice, a young exorcist whose father was recently
murdered, and who is the target of a kidnapping
by a flying British warlock in a top hat. This attack
is thwarted by a man named Yuri, who joins up
with Alice, starting an adventure that spans parts
of Europe and Asia, as they discover the dark
forces at work in the world. Yuri isn’t some regular
old guy, but rather a Harmonixer, which basically
means he’s part demon.
Shadow Hearts uses a more traditional RPG
structure than Koudelka, including a typical battle
system. Rather than just picking commands, the many acupuncturists who upgrade character Despite coming
though, every action is dictated by the Judgement abilities, all of whom are attracted to Yuri. out against heavy
Ring, presented as a circle with a spinner, where (He is quite handsome, after all.) Yuri is an excellent hitter Final Fantasy
you need to time your button presses to increase protagonist too, dark and brooding, since he X, Shadow Hearts
the action’s strength. You can enhance the Ring has the power of demons within him, but also carved out a name
to an extent, as hitting the zones at its edges humorously aloof. The rest of the characters are for itself with its
will provide bonuses, and increasing those zones also fairly interesting; they include Margarete, an dark storyline,
makes them easier to hit. In addition to HP, international spy, and Keith Valentine, an ancient involving battle
you also have to manage SP, or Sanity Points. vampire. Koudelka herself also pops up, as does system, and unusual
These drain automatically as encounters go on, Roger Bacon, a centuries-old immortal philosopher sense of humour.
but when they run out, the character becomes and a recurring character across the series. The
uncontrollable and must be cured. Yuri can also soundtrack by Yoshitaka Hirota (along with a few
transform into various demonic forms in combat, tracks from Yasunori Mitsuda) is also fairly dark,
but this also has its downsides. Defeated enemies unusual for an RPG, but quite appropriate here.
will accumulate Malice, which can only be Shadow Hearts had the misfortune of
dispersed by regularly battling foes in a Graveyard being released within weeks of Final Fantasy X,
contained within Yuri’s psyche. which greatly overshadowed it from a technical
Director Matsuzo Machida, previously the perspective. The CG-rendered backgrounds and
art director of Kouldeka, pointed to both H.P. simple cutscenes paled in comparison, even though
Lovecraft and Go Nagai (Devilman) as inspirations the art design and style is worlds apart from those
for the story, which along with its historical setting, of Square’s more mainstream title. Nonetheless, its
create an atmosphere of horror unlike that of distinctive atmosphere – a blend of Western and
any other RPG at the time. But it’s not all grim, Eastern history, architecture, and mythology – built
because there are odd bits of humour, particularly a following that allowed it to live for a few sequels.
289
Shadow Hearts: Covenant
Developer: Nautilus | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): PS2
This Shadow Hearts sequel takes place after the

start of World War I. It initially focuses on a young
German soldier named Karin, who is charged
with investigating what appears to be a demon in
the French village of Domremy. That demon turns
out to be Yuri, who has certainly seen better days.
At the end of the first game, there were two
endings, with different fates for Alice. This sequel
decided that the bad ending was canon, so Yuri
is mourning the loss of his love. But there’s no
time to sit around crying, as Yuri has also made
himself an enemy of the Vatican. Karin teams up
and runs off with him, taking you on another
expansive adventure, picking up even weirder them off completely, if you prefer the traditional Heroine Karin
characters. way of fighting. But once you get used to it, you Koening is featured
Indeed, the first Shadow Hearts has bits realise that major battles become all the more on the American
of humour, but this sequel really amps up the compelling when they rely on your reflexes – cover of this Shadow
weirdness. There’s Gepetto, a puppeteer who and your willingness to take risks – as much as Hearts sequel, but
uses his dancing marionettes to attack; Blanca, your strategy. The battle system has seen other the true star is once
a ferocious white wolf; Joachim, a showboating improvements, including allowing four characters again the sarcastic
vampire who attacks with a variety of large, blunt in combat (versus three from the first game), and half-demon, half-
items (including tables, mailboxes, and gigantic the creation of combos by knocking foes into hero Yuri.
fish), whose alter ego is the superhero wrestler the air and having other party members pummel
Grand Papillon; and Anastasia Romanov, based them, creating larger chains of damage.
on the real-life Russian princess, who has a crush Visually, the game is a huge improvement
on Kurando Inugami, a samurai from a Japanese over its predecessor, using fully 3D-rendered
village. Each character has unique sub-quests that locations and much improved character models.
allow them to become more powerful; Blanca can The cutscenes are much more prevalent and better
dogfight with other wolves, Karin looks for scores directed, and have some decent voice acting and
from Wagner’s Nibelung opera cycle, and Gepetto genuinely excellent (and funny) scripts.
hunts for gay porno-themed “stud” cards to create Shadow Hearts: Covenant is an excellent
new dresses for his doll. game, with a large cast that’s diverse in both
In addition to the many sub-quests, Shadow personality and function, and an even more unique
Hearts: Covenant gives you much greater take on history (famous faces include Lawrence
customisation of the size and type of Judgement of Arabia and Rasputin the monk); moreover, its
Rings, allowing you to balance the sizes of risks gameplay systems are greatly enhanced over its
and rewards. As such, the fights are like slot predecessor’s. In other words, it’s one of the best
machines that you can control. You can also turn JRPGs on the PlayStation 2.
290
Shadow Hearts: From the New World
Developer: Nautilus | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2
Shadows Hearts: Covenant completed Yuri’s

story, so the third game features a whole new cast
of characters and a new setting. While previous
games took place in Europe, Shadow Hearts: From
the New World takes place in the Americas, about
15 years after its predecessors.
The hero this time is Johnny Garland, a
16-year-old orphan who has recently set up a
detective agency in New York City. As the story
begins, he’s on a job, when he gets attacked by a
strange monster that appears from an otherworldly
portal. Before he can be unceremoniously
devoured, he is rescued by Shania, a Native
American warrior who has been hunting down
these demons with her stately partner, Natan. a single character. On top of all of this there are By changing the
The three join forces to solve the mystery of these customisable magic spells for each character setting from Europe
monstrosities, all of which seem to be related to (using little maps called Stellar Charts), and a to the Americas, and
the mysterious appearance of a blue-haired girl whole slew of unique special moves for each playing up the series’
named Lady. In the course of their adventure, character. Since the game looks and plays much goofier elements,
they’ll rescue Al Capone from Alcatraz, visit a jazz like Covenant, you can expect some recurring this final entry in
bar in Chicago, get kidnapped by the Pirates of archetypes – Hilda can turn into a bat, much the Shadow Hearts
the Caribbean, rescue some “aliens” from Roswell, like Joachim, and Shania can shapeshift into series feels like it goes
and explore various South American and Pacific various demons with her Fusion ability, much like overboard … but it’s
Island ruins. Once again, there’s a colourful cast Yuri, although this time the transformations are still really funny.
of characters – Frank Goldfinger, the elderly ninja accompanied by a magical striptease.
who learned the ways of the ninjitsu after crash- If all of this sounds like a big departure
landing in Brazil; Mao, a gigantic cat who’s a mob from the previous Shadow Hearts games – well, it
boss by day and movie star by night; Hilda, a Gothic kind of is. The previous games had a goofy sense
Lolita vampire with a weight complex (who’s also of humour that teetered between serious and
the younger sister of Keith and Joachim from the absurd at a moment’s notice, but From the New
previous games); and Ricardo, a mariachi band World crosses the “ridiculous” line with even more
member who attacks with his guitar. regularity. Many of the horror aspects have also
The game’s look and mode of play are been toned down, and while Johnny isn’t a terrible
both similar to those of its predecessor, with character, he’s not nearly as interesting as Yuri.
some notable improvements. The combo system Still, if you look at it as a spiritual successor to (the
from Covenant has returned, allowing party Japan-only) Tengai Makyou: The Apocalypse IV
members to juggle foes for massive damage, and (see page 241), then it’s an absolute riot, even if it
you can now also perform Double attacks with isn’t the best Shadow Hearts game.
291
Atelier (series)
Developer: Gust | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, DS, PS3, PS4, PSV, WIN, NSW
The Atelier series is developer Gust’s longest-

running and most robust series, though you may
not realise it if you only look at their English
localisations. Releasing 21 mainline titles in
23 years, with additional side games and ports
sprinkled throughout, Gust has made Atelier
practically an annual series. It doesn’t matter
what’s going on in the gaming industry – you can
always rely on Gust developing and releasing a new
Atelier game.
What makes Atelier stand out from other have reached the requirements for some of the The modern Atelier
JRPGs is its focus on crafting. While the games more general endings (including true endings games are known
often take place in different worlds and timelines, and some joke endings). Cultivating friendships for their gorgeous
they all have one thing in common – your character really ties into the series’ slice-of-life feeling, as artwork, supplied
is an alchemist, and creating items is your bread the most satisfying endings tend not to rely on by various book
and butter. Often enough, the main character isn’t beating an epic boss and saving the world, but illustrators. Atelier
particularly strong, or seen as a hero, but a person instead on being friends with everyone and doing Escha & Logy (top
that just makes items. your job well. of page) is by Hidari,
While a few of the games do try for a more Atelier games rely on making strong crafting while Atelier Firis
standard good vs. evil fantasy approach, most systems to keep players engaged. The mechanics (above left) and
notably the titles of the PS2 era, most of the change from sub-series to sub-series, but the Sophie (box artwork,
Atelier games star a rather average young girl core stays the same: make good items of the best above) are by NOCO
just trying to get through life with the help of quality possible. Players that understand these and Yugen.
alchemy. Rarely is there a big bad guy to beat, and systems can practically break the game by making
the measure of success is determined instead by extremely powerful items, a practice that Gust
the work you complete and the friendships you has embraced over the years with the addition
cultivate along the way. of powerful super-bosses that need such min-
As a result, Atelier games have multiple maxing to defeat.
endings, depending on a few factors. One of the With the focus on crafting and creating
most important factors in a player’s ending is items, the Atelier games’ RPG elements, like
how much progress you’ve made through other battling and exploration, take a back seat. Until
characters’ side stories. The allies you make along recently, the Atelier titles had a fairly standard
the way often have their own stories to explore, turn-based battle system, with a few tweaks
and their Friendship ratings need to be raised in to liven things up a little. The main point of
order to see these stories through to the end. exploring is to gather ingredients to make even
Generally, you’ll arrive at the ending more items, so simplistic battles and exploration
relating to whoever has the highest Friendship provide a way to break up crafting, but ultimately
rating when you complete the game, unless you don’t detract.
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Another main feature of the Atelier games and Culus: Atelier Lilie Another Story, Marie & Atelier Marie
is time management. Until Atelier Sophie, players Elie: Two People’s Atelier, and Atelier Marie, Elie, and Elie were
had to complete Assignments (generally creating & Anis: Message on a Gentle Breeze. There was both ported to
items) before the deadline, or risk a bad ending, also the mobile spinoff Atelier Marie & Elie: The the PlayStation 2,
or even game over. Assignments become more Alchemist of Salburg, which let players become a pictured here with
difficult as the game progresses, so while early student at the same alchemy academy in Salburg. an English fan
jobs are remarkably easy, Assignments at the After the Salburg trilogy wrapped up, Gust translation.
end of the game are challenges that require rare continued with the Gramnad saga, which only
and high-quality ingredients. Generally, someone consists of two titles. Atelier Judie: The Alchemist
who grasps each Atelier game’s mechanics will of Gramnad stars Judie, who was flung 200 years
be able to complete the game with ease, but the into the future when an alchemy experiment went
constant pressure of deadlines and the intricacies wrong. Atelier Judie is also the first Atelier title to
of making the best items can trip up new players move away from the time management mechanic.
as they learn what works and what doesn’t. Atelier Viorate: The Alchemist of Gramnad 2
The main Atelier titles can be split into seven (sometimes romanised as Atelier Violet) tasks
sub-series, based on the country or world they players with making a popular store with the
take place in. Most of these are trilogies, with a assistance of alchemy, which makes it a bit
few exceptions. The Arland saga has four titles, different from the Salburg titles, but it still retains
while the Gramnad and Mana sagas only have two most of the Atelier formula.
titles. On top of this, the Atelier series has multiple The Iris trilogy of Atelier games were the
spinoff titles, some based on the main series, first set of Atelier games to be released in English.
others featuring brand-new worlds and characters. This is also one of the trilogies that departs
The first trilogy of Atelier titles is labelled from a lot of the Atelier norms by taking a more
the Salburg trilogy, and consists of Atelier average, fantasy-RPG approach. More emphasis is
Marie: The Alchemist of Salburg, Atelier Ellie: placed on big, evil threats trying to ruin the world
The Alchemist of Salburg 2, and Atelier Lilie: than on a girl just trying to graduate or build a
The Alchemist of Salburg 3. A lot of the series successful atelier.
precedents are set here, including the long- Atelier Iris: Eternal Mana is also the first
standing time management elements, the Atelier game that stars a male protagonist, and
emphasis on growing friendships, and the one of only two games to do so. Atelier Iris 2: The
overall Atelier trilogy formula. The first two Azoth of Destiny is a prequel to Eternal Mana, and
Salburg titles were released on the PlayStation, the first game in the series to star two protagonists: For the PlayStation 3,
while Atelier Lilie was the first of many Atelier Felt and Viese. Atelier Iris 3: Grand Phantasm is Gust upgraded the
titles to come out on the PlayStation 2. loosely based on the other titles, but doesn’t have visual style using
It wasn’t released in English, but the Salburg a clear place in the trilogy’s timeline. illustrations by
saga is particularly popular in Japan, and the The Mana Khemia series may drop the Atelier Mel Kishida, who
three main titles have gotten comic and novel name, but these two titles are mainline Atelier provided exceptional
adaptations, plenty of ports, and more. Salburg games regardless. Mana Khemia: Alchemists of artwork for the
was also the basis for three spinoff titles – Hermina Al-Revis and Mana Khemia 2: Fall of Alchemy heroines.
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The Atelier games
are filled with
attractive character
artwork, though
indeed, a good
amount of time is
spent in menus,
combining and
creating items.
take more cues from the Iris trilogy than previous study alchemy hope to learn how to revitalise the
games: these titles bring back mechanics from land. The Dusk trilogy is also a bit of a turning
previous entries, such as time management (in the point for the series, as Gust began updating some
form of school semesters). Mana Khemia is the of the mechanics.
only other mainline Atelier title to feature a male Atelier Ayesha: The Alchemist of Dusk
protagonist, and Mana Khemia 2 is a direct sequel is the most like the earlier Atelier games, with
to the first. time management and exploration at the
When the Atelier series made the jump to the forefront, as Ayesha tries to find her missing
PlayStation 3, Gust decided to take the series back sister. Atelier Escha & Logy: Alchemists of the
to its roots. The Arland titles return to the slice- Dusk Sky returns to the dual protagonist setup,
of-life stories, emphasis on characters rather than not seen since Mana Khemia 2. While Escha
the world, and Assignments with time limits. Of & Logy also has a time management aspect,
the three original Arland games, Atelier Rorona: the title is known for having some of the most
The Alchemist of Arland is the most like the lenient deadlines in the series. Atelier Shallie:
Salburg and Gramnad titles. Atelier Totori: The Alchemists of the Dusk Sea gets rid of time
Adventurer of Arland expands on the exploration management altogether, in favour of a Life Task
options a bit, although it’s still very much about system for progression, which is the framework
alchemy. Atelier Meruru: The Apprentice of for most of the subsequent Atelier games.
Arland has players building up the small country For Atelier’s jump to the PlayStation 4,
of Arls with alchemy. Gust continued to tinker with the formula,
In 2018, Gust decided to make a fourth in the Mysterious saga. Atelier Sophie: The
game in the Arland saga with Atelier Lulua: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book keeps
Scion of Arland. Taking place several years after most of the Atelier Shallie formula, other
the events of the original Arland trilogy, this title than going back to one protagonist, but adds
stars Rorona’s adoptive daughter as she follows day/night and weather systems, which affect
in her mother’s footsteps and learns more about the enemies and items you see. Atelier Firis:
the secrets of Arland. Atelier Lulua also takes The Alchemist and the Mysterious Journey
advantage of some of the mechanics developed for actually reintroduces time management, and
later sagas, and ditches the time limits in favour of also features an open world to explore, a first for
a system that unlocks new recipes and progresses the Atelier series.
the story based on completing objectives in a It unfortunately didn’t stick, however,
magical alchemy book. as Atelier Lydie & Suelle: The Alchemists and
Finally, the Arland titles inspired the mobile the Mysterious Painting returned to the same The Atelier Iris trilogy
title Atelier Questboard, which took its locations formula as Atelier Shallie and Atelier Sophie. for the PlayStation 2
and characters mainly from Atelier Rorona. This third title of the trilogy returns to the basics was the first to be
After the Arland trilogy, Gust continued the of Atelier, with the titular twins working to raise localised into English,
series on the PlayStation 3 with the Dusk saga. The the reputation of their atelier. and introduced
Atelier series takes a darker turn here, as this saga The latest game in the Atelier series, Atelier more standard RPG
takes place in a world that’s dying, and those who Ryza: Ever Darkness & the Secret Hideout is the elements into the mix.
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Atelier Firis and
Shallie are two of the
more recent entries.
Atelier Ryza (second
row) is the latest
game in the series,
and one of the
most popular.
start of a new saga, with a sequel, subtitled Lost For the series’ 20th anniversary, Gust created
Legends & the Secret Fairy, released in 2021. Nelke & the Legendary Alchemists: Ateliers of the
Atelier Ryza is the first Atelier game with a real- New World. Nelke is actually not an Atelier title,
time battle system, and more attention paid to its and instead of creating items, you’re managing a
battle system overall. It also takes an even more town. The protagonists from the previous Atelier
laid-back approach to game progression, allowing titles all make appearances in Nelke, and this is
players to progress at their own pace. generally a title meant as fan service for long-time
While the main series is substantial on its series fans.
own, there are also a number of spinoffs and sub- Although not explicitly part of the series,
series to delve into. The three Nintendo DS titles, there is also a related game for the Nintendo DS
Atelier Lise: The Alchemist of Orde, Atelier Annie: called Nora to Toki no Koubou (“Nora and the
Alchemists of Sera Island, and Atelier Lina: The Time Factory”). This was meant to be crossover
Alchemist of Strahl are all part of the Orde saga, between Gust and Atlus, a sort of melding of their
but strangely enough only the second game Atelier and Etrian Odyssey series. In practice,
(Atelier Annie) was released in English. These it’s pretty much just another Atelier game, simply
three titles all follow the typical Atelier formula, using even cutesier artwork by Etrian Odyssey
but are a bit watered down for the handheld. character designer Yuji Himukai. Atlus’ Nora to Toki
There is also Atelier Elkrone: Dear for Its heroine is Nora, a girl on an no Koubou isn’t
Otomate, a PlayStation Portable release that takes apprenticeship in a foreign land. She takes up technically part of
the general Atelier formula and implants it into residence in a foggy forest, where she’s mistaken the Atelier family,
an otome title (a dating sim for women). Atelier’s for a local witch, so she must run errands for though it may as
latest mobile effort is Atelier Online: Alchemist of the townspeople to prove she’s not evil. It plays well be. Alas, despite
Bressisle, which features all the series’ locations similarly to the older Atelier games, though Nora the burgeoning
and cast members. In it, players can work together can age items (making them “younger” or “older”) popularity of the
or solo to complete tasks; it’s very much an Atelier with her time factory. In addition to the beautiful series in North
title, but with multiplayer aspects. The game is still 2D visuals, it has an outstanding soundtrack by America at the time,
ongoing at the time of writing. Michiko Naruke (Wild Arms). it never left Japan.
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Nights of Azure (series)
Developer: Gust | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV, NSW, WIN
While Gust is primarily known for its long-running

Atelier series, the developer branched out a bit
with its gothic action RPG Nights of Azure series,
which can be best described as being like the PS2
Castlevania games but with more women. In each
game, the player takes control of a demon-slaying
woman in an organisation called the Curia, herself
half-demon due to some blood transfusions, in a
setting based on 19th century Europe. The first
stars Arnice, who meets up with her old partner/
flame Lilysse while investigating demon activity
on a small island. Lilysse, however, is chosen to bonds with Aluche, which are strengthened over Nights of Azure
be a First Saint, a role in which she will sacrifice the course of the game. is the result
herself to stave off the evil Nightlord. The second, While the games are outwardly similar, they of someone at
subtitled Bride of the New Moon, has a similar set- differed in some key members of the development Gust looking at
up, with a woman named Aluche sent to protect staff – in particular, the first was written by Castlevania and
her childhood friend Liliana, who has the power Miwa Shoda, known for Square games like SaGa going “not enough
to control time. Frontier, while the second was written by Makoto sexy women!”
The games play similarly, as you run around Shibata, known for Tecmo games starring woman
a map, beat up demons, gain experience and find like Deception IV and Fatal Frame. Each has its
treasures, and eventually work your way towards a own positives and negatives – while the second
goal. The combat takes more after Koei’s Dynasty game has a much larger roster of characters,
Warriors than a straight action game like Devil with seven Lilies in total (including Arnice from
May Cry, as it’s really more about satisfying hack- the first game), it doesn’t quite have the same
and-slashery rather than reflex-based technique. focus on the central couple as the first one.
The first Nights of Azure game heavily utilises Combat is also faster and punchier in the first
summon creatures called Servans, which have game, primarily because the console versions
their own equipment and are levelled up separately suffer substantial frame rate issues. The second
from Arnice. In the second game, the focus is more game also features a time limit, as in some of the
on helper characters called Lilies, who are human Atelier games, forcing you to focus on specific
partners fighting alongside Aluche. (Servans are events or else the game will end.
still around, but their roles have been reduced, so The main emphasis is on the sex appeal of
they either have a single attack or change into a the characters, who tend to be clad in revealing
different weapon for Aluche.) Calling them “Lilies” outfits. The music is outstanding though, a mesh
is a little on the nose, since that’s the English of the type of orchestral rock found in Castlevania
translation of the Japanese word “yuri”, a term or Ys games – carving bad guys to a rad soundtrack
used for media featuring gay female romance, just is enough to keep the games going, even if they are
in case the focus isn’t clear. All of the Lilies have inherently repetitive and shallow.
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Blue Reflection
Developer: Gust | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV, WIN
Gust’s Blue Reflection takes the basic concept of

Persona, adds in magical girls, and mixes it with
the style found in the company’s Atelier series.
Taking place at Hoshinomiya Girls’ High School,
the player controls Hinako Shirai, a young woman
who had to give up her dream of ballet after an
injury. In class, she meets two sisters, Yuzuki
and Lime Shijou, who share an ability to become
“Reflectors”, essentially magical girls wearing
musical idol-like costumes. They have the ability
to enter an alternate world, the Common, where
other people’s thoughts and emotions are visible, visiting the same places repeatedly. Most of the As a magical-girl
and fight enemies there. During the day, you can interactions between the girls are low-stakes slice- RPG, Blue Reflection
walk around the school grounds and talk to other of-life stories, and the dating elements, such as has a totally chilled
classmates, attempting to befriend them, or go on they are, are fairly threadbare. It’s also unclear vibe that makes up
sub-quests in the Common to quell the negative whether the game is aimed at teenage girls, or for its deficiencies
feelings there. You can find Fragments, which can players who like to ogle teenage girls, as the elsewhere.
be used to enhance attacks; you can also improve camera feels awfully voyeuristic, with lots of low-
your relationships so you can summon friends for angle shots and lingering scenes of the girls in the
supplementary attacks during combat. shower or with soaking-wet shirts. The Japanese
When exploring the Common, the battle version featured a dress-up mode where you could
system is similar to the Atelier games on the look up the girls skirts, though the camera was
PlayStation 4, with a turn queue that acts in restricted in the international release.
real time, and attacks that can knock back Outside of the creepiness, Blue Reflection
enemies, allowing allies to act more quickly. does have an incredibly chilled vibe, which makes
Most attacks consume MP, so you can choose to it feel sort of like a lazy, dreamy summer afternoon.
Ether Charge, which not only recharges magic The interface is bright and sleek, the characters’
but also strengthens the Reflect meter, which is outfits are appealing, and the surreal, colourful
shared among the party. Once it’s been built up atmosphere of the Common make it a gorgeous
enough, any character can consume this meter to game to just relax with. Plus, unlike Persona, there’s
act multiple times in a single turn. It’s a fun and no pressure from a set schedule, so you can move the
flashy system, though the difficulty is pretty low story along at your own pace. The music is largely
once you get the hang of it. piano-driven but is accompanied by violin and a bit
The repetition proves to be an even bigger of dubstep in the battles; all of it is fantastic. Like
problem. There are only a handful of different other Gust titles, the game is obviously constrained
maps in the Common, and the enemy variety by budget, limited in content and suffering from
is pretty limited, so once the game settles into assorted technical problems, but the appealing
its groove, you’re doing the same things and art style helps mitigate those problems.
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Popolocrois (series)
Developer: G-Artists/Sugar & Rockets/Sony | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, PSP, 3DS
During the early days of the PlayStation, before

Final Fantasy VII shook everything up, Sony of
Japan had three main RPGs – Wild Arms, Arc the
Lad, and Popolocrois. The first two were aimed
at stalwart fans who had trained themselves
on Famicom and Super Famicom games, while
Popolocrois was marketed towards a broader
audience, with its straightforward gameplay
and charming visuals. It’s also based on a three-
volume manga series that began in 1978, written
and illustrated by Yousuke Tamori.
The game takes place in the titular Kingdom atmosphere that sets it apart from everything else While well regarded
of Popolocrois, starring the ten year old prince on the market. It’s easy to see why Sony passed on in Japan, the only
Pietro. He grew up believing that his mother had it for an international release back in 1996, though English release of
died in childbirth, but upon coming of age, learns – the American branch was primarily targetting the main Popolocrois
that her body actually rests in a coma. Further, the the teenage and young adult male audience, who games was on the
king’s crown has been stolen by the GamiGami they surmised would have little interest in a cutesy PlayStation Portable,
Devil, and it just so happens that crown contains little RPG based on a property that was never where it was
his Mum’s soul. Determined to save her, the young released in English. In its native Japan, though, presented in slightly
lad sets off of an adventure across the Kingdom. it was a resounding success, selling more than less than ideal form.
Along the way, he’s joined by a friendly forest fairy 500,000 units and leading to an anime TV series.
named Narcia and the powerful White Knight. This was followed up by a spinoff called
Combat takes place directly on the field, Poporogue. At the outset of this game, Popolocrois
without moving to a separate screen. It works Kingdom is whisked into the sky and transported
similarly to Final Fantasy’s ATB system, with into a dream universe, so Pietro must explore the
characters being able to attack once a charge shifting landscapes to find a way to get back home.
bar is filled. The field is broken down into large The game is presented as a Rogue-like … kind
squares, with each character being able to move of. Each dungeon is randomised, to an extent, as
a limited distance per turn. Most special moves you run from room to room, hunting for items and
attack multiple squares, so you can look to take killing enemies. However, it doesn’t quite work like
advantage by attacking multiple enemies at once. the Mystery Dungeon games – instead, when you
It’s quick and breezy, and you can even assign AI engage an enemy, it switches to a tile-field, turn-
to automatically battle for you. based battle system similar to that in the first
Popolocrois is a ridiculously charming game. game, though a little simplified. At first, you only
It’s entirely in 2D, with some rather pleasant control Pietro, but there are several mercenaries
spritework and cutesy, likeable character designs you can hire to fight with you, plus a fourth slot
for friend and foe alike. The main characters are all that can be filled by a townsperson who can
brave children, and there’s a particularly storybook provide various services, ranging from selling you
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items to allowing you to save anywhere. (Characters danger. He is joined by Luna, a mysterious girl he Poporogue is an
like White Knight and Narcia are still around, but meets at sea, and Marco, the son of Leona from the oddity, taking a
they won’t join you for your dungeon crawling.) original games. casual game and
However, the permadeath element of Rogue are The series shifts into 3D, and unfortunately sticking in a hardcore
not present at all, as progression is more typically this has generated a number of problems. The sub-genre, but it
RPG-like – in other words, you’re not caught in character models do a reasonably decent job of somehow works.
a constant loop of dying and replaying. As with replicating the unique designs, and while the
the rest of the series, it is aimed at a broader RPG environments are very typical of early PlayStation
audience, and it’s quite a bit less punishing than 2 games, they’re not too bad-looking. The more
the “Rogue-like” description would suggest. It is, substantial issue has to do with the enormously
however, still rather repetitive, so you really need long load times and absolutely atrocious
to be into this kind of dungeon crawler to enjoy it. camera, which is always zoomed in far too close
The proper Popolocrois sequel, Popolocrois and makes it difficult to navigate the levels.
Monogatari II, was released in 2000, with a Additionally, you’re expected to hunt through
prologue that takes place before Poporogue and each area for little elements that increase your
the rest of the game taking place after. Here, the magic, but this is infuriating when coupled with
villain is a goddess who has gone mad, and is the camera issues and high random encounter
searching for four tablets that will allow her to rate. It’s also an incredibly short game, with just
destroy and remake the world, so Pietro and team, a few dungeons, barely lasting more than a dozen
now all slightly older, must stop her. hours. The sequel, Tsuki no Okite no Bouken
With the release of the PSP, Sony combined (“The Adventure of the Law of the Moon”),
both Popolocrois Monogatari games (ignoring continues the story, and while it’s much longer,
Poporogue) as an early release for the platform. most of the core issues remain. The stories are still
They aren’t direct ports though, but rather a charming, but since there were anime series based
condensed version that removes a considerable on these games, it’s probably better to watch those
amount of content (particularly from the instead of playing these.
first game), as well as all of the voice acting While that spelled the end of the main series,
that was featured in the sequel. However, Popolocrois has seen a revival as a tie-in with the
it was released outside of Japan, and is the only farming/life sim Bokujou Monogatari. This is
way to play the core games in English, so it’s worth part of the same series initially known in English
the compromise. as Harvest Moon, which at this point, due to
The series continued on the PlayStation 2, licensing issues, is known internationally as Story
first with Popolocrois: Hajimari no Bouken of Seasons. It’s nothing like the old games, but it Like many 2D RPGs,
(“The Adventure Begins”). Taking place 15 years still has their charm. There was also a Japanese Popolocrois didn’t
into the future, Pietro and Narcia have wed and are smartphone title released in 2018, subtitled handle the transition
now king and queen of the kingdom. The new hero Narcia’s Tears and the Fairy’s Flute, which to 3D very well,
is eight-year-old Prince Pinon, who must venture continues the adventures of Pietro and Narcia as which eventually
out from the castle walls to save his land from slightly older children. killed the series.
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Legaia (series)
Developer: Prokion | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2
In the history of the world of Legaia, humans and

beasts called Seru used to live together in harmony,
until that peace was broken by a mysterious mist,
which caused the Seru to go crazy and possess the
humans. The village of Rim Elm has protected itself
with a gigantic wall, though even that eventually
collapses due to the deadly power of the mist.
A young man named Vahn discovers beasts called
Ra-Seru that are immune to the mist, and that
the mist can be repelled by activating the Genesis
Trees that are spread throughout the land. He sets
off from home to save the world, joining up with a
feral girl named Noa and a warrior monk named
Gala. The game is the brainchild of Hidenori together to create a decent experience. While not quite a
Shibao, who previously worked on the Paladin’s The game was followed up by a PlayStation 2 classic, its punchy
Quest games. sequel called Legaia: Duel Saga. The storyline is fighting system
Legend of Legaia uses a mêlée-based battle completely unrelated (and Hidenori Shibao was gives Legend of
system called the Tactical Arts System. When not involved), but it uses the same combat system. Legaia a feeling
attacking, you can create combos with the four It focuses on a group of people called Mystics, who like few others.
directional buttons on the control pad. Certain control spirits called Origins but are shunned by
combinations will activate a variety of special modern society. The hero, a Mystic called Lang,
moves called Arts, which can be linked together. is manipulated into giving away the crystal that
These moves depend on the availability of Art controls his town’s water supply, and begins an
Points. In short, it’s a more advanced version of adventure to get it back.
the combat found in Square’s Xenogears. Each While overall not a drastic step down from
defeated enemy can also randomly teach you a its predecessor, this sequel just doesn’t have a
magic ability, which can be levelled up during use. similarly interesting world or story, and ends up
It’s a pretty satisfying setup, though some battles feeling very run of the mill. The battle system
can feel drawn out, as you go through the same has been improved slightly by adding in combo
animations over and over. attacks, plus there are spell-mixing abilities and
All of the visuals are 3D, with chibi models five playable characters (though only three can
for field exploration and more realistic ones for participate in combat). While Michiru Ohshima
combat. The type of equipment is reflected in the returns for parts of the soundtrack, the rest of
combat models, a rarity for its time. The music the music was supplied by legendary composers
by Michiru Ohshima is very distinctive, heavy on Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger) and Hitoshi
the flutes and drums, giving it a very new-age feel. Sakimoto (Final Fantasy Tactics), who put in some
Overall, while there are certainly better RPGs on fantastic work that helps redeem this otherwise
the PlayStation, the atmosphere and story come mediocre game somewhat.
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Marl Kingdom (series)
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, DS, PSP
Nippon Ichi made a name for itself with the later

Disgaea series of strategy RPGs, but their first
foray into role-playing was with the Marl Kingdom
games. They are, basically, Disney princess stories
given an anime makeover, and presented as a
video game. The first is the only one released in
English, released for the PlayStation and localised
as Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure. It stars a
young girl named Cornet, who has the power
to talk to dolls, with her best friend being the
sassy puppet Kururu. Together, they sing their
hearts out as Cornet yearns for handsome Prince
Ferdinand. But she has a few rivals – namely, the
rich (and spoiled) Etoile, daughter of the wealthy sprites over 3D backgrounds, like the Disgaea The English-
Rosenqueen family, whose fancy exterior hides the games. This is an anthology story, featuring five speaking media
fact that they function like the mafia, and Marjoly, tales (plus one bonus), starring various characters scoffed at Rhapsody
an evil witch who believes herself to be the fairest from the Marl Kingdom saga. The funniest chapter at the time, as if
of them all, and also controls a cat army. lets you play as Marjoly, the villain from the first the mere concept of
The entire game is presented in 2D. Battles game. A DS remake of Rhapsody was released, and women playing RPGs
are viewed isometrically, with characters moving while the Japanese version contains a few of the was an absurdity.
on a grid, and Cornet can also draft other dolls scenarios from Tenshi no Present as bonuses, they
to fight alongside her. It’s pretty easy and fairly were deleted from the English release. This version
short, though the goofy songs, catchy musical also changes to a battle system reminiscent of
numbers (done with sprites in the game engine – Little Princess.
think the Final Fantasy VI opera scene but more The fourth and final game was released for the
ambitious), and hilarious localisation keep it PSP, called Antiphona no Seikahime (“Antiphona
amusing throughout. the Holy Song Princess”). This sequel takes place
There are three other games in the series, centuries after the main series, with the premise
though none of these were released outside of that many elements of the world are powered by
Japan. The second game, Little Princess, takes song, and starring a girl named Miabelle, who
place about 15 years after the first. Cornet and forms a band with a sisters, and swears to rescue
Ferdinand are married and have had their own her band-mate’s stolen voice.
child, nicknamed Kururu. This game is pretty Later Nippon Ichi games reference the Marl
similar to the first, though the battle system has Kingdom series – several cast members show up
changed to a side-view perspective, and removes as guest bosses, the Rosenqueen family runs all of
the grid-based movement. the stores, and the SRPG La Pucelle takes place in
The third game, Tenshi no Present (“Angel’s the same game world, though it’s not technically
Present”) moves to the PlayStation 2, using 2D part of the series.
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Baten Kaitos
Developer: Monolith Soft/tri-Crescendo | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): GC
Though best-known for the Xenosaga and

Xenoblade series, Monolith Soft was also
responsible for developing the Baten Kaitos games.
Both were made specifically for the GameCube,
which at the time suffered from a lack of quality
role-playing experiences.
Rather than directly taking on the role of
the protagonist, Kalas, the player instead takes
on the role of a Guardian Spirit who helps guide
him; the player is able to interact directly with
Kalas through dialogue trees, and the characters
will often ask the player directly what to do.
The world is focused on magic cards known as
Magnus, which allow people to store the essence an offensive and defensive turn, during which Aesthetically, Baten
of various things within them for later use. Prior they have but a few seconds to choose a card to Kaitos is the follow-
to the events of the game, an ancient god known play. Certain cards can also be combined to create up to Chrono Cross,
as Malpercio invaded the planet and removed combos. This card-based system is unusual, since though otherwise,
the water from the oceans, before being sealed you have to play with the hand you’re dealt, rather with its card-based
away by heroes using all-powerful cards known than having a full menu of actions, though it does battle system, it’s very
as End Magnus. After joining forces with a young give it a unique feel. much its own thing.
woman, Xelha, Kalas inadvertently releases Baten Kaitos was co-directed by Yasuyuki
one of the End Magnus, which loosens the seal Honne (who previously worked on Chrono Trigger,
imprisoning Malpercio. The two are pursued by Chrono Cross, and Xenogears) and Hiroya
members of the Alfard Empire, who wish to use Hatsushiba (the co-founder of tri-Crescendo).
the End Magnus to release Malpercio for their It was written by Masato Kato, who notably wrote
own ends; Kalas eventually falls under the god’s for Chrono Trigger and Xenogears. Music for the
control himself, and more details about his past game was handled by Motoi Sakuraba, who by
are slowly revealed to the other party members then had established himself in RPG music, having
throughout the story. already composed for the Tales and Golden Sun
The Magnus system is the most unique games, among many others. It’s excellent, though
aspect of the game, with more than 1,000 different the voiced dialogue has a strangely tinny sound.
Magnus available. While some contain food to The pre-rendered backgrounds are gorgeously
consume or equipment to use, others contain colourful, recalling the earlier PS1 Chrono Cross,
battle moves to be used in a deck. The game’s albeit at a higher resolution.
battle system makes use of decks of Magnus, with Though the card-battle system can take some
the player responsible for assembling a deck for adjusting to, it’s still a quality game. However,
each party member to use in combat. Battles are it fell short in sales, as most RPG players had gone
turn-based, but on a timer – each character has with the PlayStation 2.
302
Baten Kaitos Origins
Developer: Monolith Soft/tri-Crescendo | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): GC
In spite of the first Baten Kaitos title’s financial

under-performance, Monolith Soft and tri-
Crescendo teamed up again for a prequel, Baten
Kaitos Origins, which arrived in 2006. The game
takes place some 20 years before the events of
the original game, and follows a main character
named Sagi. Sagi works for the Alfard Empire
in its Dark Service unit, operating under Lord
Baelheit. At the outset, the Dark Service is told to
assassinate Emperor Olgan, though before they
have the opportunity to do so, Olgan is murdered
by another party, leaving Sagi and his partner
Guillo to take the blame for it; they are rescued by
a man named Geldoblame. Sagi and Guillo later Sakuraba composing the game’s soundtrack. Near the end of
team up with a young woman, Milly, and the trio Writing and scenario planning were taken over by the GameCube’s
sets out to both clear Sagi’s name and discover the Koh Kojima, who had worked on quest design for life, Nintendo of
true nature of Alfard’s ruling class. the first title; he went on to direct the Xenoblade America brought
The story eventually sees Sagi learn his own Chronicles titles for Monolith Soft. out Baten Kaitos
true history – he is the result of an experiment The game was released very late in the Origins in English,
run by the Empire, in which Lord Baelheit tried to GameCube’s life cycle. It’s worth noting that but it was almost
create artificial Spiriters who contained pieces of Origins was published not by Namco, like the first completely ignored,
the powerful and evil god Malpercio. At the end of game, but by Nintendo. The localisation team at in spite of being an
the game, Geldoblame ascends to the position of Nintendo made one significant change in order improvement of
Alfard’s new Emperor, and instructs his people to not to offend Christian communities; the scene in its predecessor.
find the five End Magnus, setting up the events of the Japanese version in which Sagi is crucified was
the first Baten Kaitos. revised for the US version, so he’s simply placed
Baten Kaitos Origins uses the same card- on a golden box. While many other GameCube
based battle system as the first title, though with titles under development around this time ended
some significant differences – each character up being shifted to the Wii, Baten Kaitos Origins
pulls cards from a shared deck, rather than remained on the GameCube, as the developers
having individual decks, which simultaneously believed that the Wii’s motion controls were
streamlines the battle process and forces the ill-suited for the game.
player to make more strategic decisions. Also, Like the first Baten Kaitos, Origins
Battle Magnus cards no longer decay or change received some significant critical praise but
over time, as they did in the previous game. didn’t perform well commercially. The game is
Origins’ creative team retained most of considered to be one of the last great RPGs on
the members from the first title, with Yasuyuki the system, and so far remains the last entry in
Honne once again heading the project, and Motoi the franchise.
303
.hack (series)
Developer: CyberConnect2 | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2, PS4, WIN
In the early 2000s, online gaming was in its

infancy, with games like Ultima Online and
Phantasy Star Online giving players a first glimpse
of what was to come. But that glimpse came at a
steep price: many people still went online via dial-
up connections that charged by the minute. This
was the environment in which .hack was created
– not only as a series of games, but as a whole
multimedia franchise including video games,
trading card games, anime series, manga and
novels. One of its creators was Hiroshi Matsuyama, dungeons, the players visit Root Towns, performing The game series is
who worked with anime-screenwriter Kazunori the usual RPG town activities. The main character just one part of the
Itou (Patlabor: The Movie) and character designer stands out for his ability to hack monsters using .hack multimedia
Yoshiyuki Sadamoto (Neon Genesis Evangelion) Data Drain – a necessary skill, since The World is project, which also
to create .hack’s premise. The series is about an corrupted and many boss-enemies have become included an anime TV
MMORPG called The World; when the player’s best unbeatable. However, Data Drain takes a toll on the series and a manga.
friend is attacked by a monster and falls into a players and fills up an Infection indicator, which
coma, it’s up to them to discover the cause, and can be lowered by fighting enemies without using
find out what The World really is all about. said Data Drain skills. Outside The World, players
The original .hack for the PlayStation 2 is split have access to their in-game desktops where they
into four episodes, subtitled Infection, Mutation, browse mails and message boards for new hints or
Outbreak, and Quarantine; each came with an information – an interesting aspect that really gives
additional DVD containing an episode of the four- .hack an MMORPG-feeling.
part anime series .hack//Liminality. Having been This was followed up by another series
developed back-to-back and released at three-month called .hack//G.U.; this time the story is split into
intervals, the game episodes all use the same engine three separate games but, together, these are
and gameplay-systems, with little development longer than the first series. The premise is quite
or evolution between entries. In return, though, similar. Starting seven years after the events of
saved games carry over from one episode to the .hack and taking place once more in The World,
next. The games contain two elements. Everything another player’s best friend is defeated by a person
happening in The World plays out in pretty classic calling themselves Tri-Edge and falls into a coma;
action RPG fashion. Monsters spawn at portals and you train your own character, Haseo, in order to
are fought in real-time, the players directly control defeat Tri-Edge. The games are not accompanied
the main character, Kite, while an AI looks after by anime DVDs this time, but there are many
party members, although these can be given rough smaller anime episodes there to be unlocked in
commands or direct orders. Battles feel a bit flimsy, the games themselves. An HD-remaster, subtitled
due to a lack of direct feedback when attacking Last Recode, was released in 2017, and includes an
an enemy. When not fighting in the field or in additional fourth episode.
304
Lost Kingdoms (series)
Developer: FromSoftware | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): GC
Years before it would revolutionise the RPG

world with Dark Souls, FromSoftware was
creating less famous series such as King’s
Field and Armored Core. Their Lost Kingdoms
series was one of the few RPG franchises on the
Nintendo GameCube.
The fairly simple story tells of a young
princess named Katia, who goes out to discover
the truth behind a nebulous black fog that is
enveloping her kingdom. On her journey, she
obtains runestones that enhance her card-
casting powers, and soon she finds herself in a
race to collect the runestones and defeat the God
of Destruction before the world is completely which allows them to transform into better Between Baten
brought to ruin. The story is somewhat lacking, versions of themselves, or new cards entirely. Kaitos and Lost
but the unique real-time card-based combat With a total of 105 cards in the game, the deck Kingdoms, the
system works to pull you into the land of Argwyll, possibilities are fairly diverse, and discovering GameCube certainly
and it’s easy to see why. every card in the game takes strategic game and had cornered
This system is fairly easy to grasp. Three card play. Some cards can only be obtained via the market in
different card types mixed with five elements allow transformation, while others can be captured card-themed
for an intuitive form of combat that allows you on the battlefield. battle systems.
to build a deck around your preferred play style. The single-player content wasn’t the only
Your options include weapon cards that provide thing that drew people into Lost Kingdoms.
a single strike from your position, independent A multiplayer mode incorporating a restriction
cards which allow the creatures within to act system on certain cards is also accessible,
freely on the battlefield, and summon cards functioning in a similar vein to trading card games
which provide anything from buffs or healing like Magic the Gathering and Yu-Gi-Oh.
to devastating attacks that could turn the tide Ultimately, Lost Kingdoms as a franchise
of a tough battle. The elemental wheel functions wouldn’t go very far. A single sequel was released
similarly to Fire Emblem’s weapon triangle, with a year later, and while it built on the original
each element having different strengths and game’s mechanics and doubled the cards in the
weaknesses in relation to other elements. For game, this wasn’t enough to make it a new staple
example, fire is strong against wood, but weak of the RPG world. However, while it may now only
against water. seem like a footnote in the GameCube’s library
Outside of combat, the cards can be of RPGs, it was one of the first true flashes of
upgraded, transformed, bought, and sold to brilliance out of FromSoftware – a flash that a
improve your deck as the game progresses. decade later would coalesce into one of the most
Using specific cards grants them experience, influential RPGs of all time.
305
Mega Man: Battle Network / Star Force (series)
Developer: Capcom | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): GBA, DS, 3DS
Capcom’s Mega Man saw a number of reinventions

over the years – starting as an Astro Boy-type
character, it received a soft reboot with the darker
and edgier Mega Man X series for the SNES. When
it hit the Game Boy Advance, it split off twice more,
staying with the familiar side-scrolling action in
Mega Man Zero, and dipping its toes into role-
playing with Mega Man Battle Network.
In Battle Network, the titular blue bomber has
been turned into a NetNavi, a human-controlled
digital being that explores the internet, interacting
through UIs, getting involved in hacking stories
about cyber terrorists, super viruses, and for some
reason, space computers. The protagonist in this entry, the series was released Pokémon-style, Reimagining Mega
game is a boy named Lan, an average adolescent dividing into two different versions with different Man as a virus-
in the near future, who spends his days hanging chips to encourage trading, though it didn’t have busting artificial
around the suburbs and attending classes. It’s a the same draw. Battle Network on the GBA ended intelligence is a
weird idea, but it works, and creates a ton of fun after six numbered titles, the later three being brilliant concept,
characters and neat takes on classic Mega Man generally seen as lesser games, half-baked in though it’s very
robots, with recurring antagonist Bass getting a story and mechanics, but they were serviceable. much on brand for
major upgrade as an edgy rogue super-Navi. There was also a platformer spinoff, Network Capcom to run it
In the human world, you control Lan, solving Transmission, and the underwhelming strategy into the ground.
puzzles built around getting to jack points, and game Battle Chip Challenge.
then sending Mega Man.EXE into the web to fight The series evolved into Mega Man: Star
viruses and evil Navis that are up to no-good Force in the 3DS era, with three releases, using a
tricks, like making washing machines explode or new grid layout, an over-the-shoulder perspective,
stoves light on fire. Fights play out on two 3 × 3 and cards instead of chips. There’s also a new
grids, yours and your enemy’s, and you take shots battle-mode transformation gimmick, and the
at each other while you wait for the meter to fill. sequels introduce physical, real world cards for
This gives access to your menu of chips, which are Japanese players that unlock extra content.
like cards, granting you attack, support, or even This series also has a much stranger concept, based
summon, moves, each having different ranges; around electromagnetic waves and alien invaders,
these can be mixed together in creative ways. and never got the same praise Battle Network did.
It’s a fun concept that works well on handheld Both series wrapped up in 2009 with the Japan-
systems, and the stories often get into some strong only Rockman.EXE Operate Shooting Star, which
character drama, demonstrating surprising depths was just an updated version of the original Battle
in the heroes and villains alike. Mega Man.EXE’s Network with an added Star Force chapter. Each
origin alone is absolutely bonkers. From the third franchise also got anime and manga adaptations.
306
Mega Man X: Command Mission
Developer: Capcom | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2, GC
With their experimental Battle Network series

proving to be a big hit, Capcom tried to pull a
Nintendo, à la Paper Mario, and turn their main
mascot into an RPG star. Unfortunately, they
produced so much Battle Network, of increasingly
poor quality, that people got sick of the franchise,
and Star Force failed to establish itself. The only
other experiment they tried was making a more
traditional turn-based JRPG as part of the Mega
Man X series, which was itself in rocky waters due
to some lacklustre entries. That gave us Command
Mission, which was made mainly by staff from
Mega Man X7 and Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter,
which also happened to be two of the most disliked meter that rises during battle, which can activate a This more grown-up
games in their respective franchises (though rather hyper mode, which in turn allows you some special RPG take on Mega
unfairly in the latter case). The end result is … okay. super-move or state. For example, big guy Massimo Man only got a single
The stories in the core Mega Man X games focuses on damage, while the thief, Marino, gets a chance to shine, and
are typically simple – they are side-scrolling massive speed boost, and the card-themed Spider didn’t quite make it.
action games, first and foremost – and Command goes invisible and becomes harder to hit. Many
Mission uses a similar template. A powerful moves also have action commands associated with
substance called Force Metal is discovered, and them, like charging X’s buster, but they’re a far cry
an island called Giga City created to mine it. The from the Paper Mario series’ more involved system.
City’s leader, Epsilon, goes maverick, so X and his What has given the game some buzz, even
pal Zero are sent in to take on the problem. There years later, is the cel-shaded art style. It still looks
are also a handful of new android pals that come quite good to this day, even if the maps are barren
along for the ride. The main X series had a bad habit and repetitive. There were also some big differences
of just making Sigma the villain, yet again, in end between the PS2 and GameCube versions, with the
game twists. That was avoided here, but a mixture former getting a demo of Mega Man X8, but the
of a bad translation and a poor script results in latter getting an entirely new mechanic, using the
a confusing narrative. A few of the character arcs GBA connect cable, that can find you more items.
are okay, and there’s an interesting idea here and It also benefitted from the more powerful system,
there, but a low-grade dub doesn’t help things. with a better frame-rate and loading times. The
X also remains the least interesting part of his trade off is that the encounter rate is much higher,
own franchise, being a stoic hero who just kind of making this version a massive slog. Command
goes along with things because the plot requires Mission is more of an interesting curiosity than
it, instead of expressing any agency. anything else, but for something made several years
The battle system is basic, but has a fun hook into the sixth gen console cycle, the cheapness of
in its hyper modes. Every party member has a the whole experience is hard to ignore.
307
Hoshi wo Miru Hito
Developer: Hot-B | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FC
Hoshi wo Miru Hito (“Stargazer”) takes place in

a futuristic world, where humans live peaceful
lives within Ark City. It is ruled by the computer
Crew III, which uses mind control powers to quell
any criminal thoughts in its populace. However,
humans with psychic powers (“espers”) are
immune to these effects, seen as dangerous, and
hunted down. You control one such person, an
amnesiac esper named Minami, and must fight
back against this injustice. The game is a follow-
up to an earlier PC RPG from Hot-B called Psychic
City, which had a similar setup.
This is certainly a pretty cool concept for an
RPG … but Hoshi wo Miru Hito is just a disaster
of legendary proportions. Firstly, the graphics There’s no way to cancel out of menus, so if you Fans have made
are ugly: just a shocking mess of tiles that look choose the ESP command by accident, there’s no some attempts to
terrible on their own, and even worse when way to back out and choose to attack instead. remake Hoshi wo
matched together. Right from the beginning, the There’s no story in-game – the basic Miru Hito to make
game barely makes any sense, since almost every premise is in the manual, to be fair – and very it playable, which
place on the map – towns, dungeons, etc. – is little direction either. Most gamers will probably shows how good the
invisible (“hidden by psychic powers”, apparently). be killed before they even see the first town. original concept was.
Movement is so extraordinarily sluggish that just One Famicom review said that “without a guide,
catching up to the townspeople to talk to them is all you can do is ‘walk’ and ‘die’”.
a chore. When you leave, you’ll get teleported to Over the years, there have been attempts
some random part of the overworld map. Some to patch the game ROM to improve the visuals
of these things seem like obvious bugs that were and fix both its glitches and atrocious game
given an ad-hoc storyline justification, since it was balance, plus one attempt to totally remake it.
much easier than fixing them. Plus, science fiction RPGs were uncommon at
The battle system is programmed with the time – it predates SEGA’s Phantasy Star by
the same level of carelessness. Extremely tough a few months and Konami’s Lagrange Point by
enemies can be encountered right at the beginning a number of years. It’s quite ambitious, so it’s a
of the game, and completely demolish you without shame that it’s basically unplayable. Nonetheless,
even giving you a fighting chance. There’s no way it’s terribleness has become so legendary that the
to run from battles at this stage either, as that game was resurrected in 2020 by City Connection,
requires a special Teleport skill you don’t get until a company specialising in retro products. It’s not a
later on. For some reason, the system truncates the remake so much as a tuned-up emulation, but it’s
last digit when reporting damage – for example, amusing that enough ironic affection has built up
inflicting 16 HP will be reported as 1 instead. over 30+ years to justify this effort.
308
Ganso Saiyuuki: Super Monkey Daibouken
Developer: Techno Quest | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): FC
Competing with Hoshi wo Miru Hito for the

title of “worst RPG on the Famicom”, here’s
Ganso Saiyuuki: Super Monkey Daibouken
(“The Original Journey to the West: Super Monkey
Great Adventure”). In this one of the many versions
of The Journey to the West, you control Son Goku
the Monkey King as he leads the monk Genjo and
his steed from China to India.
“Nagai tabi ga hajimaru …” (“The long
journey begins …”), proclaims the opening text.
And boy, are they not kidding. The game world is
estimated to contain approximately 700 screens,
depicting many small, isolated islands, and your
caravan moves approximately a single square and his transforming horse in the early stages of Compared to Hoshi
per second. The landscapes seem to have been the game; later a pig and a kappa – will resume in wo Miru Hito, there is
designed with no real coherence, and the gates his stead. little worth salvaging
to the next area are often invisible until you’re Then, just as abruptly as the battle began, about Super Monkey
right on top of them, forcing you to tediously the game dumps you back into the overworld Daibouken, which
comb each and every square until you’re warped without any warning, usually long before any of is instead relegated
somewhere else. Worse, just because you find the enemies are actually dead. Indeed, it’s one of to the status of 8-bit
another area doesn’t mean that it’s the correct the few cartridge-based games that has noticeable torture device.
one – it can just as easily send you to a section loading times. This process repeats until your
which appears to be a dead end. Time passes on a party either runs out of food or you stumble across
day-night cycle, which is impressive for a console a town to replenish your supplies.
RPG from 1986, but some gates only appear at The most sadly hilarious bit is a message
specific times. It’s all quite maddening. You’re hidden in the ROM, which details a lonely
also constantly consuming food in the process, programmer’s desire for some loving, written
and indeed, you can starve to death. in a form that is somewhat less eloquent than a
Every once in a while, the game will appear traditional sonnet. (“I want a perverted girl. I love
to glitch up, and all of a sudden you’ll find yourself vagina! I love clitoris!”) Such ridiculousness is
in the middle of a side-scrolling action battle appropriate for such a sad game.
sequence. These are impenetrably designed and The game was developed by Techno Quest,
programmed, as sprites move around the screen a subsidiary of Taito that worked primarily in
in ways that are only comprehensible by madmen, computer graphics. Its first video game was the
and game rules like “hit detection” cease to have laserdisc title Rolling Blaster; its second (and
meaning. Son Goku is the primary warrior, if only last) was this, created because the staff were fans
because he seems to have the most health, but if of assorted role-playing games, like Ultima and
he gets killed, the other party members – the king Mugen no Shinzou.
309
Esper Dream
Developer: Konami | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FDS
During the ’80s, Japan had a fascination with

espers – people with extra sensory perception, or
ESP – and thus there were a number of manga,
anime and games featuring this theme. Among
them is Konami’s action RPG Esper Dream,
released for the Famicom Disk System in 1987,
in which you control a young boy who has been
transported into his favourite book.
The centre of the game is Brick Town, which
connects the various disparate worlds. The first
world, for example, is in someone’s house, although
the surroundings are very large (or perhaps you
are very tiny), and the sub-dungeons require
delving into computers, where the walls consist like pistols, lasers, and bazookas, or using your Esper Dream is one
of computer chips. There’s a standard RPG-type psychic powers. of the numerous
field, with green fields and blue oceans, along with The action is cumbersome, as your Famicom Disk
a crystal castle, a maze of swamplands, and a world character can only walk in four directions, and System games
based on chess. Enemies include ladybugs, flying rather slowly at that, plus it is quite grindy and from Konami
fish, winged monkeys, pelicans, house plants, the encounters are repetitive. But the setting is that remained
moai heads, and other random assorted nonsense. an interesting departure from normal fantasy, exclusive to Japan.
Wandering sets of footprints represent enemies, the music, by Castlevania composer Kinuyo
and when you touch one, you’re whisked away to Yamashita, is pleasant, and it’s different enough
a separate arena to do battle. These segments are from the Zelda clones typical of the era to make
action-based, and you can attack with weapons it worth a look.
Esper Dream 2
Developer: Konami | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): FC
The first Esper Dream came at the beginning of
the Famicom RPG rush, while its sequel Esper
Dream 2: Aratanaru Tatakai (“A New Battle”),
released five years later in 1992, was one of the
last. The setup is similar – you’re a young boy who
can wield an assortment of psychic powers, who
is transported into the worlds of various stories.
There are four worlds in total. One of them
is a quiet seaside town, where their light-giving
orb gets stolen by a mysterious entity. Another
is a Galaxy Express 999-style train which flies
through outer space and is being terrorised by
a giant bunny rabbit. There’s a magnet factory,
which is entirely inhabited by living nuts and the computer. These include a train conductor, an Released five years
bolts, and a glowing mountain, which is being anthropomorphic screw, and a happy little star. after the first Esper
terrorised by Fuujin and Raijin, the Japanese Along with Akumajou Densetsu and Madara, Dream, and long
gods of wind and lightning. These scenarios have Esper Dream 2 is one of the three Famicom games after the death of
more story and are far more fleshed out than that use Konami’s VRC6 chip, which enables not the Famicom Disk
the “explore dungeons, find junk” ones in the only improved graphical effects but also greatly System, this sequel
original game. Combat is similar, but faster and enhanced music. Overall, Esper Dream 2 takes is better in every
more fluid, and gold drops are more generous, so practically every single aspect of its predecessor possible way.
it’s less grindy. Although you start out in every and fixes most of its problems, resulting in an
world by yourself, each contains a unique helper outstanding title that could easily compete with
who will accompany you in battle, governed by the early 16-bit titles of the day.
310
Ganbare Goemon Gaiden (series)
Ganbare Goemon was one of Konami’s most

prolific franchises through much of its life, even
outpacing better-known series like Castlevania.
The few titles that made it overseas were redubbed
Mystical Ninja. Starring a goofy version of folk hero
Ishikawa Goemon, the series ostensibly takes place
in feudal Japan, but often incorporates ridiculous
anachronisms (time travel, space adventuring,
mechas) and has a haphazard “anything goes”
approach that was consistently amusing, even if
the quality of the games varied wildly.
It generated a spinoff series for the
Famicom, consisting of two straight turn-based
RPGs. Ganbare Goemon Gaiden: Kieta Ougon made of food, and have you climbing a gigantic The core Ganbare
Kiseru (“The Disappearance of the Golden Pipe”) staircase all the way to the moon, which is inhabited Goemon titles are
sends Goemon and his pal Ebisumaru off to by rabbits (owing to the Japanese belief that an action games with
find out who stole one of his greatest treasures. image of a rabbit pounding rice can be seen on the some RPG elements,
It introduces a few characters seen in later moon’s face). It even transcends the boundaries of while these Gaiden
Goemon games, like the ninja gal Yae and a cat video games by including Dr. Cinnamon from the spinoff games are
named Koban Neko. Other characters include TwinBee shoot-’em-up games, and drafting Simon pure Japanese RPGs.
Pemo Pemo, an alien that looks like a robotic dogu Belmont from the Castlevania series as a playable
clay figurine, who becomes a playable character in party member. There’s even a thief based on the
the sequel. Goemon and his gang are also chased famous Arsène Lupin literary figure. The battle
around by an angry, Godzilla-sized robot woman. system switches to a third-person perspective,
Battles are played out like those in Dragon Quest, making it a little more visually engaging than
but the sprites, backgrounds, and animations are before, though it mostly works the same way.
more elaborate than anything seen in those games. While the core Goemon series consisted of
There are some quality-of-life improvements too, mostly action games, it also experimented with
like rocket skates that let you move faster, and RPG elements; some closely resembled platformers
the ability to save anywhere. Rather than visiting like Super Mario World and others were more
the king, à la Dragon Quest, you can learn about adventure-like, similar to The Legend of Zelda.
the experience needed to gain a level by visiting a As the mainline Super Famicom games continued,
phone booth. they developed stronger narratives, so Konami
The sequel, Tenka no Zaihou (“Treasures of likely felt that there was no longer any need to
the World”) has Goemon and Ebisumaru leaving continue the series in the framework of a Dragon
Japan behind to search the globe for eight keys in Quest-type game. The company didn’t seem to
order to win a tournament. The adventures will take have much interest in RPGs for this period anyway,
you to all kinds of ridiculous places, like an island leaving these spinoffs as relics of the 8-bit era.
311
Lagrange Point
In the future, mankind has begun to expand into

outer space, starting at one of Earth’s lagrange
points. The first two colonies, called Land-1 and
Land-2, along with a neighbouring satellite, form
the Isis Cluster. Disaster has struck Land-2, so
the hero, Jin, is sent in to investigate, only to be
attacked by mechanical troops immediately upon
arrival. Once he’s recovered, it’s up to you to
investigate what exactly went down, which involves
a biohazard outbreak and a coup d’état.
Released in 1991, Lagrange Point was
competing against 16-bit RPGs, and to
compensate, it is something of a technical
marvel. It features large character sprites, fancy
screen-tearing battle transitions, and the first- cyborgs can become overwhelmed by emotions, By 1991, the Famicom
person battle scenes have cool lighting effects while robots are subject to rusting. There’s also had to compete with
that simulate speeding through a tunnel. If it a system to customise and fuse weapon types, the newer 16-bit
weren’t for the limited colour palette, it could which is pretty complex for an 8-bit RPG. The consoles, resulting
easily pass as a PC Engine game. Konami was mutant enemy designs walk the line between in technical marvels
also particularly in love with sound hardware, terrifying and silly – some were the result of a like Lagrange Point.
and some Famicom cartridges included extra user submission contest in Famimaga magazine,
sound chips to bolster their soundtracks. This which also contributed other things, from enemy
is the only title to use the company’s VRC7 chip, designs to snippets of dialogue. The soundtrack
which includes an FM synthesiser, resulting in a also comes from a variety of sources, including
Famicom game that sounds like no other. a few tracks from J-rock band Rebecca, as well
To play, this is a pretty standard 8-bit some reader submissions. Masashi Hamauzu,
RPG, with some cool sci-fi elements. All attacks later the composer of Final Fantasy XIII, won an
(just not super-attacks or magic spells), drain award, though his work was unused in the game.
Battery Points, which are refilled from tanks The closest analogue to Lagrange Point is
found throughout the game, and restored at SEGA’s Phantasy Star, given their outer-space
save points. Since the game takes place on settings, though this one has more science fiction
cylindrical colonies, the overworld map wraps elements. However, due to the character designs,
around vertically, and to give it some scale, all it still feels somewhat child-oriented, and it’s
travel here is handled using vehicles. Among missing the heavy emotional resonance that
the several party members, there are three came with Phantasy Star’s drama. But otherwise,
character types – humans, cyborgs, and robots its novel setting and impressive sound and
– each with their own equipment types and visuals work together to create one of the better
status afflictions. For example, humans and Famicom RPGs.
312
Mouryou Senki Madara (series)
Developer: Konami | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC, SFC
Mouryou Senki Madara (“Madara: War Chronicles

of the Nature Spirits”) was an ambitious multimedia
franchise that began in 1987 with a manga written
by Eiji Ohtsuka and illustrated by Sho Tajima. It
aimed to tell 108 different stories across assorted
manga, video games, and anime, although it never
got anywhere near that number of tales. The anime
OVA, as well as a few chapters of the manga, were
translated into English. One of the stories focuses
on a boy named Madara, who was dismembered
and sent floating down a river. Adopted by the kind
rural folks, he is given artificial limbs and lives a
relatively normal life. That is, until he comes of age
and must discover his true origins, which involves were only three Famicom titles that used this While none of the
him exploring the land to find his original body chip, the other two being the action RPG Esper Madara RPGs were
parts, which were given to demons. Though the Dream 2 and the famous Akumajou Densetsu, released outside of
story is based on a fantasy version of Asian culture, known internationally as Castlevania III: Dracula’s Japan, some of the
it also has some light elements of sci-fi, which gives Curse. It adds a richness to the music, bolstered manga has been
it a unique feel. by Konami’s typically excellent compositions – the translated into
This particular scenario was used as the basis second overworld theme, in particular, is brilliant. English.
for a Famicom RPG from Konami. It adapts part Konami followed this up with a Super Famicom
of the manga, but since the latter was still being sequel, which features an original scenario and
written at the time of production, the later part of some of the characters from the manga. The
the adventure is original. Like many of its ilk, it’s main characters – punk rocker Han Kamishiro
very similar to Dragon Quest, though it comes with and his girlfriend Subaru – are modern Japanese
a few unique systems. Combat is presented from teenagers who learn they are reincarnations of
an overhead view, à la Ultima III. In it, your party Madara and his protector Kirin, after which they
members fight automatically, governed by an AI, are sucked into the alternative fantasy world. The
though at any point you can pause to issue specific battle system is similar to that in the Famicom
orders before resuming combat. In other words, it’s game, though it uses slightly more normally-
similar to the “Real Time With Pause” battle system proportioned characters instead of the super-
popularised later in the decade by PC RPGs from deformed ones found in many RPGs of the era.
Bioware. Also, time passes during your journey, but Also like its predecessor, it has a brilliant soundtrack
rather than just switching from day to night, à la – it’s by Tappi Iwase, Hirofumi Taniguchi, and Miki
Dragon Quest III and IV, it actually cycles through Higashino, a group of musicians who later went
seasons. But the main draw is the inclusion of the on to work on Suikoden. A third game, Madara
VRC6 memory mapper, which includes an extra Saga, was released for the SFC, though this is an
sound chip providing more music channels. There unrelated game by Datam Polystar.
313
Sweet Home
Developer: Capcom | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC
Tales have long been told of the beautiful frescos

hidden within the abandoned mansion of artist
Ichirou Mamiya. You control a group of filmmakers
who have broken in for the purpose of making a
documentary. Predictably, the place is haunted,
and the team is trapped inside, forced to face off
against its monstrosities before they can escape
with their lives.
Sweet Home is based on the 1989 Japanese
horror film of the same name. Considered in
isolation, said film is a pretty standard B-movie
with cheesy effects, and would probably be
forgotten by history. (Indeed, it never even got a
DVD release.) The Famicom tie-in, however, is one also be sprung, requiring quick decisions to be Sweet Home is
of the most historically important horror games made in an attempt to avoid them. However, health quite gory for an
ever made. Directed by Tokuro Fujiwara, the can only be regained with tonics, strewn in limited 8-bit game – even
creator of Capcom’s Ghosts ’n Goblins, among number about the mansion. When characters die, if Capcom had
many other classic properties, it’s a unique blend they’re dead permanently, and while they leave elected to bring out
of adventure and RPG that heavily influenced the behind items that let you continue the game, there in English, without
company’s later Resident Evil series. are several different endings based on who’s alive major edits, it most
In the game, each of the five characters has when you get there. The death sequences are quite likely would have
their own ability – one has a key to unlock certain gruesome for an 8-bit game, as are some of the fallen foul of US and
doors, another has a vacuum to clean up debris, creepier enemies. European Nintendo
another has a lighter to burn obstacles, and so These visuals are effective, which with the content guidelines.
forth. Their goal is to hunt for, and photograph, ever-present enemies and dwindling resources,
the various frescoes, which give clues on how to make this a truly scary experience. You can
proceed. They can explore separately or team up (in save at any time, useful as you can find yourself
parties of up to three) to hunt for objects that will overwhelmed and needing to restart. Luckily, the
help them further explore the mansion, like wood game isn’t very long, and can be beaten in a few
planks to cross chasms, as well as weapons to bolster hours if you know what you’re doing. The basic
their combat abilities. Battles are random and fairly concept, along with direct borrowings such as the
straightforward Dragon Quest-type encounters. creepy first-person cutscene whenever you open
You can call out to any other party members to have a door, influenced the later Resident Evil games.
them run in and join combat, and can also use the In practice, Sweet Home is a little clumsy, since you
Pray command to help save your fellow members if need to switch back and forth between the many
they’re ensnared by enemies. There are also status characters so often, and juggle items between
ailments, which are each curable with an antidote them. But its effectiveness as both a horror game
held by one of the characters. Various traps can as well as genre ground-breaker cannot be denied.
314
Destiny of an Emperor (series)
Developer: Capcom | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): NES, GB, SFC
Capcom didn’t dabble much in RPGs during the

8-bit era – outside of their horror game Sweet
Home, they had Destiny of an Emperor, based
loosely on the novel Romance of the Three
Kingdoms. It tells the story of Liu Bei, Zhang Fei,
and Guan Yu, three generals who join forces to
quell the Yellow Turban rebels. The game presents
this journey as a Dragon Quest-style RPG,
as your army explores 2nd century China, goes
from town to town, and recruits more generals to
join its cause. There are a huge number of these
to recruit – 150 in total.
The key difference here lies in the battle
system, as your army doesn’t fight monsters in including producer Tokuro Fujiwara (Ghosts ’n Destiny of an
random encounters, but rather skirmishes with Goblins) and designer Yoshiki Okamoto (Final Emperor is based
opposing forces. Your army is shown on the left Fight, Street Fighter II). on the same Chinese
side, while the enemy is on the right; though both There was a sequel for the Famicom as well, epic as Koei’s
have Hit Points, these indicate the size of the unit’s which adds a stronger narrative but scales back Romance of the
army rather than its health, which naturally goes the recruitment mechanic, and makes other Three Kingdoms,
down as they trade blows. Rather than magic, irritating changes like making your party move though it’s more of a
there are Tactics, chosen by activating the skills more slowly. The result is a game with a slightly console-RPG take on
of tactician characters. Up to five units on each better story (it’s pretty threadbare in the original the formula, rather
side can battle at once. Given the lengthy nature of game) but is worse in most other aspects. A Game than a strategy sim.
these battles, in which you input commands every Boy game was also released, which is technically
turn, there’s an All-Out option which will auto- an original entry but has similarities to the first
battle to resolve encounters much more quickly. game. However, it is trimmed down in a few ways,
Defeated generals may also join your side, if you notably by reducing the fights to three-on-three
can meet their demands. In addition to keeping up rather than five-on-five. Another game, Tenchi wo
your army’s numbers, you also need to keep them Kurau: Sangokushi Gunyuuden was released for
well fed, by monitoring your food supplies, which the Super Famicom, but it’s more of a strategy sim.
decrease with every step. Considering the source material, it’s a
The graphics are slightly better than in wonder that Destiny of the Emperor was actually
Dragon Quest, though the interface is less released in English. It’s actually part of a larger
cumbersome, and your party moves around series based on a manga called Tenchi wo Kurau
more quickly. The music is excellent, and actually (“Devour the Heavens and Earth”). Capcom also
sounds a lot like the NES DuckTales, owing to their developed two arcade games based on the series,
shared composer, Hiroshige Tonomura. A few which were beat-’em-ups known internationally as
other big Capcom names worked on this game, Dynasty Wars and Warriors of Fate.
315
Radia Senki: Reimeihen
Developer: Tecmo | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): FC
In Radia Senki: Reimeihen (“Chronicles of the Radia

War: Dawn Chapter”), you control an amnesiac
hero caught in a battle between the kingdoms of
Lemuria and Samara, for control of the powerful
Radia Tower. Caught in the middle is Princess Lefis
of the legendary kingdom of Ark, whose plane is
shot down in the game’s introduction. This setup
is all well-trodden RPG territory, but the game itself
is anything but, showing itself to be remarkably
progressive in its design.
Fundamentally, Radia Senki blends
together something like Final Fantasy with an
action-based battle system in the style of The
Legend of Zelda, except with multiple allied It was developed by some of the same key All you need to
characters. When you encounter enemies, the staff as made the NES Ninja Gaiden games, know about Radia
screen locks in and you need to beat them all particularly director Hideo Yoshizawa, who later Senki is that the NES
up before you can continue. You only directly went on to Namco to helm the Klonoa series. Ninja Gaiden team
control the hero, while your companions are The soundtrack should seem familiar to fans of made an RPG, and
governed by AI and fight of their own accord. Tecmo games too, as the fight theme sounds like in turned out pretty
You can also pause and give some individual it could fit into either Ninja Gaiden or Tecmo darn well.
orders, so this is not entirely at the whim of the Bowl. Like these other Tecmo NES games, there
computer. From a functional perspective, it’s are full screen animated cutscenes, which pop up
plenty rough – the walking speed is pretty slow, at key points. Each of the seven main characters
you can only move in four directions, and the hero (many hop in and out of your party as the game
can’t do much beyond stabbing things. Plus your progresses) has a unique skill, plus there’s a
companions tend to be pretty dumb – it is an 8-bit party talk option that lets you discuss things
game after all. But it's also an early example of this with them. Characterisation is pretty limited
kind of system, as used in better-known RPGs like compared to that in later games, but as with the
Star Ocean and Secret of Mana. There are other combat, it’s remarkably forward-thinking for its
neat little touches too – instead of running away to time, and some plot twists at the end keep the
avoid combat, you can opt to play dead, in hopes story fresh too.
that the bad guys will leave you alone (it doesn’t Altogether, the action-based combat of
always work, of course). Foes don’t really leave Radia Senki sidesteps most of the tedious grind
money either, so instead you need to sell their hides that 8-bit RPGs are known for, and its presentation
for cash. There’s also an abundance of curatives helps make it approachable even to more modern
to ensure that your fellow combatants don’t get players, something of a rarity. It was scheduled
themselves too beaten up. In general, outside of to be released in English as Tower of Radia, but
boss battles, the game isn’t all that difficult either. unfortunately this never made it to market.
316
LaSalle Ishii no Childs Quest
Developer: Namco | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC
LaSalle Ishii is a famous Japanese film and

television personality, and here he lends his name
to this unusual idol-raising JRPG from Namco. He
runs a talent agency, which is in charge of a group
called Childs, a trio of young women who have
been around for a while but haven’t really made
it big. You are their manager, who must adventure
around Japan, giving them everything they need
to become big-time stars.
The game is basically a Dragon Quest parody
that takes place in contemporary Japan, and it
takes those familiar RPG mechanics and uses them
in unusual ways. For example, there are random
encounters, but rather than enemies, these are disgruntled. For example, in the beginning, they’ll Childs Quest was
disgruntled music-lovers who can be converted tolerate cheap accommodation, but as their career one of the early
into fans of your group. Some of them are random takes off, you need to spring for more expensive RPG parodies to
people, but you’ll also come across dogs, piles of hotels. Additionally, you need to manage their hit the Famicom.
barf, smiling poop slimes (a parody of the famous bodily functions, because they can wet themselves,
Dragon Quest mascot) and other oddballs. and they’ll grow angrier and angrier until you
You can choose to either compliment them, or either find a bathroom or buy them a diaper. If they
bear the brunt of their insults. Unlike other RPGs, hit the full 100% Dissatisfaction, they’ll be tossed
where enemies have HP gauges that go down as back to Ishii’s talent office and chucked into the
you attack, here they have Stress, which depletes basement, from which you’ll need to retrieve them.
when you either chat with them or just listen to Childs Quest is an ugly game even by early
them berate you. When their Stress hits zero, Famicom standards, but its original premise and
they leave and you win – in other words, you can wild sense of humour make it one of the standouts
just sit and let them yell until they get exhausted. of the system’s RPG library. Its modern setting
You can also gain Manager Magic, which basically and general goofiness make it a predecessor to
works the same way as magic in other games, Nintendo’s Mother, released a few years later, and
plus money to purchase equipment and other its theme of idol management is seen much later in
necessary items. In each city, you also need Namco’s Idolmaster series, though in practice the
to pay a fee to put on a concert. Here, you pick games are very different. An English fan translation
from a variety of songs and acts in hopes that the was released by Woolsey Fan Company in 2019,
audience will find the show entertaining and thus renaming it Stardom Warriors. It recreates the
increase the band’s popularity. game as if it had been localised for the NES back
The Childs trio tag along next to you but they in the late 80s, adapting the Japanese setting and
don’t participate in combat. Instead, they each cultural jokes, and removing stuff that would’ve
have Dissatisfaction Points that increase if they get contravened Nintendo of America’s guidelines.
317
Minelvaton / Silva Saga (series)
Developer: Random House | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FC, SFC
Minelvaton Saga: Ragon no Fukkatsu

(“The Resurrection of Ragon”) seems like a
straightforward Dragon Quest clone, at least at the
outset. You control an unnamed hero, prince of a
kingdom destroyed by the dark god Ragon. When
he comes of age, he ventures forth to fight back
and retake his kingdom. The key difference in this
game lies in its battle system – when encounters
take place, the game switches to an overhead action
view, and you attack enemies by either ramming
into them or shooting magic spells. Though the
player only controls the hero directly, he is joined
by two types of fighter, who are controlled by the
CPU. One type is companions, who are important choose which of the three parties engages the This series had to
characters in the story, joining and leaving as the enemies, though the mercenary and idol factions change titles partway
narrative progresses. They cannot level up, and fight automatically. Being a late release for the through, likely
any experience they might obtain goes to the hero. system, it’s also free of some of the crustier due to a change of
The other type is mercenaries, who can be drafted elements of earlier 8-bit RPGs – the difficulty publisher and is also
at the player’s whim. These are generic characters balance is solid, the pacing is fast, and the music loosely connected to
who do gain experience, but if they fall in battle, is quite good. A sequel, Silva Saga II, was released three other games.
they die permanently, unlike the companions. for the Super Famicom the following year.
As a result, there’s a bit of flexibility as to how you This stars a new protagonist, an amnesiac, who
can approach combat. The game is also one of the must seek out the hero from the first two games.
first to have a battery backup save feature, predating As such, it is a direct continuation and features
Dragon Quest III by a number of months. many of the same areas.
The sequel was released in 1992 for the The Minelvaton Saga series is the work
Famicom, and was renamed Silva Saga, probably of fantasy author Yuuto Ramon. Many of his
due to the fact that it was published by Seta works, including the earlier adventure game Dark
rather than Taito. The game stars the same hero, Castle and the PC RPG Riglas, are connected
now given the canon name Leon. The battle and take place in the same world. The cover
system has changed to a more traditional Dragon artwork for these games was provided by artist
Quest type, though it adapts the mercenary Hitoshi Yoneda, also known as the illustrator for
system in interesting ways. You have a main the Japanese Phantasy Star Mega Drive games.
party consisting of the primary story characters, The original Famicom game was programmed by
but you can develop two other parties, one Kazurou Morita, an early star programmer on the
consisting of mercenaries, who are strong in Japanese PC scene, who was also an expert shogi
physical combat, and the other of idol statues, player, and founded the company Random House,
who are skilled in magic. When fighting, you can which created a number of games for Enix.
318
Momotarou Densetsu (series)
Developer: Hudson | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, GB, GBC, GBA, PS1, X68, PCE
Hudson was one of the most successful publishers

during the Famicom era, thanks to the popularity of
their shoot-’em-ups, like Star Soldier. Momotarou
Densetsu (“The Legend of Momotarou”) was one of
their early RPG efforts, which also became quite
popular. It stars a number of characters from
Japanese folklore, including Momotarou, the boy
who hatched from a peach, as the protagonist.
The game was directed by Akira Sakuma, along
with comical art by Takayuki Doi.
There are plenty of aspects that distinguish
it from Dragon Quest, even though it plays almost
identically. Stats are indicated by kanji characters
instead of English text (“dan” for experience level, The first game hit the Famicom in 1987 and The lineage of
and the characters for “heart”, “skill” and “body” was also ported to the Sharp X68000, and the the Momotarou
for exp points, MP and HP), and there’s almost PC Engine got an enhanced port in 1990, called series is confusing,
no concept of death – enemies just leave you Monotaro Densetsu Turbo. A proper sequel was with two parallel
alone once you’ve beaten them enough, and even released later that year, also for the PC Engine, sequels, plus
the heroes are just knocked out when their HP is which allows the companions to become playable plenty of spinoffs
exhausted. Momotarou is the lone combatant in the characters in combat instead of just providing and assorted
first game, but is joined by friends from the original support. Momotarou Legend Gaiden is a spinoff compilations
folktale to provide aid in combat, like the Dog, on the Game Boy, PC Engine and Famicom, which and remakes.
Monkey, and Pheasant. Special skills are gained by focuses on three side characters from the main
visiting hermits, for whom you must complete tasks games, while Shin Momotarou Densetsu for the
before they’ll grant you their wisdom. The Famicom Super Famicom is a sequel to the FC game (not
game keeps track of elapsed time by indicating the PCE remake), with a darker tone. There’s also
Momotarou’s age, which increases by one for every a remake of the first game for the PlayStation,
two real-world hours. (This doesn’t have any effect which adds in some elements from its sequels
on his stats, though.) The sense of humour is also (like multiple party members), plus a compilation
pretty wild. There are comical representations of of Turbo and II for the Game Boy Color.
Japanese mythological characters, like Kintarou, There are also numerous spinoffs, including
Urashima Tarou, and Princess Kaguya, as well as Momotarou Festival for the Game Boy Advance
Princess Yaksha, the daughter of the family that and PlayStation, which include competitive
rules the underworld. There are many real-world mini-games, and Momotarou Katsugeki, a side-
celebrity parodies too, including some appearances scrolling platformer for the PC Engine. More
by the developers. Plus, there are also events where popular is Momotarou Dentetsu (“Momotarou
you can sneak into women’s baths, as well as a Steam Engine”), a digital board game series, which
special farting technique. has nearly two dozen entries as of 2020.
319
Kaijuu Monogatari (series)
Developer: Birthday | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): FC, SFC
English speakers are probably familiar with the

Japanese word “kaijuu” when referring to gigantic
movie monsters like Godzilla or Mothra. In Kaijuu
Monogatari, it’s spelled a little differently, referring
to an original type of monster called a Shellsaur.
Initially released for the Famicom, this game takes
place in the world of Shell Dorado, and stars four
characters – the Fire Shell human boy (default
name: Ricky) and three other Shellsaurs, named
Kupikupi, Poyon, and Babu, each possessing one
of the remaining elements, as they fight the demon
Fat Badger. The game package includes figurines of
the four characters, a paper world map, and a sealed adventure – A-class are regular party members, The Super Famicom
letter labelled “The Secret Letter of Tears” (actually a B-class provide support skills for use on the Daikaijuu
final dungeon map). field, and C-class are fixed NPCs that hop in Monogatari games,
As in Dragon Quest IV, the heroes are and out of your team to create items. Between pictured here,
scattered across the land and must find each all of these, there’s a fairly large cast, formed feature a variety of
other before going on a grand adventure together. from a variety of races including cactus people, cutesy Shellsaur
However, you can switch viewpoints to any of the orcs, merpeople, and other anthropomorphs, companions.
characters at any time, controlling them separately as the story is much more advanced than
until you can all assemble. You can split up any that of the previous game. There’s also a
time after, though it’s to your advantage to stay feature whereby you can build your own town.
together, since you can use union attacks across The game is mostly known among Japanese
multiple characters. The battle system is similar fans for its creepy Bio-Base dungeon, an organic
to that in other Dragon Quest games, though cavern where living creatures are captured
your own characters are visible on the screen, in cocoons and drained of their nutrients.
and enemy sprites change to a weakened state A sequel, Daikaijuu Monogatari II, improves
when they take enough damage. When characters the visuals further, and uses the same PLGS
use the Defend command, they hide in the shells, system as Hudson’s Tengai Makyou Zero
and deflect nearly all damage. There are, however, (see page 240). Both Kaijuu games are pretty
special battle events called Devil’s Traps, in which decent, with excellent visuals, solid stories,
you face off against enemies on an 8 × 8 grid. and cute, interesting characters.
Birthday followed up this game with another These are the main games of the series, but
RPG called Juvei Quest, which takes place in it continued with assorted spinoffs, including two
feudal Japan. It’s not technically related, but it entries for the Game Boy, subtitled Miracle of the
does introduce a battle system that was used in Zone, as well as V Master Cloth for the Game Boy
the Super Famicom sequel Daikaijuu Monogatari. Advance, all based on card games, and two Poyon
There are three types of character who join your Dungeon Room games, starring the Shellsaur Poyon.
320
Samsara Naga (series)
Developer: Victor Entertainment | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, GBA
Samsara Naga (also spelled Sansara Naga) begins

with your hero, either a boy or a girl, stealing a
treasured dragon egg from their village in hopes
of becoming a Dragon Master. Except, oops, it’s
actually an ostrich egg, which hatches, and the
chick runs away. While chasing it, you come across
an old man who tasks you to hunt down some
dragon dung from the nearby mountain. Succeed,
and he’ll give you a real dragon egg. After it hatches,
it will follow you around as you explore the land.
The title is Sanskrit, meaning “Resurrected
Dragon”. This is a rarity, a game based on the
ancient Indus civilisation, with elements of character doesn’t gain experience, and primarily Become a dragon
Buddhism, Hinduism, and Brahmanism, in which strengthens by equipping new weapons or trainer by setting
the entire world lies on the back of a turtle. The armour. Your dragon also gets stronger by eating good example for
game has quite a few celebrity names behind particular types of prey, and can grow to immense your dragon child.
it, too. It was helmed by famed movie director sizes. While most RPGs spawn enemies based on
Mamoru Oshii (of the Ghost in the Shell anime how far through the story you are, this game will
movie), and written by his collaborator Kazunori pit you against foes related to the type of terrain
Itou, with music by film/anime composer Kenji you’re traversing. You have to be very careful
Kawai. The comical character designs are by where you step, otherwise you could end up
Tamakichi Sakura, and the game makes a good fighting something you’re vastly unprepared for.
opportunity to show off his unique characters, This is because the structure is fairly open-ended,
whether enemies or goofy NPC portraits. The even from the beginning.
game has a silly sense of humour too, as noted A sequel was released for the Super Famicom,
by the soba noodle food chain that you can visit which plays similarly but has a different setup.
for guidance. At the centre of the story is a female This time, the world consists of eight lands
Dragon Master named Amrita, whom you’ll stacked around a pillar. There are now different
encounter several times through the story. types of dragon, plus they can use magic spells,
The main goal is, of course, to raise your called Mantras. Interestingly, when you beat the
dragon, which is mostly done by feeding it defeated game, the first save game slot is erased – this isn’t
enemies. However, you have to be a good parent a bug but rather an emphasis on the finality of
too – you can, technically, attack any NPC on the completing the game, as in the later Nier games.
battlefield, but you’re setting a bad example for Both games were ported to the Game Boy Advance,
your dragon child, so he may become defiant and though they’re more like remakes, since they make
ignore your commands. You can also sell defeated substantial updates to the visuals. In both original
foes in towns to obtain money. Strengthening games, the battle screen is pretty stark; in this
your dragon is important, since your human version it changes to an isometric perspective.
321
Dark Lord (series)
Developer: Data East | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): FC, SFC
Data East had a few RPG series, but while Metal

Max and Heracles no Eikou borrowed many
conventions from other JRPGs, its Dark Lord
trilogy (not to be confused with Enix’s Dark
Half or Climax’s Dark Savior) was quite a bit
different, taking inspiration from tabletop RPGs.
In practice, the game plays out a little bit like
Falcom’s Sorcerian – you create a handful of
characters, and they begin their life in a medieval
village. At various points in the game, there are
scenarios that pop up, which are quests that
you can venture out on and complete. However,
adventuring isn’t your character’s day job, and
instead they spend most of their time working. You goofy name Wizap!: Ankoku no Ou (“The King The Dark Lord
can pick their profession, determining not only of Darkness”) in 1994. It’s fairly similar, though it games are among the
their skills, which can be used in the scenarios, allows for both turn-based and real-time battles handful of attempts
but also the amount of income they receive. – in the latter case, the player commands one at simulating the
The scenarios you complete will govern which of character and the others are managed by AI. tabletop RPG
the multiple endings you reach. Depending on The difficulty level is also fairly high, since if you experience in video
the game, certain premade characters may join don’t undertake certain scenarios within the time game format.
your party, if you can make friends with them, limit, the world will be destroyed and the game
plus there are systems for learning various types will end. This was followed by a third game, Dark
of magic spell. Law: Meaning of Death, released in 1997. It’s also
When you do undertake a scenario, your similar but not quite as difficult, and the action
heroes venture off through assorted forests, caves, part of the battle system has been removed,
and dungeons. Whenever you encounter enemies, leaving just the tactical parts. In addition to the
it switches to a turn-based system like a strategy usual scenarios, there’s also a sealed cave that
RPG’s, in which your character can move a limited you can venture into at any time, and beating it is
number of squares per turn. Battles also take required in order to see the best ending.
place on the field rather than on a separate screen. The stories are all mostly similar, being dark
It’s similar to the battle system found in the later fantasy tales that involve dark gods, forgotten
Square SFC RPG Treasure Hunter G. magic, and the like. They’re very atypical for RPGs
There are three games in the series, though of the time, and weren’t particularly popular,
they all have different names. Dark Lord was especially due to the high difficulty level and lack
released on the Famicom in 1991. Compared to of any official strategy guides. But they’ve also
the squat characters typical of other 8-bit RPGs, become cult classics among the Japanese role-
the taller sprites make it stand out against its playing fan audience, and they’re highly sought-
brethren. Its sequel was granted the somewhat after in the secondary market.
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Cleopatra no Mahou
Developer: Square | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FDS
Cleopatra no Mahou (“The Magic Treasure of

Cleopatra”) is an adventure RPG hybrid from
Square. You control a young man named Daisuke
Kusano, the son of a famous archaeologist
who has disappeared while exploring Egyptian
ruins. The only way to rescue him is by finding
the Tears of Isis, which can resurrect the spirit
of Queen Cleopatra and save Daisuke’s father.
Some of the areas, including the town, are
presented as relatively simple mazes. Much of the
game is like a standard first-person command-
based adventure game, but every time you choose
a command, there’s a random chance that you’ll
be attacked by an enemy. These battle scenes are There’s not really much to Cleopatra no Cleopatra no Mahou
turn-based and greatly simplified – there’s nothing Mahou, but as a standard adventure, it’s not too is roughly similar
you can really do but attack, and the outcome is bad, and the Egyptian setting is pretty cool. The to a Square FDS
determined largely by your experience level and enemies are fairly large and actually animated adventure game
equipped weapon. While some items can be found – the monkey on the shoulder of the bandit is called Suishou no
during your exploits in the ruins, many others need surprisingly cute. The constant loading, as with Dragon, though with
to be purchased from the town. This requires money, many FDS games, really drags the pacing though. added RPG elements.
which is obtained by killing enemies. In other Like most early Square titles, it’s most interesting
words, the RPG elements don’t really add anything for the staff that went on to bigger things,
to the game other than tedious grinding. Take including composer Nobuo Uematsu, director
away all of the combat, and it’s a pretty short game. Hiromichi Tanaka, and artist Takashi Tokita.
The Magic of Scheherazade

Developer: Culture Brain | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): NES
The Magic of Scheherazade takes place in the
magical world of the Arabian Nights. A hero
attempts to take down the evil Sabaron, but
ends up banished to the past with his memory
erased. Only by transcending time can the
hero return to the present and rescue his
girlfriend Scheherazade.
Developed by Culture Brain, mostly known
for the Super Chinese and Hiryu no Ken titles,
there’s a lot going on this in game. At the outset,
you can choose from three different classes –
Fighter, Magician, and Saint – though you can
switch at mosques found in towns. Each of the
five chapters has its own overworld, plus two time but other folks include Frauk the genie, a flying The US release
periods that you switch between via hidden Time squirrel named Supica, and a translation robot of The Magic of
Doors. Most of the time, the chapters are in action named Gun Meca. Scheherazade didn’t
RPG format, except when you switch screens, It’s an extremely impressive game just for its come out until
when there’s a random chance you’ll enter a turn- scale, with a gigantic world and tons of characters, early 1990, a few
based battle. Here, you can pick from a variety of friend and foe. But it also tries to do a little too months after Dragon
partners to help the hero take down your enemies. much – in particular, the turn-based battles Warrior on the NES.
The fantasy Arabian setting is already unusual for probably could’ve been ditched because they
an 8-bit game, but the characters, especially the don’t do much but waste time. But, for a late ’80s
partners, are often quite silly – you’re joined by NES RPG, it’s still a pretty cool game, especially
a cat sorceress called Coronya at the beginning, considering that it was graced with a translation.
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Legend of the Ghost Lion
Developer: Kemco | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): NES
In Kemco’s Legend of the Ghost Lion, you play

as a young girl named Maria, whose village has
been attacked by the beast referenced in the title.
Her parents try to hunt it down and she follows,
only to be knocked unconscious and wake up in a
fantasy world.
While this is mostly a fairly standard Dragon
Quest clone, there are a few interesting things
about it. Female characters tended to get relegated
to being side characters in RPGs of this era, and
Maria, as the star, is one of the few exceptions.
She’s also the only human character, but various
others can be summoned into battle by using
specific items, and they will attack until their was actually localised into English, complete The wildly
power runs out. The battles here are a little more with a goofy-as-heck cover that makes it look inappropriate cover
visually dynamic, intercutting close-ups of the like an aerobics video. The game was also of the NES version
characters while they attack the enemy. Terms technically based on an English language of this game has
like experience level, HP, and MP are replaced with movie called Pyramid no Kanata ni: White been the subject
Hope, Courage, and Dreams. Maria also does not Lion Densetsu (“Beyond the Pyramids: Legend of much hilarity
gain experience directly, but instead levels up (or of the White Lion”). The movie was only over the years.
gains Hope, rather) by finding treasure chests released in Japan, and has little to do with
spread around the world. the game other than sharing a protagonist
Among the game’s other points of (played by Anne Marie McEvoy, of the sitcom
interest, it was one of the few of its type that Full House) and focusing on a white lion.
Square’s Tom Sawyer

Developer: Square | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC
In between their Final Fantasy games, Square
put out this odd little title, the second game for
the Famicom to be based on Mark Twain’s Tom
Sawyer stories. (The other was an action game
from Seta that was released in North America;
this one wasn’t.) It takes place in the year 1855 by
the Mississippi River in Missouri, USA and stars
characters like Tom, his buddy Huckleberry Finn,
their slave Jim, and a few other characters, as they
hunt for pirate treasure, though they end up in
competition with one of the book’s antagonists,
Injun Joe. For Westerners, the game is mostly
known for Jim’s hugely racist character portrait.
It’s fairly unique for an RPG in a number out. The game is also infamous for a rare enemy Tom Sawyer is an
of ways – exploration is presented on the top attack so powerful that it will reset the entire odd choice to base
half of the screen, from a side-on perspective, console. There are no experience levels, but a video game on,
and battles are viewed from over the shoulder. individual stats instead go up after battle; there so the fact that it
There is no traditional overworld, just connected is no currency and therefore no stores, so instead inspired not one but
screens, and there’s quite a bit of freedom to you find items while exploring. Each character two separate games
explore. During combat, enemies appear off in has a unique ability, plus there are also super- is kinda baffling.
the distance, and your party members will run attacks that the player can name.
up to fight them. It’s all quite comical, with It’s a very unusual, rather silly game, but
weird enemies like zombies, and there are goofy while it’s not really on the level of Final Fantasy,
portraits when you run away or get knocked it still shows Square’s skill in making 8-bit RPGs.
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Nakayoshi to Issho
Developer: Yutaka | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): FC
Nakayoshi is one of Japan’s longest running

shoujo magazines, founded in 1954, and has
published numerous manga aimed at adolescent
girls. This Famicom game, the title of which
translates as “Together with Nakayoshi”, puts you
into the shoes of a girl who visits worlds based on
their many comics, meeting and interacting with
their characters. Most of these will be unfamiliar
to English speakers, since they were never
translated – titles like Goldfish Warning!, Pocket
Park, MinMin!, Taiyou ni Smash, and Kurumi and
the Seven Dwarfs – but their most internationally
popular one is Sailor Moon, which is indeed
featured prominently here. cutesy stuff, or at least non-standard RPG stuff, As the shoujo
As an RPG, it’s relatively simple, as it was like doughnuts and bananas. counterpart to
aimed towards the same market as the manga, The entire game is super-adorable, since it Famicom Jump, this
rather than the young male audience more typical is a shoujo manga RPG. Dialogue is accompanied entry comes over
for this type of game. Much of it is spent walking by large character portraits, and your main as being quite a bit
around, talking, collecting items, and solving character is ridiculously cutesy, and so are the better, even if the
simple puzzles. When you do enter combat, enemies – squirrels and the like. If nothing else, the properties aren’t
actions are decided entirely by the outputs of a slot game represents one of the handful of times that as recognisable to
machine. While there are no experience points, publishers tried to widen their audiences, and does an international
you do get money (called Peach points) and can so without being patronising – it’s a fair stretch audience.
purchase weapons and items, which are mostly better than the average licensed game, for sure.
Tao: The Way

Developer: Pax Softnica | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC
Tao (subtitled “The Way”) is easily the most
bizarre RPG on the Famicom. It is very roughly
based on The Great Prophecy of Nostradamus, in
that a demon emerges in the year 1999, and the
hero must stop him. Along the way, you’ll ride
dinosaurs, fight with equipment like machine
guns, grenades, and chemical weapons, and face
off against enemies like chickens and octopuses.
You only control one character, and battles consist
of little more than mashing the “A” button.
Meetings with NPCs occur in close-up, and you
can interact with them using various commands,
as in an adventure game.
Its major theme is religion, as you’ll meet An off-the-wall Taoist sci-fi RPG should be False religions
townspeople of the Christian and Buddhist faiths, an absolutely wild experience, but unfortunately and dinosaurs
as well as assorted deities. It is not anti-religion it’s really not much fun to play. The visuals are should make for
though – in fact, it is very much pro-religion, inconsistent, looking awful on some screens and an interesting
focusing on Yiguandao, a Chinese faith that decent in others, and the battle balance is pretty experience, though
began in the ’40s and is officially outlawed there bad, not to mention the lack of strategy involved. the game never
today. The game suggests that this is the one What’s shocking is that it was developed by Pax remotely fulfils
true religion and all others provide false gods, Softnica, the same company that also worked its potential.
a sentiment hammered home so fiercely that it with Nintendo on numerous games, including
feels like propaganda. Perhaps they were the ones Mother, and probably should’ve been able to
bankrolling this game? create a better product.
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Dream Master
Developer: Birthday | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): FC
Dream Master (no relation to the Little Nemo

games from Capcom) is an unusual RPG,
published by Namco and developed by Birthday,
the company behind the Kaijuu Monogatari
series. As an apprentice dream master, who can
enter into people’s subconscious minds, you must
enter the nightmarish Black Dream to save the
princess of the kingdom.
There is no overworld to explore, as the
game is divided into seven chapters, each with a
dungeon to conquer. Most floors are covered with
dark mist that cloaks the tiles in each room. You
can clear them one by one by moving over them,
though if you uncover a wall, you lose a health for; their weakpoints are revealed by using the Dream Master
point; it’s impossible to predict where some walls Search command. Certain strong enemy attacks breaks away from
are, but, with time, you can get a feel for how the can also be dodged by hitting a direction, if you’re the structure
areas are laid out. You must hunt for items, which quick enough. Though you can gain levels, foes of typical RPGs,
are used to solve simple puzzles on the dungeon don’t respawn, so there’s a cap on how strong you with a level-based
maps but also in combat. You’ll also wander into can get within a given chapter. approach.
enemies, which are fought one-on-one (though The visuals are typical 8-bit RPG stuff, though
occasionally you’ll be joined by other characters, the monsters are large and very well detailed. Since
who will pitch in). There are three types of attack, the game lacks the grind of most other RPGs of
each with different attack, defence, and hit ratios, the era, and it’s not particularly long, it makes for
and you also pick which part of the enemy to aim an enjoyable experience.
Otaku no Seiza
Developer: Advance Communications | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): FC, PCECD
Otaku no Seiza, given the English subtitle An
Adventure in the Otaku Galaxy, takes place in a
distant future where women rule the planet and
men are treated as an underclass, referred to as
“otaku-chan” (“nerdlings”). Not only that, but
the land is overrun by a variety of bizarre beasts.
The amnesiac protagonist wakes up and decides to
take down the Five Aurora Daughters, the leaders
of this society, who live in floating cities around
the land, and re-ignite civilisation’s manhood. The
story is by Hiroshi Motomiya (Salaryman Kintaro)
with art by Hisashi Eguchi (Stop!! Hibari-kun).
The concept is quite misogyonistic, although
it also doesn’t take itself all that seriously. Most The rights holders must’ve felt strongly about Otaku no Seiza
of the enemies are pretty strange, often being this concept and these characters though, because tried to get by
men in comical costumes (salarymen in sailor they were resurrected in 1993 for an actual idol on its rather
uniforms for example) or odd hybrids, like dogs group, an anime OVA, and a pachinko machine. crass man-hating
with men’s faces. For the most part, it’s yet another Along with these came a pseudo-remake of the gimmick and
typical Dragon Quest-style RPG, with many of the 8-bit game, now upgraded for the PC Engine CD, failed … twice!
same issues in other games on the Famicom but called Aurora Quest: Otaku no Seiza in Another
exacerbated somewhat. The random encounter World, which includes a revamped scenario,
rate is high, the hit rate is low, and the general improved visuals and voice acting. However,
balance is poor. It’s another game that uses an the battle system is still a pain, and ultimately it’s
unusual setup to mask its subpar design. not much of an improvement.
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Doraemon: Gigazombie no Gyakushuu
Developer: Epoch | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC
Doraemon, the time-travelling robot cat created

by the team known as Fujiko Fujio, debuted in
manga form in 1969. That ran for nearly 30 years,
and eventually led to assorted TV shows, movies,
and of course, video games. The second Famicom
title, Doraemon: Gigazombie no Gyakushuu
(“Gigazombie Strikes Back”) is an RPG in the style
of Dragon Quest, in which you hunt down the
nefarious criminal Gigazombie. The protagonist
is an original character representing the player,
and is always in the party along with Doraemon;
various other characters pop in and out of the
party, including Doraemon regulars.
There are several worlds to visit, each replenished in towns, depending on how many This game has
based on one of the movies, with a story that’s enemies you kill. Extraneous items can also be some pretty good
a sequel to it: you’ll visit demons in the Makai, stored in Doraemon’s 4D pocket. music too, with
explore underwater, adventure underground The balance is a little off – boss battles the underworld
to the land of dinosaurs, and travel to ancient in particular are rough – but otherwise it’s a map theme being a
Japan. Combat is in typical Dragon Quest format, pretty decent game, especially for a licensed title. favourite among retro
except there is no magic – instead, each character It has some nice touches too, like the character game music fans.
can use one of Doraemon’s trademark gadgets portraits in dialogue. Plus there’s a fun gag right
(which have been scattered about and must be at the beginning, where you can repeatedly say
collected), which drains a shared pool of Dorayaki “no” when Doraemon asks if you’d like to join his
(a type of Japanese pastry), which can later be journey, ending the game almost immediately.
Monster Maker (series)

Developer: Sofel | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GB, FC, SFC, PC98, PCECD
Monster Maker originated as a card game in
1988, which was popular largely thanks to the
cute fantasy artwork by illustrator Kugatsu Hime.
It spawned a video game series, which was
overseen by Kazunari Suzuki, one of the members
of the original Megami Tensei staff.
The first Monster Maker video game was
released for the Game Boy. After picking from
one of four heroes, and finding companions in
town, you venture onto the world map and visit
dungeons. These areas are completely hidden by
cards, which need to be flipped over, revealing
the terrain. In addition to items, you’ll also find
enemies, which are fought in the typical JRPG unique in the first place. The PC Engine game, Beginning on the
turn-based fashion. Most everything is represented subtitled Dark Dragon, was supposed to be the Game Boy, this
by cards, owing to the source material. Characters series’ shining moment, but due to development relatively prolific
do not level up; but rather the protagonist grows difficulties, the story was cut in half, promising series was basically
stronger by finishing quests given by the king. The a sequel later. Unfortunately, the game that killed by one dreadful
only magic is in consumable cards, which can be was released was such a buggy disaster that the 16-bit release.
purchased in the towns. promised follow-up was cancelled, and the game
The series continued, with separate sequels series effectively died, until a brief GBA resurrection
on the Game Boy, Famicom, and Super Famicom, down the line. A few other non-RPG games were
though they eventually stripped away the card released, including a digital board game for the
gimmicks and other elements that made it so Super Famicom called Monster Maker Kids.
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The Sword of Hope
Developer: Kemco | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): GB
Kemco was known for making Japanese console

versions of Western computer games, most
famously for the ICOM MacVenture point-and-
click games like Shadowgate, Déjà Vu, and
Uninvited. For their Sword of Hope series, they
took this formula and used it as the basis for an
RPG. In the first game, you control Prince Theo,
whose father has gone mad with power, and who
must fight back against him to find the Sword of
Hope and reclaim the throne. In the second, you
play as Theo again, this time retrieving the stolen
Sword of Hope and defeating the evil Zakdos.
The interface is very similar to that on
the ICOM MacVentures, though made easier to
use for the portable screen. While those games
were known for illogical puzzles and constant,
unpredictable death scenes, Sword of Hope back from the starting location. The second game Known as Selection
replaces these with a turn-based combat system. is a little more in-depth, as it allows you to use in Japan, both
When you navigate around, you’ll see little dots three characters in combat instead of just Theo. games were bundled
on the map, which indicate enemy encounters. Overall, they’re a little simple, but they’re unique together on the
Fights are simple and largely revolve around genre hybrids and they work well on the Game Boy. same cartridge and
grinding, although the random number generator There was also a Japanese-only spinoff title using re-released in their
can screw you over and kill you too quickly, but the same system, called Nekojara Monogatari, native territory.
the punishment for death is light, just sending you which stars a boy who’s been turned into a cat.
Great Greed
Developer: Namco | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): GB
In Namco’s Great Greed, you control a boy from
the regular world, sucked into the kingdom of
Greene, and tasked with hunting down the villain
Bio Hazard Harry, who seeks to pollute the planet.
The environmental message was added to the
English localisation, though the main gimmick
in both languages is that many aspects are
named after food. (The land is called the Vitamina
Kingdom in the Japanese version.) There’s a
sorceress named Microwave, princesses named
Gum Drop, Lollypop, Candy, Cup Cake, Citrus,
and Truffle, and areas with names like Sushi and
Spaghetti. In spite of the amusing names, the food
theme doesn’t really carry over to the visuals, and
it generally looks like a standard Dragon Quest
clone, though there are some unusual events, like
a trek through a record factory. benefit, like absorbing enemy attacks, increasing Other than the
Battles are one-on-one, though the view the hero’s strength, or healing him. amusing alliteration,
is from over the shoulder of the hero. There are At the ending, you’re offered the hand in the English title of
no menus; commands are given with buttons marriage of any of the princesses. However, you can this game doesn’t
– A attacks, B defends, Start runs, and spells actually choose to marry anyone, including anyone really tell you much
are assigned to the D-pad. In each area, you’re in the royal court, male or female, even breaking about it, as if it’s
also accompanied by a princess, who can’t be up the king and queen to wed one of them. It’s an hiding its unusual
controlled directly, but each provides a unique unusual send-off for a quirky little game. food-based theme.
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Xerd no Densetsu
Developer: Vic Tokai/Graphic Research | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): GB
On the surface, Xerd no Densetsu (“The Legend of

Xerd”) seems like a typical Game Boy JRPG, similar
to Final Fantasy Legend or Aretha. But beneath
this exterior lies one of the most absurd stories
seen in the genre.
The Xerd of the game’s title is a hero who
defeated evil 800 years in the past. Jump to the
present and you control a prince named Jake,
tasked with hunting down the reincarnation
of this legendary hero. Fairly early on, you’re
joined by a young woman named Mahna. When
adventuring together, once you reach a certain
town, the people suddenly proclaim that you
should be married (due to a message from God,
they say), and the couple goes along with it. In
the next town, surprise, she’s pregnant! She gives
birth to a young boy, whom the priest names intentional, or just the result of bad storytelling. Xerd no Densetsu
(gasp!) Xerd. As it turns out, their son is actually Plus, the game’s other claim to fame is the was ostensibly
the reincarnation of the hero they’ve been looking digitised screams that come out of the system created by human
for! When they dip him in a certain fountain, he when enemies are defeated, something so majestic beings, but feels like
suddenly becomes fully grown, so he joins along that even the box brags about it. It’s certainly something from a
with his parents to complete their journey. enough to make it stand out from other Game Boy different planet.
The casual way in which major events just RPGs. It also received a sequel, though this lacks
sort of happen is insane. It’s unclear whether it’s its bizarre scenario, so it never really made a mark.
Oni (series)
Developer: WinkySoft/Pandora Box | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GB, SFC, PS1, NDS
The Oni series was ridiculously prolific, with five
games on the Game Boy, two on the Super Famicom,
one on the PlayStation, and one on the Nintendo
DS. They are standard JRPGs that take place in
an island country that is very obviously based on
Japan. You control the ninja Tenchimaru, whose
hometown has been destroyed, and fight against
various youkai (supernatural monsters or spirits).
In battle, the main feature is that you can use a
transformation ability, like Sentai superheroes.
Oni 3 takes place hundreds of years after the first
two, and contains multiple chapters with various
protagonists, à la Dragon Quest IV. However, Oni 4
jumps back and continues the story of Oni 2. Oni 5
transcends space-time by collecting all of the
protagonists together. On the PlayStation, publisher Pandora Box Takeo Iijima, the
The series jumped to the Super Famicom put out Oni Zero, which takes place in the Heian writer of the Burai
with Onigami Kourinden, which takes place in era. With a story by Takeo Iijima and character RPG series, acted as
the Japanese historical Kamakura period, and designs by Jun Kamiya, it’s fairly decent title, but both the producer and
Bakumatsu Kourinden Oni, which takes place in the story is unfinished and a sequel was never made. writer for many titles
the Bakumatsu period, and is also set partly in the The series was brought back for the DS with Oni in the Oni series.
United States, featuring Western youkai. There Zero: Sengoku Ransei Hyakka Ryouran by Compile
was also a spinoff arcade fighting game known in Heart, though it’s unrelated to the previous game’s
English as Metamoqester. story, and the quality is quite poor.
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Aretha (series)
Developer: Japan Art Media | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GB, SFC
Even though Dragon Quest was a cultural

phenomenon for the Famicom, Enix seemed
uninterested in creating any portable renditions,
at least until the Dragon Quest Monsters spinoffs
of the late ’90s. That left it up to other companies
to fill the market for portable RPGs, and one such
series was Aretha. It was developed by a company
called Japan Art Media, which later worked on
some of the Lunar remakes, and published by
Yanoman, which was primarily known for toys.
As for Aretha, the games are about what
you’d expect from a Dragon Quest clone, except
they star a female warrior named Materia, joined
by a few other heroes in saving the land from the
evil Howard. (This probably sounded a little more
intimidating in Japanese.) There are a few minor it plays much the same as before. The second SFC This prolific series
gimmicks, like the ability to use a defeated monster game is the better of the two, offering breezier is an example
from one battle in the next fight. The three Game pacing (though shorter play time) and the removal of how smaller
Boy games form one complete trilogy. of random battles. The third SFC game, Rejoice: companies
The series then leapt over to the Super Aretha Oukoku no Kanata (“Rejoice: Beyond the kept chugging
Famicom, with its colour graphics, and shifting the Aretha Kingdom”) reformats the game as an action along in spite
story 100 years into the future, this time starring RPG. Altogether, the innovation in this series is of competition
a young woman named Ariel. This is a two-part rather limited, and the 16-bit games in particular from the larger
series showing her ascent to the throne, though feel dated compared to their contemporaries. publishers.
Defenders of Oasis
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): GG
The early JRPGs on the Game Gear weren’t
particularly good; they included the rather
generic Eternal Legend and the terrible fanfic-
style Phantasy Star Gaiden. But one of the better
ones was Defenders of Oasis, which is also the
only one of these to receive an English release.
The game stars the Prince of Shanadar, who has
been run out of his kingdom by the ancient wizard
Ahriman, and returns for revenge. Accompanied
by his genie, he meets up with two other folks, the
ship captain Saleem (who was meant to be Sinbad
in the Japanese version) and the troublesome thief
Agmar, to fight back against Ahriman and take
back his throne.
This is still a pretty typical Dragon Quest-
type game, though the Arabian setting makes it a
little more interesting. Each of the four characters are quite a bit better than that in most Famicom Defenders of Oasis
has a unique special ability – the thief can hide for RPGs, though. A solid title altogether. uses an auto-save
a turn, and the ship captain can dance to attack In Japan, the game is known as Shadam function, which
multiple enemies. The genie is unique in that he Crusader. Elsewhere, it was known as Defenders was very innovative
is the only one who can use magic, but he also of Oasis, which later tied in with the American for its time, and
cannot level up normally, by getting experience, name of the Genesis action RPG Beyond Oasis. super handy in a
so instead he uses items to increase his stats and Other than sharing the Arabian setting, there’s portable title.
reads inscriptions to learn new spells. The visuals nothing that connects these games.
330
Phantasy Star Gaiden
Developer: SEGA/Japan Supply Systems | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): GG
While the mainline Phantasy Star games were

made for home consoles, the Game Gear received
two spinoffs that were released only in Japan –
Phantasy Star Adventure, a command-based
adventure game, and Phantasy Star Gaiden, a
proper RPG. In theory this should’ve turned out well
– the first Phantasy Star was on the Master System,
and the Game Gear hardware is almost identical –
but instead it was outsourced to obscure developer
Japan Supply Systems, who didn’t remotely
understand how to handle this beloved property.
The story takes place on the planet Copto, on
the Alisaland colony, which was named after Alisa
(Alis in the English version), the heroine of the first
Phantasy Star. According to legend, she fought its cool anime sci-fi aesthetics, which are almost This Game Gear
the demon Cablon 400 years ago and sealed him completely absent here, save for a few things, like game is even less of a
away, but he has been awakening from his slumber. an android that turns into a boat. Otherwise, Phantasy Star game
Two children, Alec and Mina, have to stop him. In it feels like grade school fan fiction. The SMS than Phantasy Star
the course of the game, a few other characters Phantasy Star had brilliantly animated enemies; III, which is really
will take a turn occupying the third party slot, Phantasy Star Gaiden has enemies in tiny saying something.
including Alisa, who has been in hypersleep for all windows, with the battle screens mostly taken up
the intervening centuries. by menus. Everything about the game is extremely
That tie-in is really the only Phantasy Star regressive, which is shocking, considering how
thing about this game. The series was defined by pioneering the original game was.
Moldorian
The world of Moldorian: Hikari to Yami no Shimai
(or “Moldorian: Sisters of Light and Darkness”) is
divided into two realms, one inhabited by humans,
and the other by demons. They mostly exist
peacefully, unaware of each other’s existence. That
is, until a human girl named Milia is kidnapped in
a forest. It’s up to her childhood friend, Navarre,
to save her, while he learns about the history that
created these two worlds to begin with.
Moldorian features side-view fights that seem
to channel the Active Time Battle System from the
Final Fantasy games, but work a little bit differently.
Moldorian ditches the usual command menu –
time flows automatically, and when a character’s
turn comes around, they step forward. Then, you
can hold down a direction to attack a foe, cast one
of four equipped magic spells, or take another
available action. If you don’t act quickly enough, titles. The soundtrack is by Hitoshi Sakimoto, While most 8-bit
you’ll lose that turn. It’s quite breezy, which is handy, later known for Ogre Battle and Final Fantasy games have a
since the random encounter rate is fairly high. Tactics. Since this was a late release for the system, distinct Dragon
There are some recognisable names behind it has a remarkably modern feel, something like a Quest flavour,
the game, with character artwork by Hiroshi 16-bit RPG with 8-bit sound and visuals. It’s not Moldorian feels
Kajiyama, who provided illustrations for the later incredibly remarkable, but it is one of the better more modern than
Shining Force games, as well as the Golden Sun portable RPGs of the time. its compatriots.
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Cosmic Fantasy (series)
Developer: Telenet | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): TG16, MCD
Created by manga artist Kazuhiro Ochi, Cosmic

Fantasy is a lighthearted romp across an
undeveloped planet by an “Adventure Boy”. As
in Star Ocean, the sci-fi elements are largely
bookends to a medieval fantasy. Our heroes
mainly wander through forests fighting slimes and
kobolds via an astoundingly clunky turn-based
battle system.
The first game concerns Cosmic Hunter
Yuu crash-landing on Planet Norg along with his
otter/motorcycle companion Monmo (don’t ask),
before picking up the mystical heroine Saya and
saving the planet from the evil Morgan. In the end,
Yuu heads back into space to assist the sequel’s who crash-landed on the planet after being Spread across five
heroes, usually alongside the greedy and lecherous attacked by yakuza cats. Soon, they join Yuu and releases, Cosmic
cat Nyan. There’s a fair share of cheesecake; every Van to take on the wicked Garudo. It’s more of the Fantasy is pretty
heroine gets at least one shower scene. same, though the overworld has been eschewed in average as a game, but
The series is probably best known to favour of a contiguous environment. The enemies does feel very much
Westerners for Working Designs’ localisation of are more comical than the previous games stock like an anime OVA in
Cosmic Fantasy 2. Hunter Van’s beloved Laura is D&D monsters, but combat is as mindless as ever. video game format.
discovered to be a magical princess in exile, hiding Cosmic Fantasy 4 was something of a last
from the villainous Galam. Laura’s powers can hurrah. It was split into two games, with the sci-fi
only be unleashed if a man takes her in marriage elements finally front and centre, and the graphics
– naturally Galam wants these powers for evil, at their best, resulting in hefty load times. Combat
but Van is posited as truly worthy. Plot aside, has had an overhaul, borrowing Final Fantasy’s
it’s a terribly unremarkable game, with endless ATB system. Totsunyuu-hen returns us to Yuu and
random encounters. Worse still, experience is Saya as they attempt to rescue a princess and end
hard to come by, so grinding becomes a necessity. up in a battle against the fabric of the universe.
The halfway mark sees Galam throw Van decades Gekitou-hen, released a few months later, focuses
into the future and the focus shifts to Cosmic on Van as he faces down his past. Cosmic Fantasy
Hunter Lim (localised as Cadet Babbette), armed 4 is definitely the series at its best; a bittersweet
with just a butter knife. It’s agonising, but being thought for a final chapter. The series also received
an early CD-ROM JRPG, it enjoyed positive press. an OVA in 1994, titled Cosmic Fantasy: Lure of the
The cutscenes are nice, to be fair. The first two Cosmic Cougar!, in which the busty space pirate
games were collected as Cosmic Fantasy Stories Velga commits crimes to draw Yuu out in an
for the Mega CD. attempt to seduce him. Breasts get groped, faces
Cosmic Fantasy 3 focuses on Rei, a young get slapped, and spaceships explode. It’s what
healer. On his way to the city he runs into Nyan, you’d expect of an OVA of this vintage.
332
Tenshi no Uta (series)
Developer: Riot/Telenet | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): PCE, SFC
Tenshi no Uta (“Angel’s Hymn”) is a mish-mash

of Arthurian legend, Greek mythology, paganism,
and Christianity, centred around the theme of love
between a man and a pure maiden who turns out to
be an angel. There’s an idealism about this romance
that, though heteronormative, has a genuine
sweetness about it, not unlike those in Lunar.
It’s also nice that each central heroine is
competent; even when she becomes damseled,
it’s never for long. Otherwise, the games are fairly
standard – character customisation is minimal,
battles are simplistic, and there’s a day-night cycle.
Tenshi no Uta’s appeal is not found in its they find an imprisoned woman who can only Tenshi no Uta is the
gameplay, but in its presentation. Each narrative remember her name: Rhianna. Notably, Datenshi fantasy-flavoured
milestone is marked by a lush cutscene featuring no Sentaku adds complexity to the framework laid counterpart to
art by Hiroshi Fuji (Valkyrie no Bouken) and down by its predecessor: Rhianna turns out to be Cosmic Fantasy,
later Nobuteru Yuūki (Escaflowne). The redbook the titular Fallen Angel – sent by the archangel though the games
soundtrack is one of the earlier works of Michiko Raphael to bring about the next age, her choice were left unlocalised.
Naruke (Wild Arms), while the final game boasts is to destroy all life or embrace humanity. We
a score from Motoi Sakuraba. Notably, Tenshi no also encounter a haggard Kair, cursed to wander
Uta was where Wild Arms creator Akifumi Kaneko undying until Lucifer is eradicated.
got his start, initially as planning assistant, then as By 1993, RioT split off from Telenet to form
the sequel’s director/writer. Media.Vision, causing Telenet to develop the
Set in a fantastical take on the British Isles, third game, Shiroki Tsubasa no Inori (“A Prayer
all the entries take place within a single world; of White Wings”) with none of the original
characters and concepts from the first game show staff. Transitioning from the dying PCE to the
up in its sequels. The first Tenshi no Uta sets the Super Famicom, the finale lacked the trademark
stage, as protagonist Kair prepares to wed his cutscenes and CD-quality audio, but still has its
beloved, Claire. Before long she’s abducted by the charms. Protagonist Rayard visits the circus and
forces of Lucifer, leading Kair to assemble a party falls in love with the singer Callana. When Callana
to rescue her. The story doesn’t end with Claire’s is kidnapped and forced to marry the wicked Lord
emancipation – being a descendent of divinity, Lanner, Rayard springs into action. Soon they’re
she’s the best equipped to banish Lucifer. on the run as they search for clues to why Callana
The sequel, Datenshi no Sentaku (“Choice of bears such a resemblance to a revered goddess.
the Fallen Angel”) is set 100 years after Lucifer’s This was one of Telenet’s final games.
banishment. Friends Fate and Shion are patrolling Coupled with its hopeless romanticism, there’s
their village, when they hear about a monster a pleasant wistfulness about Tenshi no Uta as a
outbreak coming from a mysterious tower. Inside it, whole that’s not easily replicated.
333
Live-A-Live
Developer: Square | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC
Square was pretty big on games featuring

multiple protagonists available to the player, like
Romancing SaGa and Trials of Mana. Live-A-Live
was a little different from these, because each of
the main featured characters exists in a different
time period and stars in their own focused story.
The game was a joint venture with Shogakukan,
a publishing company that provided several
illustrators, one for each chapter. The game was
directed by Takashi Tokita, previously of Final
Fantasy IV, and later of Chrono Trigger.
The chapters are based on assorted genre
fiction: the Kung Fu chapter stars an aging
martial artist who passes his technique down to Some are heavily story-focused, others aren’t. Live-A-Live was
three students; the Prehistoric chapter focuses There’s no combat in the Sci-Fi chapter, outside met with a tepid
on a caveman named Pogo who must save a of the final battle, while the Present Day chapter reception even in
woman from being a sacrificial treat for a T-rex; is almost nothing but battles. There are plenty of Japan, where it was
the Near Future chapter stars an orphan named pop-culture homages, particularly to 2001, Alien, overshadowed by
Akira, who has psychic powers that let him read and Street Fighter II. other, bigger-name
minds and give him control of a giant mecha; The combat features the Checker Battle Square titles, but it’s
the Present Day chapter stars a wrestler named system, which breaks the field down into a become recognised
Masaru who simply wants to become champion; 7 × 7 grid. There are invisible action points that as a cult classic
the Sci-Fi chapter stars a robot named Cube on a determine when characters can move around over the years.
starship; the Old West chapter stars a wanderer and attack. The various moves have different
named the Sundown Kid as he faces off against ranges, so positioning is key. There is no limit to
a gang; and the Bakumatsu chapter takes place how often you can use special moves, and you are
in 19th century Japan, as you control the ninja automatically healed after battle. It’s all a little
Oboromaru as he infiltrates an enemy castle. vague and messy, but an interesting change from
Though these all seem wildly disparate, the main typical JRPG systems.
antagonists have similar-sounding names despite Live-A-Live tries to do a lot of things and
taking on different forms. While these main doesn’t entirely succeed at all of them, as some
chapters can be played in any order, once you beat stories are far more engaging than others, and the
them all, you unlock another one, the Medieval chapters are so short that the characterisation is a
chapter, starring a knight named Oersted, which bit shallow. But the fact that it contains so many
reveals the origin of the villain of all of the stories. wildly different genres – each with thematically
This very last chapter has all of the protagonists appropriate exploration and battle themes,
gathering together to fight that ultimate foe, courtesy of Yoko Shimomura – that its strengths
Odio. Each chapter has different tasks and goals. greatly overwhelm its faults.
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Rudra no Hihou
Directed by Kouze Ide and supervised by Akitoshi

Kawazu, along with some of the staff from Final
Fantasy Legend III and Final Fantasy: Mystic
Quest, Rudra no Hihou, fan-translated by
Aeon Genesis as “Treasure of the Rudras”, was
Square’s swansong on the Super Famicom,
released in early 1996.
It tells the story of the last 15 days of
humanity before its scheduled extinction by the
hand of the Rudra, a god of destruction who
comes every 4000 years to cleanse the world
and make way for a new dominant species.
The world is terribly polluted and seems on the
verge of death in any case. The knight Sion, the Several words are used in the world, the story, or The unusual
priest Riza, and the archaeologist Surlent are even by monsters, and if the player wishes, they spellcrafting
endowed with stones embedded in their bodies, may scribe these words themselves and make use system is at the
known as the Jade, which mark their destiny. of them. Each of the three main characters has centre of this late
Along the way, they will encounter remnants of their own 15-day-long scenario, all of which run Super Famicom
the four previous dominant species; the Giants, the concurrently, with the various protagonists even game from Square.
Reptiles, the Merfolk, and the Danan. Together, the encountering and interacting with one another at
heroes set forth to discover the truth of the world, various points. The player can even stop playing
cleanse it, and save its peoples. one character and switch to another just about
What sets Rudra apart from just about every whenever they please.
other game out there is its magic crafting, called Rudra no Hihou is the last game that
the Word Spirit System. Based upon the belief Squaresoft released on the SFC, and it makes
that words inherently hold power, the player can full use of their experience with the hardware,
scribe any of the given words they wish into the featuring gorgeous character art, courtesy of Keita
spellbook and have the characters cast a spell Amemiya. The score is credited to Ryuji Sasai of
based on it. The cost and result of the word, which Mystic Quest fame, and makes strong use of the
the Aeon Genesis translation calls a Mantra, are multi-scenario system by giving each character
dependent upon just what the word is. There are their own overworld and battle themes. The game
rules one can follow that work on a “prefix-root- features strong threads of environmentalism and
suffix” basis – the root is typically an elemental racial solidarity that tell us that the only way to
type, while the prefixes and suffixes modify the fix the problems is to survive and the only way to
root in various ways, increasing their strength survive, is to fix the problems, in stark contrast to
or adding a multi-target ability, at the expense the idea that the environment can only be saved
of increased MP usage. Any word will produce by human extinction, as was common in Japanese
something, even if the effects are nearly useless. games and stories of the ’90s.
335
Treasure Hunter G
Developer: Square/Sting | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
Long before its ambitious Dept. Heaven series

(Riviera, Yggdra Union, etc.), Sting was a
developer made up of ex-Compile employees. In
1996, they partnered with Square for their first
RPG, Treasure Hunter G. Directed by Puyo Puyo
creator Kazunari Yonemitsu and produced by the
legendary Hironobu Sakaguchi, Treasure Hunter G
would be Square’s final 16-bit release, capping off
an inventive start to the year that encompassed
Rudra no Hihou and Bahamut Lagoon.
Brothers Red and Blue G are watched over by
their grandfather Silver in the town of Ruuri, as
their father Brown – the titular Treasure Hunter G use of each party member’s speciality: Red is Square didn’t often
– neglects his family in favour of adventure. When your standard fighter, Rain becomes an essential work with outside
the brothers hear that Brown is investigating the healer following a key scene early in the game, companies, but their
presence of a hi-tech aircraft, the Ferric Falcon, while Ponga is an expert at ranged combat, with collaboration with
they grow restless and convince Silver to follow his boomerangs and wide variety of black magic. Sting worked well
their father’s trail. The trio arrive just in time to see Blue has perhaps the most surprising expertise, for this late Super
Brown hop into the Falcon and take to the skies, as he specialises in traps – particularly landmines Famicom release.
pursued by a mysterious army. Unfortunately, and teleport tiles. As trapped tiles are unmarked,
the soldiers set their sights on Ruuri, burning the you must be mindful of their positions so as to
village to cinders. Silver doesn’t survive, leaving not blow up your own party members, but teleport
Red and Blue alone. The duo partner with Rain, tiles are an essential way for allies to move around
a mysterious girl pursued by monsters, and her the map while expending minimal AP.
“pet” Ponga, a monkey capable of understanding Treasure Hunter G’s visual style is a blend
human speech. The four set off to eventually of crisp chip art and pre-rendered CG, à la Super
challenge the Dark Lord, who wishes to revive the Mario RPG, and while its environments look
awkwardly named Bone Dino. lovely, its assets haven’t aged well. The music,
The battle system is where Treasure Hunter on the other hand, is timeless, helmed by a pre-
G truly shines. Enemies appear on the map, à la Basiscape Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata.
Chrono Trigger, and running into one transports It’s a lighthearted game that’s frequently comical;
you onto a small turn-based strategy grid. Each barrel-clad monsters cover their shame when you
character expends Action Points (AP) to move and destroy their attire, and a mad scientist’s parrot,
act. Whacking an enemy is as simple as hitting who usually mimics the last word of each of his
the A button, and menu navigation is limited master’s sentences, turns erudite to express
to item usage, spellcasting, and ending a turn delicate matters. It also doesn’t overstay its
prematurely. Tactics are more important than welcome, clocking in at a brisk 20 hours. Treasure
levels, and the key to success is making optimal Hunter G remains a valuable delight.
336
Robotrek
Developer: Quintet/Ancient | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC
Following hot on the heels of Illusion of Gaia,

Robotrek is definitely the black sheep of Quintet’s
16-bit oeuvre. Developed in collaboration with
Yuzo Koshiro’s studio Ancient, it’s Quintet’s first
turn-based RPG. Most notably, Robotrek breaks
from Quintet’s theme du jour – death and rebirth
– in favour of a lighthearted, sci-fi romp about
mischievous criminals and the budding robotics
prodigy set to stop them.
Originally titled Slapstick in Japan, Robotrek
was obviously intended for a younger audience. Enix
America tried to obfuscate this, likely changing the
title to be evocative of both Robotech and Star
Trek, while trading the gag-filled, manga-esque build robots when required. At level one, robots The sci-fi themed
box art for a moody painting of a space station. start with 40 points, which can be freely distributed American cover art
The game itself, however, couldn’t be any cuter. between various stats; an additional ten points are hides the fact that
The world is colourful and exaggerated, while the awarded per robot with each level-up, and a robot Robotrek is indeed a
always-adorable monsters wouldn’t be out of place can be fully re-specced when levelling or at any pretty goofy game.
in any cute-’em-up. The game’s intro details the R&D station. R&D is also used to invent items
rise of the crime syndicate Hackers, and its reign like repair kits and weapons, using level-gated
of terror: stomping sandcastles and causing minor invention manuals found on throughout the world.
traffic violations, which is pretty delightful. While the player is eventually able to
Set in the near-future on Planet Quintenix, maintain the maximum stock of three robots, only
the game opens in the town of Rococo during the one takes to the field at a time; combat mixes turn-
autumn, where the protagonist, the young son of the based strategy with Final Fantasy’s ATB system.
genius Dr. Akihabara, moves in with his father, his A robot is only able to take action once it’s fully
father’s assistant, Nagisa, and their cat, Kurogane. charged; each action depletes its charge meter by
The Good Doctor is kind of a lousy father, frequently a different amount; the charge level then governs
leaving his son for extended periods while he does the duration until the robot can next act. Mêlée
mad scientist things. Fortunately, Nagisa is eager to attacks deplete the least charge, hard-hitting
cultivate the hero’s thirst for knowledge, and begins bombs cost a fair chunk, and the most intensive
teaching him the ins and outs of robotics. programmable combos drain it completely.
While the player controls the protagonist Despite its kid-friendly exterior, Robotrek is
during exploration, it’s the robots he builds who an exceedingly hard game; judicious stat builds
serve as his champions. Dr. Akihabara has built and actions mean the difference between victory
an extensive R&D lab in his basement, where and defeat. Combined with its massive dungeons,
development is comically handled by a husband- which entirely lack savepoints, Robotrek is an
and-wife team of gnomes, who pop out to hand- unlikely hardcore experience.
337
GOD: Growth or Devolution
Developer: Infinity Co./Third Stage | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1
GOD: Mezame yo to Yobu Koe ga Kikoe (“Growth

or Devolution: Heed the Call to Awaken”) begins
with a young boy named Gen, who starts a journey
to visit his grandmother. Along the way, he
discovers some ancient aliens lying dormant in a
mountain, who summarily awaken and then begin
to wage war on the Earth. He falls asleep for ten
years, after which he finds he has psychic powers.
Humanity has been fighting for the past decade,
led by a worldwide faction called Bless. Gen begins
his journey to find other humans with awakening
powers and take down the aliens.
Published by Imagineer, GOD was developed
with the input of various celebrities. The story balance – but the same time, the dialogue is filled Tatsuya Egawa’s
was written by playwright Shouji Koukami, the with parodies and references to other video games illustrations are
character art was provided by artist Tatsuya Egawa (RPG or otherwise), as well as assorted Japanese quite distinctive,
(known internationally for the rather salacious pop culture references. There’s a play on the though none of
manga Golden Boy), and the soundtrack was Dragon Quest Medal King called the Manjuu King, that character
supervised by flashy rock musician Demon Kogure. who collects steamed buns from all over the globe, really makes it into
The story seems to rip off EarthBound a little too and there are other silly bits, like when you travel the game itself,
much, at least initially, but it quickly finds its own around Australia with a lemur as your companion. which mostly looks
voice once the hero begins his journey. The game Outside of the story, it looks, sounds, and plays incredibly generic.
world is a post-apocalyptic one, with the first like a typical JRPG. Battles are a little slow and the
part of the game taking place in Japan but later interface is unresponsive, though a chakra system
expanding to other real-world locations, including to guide characters into learning skills adds a little
England and France (whose survivors are holed bit of customisation.
up together in the Channel Tunnel), Russia, the Being a 1996 release for the Super Famicom,
United States, Easter Island, and Egypt. The story the game was largely ignored upon release, but
revolves around various occult “ancient aliens” Imagineer tried again a few years later with a port
theories, and at the end of the game, you’ll fight for the PlayStation, dubbed GOD Pure. One of the
God. (It’s in the title, so it’s not really a spoiler.) main issues with the original was that the visuals
GOD is a cult classic, thank to its brand were pretty generic, especially in the various
of storytelling, which contrasts depressing international cities you’d visit, so this version
developments with ridiculous comedy. There’s fixes that by re-doing all of the towns with unique
some dark stuff that goes down in this game – two backgrounds, though the rest of the game doesn’t
of your party members end up becoming a couple look much different. It is a little speedier, plus
and boy do things not work out well for them, and some story events have changed, though much of
the fate of Gen’s mother hangs constantly in the it remains faithful to the Super Famicom game.
338
Love Quest
Developer: Tokuma Shoten | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
There have been plenty of parody JRPGs, though

none takes the mickey so much as Love Quest.
The main character is a pathetic Mummy’s boy,
who’s somehow found himself a fiancée … except
right before they get married, she mysteriously
disappears from before his very eyes, causing him
to search various sections of Tokyo to find her.
Love Quest has a sense of awareness of itself
not present in any other RPG. The NPCs talk as if
they are actors (and not particularly professional
ones), forgetting their lines and asking that you talk
to them again, or discussing supporting roles in
other games. Sometimes their speech is just garbled
text, and in other cases it’s accompanied with a no nudity or anything particularly salacious. Love Quest seems to
warning that their text was cut due to content The equivalent would be something like Sierra’s have a low opinion
standards. Was it actually too dirty for Nintendo classic adventure game Leisure Suit Larry, of itself, but it really
and cut during review, or is it just a joke? It’s not although that was certainly a bit saucier. shouldn’t, because it
really clear, but it’s funny either way. It also has a Love Quest was originally developed as a is a remarkably funny
very self-deprecating sense of humour, referring to Famicom game and set to be released in 1994, and subversive title.
itself as “kusoge” (“crappy game”), or apologising but due to market concerns, it was scrapped and
for its poor quality. At one point, someone even remade for the Super Famicom. It ended up being
uses a flyer for the game as toilet paper. published within a week of Chrono Trigger, and
It’s doubly amusing due to the fact that the was consequently completely demolished in sales
game is actually not bad at all. It is a pretty typical terms. However, its reputation as a gag-filled
Dragon Quest clone, but the mundane, modern- “bakage” (“silly game”) has increased over the
day setting, even with its bit of magical realism, years, giving it a unique allure among RPG fans.
already gives it a particular identity. In the “fight” Hilariously, right at the beginning, you’re given
scenes, you’re cornered by various women, who a “YES/NO” question as to whether you’d like to
needs to be “attacked” by talking to them, and rescue your fiancée. Answer “NO” repeatedly, and
will eventually leave you alone once you’ve chatted the game ends, complete with a credit roll. It then
enough. The ladies here are drawn in a cartoony portrays the player, in the real world, returning
style similar to Crayon Shin-Chan, while the “boss” the game to the store since they were able to
women, who are presented as full screen portraits, beat it immediately, and getting frustrated by
were provided by manga artist Hikaru Yukuzi, only getting 200 yen in exchange, since everyone
and look like they came straight out of a shoujo else is also trading it in. Ironically, while most
manga. In spite of the premise, and some slightly popular Super Famicom RPGs can be had on the
mature jokes, it’s not really an “adult” game, aftermarket dirt cheap, Love Quest ranks as one of
either, and as it’s on a Nintendo platform, there’s the more expensive cartridges.
339
Maka Maka
Developer: Office Koukan | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SFC
The quintessential 16-bit kusoge JRPG, Maka

Maka is to the Super Famicom as Hoshi wo Miru
Hito was to the Famicom. Its selling point was its
scenario and art by gag mangaka Koji Aihara (Even
a Monkey Can Draw Manga), but this quickly
became overshadowed by just how broken it was.
It was developed by Office Koukan, a fairly small
studio behind several awful Hokuto no Ken games.
The story opens in the castle of the fiendish
Dr. Maka Maka, a musclebound man in tiny
underwear and the leader of the nefarious Maka
Maka Syndicate. Flanked by a giant nose with
limbs, a cat girl, a naga, and an army of cosplay ant
men, Maka Maka unveils his super-weapon, which demon with a single hitpoint, and it’s debatable Maka Maka is filled
can turn the Earth’s population into water fleas. whether that’s intentional subversion or a with so many bugs
As a test, he aims it at a single spot … programming oversight. There’s also the infamous from start to finish
Cut to Hometown Village, where a bolt of “Shuffle Bug”, in which repeatedly passing that even its closing
lightning transforms teenager Corum’s parents items between a single party member causes a credits can’t be
into water fleas! Not knowing what else to do, memory overrun, garbling the code even further. displayed properly.
Corum consults his girlfriend Elle, who suggests This allows players to clip through the map and
he track down her father, the brilliant Dr. Pascal. also makes key items available in shops.
Also wrapped up in this is a reincarnation story; It’s a shame that Maka Maka is so broken,
Corum can unlock memories of his past life, because it’s actually incredibly charming. Aihara’s
enabling him to use magic. It’s a wacky storyline, character designs (save for an abhorrent racist
full of colourful party members, like Johnny, caricature) are a joy, especially the large, pun-
a cowboy hobo who wears a box of oranges; or filled bestiary of weirdos. It did the self-aware,
UruUruBoy, an Ultraman parody with tears self-satirising RPG thing long before Nippon Ichi’s
streaming down his face (“uru-uru” meaning oeuvre; the faceless mooks you fight are all called
“to be misty-eyed”). It’s also a nightmare to play: “zako”, the Japanese term for, well, faceless mooks.
Corum’s walking speed is a snail’s pace and One town is full of people who’ve been turned into
there’s no run button. Inexplicably, for a cartridge croquettes by a gluttonous princess, who then eats
game, loading delays are frequent. you whole before expelling you with an explosion
And that’s to say nothing of the bugs. Only of flatus. It’s crass, stupid, and pretty entertaining.
Corum can use magic outside of battle, rendering The game ends with a wedding featuring the
several other characters’ spells useless. Sometimes entire cast. The blocking is completely wrong, so
sprites get scrambled. Sometimes levelling up resets everybody ends up addressing a pillar before exiting
your stats to zero. The final boss starts out as a tiny through a wall. Somehow it’s a perfect metaphor
baby with 30,000 HP, before transforming into a for Maka Maka: a broken mess filled with heart.
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Idea no Hi
Developer: Office Koukan | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC
After the disaster that was Maka Maka, Office

Koukan and Koji Aihara got back together to
right what went wrong. Though still a little clunky
and buggy in places, this follow-up, Idea no Hi
(“Day of the Idea”), is Office Koukan’s redemption.
Again conceptualised and illustrated by
Aihara, Idea no Hi is far darker than Maka Maka.
Set on a post-apocalyptic Earth, it stars Kamekichi,
a young orphan with latent psychic abilities. Under
the instruction of the mad Dr. Poe, he’s captured
and tortured daily in an attempt to draw out the
true potential of his pyrokinesis. When Kamekichi’s
torture begins to show diminishing returns, Dr.
Poe straps his victim’s beloved dog Pesu to a table blackest of humour; a salaryman casts a death Maka Maka was
and forces Kamekichi to watch as his pet is tortured curse by hanging himself with his necktie. squarely in “so bad
to death. The experiment works, and Kamekichi’s Equipment is handled a little differently it’s kinda good”
rage boils over, killing most of the scientists from the usual for JRPGs. Every item in a territory, but Idea
before Dr. Poe manages to escape. From there, character’s inventory has a battle function, even no Hi takes all of its
Kamekichi hits the road searching for answers. if that’s ineffectively whipping a tank-top at a potential and crafts
Soon, he finds companionship with a polite sumo foe. What’s extremely cool is that each human a very solid game.
wrestler, a delinquent schoolgirl, a hedgehog, and character is paper-dolled on their status screen
others, before getting caught up in the schemes to reflect what they have equipped. This again
of a malevolent figure named Idea. While largely ties into Aihara’s sense of humour, with stats
by-the-numbers in terms of mechanics, there are reflecting each character’s cross-dressing level,
some cool innovations for a game of Idea no Hi’s or their perversion level – do note that these are,
vintage: Kamekichi gets a memo pad to record info thoughtfully, two different values. Characters
and clues, and each character has a unique Limit can up their perversion level by wearing used
Break-style attack once they take enough damage. underwear as helmets, and doing so is the only
Despite the incredibly bleak setting, Idea no way to gain access to the exclusive Pervert Town.
Hi definitely bears Aihara’s subversive sense of There are other, more standard, uses for clothes,
humour. At one point you can be impregnated by too – characters need a full set of winter clothes to
aliens, give birth, and have your baby join the party. survive an icy dungeon, for example.
The monsters Kamekichi faces are in Aihara’s There are frustrating parts, like a sequence
usual gag-manga style, like chickens with baby in which you drive a truck full of nitroglycerine;
faces, bespectacled grenades, and equivalent of one bump and it’s game over, and naturally the
Metal Slime (from Dragon Quest) is a Jizo statue controls are terrible. Still, it’s miraculous that the
with a scrotum for a head. Even Freddy Krueger team behind Maka Maka were able to take another
makes an appearance. Some monsters deal in the crack at a game, and largely come out successful.
341
Paladin’s Quest
Developer: Copya Systems | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SNES
Paladin’s Quest is often overlooked as just another

16-bit RPG. It’s slow and grindy, and the odd
graphics are inconsistent. All of these statements
may be true, though Paladin’s Quest is weird
enough to earn its place in JRPG Valhalla.
The story opens on the warring nations of
Naskuot and Saskuot. The protagonist is Chezni,
a young teenager attending the Naskuot Magic
School to pursue his dream of becoming a great
spiritualist. As part of a dare, he unknowingly
activates Dal Gren, a living machine sealed away
hundreds of years earlier, due to its catastrophic
nature, which destroys the school. So Chezni sets
off to stop Dal Gren. body parts. It’s just as easy to swing a sword as it is The generic
The first game developed by the late Hidenori to headbutt, kick, or bodyslam a foe. There’s also American title of
Shibao, it’s indisputable how much care went into no MP: all spells cost HP to cast. This means there Paladin’s Quest
Paladin’s Quest’s setting. The Planet Lennus is are also no healing spells, nor is magic usable does little to
a pastel-coloured world populated by original outside of battle. There are only two permanent communicate
fantasy races of all shapes and sizes. A village party members in Paladin’s Quest: Chezni, and how strangely
of eggshell houses sits comfortably in a forest of Midia, his sort-of love interest. The rest of the entrancing its
geometric trees; another city is governed from the party is filled out by minor characters who come world is.
top of a glass tower designed to resemble a lily. and go as well as optional mercenaries.
Distinctly surreal monsters stalk the countryside; The writing is just as unequivocally strange
some are obese birds, others are ladybird men. as its world, and it doesn’t take itself remotely
Shibao enlisted the award-winning SF illustration seriously. Early on, Chezni and Midia fight their
team of Hiroyuki Katou and Keisuke Gotou to way through an organic-looking cavern, only to be
create the original concept art for his world, while barfed out of a dragon’s mouth, having mistaken
Shuji Imai (Nintendo Power) designed the striking its anus for a cave. One town even has an 8-bit
bestiary. There’s a very ’70s French science fiction church, manned by a priest who apologises for
vibe about Paladin’s Quest; the influence of René being in the wrong game before making an exit.
Laloux and Jean “Moebius” Giraud is readily None of this means Paladin’s Quest is an
apparent. Kouhei Tanaka handled the music, especially fun play, however. Dungeons are overlong
which is a fun blend of pleasant, relaxing songs mazes, the party walks at a snail’s pace, and each
and up-tempo pieces with odd synths. boss fight ends up as a war of attrition between
Battles are first-person and turn-based, Chezni’s party and a spongy mass of endless HP.
but with non-standard menus: commands are Still, despite its myriad shortcomings, the uniquely
positioned around each cardinal direction, and bizarre Planet Lennus stands in stark contrast to
taking action presents a list of each character’s the more conventional settings of its peers.
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Lennus II
Developer: Fill-in-Cafe | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
As Copya Systems restructured into Shangri-La

Corp., the team behind Paladin’s Quest left the
company to join Fill-in-Cafe. The rights to the
franchise remained with Asmik Ace, which allowed
the original staff to develop a sequel. Released only
in Japan and late in the Super Famicom’s life cycle,
Lennus II: Apostles of the Seals would see Katou
and Gotou’s concept art fully realised through
some of the most striking artwork in the console’s
vast library. Although Lennus II bears a fresh coat
of paint, its gameplay is more of the same, warts
and all. Mercenaries are back, with an even more
sizeable stable from which to choose, but at the
expense of any plot-specific party members. With is tasked to gather eight seals to stop Granada’s This sequel to
no secondary protagonist, this makes this sequel apocalyptic plan. Paladin’s Quest got
feel a little lonely. The quest for the seals is where the game no English release,
Deep within the subterranean world of Andel, opens up, allowing players to pursue the first and it’s easy to see
a council of elders holds a summoning ritual. They seven in any order they please. Many of these sit why, though it’s still
successfully awaken Farus, an ancient man from within formidable dungeons, while others get into an interesting game
Planet Raiga, encased in crystal for thousands of some fun adventure-game territory, including a in spite of its flaws.
years. Free from stasis and bewildered, he’s forced chain of deals that culminates in making an obese
into the role of saviour: Andel’s continents are woman levitate to allow Farus to snatch the seal
drifting apart, towards an all-encompassing void from beneath her. Once the seals are gathered, it’s
at the edge of the world. Given his pick of three out back to Planet Lennus, which provides a fun look
of five acolytes to accompany him, Farus sets off to at how things have changed since the previous
save each continent individually. game – and it’s not for the better.
It soon becomes apparent that there’s more Occasionally the journey gets side-tracked by
going on: each time Farus carries out his duty, he’s mini-games, which, while nice in theory, are almost
contacted by a psychic voice that pleads with him always terrible in execution. Simply put, dexterity-
to cease his actions. Once Farus has completed based challenges are completely unsuited to the
his task, a wave of destruction rocks Andel, game’s engine. While the majority of these are
destroying the remaining land and decimating optional, the worst, an agonising jockey race, is
the population. Farus himself is saved, and sent not only mandatory, but requires Farus to finish
to Eltz, the surface of the planet under which first to proceed. Lennus II is ultimately a huge slog,
Andel rests. The prophecy was a lie propagated a shame considering its distinctly creative setting.
by Granada, an evil god set on the annihilation of On the whole, Lennus is a series that’s tough to
all life. Farus finds that mysterious voice, which recommend, though it’s hard not to be enthralled
is more than a little pissed off. As penance, Farus by its exotic eccentricity.
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Dark Half
Developer: Westone/Enix | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
RPGs are filled with heroic do-gooders, but what

if you could be the bad guy for once? That’s the
premise of Enix’s Dark Half, which was a huge
departure for developer Westone, largely known
for the colourful and cutesy Wonder Boy/Monster
World games. The villain here is the Dark Lord
Rukyu, sealed away 1000 years ago by six brave
warriors. He’s been resurrected and is back, to not
only take revenge, but also take over the world. And
while he’s remarkably powerful even after such a
long nap, he still needs to regain his full strength
to put him into world-ruling shape. However, the
world of humans is not necessarily doomed, as
a hero named Falco follows in his footsteps and purchase more Soul Power, providing he can find Being able to play as
gains strength to fight against the forces of evil. it. Additionally, if Falco touches one of the human the bad guy seems
In the game’s seven chapters, the story alternates corpses killed by Rukyu, it will yield a Ray of Hope; like an interesting
between Rukyu’s and Falco’s viewpoints, before the ending depends on how many of these were inversion of the
they finally meet for a climactic showdown. collected, as well as which side the player chooses formula, and it is,
The two characters play quite differently. for the final encounter. but it’s hard not
Rukyu cannot equip items – he won’t even bother This is an outstanding premise, especially to feel bad for the
opening treasure chests, since he considers since it balances its cavalier attitude to violence various NPCs you
human technology to be vastly beneath him – and and aura of despair with an element of hope. Alas, heartlessly murder
instead attacks entirely with magic. He gains his managing your Soul Power proves to be somewhat as Dark Lord Rukyu.
strength primarily by capturing monsters, who troublesome, since it forces you to play in a specific
will teach him their magic, and fight in his stead. way so you don’t run out. Rukyu can demolish
Meanwhile, Falco plays like a regular JRPG hero, almost anything, carelessly, so his chapters are
as he still needs to find and improve equipment, relatively unchallenging; meanwhile, Falco and his
and drafts various fellow humans as party buddies have to work much harder to build up their
members. Neither character gains experience or strength, and it’s easy to end up under-powered.
levels up, though Falco can explore to find orbs Adding to the aggravation, the game is displayed
that increase various stats. Both are governed by from an isometric perspective, and the dungeons
Soul Power, which dwindles with every step – if it absolutely love to hide things around corners,
hits zero, it’s game over. Rukyu also needs it to outside of the view of the player. Stumbling
cast magic, and obtains little bits of it by killing around, avoiding traps and hunting for switches,
enemies in combat, allowing him to stay afloat. all while regularly being drawn into combat in the
But the main way to increase it is by murdering face of constantly dwindling resources, works out
innocent humans, reducing them to a helpless to be an incredibly frustrating experience. Still,
pile of bones. Falco, on the other hand, can a fascinating effort.
344
Jaseiken Necromancer
Developer: Hudson | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PCE
As the first RPG on the PC Engine, Hudson’s

Jaseiken Necromancer (“Holy Demon Sword
Necromancer”) carried a lot of weight on
its shoulders. In order to wow gamers into
taking a chance on the then-new platform, the
presentation goes dark and edgy – the cover
artwork is by H.R. Giger, the title screen has a
creepy talking face that introduces the game,
and the enemies are based on H.P. Lovecraft’s
Cthulhu Mythos. It also prides itself on goriness
– one of the first foes you meet is a zombie with
pulsating guts spilling out of its lower half, and
dispatched enemies splurt blood.
Otherwise, this is a typical Dragon Quest it’s a rough game, particularly due to the combat The H.R. Giger
clone. Beyond the goriness, the character sprites formula’s over-reliance on the agility stat, as well cover artwork,
are larger and look a little more like those in a as the exasperating password save system. along with the
Western RPG, though most of the rest of the Though not a great game, there’s some creepy enemy
visuals are standard late ’80s JRPG stuff, and nostalgia in Japan for it, which led to a (now de- sprites, mean
its premise as a gothic horror RPG goes under- listed) mobile port, then a brand new sequel called that Jaseiken
utilised. To support the main hero, you can choose Jaseiken Necromancer: Nightmare Reborn, which Necromancer
two companions (out of five) with varying abilities, was eventually ported to the Nintendo DSiWare makes a striking
though you can’t switch once you commit. download service. It’s been modernised, and impression.
However, the balance is so poor that the difficulty features similarly gruesome enemies and a creepy
varies wildly, depending on your choice. Even then, atmosphere as its selling points.
Susano Oh Densetsu
Developer: Hudson | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PCE
Susano Oh Densetsu is based on the Go Nagai
manga Susano Oh. Beginning in contemporary
Japan, the protagonist is Shingo Susa, who joins
his school’s psychic club, only to learn he’s the
reincarnation of the Shinto deity Susano. Things
just get wilder from there, as he ends up turning
into Yamata no Orochi, the eight-headed serpent,
and summons demons from other dimensions.
The concept is similar to that of Digital Devil Story:
Megami Tensei, the novel series that spun off into
an RPG series. The original Susano Oh manga
never quite resolved the story; this PC Engine RPG
basically picks up where it left off, with the Earth
more or less in ruins. Various gods have separated is a bit different. It’s one of the few RPGs of the Susano Oh Densetsu
from Shingo and now rule the land, so he must late ’80s to do away with random battles; instead predates Megami
hunt them down and defeat them. Shingo is alone its enemies are visible on the field. Battles are Tensei II for the
at the outset, though he can hire party members presented from an overhead perspective, and each Famicom by about
in bars to fight alongside him, and eventually he’ll character has a limited number of turns in which a year, but it has a
join up with Sayuri Yukishiro and Rei Uryu from to move or attack. There are a variety of weapons, similar premise, as you
the original story; there are also cameos from like bowguns that can fire from long range, or fight demons in post-
characters in Violence Jack, another manga from swords that attack enemies in a circle, as well as apocalyptic Japan.
Go Nagai. ESP powers. The slow text speed and grindiness
Many of Hudson’s PC Engine RPGs were in still make things slow going, but it’s still unlike
the vein of Dragon Quest, but Susano Oh Densetsu most other games being made at the time.
345
Star Odyssey
Developer: Hot-B | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): MD
Hot-B wasn’t exactly known for quality RPGs – it

made the terrible Famicom game Hoshi wo Miru
Hito, after all – but it tried again with this early
Mega Drive sci-fi title, in which you control a young
man encouraged by a mysterious voice to explore
the galaxy, aiming to protect it from a great threat.
There are some cool party members who join you,
including a dragon-like creature, an anteater-type
alien, and a weird-looking cyborg.
Battles are viewed from a side-on perspective,
but they look ridiculous, thanks to the gigantic,
realistically proportioned characters and
absolutely atrocious animation, which has them
flying around the screen like plastic dolls. There are
also issues typical of early ’90s RPGs, like constant Known as Blue Almanac in Japan, Star Hot-B was big on sci-
random battles, unnecessarily large and repetitive Odyssey was advertised for American release, to fi RPGs, producing
dungeons, and absurdly limited inventory space, be published by Sage’s Creation. It was cancelled, not only Hoshi wo
but Star Odyssey is more frustrating than usual but resurrected in 2011 by Super Fighter Team, the Miru Hito, but also
due to the enemies that scale up to your level. same indie company that localised some mid-’90s very early games
In other words, it actually punishes grinding. Chinese RPGs, like Legend of Wukong and Beggar like Psychic City
Altogether, it tries to be like Phantasy Star, and it Prince. They fixed up some bugs, gave it a decent and Kaleidoscope,
doesn’t quite get there, coming off more like a poor localisation, and put out physical copies in limited but they just weren’t
rip-off. The best that can be said is that it’s not the quantities, though it’s since been distributed as a good at making them.
complete disaster that Hoshi wo Miru Hito was. free download, as it can no longer be purchased.
Surging Aura
Developer: SEGA/Japan Media | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): MD
One of the last RPGs released on the Mega
Drive, Surging Aura puts you into the shoes of a
magician named Muu, who must save his kingdom
of Pasphalda. It looks and feels somewhat like an
Arabian take on Phantasy Star, and also features
character designs by Mutsumi Inomata, who
would later become popular through her work on
Namco’s Tales series.
The real-time battle system here is unique,
being a bit like Final Fantasy’s Active Time
Battle system, but viewed from a first-person
perspective. Muu is always in the centre of the
party and has a wide variety of magic available.
However, these spells take time to chant
(the incantation appears in wavy letters at the The game certainly is unique, but the interface Surging Aura can’t
bottom of the window), and if an enemy hits him is quite cumbersome, especially since there are quite live up to
during this time, he’ll either pause for a few moments 36 spells, and managing all three characters in real its promise as an
or be forced to restart completely. This is where his time can be overwhelming. The encounter rate is Arabian Nights take
two battle companions come in, as they can opt to also very high in the overworld (much lower in of Phantasy Star,
attack directly, or choose to use their turns to defend dungeons, thankfully), so you end up spending a but the artwork
Muu, thereby allowing him to cast his spell safely. lot of time in battles. And while the setting is cool, sure is pretty.
There are also front and back rows, which enemies the storytelling just isn’t on the level of Phantasy
routinely jump between, and foes in the back row Star IV. The result is a game that’s interesting,
can only be reached with certain types of attack. but not particularly great.
346
Funky Horror Band
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): MCD
The PC Engine CD got Tengai Makyou: Ziria as the

first RPG on the platform, while the Mega CD got
… this. The FHB, or Funky Horror Band, is a virtual
music group consisting of aliens, created by Victor
Music Industry. In the context of the game, they’ve
crash-landed on the planet Woodstock, which is
where the human-like protagonist resides. It calls
itself a musical RPG – instead of “HP” you have
“NR” (“nori” or “rhythm”), and you attack with
melodies instead of weapons, plus most of the
enemies are parodies of famous musicians.
In spite of the unique concept, it basically
looks and plays just like a Dragon Quest clone.
And not even a particularly good one – outside and two are non-interactive music performances An RPG as a concept
of the close-ups of the aliens (which are all by the band. The whole game can be beaten in less album is a great
remarkably ugly), the visuals are barely better than an hour. The vocal music from the band is idea, so too bad this
than in a Famicom game, and look markedly not too bad for ’90s J-pop – they actually released was very obviously
worse than almost any Mega Drive RPG previously four albums of original music after this game – rushed out to meet
released. Obviously, this is an awful disadvantage but the in-game chip-based music is terrible. the Mega CD release.
when you’re trying to sell an expensive add-on to Funky Horror Band is regarded as one of
console owners. The game balance is a little weird, the worst RPGs of the era – at release, there were
as you don’t gain experience, but instead increase rumours that stores literally had to give them away
stats by means of items dropped by enemies. Not to clear stock, and that it was worth grabbing just
that it’ll take very long – there are five chapters, for the free CD case.
Vay
Developer: Hertz | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SCD, IOS
Developed by Hertz and published by SIMS, a
company that worked closely with SEGA until
finally purchased by them, Vay was positioned
as the follow-up to Lunar: The Silver Star, being
another epic role-playing game for the SEGA CD. It
stars Prince Sandor, whose wedding is crashed by
the henchmen of the evil Danek Empire, who then
kidnap his betrothed, flying in fantasy mechas
similar to those in the classic early ’80s anime
Aura Battler Dunbine. To rescue her, he must find
the legendary suit of armour called Vay.
While the cutscenes are decent (if sparse)
and the music is fantastic (particularly the battle
themes), Vay is otherwise nowhere near the are simple, viewed from an over-the-shoulder Vay isn’t bad,
same league as Lunar, particularly because the perspective. The random encounter is rate is pretty though it surely
characters just don’t have remotely the same high, and lots of grinding is required, though the isn’t a deserving
appeal. The English version was localised by speed is very quick, and fights are often resolved in follow-up to
Working Designs, which helped spice things up a matter of seconds. Lunar, but at
with their usual goofy NPC dialogue, though it went Curiously, Vay saw re-release on iOS least the music
overboard by giving a wind fairy transportation platforms courtesy of SoMoGa. Some graphics is pretty good.
powers via farting (you need a gas mask item when have been redrawn, others are taken straight from
you use this, or you’ll all be killed). This kind of the SEGA CD, so it’s a mish-mash of styles. It uses
humour is hit or miss, and the story just doesn’t a different translation too, as Sandor goes by his
have much going for it otherwise. The battles original name of Heibelger.
347
Seiya Monogatari: Anearth Fantasy Stories
Developer: Hudson/Media Works | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): PCECD, SAT
Seiya Monogatari (“Holy Night Tale”): Anearth

Fantasy Stories begins on Christmas Eve, as an
infant is left on the steps of a church. You can
make it cry, using a controller button, to attract
the attention of one of the three passers by
(or you can wait so the church nun will find you).
Your choice here will determine who adopts the
baby, who is obviously the protagonist, and how
he grows up. This selects not only the prologue
you see, but also the protagonist’s class, though
the rest of the game is mostly the same. Once he
reaches the age of 15, he ventures out into the
world to find out who his mother was. The story
was provided by Atsushi Li, who previously worked The story is surely ambitious, and the The idea of
on Emerald Dragon. visuals are some of the best seen in a PC choosing your
There are no random encounters, just Engine RPG. But the only cinematic sequences character class
scripted battles that occur as you progress are at the beginning and end, voice acting is by picking your
through the story. There are no experience levels sparse, and the game is rather short. This was adoptive parent is
either, as you instead gain stats based on your the last Hudson game for the platform, and really unique, but
battle actions, à la Final Fantasy II. This might it was planned as a franchise. But while they it doesn’t play as
sound like a neat idea, but in practice it’s a pain, ported it to the Saturn a while later, revising big a role in this
because you can’t pick and choose your fights, the visuals and adding some extra events, it still story as it should.
your resources are limited, and you can end up didn’t really take off, and the series never reached
under-powered. its potential.
Gdleen
Developer: Jorudan | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): SFC
Jikou Wakusei Gdleen (“Self-Propelled Planet
Gdleen”, pronounced “gadruin”) is a sci-fi novel
series written by Yuuto Ramon. Consisting of
seven volumes altogether, it was the subject of
an anime OVA, as well as this video game, which
was the first RPG released on the Super Famicom.
The protagonist is a man named Ryuu,
an Earthling travelling through space, who ends
up getting stranded on the planet Gdleen when
his ship crash-lands. It’s a unique blend of fantasy
and sci-fi, with some particularly cool monster
designs, as the planet is inhabited by dinosaurs
and the like. The story takes place in the same
shared universe as Ramon’s Minelvaton series, But the battle backgrounds are still stark black, The enemy designs
including the PC game Digan no Maseki. à la Dragon Quest, except in boss battles, which is in Gdleen are cool,
The battle system is similar to Dragon Quest’s, pretty underwhelming. The music is solid, though. but using stark black
but with a few unique commands. These include a Altogether, it’s an alright RPG with some backgrounds in a 16-
counterattack stance, in which you choose to defend difficulty-balance issues, but outside of the setting, bit game comes off
specified fellow party members rather than just is nothing special. It’s mostly remembered for an as really cheap.
yourself, and the ability to negotiate with monsters. early scene where Ryuu stumbles onto the heroine
They can then lend their aid, though it’s not exactly bathing nude in the lake. While not explicit,
Shin Megami Tensei when it comes to complexity. and indeed a trope common in manga/anime
The enemy sprites are indeed well designed, (as well as faithful to the OVA), it was rare to see
a big step above what the Famicom could do. a scene of this kind in a video game at the time.
348
The 7th Saga
Developer: Produce | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SNES
In The 7th Saga, you are tasked with exploring

the land of Ticondera to find seven runes. You
can pick from one of seven characters – a knight,
a dwarf, a cleric, an elf, a demon, an alien, or a
robot – and set off on an adventure. The catch is,
all of the characters you didn’t choose decamp
to various towns. When you encounter them,
they can either join you or fight you, depending
on various factors – some of it is random, but
it’s also based on how many runes you’ve found.
This is very much an open-ended RPG, closer to a
Western game than to Final Fantasy.
Encounters aren’t actually random, but
while enemies are not visible on the map, they are can fight at once, and some are obviously more The 7th Saga is a
shown by the radar, which also points to other useful than others. The result is one of the fascinating game
important locations. When fighting, the screen most difficult, frustrating RPGs on the SNES. because it feels like
zooms in, using the pixelated spot where you’re At least the runes you find have useful effects, a PC game from
standing as the battlefield, viewed from an over- like letting you warp between cities or doubling the ’80s, complete
the-shoulder perspective. It’s here that The 7th your attack. with high ambitions
Saga is particularly difficult – the hit rate is fairly This game is often soul-crushing, but its and questionable
low, so fights tend to drag on, plus the stats were excellent music, fantastic monster design, and execution.
tweaked in the English version to make the game unique, unpredictable structure have earned it a
not only substantially more difficult but also reputation as a cult classic, even if you may need
much grindier. Plus, only two friendly characters to resort to using a cheat device to enjoy it.
Mystic Ark
Developer: Produce | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
In Mystic Ark, you are an adventurer who
has been turned into a figurine and whisked
away to a mysterious island. You are freed by
a strange voice, and learn that you must travel
across several different worlds and find arks to
unlock the way home. These worlds are all quite
unusual – there’s a desert world of pirate cats,
a world where everything consists of gigantic
fruit, and a world without colour or sound.
Other unfortunate adventurers have also been
turned into figurines, but they can be rescued
and will join your quest – these include a wizard,
a robot, a warrior, a ninja, a demon, and a monk.
Mystic Ark was scheduled for release in difficult. Whenever you inspect certain objects, Mystic Ark is more
English as The 7th Saga II, though ultimately it a menu comes up that lets you interact with them, of a traditional JRPG
remained only in Japan. It’s not quite a sequel, giving it an adventure game feel. than its predecessor,
though it was developed by the same team, and The visuals are fantastic, with spritework but still carves out
there are some obvious similarities. Its focus on that effectively replicates the work of fantasy its own identity.
vignette-based storytelling gives it a more involving artists Akihiro Yamada and Hitoshi Yoneda, while
narrative, though all of the characters are blank the soundtrack by Akihiko Mori (Paladin’s Quest)
slates without any personality, so they feel rather is also brilliant. It’s a creative game, though certain
hollow. Combat is similar to that in The 7th Saga, elements feel undercooked. A sequel, Mystic Ark:
even reusing some enemy sprites, though you can Maboroshi Gekijo, was released for the PlayStation,
have three party members and it isn’t nearly as though it shifted genres to an adventure game.
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Secret of the Stars
Developer: Tecmo | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SNES
Secret of the Stars has an incredibly stereotypical

premise – as a boy named Ray, you must collect
members, to form a team called Aqutallion, to take
down the evil Homncruse. There are five members
of this squad, but there’s also a secondary team
called the Kustera, comprised of 11 different
characters. You can swap them out, and there are
a few points where controlling them is necessary
to proceed. However, the implementation is
undercooked, because you don’t need them
that often, and since they need to be levelled
up separately, you’ll need to spend some time
grinding them up to the right level.
The battle system is standard, visually other games at the time of its North American Tecmo wasn’t big
resembling Lufia’s, with enemies in the centre release, in 1995. A few goofy enemies are novel, on RPGs, but they
and the current character standing off to one side. but not otherwise noteworthy. Probably the only went from the decent
There are some combo moves you can pull off by interesting thing about it is that Tecmo decided Famicom game
casting and combining certain magic spells (and to localise it into English, complete with a terrible Radia Senki to this
even some weapons), but that’s about the only translation and some goofy cover art that presents piece of junk.
remotely novel thing it has going for it. the main characters as children with multi-
This is Tecmo’s sole 16-bit RPG, and it’s coloured hair. Even though such English language
clearly not a good one. The visuals resemble those 16-bit JRPGs were generally treasured, just because
of an early SNES game, more like Final Fantasy they were so uncommon at the time, most gamers
IV, making it seem painfully dated compared to correctly pegged this one as a dud.
Ryuuki Heidan Danzarb

Developer: Pandora Box/Yutaka | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC
Ryuuki Heidan Danzarb (“Dragon Calvary
Danzarb”) presents itself as a mecha TV show.
Fittingly so, perhaps, because Gainax, the animation
studio behind Gunbuster (and later, Neon Genesis
Evangelion) was part of the project, contributing
character and mechanical designs. (There were
even plans for an anime, but these fell through.)
The story focuses on a young man named Matthew
Robin, who is drafted into the elite Danzarb Corps,
which is waging war against the Damaia Army.
There are 15 scenarios, many of which have
you facing off against various factions within the
enemy, including the vicious Death River Corps,
whose members do not fear death, and the all- Battles occur either on foot or while Danzarb
female Tattoo Cats Corps. There are several other piloting dragon-shaped mechas called Monoloids. feels like a TV
members of the Danzarb Corps, all of different Each fight, displayed in a first-person view, anime, which
ages and backgrounds. The story is quite dramatic, runs in pseudo-real-time, but moves quickly makes sense,
as characters will regularly die, or betray you, over and provides little feedback, so it’s difficult to considering there
the course of the game. There is no overworld, grasp what’s going on. Indeed, the game is much were plans to
so you go from stage to stage, fighting through more interesting in concept than practice, as make one.
each dungeon, and then returning to base to rest. battles and exploration are rough. Still, as far as
There are no shops, but you do obtain energy by stories go, it’s pretty well done, and the end-game
winning battles, which is then used to create new twist (think: virtual reality) is unlike anything else
items and equipment. of its period.
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Maten Densetsu: Senritsu no Ooparts
Developer: Thinking Rabbit | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
In Maten Densetsu: Senritsu no Ooparts (“Legend

of Maten: Terrifying Ooparts”), the island of Japan
has been launched into the sky for unknown
reasons. The landscape is obviously devastated,
resembling a post-apocalyptic setting, complete
with mysterious demons. Plus, archaeological sites
from all over the globe have mysteriously appeared.
You control a hero (and a heroine), prophesied to
be the only ones who can solve this crisis and save
what’s left of Japan.
This game is pretty obviously a Shin Megami
Tensei rip-off – the overhead map screen is almost
identical, many areas are first-person dungeons, it
has the same gritty, cyberpunk feel, it begins with character artwork by Katsuya Terada and enemy Maten Densetsu
a dream sequence during which you customise design by Yasushi Nirasawa (Kamen Rider). is obviously a Shin
your character, and there are plenty of weird It has an interesting upgrade system too. Megami Tensei rip-
enemies that can join your team (though there’s There is no levelling or shops; instead defeated off, but it has the
no demon conversation). It’s also a mishmash of enemies give you Energy. This has a variety of style down pat.
other themes based on the occult – “Ooparts” uses: enhancing your stats, creating items, or
means “out of place artefacts” – and includes odd crafting equipment. The downside is that there
foes like youkai and dinosaurs. As a late-release are no inns either, so you need to constantly
SFC title, it’s more visually ambitious, including make restoratives. Plus, the story itself is rather
more detailed sprites and full-screen dungeon shallow, lacking the depth of the series that
displays. It also has the benefit of some fantastic obviously inspired it.
Chou Mahou Tairiku Wozz

Developer: Hudson/Media Works | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
The land of Wozz has been suffering, thanks to
the evil demon Balam. Warriors from the human
world are called to help take on this menace …
except instead of the heralded heroes, they are
three kids from across the globe. These are Reona,
a genius Japanese inventor girl who also wields
bazookas; Shot, an American archery expert; and
Chun, a Chinese esper. Luckily, these kids are
super-strong and smart, so they happily take up
arms in this fantasy world. You can pick and name
one of the three as the main character, though the
rest still accompany you throughout the journey,
with a fourth party slot taken up by a series of
assorted characters. assortment of items, weapons, robots, and vehicles, Japanese game
Chou Mahou Tairiku Wozz (“The Super providing you have the right items and know how to magazines
Magical Land of Wozz”) was planned by the combine them. occasionally
magazine Game On!, which solicited reader input, For a late SFC RPG, everything about it feels a solicited reader
and includes package art by Manavu Kashimoto little bit thin. Outside of a few cool boss sprites, the concepts for games,
(Croket!). In practice, it’s a fairly typical Super graphics are middling, and while the music isn’t something which
Famicom RPG that borrows from other games bad, the soundtrack is sparse – there’s not even would’ve been cool
of its era – the battle scenes in particular feature a boss theme. Much of the game drags, and the to see elsewhere
an isometric perspective, in the Breath of Fire story isn’t really all that interesting until the end. around the globe.
style. Its main innovation lies in a crafting system An average game, for the most part, with a few
whereby you can disassemble and create an decent aspects.
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Dark Kingdom
Developer: Telenet | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC
The protagonist of Dark Kingdom is a man

named Jen Dolemon, whose family was killed
by an invading demon army. He figures that the
best way to exact vengeance is actually to enlist
in that demon army, and thereby find the clan
that killed his loved ones. So, he must ingratiate
himself with a ruling class that views humans
as subcreatures, while fighting alongside other
traitorous humans. Most of the game involves
running specific missions for the demons, and
you get only a limited number of in-game days
to accomplish these. There’s more than enough
time to complete these, but there are also many
optional quests to undertake. As you rise through It’s a predecessor to the timing-based systems Dark Kingdom is
the ranks, eventually you become stronger and can found in later games like Paper Mario, but it’s another “be the bad
hire stronger demons to join you in combat. really frustrating here, and coupled with the slow guy!” RPG, taking
This is an excellent concept, but it’s also made text speed, really drags down the pacing. after Westone’s
by Telenet, a company with a habit of squandering Also, there’s one point where you come Dark Half, though
them. The main points of contention are the across a band of stereotypical RPG good guys. it’s a little more
sluggish battle system and questionable balance. Your mission is to defeat the hero, and you achieve traditional.
Every time a character performs a physical attack, success … but he ends up able to resurrect himself
you’re shown a power gauge with an indicator by paying out half his gold. It’s a hilarious fourth-
that swings back and forth. You need to hit it at wall-breaking JRPG joke … but it also kinda ruins
the right spot, or else it won’t do much damage. the game’s otherwise dark and sardonic tone.
Hourai Gakuen no Bouken!

Developer: Office Dynamite | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
One of the more unlikely properties to receive a
JRPG adaptation was Hourai Gakuen no Bouken!,
a play-by-mail RPG by publisher Youentai. Players
would register to receive a copy of the game’s
handbook, as well as a “student ID”, and then submit
their monthly turn as free text. Eventually the medium
became unfeasible, but Hourai proved popular
enough to receive a Super Famicom adaptation.
Our protagonist is a transfer student flying to
the prestigious Hourai High, a “mammoth school”
micro-nation on perilous Utsuho Island. When the
pilots take a nap and accidentally fly to Alaska, the job system. Each character can join up to three Though quite
hero asks the flight attendant if there’s any way extracurricular clubs at a time to gain skills and buggy, this is
to make it to school on time. Annoyed, the flight buffs, but none of them are game-changers. another wacky
attendant hands them a parachute and pushes The game’s also notoriously buggy; in-battle coding RPG that’s a fun
them out of the emergency exit. The protagonist reverts characters to their pre-equipment stats, alternative to
makes it just in time, but grievously injures the rendering all weapons and armour useless! What EarthBound.
editor of Hospo, the school tabloid, while crash- really makes Hourai stand out is its offbeat sense of
landing. The protagonist is thus guilted into humour; our motley newspaper club will challenge
joining, and the Hospo crew head out in search of the fascist Disciplinary Patrol Squad, the rogue
scandal, all set to a funky synth bass soundtrack AI ruling the girls’ dormitory, and the Twilight
from Hitoshi Sakimoto. Penguins criminal syndicate, among many other
Hourai is essentially a Dragon Quest homage goofy threats. Hourai might not be the deepest RPG,
with a cute, yet half-baked take on Final Fantasy V ’s but its irreverent charm is deserving of notability.
352
Solid Runner
Developer: Sting | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
A late Super Famicom title, Solid Runner takes place

in the futuristic Solid City, which is overrun with
crime. The hero is Shuu, a detective who’s engaged
to a woman named Eileen. But she is murdered
in cold blood, leaving Shuu to delve into the
underground gangs of the city in search of revenge.
He’s joined by a girl, Ion, although she supplies
support rather than fighting alongside him.
Most of the game involves taking on
investigative missions, killing some bad guys, and
then collecting a reward. Once you actually get
into the action, you climb aboard your mecha and
search the area. All of the battles are one-on-one,
and while they’re turn-based, there are no menus. your mecha’s power for a moment, although doing It may be style
Each button on the controller corresponds to this too many times will overload it. over substance,
one of your four equipped weapons, which range While all of this gets pretty tedious, due to but cyberpunk
from machine guns through rocket launchers the high random encounter rate, the game is a mecha RPGs
to mêlée weapons. With the exception of mêlée nice change from the norm. It draws from a lot are uncommon
weapons, each weapon needs to be reloaded of different sources, like Front Mission, Blade enough to make
after firing, requiring that you waste a turn to Runner, and Neon Genesis Evangelion, and the this worthwhile.
prep your selected weapon. You can also dodge cyberpunk locale helps set it apart from other
while attacking, which lowers your accuracy but SFC RPGs. All of those aspects help cover for the
increases your agility. Holding down the L button fact that it’s kind of short and easy, with a story
will activate the Boost command, strengthening that’s ultimately undercooked.
Gokinjo Boukentai
Developer: ITL | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
Gokinjo Boukentai (“Neighborhood Adventure
Squad”) stars a five-year-old girl named Mana, who
can talk to youkai. During the week, you attend
school, but when Sunday hits, you adventure
around town with your cat Yuzu (who also acts as
a narrator), and receives missions from “god” to
clean up some of the evil demons around town.
Battles are like those in Dragon Quest, with
some tweaks – enemies are visible on the map,
and there is no MP, as special attacks consume
HP, but you regain full health after fights. Even
if Mana is wiped out, you can retry battles and
are granted a small stat boost. There is also a
Persuade command whereby enemies may leave your imaginary friends. It’s compared a lot to View neighbourhood
you alone and give you items instead. There are EarthBound, in its tone as well its silliness, life through the
no experience levels, and stats are increased by particularly the way your angry mother will retrieve eyes of a young girl
attending school classes, which also determines her children after chapters are cleared, smashing in this relentlessly
which schoolmates you can adventure with and through walls, interrupting a battle in mid-air, or adorable little game.
which missions pop up. The town is filled with crashing the party riding on a boat. The visuals,
quirky folks, and there are lots of humourous by manga artist Masumi Sudou, are whimsical and
messages for the things you investigate, giving a the soundtrack by Akihiko Mori, filled with jazzy
level of detail uncommon in RPGs. battle themes, is impressive. Due to the late-1996
The game really does feel like you’re a release and a small print run, it’s a cult classic even
kid on magical adventures around town with in Japan, but it’s relentlessly charming.
353
Elfaria
Developer: Hudson/Red Entertainment | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC
In Elfaria, you control four squadrons as they

besiege towns captured by monsters in order to
free them. However, unusually for an RPG, you
don’t get experience or gold from battles. Instead,
defeated foes drop various items, which you can
then equip using the Meld system. Each character
has five slots, and you can stick whatever items
you want in there, boosting your stats or providing
various effects. So you can meld five swords to a
character and max out their offensive capability,
but leave them defensively weak. Each squad
is associated with one of four elements, and is
thus better at dealing with certain types of foes.
Individually, each party consists of two fighters, a AI managing your party reacts quickly enough to Artist Susumu
magician, and a healer monk. Battles are fought keep them alive. You do, technically, get slightly Matsushita also
automatically, as you have minimal input on how stronger as you continue to fight, though. provided character
they attack. The only way to actually gain levels is The character designs are by Susumu designs for the
by defeating boss monsters, driving them out of Matsushita (Famitsu magazine, Adventure Island) Capcom 3D action
town; however, they can retake villages if you’re with music by Shigeaki Saegusa (who has scored game Maximo.
not careful. anime films as well as operas). As usual, it’s
In theory, although the Meld system interesting for its innovations, but too tedious to
encourages grinding smarter rather than harder, play, especially given its sparse story. The sequel
you’ll still end up fighting a whole lot, since the adds in an experience system and changes up the
items are randomly dropped, and hoping that the Meld system a bit.
Kabuki Rocks
Developer: Atlus/Red Entertainment | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC
In RPG terms, Atlus was mostly known for its Shin
Megami Tensei series, but it diverted itself briefly
with Kabuki Rocks, a joint venture with production
company Red Entertainment. Incidentally, this
game also has some similarities to Red’s other
major RPG series, the PC Engine CD Tengai
Makyou games, which take place in a comical
version of feudal Japan and feature characters
based on Japanese mythology and history. As a
kabuki (traditional Japanese theatre) actor named
Sukeroku “Rock” Hanakawado, you must travel
around Japan and wipe out monsters.
It’s a pretty typical JRPG in most ways,
though battles are presented as taking place on stage, which will increase under certain conditions. The stage musical
a stage. All of the magic spells are musical, most If your battle performance is good enough, you’ll concept of Kabuki
being parodies of real-life songs, mostly Japanese get bonuses when you win. Overall, it’s an average Rocks is cool, but
but some international ones as well – “Frozen it RPG, despite the unique premise. the game doesn’t
Be” riffing on the Beatles’ “Let It Be”, “Ladybug Kabuki Rocks is also the name of a Japanese do anything
Thunder” playing off of Cherish’s “Ladybug rock band that was popular at the time. They have interesting with it.
Samba”, and so forth. You learn new ones by cameos, but otherwise didn’t have much to do
singing karaoke at each town. Each character with it. They provided some tunes, but most of the
also has a unique “Juuhachiban”, a kabuki term soundtrack is by Tsukasa Masuko, the composer
for someone's particular talent. There’s also an on the early Megami Tensei games, who has a
audience reaction gauge on the side of the battle similar style.
354
Arabian Nights
Developer: Pandora Box | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
Arabian Nights: Sabaku no Seireiou (“Desert

Spirit King”) stars an orphan girl named Shukran
who discovers a magical ring, which holds the
spirit of the djinni Ifrit. With her one wish, she
asks for world peace, but such things are not
simple, so the duo begin an adventure together
to find the crystals that will replenish Ifrit’s lost
power, and make that dream a reality. The game
was developed by Pandora Box, which also created
the many games in the ONI series.
Battles are fought from an isometric
perspective, à la Breath of Fire. In addition to
magic, you also have consumable Barrier Cards
– when these are played, they appear on the The random encounter rate is pretty high, and the Given the late
battlefield, and provide effects such as granting balance is pretty wonky. But darned if Arabian release of this SFC
elemental attacks, guaranteeing critical attacks, Nights isn’t a cool game anyway. RPGs that take RPG, the attractive
or doubling magic spells. Enemies can use these place in the Middle East are fairly uncommon (save character art and
too, so you have to be careful. Only one card can for SEGA’s Oasis games) as are ones that feature interesting setting
be in play at a time, with different ranks assigned a female protagonist. The visuals are attractive, weren’t quite
to them to determine which gets priority. There and the music is decent too (the manual provides enough to make
are three playable characters – Shukran, Ifrit, and the lyrics for the overworld theme). There are this game a success.
a thief boy named Hearty – and there are several also branching paths and endings depending on
other djinns you meet as well, many of whom have your choices. Design issues aside, it’s a rather
had various past entanglements with Ifrit. charming title.
Gran Historia
Developer: J-Force | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
In Gran Historia: Genshi Sekaiki (“Vision of
World Record”), the people of the continent of
Gran worship one of two gods – Za, the god of
machinery, or Ge, the god of nature and spirits.
They have long coexisted, though eventually one
will gain too much power, and destroy the entire
land. You control a travelling spirit from another
reality, with knowledge of the world’s history,
and the ability to change the past to prevent the
ruination of the future.
At the beginning, you witness the murder
of a man named Thor, by bandits, on the night
of his wedding. The travelling spirit (named by
the player) inhabits his body, but tragically, he’s As an RPG, it’s also a little dull. Battles are Chrono Trigger may
killed again the next morning. So the spirit uses first-person, and the party is surrounded on four be the most popular
its abilities to rewind time back to the day before, sides by attacking foes. But the game doesn’t do JRPG focusing on
where Thor is able to stop the bandit, rewriting anything interesting with this concept; it just time travel, but it’s
that part of history. The story continues like makes the battles take too long. The player can certainly not the
this, and you eventually make your way up to wield two types of magic though, one for each only one.
the kingship, only to be tossed out into another god, and these consume different resources.
body by a mysterious figure. It’s an excellent plot, The random encounter rate is a pain too, though
though the story is fairly linear, and other than the story almost makes up for it. The basic concept
a few choices, you don’t have much direct input of the game seems to have inspired Atlus’ 2010
into the story. game Radiant Historia.
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Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu
Developer: TOSE/Bandai | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SFC
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball (and its fighting-

focused continuation, Dragon Ball Z) was one of
the most popular manga/anime properties during
the late ’80s and much of the ’90s, so of course it
became the basis for tons of video games. The third
Famicom game, Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden, started a
line of titles that incorporated some RPG elements.
In it, characters move around like board game
pieces, and fights take place via a battle system
using cards. This was used as the basis for two
Dragon Ball Z Famicom games, Kyoushuu! Saiyan
and Gekishin Frieza, based on the Vegeta, Namek,
and Frieza arcs. These were then condensed and incredibly simple, but the animation in these fight This is one of the
revised for the Super Famicom game, Dragon Ball scenes is actually reasonably decent, considering better Dragon Ball
Z: Super Saiya Densetsu. the period. Characters gain power levels as they Z RPGs, though
Exploration is handled as in a regular JRPG, fight, too. The canon storyline, in which several Attack of the
though you can also fly. Battles still use the card- characters die, is not compulsory, so you can Saiyans for the DS is
based system from previous games. Five cards choose to avoid any other deaths – all but one, also a quality game.
are randomly generated, each of which has an necessary so Goku can go Super Saiyan, anyway.
offence and defence rating, as well as a colour The series continued with a third DBZ
that indicates the type of attack. Once all actions game on the Famicom, Ressen Jinzouningen,
are chosen, the fights are then played out, using a as well as Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku, one of
mixture of 2D sprites and cinematic cut-ins. Being the few games to have a story not based on the
an early Super Famicom title, the field graphics are anime/manga.
Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Another Story

Developer: Angel | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
Sailor Moon: Another Story is basically the classic
magical girl show by way of Final Fantasy. It’s
(original) story takes place between the third
and fourth shows of the television season – the
sorceress Apsu of the evil organisation Hell
Destiny, living in the 30th century in Crystal Tokyo,
has sent a team called the Opposite Guardians
into the past to alter it to suit her. This squad
consists of five members, mirror images of those
in the main Sailor Scout team, who cause trouble
by reviving past opponents or causing reformed
characters to go bad. The story was provided by
original manga artist Naoko Takeuchi, who also in addition to physical and special moves, there Some of the other
designed several new characters, so there’s some are also combination moves like Chrono Trigger’s Sailor Moon Super
remarkable authenticity. Double and Triple Techs, plus you can change the Famicom games were
Visually, it looks like a Square SFC RPG, formation of your team to emphasise offence or pretty decent too,
though with taller sprites, and each major defence among various members. There’s also a including two beat-
character has a portrait. There are voice effects for sub-quest involving finding puzzle pieces, which ’em-ups and a versus
all of the main fighters, and several familiar music will reward you near the end of the game. fighting game.
themes are featured The battles scene are also The damage calculations and difficulty
presented from a side-view perspective, à la Final balance are a little off, but otherwise the strong
Fantasy, though it features a more traditional visuals and original story make this essential for
turn-based battle system. Up to five characters can Sailor Moon fans, and it certainly serves as a high-
fight at once (with a total of ten Scouts available); water mark for manga/anime RPG adaptations.
356
JoJo no Fushigina Bouken
Developer: WinkySoft | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC
JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure focuses on the Joestar

family as it battles evil across the generations.
The third story arc is the most popular, as it
introduced a concept called Stands, or physical
manifestations of a person’s spirit that enable
super-powers; these are a lot like the Personas in
Atlus’ RPG series. While nowadays the series is
known for fighting games, the first video game
adaptation was a Super Famicom RPG.
The presentation is fairly unique – most of
the action is presented in letterbox format, taking
up about quarter of the screen. Only the head and
upper torso of each character are visible, and only
left/right movement is possible; they change areas by smoking cigarettes or using the bathroom. The cinematic
by walking through doors. The cinematic display You have standard HP and MP stats, but when a presentation of this
looks extremely cool at first, but ends up being character’s MP depletes completely, they lose the SFC game makes it
extremely cumbersome, as it’s difficult to navigate will to fight, and require encouragement from allies worth checking out
and interact with things. Battle scenes switch to recover. At the beginning of each fight, you can for that alone.
perspectives, focusing on the enemies or the also pick a card to get one of the various boosts.
characters, though again, the view is rather tiny. While the story is based on the manga, it’s
There’s a biorhythm system in place, in which quite strange, especially as vampiric nemesis Dio
mental, physical, and Fate conditions fluctuate as actually ends up helping you out by telling you
you move around. Characters can also get stressed, your next destination. The story is also quite short,
weakening their abilities, but this is resolved though it’s still worth it for JoJo fans.
Shadowrun
Developer: Compile | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): MCD
Shadowrun is a popular tabletop RPG that takes
place in a cyberpunk future, where science and
magic co-exist, and humans live with typical
fantasy races like elves and dwarves. There were
three completely different Shadowrun RPGs
released during the 16-bit era – the SNES game by
Australia-based Beam Software, the Genesis game
by US-based BlueSky, and a Japan-only Mega CD
game by Compile. This last is the closest in form to a
JRPG, though it plays a little differently from most.
The story is based on the Shadowrun Replay
books released in Japan, taking place in Tokyo in
the year 2053. The game is divided into chapters,
starring the blue haired “street samurai” Rokudo, to attack up-close with mêlée weapons or at a This release of
accompanied by ex-company man Shiun, the female distance with guns or magic. Characters have two Shadowrun is
shaman Mao, and the elven mercenary (called a meters, health and mental, which are affected unique, considering
Decker in Shadowrun lingo) D-Head. Part of each differently by different types of attack. In order to it’s a Japanese take
chapter is a command-based adventure game, à la give the game more of a tabletop role-playing feel, on an American
Snatcher, in which you investigate the case you’ve every time someone attacks or defends, dice are property, which was
taken on. For dungeon crawling and combat, shown rolling at the top of the screen. They stop never brought back
the game switches to a JRPG-style overhead view. at the press of a button, which then determines to the country where
There are no random battles, all encounters the strength of the attack, if it hits at all. Overall, it originated.
being preset. When fights begin, the area is it’s not bad, though obviously difficult for non-
divided into a grid, and you can move around Japanese readers.
357
Parasite Eve
With Final Fantasy VII, Square began embracing

movie-like elements. In the interim between
the seventh and eight entries in the series, they
released Parasite Eve, which terms itself “The
Cinematic RPG”. While the game was largely
designed in Japan, it was a co-production with
Square’s American studios, which were set up to
handle much of its computer animation output.
It was (extremely) loosely based on a 1995 science
fiction novel by Hideaki Sena, which also got its
own live-action film adaptation in 1997, both of
which are available in English.
While few people probably remember what
“mitochondria” are, beyond hazy memories of control Aya as she runs around the area, dodging Being able to play
biology class, the story of Parasite Eve imagines that enemy fire until her AT meter fills up, at which a movie was a
these little components of the cell overtake the rest point you can attack by firing her gun, or using big selling point
of it. Functionally, this is just a justification for lots her own developing mitochrondrial powers during the ’90s, a
of crazy psychic powers and grotesque mutations. (basically, magic). It’s not exactly exciting, though promise made (and
The story begins with Aya Brea, a New York City – combined with limited customisation, which largely kept) by
cop, attending an opera at Carnegie Hall, at which mostly just amounts to tweaks on your guns, Parasite Eve.
one of the singers goes crazy, and nearly everyone it feels like Parasite Eve is only an RPG because
bursts into flames. Aya is unharmed, for reasons Square didn’t want to alienate its Final Fantasy
that will eventually become clear, and she hunts audience. Indeed, its sequel went a more action-
down this singer, who terms herself “Eve”, and has based route and more closely resembles Resident
caused the city to become overrun with monsters. Evil, while the finale in the trilogy, The Third
Parasite Eve desperately wants to be a Birthday for the PSP, is a straight-up 3D run-and-
Hollywood movie, so it’s paced like one. Across gun with a body swapping gimmick, and is only
its two CDs, playing through the game takes connected through the presence of Aya.
maybe seven hours. The script is terse, so while The CG was obviously hot for the time, and
it’s brisk, it’s also all spectacle, and extremely while it’s dated now, it’s still relatively decent. The
linear – the game is basically divided into levels, game still succeeds, due to its moody portrayal
as you explore NYC’s underground, Central Park, of late ’90s New York City, in turn largely
the Museum of Natural History, and eventually thanks to its electronically-oriented soundtrack
end up in a climactic fight on an aircraft carrier. from Yoko Shimomura. The Final Fantasy VI-
There are plenty of CG cutscenes, though still no esque synthesised choir warblings are a bit odd,
voice acting. but the rest alternates between atmospheric
Battles occur randomly on the field; the screen tones and techno battle themes, and keeps the
pulses and enemies appear. Here, you directly game interesting.
358
Vagrant Story
Yasumi Matsuno made a name for himself as

the designer of strategy classics like Ogre Battle,
Tactics Ogre, and Final Fantasy Tactics, but his
dungeon crawler Vagrant Story is probably his
most unusual title. It features Ashley Riot, a
member of an elite squadron called Riskbreakers,
as he infiltrates the decaying city of Le� Monde
to take down a seemingly immortal cult leader by
the name of Sydney Losstarot.
Square was hugely into cinematic titles,
given the success of Final Fantasy VII, but Vagrant
Story takes a different approach – there is only
one CG animation, right at the beginning, and
the rest of the game is rendered in polygons. It’s
obviously pushing the PlayStation to the limit of It wouldn’t be a Matsuno game if there Vagrant Story is
its abilities, and it’s absolutely incredible even now. weren’t some kind of overly complex mechanics, definitely not for
It even beats Metal Gear Solid, because it has and here this is manifested as a weapon crafting everyone, but if
actual facial features, complete with moving system. Each has an affinity based on one of six it clicks, it will
lips (though no voice acting), and its cutscene enemy classes (Human, Beast, etc.), seven elements click hard.
direction is even more stunning. The sprawling (Earth, Fire, etc.) and three blade types (Blunt,
city of Le� Monde, based on an actual French Edged, and Piercing). However, many enemies
town, is just as much of a character as any human, have strong defences, meaning you should craft
consisting of sprawling catacombs and long- and carry around at least a few different weapons
abandoned dwellings. and switch them as the situation dictates.
The mechanics are a far cry from the usual There’s no way to quick-switch them though, only
hack-and-slashery. When you command Ashley slow menus.
to attack, the action pauses and he’s surrounded Despite the beautiful graphics, much of the
by a wireframe sphere, indicating his attack range. journey is spent in dull brown rooms, and while
You can target individual enemy body parts, and the game is only about 20 hours long, it feels like
the level of debilitation inflicted depends on what it could be cut down by half. And the amount of
you hit. Further, if you time your button presses weapon crafting required will either enthrall people
in the correct rhythms, you can chain together or put them off entirely. But the atmosphere is
combos with even more substantial effects. unparalleled, thanks not only to the craftsmanship,
As you rack up a combo chain, an indicator called but also Hitoshi Sakimoto’s beautifully moody
Risk fills up; the higher it gets, the more your score, and the English script is one of the most
defence falls, so if you miss a button tap and allow sharply-written of any Japanese RPG. It’s a unique
an enemy to counterattack, its blow may severely game, which divides opinion, but if it clicks for you,
injure you, if not kill you outright. then it might be one of the best you’ll ever play.
359
Thousand Arms
Developer: Red/Atlus | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
Meis Triumph is a 16 year boy who really likes the

ladies. Which is appropriate, because he’s a Spirit
Blacksmith, a profession that uses the affection of
women to help temper and improve swords. At the
beginning of the game, Meis is kicked out of his
home by attackers, and must strengthen his skills
so he can fight back against the evil Dark Acolytes.
The game has bright, anime-style visuals, along
with a cool fantasy/steampunk aesthetic, where
magic and machinery co-exist.
Thousand Arms has a lot of talent behind
it – it was published by Atlus, creators of the
Shin Megami Tensei series, and produced by Red
Entertainment, where it was overseen by Ouji
Hiroi, creator of the Sakura Wars and Tengai around answering simple dialogue questions; Thousand Arms sold
Makyou series. The character art was provided by their intimacy level increases or decreases based itself on its harem
Yuuya Kusaka (Sorcerous Stabber Orphen) and on your answers, and that affection is used to of lovely ladies and
the initial concept was by Takehiko Itou (Outlaw enhance your weapons. There are gifts you can its dating elements,
Star). They even got white-hot J-pop sensation give them, plus various mini-games you can play, which are sadly
Ayumi Hamasaki to provide two vocal tracks. depending on your partner. While some of the under-utilised.
Unfortunately, none of this matters very much in girls are amusing, this whole system is too shallow
the end, because the game just isn’t very good. to feel like it’s worth much.
The premise is basically a dating RPG, The game does have a goofy sense of
sort of like Sakura Wars but in the mould of a humour. The NPC dialogue in particular sparkles,
more traditional JRPG. The problem is that both often making subtly dirty jokes or breaking the
elements are executed very poorly. Up to three fourth wall. They’re the sort of lines that you’d find
characters can appear in combat, but only one in a Working Designs translation, but they feel
of them, positioned in the front row, can actually more appropriate here, in a game that really wasn’t
attack, while the others sit in the back row and meant to be taken seriously.
can use items and provide other support. There’s There is a certain novelty behind Thousand
also a real-time element, whereby you select a Arms that keeps it from being unplayable, mostly
move, then wait a few seconds before you can because, at this point, outside of the carnival event
actually execute it. It’s needlessly slow, brainless, in Final Fantasy VII, English-speaking gamers
and not much fun at all. weren’t really familiar with the concept of “dating”
As for the dating elements, there are several in a video game. But that’s also not enough to
different girls that come along for the journey, make the game good, and the concept didn’t really
and you can take them around various towns to take off among the English-speaking community
have dates with them. However, these just revolve until Atlus’ own Persona 3 several years later.
360
The Legend of Dragoon
Developer: Sony Computer Entertainment | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1
After witnessing the extraordinary financial

success of the Final Fantasy series on the
PlayStation, Sony decided to try making an RPG
themselves, which resulted in The Legend of
Dragoon, released in 1999. It is very much in the
vein of Square’s series – it’s a multi-CD epic with
pre-rendered backgrounds, polygonal characters,
and plenty of FMV.
The hero is a young man named Dart, who’s
returned from a journey to find his hometown in
ruins, and his childhood friend Shana kidnapped.
He rescues her, but during their escape,
she reveals herself to have a mysterious power, Alas, The Legend of Dragoon’s biggest Sony tried to make
which makes her desired by her enemies. Dart failing is its battle system. It’s a pretty standard their own Final
himself eventually discovers how to transform turn-based affair, except you’re supposed to time Fantasy killer, and
into a super-powerful Dragoon, and works to save your sword swings with an indicator to score extra didn’t quite succeed,
the land, and solve the mystery of his deceased damage or block counterattacks, or mash buttons but that hasn’t
parents. The story is typical RPG stuff, not quite to enhance magic attacks. Paper Mario for the stopped it from
up to the level of Square’s 32-bit efforts, but not Nintendo 64, and later games like Shadow Hearts gaining a fanbase
bad. Dart isn’t exactly a memorable hero, but and Lost Odyssey, have something similar, but over the years.
some of his companions are amusing, like the here it really slows down the pacing of an already
sharp-tongued warrior Rose, who helps Dart at sluggish battle system. Fights also take a long
the beginning, and doofy but likeable knight time, especially boss battles, and regular enemies
Lavitz Slambert. However, the translation quality barely give any experience points. You can defend,
is absolutely dreadful, often lending comedy when to restore a bit of health, but this action does
there really shouldn’t be any. little to absorb attacks, so you’re likely to take
Most games that are derivative of other, more as much damage as you reverse. The character
popular titles tend to be rather low budget, but customisation just involves switching between
that’s definitely not a problem with The Legend attack types, and the transformed Dragoon forms
of Dragoon, because it’s a pretty nice-looking aren’t all that exciting either.
game. The character models are a little rough, The Legend of Dragoon was popular,
but better than in most other PS1 RPGs, while the especially in North America, most likely due to its
world design and art style are well done. The FMVs strong marketing campaign – like Final Fantasy
are decent too, though some are wasted on fairly VII’s, it mostly showed off the impressive CG
banal storytelling segments, while more important animation. Dragoon has its fans, who have long
scenes are communicated by the in-game engine. been clamouring for a remake or sequel. But the
There is a little bit of voice acting, but like the pretty graphics and rather average story aren’t
writing, it’s pretty bad. enough to make up for the dreadful battles.
361
Panzer Dragoon Saga
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): SAT
SEGA’s Panzer Dragoon series was initially created

to show off the 3D abilities of the 32-bit Saturn.
While the first two titles were simple arcade-style
rail shooters, they amazed gamers of the mid-’90s
with a gorgeous game world, drawing equally from
the likes of Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä and the
works of French artist Moebius. They’re a strange
mixture of fantastic organic creations and high-
tech wizardry, the likes of which hasn’t been
duplicated in any other medium. In order to better
explore that world, they created Panzer Dragoon
Saga, a role-playing game.
The story focuses on Edge, a young
mercenary, who discovers a girl from an ancient dragon flies in one of four quadrants surrounding Panzer Dragoon
civilisation buried in a wall. He is then attacked your enemies, and can move between them at will. Saga is one of the
by the rebellious Black Fleet, who steal the girl for Your radar, at the bottom of the screen, will mark most sought-after
their own. Edge manages to escape, but his fate which zones are safe and which are dangerous. If games on the Saturn,
and that of the girl, named Azel, are intertwined, you’re flying in a green zone, the enemy can’t attack; and gamers have
and while initially opponents, they eventually if you’re in a neutral zone, the enemy can use a weak long clamoured for
team up to save the world. attack; and naturally, the red zone indicates that a remake, so they
The world-building is incredible, despite the enemy can use a fierce attack. However, enemies don’t have to shell
the shaky 3D capabilities of the Saturn. In the often have weak points positioned to encourage out several hundred
previous titles, the story was simply told through you to fly in the face of danger to finish battles dollars to get it.
CG cutscenes, and the world existed only as a efficiently. The enemy’s attack patterns often
background to fly over. When you’re interacting change multiple times during battle, forcing you
with the environments, walking through them or to adapt and figure out the optimal positioning,
talking to their inhabitants, it shows how much timing, and type of attack to use. Furthermore,
effort was put into creating a completely unique you have precise control over the development
setting and culture. of your dragon, determining how fast it is, how
The battle system is also a radical departure powerful its attacks are, and other statistics.
from the norm. All battles are fought in mid-air, as Panzer Dragoon Saga is, however,
you’re flying on your dragon. The action takes place remarkably short. Despite utilising four discs
in real time, with three power bars that charge over – mostly for pixellated, heavily compressed
a period of a few seconds. At any point, you can video that looks poor compared to that in
pause the battle and choose to attack – if you’ve PlayStation games – the quest clocks in at roughly
built enough power, you can attack multiple times, 15 hours. But it’s a totally unique game, with a
or unleash a single, but more powerful, attack. world and combat system completely unlike any
Positioning is also extremely important – your other game’s.
362
Skies of Arcadia
Developer: SEGA | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): DC, GC
In SEGA’s Skies of Arcadia, you’re the leader of a

group of air pirates – explicitly “good-guy” pirates
– travelling the world over, fighting all kinds of
“bad-guy” pirates, and against evil empires, as
well as helping anyone in need. The story initially
focuses on Vyse and Aika, members of the Blue
Rogues, who fight against the imperial Valuan
Empire. They rescue a young woman named Fina,
of the mostly-extinct Silver Civilization, on a quest
to find the Moon Crystals and prevent them from
falling into the hands of Valuans. Together, they
set off into the skies to defend the world from evil.
The world of Skies of Arcadia is largely
uncharted, at least for the Blue Rogues, and is
comprised of dozens of islands floating in the skies, felt like the beginning of a new generation. In fact, The “Arcadia” in
miles above the poison that lies on the surface. this devotion to architecture is what gives Skies of Skies of Arcadia
The explorer’s map that shows your ship’s position Arcadia its unique identity. most likely refers to
slowly expands from a tiny circle to a gigantic view of The rest of the game stumbles, due to some Arcadia of My Youth,
the entire world, keeping note of the myriad artefacts dull game design. The turn-based combat system a classic anime film
you discover. Additionally, there’s an ongoing is a bit plodding, with its gimmick being a super- by Leiji Matsumoto,
quest to draft more members into your ranks, energy bar shared amongst party members, starring space pirate
which help out with various tasks on your ship. allowing for special attacks. The constant random Captain Harlock,
Skies of Arcadia succeeds because there is battles, especially in the original Dreamcast who was the basis for
no generic dungeon, no faceless town. Everything release, don’t do it any favours either. There are Vyse in this game.
has individuality, from the secretive underground airborne ship-to-ship battles in which you square
pirate’s base, to the tree-clubhouse feeling of the off while flying through the air, though these are
jungle city of Horteka, to the gorgeous waterfalls rather drawn out, as you just watch the vessels fly
and Asian-inspired shrines in Yafutoma, to the about and trade blows.
Middle Eastern desert lands of Nasrad. You don’t Ultimately, though, Skies of Arcadia has
even need to talk to the inhabitants to understand all of the straightforward charm of a 16-bit game
the cultures underpinning the game’s nations – all wrapped up in modern trappings; it feels like
you need to do is walk through their countries. the best Saturday morning cartoons never made.
Dungeons don’t just seem like some landscape Beyond its initial Dreamcast release, it ended up on
you’re walking over – each and every one of them the GameCube as Skies of Arcadia Legends, with
has depth and texture, the kind that you’d usually some small additions, though worse sound, but any
see in platform or action games. This is common other planned ports and sequels were cancelled.
nowadays, but considering the simple polygonal The heroes later make cameo appearances in the
fields or pre-rendered screens of 32-bit games, this SEGA SRPG series Valkyria Chronicles.
363
Linda³
Developer: Alfa Systems | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): PCECD, PS1, SAT
After his work on the successful (albeit typical)

Tengai Makyou series, writer Shoji Masuda created
Linda3 (pronounced Linda Cube), which can be
most easily described as a sci-fi Noah’s Ark JRPG.
It features artwork by Cannabis (a.k.a. Tatsuyuki
Tanaka), best known for his illustration work on
the Akira movie.
The game takes place on Neo-Kenya, an
artificial planet with a climate similar to Earth’s.
While humanity has lived there peacefully for
about a century, it’s in the path of a meteorite,
which is scheduled to demolish it in eight
years. Unlike most stories that threaten total
destruction, there’s nothing you can do to prevent included because the developers figured that no This game can easily
this cataclysm. However, a mysterious ark drops one bought PC Engine games unless there was a be summarised
out of the sky, instructing Neo-Kenya’s inhabitants beautiful girl in them, but her role expanded as as “Noah’s Ark:
to gather both humans and animals, herd them Masuda fell in love with the performance of voice The JRPG”, but
onto the ship, and then escape to the stars. You actress Minami Takayama. Each functions as a that also undersells
play as a ranger named Ken, tasked with exploring parallel world, telling a different story, allowing how crazy it is.
the colony, collecting wildlife, and loading them you to explore different parts of the colony and
onto the ark, all before the deadline hits. It’s also giving different capturing requirements. The
important to note that while Neo-Kenya is Earth- stories themselves are pretty wild – “Merry Xmas”
like, it is not Earth. So while its animals are based features Ken’s twin brother Nek, who wears a mask
on familiar creatures like pigs, cows, and squirrels, and dresses in a Santa Claus outfit, while “Happy
they actually look more like their pastel, demonic Child” revolves around a mad scientist with a Hitler
counterparts. Combat is much as in Dragon moustache and his creepy robotic daughter. The
Quest, displayed using a first-person view, though third scenario, “Astro Ark”, doesn’t have much
you have to be careful to just weaken foes rather of a story and is much more open-ended, with
than killing them, as that won’t do you any good. harsher requirements and a focus on combat and
In addition to registering them on the ark, they can animal collection.
be sold, turned into meat, or even be added to your Initially released on the PC Engine CD, it was
party. As time passes in the game, humans begin later ported to 32-bit platforms, with enhanced
to flee, and by the time the meteor is scheduled to visuals, animated cutscenes, and assorted balance
hit, most of the cities will be deserted. tweaks. However, some of the more violent scenes
The title actually refers to the three scenarios, had to be toned down for the PlayStation version,
each exploring a different role for the titular Linda, while the Saturn version keeps most of this intact.
whether childhood friend, lover, or wife. She’s loud These also have a fourth, unlockable scenario,
and abrasive, but ultimately loveable. She was which is basically a super-difficult mode.
364
Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke (series)
Developer: Alfa Systems | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP, PSV
After creating the eccentric Linda3, Shoji

Masuda went on to develop Ore no Shikabane
o Koete Yuke (“Cross Over My Corpse”), another
rather unusual RPG. Taking place during the
Japanese Heian era, the premise here is that the
protagonist’s family has been cursed by demons
with two unique problems: their offspring are
born fully grown and have a maximum life of span
of about two years, and they cannot procreate
with humans. The gods, feeling pity for your clan,
promise to perpetuate your bloodline by offering
their mating services to you. However, they won’t It also has a 2D graphical style based on ukiyo-e Oreshika is
couple with just anyone. So you begin a cycle where woodblock prints, though the animation is simple. definitely pretty
you send your warriors into various randomly- This type of gameplay was probably deemed far from what you’d
generated dungeons to do battle, increasing their too hardcore for an international audience at the expect from a
spirit power. Their short lifespans mean that time, plus its setting and concept were perhaps a typical JRPG, being
they quickly grow weak and die, so that spirit little too unusual. A later PSP port, which enhances more of a dungeon
power is used to allow them to mate with strong the visuals and makes assorted tweaks, did not leave crawler with an odd
gods, creating offspring with stats and abilities Japan either. However, a 2016 Vita sequel was released breeding mechanic.
inherited from their parents. This continues in English, called Oreshika: Tainted Bloodlines. The
until you’ve built up a strong enough clan to take main improvement here is 3D for the visuals – due to
vengeance on those who cursed you to begin with. the simple 2D graphics of the original game, most of
During the PlayStation era, JRPGs were the characters looked identical, but here the warriors
primarily known for focusing on narratives, while are a blend of both their human and godly parents,
this game is far more focused on mechanics – its giving each a unique look. It also expands on the
emphasis on breeding has drawn comparisons types of random dungeon you’ll face, making play
to the Derby Stallion series, although featuring less repetitive.
humans and gods rather than horses. And indeed, A major point of contention, at least within
most of the game is spent dungeon crawling, the Japanese fanbase, was the inclusion of a
levelling up, and replacing fallen warriors. In playable character called Nueko, herself taken
addition to expanding your clan, you can also from the loosely tied-in novel by Masuda called
devote resources to rebuilding your home base of Onikiri Nueko: Hyakki Yagyou Gakuen. The game
Kyoto. Combat is fairly typical, presented from a forces you to use her in certain circumstances,
side-on view, à la Final Fantasy, though a pre-battle requiring that you take resources away from
roulette will determine what goods you’ll obtain your other characters, so you need to build your
when you win. You can also finish encounters strategy around her presence. Outside of that, it’s
quickly by aiming for the enemy leader, though fairly faithful to the original, and a great way for
killing everyone tends to produce more bonuses. international fans to experience Oreshika.
365
Lucienne’s Quest
Developer: Micro Cabin | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): 3DO, SAT
The 3DO didn’t have much in the way of Japanese

software support, and even less when it came to
RPGs, but it did have Lucienne’s Quest (known
under the more generic title Sword and Sorcery
in Japan). It came from Micro Cabin, which earlier
produced computer RPGs like Xak and Illusion
City, and also put out the unusual strategy game
Guardian War for the 3DO.
In most ways, Lucienne’s Quest is a pretty
typical JRPG, in which you control a 15-year-old
apprentice wizard named Lucienne, who tricks
a traveller named Ago into thinking she can cure
his lycanthropy. What starts as a prank eventually
turns into a world-spanning trek to defeat a villain will affect his strength. Overall, it’s short and simple Pickings were
named Death Shadow. It’s got a silly sense of but fun, though it’s also one of the most expensive sparse if you were
humour about it, plus it’s one of the first RPGs to American 3DO games on the second-hand market. a JRPG fan who
use the 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds aesthetic The game got a second chance on the had a 3DO.
seen in PlayStation and Saturn games. The Saturn, at least in Japan, which added an FMV
environments look pretty boxy, which is expected intro, some voice acting, and a number of quality-
given the early 3D hardware, but there’s an odd of-life improvements. Many of the textures and
charm to it. In battle, the field has nine squares, sprites were completely changed though, removing
each with a front and back row, plus obstacles that much of the bright and poppy feel of the 3DO
can occasionally get in the way of combat. Since game, plus the revised portraits were turned into
Ago can turn into a werewolf, the day/night cycle generic anime.
Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean

Developer: Sunsoft | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT
Albert Odyssey is a duology of SRPGs released
for the Super Famicom (see page 541). For the
third game, developer Sunsoft made a “gaiden”
entry and took the series in a different direction,
changing the genre to a more traditional RPG
framework, and setting the story long after the
events of the original game. So in other words, the
Albert of the title doesn’t actually appear, though
he is referenced in the backstory.
The hero is a boy named Pike, whose
parents were slaughtered when he was a baby,
so he was raised by a friendly group of angelic
harpies. Soon enough, though, the bad guys track
him down and turn his adopted sister into a cutscenes. The 2D visuals are just slightly above As with Vay,
statue, leaving him to grab his father’s enchanted, average, which was otherwise the selling point of Working Designs
sentient sword Cirrus and take down a cult of many Saturn RPGs. The music, as with the Super tried to hype this
evil magicians. Famicom games, is by Sunsoft mainstay Naoki up as a Lunar
This entry was localised by Working Designs, Kodaka, and it’s pretty good, but not great. While successor … and
who tried to position it as a follow-up to the Lunar Working Designs was often criticised for injecting it just isn’t.
series, primarily because it too has character added humour into their localised scripts, and
designs by artist Toshiyuki Kubooka. But Albert while this was somewhat hit-or-miss in their other
Odyssey isn’t on the same level of quality by any games, it’s Albert Odyssey’s saving grace: the
metric – the story is rote, the combat is dull, writing is occasionally pretty funny, even if it’s not
voice acting is sparse, and there aren’t any anime exactly faithful to the Japanese original.
366
Quest 64
Developer: Imagineer | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): N64, GBC
In the late ’90s, it was widely understood that if

you wanted RPGs, you’d want a PlayStation. There
were a few decent entries on the Saturn, while the
Nintendo 64 had naught but Quest 64, which came
from Imagineer. (This isn’t counting Ogre Battle 64,
though that’s more of a strategy-RPG hybrid than
a regular JRPG). It has the most generic US name
in existence, although given the slightest fancier
names Holy Magic Century in Europe and Eltale
Monsters in Japan, but the US title is indicative of
the kind of experience you’ll be getting.
You control an apprentice mage named
Brian, off on a hunt for his missing father, which Upon finding spirits, you can also upgrade one of Quest 64 is
ultimately leads to a quest for an item called the four elements, which in turn unlocks skills. something of a
Eletale Book. The game is entirely 3D, and initially Altogether, it’s about as bland as an joke in the RPG
resembles something like a lower-quality Ocarina experience as you can imagine, was derided upon community, but
of Time, though when you happen upon an enemy, release and has aged terribly, owing to its overly its reputation is
it shifts into turn-based operations. In this mode, large 3D environments, which are tedious to well-earned.
within a limited range per turn, you walk around navigate. Nonetheless, Imagineer created a Game
bashing enemies or using magic. Brian is the only Boy Color port called Quest: Brian’s Journey,
playable character, which is dull. The experience which is basically the same game but done in 2D
system borrows from Final Fantasy II for the (and is still just as boring) while Quest: Fantasy
Famicom, in which there are no levels, instead Challenge is basically the arcade Mr. Do but with
increasing stats as you continuously perform actions. Brian in place of the clown character.
TwinBee RPG
Konami’s TwinBee franchise started as a series of
cutesy shoot-’em-ups, starring anthropomorphic
spaceships (including the eponymous TwinBee)
and their human pilots. The series became even
more popular thanks to a radio drama in the
early ’90s, leading to a few spinoffs, including this
PlayStation RPG. It made sense, considering that
the audience loved the characters, but it’s hard
to tell a story in a shooter. TwinBee RPG begins
as the main character watches the latest episode
of TwinBee on TV, until something goes horribly
wrong and you’re zapped into the show. Finding a
baffled TwinBee (sans his pilot, Light) at the side of
the road, it’s up to you to explore Donburi Island, battle system, even including combination attacks. TwinBee has
gather together the rest of the TwinBee crew, find Additionally, the player can curry favour with only shown up
out just what happened to Light, and defeat the some of the female cast members, leading to sporadically outside
evil Professor Warumon once again. specific events. It’s innocent, but it’s weird to have of Japan, with a
As an early 3D game for the PS1, the game dating events, considering everyone seems to be single NES game
looks a little rough around the edges, plus the about 12 years old. (Stinger) and two
camera is terrible, but the bright, anime-style The game is rather clumsy overall – the SNES games that
visuals capture the cutesy feel of the other games. interface is a pain, and sometimes the next goal is were only released
In its mechanics, TwinBee is similar to Chrono not entirely clear. But it’s still charming for fans of internationally
Trigger. You can see enemies on the field before the franchise, and features plenty of voice acting in Europe.
you fight them, it has the same active-time from the radio drama cast.
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Satomi no Nazo
Developer: Suntech Japan | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): PS1
Satomi no Nazo (“Mystery of Satomi”) is one of the

most bizarre RPGs to appear on the PlayStation.
You control a young boy, who’s investigating the
disappearance of his mother, an adventure which
very quickly leads to the hero travelling back in time
to Edo-era Japan.
The game is filled with nonsensical scenarios
and dialogue. When you meet one of the heroines,
she verbally accosts you, then challenges you to a
duel in the wilderness, after which she’ll join you.
In the first town, there’s a fighting teacher who,
you would assume, would show you the ropes of
combat, but he’s so over-powered that he’ll murder
you. There’s an Automatic option for naming all the maps vertically, so to progress, you generally How do you try
your characters, but it chooses random syllables, just walk upwards. The FECS (Flash Encounter to get people to buy
resulting in gibberish. The game also has several Control System) supposedly causes the battles to your garbage RPG?
systems designed to streamline gameplay. The load instantly, though that’s probably due to the Slap a sticker on it
DCBS (Direct Command Battle System) means that simplicity of the visuals, which look like those in a proclaiming it to be
each enemy is assigned to one of three buttons on low-end Super Famicom RPG. a “recommended”
the controller. The enemies are single-frame sprites Perhaps most egregiously, the manufacturer product, and hope
that fly around the screen when they attack, but slapped a sticker on the retail package that said the consumer doesn’t
there are no battle messages or damage indicators, “Recommended RPG”, without quoting any ask “recommended
so things flash and numbers mysteriously go down. source. This was an unfortunate trick, especially by who?”
The PMLS (Progressive Map Link System) connects considering that the game was complete garbage.
Ancient Roman
Developer: Fuga System | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
Fuga System was a developer mostly known for the
Amaranth series of PC RPGs, but it decided to hop
into console development with Ancient Roman:
Power of Dark Side. But they probably shouldn’t
have, because it was perhaps the worst RPG ever
released on the PlayStation. The hero is a boy named
Kai Orpheas, who was kidnapped by a demon right
after he was born, and has lived his whole life as a
slave. When he overhears a plot to murder all of the
workers, he escapes the camp and begins to hunt
down his true destiny.
Ancient Roman very, very desperately wants
to be on the same level as something like Final
Fantasy VII, but Fuga clearly didn’t have the talent
nor anywhere near the budget of Square. While out view that makes it hard to see the characters. This game is so
this is true of many other developers, none of them The battle scenes are completely 3D, but the heroes bad that it even
produced anything as hilariously inept as this game. are animated such that they look like a kid tossing misspells the word
The FMV CG is laughably bad – an image of a man around toy figures and the enemies appear to be “Ancient” in its
bellowing at the screen as he’s shattered into a made of origami; when characters die they fly into Japanese subtitle.
thousand pieces by a magic spell should be horrifying, the sky; it’s surreal to watch in motion. The battle
but instead sets the tone for how ridiculous the balance is off, the script is terrible (and hard to read,
game is. The developers couldn’t afford to create as the use of kanji is inconsistent – understandable
too many screens, so most towns and dungeons are for cartridge games with space constraints but not
a few images, shown using an extremely zoomed CD-ROMs) and the result is laughably amateurish.
368
Beyond the Beyond
Developer: Camelot | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1
Beyond the Beyond was developed by Camelot,

the team behind the Shining Force games for the
Genesis and Saturn. Rather than being a strategy
game or dungeon crawler, however, it’s a more
traditional JRPG.
In terms of story, Beyond the Beyond is
pretty boilerplate. The game follows the exploits of
Finn, a young swordsman who must travel across
the land with his pet dragon, Steiner, in order to
put an end to a terrible and evil power that has
broken free. Along the way Finn joins forces with
numerous other characters, including the young
cleric Annie, the knight Percy, the magician the game, it has some fun battle themes by regular One of the early
Edward, the pirate Domino, and others. Camelot composer Motoi Sakuraba and some PS1 RPGs, Beyond
Beyond the Beyond is not remembered fondly clever puzzles in the dungeons. the Beyond isn’t
by most folks who played it – the game offered little The game would be completely forgettable very good, but
guidance to the player in terms of where to go to if it weren’t for several elements that would it did lay the
advance the plot (even by mid-’90s standards) and be carried into Camelot’s cult-classic Golden groundwork for
thanks to an egregiously high random encounter Sun franchise (like the dynamic rotating battle the much better
rate, the player was bound to be spending most of camera), so it’s become an interesting footnote Golden Sun on
their time in battle anyway. Graphically, as this was for the company. When looking at the game the GBA.
a very early PS1 title, it looked like it could have as more of an alpha build for what Golden Sun
been produced for the SNES or Genesis. Among would eventually become, it’s a far more palatable
the few positive things that can be said about RPG experience.
Guardian’s Crusade
Developer: Tamsoft | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
In Guardian’s Crusade, you control a young
knight (default name: Knight) who stumbles upon
a baby monster, which looks something like a
pink pig-rabbit, and is eventually named “Baby”.
(The Japanese title is actually Knight and Baby.) A
mysterious voice compels you to take it to a place
called God’s Tower, so you adopt it and begin an
adventure across the land. The game is the sole
RPG by Tamsoft, previously known for the 3D
fighter Battle Arena Toshinden games, and later
known for cheesy brawlers like Senran Kagura.
Knight and Baby are the only two active
participants in combat, though the companion
fairy Nehani occasionally pops in to help. Knight colour schemes and goofy character designs. Guardian’s
cannot use magic but can collect little toy There’s no demarcation between the overworld Crusade’s colourful
figures from around the land to help out, which and towns, creating a mostly seamless experience vibe is very different
is effectively the same thing. Baby cannot be without loading times. It’s also quite player- from that of the
controlled directly, but can act of his own accord. friendly, with visible encounters giving you the average PlayStation
However, it does function as sort of a virtual pet, opportunity to avoid combat, as well as a fast- RPG, which makes it
as you can feed it items to increase its stats, and forward button in battles, which was uncommon a nice alternative to
depending on how much it likes you, it may copy in the 32-bit era. Due to its cuteness and simplicity, the norm.
the forms of the monsters you fight. it was largely regarded as being for kids at the time,
The 3D graphics are typical of a mid-range but anyone who enjoys charming, laid-back RPGs
PlayStation title, a little simple, but with bright will also probably enjoy this one.
369
Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidou Retsuden
Developer: SNK | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): NGCD, PS1, SAT
SNK’s fighting games are known for their

interesting characters and relatively intricate lore,
though almost none of that really came across
in the games themselves. So, SNK developed an
RPG focusing on one of their most popular series,
Samurai Shodown, which takes place in a light
fantasy version of feudal Japan. You can pick from
one of six characters as the main hero – big-haired
sword-wielder Haohmaru, his nemesis Genjuro,
nature loving Nakoruru, catgirl Cham Cham,
tragic warrior Ukyo, or American ninja Galford
– and while each has their own unique prologue,
they eventually converge onto one of two main
stories, each focusing on one of the original two from a menu. The long load times bog things There were very few
Samurai Shodown games. Other characters can down, though the gorgeous pixel artwork, along exclusive games for
join you, except in Genjuro’s case, since he’s so with the ability to interact with such awesome the NEOGEO CD,
much of a badass that he (mostly) fights alone. characters, makes the game worthwhile. and the Samurai
The battle system is basically Final Fantasy Initially released on the NEOGEO CD, it later Shodown RPG is
meets Samurai Shodown, right down to the came out on the Saturn and PlayStation. The one of those.
existence of an ATB-like speed meter. As in the NEOGEO CD version includes an extra scenario
arcade games, characters build Rage when taking with Shizumaru, the PlayStation port includes
hits, increasing their damage output. Special stories based on the secondary cast, and the Saturn
moves are executed via command motions, though version has a bonus interview mode for various
this grows tiresome, so it’s easier to just pick them characters. None were translated into English.
Zill O’ll
Developer: Koei | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, PSP
By the 32-bit era, JRPGs were largely stereotyped
in the West as games similar to Final Fantasy VII.
So it’s unfortunate that Koei’s Zill O’ll was never
localised, because it’s very much the antithesis of
that style of game. At the beginning, you can create
a name for your character, and the game offers a
“free scenario” that lets you visit almost any area
in the game world immediately, and sets you on
different routes through the main story, depending
on what kind of missions you undertake. (Some
routes are gender-exclusive as well.) As you travel,
time passes in-game, and various story events PlayStation 2, which thereafter made its way onto Koei mostly
occur, such as wars between nobles, though the the PSP. Each iteration added more scenarios, concentrated on
main story focuses on the return of a slumbering, playable characters, and endings, making for an simulation games,
destructive dragon. You can also customise your experience far more replayable than most RPGs. but they did release
character by collecting and equipping souls, which It’s all fairly complex, and there are the usual an occasional RPG,
act as character classes. In spite of the typical turn- balance and technical problems that come with like Zill O’ll.
based battle system, it looks and feels more like a such an ambitious product, but its strengths
Western RPG, as it takes place on a Europe-like outweigh its weaknesses.
continent, and the designs, by fantasy artist Jun The closest thing to a sequel is the PlayStation
Suemi, known for the Wizardry games, are very 3 title Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll. While it takes
different from typical Japanese manga art. place in the same world, it’s actually a Dynasty
Initially released on the PlayStation, it later Warriors-style game and it has little in common
received an update called Zill O’ll Infinite for the with its predecessor.
370
Elder Gate
The dual worlds of Rosel and Eldora share a

common flow of energy, but something has
caused them to fall out of balance. As Rosel
disappears, a boy named Feat, guardian of the gate
that connects the two, journeys to Eldora to make
things right. However, every time he enters the gate,
the world he reaches is completely different. While
procedural generation is central to Rogue-likes,
here everything – the overworld map, the towns,
the dungeons, even the roles of the characters – is
randomised. In addition to hunting for more gates,
you also search for eight types of elemental stone,
which can be used to create new skills or craft
weapons. There are several scenario levels that you spent bumbling around, bogged down by slow Titles incorporating
must travel through to beat the game, and while random turn-based battles. With less tedium and significant procedural
Feat’s experience level resets upon entering a new a little more style, it could have been a classic. generation need to
one, he is able to maintain his equipment. It does have some notable names, though have finely tuned
Elder Gate is basically an ’80s-style RPG, – Castlevania series producer Koji Igarashi was creation algorithms
reminiscent of SystemSoft’s Tir Na Nog, done the director, while the music was contributed by to create anything
in the style of a PS1 JRPG. The appeal lies in the Symphony of the Night composer Michiru Yamane, playable … and
exploration and item gathering, with potentially though it’s not her best work. The character designs unfortunately Elder
infinite possibilities, while the story is quite thin. by fantasy artist Junko Taguchi are gorgeous, but Gate is lacking here.
However, procedural generation tends to create the polygonal graphics just don’t do them justice,
areas with lots of dead ends, so lots of time is and overall the visuals are uninteresting.
London Seirei Tanteidan

Developer: Unit | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1
London Seirei Tanteidan (“London Spirit
Detectives”) takes place in the 19th century, just
as steam engines were powering industrialisation.
You control a ten-year-old boy apprenticed to the
world-famous detective John Everett Millais. This
game isn’t just a Sherlock Holmes rip-off though,
as there are quite a few fantastical elements to
it, like ghosts and cyborgs. The player is also
occasionally joined by other characters, including
Aries, the 12-year-old daughter of a scholar, and
Virgil, a spirit detective.
The worldview is the most interesting part
of this game, with detailed 2D backgrounds and
character sprites illustrating a period that isn’t Alas, the game fumbles other elements. The Fight spirits in
often found in Japanese video games. Most of battle system is grid-based, though you can’t 19th century
the dungeons are places like alleys and sewers, directly control characters, and they automatically England in this
giving some grounding to the locations, despite walk towards an enemy following targeting. uniquely appealing
the supernatural elements. Enemies are pests like There’s nothing wrong with the battle setup PS1 RPG.
bats and sewer rats, and you are paid wages by the (outside of being limited to three characters) but
team hall, the base location where Millais gives out the random encounter rate is fairly high. The game
missions, for your efforts. Yasushi Nirasawa, the includes 20 scenarios, but the story contains many
monster designer for some of the Kamen Rider inconsistencies, probably due to the 11 different
games, illustrated some of the spirits that can be writers credited. It’s interesting for the setting
summoned in combat. alone, even if the end result is somewhat messy.
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Kasei Monogatari
Developer: Japan Vistec | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
Kasei Monogatari (“Mars Tale”) originated as a

radio drama (with listener participation) on a
show hosted by Ouji Hiroi, one of the key creators
behind the Tengai Makyou and Sakura Wars
series. The story takes place on Mars, though
rather than being the usual red, dusty planet,
instead it’s home to bustling towns, inhabited
by people of many different races. In this world,
people are called “symbols” until they reach 12
years of age, after which they undergo a naming
ceremony. The 11-year-old hero, Boy A, goes with
his friends (including a bird-like boy and a multi-
legged alien) on an adventure, but they end up on
all sorts of adventures, which send them through you in the right direction once you’ve completed The low-poly
various places in time across 30 short episodes. everything you need to do in a given room. look of Kasei
The plot is based on the first few episodes of the In certain segments, travel is shown as a board Monogatari
radio show, and the episodes are punctuated with game, and you advance based on a spinner. Battle has quite a
little stick-figure plays featuring the characters. sequences are pretty fun, as you can command bit of charm.
The character artwork, by illustrator your character to walk all around the battlefield,
Keinojou Mizutama, is adapted into cute 3D and pick up and throw various things, including
models, with a very visually charming look. There’s other fighters. There are also plenty of mini-games
quite a bit of voice acting, including narration by to break up the action. With a heartwarming story
Ouji Hiroi. Since the game was meant for kids, it’s and a delightful aesthetic, it’s easy enough for
quite simple to follow, as big arrows will point non-Japanese readers to enjoy.
Marica: Shinjitsu no Sekai

Developer: Feycraft | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): SAT
Marica: Shinjitsu no Sekai (“The World of Truth”)
outwardly looks like an adult game, owing to the
anime girls on the cover and the 18+ warning label.
But it’s actually an action horror RPG that feels
like a mid-’90s anime OVA. The main character
is Marica Kanzaki, living an average life in Japan,
until she happens upon a dying mutant from
a mysterious organisation called the Faction
of True, which is experimenting on humans to
discover how they will evolve. He gives her a disk
that contains their vital secrets, but assassins from
the Faction quickly track her down. Cornered,
she finds a psychic power within her, which she
uses to fight back, and to investigate the shadowy It’s similar to Tengai Makyou: The Apocalypse Most 32-bit era
organisation. She’s not alone though – she’s joined IV, in that it’s one of the few purely 2D RPGs on RPGs used some
by two other girls with different ESP powers, the Saturn, and goes the whole hog on the anime. amount of 3D, so
stylish delinquent Akira Kanemoto and high-class As an RPG, however, it’s pretty standard stuff. The it’s interesting to
Kaname Todo, along with Nobunaga Yakimaki, game is incredibly linear and not all that long, plus see the few games
a sham TV psychic who provides support. you spend a lot of time listening to characters talk. that commit so
The presentation is the most gripping aspect, As such, it’s almost more like an adventure game wholly to 2D.
as there’s a ton of dialogue that’s fully voiced, that just happens to have some RPG stuff in it. Still,
complete with full screen portraits. Battle screens the story is interesting enough that it’s considered
work similarly, with illustrated stills displayed a cult classic in Japan, and to see it continued as
whenever anyone attacks or takes damage. an online novel.
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El Dorado Gate
Developer: Capcom | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): DC
El Dorado Gate was an experiment by Capcom

in the realm of episodic gaming. The idea behind
it was an expansive RPG, filled with numerous
characters, with a new disc released every two
months or so, for the relatively low retail price
of 2800 yen each (about 25 USD in 1999 money).
Each release has two or three scenarios, each of
which could be completed in a few hours or so.
Seven volumes were released, but, the early death
of the Dreamcast meant that the El Dorado’s
Gate saga also met an early, unsatisfying end.
It also might have seemed cheap up front, but
buying all seven volumes would have cost nearly
$200 USD. as guide for the rest. Characters don’t gain levels, El Dorado Gate was
As for the games themselves, they’re fairly but equipment does, and you can cast spells by an experiment in
standard JRPGs, despite the large cast and combining magic stones. The field visuals are low- episodic gaming,
episodic storytelling. There are 12 protagonists in res 2D but they look decent, similar to those in which didn’t quite
total, who each go on their own quests, and are Capcom’s earlier Breath of Fire PS1 games, while take off.
caught up in a battle against the duelling gods the first-person battle scenes are presented using
Dios and Raijin. Notable characters include Ein, high-res illustrations from famed artist Yoshitaka
an ancient Android; Radia, an orphaned thief Amano, who also provided the cover art. The result
girl; Pamela, a woman with amnesia; and Lado, has a weirdly incongruous feel. In Japan the games
a motorcycle-riding youth who’s part of a vigilante are regarded as ambitious but unremarkable, and
corps. The connective tissue is Bantross, who acts Capcom didn’t even bother to localise them.
DeSpiria
Developer: Dennou Eizou Seisakusho | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): DC
DeSpiria is one of the few RPGs released on the
Dreamcast, developed by Dennou Eizou Seisakusho,
which previously worked on the PlayStation first-
person horror game Dark Messiah (a.k.a. Hell
Night). It was published by Atlus, and while it’s not
technically part of their Shin Megami Tensei series,
it certainly feels like it could be.
It’s the year 2070, and much of humanity
has either been destroyed or mutated due to a
conflict known as the Psalm War. The heroine
is a young woman named Allure Valentine,
an assassin for an organisation called the
Church, which has helped to rebuild the planet.
Her mission gets off to a rocky start when her found in Shin Megami Tensei. Rather than the DeSpiria may as well
train derails and kills almost everyone but her. typical fire/earth/wind/water elements, attacks are be a Shin Megami
However, she also happens to be able to dive into based on attributes like love, anger, and grudge, Tensei spinoff, and it’s
the thoughts of people or the psychic remnants while defence is determined by the type of parasite actually surprising
embedded in her surroundings, allowing her to that Allure has attached around her brain. that it didn’t borrow
get information and solve puzzles. The visuals are entirely rendered in CG, and the label.
The game is presented as a first-person the uncanny valley effect actually works in the
adventure game, similar to early CD-ROM titles game’s favour, giving the experience a particularly
like The 7th Guest, complete with FMV scene unique horror cyberpunk feel. That atmosphere
transitions. When combat occurs, she summons helps turn DeSpiria into one of the most visually
mind creatures, which are similar to the demons engrossing RPGs of its era.
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Okage: Shadow King
Developer: Sony/Zener Works | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS2, PS4
Okage: Shadow King (called Boku to Maou or

“The Demon Lord and Me” in Japanese) is one
of the early PlayStation 2 RPGs, and it’s quite a
hoot. You control a boy named Ari, whose sister is
afflicted by a curse, so she speaks only Pig Latin;
to save her, Ari makes a deal with a demon lord
named Stanley Hihat Trinidad XIV (“Stan” for
short), allowing the boy to be possessed by him.
While Stan has great plans for world domination,
Ari himself isn’t particularly strong or scary,
so the duo ends up being hilariously ineffective.
Thus begins a journey to regain Stan’s lost powers
so he can become the terrifying leader he so
wishes he was. combat is like a simple take on Final Fantasy Stan the Shadow
This is a delightfully silly game. Ari is a silent (complete with an ATB-style bar). It has a few small King proves to
hero but is given different dialogue options to novelties: a shared Labour Points pool for special be an amusing
choose from, with amusing effects. The human attacks; Stan will occasionally pop in before battle companion in this
characters are modelled with large heads and to let you choose an insult (and if he likes it, will do early PS2 RPG.
gangly limbs, like something out of a Tim Burton a powerful move); and a status ailment called
movie, and Stan himself looks like a particularly Tax that reduces the money obtained after battle.
amusing Halloween decoration. It’s a nice-looking It’s clearly made for a wider audience than just
game despite its early-PS2 look and feel. regular RPG fans, who might find the novelty
So it’s unfortunate that otherwise, the game wearing off quickly. Still, it’s a funny and charming
is pretty average. You gain two compatriots; little experience.
Ephemeral Fantasia
In Ephemeral Fantasia, you control musician/thief
Mouse and his sentient talking guitar Pattimo,
who are invited to the island of Pandule to write a
wedding song. However, you quickly learn that the
groom, a sinister man named Xelpherpolis, has
the entire island trapped in a time loop. So you
must live the same five days over and over, slowly
leading the inhabitants to become aware of their
prison and join you in fighting against him.
The premise here is a little too close to The
Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask for comfort,
though it plays differently. It’s still like a standard
JRPG, complete with a turn-based battle system
as in Final Fantasy, although the ATB system happens according to a set schedule, it’s hard to This early PS2 RPG
is altered so that different moves vary in their figure out exactly what to do without a guide. Also, got lambasted
recovery times. Also, among the usual mini-games, if you miss an event, you have to wait until the next by critics for its
there’s a music-themed one based on Konami’s loop to reach it again. The island is also pretty big, technical issues,
rhythm game Guitar Freaks. and it’s troublesome to constantly trudge across it. but there’s an
The game was planned for the Dreamcast, Though you can fast forward through cutscenes, interesting game
and as an early PlayStation 2 release, and it’s the game really needs a way to speed up time and buried in here
behind the curve technically, especially in its travel around quickly, because it ends up being somewhere.
lengthy load times between areas. But the bigger quite tedious. While the island atmosphere is
issue is that the structure is a little too open. Since pleasant, the juvenile writing does little to make
the game advances in real time, and everything the game worthwhile beyond its novelty.
374
Tsugunai: Atonement
Developer: Cattle Call | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): PS2
In Tsugunai, you control a mercenary named Reise,

who is tasked with stealing an artefact called the
Treasure Orb. Except, uh oh, it’s cursed, and it
separates his spirit from his body; he is still conscious
of the world around him, but he can’t interact with
much of anything, and his corporeal form lies in a
coma. What he can do is temporarily possess the
bodies of other people, using his strength to help
them out, and thereby atone for his sins.
There are thirty-five quests in total, revolving
around the folks in the fishing village Reise
explores, though not all of them involve combat.
For the ones that do, Tsugunai features a unique Tsugunai was one of the first JRPGs released The concept of
battle system, in which you only control a single for the PlayStation 2. From a technical perspective, possession is at the
fighter. Attacking is done by picking commands the visuals are far better than what the original centre of Tsugunai,
from a menu, as usual, but when it comes to PlayStation could do, but it still looks pretty bland. but it’s really carried
defence, you can use the four buttons for different The game world is also concentrated almost solely by its magnificent
abilities – you can block, dodge, counterattack, on the village, and its surrounding areas, so the game soundtrack.
or absorb the hit but build up your attack meter. world isn’t very large. What it does have is a fantastic
Since it’s heavily reflex-based, there’s a risk-reward soundtrack from Yasunori Mitsuda, which sounds
balance for every action, but the animations are like a mixture of Xenogears and Chrono Cross, two
slow. If you manage to assemble various amulets, of his most famous works. The soundtrack album,
you can summon a partner creature in battle, An Cinniùint, is worth having on its own, even
though you can’t directly control them. though the game it’s from is middling.
Evolution (series)
Developer: Sting | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): DS, GC, NGPC
Every console had an early RPG that was rushed
to market, and in the Dreamcast’s case, that game
was Sting’s Evolution. It stars a treasure hunter
named Mag Launcher, who, along with a cast
of characters also named after weapons (Linear
Cannon, Chain Gun, and Gre Nade), explores
ruins to look for goodies. These dungeons
are randomised, so there’s little more to the
game than exploring and battling. The super-
deformed characters are charming, but the stale
environments completely drain any potential life
the game may have had. The fights are typical,
though enemies and party members can shift
into three different positions, which changes the to explore. For the GameCube, both games were This Dreamcast
damage you can deal or receive, as well as your compiled together into a single game called RPG series is largely
order in the turn queue. Characters have a lot Evolution Worlds – however, the content of the focused on dungeon
of different abilities, which can be unlocked via first game was heavily truncated, cutting the five crawling, and doesn't
points obtained from battle, but the battles still dungeons down to two. The Western release also develop this into
never feel like anything more than a chore. features English voice acting, while the original anything interesting.
A sequel was also released, which contains Dreamcast release had only Japanese. The first
a slightly more ambitious story, though the crux game was also ported to the NEOGEO Pocket
of the game is very similar. The dungeons are a Color as Evolution: Eternal Dungeons, which is
little more interesting, since they are now preset, basically the same game but in 2D, and using pre-
though there’s still an optional random dungeon designed dungeons instead of randomised ones.
375
Blue Dragon
Developer: Mistwalker/Artoon | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): DS, X360
After the failure of the original Xbox in Japan,

Microsoft tried its darnedest to get the country to
care about its successor, the Xbox 360. One of its
first major attempts involved drafting the services
of Mistwalker, a production studio founded
by Hironobu Sakaguchi, one of the creators of
the Final Fantasy series. Their first project, in
conjunction with developer Artoon, brought
together artist Akira Toriyama and musician
Nobuo Uematsu to create a classically-styled JRPG
called Blue Dragon.
The game takes place in a world that’s though. The default difficulty is too easy, though a Blue Dragon is an
regularly terrorised by a mysterious purple mist. harder level is available via free DLC. okay early JRPG
A trio from the village of Talta – Shu, Jiro, and As an early Xbox 360 title, the visuals are effort for the Xbox
Kluke – trace its origin to a villain named Nene, not great, with everything having a heavy depth- 360, but nowadays
by whom they are summarily pummelled. But after of-field blur. The character models are fine – the it’s mostly known for
their defeat, they obtain blue shadows, which grant close-up view of your members during combat is a its insanely cheesy
them stronger powers. Together with the demon nice touch – and while the locales have attractive boss battle theme.
kid Marumaro and swordswoman Zola, they begin designs, the level layouts are pretty dull. The battle
a quest to defeat Nene in earnest. segments chug too, with regular frame drops and
Blue Dragon’s entire identity is a mish-mash screen tearing, though this is mitigated in the
designed to pull the nostalgia strings of Japanese backwards-compatible Xbox One version.
gamers. The enemy designs are often very Dragon The game was successful at wooing Japanese
Quest, and the characters shadow-summoning gamers, where it was a success; it was less popular
animations recall Dragon Ball Z, while the game’s in North America and Europe, where the audience
curious obsession with poop hails back to earlier looked at the staff and assumed it would be
Akira Toriyama manga like Dr. Slump. Meanwhile, something like Chrono Trigger. Its simplistic
the battle system feels a lot like Final Fantasy story and straightforward characters hearken back
X’s, complete with an on-screen turn queue that to an earlier era, so it feels like a late 8-bit/early
indicates when combatants can act. The twist here 16-bit JRPG, just with more modern systems. If
is that you can charge your shadows by holding Western gamers remember it for anything, it’s the
down the button, potentially making you act after boss battle rock anthem “Eternity”, sung by Deep
other characters but giving your move an extra Purple singer Ian Gillan, whose vocal cords had
burst of power. The class and ability-learning seen better days.
system is very similar to Final Fantasy V’s Job There were two DS sequels, one a real-time
system too, though it’s lacking in fun uniforms for strategy game, the other an action RPG. The anime
the game’s five primary party members. Random and manga tie-ins deviate substantially from
battles are ditched in favour of visible encounters, the games.
376
Lost Odyssey
Developer: Mistwalker/Feelplus | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): X360
Lost Odyssey was released not long after Blue

Dragon, and was Mistwalker and Microsoft’s other
big push to cater for Japanese gamers. It’s another
RPG, this time more closely patterned after the
more modern Final Fantasy games.
The story takes place in a world undergoing
a Magic-Industrial Revolution, as technology
has allowed for advancements in transportation,
communication, and weaponry. With these
societal advancements comes war, as the countries
of Gohtza and Uhra become embroiled in conflict.
Caught in the centre is a group of immortals, running towards the enemy (presented with a Make some minor
including the hero, the mercenary Kaim Argonar, close-up shaky cam, à la Gears of War’s “roadie changes and Lost
who has recently lost his memory. He sets off on a run”), along with a short timing challenge, which Odyssey could very
mission to investigate a mysterious meteor attack, can grant extra damage if successful. Strangely, well be slotted in
while trying to piece together his lost past. immortal characters don’t feel much different as part of the Final
The story has a pretty interesting setup, but in combat from mortal ones: they’re just slightly Fantasy series.
since the game only focuses on a small portion stronger. They can, however, learn any skills
of these characters’ lives, their history is fleshed from their mortal friends via a Skill Link system.
out by a series of short stories called “A Thousand A Guard Condition gauge also uses the HP of the
Years of Dreams”. These are presented entirely in characters in the front row to provide defence for
text, with just vague images and some music in the ones in the back.
the background. Most of these are excellent, and As with Blue Dragon, Nobuo Uematsu
many quite heart-wrenching; the writing quality provided the soundtrack, most of it excellent.
is substantially better than what’s found in the At this point in his career he apparently had a
actual game, which is typical JRPG stuff. The proclivity for over-the-top boss battle themes, with
exception is Jansen, the buffoonish magician, the final fight tune having a somewhat ridiculous
whose sarcastic asides make a welcome contrast Japanese rap plunked into the middle of it. The
to Kaim’s worldweariness. As one of the game’s character designs are by Takehiko Inoue, known
handful of mortal party members, he’s much for the manga Vagabond, and they help give Lost
more grounded than the rest of the cast, plus his Odyssey a more distinct identity, beyond that of
dialogue and English voice acting creates a comic Final Fantasy clone. The game’s major sore point
relief character who’s actually funny, something of is its long loading times, which, combined with the
a rarity in Japanese RPGs. somewhat drawn-out battles, make things a little
The battle system is pretty similar to that sluggish. But considering how much the Final
in Final Fantasy X, complete with turn-based Fantasy series evolved after its tenth entry, it’s a
combat and a turn queue. When executing most good alternative for gamers looking for something
attacks, there’s a brief animation of the combatant more traditional.
377
Opoona
Developer: Koei/Artepiazza/Cattle Call | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): WII
In Opoona, you are one of a race called the Tizians,

who are part of the Cosmic Guard that protects
the universe. They possess and wield holy energy,
which takes the form of little orbs floating above
their heads, called a Bon-Bon. You and your family
have begun a vacation, travelling across the galaxy
to a planet called Landroll, but an unfortunate
accident causes your ship to crash on the surface.
You awaken safely, but separated from the rest of
the clan. You’re immediately enrolled in school and
tasked with becoming a ranger.
Opoona advertises itself as a “lifestyle
RPG”, which refers to its laid-back nature and
your character’s ability to take on a variety of the stick back to charge up the strength of your While far from
jobs. The civilisation of Landroll is entrenched in Bon-Bon, with shorter charges being weaker but a success by any
bureaucracy, so in order to do anything, you need allowing your next turn to come around more metric, Opoona still
to obtain a licence. Some are required to advance quickly. You also need to pay attention to enemy has a small number
through the story, to visit other cities in search of movements, because if they’re coming in for an of devoted fans.
your family, or to advance your role as a monster- attack, your throws can miss. Alternatively, time
hunting ranger. Others, however, are optional. it right and you can use your Bon-Bon to deflect
Over the course of the game, you can enter the that attack. You can also customise your Bon-Bon
service industry, starting as a fast food cashier and in various ways.
rising up the ranks to hotel owner; you can become Alas, the game itself falls victim to the
a fisherman, miner, and farmer; you can join an bureaucracy it seems to be poking fun at.
idol group and dance; learn to play the ukulele; So much of the game involves getting licences,
or, become a fortune teller using your Bon-Bon; by means of typically rather repetitive sub-quests.
or take on jobs as a janitor, delivery man or detective. The opening town of Tokione is so massive that
The world of Landroll is well-established, thanks to it’s incredibly difficult to navigate; add in the near-
its elaborate backstory and clearly communicated useless map and the often confusing camera, and
culture, and this is easily the strongest point of the early parts of the game are quite frustrating.
the game. The soundtrack by Hitoshi Sakimoto is The game was an flop in Japan, where it
a beautiful mix of orchestrations and synthesisers, ended up released on the same day as Super Mario
giving it a fresh, futuristic feel. Galaxy; it didn’t fare any better in North America.
You still do spend a good amount of time Pretty much everyone criticised its Fisher-Price-
fighting, in the Active Bon-Bon Battle system. like character designs, giving the impression of a
Much like the Final Fantasy battle system it’s kiddie game. Opoona definitely has its problems,
named after, it works in real-time. When one of but its charming atmosphere and world-building
your character’s turns comes up, you can hold give it the makings of a cult classic.
378
The Last Story
Developer: Mistwalker/AQ Interactive | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): WII
The Last Story puts you in the role of Zael, one of

a group of mercenaries working on the island of
Lazulis. While in the capital city, he encounters
a mysterious woman, who turns out to be the
noblewoman Lady Calista, who’s facing an
arranged marriage. But before any wedding can
happen, the party is crashed by the Gurak, a long-
exiled race taking back what is theirs.
What follows is a fairly standard chosen-one
story, in which Zael uses his special powers to fight
back, though it’s all pretty well done. His fellow
mercenaries are a diverse, likeable bunch, like the
feisty, foul-mouthed Syrenne and the ladies’ man
Lowell, and while they’re broadly drawn, their on games with similar battle systems, like Final The localisation
constant mid-adventure banter helps make the Fantasy XII and Xenoblade. campaign Operation
journey worthwhile. The visuals provide a stylish Progression is quite linear, and you’re led Rainfall had to
twist on a typical fantasy world, and it’s one of the from chapter to chapter, though there are often beg Nintendo to
better-looking games on the Wii, despite its muted breaks where you can wander around to perform release several
colour palette and the overdone bloom effects, sub-quests. The story isn’t very long, aiming at RPGs in North
the latter being pretty typical of games from this around 20 hours for the first run through, and the America, including
era anyway. world isn’t very big either, with only a single town this one. It’s been
Effectively, The Last Story can be described as and a handful of dungeons. But it still manages to overshadowed by
a JRPG Gears of War. The player only controls Zael feel less linear than Final Fantasy X and XIII. Xenoblade, one of
directly, and the rest of his team fights alongside The game is by Mistwalker, the studio run the other games
him. While he’ll attack automatically when guided by Hironobu Sakaguchi, and was one of the three in the campaign,
towards an enemy, he can also hide behind scenery Operation Rainfall titles. Compared to Mistwalker’s but it certainly
and leap out to perform stronger attacks, block, Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, which were basically doesn’t deserve
perform dodge rolls, and shoot at things with a traditional JRPGs given a modern HD makeover, to be forgotten.
crossbow. Plus he has a skill called Gathering, The Last Story is inspired more by modern games
which will cause all enemies to focus their attacks and indeed feels less crusty. It’s also the first game
on him, and can eventually give more direct orders directed by Sakaguchi since Final Fantasy V, back
to his companions. There aren’t really any random in the 16-bit days (he served as a producer for the
encounters or trash mobs in this game, as most others), and it does feel like one of his classic works,
scenarios are uniquely tailored for their areas, and so it’s a comfortable blend of old and new. And
you can do things like smashing the scenery to help while Nobuo Uematsu’s score doesn’t quite match
take down foes more easily. While not very difficult, his Final Fantasy achievements (or even those in
it’s fast paced and fun, free of the repetition that Mistwalker’s other works), its orchestrated sound
tends to typify RPGs, and is a good alternate take still provides a memorable backdrop for the action.
379
Eternal Sonata
Developer: tri-Crescendo | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): X360, PS3
Frédéric Chopin was a 19th century Polish

composer who died of tuberculosis at the
relatively young age of 39. Tri-Cresendo’s Eternal
Sonata (known as Trusty Bell in Japan) takes
place almost entirely in a fantasy world, basically
a fever dream within Chopin’s mind, as he lies
on his deathbed. Here, he meets a variety of
colourful folks, all with musically-themed names,
including Polka, a magical girl who is cursed with
an incurable disease, and brothers Allegretto and
Beat, who begin a journey that gets entangled
with a war between kingdoms. Each of the game’s The battle system of Eternal Sonata is, at A fantasy that takes
eight chapters is based on one of Chopin’s first, pretty fun. You control each character on place in the fever
compositions. The game was developed by tri- the battlefield directly, one at a time, and are given dream of a real-life
Crescendo, previously known for doing audio work five seconds to run around or perform actions classical composer
on assorted tri-Ace games, as well as Baten Kaitos. before getting moved on to the next character’s is a wild concept,
Among the products of the JRPG boom in turn. Building up combos using regular attacks though probably not
the early days of the Xbox 360, Eternal Sonata is powers up your special moves. You also need to the strangest seen
one of the best-looking, with gorgeous coloured pay attention to the lighting on the field, as your in the JRPG genre.
buildings and lush forests to explore. The special attacks change depending on whether
soundtrack features some works by Chopin, but you’re in the light or the shade. Certain bad
much of the music is provided by Motoi Sakuraba, guys can transform depending on where they’re
exchanging his usual prog rock stylings for a more standing too. When enemies attack you, you can
orchestral feel. While this is one pretty game, the block (or counterattack) if you hit the button
rest of the package is less successful. The story prompt at the correct moment.
has a strange, detached atmosphere, partially The initial Xbox 360 release was very
due to Chopin being such a boring character, obviously rushed, but the PlayStation 3 version,
and partially due to the rambling storytelling. which came out a year later, makes some significant
The cutscene direction is dreadful, filled with additions. In the original version, regular battles
aimless dialogue, poor voice acting, bad pacing, grew tedious, since enemies remained in the same
and ridiculous melodrama. The most egregious position on the field, but this release randomises
example is a death scene that lasts nearly ten their positions. The 360 version was also too
minutes, which is so long it actually flashes back easy, while the PlayStation 3 version rebalances
on itself. This is all for a minor character who has everything to be almost too difficult. It does add
spent maybe an hour or two with the party, so a whole bunch of extra cutscenes that at least
it completely lacks emotional resonance. Later, help the originally rather vague story make sense.
during the end credits, the characters speak to Ultimately these are bandages for a pretty, but
the player about the value of embracing life. shallow, experience.
380
The Last Remnant
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): X360, WIN, PS4, NSW, IOS, AND
Square Enix has been known to make its own

engines for its games, and has ended up in hot
water over the matter more than once. This
proved to be an issue with Final Fantasy XIII and
the Crystal Tools engine. Having a desire to
test the waters with third-party tools, the then
president of the company, Yoichi Wada, ordered
a viability test using Epic Games’ Unreal Engine
3. The result, a company first in this respect, was
The Last Remnant, released in 2008. It was
based on a concept by Akitoshi Kawazu, directed
by Hiroshi Takai, and developed primarily by which will impact Morale. Should Morale shift The SaGa series was
the SaGa team. strongly in favour of one side or the other, the still recovering from
Set in a world where societies are built, advantaged side will become formidable indeed. the flop that was
both figuratively and literally, around ancient Composed primarily by Tsuyoshi Sekito Unlimited Saga, so
artefacts known as Remnants, the game focuses with Yasuhiro Yamanaka to provide back-up, the The Last Remnant is
on a young man named Rush, who is in pursuit soundtrack is one of the highlights of the game. basically a SaGa game
of his abducted sister Irina. During this search, While a good chunk of the music is orchestral in all but name.
he bungles his way into a battle, nearly causing in nature, the real highlight is Sekito’s use of his
casualties in the army of Lord David of Athlum. collection of guitars. Sekito made a point of having
Almost mistaken for an enemy, Rush is saved by the music during battles adjust dynamically,
his unwitting demonstration of a great power, depending on how things are going for the player.
which leaves Lord David inclined to hear the Initially released on the Xbox 360, it was
boy out. Interested in his cause, the young Lord clear that Square Enix was struggling with
recruits the boy to his banner, as a political power- the Unreal Engine: the game was plagued with
play is soon to be made. graphical and technical issues that led to many
The Last Remnant is notable for its squad- publications panning it as a buggy mess. Some
based combat. The player can arrange up to five months later, The Last Remnant received a PC
squads, using varying formations and numbers port incorporating a wide swath of fixes and
of units. Owing to the game’s strong SaGa roots, corrections, which not only smoothed over the
units improve and learn techniques and spells in technical issues, but also made some gameplay
a style similar to later SaGa games. Rather than revisions that made the combat smoother.
engage in individual action selections in combat, Rush’s character was criticised as being less than
the player instead issues context-based commands thrilling, though this was something a mere tune-
to the army for them to carry out. Each squad has up could not fix. About a decade later, in 2019, a
its own measure of resources/indicators. Position remaster using the Unreal Engine 4 was released
on the battlefield is very important, as both enemy on the PS4, though the PC version disappeared
and ally squads can flank or surround others, from digital shopfronts.
381
Ni no Kuni
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): PS3, DS, PS4, NSW, WIN
After working on two Dragon Quest games for

Enix, Level-5 decided to try its hand at its own
fairytale-style RPG, producing Ni no Kuni (“Two
Worlds”). The protagonist is Oliver, a boy living in
an American town, who is coping with the sudden
death of his mother. All of a sudden, one of his
stuffed toys comes to life, proclaims himself to be
a fairy named Drippy, and shows him the alternate
fantasy world referenced in the title. Every being
is connected to a kind of soulmate in this parallel
world, and Drippy suggests they may be able to
bring Oliver’s mother back to life. you to strike at enemy weak points, or defend Ni no Kuni certainly
Ni no Kuni is a collaboration with animation at specific moments, but between rummaging tries its best to be
studio Ghibli, featuring artwork reminiscent of through the menus, and the wind-ups and cool- like an RPG that
classic anime films like Princess Mononoke and downs between actions, the whole thing becomes Hayao Miyazaki
Spirited Away. There’s plenty of FMV footage, remarkably clumsy. You also build up a whole might have made.
and the in-game visuals are gorgeous as well. library of monsters called familiars, which you
The location designs are stunning – the opening can train separately, and switch between in battle,
city of Ding Dong Dell has stunning Gaudi- though collecting and strengthening them takes
esque architecture, and even the sewer dungeons more time and effort than it should. Combined
look pretty – and all this is complemented by an with the atrocious ally AI, fighting against anything
orchestral soundtrack by composer Joe Hisaishi. stronger than regular enemies is a struggle.
In spite of the rather depressing prologue, in The HD version released on the PlayStation 3
which we witness Oliver’s mother’s death, there’s a and other platforms is actually a remake of a DS
real sense of joy and wonder in the game. Drippy, game released a year earlier, in 2010. Though
with his excitable Welsh accent, makes an amusing obviously the graphics aren’t nearly on the same
tour guide through the world. Much of the quest level, it follows the same basic story beats, though
is spent collecting and fixing people’s “emotions”, the HD version has an extra chapter at the end.
which helps contextualise the sub-quests nicely, The DS version also came bundled with a hulking
compared to standard RPG fare. 376-page book, which is not only a guide, but also
While Level-5 has created a compelling world, includes the glyphs for the magic spells, which are
well worth exploring, its biggest stumbling block is drawn using the touch screen. (The other versions
its battle system. It’s sort of like Final Fantasy XII’s, just let you cast magic from a menu.) The battle
without the Gambit system, in that you have free system is also completely different, being a more
run of the arena, but still need to enter commands traditional turn-based affair that lets you position
via menus. This allows you to run away from various characters on a grid. This version was not
enemy attacks, and pick up little dropped orbs that released internationally, though both the game and
replenish your HP and MP. The game encourages the book have been fan-translated into English.
382
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): PS4, WIN
The first Ni no Kuni was well received, though

most agreed the battle system was a low point
– fix that up and you’d have a classic. But rather
than taking that route, the sequel is more or less
a completely different game that just takes place
in the same world and has the same aesthetics.
This time, the character from the real world is
actually a President (seemingly of the USA) named
Roland, who appears to perish in a bombing. He
instead wakes up in the alternate world, finding
the kingdom of Ding Dong Dell in the middle of a
coup. He escapes with Evan, the child prince and called Higgledies that will run around the field This sequel surmises
rightful heir to the throne, and begins establishing and can be used to cast powerful spells if you run that gamers would be
a new kingdom to take back what was stolen. over to them. The monster-collecting aspect is down with spending
Moving to more advanced platforms, Ni no completely gone too. It’s an overall improvement a good chunk of time
Kuni II looks even better than its predecessor – due but it does feel somewhat daft. building up their
to Studio Ghibli’s closure at the time, they weren’t There are other issues, too. At its core, the kingdom. Reactions
around to provide any animated cutscenes, but story of Roland and Evan isn’t as emotionally were mixed, to say
the computer-rendered visuals are so crisp that resonant as that of Oliver and his mother. Despite the least.
they’re almost as good. Joe Hisaishi returns for the the interesting setup, the story just isn’t very
soundtrack, though it’s not his best work. good, plus it’s lacking a whimsical character like
The kingdom-building is the crux of Drippy, and everyone is just kinda boring. Between
Ni no Kuni II, particularly when comes to running the kingdom-building and the army battles, the
sub-quests to get people to join you. In that way, it’s adventure is filled with stuff to do, but much of it
a bit like the Suikoden games, but the simulation is just feels like busywork; parts of the game still feel
much more advanced: you need to devote specific under-budgeted (like the sparse voice acting) or
citizens to specific tasks, researching and crafting plain unfinished, despite its beautiful veneer. The
new items for you. However, this is not just a world is still charming, with plenty of problems
diversion, but rather a mandatory part of the game, to solve and new locales to visit (like Goldpaw,
and you need to reach certain goals to advance sort of a Chinese Las Vegas, ruled by a luck
the plot. There are also army battles, in which you goddess who decides everything with dice rolls).
command units in real-time around the world These aspects make up for the deficiencies
map, though these aren’t terribly engrossing. elsewhere, but you can’t help but feel that
The battle system has changed to a more something is missing.
straightforward real-time hack-and-slasher, similar Following up this second Ni no Kuni game,
to the Tales system. You wield multiple weapons, a movie was released in Japan in 2019, telling a
which can execute powerful attacks, with enough whole new story. Unfortunately, it was met with
in their Zing gauges, and there are little creatures poor critical and commercial response.
383
White Knight Chronicles
Developer: Sony/Level-5 | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): PS3, PSP
At the dawn of the high-definition console era,

it seemed that Microsoft was the biggest
supporter of Japanese RPGs. To combat this,
Sony enlisted Level-5, which previously worked
on its Dark Cloud games, to create White Knight
Chronicles. This was intended to have a strong
single player story mode, as well as a multiplayer
component. Unfortunately, things didn’t quite go
as planned.
At the outset, you create your player avatar.
However, when you play the story mode, that
avatar’s not the main character. Instead, you control The battle system mimics MMOs, and as such The 2006 E3
a kid named Leonard, who works at a winery in plays out a bit like Final Fantasy XII. You control trailer showed
service to the king of Balandor, while your avatar is one character at a time, with a little circle that off something far
a silent sidekick. During a banquet for the princess, counts up, and allows you to attack when full, more impressive
the castle is attacked; Leonard stumbles upon before resetting. You can customise and select than White Knight
a magical suit of armour called an Incorruptus, from a wide variety of attacks, including some Chronicles ended
allowing him to transform into the 30-foot-tall that can be combined together, plus you can up being.
White Knight of the title. Unfortunately for him, transform into the White Knight if you really want
the princess gets kidnapped anyway, so he begins to stomp on things. But without customisable AI
a journey to get her back. This opening segment like the Gambit system, or staggering effects, as
rips off a common trope going back to (at least) seen in Xenoblade, it ends up being pretty boring.
Mobile Suit Gundam, in which some kid ends up Additionally, Level-5 had previously been known
in control of a superweapon, and frankly the story for their outstanding visuals in games like Rogue
doesn’t get any better from there. Galaxy and Dragon Quest VIII. White Knight
In the multiplayer mode, you do actually Chronicles has none of that, instead mimicking
control your avatar, and you can run a bunch the most generic Western fantasy imaginable.
of co-op side quests, as both items and levels White Knight Chronicles was hyped up, and
carry over between the online and story modes. sold well, though many were disappointed in it.
There’s also the Georama, a personal town, which A sequel was released in 2010, though it doesn’t
is customised by the NPCs you draft into your actually fix any of the first game’s major issues,
service, roughly similar to the concept in Dark and just continues the (still rather poor) story.
Cloud. Unfortunately, the servers for White Knight The first game is also included in its entirety in
Chronicles have been dead since 2013, so even if this package, making the initial release obsolete.
you want to play this part of the game, you can’t, Altogether, there’s nothing truly offensive about
though contemporary reviews point to it having the games, but Level-5 obviously overextended
been largely repetitive, but mildly enjoyable if you itself with the single/multiplayer hybrid, and the
liked that sort of thing, end result is incredibly bland.
384
Time and Eternity
Developer: Imageepoch | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): PS3
Imageepoch was an ambitious company that

sought to redefine the Japanese RPG, though their
actual output left something to be desired. Some of
the titles they developed for other companies turned
out relatively well (SEGA’s 7th Dragon, Capcom’s
Last Ranker), while their own portable games
(Sol Trigger, Black Rock Shooter) varied in quality.
And yet the game that defines their legacy is Time
and Eternity, their sole console game, which also
just happens to be one of the most reviled RPGs
on the PlayStation 3.
As the story starts, the hero Zack and The character illustrations were done by VOFAN, Time and Eternity
the heroine Toki are about to get married. known for the Bakemonogatari light novel is the best kind of
Unfortunately their wedding is crashed and Zack series, but in-game, as rendered by animation bad game, being
ends up getting killed. Toki reveals that she has studio Satelight, they just look generic. The 3D earnest in its great
the power to travel back in time, so she hops back environments, while nicely coloured, are also huge ambitions, but it
six months to investigate. The spirit of Zack ends and empty. just completely
up going along, though he now inhabits the body This affects the battle system too, which is flubs every aspect
of her pet dragon Drake. It’s also revealed that just one-on-one matches. They function in real of them.
another soul, named Towa, also lives within Toki’s time, even though the only things you can do are
body. Toki is a chipper, friendly redhead, while attacking, dodging, and jumping between short
Towa is a rather dour, cool-headed blonde. and close range combat. Again, this looks cool at
The main gimmick is its mix of hand-drawn first, but given the dearth of enemies, it grows old
2D animation with 3D rendered backgrounds. And very quickly. Also, Toki and Towa switch bodies
indeed, right out of the gate, it looks incredible. when you level up (they can also switch using
RPG fans will probably be familiar with story scenes certain rare items), and since their abilities are
in which static portraits gab on and on, moving different, this proves oddly troublesome.
their lips, and changing expressions every once in The game’s issues go way beyond budget
a while. Here, everything looks like you’re watching and design, as the story is drowning in the
an anime TV series. When the game actually excesses of harem anime. Zack is perpetually
begins, all of the characters – Toki, Drake, and making dirty comments about the girls, and
any enemies – all look like high-definition anime. he’s just incredibly unlikeable. The rest of the
Unfortunately, this concept ended up being characters are one-note archetypes. Nothing
way too ambitious for the available budget. There about the plot takes itself seriously, but whatever
are only maybe 20 actual enemies in the entire jokes it does make are rarely as funny as they
game, with tons upon tons of palette swaps. The think they are. Fans of this kind of comedic
animation when running around just doesn’t eechi TV show may find something to enjoy,
look right, and everything just looks awkward. but otherwise it really deserves its dire reputation.
385
Arc Rise Fantasia
Developer: Imageepoch | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): WII
Arc Rise Fantasia begins as mercenary L’Arc

Bright Lagoon of the Meridian Empire defends
his country from a dragon attack by the opposing
Turmelian Republic, only to be flung to the ground.
He survives unscathed, thanks to a mysterious girl
named Ryfia, a priestess called a Diva. His and his
friends’ fates are intertwined, as L’Arc and his friend
Alf learn they are children of the goddess Eesa, and
will shape the future of the land.
For this game, one of Imageepoch’s only
console releases, and one of the few JRPGs on the Wii,
the company hired Tales writer Takumi Miyajima to turn-based, rather than action-based, combat. Your The Tales games
provide a story similar to those in Namco’s popular party has a shared AP meter, and you can choose suffered from
games. It thus has a lot of similarities, right down to any characters to utilise during that turn as long some mediocre
the standard (but occasionally likeable) characters, as you have AP. If characters are moved close to entries during this
the presence of optional skits, and a game world each other, then they can also perform combos. generation, though
cluttered with confusing neologisms. It starts off Combined with an interesting customisation it’s not like Arc
pretty slowly, but eventually gets interesting when system, whereby you attach gems to weapons, Rise Fantasia is
the party dynamics break down, but its positive it’s easily the game’s strongest element, though the much better.
features are undermined by its terrible script and boss battles tend to produce some odd difficulty
hilariously bad English voice acting, which sounds spikes, even early on. It’s not really compelling
like it came from a much earlier era. enough to make up for the rather bland anime
Where the game deviates from Tales is in stuff elsewhere though, and altogether, Arc Rise
its battle system, which opts for more traditional, Fantasia is skippable.
Enchanted Arms
Developer: FromSoftware | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): X360, PS3
In the distant past, humanity created enchanted
golems and used them as slaves, predictably
causing them rebel in a massive war. Things have
calmed down in the intervening years, until an
earthquake causes most of the golems to go mad.
It’s up to Atsuma, who has an enchanted right
arm, along with his group of friends, to fight back.
Enchanted Arms was a launch-window game
for the Xbox 360, and it shows – the character
models aren’t bad, but the rest of the game looks
like an HD PS2 title. The battle system divides
friends and enemies onto separate 3 × 4 grids, with Despite the standard JRPG trappings, there’s quite a Enchanted Arms’
each character having limited movement range on bit of campiness. In the tutorials, characters explain occasionally silly
their own side, and can hit the other side using basic concepts to Atsuma like he’s an idiot (because sense of humour
assorted attacking moves of different ranges. It’s he kind of is). One of the main characters, Makoto, saves it from being
fun at first, but grows tiresome as the game goes is a flamboyant gay stereotype who attacks enemies a bland experience.
on, especially due to its terrible battle theme. by wailing on a saxophone. Many of the golems are
Thankfully, the auto-attack and fast-forward flat out ridiculous, especially the pizza golem, who
buttons make things a little smoother. Beyond the requests that you eat his face if you get hungry.
human characters, you can also create and collect Plus there are references to other FromSoftware
golems to fight alongside you. games like Otogi and Metal Wolf Chaos. The off-
The game was developed by FromSoftware, kilter sense of humour, reminiscent of the Shadow
at this point known primarily for the hardcore Hearts games, at least keeps things amusing,
King’s Field games, but this is more general fare. though the game is otherwise painfully average.
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Last Rebellion
Developer: Hit Maker | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PS3
Last Rebellion will forever be known as the game

then-president of NIS America, Haru Akenaga,
apologised for localising in 2010 due to its poor
quality. Should you choose to play it, you’ll likely
feel the apology was warranted – despite some
interesting ideas, it’s a mess of a game and would
also be developer Hit Maker’s final release before
its bankruptcy in 2014. (Its previous games,
the PSP RPG Blade Dancer and the DS RPG
A Witch’s Tale, were only slightly better.)
Shortly after the game begins, protagonist
Nine Asfel is betrayed and murdered by his The battle system is the most interesting, The most generous
brother Alfred, who also kills their kingly father, albeit imperfect, part of Last Rebellion, resembling interpretation of
before fleeing to put his remaining machinations that of Xenosaga 2 in particular. Each foe you Last Rebellion is
into motion. Nine is saved by the mysterious face has multiple body parts that can be targeted, that it was a PSP title
Aisha Romandine, who casts a spell to bind his and the key to victory is finding the correct order shoved last-minute
soul to hers, and the two embark on a mission to attack them. Doing so increases the damage onto an HD console,
to get revenge on Alfred and discover his true caused, and marks foes with stamps, which are which would explain
intentions. The story is ultimately let down by its required to cast powerful magic. To permanently its poor visuals, but
weak writing and low budget – cutscenes use only defeat a fallen foe, Aisha must Seal them before doesn’t excuse its
still images to convey dialogue, many elements they get back up. The story ties into the gameplay many other issues.
are poorly explained, and it’s hard to sympathise as well, since Nine and Aisha share the same body
with Nine since he’s an unrepentant jerk the whole and thus share one current status at all times, but
way through. it still doesn’t make a good game.
Dokapon Kingdom
Developer: Sting | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): WII, PS2
Ever since video games came to be, there have
been friendship-ending ones. Competing for
top score in the arcade, or screwing over friends
in party games, would break many bonds. Yet
there is one that stands above the rest in this
respect. Dokapon Kingdom, a remake of Dokapon
3-2-1: Arashi o Yobu Yuujou for the Super Famicom,
was developed by Sting Entertainment and released
on the PS2 and Wii to indifferent reviews. It was
pretty unusual for the time, being a hybrid of a
multiplayer board game and an RPG. However, it
would find an audience on the Wii, and become Combat in Dokapon Kingdom is fairly simple, The Dokapon series,
a cult classic on the console. It is a charming beginning with a choice of cards that determines originally Japan-
combination of RPG standbys, such as levelling and whether you go first or second, followed by three only Super Famicom
changing classes, random encounters and battles, to four combat options, each with a probability games, was then
epic albeit very silly storytelling, with the board of effectiveness. Your stats affect which actions published by Asmik
game style movement and map design normally you can take, except for Strike, the all or nothing Ace; these later
seen in party board games. Most of what makes attack that can be the difference between taking releases were the
Dokapon notorious for causing interpersonal out an enemy or rival player quickly, and getting first time they made
strife involves the party mode, in which players countered and almost always instantly dying. it overseas.
compete to have the highest income. Fighting Dokapon Kingdom was produced by Shinichi
one another allows you to play pranks, such as Suzuki, which would go on to produce classics such
changing a player’s name, stealing their items as Persona 4, Etrian Odyssey III: The Drowned City,
or towns, or giving them an embarrassing haircut. and Code of Princess.
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Riviera: The Promised Land
Developer: Sting | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): WSC, GBA, PSP
Sting Entertainment was formed in 1989 by ex-

Compile employee Takeshi Santou, and dipped
its toes into the RPG pool with Super Famicom
games like Solid Runner and Treasure Hunter G,
as well as the dark 3D Rogue-like Baroque. But
it was Riviera that defined the company’s output
through most of the early 2000s. Directed by
Shinichi Ito, it began the Dept. Heaven series,
a shared universe of games with similar art styles
and offbeat game mechanics.
Drawing loosely upon Norse mythology, the
story begins a thousand years ago, by recounting the
battle of Ragnarok. The good guys won, and turned given the option to retry without penalty if you Riviera strips
the evil land of Utgard into a paradise, renaming it lose. The battle system is unusual, in that you’re out most of the
Riviera in the process. Back in the present, Riviera only allowed to take four items into a fight, exploration and
prospers, but the Magi of the council, believing it including weapons and healing items like potions. grinding typical
to be contaminated, send two Grim Angels, Ein Once battle begins, you simply pick one of your of JRPGs, and
and Ledah, to destroy it. During this mission, Ein four items and the chosen character uses it. Your replaces it with
is knocked out, and awakens within Riviera, which party members have different affinities with a unique battle
is populated by various fairies, sprites, and lots and different weapons, and repeated use is the only system, as well as
lots of girls. Although Ein has lost his memory, he way to level up your characters and unlock special a small brigade of
still vows to protect the land and its inhabitants, attacks, though weapons have limited durability. cute girls to aid
while fighting against his misguided former (If you want to level up your characters, you can the hero, Ein.
partner, who still seeks to destroy it. re-fight past battles without worrying about
Riviera technically qualifies as an RPG, consumables.) A Rage meter will also build up,
although it’s really more a visual novel with eventually allowing you to use a flashy super attack.
occasional interspersed fights. You never directly The visuals are quite impressive for a 2D game, and
control your character’s movement, as exploration the soundtrack is excellent as well, with a number
is menu-based, and you simply choose to move of battle songs.
forward or backward, with occasional forks in the The attack animations are overly long and
path. All of Ein’s compatriots are female, which unskippable, and by nature fairly repetitive, but
allows for all kinds of romantic high-jinks. As in the game’s unusual enough that it’s worth a go.
SEGA’s Sakura Wars series, there are vague dating Games with harem-like elements were also rare
sim elements, as each female has an affection when the game was released in English by Atlus,
rating towards Ein, which will change depending in 2005. The game originally came out in Japan
on how you treat her. for the Wonderswan Color, being remade for the
Every fight is preordained, and the game is GBA, then later ported to the PSP, with enhanced
very polite in letting you experiment, as you’re visuals and sound, and full voice acting.
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Infinite Space
Developer: Nude Maker | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
Infinite Space’s credits are strange, to put it

mildly. It was made by Nude Maker, a studio
of accomplished developers from Human
Entertainment and the Clock Tower series,
who are mostly known these days for the janky
NightCry, work on the Steel Battalion series, and
producing two porn visual novels for notable
adult publisher Elf. One of those games was a new
entry in a Human Entertainment franchise called
Mikagura Shoujo Tanteidan, mystery stories that
now include a full-on smut entry. Platinum Games
also helped develop Infinite Space. You know,
the people behind Bayonetta and MadWorld,
the former a more horny Devil May Cry, and the
latter a grindhouse brawler that lets you stab sign that range from shields to deadly super-barrages. Infinite Space has
posts through the heads of your enemies as a basic You can also move in close to board an enemy ship a steep learning
attack. This is absolutely the strangest group of with your crew, which turns into a rock-paper- curve for sure, but
people to have ever made an RPG, and the most scissors fight, in which crew numbers on each side once you get into it,
surprising part is that it’s one of the best you’ll determine the side’s available health. it becomes one of
find on the DS. Ship customisation is the game’s greatest the most engrossing
Its solid story follows a young boy named strength, as you can create a fleet of varied ships, experiences on the DS.
Yuri as he leaves his backwater planet to become gaining bonuses by assigning various rooms to
a Zero-G Dog and explore space. Complications each one. You can also pick your crew roster from
ensue, as he becomes entangled in labyrinthine your growing collection of characters who can
political conflicts. Much of the gameplay is either serve different roles in the fleet, like artillery expert
visual novel scenes, in which you get to make or chef, for further bonuses. You feel like a full-on
dialog choices and various other binary decisions, space captain, and despite the game’s awkward
participation in fleet battles that also let you board difficulty spikes, where you need to master a
enemy ships, or customisation of both ship and particular mechanic or battle strategy to move on,
crew. The first is what you’d expect, but the other the whole package creates an experience unlike
modes are much more inventive. anything else on the system. Add in the great
The battle system uses an action bar, the character art and the absolutely wild turns of the
three tiers of available actions depleting it to story, and Infinite Space has stood the test of time
different extents. You can do basic, accurate as one of the most experimental and entertaining
attacks at low cost; fire a barrage that does JRPGs of its era. It even came with multiplayer
massive damage, at the risk of lower accuracy or battle options via local wi-fi. It’s quite the package,
being dodged; dodge a barrage yourself, leaving even if the final hours rush to the climax far
you open to regular attacks; or use special skills too suddenly.
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7th Dragon (series)
Developer: Imageepoch/SEGA | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS, PSP, 3DS
SEGA’s 7th Dragon trilogy was the company’s

primary portable RPG series during the DS and
PSP era. It was produced by the legendary Rieko
Kodama, her first RPG since Skies of Arcadia
Legends back in 2002, and was directed by Kazuya
Niinou, who had defected from Atlus. The DS and
PSP entries were developed by Imageepoch; after
its closure, SEGA took over development for the
3DS entry.
Niinou was primarily known for helming
the Etrian Odyssey series of dungeon crawlers,
and much of their spirit is carried forward into
7th Dragon. However, perhaps the developers
realised that first-person dungeon crawlers were are random encounters, dragons are visible on 7th Dragon got its
always a niche thing, so 7th Dragon more closely the map, and you can choose to fight, or to run start as basically
resembles an 8-bit RPG, à la Dragon Quest. At from them. (They can also intrude on standard Etrian Odyssey
the outset, you assemble your party members fights if they’re close enough.) This might seem minus the first-
from the seven character classes – Fighter, Knight, like the FOE encounters from Etrian Odyssey, but person dungeon
Samurai, Mage, Healer, Princess, and Rogue. while those were super-difficult boss fights that crawling, though
Each of these has up to four different designs, were meant to be avoided until you were strong it’s evolved quite
two male (except for the Princess) and two female, enough to take them on, here they function more a bit since then.
and some of them can be made into a cat-like race like mini-boss battles. In other words, not as
called Luciers. Through much of the game, these tough as the big guys, but also putting up more of
are represented in an impossibly cute, super- a fight than standard foes. But, however initially
deformed art style, with illustrations provided gratifying it is when you take one down and see
by an artist named Mota. The skill system is the counter drop, this particular gimmick doesn’t
imported more or less directly from Etrian really hold up in the long run, since there are only
Odyssey, so that levelling up gives you points to so many types of dragon. As such, they end up
put into improving your stats or powering up becoming tedious.
class-specific skills, And the music is provided by The other major element takes the form of
luminary Yuzo Koshiro, who offers both a modern poisonous red-and-orange flowers called Furowaro
soundtrack and a NES-style rendition. (termed Dragonsbane in the official localisation
There are two key elements to the game – of the final game). These appear on the field and
the first of which, obviously, is the dragons. In are poisonous, sapping energy from your squad
the corner of the bottom screen, there’s a counter as you tromp over them. However, these plants
that shows how many of the creatures remain are everywhere, and while certain class skills can
in the world – it begins at 666 – and your goal mitigate their damage, they’re still a drain on your
is to slaughter all of them. Though most battles resources, and do little but cause annoyance.
390
The familiar
structures of
post-apocalyptic
Tokyo give 7th
Dragon 2020 a bit
of a Shin Megami
Tensei vibe.
The second entry in the series, 7th Dragon with an alternate version featuring vocaloid
2020 on the PSP, moved away from a fantasy sensation Hatsune Miku.
setting to a post-apocalyptic one. Here, you 7th Dragon 2020-II is one of those expansion
control a squadron of heroes called Murakumo pack sequels which reuses most of the original
13 as they explore various real-life locations in assets while technically providing a new story.
Tokyo and fight off more dragons. The visuals The only major addition is the Idol character class,
are now fully 3D, and the character illustrations which can sing songs to provide various buffs,
were assigned to manga artist Shirow Miwa. The plus a return of the Lucier race that was missing
character classes have been reworked to have from the first 7th Dragon 2020.
more of a modern street flair, though the number Up to this point, SEGA hadn’t released any
has been reduced from seven to five, the number of these titles outside of Japan. However, they did
of avatars decreased from 32 to 10, and you can localise the third and final game in the series, 7th
only have three members in combat rather than Dragon III: VFD, released for the 3DS. This game
four. Perhaps to compensate, there are tons of tries to unite the stories of the DS and PSP entries
voices to choose from, from a number of famous by inserting time travel into the mix, and works
voice actors, though since the characters don’t overtime to explain everything to new players.
have any actual dialogue, these are just used for This third entry finally takes everything that
battle yells and such. Classes like the Samurai worked about the previous games, refines it, and
and Destroyer are familiar, while new ones, ends up as a pretty decent final product. There are
like the Hacker and Psychic, make use of the eight character classes, many with unique skills,
futuristic setting. like the Duelist, who draws cards every turn that
The customisation feels stripped back, but can be used for elemental magic or to activate
at the same time, the developers also recognised Traps, or the hulking Banisher, who attacks
the flaws of the original – the poison flowers are with a gigantic, explosive spear. The visuals are
still everywhere but they’re only there for story gorgeous, despite the low resolution of the 3DS
purposes and don’t actually affect your health, screen, and by expanding the range of locales
and the number of dragons has been decreased beyond Tokyo, there are plenty of gorgeous new
to 200. There’s also a base-building aspect, areas to explore, especially in the aquatic-themed
as defeated dragons will earn you currency realm of Atlantis. The overarching story focuses
called Dz, which can be used to improve your on the seven “True” Dragons, and since this is
damaged headquarters. Yuzo Koshiro returns meant to be the end of the series, it does its best
for the soundtrack, which is in much more of an to finish up all of the plot threads, so everything
electronic style. The retro music has been replaced comes together to form a satisfying whole.
7th Dragon
features the Lucier
race, which is an
excuse to stick
in anime cat girls.
Pictured left is 7th
Dragon III: VFD,
the only game in
the series to be
officially localised.
391
Golden Sun (series)
Developer: Camelot | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): GBA, DS
After dipping a toe into the world of traditional

turn-based JRPGs with Beyond the Beyond,
Camelot took a few years off from the genre. Their
biggest releases during that period were Shining
the Holy Ark, Mario Golf, and Mario Tennis. Their
new partnership with Nintendo developed, with
Camelot becoming an exclusive second-party
developer for the company, and the first game
created in that partnership, but not based on an
existing Nintendo property, was Golden Sun.
Created by the Takahashi brothers, Hiroyuki
and Shugo, the inaugural game in this series was
released for the Game Boy Advance on 1 August,
2001 – a very early release, making it of the first they discover the home of the Elemental Stars, Golden Sun is one
big RPGs available for the GBA. Shugo once said in which are said to be able to reignite the four of the best original
an interview that the game was developed as a way Elemental Lighthouses and restore the power of RPGs on the Game
for Nintendo to compete with Sony, which at the Alchemy to the world. However, when Isaac and Boy Advance, and
time was dominating the RPG genre. It has very Garet try to retrieve the Stars, they are interrupted decades later, fans
much the look and feel of some of Camelot’s earlier by Saturos and Menardi – two dragon-like warriors are still clamouring
games, right down to the icon-based menus. from the village of Prox – their mysterious for its representation
Golden Sun was initially planned as a single companion Alex, and none other than a very in Super Smash
title, for development on the Nintendo 64. Once alive Felix. Jenna and Isaac are kidnapped, three Bros. (though that
they realised that the N64 was well on its way of the four Stars are taken, and Isaac and Garet can be said of pretty
out, with the GameCube incoming at the time, are tasked with preventing the Lighthouses from much any Nintendo
development shifted to the GBA. The initial release, being re-lit, as the restoration of Alchemy could franchise).
simply called Golden Sun in North America and bring the entire world to ruin.
Europe but carrying the subtitle of The Broken By the end of the first title, Isaac and Garet
Seal in Japan, took almost a year and a half to have met up with the young mind-reader Ivan and
develop – an extremely long time for a handheld the healer Mia, and faced off against Saturos and
game, especially then. Menardi (among many other threats), but have
The story begins with Isaac, Garet, and Jenna, ultimately failed in their duty, as both the Mercury
three kids from the town of Vale. Three years and Venus Lighthouses are lit. However, the game
after a devastating storm damaged the village ends with the party sailing off into unknown
and is presumed to have killed Isaac’s father, territory, hoping to stop Felix from lighting the
Jenna’s brother Felix, and their parents, the trio remaining two Lighthouses.
and their mentor Kraden sneak into and explore In the second part of the story, Golden Sun:
Vale’s mysterious Sol Sanctum, which is normally The Lost Age (which was released in mid-2002 in
off-limits. Upon arriving at its innermost area, Japan and in 2003 in America and Europe), the
392
player takes control of Felix, with the explicit goals The party is made up of four different kinds The third game in
of lighting the Jupiter and Mars Lighthouses and of Adept: Venus (earth magic), Mars (fire magic), the series, Dark
restoring alchemy. Felix – along with Jenna, the Jupiter (wind magic), and Mercury (water magic). Dawn, shifts the
young but powerful Sheba, and the mysterious Each Adept has an inherent type, though these can visuals into 3D,
Piers, plus NPC Kraden – aims to complete Saturos be customised by the use of the four different types though it suffers
and Menardi’s original task. As well as knowing that of elemental Djinn. Djinn are creatures that can in other areas.
Isaac’s party will stand in his way, Felix must contend be found and added to the party member’s roster,
with more Proxian warriors, Agatio and Karst – the either through solving puzzles or by defeating one
latter of whom is Menardi’s sister, who is bent on in a battle. A Djinni will generally boost a party
revenge. Midway through the story, the party learns member’s stats and can grant them access to new
that the sealing away of Alchemy has doomed the abilities. They can also be used in battle as an attack,
world of Weyard at large; while the power was used with each Djinni having a different in-battle effect.
for evil by some, it was sustaining the land, and its Djinn can also be used to summon powerful beings
absence means that the world will eventually end that can do a lot of damage. Available Psynergy can
if nothing is done. Isaac’s party eventually joins be customised by giving a party member a Djinni of
Felix’s quest, after learning the truth behind the a different type – a Venus adept can use certain fire
Lighthouses, and the Jupiter and Mars beacons are attacks if given a Mars Djinni, for example.
fired once more, restoring alchemy’s power. The creative team across all three games was
The credits sequence of The Lost Age reveals consistent, with the direction and design handled
that Alex was masterminding many of the story’s by the Takahashi brothers, character design and
events, with the personal goal of receiving the art from Shin Yamanouchi (who had worked on
pure power of Alchemy for himself. When all four Shining the Holy Ark and many Mario Golf and
lighthouses are lit, their respective powers gather Mario Tennis entries), and music from Motoi
at the top of Mt. Aleph in an event known as the Sakuraba (whose prolific career includes the Tales
Golden Sun; Alex receives this power, but his fate games, Dark Souls, and many others, in addition
is left uncertain after he proves to be no match for to the Shining games for Camelot).
the god known as the Wise One. Golden Sun and The Lost Age were critically
In Golden Sun: Dark Dawn, which was hailed upon their GBA release, with many pointing
released in late 2010 for the Nintendo DS, the out the high quality of the graphics (especially
player is put into the shoes of Matthew, Isaac’s many of the battle effects), challenging puzzles, and
son. In a story taking place 30 years after the engaging story. The perspective switch between
events of The Lost Age, Matthew and other the two halves of the story was also lauded as
descendants of the original party must navigate being an interesting twist in the overall tale. Dark
a world that has been significantly altered by the Dawn was also generally well-received, though
return of Alchemy, fighting against an ancient not quite as favourably as the first two, largely
and terrible power as well as against new and because it was watered-down in terms of both
dangerous Adepts (the game’s term for people the difficulty and the overall story. All the games
who can use the power of Psynergy). suffer from an overabundance of wordiness,
All three games feature the same kind of with dialogue that drags on far longer than
gameplay: battles are randomised, there are some necessary, especially in Dark Dawn. Due in large
interesting puzzles to solve in dungeons, and the part to the fact that Dark Dawn was released very
story is generally very linear. Carrying over from late in the DS’s life cycle, it also performed the
Beyond the Beyond, Camelot used a rotating worst commercially.
battle camera, which not only increases the The franchise has garnered a strong cult
drama for basic attacks but helps give many of the following in the years since it first arrived on the
Psynergy effects an extra dramatic punch. Even on GBA, but in spite of Dark Dawn ending on a literal
the Game Boy Advance it’s an impressive effect, “The End…?” cliffhanger screen, there has been no
in spite of the pixelated visuals. It doesn’t quite indication from Nintendo or Camelot of a fourth
have the same punch in 3D in the DS entry. game on the horizon.
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Bravely Default (series)
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): 3DS, NSW
After the DS remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV,

producer Tomoya Asano attempted an original
classic-style Final Fantasy game with the spinoff
The 4 Heroes of Light. While this was met with
a middling reception, the idea was polished and
revisited with Bravely Default, released for the
3DS. The story is, again, classic Final Fantasy –
there are four elemental crystals that govern the
realm of Luxendarc, but something has affected
them, causing various natural disasters. The
adventurers include Agnès, a vestal of the Wind that only switches angles when someone attacks, Bravely Default
Crystal, who ventures through the rest of the land rather than the more dynamic cameras found in would be an
to awaken the others; Tiz, a shepherd whose town the 32-bit games. The main gimmick here, and the instant classic that
was annihilated by an earthquake; Edea, a soldier source of the rather unusual title, is in the Brave almost effortlessly
for the nefarious Duchy of Eternia, who betrays and Default commands. By selecting Brave, you replicated the glory
her country to join your mission; and Ringabel, can act again in a single turn, up to four times, days of 16-bit RPGs …
a ladies’ man who has amnesia, but also a journal by sacrificing Brave Points. Conversely, selecting except the repetitive
that seemingly foretells the future. Default will allow you defend for one turn in return second part of the
While The 4 Heroes of Light was basically for an extra Brave Point to be cashed in later. game brings it down.
an old-school RPG with modern graphics, Bravely You’re allowed to go into debt, with negative Brave
Default instead takes the themes and mechanics Points, but that also means you need to sit out
of classic Final Fantasy and updates them for several subsequent turns until you can act again.
the 21st century. This affects how the characters This allows for a good balance between aggression
are written – they are certainly Final Fantasy and defence, plus enemies can take advantage of
archetypes, but there is much more dialogue it too, particularly bosses. There are also Special
than in the older games, which fleshes out their moves unique to each weapon type, which have
personalities. The scenario was written by Naotaka various trigger conditions – you can customise
Hayashi, famous for visual novels like Steins;Gate. these moves to an extent, plus they also offer a
The characters tend to be exaggerated stereotypes, party-wide stat boost for a short period of time.
but these really work here, making the characters Though it can be tweaked, the default difficulty
likeable, especially by giving them catchphrases level is relatively high, but it is also remarkably
(Agnés’ haughty “unacceptable”) or verbal tics player-friendly, in ways the 16-bit JRPGs weren’t –
(Edea’s “mrgrgr” mumblings). There are even you can whizz through fights using turbo speed,
optional Party Talk segments, similar to the skits the game autosaves regularly, and while it features
in the Tales games, where the characters converse random battles, their frequency can be tweaked,
about current events. and even turned off altogether.
The battle system is set up as in the 16-bit The Job system has been taken more or less
Final Fantasy games, with a side-view camera directly from Final Fantasy V, with you taking
394
There aren’t many
towns in Bravely
Default, but the
ones that do exist
are presented as
paintings in motion.
on various classes and gaining job points to level For most of Bravely Default’s playtime, it gets
these up, and allowing you to carry over skills almost everything right. Unfortunately, things
to other Jobs. There are the usual Final Fantasy come crashing down after the fourth chapter,
standbys – Monks, Black and White Mages, due to a plot twist that basically resets the story.
Dark Knights, along with some more unusual While you get to keep your powers and abilities,
ones, like Vampires, which are alternatives to you need to revisit the four crystals, and defeat
the enemy-skill-gathering Blue Mages, and the main bosses … then do it again, and again,
Conjurers, who allow characters to greatly (but and again, before you can finally get to the finale.
temporarily) buff their skills. Amusingly, many Granted, you don’t need to go through the entire
of the bosses, called Asterisk Holders, take on story during each cycle, plus the boss fights are
roles from these classes, and surrender their Jobs different, and there are some added bits of story,
to you once defeated. Their brief appearances but it still adds several extra unnecessary hours
are also somewhat comical – the Monk is a onto the game. It’s a frustrating decision that mars
gigantic dunderhead, while the White Mage is a Bravely Default’s legacy.
femme fatale, and the Black Mage is a stuttering, The sequel, Bravely Second, was released two
nerdish misogynist. years later, and focuses on what happens after
There are some elements tied into the Tiz and crew saved the world. However, things are
3DS StreetPass feature, like the ability to receive going quite badly as the game starts, as Agnés,
specific attacks to be used in battle, or enlist aid now given the title of Pope, has been captured by
to re-build Norende, Tiz’s destroyed hometown, the evil kaiser. It’s up to her bodyguard, Yew, who
which can unlock various bonuses. There is also a is quickly joined by Edea, to save her. Being a direct
currency, called Sleep Points, which let you briefly sequel, it really is necessary to have beaten the first
pause time during battles to do whatever you game to really enjoy this, and its main draw is in
want. These Points are obtained either by leaving how the world has changed.
the 3DS in sleep mode, or by purchasing them via This sequel reuses many locations from the
microtransactions. first game, though the story is pretty good, and
The visuals are similar to those in the DS Final it’s missing the time-looping nonsense of the first
Fantasy games, with characters drawn in the cutesy game. The battle system hasn’t really changed,
style of Akihiko Yoshida. The most impressive but there are a whole slew of new jobs, including
aspect is the towns, which are presented like the Catmancer, another variation of a Blue Mage
paintings that have been given three-dimensional that gives your character cutesy cat ears and
depth. The soundtrack is by Revo, the composer requires cat food to learn abilities; the Hawkeye,
for the metal opera band Sound Horizon, and basically a sharpshooting cowboy (or cowgirl);
uses live instruments. While markedly different and the Patissier, who creates deadly desserts for
in style from most of Square’s other game music, their foes. The only downside is the soundtrack,
it nails all of the key points of a JRPG soundtrack provided by ryo, of the vocaloid group supercell,
– a beautiful overworld theme, diverse town which is a huge step down from the original.
tunes, moody but melodic dungeon tracks, and The series continued onward with
some brilliantly rocking battle pieces, particularly Bravely Default II for the Switch, featuring a new
character-specific themes when special moves set of characters and bringing back Revo as
are triggered. the composer.
The dialogue is a
bit different from
that in the older
Final Fantasy
games, a bit
goofier in spots.
395
The World Ends With You
Developer: Square Enix/Jupiter | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): DS, NSW
The World Ends With You (TWEWY), known as

Subarashiki Kono Sekai (“This Wonderful World”)
in Japanese, is one of the most innovative RPGs
Square Enix was ever involved in. A boy named
Neku Sakuraba has recently died, and is stuck in a
week-long game that gives him a second chance at
life. This limbo is contained entirely within Shibuya
City district of Tokyo, where he’s a sort of ghost,
aware of the many people in the crowds, and able
to read their minds, but unable to interact with
them. However, there are other people in the same
situation, and Neku is forced to partner up with
one of these. The limbo game is run by a group of
beings called Reapers, who manipulate abstract While you have the option to use a computer- It takes quite a while
monsters called Noise in order to destroy the controlled partner, nailing down this strange to wrap your head
trapped souls. system to create a strong battle rhythm really around the partner
On one level, TWEWY is a long demonstration shows just how fleshed-out and exciting this fighting mechanic,
of just what the DS is capable of, containing an system is. It even fits into the game’s larger theme but the game eases
incredibly experimental battle system that has you of communication, making your characters share you into it by letting
controlling two different characters at the same a life bar, while you’re both fighting the exact you pick your
time, on two different screens. During combat, same enemies at the same time, simply whittling difficulty level, and
Neku is controlled on the touch screen, while you down their health together on two separate how automated you
perform certain strokes or use the mic to activate planes. Thankfully, you don’t have to worry about want to make your
any of the Pins you’ve equipped, which enable moving the partner character, just timing dodges partner.
attacks and support moves (electrocution, fire, or blocks, which keeps the system from being too
psychic moves to fling around bits of scenery, etc.) complicated. It’s a very customisable experience,
Your partner, on the other hand, is controlled on allowing the player to tailor it to themselves,
the top screen, with the direction-pad, using a card- including the ability to decide your max health
based system that grants stars when certain combos and the number of enemies you fight at once. In
are achieved. These combos change, depending on order to become stronger, taking on more riskier
your partner – with one, you have to match them, fights is encouraged, granting larger rewards. The
while another needs you to input a proper math effectiveness of Neku’s Pins is also dictated by the
equation, and so on. With enough stars, you can fashion trends in each section of Shibuya, though
then use a fusion attack that damages everything these can change based on your Pin usage in battle.
on both screens, and puts you up to level three. This also goes for items and clothing, changing
The rhythm of your attacks will also pass a green how many bonuses they offer. There’s even a
light-puck between the characters, giving damage system that grants ability enhancements based
bonuses to the one who has it. on eating (and digesting) various types of food.
396
Most DS games
didn’t use the two
screens for much,
other than adding
in maps or other
kinds of trivial
gimmick, but it’s
an essential part
of The World Ends
With You, and it
feels like something
is missing in the
ports that combine
everything onto
one screen.
Just about every system in the game feeds back into a more universal approach; the large cast is used
every other, including the ability to upgrade your to show that personal growth can always continue,
Pins through the DS’ Streetpass wi-fi capabilities. and that centring your life around your own desires
The game radiates the style of Tetsuya can be dangerous. The neighbourhood of Shibuya
Nomura, the creative force behind the Kingdom itself is doubly functional, as aesthetic trappings
Hearts series. However, alongside his vague and thematic support. The fashion-trends
“creative producer” role, his main contribution system and use of brands, clothing, and even the
was the character designs. Nomura was not an imprinting of memes on people map onto the core
insignificant part of the game, but he was far from concepts of individuality and culture clash, giving
the most important voice on the project. This the whole game a depth that you wouldn’t expect
may be why The World Ends With You is one of at first glance.
the strongest works with Nomura’s clear creative TWEWY is an absolute must-play, but make
stamp, as there was a staff around to contextualise sure it’s the original DS version. The re-releases for
his wilder ideas in a much more coherent and smartphones and the Switch combine everything
thoughtful manner than was done in his other onto a single screen, and try to simplify the battle
games. It’s true that the modern street fashion, hip system by turning partners into Pins, removing one
user interface, and catchy J-rock music (much of of the most unique parts of the game. The touch
which was actually dubbed well into English for the controls just don’t work as well as the stylus on the
international release) are a huge part of the appeal, DS screen either. The Switch Final Remix version
but the aesthetic is not merely skin deep. adds an alternate control method if hooked to a
The story here is a strong one, about the TV, in which you point and aim with the Joy-Cons,
bonds people form with each other and how these but it’s messy at best. It’s the sort of game that
can change them, for better or worse. It portrays really needed to be redesigned from the ground
this through conflict between the characters’ up to take regular D-pad controls into account,
worldviews, the anti-social Neku being forced to rather than having adapted motion controls. This
confront the views of others and integrate their port also adds an extra final chapter, though with a
truths with his own, gaining perspective. In the remarkably dumb twist, which reads like extremely
first week of the game, he is paired with a girl bad fan-fiction.
roughly his age, named Shiki. He is so emotionally All of that being said, while TWEWY was not
distant that he resents her presence, but eventually an immediate hit, its hip style and impressively
learns to fight as a team. But when the duo are original gameplay has given it more longevity than
then separated, and Neku is granted a new partner, almost any other RPG on the DS. Indeed, over a
this highlights the bond the two were only decade later in 2021, the property was resurrected
beginning to create, and he spends the rest of the for a TV anime series, as well as a brand new game
story desperately trying to get it back. It’s a coming called NEO: The World Ends with You, released for
of age story, typical for a JRPG, but here it takes the PlayStation 4, Switch, and PCs.
397
Soma Bringer
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
The world of Soma Bringer is under attack by

monsters called Visitors, which have the nasty
habits of possessing living creatures and causing
havoc. To combat this menace, a military force
called the Pharzuph is formed to combat them.
Joining as part of Division 7, you explore the world
to combat the Visitors, and meet an amnesiac
girl named Idea. She is proficient at channelling
Soma, the energy force that powers the world’s
technology, and together, they will uncover its
mysterious origins.
Soma Bringer was developed by Monolith
Soft, and published just after the company was
purchased by Nintendo. It involved many of the
same staff as Xenogears, Xenosaga, and the later various stats and learning and upgrading the skills Soma Bringer is
Xenoblade Chronicles, including producer Tetsuya associated with your class. the evolutionary
Takahashi and writer Soraya Saga, but it’s more But the game is also much more colourful midpoint between
of an action RPG than any of those titles. At the than Diablo, or most dungeon crawlers, using Monolith’s earlier
outset, you can choose your player character, as 3D characters on top of illustrated 2D backdrops, games, like Xenosaga,
well as their class – Battlers use mêlée weapons, giving it a style reminiscent of the PlayStation and their later,
Darks are dual-wielders who can sacrifice HP for Final Fantasy games. Artistically it’s excellent, more popular games,
various effects, Corps are holy knights with spears though the backgrounds do suffer from the low like Xenoblade.
and shields, Somas are magicians, Gunners use resolution of the Nintendo DS, plus the game has
projectile weapons like bows and guns, and Kampfs a tendency to zoom in on bad guys when you’re
are martial artists. Once defined, your hero remains attacking them, which makes the pixelation all
a silent protagonist within Division 7, though two the more apparent. Due to their large size, the
of your comrades will follow you, either governed dungeons grow visually repetitive as well. The
by AI or controlled by other players using the DS’ music by Yasunori Mitsuda, another regular
local wi-fi connection. This makes the game feel collaborator with this dev team, is beautiful as
like a successor to the Mana games, but it also always, with the powerful instruments and stirring
heavily resembles PC dungeon crawlers like Diablo. melodies he’s consistently known for.
The expansive dungeons are preset, but the loot Nintendo didn’t localise Soma Bringer, which
contained within, including weapons, is randomly was a mistake. While some may find its dungeon
generated. The combat is rather button-mashy, crawling tedious, many of its ideas were fleshed
with a strong focus on rummaging around for out – like the emphasis on Breaking enemies to
treasure and bashing bad guys. Upon levelling stun them – for use in Xenoblade, making this
up, you can choose how you want to strengthen game a missing link in the evolution of this
your protagonist, by both allocating numbers into company’s games.
398
Radiant Historia
Developer: Atlus | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): DS, 3DS
The continent of Vainqueur has been consumed

by war; a plague turning the landscape into sand
has divided the kingdoms of Alistel and Granorg.
At the centre of the story is a soldier from Alistel,
named Stocke, who ends up creating a split in
the timeline that leads to two drastically different
outcomes for the war.
Other RPGs, like Chrono Trigger and Dragon
Quest VII, have dealt with time travel, but they
always involved jumping back and forth between
different eras. In Radiant Historia, there are two
timelines that run parallel to each other. Using beast-folk. The dramatic music by Yoko Shimomura Radiant Historia
the power of the White Chronicle, granted to is excellent as well, albeit a bit repetitive. seems to be a
him by two mysterious children, Stocke can In battle, enemies are positioned on a 3 × 3 spiritual successor
leap between these universes at will. He can also grid. Your three active combatants have skills that to the obscure 1995
jump backwards to previous events (though not can push, pull, or otherwise move your enemies Super Famicom RPG
forwards to the future). Through much of the around the grid. If you can toss multiple foes onto Gran Historia, which
game, you play on one timeline until you reach the same square, they’ll all take damage if you had a somewhat
a roadblock, then jump to the other, where you attack it, so it requires careful planning and using similar premise,
either complete the event or obtain some kind everyone’s skills in tandem, plus you can use skills involving a hero
of skill to bypass it. An in-game flow-chart maps to manipulate the turn queue in your favour. Early travelling through
out all of the events, including all of the spots you in the game, it’s brilliant, as it’s quite strategic and time to prevent
can jump back to. There are several important engaging. However, later enemies (particularly disaster.
decision-making points, but rather than causing bosses) can’t be pushed around, so the fights
new timeline branches, there’s always a “right” and tend to drag on, causing the whole thing to lose
“wrong” choice. Picking the latter will just give you steam. Plus, due to the time-travelling premise,
a few lines of text detailing how you failed, before you’re often forced to replay sections or go through
making you pick the right one. dungeons you’ve already explored. At least you can
The core story is decent, but seeing how the skip cutscenes and avoid most encounters on the
two timelines compare and contrast is where most map by running around enemies.
of the appeal lies, especially as Stocke engages with A 3DS port, subtitled Perfect Chronology,
a mysterious foe who can also jump through time. includes a Friendly mode in which touching an
The political focus is closer to what you’d find in a enemy will just automatically kill it. While you
strategy RPG than in a typical JRPG, and Stocke, as still need to fight boss battles, it does greatly help
a military veteran, is a more interesting character the pacing. It also adds redone character portraits
than the archetypical teenage hero. The universe (the original ones are DLC), full voice acting, some
does have a cool steampunk veneer, as well as a cool sub-quests that are tangential to the main
cast of characters made up of both humans and timelines, and a new dungeon.
399
The Legend of Legacy
Developer: Cattle Call | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): 3DS
Japanese game publisher FuRyu prompted a lot of

ears to perk up in late 2014 when it revealed The
Legend of Legacy for the Nintendo 3DS. In large
part, that was because a number of artists and
developers with ties to Square Enix – like Chrono
Trigger writer Masato Kato, Final Fantasy XIII
composer Masashi Hamauzu, and SaGa Frontier
designer Kyoji Koizumi – had signed on to make
it. Another reason: it didn’t take long for this
portable RPG to sound decidedly SaGa-ish. At the
time, it’d been nearly a decade since that vaunted
series had graced a console, with the last game the pop-up aspect of its overworld (this is The Legend of
being the PS2 remake Romancing SaGa: Minstrel especially cool if you’ve got your system’s 3D Legacy’s publisher,
Song. Legacy’s English distribution was by Atlus. effect turned on), and its Cartograph system, FuRyu, was
All of this begs the question: does the final which has players map out game areas for money. previously known
product live up to all the hype that preceded its Does this system make up for the fact that for licensed games
2015 launch? Generally speaking, yes, it does. The Legend of Legacy features just one town and the dungeon-
That said, even the best SaGa game in existence – Initium, where the game begins – and no real crawling RPG
has at least a few flaws, and this rip-off is no overworld? Some may think so, but many will Unchained Blades.
exception. Still, The Legend of Legacy provides not. Many players are likely to grumble about the
plenty of positives, too. As is true of any good general lack of a story, too: it revolves around a
SaGa-like, The Legend of Legacy lets you choose mysterious island, on which lies an Eternity-
from an assortment of colourful protagonists at granting artefact, and it lacks narrative direction.
the start. OK, so “colourful” is a bit of a stretch There’s a lot going on in The Legend of Legacy,
when it comes to describing this game’s human especially during its frequent – and frequently
characters. Still, there are six of them – three guys, tough – turn-based battles, and little of it is
three girls, all seemingly Caucasian – and most are adequately explained.
at least pleasingly designed. More interestingly, Don’t let these potential pitfalls deter you
there’s also a green frog prince, and he puts the from checking out The Legend of Legacy, if its
rest to shame. Although each of these potential premise intrigues you. It offers players more pros
party members has their own raison d’être, don’t – Hamauzu’s lovely soundtrack chief among them
expect your selection to impact the adventure – than cons, even if the overall package is far from
that follows like it does in, say, SaGa Frontier. It perfect. That said, those who prefer traditional
mostly affects who you can and can’t add to your JRPGs may want to try this game’s spiritual
party later on, and a few story bits along the way. successor, The Alliance Alive, instead. Not only
Beyond its impressive cast – in terms of number, is the latter more straightforward and accessible,
if not diversity – The Legend of Legacy’s main but it also sports a meatier story and more
selling points are its watercolour-esque aesthetic, appealing characters.
400
The Alliance Alive
Developer: Cattle Call | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): 3DS, WIN, PS4, NSW
As the follow-up to The Legend of Legacy, Cattle

Call’s The Alliance Alive seeks to fix most of its
predecessor’s faults. Although both titles share story
and gameplay elements with Square Enix’s long-
running SaGa series, The Alliance Alive, published
by FuRyu in Japan, and by Atlus elsewhere, between
2017 and 2018, is the more accessible of the two.
Whereas The Legend of Legacy often goes out of
its way to be offbeat and quirky, The Alliance Alive
does the opposite. In fact, it’s a fairly traditional,
turn-based RPG at heart, but like any good SaGa
knockoff, it bolsters all the tried-and-true stuff with
some strange and intriguing systems. The Alliance Alive doesn’t steal all of its best A substantial
To begin with, you don’t choose your and most bizarre elements from Square Enix’s improvement over
protagonist, as you do in The Legend of Legacy. oddball RPG series, however. Its guild system is The Legend of Legacy,
In The Alliance Alive, your hero is chosen for a perfect example. While exploring the game’s this follow-up is a nice
you. Predictably, it’s a rather vanilla young man extensive map, you’ll regularly encounter lofty accompaniment to
named Galil. He does have at least one interesting towers. These spires support you both in and Square Enix’s Bravely
trait, though: he’s part of a resistance group, the out of battle. Some develop armour, weapons, or Default, and might be
Night Ravens, which opposes the evil Daemons magic-like sigils. Others decrease the number of the better choice for
who’ve taken over his unnamed world and enemies roaming an area, or launch attacks in those who prefer SaGa
enslaved humanity. Thankfully, most of the 11 your favour once you’re engaged in a fight. This to Final Fantasy.
other characters you can add to your party while portable role-player’s pièce de résistance, however,
traipsing through The Alliance Alive have a bit is its Water Devil Dens. These optional dungeons
more flavour. Among them are a pair of Daemon dot the landscape and are accessed via malevolent-
turncoats, a monocled young scientist who looking whirlpools. As you might expect, they’re
dons a duck-shaped power suit, and a plucky teeming with nasty baddies. They also imbue The
penguin warrior. Alliance Alive with an otherworldly tension that’s
So far, so SaGa-esque, right? That’s just the completely at odds with the “typical JRPG” mould
beginning. Although The Alliance Alive features that structures the rest of its sprawling adventure.
turn-based battles, there’s a lot more to them Masashi Hamauzu’s soundtrack is notably unusual,
than choosing moves. You can place party too. In particular, only special encounters employ
members in various offensive and defensive unique battle music; regular fights continue to use
positions and formations. You can fill up their whatever track is playing on the field when they start.
Ignition gauges and then unleash limit break-ish While The Alliance Alive’s initial release
final strikes. And best of all, you – or they – can saw limited success, it was better received than
randomly Awaken new skills (or Arts, as they’re its predecessor. In fact, it did well enough to earn
called in this game). HD Remastered ports to other platforms.
401
Criminal Girls (series)
Developer: Imageepoch/Nippon Ichi | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PSP, PSV, WIN
Imageepoch’s Criminal Girls is like an anime-RPG

version of the women-in-prison sexploitation sub-
genre of films. You control a young man who’s been
sent to a sort of limbo, where you’re put in charge
of rehabilitating the criminal girls of the title,
by taking them through a tower containing
various trials. They’ve died, but the universe has
decided they might have a chance to avoid hell,
with your help. Each girl is associated with
some specific sin; although it’s initially unclear
what they’ve done (or would’ve done, if they’d
continued life on Earth), their backstories are suggestive poses. There’s something extremely Games like
eventually revealed. skeezy about all of this, especially for the girls Criminal Girls are
Functionally, it’s a pretty standard dungeon- who are very obviously under-aged, and it veers why the PlayStation
crawling RPG, in which you wander around dangerously close to non-consensual, to the point Vita acquired a
hallways (which look to be randomly-generated where the localised versions had to be toned back reputation as a
but are actually just really basic) to train up your a bit, including adding extra pink mist in the first “creepy anime girl
lady squad. Combat is a little unusual in that game to obscure some of the images. (Various touching” system.
each of the four active girls will suggest a single releases have also been banned completely in
attack, then you choose the best one and target certain countries.) In the context of the game, it’s
the enemy. The attacks proposed are mostly supposed to be sadomasochistic gratification on
random, though sometimes the girls will suggest the girl’s part rather than actual torture, as most
ones relevant to the situation at hand. The types of the punishments are quite goofy.
of attack, and how useful they are, will depend on There are two games in the series, which are
how well you’ve disciplined your team, which is mostly similar, though featuring a different roster
the key aspect of this series. As you kill enemies, of girls. The first game, subtitled Invite Only for
the girls gain CM points, which are then spent for the Vita release, has artwork by Ichihaya (known
these Motivation sessions. (These were originally for a variety of erotic artwork), while the second
called “punishments” in Japanese.) These are game, subtitled Party Favors, has art by Airi Hori.
mini-games, where you do things like spank The second also divides skills into S and M classes;
them, tickle them with feathers, drip liquid on you can now shout out words of guidance during
them, or scrub bubbles off them. The idea is that combat – scolding, praising, etc. and how the girl
you’re cleaning of them of their “temptations”. interprets these depends on these values.
While the series began on the PSP, a remake of Criminal Girls revels in its naughtiness, but
the first one (and its sequel) were made for the in spite of the somewhat unique battle system,
Vita, and they utilise the system’s touch screen there’s really nothing more to the game than that,
here, allowing you to rub the anime girls to and anyone that’s not in tune with its particular
level them up, all while they bounce around in fetish will almost definitely find it off-putting.
402
Conception (series)
Developer: Spike-Chunsoft | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): PSP, PSV, 3DS, PS4, WIN
In Spike-Chunsoft’s Conception, you control a

young man who is bestowed the illustrious title
of “God’s Gift”. Along with this comes a harem of
young women, who provide aid in destroying the
demons that threaten to destroy the world.
The game takes its inspiration from the
Persona games. Each of the women has different
attributes, and you can chat with them or take
them on dates to increase their affection towards
you. Then, you can perform a ritual called
Classmating, which will create little Star Children
that hatch out of Matryoshka (Russian nested The obvious appeal is its “nudge nudge, wink wink” Outside of combat,
dolls), based on your chosen partner and their humour, though it becomes exhausting relatively you can meet with
affection towards you. They then accompany the quickly and there’s not much going on beneath its any of the ladies in
hero as he explores randomly-generated dungeons surface other than fan service. That was enough to your school in order
and kills monsters. During combat, you focus on a greenlight a short anime TV series, apparently, but to enhance your
single enemy at a time, and can choose from four it’s not really enough to carry a long-form RPG. relationship before
positions surrounding it. It’s to your advantage to The first Conception game, subtitled Ore no Classmating with
stay away from its attack zones, so you can avoid Kodomo o Undekure! (“Please Give Birth to My them. Pictured above
damage, but if you face your foe head on, you Child!”) was originally released for the PSP and left is Ellie Troit
can increase the Chain Drive bar more quickly, was not translated into English until the 2019 HD from Conception II.
disabling them temporarily, and perform Chain ports for PlayStation 4 and Windows, now called
attacks. If you can bring multiple Star Children, a Conception Plus: Maidens of the Twelve Stars.
bunch of them can assemble together to fight as a This game has 12 heroines, based on the symbols
single unit. There are different endings, depending of the Zodiac, with one of the more amusing ones
on which girl likes the hero best. being Gemini, who has a split personality. Mahiru,
As dating sims, the Conception games are the protagonist’s childhood friend, was so hated
very kitchsy and over-the-top, as the girls have by Japanese fans that her character was rewritten
flashy appearances and stereotypical personalities. to be less abrasive for the update. The second
For the most part, the game doesn’t take itself game, subtitled Children of the Seven Stars,
seriously. However, neither the dating nor the was released for the Vita and 3DS in 2013, and
RPG elements have much depth, and it ends up later ported to computers, with an international
falling flat. Plus, some of the characters appear to release. This pares back the heroine count to seven
be on the young side, and even though you’re not and associates them with various elements. The
technically mating with them, it still has a majorly big improvement in the sequel is that one of your
creepy vibe to it. The Star Children also don’t lady friends can accompany you to any dungeon,
have any personalities, being just blank slates giving them a more active role in combat, so they
that end up getting replaced eventually anyway. feel less like broodmares than in the first game.
403
Ever Oasis
Developer: Grezzo | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): 3DS
Since the moment it was revealed, Ever Oasis

has been championed as a spiritual successor
to Square Enix’s Secret of Mana. Although the
comparison makes sense, it only does so to a
point. The main reason many see this Grezzo-
made, Nintendo-published 3DS game as being
Mana-esque is that series creator Koichi Ishii
directed its development. Also, shortly after its
tutorial is out of the way, players can control three
characters at once – just like they could in the
16-bit precursor to this 2017 release.
It doesn’t take long for Ever Oasis to show a bit of a drag revolves around the three-person Take Secret of
it’s more than just some knockoff, however. parties mentioned earlier. Though you can switch Mana, give it
A prime example: beyond the basics, like exploring between your current trio of fighters on the fly town-building and
a vast world and beating up countless enemies, while out in the field, you can only trade them weapon-crafting
it tasks players with building a town – or, more for others while within the cozy confines of your components, and
accurately, an oasis – to combat a mysterious precious oasis. This is a problem, because you you’ve (sort of)
Chaos that’s threatening to consume the desert regularly need to reconfigure your party to gather got Ever Oasis.
serving as the game’s setting. ingredients or solve the plethora of dungeon
From time to time, Seedlings (that’s what puzzles that are tossed your way. (Both of these
the humanoid creatures are called here) wander activities require specific skills or weapons, and
into your burgeoning burg and offer to set up your average Seedling has in just one of each.)
shop. Should you accept, you get to decide on The game eventually provides a shortcut that lets
the location of their whimsically designed Bloom you warp home at the press of a button, but that
Booths. You also get to forage for the materials only helps so much, and doesn’t keep the overall
that allow them to stock their shelves. Sadly, the process from becoming needlessly exhausting.
various wares they make and hawk aren’t for you; That’s about the extent of Ever Oasis’
instead, they’re for Ever Oasis’ adorable, birdlike pitfalls, though. Fighting baddies and probing
Noot beings. You do get a cut of their sales, so it’s dungeons are the focus of this 3DS effort, and
not all bad. both of those activities are as satisfying as you’re
These and similar tasks are intriguing probably imagining them to be, given the game’s
and even kind of thrilling at first, but for most pedigree. Add to this the game’s captivating,
players they’ll lose their lustre over the long Egyptian-inspired visuals and impressively varied
haul. They’re a necessary evil, though, because soundtrack, which veers between breezy and
some Seedlings, who do double duty as party triumphant tunes, and you have a beefy action RPG
members, won’t seek out your oasis unless it that deserves to sit alongside the aforementioned
has a certain number of inhabitants or a certain Mana titles – even if it might be better off as a
type of store. Another aspect of this title that’s more streamlined affair.
404
Kemco JRPGs (series)
Developer: assorted companies | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): IOS, AND, WIN, 3DS, PSV, PS4
Kemco as a publisher is mostly known for its NES

localisations of MacVenture titles like Shadowgate
and Déjà Vu. They did gain a bit of experience in
RPGs with their Game Boy series Sword of Hope,
the NES game Ghost Lion, and the SNES port of
the French PC game Drakkhen. They didn’t really
put out anything of note through the late ’90s and
early 2000s, but starting around 2007, they found
their niche by publishing classic-style JRPGs for
mobile platforms. Initially confined to Japanese
NTT DoCoMo phones, the advent of iOS and
Android platforms allowed these titles to proliferate ending up with names like Soul Historica, Asdivine Companies like
including English releases. Actually, “proliferate” is Hearts, Tears Revolude, Fanatic Earth, Astral Square Enix embraced
putting it mildly – between 2010 and 2020, Kemco Frontier, Djinn Caster, Dragon Lapis, Dimension the enthusiasm for
published over 100 RPGs, mostly on smartphones Cross, and Ambition Record. Most of these games retro-styled games,
but with some ported to consoles and Windows, are fairly generic, though some borrow elements with titles like
primarily developed by companies like Exe Create from more popular titles. Dragon Sinker and Dark Octopath Traveler,
and World Wide Software. Gate have interesting class systems, similar to but these were also
When you’re averaging nearly a dozen similar those in the Final Fantasy games, while Alvastia full-priced games,
games a year, obviously the bar of quality is not Chronicles offers 100 recruitable characters and whereas Kemco RPGs
going to be very high. Indeed, in the early days, allows 13 at a time in battle. Rusted Emeth is also were designed to be
most of the titles seemed like they could be any inspired by Metal Max, a rather obscure RPG quick and throwaway
amateur effort put together with something like outside of Japan. efforts. Not exactly art,
RPG Maker, which in turn resemble the 16-bit Final None of the games themselves are particularly but it is capitalism!
Fantasy titles. As they moved to more powerful unique, but their existence does spotlight a JRPG
platforms, some made to the jump to 3D, which corner that was neglected for quite a long time.
effectively put them roughly on the same level as Most Japanese companies focused on console
a PlayStation Portable or Vita game. The games are and portable games and tended to be blind to
also aimed more towards a casual audience, the the affection lingering for the 16/32-bit eras,
type that remembered playing these games in their outside of porting their back catalogue to mobile
childhood but haven’t kept up in the same way platforms. But Kemco offered many similar titles,
hardcore fans have. close enough to, though never achieving, that
Their first title was called Alphadia, which saw quality, and they all hit the same nostalgia buttons.
five primary entries, a smartphone remake, and the Plus, they were all so cheap, hovering around the
Alphadia Genesis sequel series. Their library runs 5–8 USD level, even at full price, that even if the
through an assortment of ridiculous names, as if experience wasn’t particularly great, you still got
a “JRPG Title-Maker” program had been used to your nostalgia bone tickled and would probably
slam words together, including some fictional ones, feel like you’d gotten your money’s worth.
405
CIMA: The Enemy
Developer: Neverland | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): GBA
Best known for the Lufia series, Neverland

attempted to innovate within the RPG genre
by combining a little bit of puzzle, strategy and
action into CIMA: The Enemy, known as Frontier
Stories in Japan. The game tells the story of an
alien race called CIMA who, as the title suggests,
are the Enemy, as they feed on human hope.
The CIMA stick humans in dungeons and feed
on the emotional toll the experience takes, which
eventually kills them. The player assumes the role
of a Gate Guardian, whose job it is to escort the
prisoners out of the dungeons. The game melds
together the mechanics of a puzzle/strategy game,
as you provide direction to the prisoners so they can but Ark J, and the play becomes a straight-up CIMA is an unusual
exit the dungeon, and an action RPG, as your lead action RPG-style boss fight, focused on figuring blend of puzzle,
heroes, Ark J and Ivy F, hack and slash through the out the boss pattern and avoiding attacks. strategy, and action
CIMA who are attempting to reach the prisoners. Visually, the game looks good enough, for from the folks behind
The points CIMA: The Enemy gains for its a Game Boy Advance JRPG, but nothing really the Lufia games.
innovative take on the genre, it loses for that stands out. There is a very cool concept contained
attempt mostly falling flat on its face. The people within CIMA: The Enemy that is unfortunately
you are escorting, and the Enemies, suffer from not sufficiently fleshed out to make it more than
poor AI, and many challenges can be defeated by a lower than average, however innovative, entry in
finding the CIMA’s spawn points and camping the JRPG catalogue. Still, there wasn’t much like it
at them. Boss battles remove all the characters on the Game Boy Advance at the time.
Magical Vacation / Magical Starsign

Developer: Brownie Brown | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): GBA, DS
Nintendo subsidiary Brownie Brown is known for
contract work, but their first creation, and only
original series, often gets overlooked. Magical
Vacation follows a group of students at Will-O-
Wisp magic school, who are attacked by monsters
on a field trip. You and your friends search for your
missing classmates and eventually save the world.
The story isn’t anything new, but it is pleasantly
lighthearted. The game has a Pokémon-like
16-element system, whereby every character has
an element providing them with one weakness
and one resistance. In addition, both you and
the enemy can summon spirits that power up This time, your friends travel the solar system to As an anime take
elements, adding an element of risk/reward. rescue your teacher, visiting planets themed after on the magic
Visually, it’s obvious that Vacation is an early elements. Speaking of elements, there are now only school trope, this
GBA title, but it makes up for it with strong design seven. Spirits are also gone. Instead, elements gain portable series
reminiscent of a kids’ anime. The soundtrack by power when their planet is in the right astrological isn’t bad, though
Tsukasa Masuko (Megami Tensei) is decent, but it phase, which you can eventually manipulate. hardly a classic.
relies on Game Boy PSG. Unfortunately, the game Starsign takes the first game’s art style and
was not released in English. updates it. The DS allows for set pieces, in which
Five years later, Brownie Brown released a the top screen is used to extend the field of view,
sequel for the DS, Magical Starsign, which was and the space flavour and themed planets add more
released in English by Nintendo. Starsign takes variety. Overall, neither games are outstanding,
place centuries after Vacation, with a new cast. but they’re pleasant and enjoyable.
406
Contact
Developer: Grasshopper Manufacture | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): DS
Contact is a game unlike Grasshopper

Manufacture’s usual fare. It was a DS release,
directed by former Square developer Akira Ueda,
who also directed the Shining Soul games on the
GBA. It’s a quirky JRPG about a boy named Terry
existing in a 32-bit world (à la Golden Sun) and a
16-bit professor in another dimension, who work
together to collect crystals and stop an evil plot
that threatens multiple worlds.
The game has themes of communication
and the uncertainty of childhood, plus a meta
story, with the professor talking to you, the
player, directly, instructing you to guide Terry.
There are quite a few twists and turns, and grows by using said weapon, and this goes for his Contact was
some quite dark moments, including one costume powers too. To make matters worse, you initially advertised
world where you have to fight human soldiers. need to be skilled in every weapon type, because as a successor to
The slightly childish tone is still there, though, enemies have weapon-specific weaknesses. EarthBound, due to
all the way up to the twist ending. Contact is a grindy game that wears out its story similarities,
Contact has interesting concepts hampered welcome quickly, as the plot is sparsely dished out though it doesn’t
by iffy execution. Terry fights on auto-pilot, with between dungeon crawls. Even its wi-fi feature, remotely reach those
you selecting items and skills, moving Terry, and an island that passing players can trade items on, lofty heights.
so forth. This works, but the difficulty spikes feels half baked. However, it’s unlike anything else
demand grinding, which gets tedious alongside all from that or any era, an experience that sticks in
the other grinding. Terry’s skill with a weapon only the mind like few things do.
A Witch’s Tale
Developer: Hit Maker | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
Developed by the now-defunct Hit Maker – which
had previously made a pair of unheralded PSP
RPGs – and published by Nippon Ichi Software, this
2009 Nintendo DS release stars a bratty witch-in-
training named Liddell. Liddell opens A Witch’s
Tale by inadvertently unleashing an ancient, evil
sorceress upon the world while attempting to
track down a forbidden spell she read about in
her school’s library. A handsome, if stern, vampire
named Loue, whose creepy castle houses said
magic, then forces her to right her wrong.
Besides its pigtailed protagonist and magical
setting, the main aspect that sets A Witch’s Tale
apart from the RPG pack is that it’s completely
touch-based. This is most apparent in the game’s areas that basically serve as dungeons, and that’s If you like your DS
Dragon Quest-esque battles. To unleash an it – is one example. Another is its short length. RPGs short, spooky,
especially impressive, and destructive, spell, you Thankfully, several other components work hard and stylus-focused,
and your party of animated dolls (yes, dolls) need to compensate for that handful of shortcomings. you should love
to trace a Rune on the DS’ lower screen. It’s fun at More often than not, the text in A Witch’s Tale is A Witch’s Tale.
first, but does its best to slow the adventure to a witty. And its eclectic soundtrack, supplied by Sara
crawl over the longer term. Sakurai, regularly pleases as well.
A Witch’s Tale puts up other barriers to In the end, although A Witch’s Tale is far
players’ enjoyment, too. The lack of explorable from a classic RPG, it deserves kudos and attention
space – a hub town connects you to seven themed for daring to tread its own path.
407
Sands of Destruction
Developer: Imageepoch | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
In the world of Sands of Destruction, humans are

slaves to beasts. Unhappy with the order of things,
a girl named Morte forms an organisation called
World Annihilation Front, with the ultimate goal
of just destroying everything. She meets up with
the protagonist Kyrie, who possesses the power to
turn almost anything to sand, and they begin a
tour of the world before ending it.
This game is a sort of reunion of various
team members from Xenogears, including
writer Masato Kato, artist Kunihiko Tanaka, and
composer Yasunori Mitsuda. The game itself
was developed by Imageepoch and published
by SEGA. However, it doesn’t live up to its
pedigree. The premise itself is ridiculous, in that more complex, in that you can hit enemies Sands of
the concept of the apocalypse is presented between the two DS screens, and extend your Destruction’s
with such levity, and Morte has such a weirdly combos by chaining enough attacks together. team was a
upbeat attitude towards it that she seems However, the battles drag on, and the game just reunion of some
like a sociopath. It is unusual enough to be doesn’t feel satisfying. Coupled with the constant of the Xenogears
intriguing though, and has Taupy, who looks random encounters, unskippable voiced dialogue, staff, but don’t go
like a stuffed bear and a shockingly deep voice, and confusing dungeons, it ends up feeling expecting this one
as its standout character. tedious. An anime was released around the same to have anywhere
The battle system does recall Xenogears, time, using the same characters, though the story near the same
with button presses forming combos. It’s a little is markedly different. level of quality.
Nostalgia
Developer: Red/Matrix | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
As the title not-so-subtly implies, Nostalgia is
meant to be a throwback to simpler times. It
includes stock characters, random battles, and
unironically begins with a sewer maze. The game
focuses on young Edward Brown, who aspires to
be like his adventurer father, who has disappeared.
The game was produced by Red
Entertainment, known for ’90s classics like Tengai
Makyou and Sakura Wars. The atmosphere makes
it superficially similar to SEGA’s excellent Skies
of Arcadia, especially given its young, mysterious
power-wielding heroine, Fiona. The story is a
steampunk-flavoured alternate reality. The style
is something like late 19th century Victorian
Europe, although people here travel in airships While the standard battles are fairly Nostalgia recalls the
that look a bit like blimps. While the game begins traditional, the airship battles change things 16-bit era of JRPGs,
in western Europe, you’ll travel to the pyramids in up a little bit. Instead of characters attacking though frankly you’d
Egypt, St. Petersburg in Russia, Mt. Fuji in Japan, individually, each one mans a weapon on the be better off actually
and New York City in the US. Side quests even airship, each with different properties. Some playing one of the
involve Atlantis and the lost continent of Mu. The airships have giant blades, and it’s amusing to classics instead of
real-world locations might sound cool, but this dash through the air and swipe at the opponent. this tepid imitator.
excitement is quickly quelled when you see that There’s nothing that Nostalgia does that’s
London has been reduced to a simple, two-screen explicitly bad, it’s just bland and never fulfils its
JRPG town. full potential.
408
Avalon Code
Developer: Matrix | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
The world is ending! Your job in Avalon Code isn’t

technically to stop it, but rather, to record what’s
interesting about it in a gigantic tome called the
Book of Prophecy. By whacking things with it,
you’ll scan their beings, which reveals properties
called Codes that you can switch around between
characters or items. For example, you can heal sick
people by removing their illnesses, weaken enemies
by giving them poison, or use various metals to
improve weapons.
Alas, this ambitious concept is subject to
various limitations, as the number of things you
can scan is limited, and Codes don’t always work
logically. The Book is displayed on the bottom
screen and catalogues everything in the world, requires exploring every inch of every room and Rewriting the DNA
all available via touch commands. Again, a cool defeating enemies repeatedly, which is also quite of everything around
concept, but the index is limited, and when you tedious. you sounds like a
need to find certain characters, you need to flip It’s a decent-looking game, with characters great time, but its
each page one by one. When moving Codes, which by fantasy artist HACCAN, and the pleasant music implementation in
you’ll do a lot, you can only hold four at a time, so by Minako Adachi (Riviera, Pokémon) is quality as Avalon Code is just
an inordinate amount of time is spent juggling well. The characters are likeable – you can romance far too limited.
them. Other aspects disappoint – the combat a few of them – and the story obviously gets dark in
is simple, and the “dungeons” are just a series spite of its light-hearted beginnings, so it’s a shame
of boring timed exercises. Filling out the book that the game doesn’t properly come together.
The Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road

Developer: Media.Vision | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
There have been plenty of video games based on
The Wizard of Oz, and Media.Vision’s take, known
as RIZ-ZOAWD (an anagram of “Wizard Oz”) in
Japan, reimagines the story as a JRPG. Dorothy
and Toto are whisked away to Oz to journey along
the Yellow Brick Road, where she quickly meets
her companions. But making their way to the
Emerald City is only the first part of their journey,
as they’re quickly tasked with defeating the
various witches of the kingdom, based on the four
seasons, who command squadrons of adorable
little cat soldiers.
The area layouts are generally straight
lines with occasional branches, while Dorothy is
controlled entirely by “rolling” a trackball-like orb The game is obviously meant for kids and This is a fairly
on the bottom touch screen. Combat plays out a bit JRPG newbies, as both the systems and the story pleasant, albeit
like in Dragon Quest, though each character has a are pretty simple. While genre fans will likely find simple, take on
different Ratio, which determines how often they it boring, it’s well balanced and serves the casual the L. Frank Baum
can act in turn. Quicker characters like Dorothy audience well. It is exceedingly pretty, indeed stories. Check out
and the Scarecrow can act up to four times, while one of the best-looking 3D titles on the DS, and the adventure game
slower ones like the Lion and the Tin Man have the music – with a main theme by Wild Arms Yellow Brick Road for
larger Ratios, so they can’t act as often, but they’re composer Michiko Naruke and a soundtrack by another interesting
also more powerful. Each character also has certain Final Fantasy Tactics virtuoso Hitoshi Sakimoto – take on the tale.
strengths against particular enemy types. is also quite pleasant.
409
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
What do you get when you mix a cowboy, two

androids, a princess, a robot puppeteer, and a whole
lot of mechas? You get this, a spinoff from the
Super Robot Taisen: Original Generation series.
Endless Frontier is a hodgepodge of Monolith Soft
characters and mechas from the aforementioned
series in a combo, turned-based battle system.
The story follows Haken Browning, a
mercenary, and his faithful android companion,
Aschen, as they perform missions across a plethora
of worlds, the Endless Frontier. While exploring a
mysterious ship connected to Haken’s past, the
two discover a sleeping princess, Kaguya Nanbu.
The crew’s journey back to her kingdom to claim
the bounty on her head spans multiple worlds and the air. Keeping enemies in the air is key to battle Super Robot Taisen
co-stars KOS-MOS from Xenosaga, along with success; dropping an enemy on the ground gives OG Saga: Endless
Reiji and Xiaomu from the PlayStation 2 strategy them the chance to strike back. But with the power Frontier offers
RPG, Namco × Capcom. of your party members, and mechas tagging in to a diverse cast of
Leaving behind its strategy RPG roots, Super help, playing Endless Frontier becomes a game of characters with a
Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier features a linking the right combos together. touch of fighting
battle system that focuses on juggling enemies in The fights are fun, albeit drawn out, while game mechanics,
the style of a fighting game. Each turn, characters the story is mostly silly nonsense. A sequel named providing a solid
are given a certain amount of COM, used to Endless Frontier Exceed was released in 2010, but RPG experience.
perform different attacks that hurl enemies into remained Japan-only.
My World, My Way
Developer: Global A Entertainment | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS, PSP
Princess Elise has grown up spoiled. The only
thing she wants is a handsome suitor, and she
thinks she’s found the perfect mate … except he’s
an adventurer who has little interest in someone
so privileged. Determined to win his heart, Elise
becomes a fighter, and leaves the comfortable
confines of her castle to become stronger.
Most of the game consists of running various
quests. What’s unusual is that this game doesn’t
really have a traditional overworld, but rather
several small areas mapped out on a grid. Princess
Elise may not be a rough-and-ready warrior, but
she is a princess, so she can spend Pout Points for
a variety of different effects. In battle, they can be The concept is great, not only for the cutesy Playing as a bratty
used to dismiss enemies or inflict status effects; premise and charming heroine, but also for princess whose
outside of battle, they can change the terrain flipping the typical gender roles. But the gameplay world obeys her
(which affects enemies), weaken or strengthen loop is repetitive and it wears thin pretty quickly. whims possesses an
monsters, grant more experience points, and There’s not much actual story, and the only major amusing novelty.
make other changes. There are some traditional character other than Elise is the castle swordsman
dungeons, which tie in with Master of the Monster assigned by the king to secretly protect her. Only
Lair, a previous game by this developer. Battles are the DS version was released in English; the later
straightforward, though other than Elise, the only PSP port, which includes full voice acting and
other, fighter is her pet slime, which can morph some extra features, including the ability to send
into enemies to mimic their abilities. Elise down light or dark paths, is Japanese-only.
410
Sigma Harmonics
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
Sigma Harmonics is a time-travelling murder-

mystery JRPG with rhythm elements. Ambitious as
it is, it offers little more than what’s it’s borrowed.
Waking up one day, the titular Sigma discovers that
his past has been rewritten, changing his present.
With the help of his friend, Neon Tsukiyumi, Sigma
uses his sound user ability and the family clock to
travel through time and solve murders.
Sigma does most of the murder mystery
legwork, while Neon handles combat. The songs
Sigma plays change the charge times of Neon’s
ability cards, and can reduce the wait for her attacks
or healing actions. Neon can change between coming up with absurd logic isn’t punished … This unusual time-
three forms: a card wielder with twin blades, a at first. That comes in the form of the chapter’s travelling title was
gothic Lolita with a sword skirt, and a gunner in final boss, sealing abilities, among other annoying perhaps a little
army camo who flips and shoots through battles. things. Brute force is an option for combat too unusual for
The best part of the murder mysteries is that no enthusiasts, but solving the mysteries correctly the international
matter how badly you fumble them, Sigma delivers makes the boss fights about as easy as a regular audience.
his breakdown of the case with such vigor that any random encounter.
idiotic possibility is still played straight. A beautiful soundtrack composed by Masashi
While combat is unique and fun, the murder Hamauzu and character designs by Yusaku
mystery aspect of it is not handled with the same Nakaaki accompany this unique, yet flawed, fusion
care. Rather than opting for a Phoenix Wright- of gameplay styles. Alas, Square Enix passed on
style strike or a Layton scolding, guessing or its localisation.
Kimi no Yuusha
Developer: SNK | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
Role-playing games are often known for their
lengthy quests, but they’re the sort of game that
players often grow out of, just because they don’t
have time to play them anymore. SNK sought to
resolve that problem with Kimi no Yuusha (“Your
Hero”), which presents quests that can each be
completed in about 30 minutes, fitting into an
average work commute. There is a central story, of
course, and 25 episodes in total.
The game was produced by Yoshiyasu
Matsushita, known for Twinkle Star Sprites,
with artwork by Mimoli Fujinomiya, who also
worked on the PS2 sequel to Twinkle Star Sprites,
La Petite Princesse, as well as Doki Doki Majo
Shinpan, the infamous witch-touching game magician girl named Tio ostensibly being the The cute characters
for the DS that was revealed around the same main character. and well-designed pixel
time as Kimi no Yuusha. As such, most of the RPGs weren’t exactly SNK’s speciality – artwork are the key
character roster consists of lots of cutesy girls. there was Crystalis on the NES and the Samurai elements in this short,
It is, thankfully, free of Doki Doki Majo Shodown RPG, but that was about the extent of it – straightforward RPG
Shinpan’s overt creepiness, and the sprite so it’s not something they have a lot of experience meant for adults who
artwork used in battles is pretty decent. There at. The dungeons are fairly rote (although short), miss the game-playing
are 11 characters in total, of various races and the random encounter rate is a little high, and the days of their youth.
classes (the coolest are Silk, the martial artist battle system is basic. However, despite its issues,
mermaid and Haim, a vampire aristocrat), with a it is fairly fun and cutesy.
411
Nanashi no Game
Developer: Epics | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
Hideo Nakata 1998’s horror film Ring made quite

an impact on the world of horror, with one simple
concept – what if a video tape was haunted?
Nanashi no Game (“The Nameless Game”) has
basically the same premise – there’s a cursed video
game, and anyone who plays it dies within seven
days. Most of this experience plays out like a first-
person horror adventure game, as you hold the
DS system sideways like a book, explore spooky
environments, and avoid ghosts.
At certain points, you’re required to enter
the cursed game in question, which is a dead
ringer for an 8-bit Final Fantasy. But everything
about it is visibly off, with graphical glitches that
would normally suggest a dusty cartridge but here Of course, Nanashi no Game isn’t really an According to
come across as something far more sinister. It’s RPG, since there’s no gold, no battling, and no producer Takashi
not even possible to make out the title of the game exploration. Rather, it’s a horror adventure that Tokita, this game
(it is nameless, after all). During your trips into this uses the familiar trappings of an RPG to creep series performed
retro throwback, you spend much of your time the player out. A sequel, Nanashi no Game Me, poorly with
inside of a small town. NPCs in this type of game takes the game-within-a-game further, by making American focus test
rarely did much of anything other than spout the cursed game’s avatars represent the three in- groups, so Square
simple lines of dialogue, but things get crazy and game “real world” characters, and expands the decided against an
weird, as they are routinely sacrificed, complete areas with various challenges. Unfortunately, both international release.
with pixelated blood spurts. games remained Japan-only.
Knights in the Nightmare

Developer: Sting | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS, PSP
Sting had a reputation for making unusual RPG
hybrids, but Knights in the Nightmare, part of
their Dept. Heaven series, is so bizarre it defies
classification – the closest you could get is calling
it a bullet-hell action strategy RPG.
Each level is a single area, divided into a grid,
which contains the player’s units, some enemies,
and some items. The player controls a cursor called
a wisp, guided with a stylus (in the DS version) or the
analogue nub (in the PSP port). Each turn lasts for
a certain number of seconds, with the goal being
to destroy all of the enemies, and obtain items.
By hovering over one of your units, you’ll
command and charge up their attacks – they can’t This only scratches the surface, because the Knights in the
move, but you can change their direction. At the game is massively over-complicated. Sting games Nightmare is Sting
same time, enemies toss out bullets in elaborate tended to have overwhelming, cluttered interfaces, at their most utterly
patterns that will harm the wisp, depleting your and this is the worst of them. There’s a tutorial, incomprehensible.
time for the turn. There are two Phases, Law and but it’s only so helpful. The game’s steep learning
Chaos, which determine the range of the units’ curve makes it hard to really get into, and even the
attacks, among other things; there are also items story, involving events that happened at a castle,
that can be used for super-special attacks. There isn’t all that compelling. But the beautiful 2D
are tons of these, mostly for specific classes. New visuals, along with the fact that there hasn’t been
units can be added to your team, but only if you anything remotely like it before or since, turns it
satisfy certain conditions and get certain items. into a fascinating, if puzzling, artefact.
412
Brave Story: New Traveler
Developer: Game Republic | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): PSP
For a few years in the mid-2000s, Brave Story was

quite the multimedia phenomenon. Beginning as
a novel written by Miyuki Miyabe, it was adapted
into a manga, an anime movie, and three different
video games. The PSP release was by Game
Republic, the studio formed by ex-Capcom veteran
Yoshiki Okamoto, and was the only one to come
out in English, courtesy of XSeed. The story in
this game is not directly taken from the original
novel, but is still based on the same premise of a
normal child escaping their real-world troubles
by entering a fantasy realm called Vision. Here, a these skills regularly. Battles are random, but they’re While popular in
boy named Tatsuya is teleported there when his resolved quickly. It’s also a pretty-looking game, Japan, the only
childhood friend Miki faces a strange illness. He with character models and animation to rival PS2 elements of Brave
immediately meets up with a catgirl named Yuno, visuals, and the comic book-style sound words, like Story released in
and begins a journey to find five gems for his “kerpow!”, in combat are kinda cool. There are also English were this
sword, so he can return home and cure his friend. sub-quests that involve capturing (and battling) cute game, the manga
Brave Story: New Traveler is a typical JRPG, little birds called Goalfinches. series, and the
both narratively and mechanically, to the point The game was well received at the time, original novel.
where it feels generic. In battle, characters can use since it was one of the first decent-quality
Brave Points to enable various special abilities, original RPGs on the system, plus it avoided
including unity attacks between characters, the technical issues, like long load times, that
though these points can be replenished in battle tended to plague the platform. But in itself, it’s
by repeatedly attacking enemies, so you can use merely adequate.
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner

Developer: Gaia | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): PSP
Designer Kouji “Cozy” Okada was one of the key
creators of the Megami Tensei series, and worked
on nearly all of its titles up to the beginning of the
PlayStation 2 era. He left Atlus in 2003 to form
the studio Gaia, which first produced Monster
Kingdom: Jewel Summoner for the PSP.
As with the Megami Tensei series, the
main attraction of Jewel Summoner is the ability
to capture, create, and battle with a variety of
monsters, which are contained within jewels.
In combat, only one monster per summoner can
be active at once; their abilities drain Jewel Points, what reads like a “best of” list of video game It seems there
and must be switched with a different monster music composers, including Kenji Ito (SaGa), was no bad blood
when these run out. Clearly Okada was working Yasunori Mitsuda (Chrono Trigger), Tsukasa between Cozy Okada
with something he was familiar with here, but Masuko (Shin Megami Tensei), Hitosho Sakimoto and his former
the strengths of the Megami Tensei went far and Masaharu Iwata (Final Fantasy Tactics), employer, as Atlus
beyond just the demon-collecting part, and Jewel Shinji Hosoe (Dragon Spirit), and many others. happily published
Summoner has almost none of them. The story There’s no real consistency, but it’s all very good. this game overseas.
is trite JRPG nonsense, starring a warrior named The PlayStation 3 game Folklore was initially
Vice, who has a mysterious summoning power titled Monster Kingdom: Unknown Realms,
and joins up with a formal group of summoners. suggesting that Okada was trying to create a
The battle system is rather dull, and the monster franchise, but the connection between them is
designs run from interesting to terrible. The best basically non-existent. The Japan-only PSP action
part of this game is its soundtrack, provided by RPG Coded Soul, also by Gaia, is also loosely related.
413
Half-Minute Hero
Developer: Marvelous | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): PSP, X360, WIN
Role-playing games are often thought to be

expansive affairs that consume dozens of hours
of your life. Half-Minute Hero asks you to play an
RPG, but in fast forward. The game world is divided
into several levels, each beginning the same way
– you have 30 seconds until the level boss casts
a spell and destroys the world. You then need to
fulfil some kind of quest – repair a bridge, kill
some bad guys, and so forth – while levelling up,
getting money, and buying equipment. Battles
are random, but typically resolved in a second or
two, depending on your strength, as your hero make it an easy pick-up-and-play experience. The sequel, Half-
automatically bumps into foes until they get flung There are also some bonus modes with differing Minute Hero: The
off the screen. styles of gameplay, in which you play as an evil lord Second Coming,
Technically, you have more than 30 seconds (resembling a real-time strategy game), a princess skipped localisation
to beat each stage, because at any point, you can (a shoot-’em-up) and a knight (an action game). for the PSP but made
pray to the Time Goddess statue to reset the timer. The title was initially released on the PSP, then it out in English on
This also costs money, but lets you accomplish ported to the Xbox 360 and Windows, with an extra computer platforms.
everything you need to, and defeat the boss before mode that replaces the chunky, retro-styled sprites
the timer runs out. As such, the game is less of a with ugly children’s book-style artwork. The sequel
typical RPG and more an action game that’s all adds some extra features, like party formations and
about managing time and resources. mobile castles. Both games have music provided by
The core gameplay is pretty similar throughout, a number of legendary composers, including Yuzo
though the light-hearted tone and general silliness Koshiro and Motoi Sakuraba.
Sol Trigger
Developer: Imageepoch | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): PSP
The hero of Sol Trigger is Farel, the new leader
of the eponymous rebel group. They oppose the
Machine Church, a government organisation that
is using humans with the Sol ability for corrupt
ends. The game was released in 2012, in the final
years of the PSP, and was the highest-budget PSP
game developed by the company. Imageepoch,
which both developed and published the game,
claimed that it was the most ambitious game they
had ever made, with significant investment in
the game’s presentation: character design, voice
acting, soundtrack, graphics and animations. The exploration segments are limited to the Sol Trigger developer
These are indeed amazing. The script was Sol Trigger base (where you are able to interact with Imageepoch pledged
also provided by regular Final Fantasy scribe NPCs and party members, and shop) and the story- that they would save
Kazushige Nojima. related dungeons, which are pretty linear, leaving the Japanese RPG,
The gameplay shines in its battle system. a lot to be desired. The plot itself is divided into but they weren’t
Each party member has an individual SOL amount two parts. The first one defines how the second quite able to achieve
that is spent to use skills. Those skills get stronger is going to roll, based on which female character any breakout hits.
the more you use them, eventually allowing you you romanced.
to spend more SOL to power them up, enhancing Sadly, the game did not perform too well in
damage, healing, or buffs and debuffs. Depending Japan, resulting in cancellation of the planned
on which equipment you are using at the time, sequels and adaptations. Sol Trigger failed to make
a new skill may trigger for a character, if the any impact, but remained as part of Imageepoch’s
situation calls for it. short legacy.
414
Last Ranker
Developer: Capcom/Imageepoch | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PSP
Zig is a young man who’s become bored of his

pointless life out in the boonies. In order to find
some purpose, he joins a combat organisation
called Bazalta. Here, everyone is assigned a
numerical rank, which determines their social
status. It’s very “dog eat dog”, as the main way to
climb up the ranks is to beat someone higher up.
There are 100,000 Rankers, and Zig starts off near
the bottom, at 95,000, so he attempts to make
a name for himself, uncovering corruption in
Bazalta along the way.
Since the world of Last Ranker revolves Zig’s rank, but may also grant him a new skill Last Ranker suffers
around fighting, there’s obviously a big focus to use in combat. The game presents itself like a from the same issues
on the combat system. It’s a mixture of Final single-player MMORPG, with numerical ranks as many mid-budget
Fantasy’s Active Time Battle system and button- floating above the heads of other Rankers, and PSP titles: worlds that
based combat as found in games like Xenogears there’s a heavy emphasis on completing quests. feel small, unable to
and Legend of Legaia. The player only commands There are plenty of big names attached – the meet the ambition
Zig, who can attack and guard, with the face story is by Kazushige Nojima (Final Fantasy VII), of their stories.
buttons. The action flows in real time, with his with artwork by Tatsuya Yoshikawa (Breath of
auto-replenishing stamina bar determining what Fire), and music by Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom
kind of action he can take. A solid strategy will Hearts). It looks and sounds great, but it also
involve killing enemies as quickly as possible while feels underdeveloped, and it’s more linear than it
retaining enough strength to block their attacks. seems. It’s Japan-only, but still one of the better
Taking down another Ranker will not only elevate PSP RPGs.
Hexyz Force
Developer: Sting | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): PSP
Hexyz Force takes place in a world caught between
light and darkness. The gods of life and destruction
exist in a constant cycle of reincarnation, and it’s
up to a team called the Hexyz to climb the Tower
of Judgment and determine the fate of the world.
You can choose from two characters – Cecillia,
a female cleric, and Levant, a male knight. Their
stories are largely independent, with different
supporting casts of characters, though they join
up together for the final areas.
The heroes wield weapons called Ragnafacts,
which consume an MP-like stat called There’s an alignment system that changes Perhaps Sting
Ragnapoints. Alongside with this is a crafting depending on your actions, leading to one of three was too strongly
system whereby you can create weapons that endings. Along with the dual perspectives, this criticised for its
aren’t quite as powerful and break after a number creates a big incentive to play through the game off-the-wall titles,
of uses, but also won’t consume Ragnapoints, so multiple times. However, while the systems are well resulting in Hexyz
they’re still fairly useful. There’s a rock-paper- put together, most everything about Hexyz Force is Force, which plays
scissors elemental system, and weapons can fairly typical, which is disappointing, considering it shockingly safe.
be improved using Force Points obtained after that Sting games are typically known for their
battle. If you overkill enemies, you can obtain eccentricities. It features the same artist (Sunaho
more goodies after fights. Characters also have Tobe) as the rest of the Dept. Heaven games, but
individual special attacks, called Force Bursts, it’s not part of the series. The game is nothing
which are shared among the party members and special, but it does have a minor character named
build power over consecutive battles. Bigabu Beaze, so that counts for something.
415
Chaos Rings
Developer: Media.Vision | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): IOS, AND, PSV
Released between 2010 and 2015, the Chaos Rings

series, developed by Media.Vision and published
by Square Enix, sold millions of copies worldwide.
An original IP with rich, expansive 100+ hour
stories offered as a premium-priced mobile series,
it proved Square could replicate their console
success in the smartphone space.
The series told stories adapted in scope and
perspective to match the quicker play-throughs
of a mobile session, while still retaining the feel
of an epic console RPG. Each game’s story is
separate, but they generally focus on the idea of mode the best attributes and attacks of both While in demand on
a great power threatening to destroy the world characters are combined, but both take damage. initial release, the
and a pair of heroes battling through dungeons to Battle features a Break Gauge that shifts with the smartphone focus of
acquire the ability to stop it. The characters in the outcome of attacks and, depending on its level, Chaos Rings caused
first three games (1, 2, Omega) were designed can increase the power of character attacks. the series to fall
by Yusuke Naora (Final Fantasy X, The Last Despite the success of the series, Chaos out of the popular
Remnant), and the stories vary depending on Rings has largely vanished. Since May of 2016, consciousness.
which pairing you chose. only Chaos Rings III can still be purchased, at the
The games play as fairly typical JRPGs, time of writing. Chaos Rings III is the only game
navigating overworlds and dungeons, and in the series ever released physically, on the Vita
engaging in turn-based combat. Each team in Japan, with the first and second games, as
consists of two characters and in battle the player well as Omega, available as downloadable DLC for
can choose to fight solo or as a pair. In pair this compilation.
Crimson Shroud
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): 3DS
Level-5’s most interesting 3DS software was its
auteur Guild project, which attached different
game designers to small-scale games within a
larger collection, each also released as an eShop
stand-alone. This example, Crimson Shroud, is
an RPG by Yasumi Matsuno of Ogre and Ivalice
fame, once again working with Hitoshi Sakimoto
and Alexander O. Smith. Matsuno uses the smaller
budget to style the game as a virtual table-top play
session. Characters and enemies are presented as
figures placed on top of dioramas. Scene-setting
text and sound plays whenever a room is entered, when using the right elements. All character Crimson Shroud
giving the game a bit of a sound-novel vibe too. improvement is done through better gear instead was released in
The tale focuses on a group of mercenaries of level-ups. Melding two pieces of equipment Japan as part of the
tasked with finding a monk in a palace ruin. strengthens them further. Equipment comes with Guild01 compilation,
It might also house the First Gift, a powerful artefact some skills; others are learned after battle. Certain which also included
that brought magic into the world. There are twists actions even rely on the player literally throwing Grasshopper’s
and revelations later on, while most of the early text dice via the touch screen. Fights can get rather Liberation Maiden.
is loaded with lore and world-building. tough, and drag on.
Crimson Shroud sports only about a dozen These unique systems, and the strong
fights during its four chapters. Yet the underlying narrative and atmosphere, made Crimson Shroud
systems are deep, possibly even overkill, for such one of the best-rated Guild games, frequently
a short game. Success relies heavily on buffing popping up in recommendations for eShop games
and status ailments. There’s a combo system to play.
416
Fantasy Life
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): 3DS
Level-5’s project for the booming life-sim and

multiplayer handheld market was Fantasy Life.
Originally planned for the DS, it actually came
out on the 3DS many delays later. Brownie
Brown, h.a.n.d., and other companies were by
then involved, and it had names like Yoshitaka
Amano and Nobuo Uematsu attached to it.
A later, enhanced version was the basis for the
Western release.
In terms of premise, things start to go
wrong in a peaceful storybook-fantasy world
when black stones fall from the sky, corrupting encouraging mixing and matching of professions, Fantasy Life falls
monsters wherever they land. The protagonist or having multiplayer friends over to help. into the same life
decides to investigate, earning a talkative butterfly There’s a lot to do in Fantasy Life, but not a simulation sub-
companion on the way. It’s a short and simple lot of variety. The real-time fights are simple, as genre as games
story that acts as charming window-dressing. are the QTE crafting mini-games. So is gathering like Harvest Moon
Living a fantasy life is the main point of the materials. Jobs can be ranked up, villager quests and Rune Factory,
game. A Life in this case is a job, even if that sounds undertaken, rooms furnished. Your enjoyment of though it still
depressing. There are 12 classes to pick from, it relies heavily on whether you find this busywork very much does
some fighters, some gatherers, others crafters, frustratingly tedious or enjoyably addicting its own thing.
all integrated to enable mining and woodcutting The sequel, Fantasy Life Online, was
for materials, tailoring them into equipment, and only released in Japan, and on smartphones,
then wearing it when going out to fight monsters. a platform well suited to this style of game and its
Players can change Life at any time, the game multiplayer aspect.
Hero Must Die

Developer: G-Mode/Pyramid | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): PSV, WIN, MOB
In Hero Must Die, the hero’s standard journey
ends not with the defeat of the demon lord, but
with tearful eulogies for the hero himself. After
seemingly saving the world, this RPG’s hero faces
imminent death, and it’s up to players to make the
most of his final five days.
This original concept is by Shoji Masuda,
known for unusual RPGs like Linda³ and Ore no
Shikabane o Koete Yuke, and is based on the
experience of seeing his own father’s condition
deteriorate as he dealt with his shortened life
expectancy. The hero starts out powerful, but The five days fly by in just a few hours, While most of
as time passes his stats decrease, his strongest but Hero Must Die is based around replaying Shoji Masuda’s
equipment becomes too heavy to wear and he the game multiple times. Each funeral leaves a games were not
starts to forget magic. This forces him to rely on lingering sense of regret that things could have released in English,
other party members in the game’s turn-based gone differently. The scope is still small, but this this latecomer
battles. Each character has their own quest, so it was originally a cellphone game, released in 2007, mobile port will
takes clever time management and a lot of trial and then eventually remade for the PlayStation Vita. It at least allow an
error to aid all these allies and change the country’s was finally released in English on an assortment international
fate after the hero passes away. The characters are of platforms in 2020, now known under the name audience to
colourful, but the premise is bleak. The setting was Hero Must Die. Again. It’s simple and repetitive, experience his
reportedly inspired by the fall of the Berlin Wall, but with its clever twists on familiar tropes, the unique design
with lingering racial and cultural problems that game shows the power of RPGs to present deeply philosophies.
can’t be solved by simply slaying the final boss. personal stories.
417
Ar tonelico
Developer: Gust | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PSV
Aside from Atelier, Gust had one other big RPG

series – Ar tonelico. Taking a different approach
from that flagship series, the Ar tonelico trilogy
takes place in a world called Ar Ciels, which was
nearly destroyed by a cataclysmic event. Special
beings called Reyvateils inhabit this world, and
they’re able to use Song Magic for both attack
and defence. The Ar tonelico series visits each
of Ar Ciel’s three remaining inhabitable regions,
during which the player learns more about what
happened, and eventually restores the land.
The Ar tonelico titles adhere pretty
closely to the classic JRPG formula, with a few
exceptions. The implementation of Song Magic The Melody of Metafalica that the existence of Gust games are
is not like casting spells in most JRPGs. When multiple floating countries is revealed, as this known for their
Singing, a Reyvateil will lose MP over time, second game takes place in the area surrounding stellar soundtracks,
while continuing to either charge the Song or the Second Tower. Ar tonelico Qoga: Knell of and Ar tonelico
continue its effect, depending on the Song itself. Ar Ciel takes place in the area surrounding the is no exception –
The other party members are mainly there to Third Tower. the vocal songs, with
protect the Reyvateil while she Sings. The battle These three games tell a continuous story eccentric names like
systems of the three games differ, but these core about the world of Ar Ciel, and eventually about “EXEC_CHRONICLE_
mechanics stay the same. the catastrophe that destroyed the planet and the KEY/”, are sung in
The other defining feature of the Ar botched plans to revive it. The video games and the fictional language
tonelico titles involves the Reyvateils themselves. other media reveal an extensive amount of unique of Hymnos.
In order for one to learn new Song Magic, the lore for the universe of EXA_PICO, including the
protagonist must Dive into their Cosmosphere, creation of Reyvateils, the meaning of Hymnos,
which is essentially the Reyvateil’s subconscious. and much, much more.
Players must help the Reyvateils overcome There are two other games that take place
their insecurities and past traumas in order to in the same universe. The Surge Concerto
learn Song Magic. This, combined with other series consists of Ciel nosurge and Ar nosurge:
mechanics, like the highly suggestive Install Ode to an Unborn Star. While these games do
process, make the bonds between the protagonist share a universe with Ar tonelico and Ar Ciel,
and Reyvateil extremely intimate. Ciel nosurge takes place mostly on a different
The first Ar tonelico title, Ar tonelico: The planet, until it’s destroyed. The remainder of Ciel
Melody of Elemia, introduces players to the nosurge and Ar nosurge take place on the colony
world of Ar Ciel and the First Tower of Ar ship Soreil. Despite some overlap, particularly in
tonelico, which keeps the landmass floating the existence of Song Magic, the two series are
above the Sea of Death. It isn’t until Ar tonelico II: ultimately separate.
418
Hyperdimension Neptunia (series)
Developer: Compile Heart | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4, PSV, WIN
Fanboys call their vehement arguments over the

merits of video game platforms “Console Wars”.
Compile Heart’s Hyperdimension Neptunia takes it
more literally, as it takes place in the sci-fi/fantasy
world of Gamindustri, which is populated by four
goddesses that vie for control. Each of these regions
(and its associated goddess) is based on an actual
video game console: Lastation (Sony PlayStation),
Lowee (Nintendo Wii), and Leanbox (Microsoft
Xbox), for example. The main heroine is Neptune,
hailing from Planeptune – she’s supposed to
represent SEGA, as “Neptune” was the codename for buttons to execute combo attacks, powering up for The Neptunia series
their 32-bit console before it was officially changed CPU Transformations (magical-girl form changes). epitomises most of
to the Saturn. In her default form, she’s a somewhat Much of the game just involves running around Idea Factory’s and
ditzy girl, affectionately called Nep-Nep, but under bland environments, towards your goals, and Compile Heart’s
the right circumstances, she can transform into the attacking anything that gets near. output – lots of cheap
far more serious (and more powerful) Purple Heart. Focusing on attractive female characters games featuring
Half of Neptunia’s appeal is in the video game at the expense of solid gameplay has long been cutesy girls, hastily
in-jokes – other characters are anthropomorphic Idea Factory’s schtick, but there’s no doubt that assembled and
versions of game companies like Gust (Atelier), they happened into a winning formula with the quickly produced to
Nippon Ichi (Disgaea), Red (Tengai Makyou), Cave Neptunia games – the game portions aren’t exactly satisfy a small but
(many hardcore arcade shoot-’em-ups) and even good, but they’re just tolerable filler between the reliable fanbase.
Idea Factory, the game’s publisher. Enemies include bits where brightly coloured girls make obscure
Pac-Man-type ghosts and Space Invader-type video game references. As a result, it’s a very love-it-
aliens; Nep-Nep hums the Final Fantasy victory or-hate-it series.
theme and quotes the famously terrible Saturn It also suffers from some absolutely arcane
light-gun game Death Crimson. The other main sequel names. After Hyperdimension Neptunia,
draw is the game’s large number of super-cutesy the sequels are mk2, and then Victory. This
girls, often scantily clad or in tight clothing, with first set was remade as Re;Birth, Re;Birth2, and
chests that jiggle ludicrously. Re;Birth3, respectively; this was followed up by
As for how the games play … it almost doesn’t Megadimension Neptunia VII, later remade as VIIR,
matter. The original Hyperdimension Neptunia which adds a VR mode but worsens everything else.
was outright junk, with awful visuals that ran at a Compile Heart has been milking this setup for
terrible frame rate. Subsequent games fixed up the all kinds of entries in different genres, including
technical issues and improved the battle system, idol-cultivating sims, bullet-hell shooters, strategy
making it similar to the standard Compile Heart RPGs, action RPGs, and even a crossover with
setup, in which you move characters around a SEGA Hard Girls, which features SEGA consoles as
battlefield in a turn-based fashion and then hit cutesy girls.
419
Fairy Fencer F
Developer: Compile Heart | Released: 2013 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4, WIN
There’s a phenomenon in Japanese technology

lovingly referred to by domestic economists as the
“Galápagos”: when a unique or forward-thinking
idea is successful within Japan, but does not catch
on internationally. The term was initially used to
refer to Japanese mobile phones of the early 2000s,
which had many abilities and features that wouldn’t
be seen elsewhere until smartphones came along.
Compile Heart, recognising their niche with the
success of Hyperdimension Neptunia, created the
“Galápagos RPG” label for their projects in 2013. The main loop is Fang’s search for Furies, Fairy Fencer F was
The idea was to emphasise that their output was latent spirits found throughout the world. Compile Heart’s
intended for Japanese audiences, though most were The dungeons the party searches are all fairly first attempt at a
released internationally anyway. similar: wide-open environments filled with “legitimate” RPG,
Fairy Fencer F was the first game to bear the monsters and dotted with the occasional treasure. in that it’s not just
Galápagos RPG moniker. Developed largely by the Once a Fury is found, it can be used to begin filled with cutesy
team behind the Neptunia games, Compile Heart reviving the Goddess (or her nemesis, the Vile girls, instead having
brought in a few pinch hitters: namely, Yoshitaka God) to gain a few extra abilities, and can then a roughly 50:50
Amano and Nobuo Uematsu. The former designed be equipped for stat bonuses or stabbed into the gender ratio. It
the game’s logo and the concept art for the story’s map to bestow additional risk/reward factors on doesn’t entirely
two duelling gods, while the latter composed the a dungeon. Like many of Compile Heart’s titles, succeed, but the
theme song. The (very minor) presence of two Fairy Fencer F is essentially a reskinned Neptunia effort is noted.
Final Fantasy alumni, coupled with the title’s game, with combat largely unchanged. Each Fencer
F-based alliteration, did not go unnoticed by has the ability to transform into a super-powered
audiences, though Fairy Fencer F could not be any state, but this is functionally identical to Neptunia’s
more dissimilar. CPU Transformations.
Instead, it is pure, undiluted Compile Heart. There are some neat ideas in Fairy Fencer F –
It’s lighthearted, bawdy, and laden with cheesecake, particularly related to the evil corporation pulling
and its characters interact exclusively through the strings – but the problem is that any interesting
argument. Our hero is the misanthropic Fang, a food- plot beats are immediately undercut by the script’s
motivated chauvinist who ends up pulling a magical refusal to take anything remotely seriously.
sword from a stone. By doing so he releases Eryn, The game received an updated re-release in 2015,
a magical fairy seeking the revival of a long-dead subtitled Advent Dark Force, which features extra
Goddess. By pulling her sword, Fang has become characters and dungeons, and multiple story paths
her Fencer, a guardian able to channel Eryn’s power dependent on the revival of the Goddess or the Vile
to transform into a cyborg-like being. Soon Fang is God. Being a Compile Heart game, it’s also loaded
joined on his quest by other Fencers, such as Tiara, to the gills with Level 900 superbosses for those
a selfish treasure hunter with a masochistic streak. who just can’t get enough.
420
Death end re;Quest
Developer: Compile Heart | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): PS4, WIN
Game developer Shina Ninomiya disappears

mysteriously one day, only to wake up inside of
World’s Odyssey, the MMORPG she was working
on. It was never completed or released, but its
advanced design has caused the game world to
take on a life of its own. She is able to communicate
with her co-worker, a young man named Arata
Mizunashi, who aids her from the real world. The
only way to save her is to unlock the true ending,
further complicated by the fact that the software
has evolved into malware and begins infecting to have a knack for this sort of thing. These are The concept of an
computer systems worldwide. actually presented as “game overs”, so you need to MMORPG gone
As Shina moves through the game world, you load a saved game when one is triggered; you can, mad is well-trodden
discover that Death End re;Quest is a lot like other however, save regularly. territory, with anime
Compile Heart games. You explore dungeons, The battle system is pretty fun, since you can and games like
fight enemies, and eventually meet up with other knock enemies around the battlefield, banging .hack and Sword Art
NPCs who join your party … these, in true Compile them into other enemies or the sides of the arena. Online, though there
Heart fashion, are all cutesy girls. However, your You can toss them towards friends, who’ll deliver are enough changes
progress will be regularly blocked, so you need to another blow that deflects them again. There are to the formula to
switch to Arata’s view. Taking place in modern day also glowing bits lying around, which damage make Death end
Tokyo, these segments play out like a visual novel, your characters but increase their Corruption – re:Quest stand out.
with minimal interaction. Since World’s Odyssey at a high enough level, this triggers Glitch mode,
was never completed, it’s pretty glitchy, and Arata which strips them of most of their clothes but
finds ways to tune the programming to allow allows a super-powerful attack. When half of these
Shina to proceed. This bugginess manifests itself bits have been cleared, Arata can also use various
in other ways, as most characters (including the special moves, including mini-games featuring
heroines) are infected with literal digital bugs, plus various video-game genres, like third-person
some enemies are clearly incomplete 3D models. shooters or puzzle games.
It’s also intentionally unbalanced, as items will As a hybrid RPG-visual novel, Death End
occasionally be extremely over-powered; this off- re;Quest does feel disjointed, as it bounces between
kilter difficulty is thus internally justified. its disparate elements. It does suffer from the usual
There are also a large number of “bad ends” low-budget Compile Heart issues, and reading
that follow wrong decisions. Many of these are about cutesy girls getting murdered in various
just a few brief lines of text, but there are also ways is pretty uncomfortable. But otherwise, the
some that are incredibly gruesome, as the digital story is pretty good, the battle system is a lot of
heroines are decapitated, dismembered, crucified, fun, and while the moe elements are present,
or otherwise mutilated. The script was written by they don’t overwhelm the game, making it one of
Corpse Party scribe Makoto Kedouin, who seems Compile Heart’s better titles.
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The Caligula Effect
Developer: Aquira | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV, NSW, WIN
The Caligula Effect begins with your character

living a seemingly idyllic high-school life.
But it’s all a trick, more or less, as you’re inside
of a virtual reality simulation called Mobius,
basically a place where regular people can escape
from the misery of their daily lives. The catch
here is that no one can leave, due to the tyranny
of a virtual idol called Myu. The protagonist joins
a group called the Go-Home Club, who want to
find a way to escape back to reality, while facing
off against Digiheads, a cult that has formed
around the siren call of Myu. you’re given a preview of how all of the moves will According to the
The story was written by Tadashi Satomi, play out (there is a chance they can miss, after developers the
who had originally worked on the first two all), allowing you to reassess, if you can think of a “Caligula effect”,
Persona games, though his last involvement with better plan. Since foes often need to charge before also known as taboo
Atlus was with the Digital Devil Saga duology. executing attacks, you can pull off acrobatic psychology, refers to
It’s meant to be a deconstruction of the high- moves, or just run, to get out of harms way, or try the desire to see and
school life sims popular in the Japanese gaming to get enemies into groups to hit several at once do prohibited things.
sphere, as most of the core members of the … and, of course, hit them or spatter them with
Go-Home Club have lived harsh lives, dealing with bullets. You are limited by an SP gauge, so you may
themes like suicide and teen pregnancy. In the need to take a turn to recharge.
real world, the faces behind those well-dressed The Calgiula Effect is the sort of game that
high-school anime avatars are very different, works better on paper than in practice. The main
often older, and sometimes of opposite genders. cast of characters relies on tragic backstories in
You learn their tragic backstories as you continue place of memorable characters, and some of its
through the story. There’s also an expanded social harsher themes aren’t exactly handled well. The
sim, as you can technically befriend the 500 or battle system is pretty fun at first, and it’s fantastic
so NPCs within Mobius, though the interactions in boss battles, but just takes too long in regular
are obviously shallow. The enhanced Overdose encounters, since they’re pretty easy (though
version, published for additional platforms, also auto-battle helps this). The repetitive dungeons
includes an optional story branch in which the and bland character models and animation also
main character joins the bad guys, a crew called reveal its origins as a Vita game. The music is
the Ostinato Musicians. cool though, with instrumental tunes that gain
The battle system is like a JRPG take on the lyrics when playing during combat; the music is
flashy fight scenes found in 3D action games like by Tsukasa Masuko, one of the original Megami
Devil May Cry. The flow moves in semi-real-time, Tensei composers. While the game’s ambitions are
but when a character’s turn pops up, they can to be admired, ultimately it fails to achieve them.
execute up to three actions. Before you commit, There was also a tie-in anime in 2018.
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Octopath Traveler
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): NSW, WIN
Octopath Traveler follows in the footsteps of

other retro throwbacks from Square Enix, like
Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light and Bravely
Default. This time, it’s a little more inspired by
the SaGa series, at least narratively. At the outset,
you choose from eight different characters, all
in the land of Orsterra, with varying jobs and
abilities. There are typical RPG characters like
H’aanit the hunter and Therion the thief, as well
as some that recall Dragon Quest IV, such as
Primrose the dancer and Tressa the merchant.
But there are also a few more unusual ones, like stored attacks to inflict maximum damage. The One of the arranged
Alfyn the apothecary and Cyrus the scholar. combat has impact, thanks to the visual effects, soundtracks for
Whoever you pick is merely the starting character, like the glow when charging up, or the way that Octopath Traveler
as once you’ve played their opening chapter, each blow feels like an explosion. It’s fun, though features some
you’re free to roam around the world gathering the game does feature random battles, which can tracks in a 16-bit
others, playing their storylines, and joining them really only be lessened with one character’s skill. In retro style, and it’s
all together. addition to regular combat abilities, each character pretty amazing to
The striking visual style uses 2D sprites has Path abilities that can manipulate NPCs in hear the main battle
reminiscent of Final Fantasy VI, while the various ways, like challenging them to combat, tune done like a
backgrounds are rendered to look like a three- stealing from them, or leading them into battle. Romancing SaGa
dimensional version of a SNES game, using an Octopath Traveler makes a great first SFC game.
effect called HD-2D. Combined with some heavy impression, but that wears down as it goes along.
depth-of-field and colour filters, it stands out Each chapter focuses on a single character, and
from other nostalgic throwbacks on this factor while some of their stories are pretty good, the
alone. But it also pays homage in other ways, party members don’t really interact with one
particularly the over-sized human boss sprites in another. While the various plot threads eventually
battle, a curious artistic quirk of the era. The music converge, everything still feels so unconnected that
is all orchestrated, with live instruments, and is the narrative lacks emotional impact. And while the
consistently astounding. writing is pretty good, if a little overwrought, the
The battle system is similar to Bravely voice acting is shockingly poor. Progression also
Default’s, as can you store up Boost stocks that gets caught up in a repetitive cycle – run around
allow you to attack several times (up to four) in a the world, find a chapter, enter a town, perform
single turn. Each enemy has various weaknesses a task, then do the next one. Those familiar with
(weapon or elemental), and if you target these the multi-character, open-ended storytelling of the
repeatedly, you can Break them, stunning them SaGa games will likely feel at home, but anyone
and dropping their defences. So the ideal flow is to expecting the kind of stories found in a Final
store up stocks, Break an enemy, then unleash your Fantasy game may be disappointed.
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I am Setsuna
Developer: Square Enix/Tokyo RPG Factory | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PS4, NSW, WIN
Square Enix had long been cognisant of a certain

type of JRPG fan, who longed for the simpler days
of the 16-bit era. In order to cater to these gamers,
they created a subsidiary called Tokyo RPG
Factory. Its first game was the 2016 release I am
Setsuna. The protagonist is a mercenary named
Endir, sent to assassinate a girl named Setsuna.
He falters, as she seems to be defenceless, and
ends up getting captured. As it turns out, Setsuna
is about to begin a pilgrimage across the land,
which will end with her sacrificing her life to save
her village from monsters. She hires Emir as one
of her guards, and sets off. While the storytelling is cognisant of many Tokyo RPG Factory
The basic setup is rather similar to that of elements of 16-bit RPGs – the dialogue is short was pretty much
Final Fantasy X (though it’s more upfront about and straightforward, and the pacing reasonably set up to create
Setsuna’s fate) but in most other ways, the game quick – it lacks many of the small things that retro-style RPGs
takes direct inspiration from Chrono Trigger. made classic games so enamouring. Indeed, with a more
The overhead perspective and battle system despite basing its gameplay systems around modern sheen.
are almost identical, right down to using three Chrono Trigger, anyone expecting something However, it’s
characters in combat, the Active Time Battle with a similar tone will be greatly disappointed. arguable as to
system, and the inclusion of Double and Triple The characters are interesting, and the story has a how successful
Techs. Combat does have a little more depth, good twist or two, but everything just feels rather they’ve been.
as once a character is ready to act, you can have joyless, and it just needs something to make it feel
them charge up Momentum stars, which lets more alive. Additionally, Square also produced
them enhance other actions, like inflicting extra games like Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler,
damage when attacking. There’s also a system both paying tribute to their earlier days but with
whereby you can craft Spritnite crystals, which more compelling scenarios and more interesting
grant bonuses and allow the use of various spells mechanics, and both ending up as much superior
and abilities. games. If I am Setsuna had been released during
I am Setsuna takes place on a series of the 16-bit days, it would’ve been considered a
islands that seem stuck in a perpetual snowstorm, minor classic – it has a forlorn sense about it
giving it a very cold, wintry feel. The soundtrack that wasn’t commonly seen at the time – but in a
is played entirely on piano, which again gives the modern context, it’s just rather average.
adventure a very distinctive atmosphere. However, After I am Setsuna, Tokyo RPG Factory
in tying itself so strongly to this sole identity, the developed a few other throwback projects: Lost
game can’t offer much variation, as everything Sphear, which is very much the follow-up to I am
is just white towns and forests and mountains, Setsuna, and Oninaki, a slightly more ambitious
and the music tracks begin to blend together. action RPG.
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Lost Sphear
Developer: Square Enix/Tokyo RPG Factory | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): PS4, NSW
With its snowy setting and subdued piano music,

Tokyo RPG Factory’s first game, I am Setsuna,
was an exercise in restraint. Despite its tepid
reception, it wasn’t too long until Square Enix’s
offshoot studio had its second release ready. Lost
Sphear takes many concepts and elements from
I Am Setsuna but offers more of everything –
except restraint.
There are more characters, more different
biomes, and a lot more game mechanics. When
huge chunks of the world disappear into white
nothingness, it’s up to hero Kanata and his feature-creep in its secondary systems. There’s While sharing many
colourful crew to bring back all that is lost. The key crafting, there are mecha-suits, there’s food- commonalities with
is memories found all over the world. Sometimes related buffs; however, many of these mechanics I am Setsuna, this
it’s memory fragments won in battle, sometimes feel underused during the pleasantly brief follow-up is generally
it’s big, important memories found in important playtime of roughly 20 to 25 hours. an improvement,
places, guarded by big, nasty bosses. Just like I am Still, with a charming party, a nice premise if still not exactly
Setsuna, Lost Sphear borrows its basic combat only a JRPG could come up with and a fun battle anything special.
mechanics from Chrono Trigger, this time system, Lost Sphear is RPG comfort food through
infusing battles with a dash of Grandia. Fighting and through. It won’t be near the top on anybody’s
enemies, using the Momentum system, which best-RPG-ever list, but it’s a fun adventure that
grants you additional attacks and manoeuvres, sometimes really achieves what its developers
is certainly the best part of Lost Sphear. originally set out to do: capture the spirit of the
Elsewhere, the game gets bogged down by serious golden days of 16-bit adventures.
Oninaki
Developer: Square Enix/Tokyo RPG Factory | Released: 2019 | Platform(s): NSW, PS4, WIN
The third release from Tokyo RPG Factory saw
old-school Square veteran Takashi Tokita come
aboard as creative producer, and the result was a
more intimate piece that refreshingly broke from
its predecessors’ devotion to the 16-bit era.
Oninaki, a contraction of “Oni no Naku
Kuni” (“Country where Ogres Cry”), is an action
RPG set in a world that worships the cycle of
death and rebirth. Kagachi is a Watcher, a sort of
government-sanctioned exorcist detective, tasked
with solving cases in which the cycle finds itself
threatened. Each chapter focuses on a different in hack-and-slash and evasion, while others Oninaki shifts
case, in which Kagachi helps regretful spirits sever found later wield scythes for crowd control, twin gears, being more
their bonds with the mortal realm, or tracks down firearms for distance combat, and so on. Daemons of an action RPG,
a criminal seeking to subvert the cycle to their own are upgraded using materials awarded through and brings with it a
ends. Eventually, Kagachi finds himself on the trail combat, which unlock additional attacks as well as spark of excitement
of a supernatural killer targetting other Watchers. memories of each Daemon’s tragic past. missing from
To aid him in his duties, Kagachi is Oninaki’s solemn tone doesn’t always hit the the developer’s
accompanied by Daemons, the lingering spirits of mark; for every monologue extolling appreciation previous works.
legendary warriors. Daemons allow the Watchers of life’s fleeting nature, there’s a quest in which
to freely travel between the mortal and spirit you help euthanise a depressed person. Still, for all
realms, and also bestow the mystic weapons its flaws, Oninaki is Tokyo RPG Factory at its best,
capable of banishing corrupted spirits. Kagachi and proof that it can be more than its unfortunate
starts out with Aisha, a katana expert specialising studio name suggests.
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Omega Quintet
The world has been consumed by a mysterious,

fog-like phenomenon called the Blare, devastating
much of humanity. However, a small number of
girls are immune to its powers, and are chosen to
join an idol group known as the Verse Maidens.
Omega Quintet follows new member Otoha
and her male buddy (and manager) Takt as they
become acquainted with their new roles, and fight
back to save the Earth.
The game calls itself a “hybrid idol
simulation”, but that’s really overselling it. There’s
a mode where you can create your own dance which allow multiple Maidens to work together to While many
videos, but in essence it’s similar to most other use special skills. Compile Heart
Compile Heart games, so you take on missions, The battle system is uniquely complex and games borrow
roam through boring maps, and fight bad guys. pretty well designed; too bad everything around Neptunia’s
The battle system is the strongest aspect of the it is quite poor. The story and writing are awful, battle system,
game, marking it out as different from that in with each of the main characters following typical Omega Quintet
the Neptunia games. Enemies sit on several moe stereotypes, and the dialogue is almost tries something
different rows, with each of the Maidens’ (many) impressively tedious. The structure is dull, the different, and
attacks having different ranges. You can chain dungeons are boring, the music isn’t anything mostly does a good
different attacks together, though depending on special, despite the game’s idol theme, and the job with it. But
what you use, this can mean that the character’s “feature” whereby characters’ costumes are ripped everything else
next turn will be delayed. Under certain when taking damage is typical of the trashy stuff about it …
circumstances, you can also activate Harmonics, Compile Heart is known for.
Dark Rose Valkyrie

Dark Rose Valkyrie brought in artist Kosuke
Fujishima and writer Takumi Miyajima, both known
for the Tales series, though the game is actually
similar to Sakura Wars, another work Fujishima
is associated with. The world has been infected
by a virus that turns people into monsters called
Chimeras, and the protagonist, Asahi Shiramine,
joins a group called the Valkyries to fight them.
Since the virus tends to affect men more strongly,
most of your compatriots are women. In between
combat, you can chat and increase your trust bonds
with them. The story is typical anime harem stuff, Dark Rose Valkyrie
The game plays like Omega Quintet, as you though not necessarily bad. The virus causes split desperately wants
get missions from your base, then run around personalities, which makes for some unusual to be a Sakura
assorted dungeons to kill baddies or hunt for items. conversations. But there’s also a gimmick, à la Ace Wars game, even
The combat system is its biggest strength, similar Attorney – one of the characters (randomly chosen inventing an excuse,
to Grandia’s, in that the action flows in real-time, when you start) is a traitor, and you regularly need a virus, as to why
so you must coordinate your fighter’s attacks to to interrogate them and examine their dialogue your party members
perform combos, breaking an enemy’s guard to for inconsistencies. Your bonds determine how are largely female.
lower their defences, or knocking them back to many questions you can ask, though the specific
slow them down. It’s fun, though like other Compile questions are randomised. Successfully negotiating
Heart games, it’s very unbalanced. Plus this is not these is key to getting the best ending, but it all feels
enough to distract from the fact that the missions so haphazard. Despite some good ideas, nothing
are tedious romps around boring environments. about this game comes together.
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Dragon Star Varnir
In the world of Dragon Star Varnir, witches are

afflicted with a curse that forces them to become
vessels for the birth of dragons … or go mad. After
a dragon hunt goes wrong, Zephy, a witch-hunting
knight, is rescued by the witches Minessa and
Karikaro, who make him drink dragon blood in
order to save him. Unexpectedly, this transfusion
of blood turns Zephy into a witch, and he is forced
to leave his past life behind and join the witches.
In time, his perspective on life is challenged,
and it becomes his mission to assist the witches
in finding a way to break their curse, while also clock ticking with every step you take. Spend too Like Fairy Fencer F,
fighting the empire that he once belonged to. long grinding or exploring and you’ll need to hunt Dragon Star Varnir
The battle system features turn-based down the little sisters you once cared for. is another attempt
combat with three tiers of elevation; characters It remains to be seen whether Dragon Star by Compile Heart to
can move between these to avoid damage and use Varnir signifies a change in Compile Heart’s reach an audience
mêlée attacks. Players need to devour conquered future approach – while it still features plenty outside of their
dragons in order to power themselves up, and of cutesy, often scantily clad girls, it’s a darker hardcore moe stuff.
doing so will reward them with varied skill trees and bolder vision of JRPGs than their typical
that provide stat improvements and new abilities fare, with experimental ideas that may appeal to
to use. The story of the game is also influenced those sceptical of their usual output. The music is
by how the player manages the witches’ curse – decent, with contributions by Zizz Studio (which
you’ll need dragon meat to satiate the witches’ also worked on Dark Rose Valkyrie) along with the
little sisters and the dragons within them, the famed Motoi Sakuraba.
Lost Dimension
Developer: Lancarse | Released: 2014 | Platform(s): PS3, PSV, WIN
A substantial amount of the world has been
devastated, thanks to a mysterious terrorist called
The End, who inhabits a five-floor tower called the
Pillar. A group of young adult psychics, part of a
group called S.E.A.L.E.D., is sent in to stop him
before he can cause any more damage. However,
among the team’s eleven members, five are actually
traitors. The rub is that, outside of the first time
you play, the traitors are randomised thus they’re
different for every player.
Every time you ascend to a new layer of
the Pillar, one of your party members must be This is pretty cool idea, reminiscent of the Some of the 11
sacrificed, decided by a vote among your squad; Danganronpa games, in that there are a bunch characters that
obviously, the goal is to sacrifice one of the traitors. of mildly eccentric characters set up in a hostile form your squad
Sho, the protagonist, can use his precognition environment, but a little more interesting, since in Lost Dimension
abilities to suss out the suspicious thoughts that the narrative isn’t set in stone. However, the rest are interesting, and
will give away the traitor’s identity. But it’s not that of the game could use some work. The battles it’s a bummer when
easy, as you can’t just point your finger: you need are played out in gridless SRPG fashion, allowing one you like ends
friends on your side so they’ll vote your way. So characters to move around the field, but these up betraying you.
you need to build up your relationships by fighting sections are largely devoid of any actual strategy,
alongside them, so they’ll follow your lead. Once since the stages are so dull. Friendly characters
you reach the last boss fight, the traitors will will join your attacks, so it’s easy to overwhelm the
reveal themselves (if there are any left) before the foes. The setup is great, but the overall plot just
climactic encounters. never reaches its potential.
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Action
RPGs
When computer RPGs first came about, they could The balance between “action” and “RPG” is
be divided into “turn-based”, in which your heroes often a difficult one. One of the main draws of RPGs
attacked following your selection of commands is that, theoretically, anyone can play them, and
from a menu, or “action-based”, in which you any challenges can be overcome either by growing
directly controlled your character and could walk stronger or by figuring out a new strategy. On
up to your foes to do combat. Of course, in the old the other hand, action games are primarily about
days, this generally just amounted to pushing your reflexes, pattern recognition, and other skills that
hero up against an enemy and letting math dictate more typically apply to arcade games. Assorted
how much damage was done, as seen in games like games try to blend these elements with varying
Dragon Slayer and Xanadu. As the games became levels of success. Secret of Mana, for example, gives
more advanced, they began to provide more each attack a cool-down, so you need to wait a few
control over the characters, so defeating an enemy seconds between attacks, giving it sort of a turn-
required some level of skill, beyond just your stats. based feeling even though everything else works in
One of the earliest, or at least most popular, of this real-time. The aforementioned Ys series basically
style was the Hydlide series, which was still fairly has experience gates, where you need to be at a
basic; there were also the Ys games, which were certain level or have specific equipment, or else
slightly more advanced, but still mostly revolved you’ll be slaughtered by the enemies, regardless of
around slamming characters into one another. your action gaming skills.
Both of these series were discussed earlier, This style of 2D RPG started to disappear
in the “Early PC JRPGs” section, so for this action in the 32-bit era, not only as games transitioned
subsection, we’re starting off with The Legend to 3D, but as games from other genres began to
of Zelda for the original NES. There’s still a lot of weave RPG elements into themselves, like currency
debate as to whether Zelda constitutes an RPG, and or growth systems. Most of the results can’t really
we’ll certainly get to that, but there’s no doubt that be called RPGs, although as usual, there’s a fine
it’s the ancestor of many, many action RPGs that line. We’ve included Kingdom Hearts, which was
appeared on 8- and 16-bit console platforms. Some basically descended from the Mana series, which
of these are pretty blatant Zelda clones, but others definitely qualifies it, but we’re also including some
add traditional RPG elements, like experience borderline cases, like the Nier duology, as well as
points and larger amounts of equipment, so that the expansive Yakuza series, which incorporates
they’d definitely qualify. Most of these games use many JRPG elements. There’s also a look at the
an overhead perspective, again like Zelda, but SoulsBorne games – that is, the series of games
some use a side-scrolling perspective. Sometimes by FromSoftware that includes Demon’s Souls,
the “Metroidvania” moniker is fitting, too, so we’ll Dark Souls, and Bloodborne, which also inspired
be looking at some of the Castlevania and Wonder a whole bunch of other similar games; we also look
Boy titles. Some of the more popular 16-bit games at their predecessors, like King’s Field. We’ve also
came from Quintet, itself a company created by included some ’80s and ’90s arcade games that
former Falcom members. borrowed various RPG mechanics or aesthetics.
FromSoftware’s
SoulsBorne series,
including Dark Souls
and Bloodborne,
remains one of the
most internationally
recognised action RPGs
on the market today.
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The Legend of Zelda (series)
Developer: Nintendo | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): NES, SNES, GB, N64, GC, GBA, WII, NSW and more
For years, the video game community has posed

the question: “Is the Zelda series a JRPG?” The
consensus is that it isn’t, falling under a more
nebulous “action-adventure” designation, but if
you read contemporaneous Japanese role-playing
game catalogues, it’s there, along with Ultima,
Mugen no Shinzou, and Dragon Slayer. So in
actuality, it appears that the definition of an RPG
has shifted over the years to the point where Zelda
no longer qualifies.
The original The Legend of Zelda was
released for the Famicom Disk System in 1986. At
the time, there was no way to save progress onto a
cartridge, requiring the use of tedious passwords. screen, and there are arrows and bombs that act The box for the
But disks could save your game, which was the as secondary attacks. It is a little clumsy, owing original NES The
big selling point of the system. (Of course, for the to the four-way directional movement, but it’s a Legend of Zelda is
international release the next year, technology had huge improvement over other games of the time. iconic, including the
caught up: battery-backed RAM allowed saves on As a result, combat is more focused on your skill opening that shows
cartridges, so the point became moot.) than statistics. And without the need for statistics, the golden cartridge
In the game, you control elf-like hero Link, these are largely (though not completely) dropped. held within.
as he explores the world of Hyrule to save the Enemies drop currency called Rupees, which can
Princess Zelda from the evil Ganon. The overworld be used to purchase items. There are no towns, but
is divided into a 16 × 8 grid, and consists of nine hermits found in caves and dungeons will either
dungeons to conquer. These dungeons often have sell you things or give (poorly translated) hints.
simple puzzles that block off a room, unless you Most of the subsequent Zelda games
accomplish a specific task (kill all of the enemies, were direct evolutions of this concept. Link’s
push a block, etc.) Within these dungeons are Awakening for the Game Boy and Link to the Past
extra pieces of equipment that will help you for the SNES included more elaborate storytelling,
navigate other parts of the land, like a raft to cross as well as towns with more comprehensible NPCs,
certain parts of the water, or a whistle to warp and the structure became more linear, requiring
around the map. that you explored dungeons in a specific order, but
In computer RPGs like Dragon Slayer or most of the series hewed closely to this template.
Hydlide, you would bump into an enemy to fight Over the years, “role-playing” elements began
them, with damage determined by both characters’ to mean that you had a character who could
stats, alongside some randomness. In Zelda, there’s be upgraded over the course of the game. The
an actual button used to swing Link’s sword. There Legend of Zelda still has all of these elements, but
isn’t really a magic system, but if Link is at full they’re largely abstracted – there’s no numerical
health, he’ll shoot a sword projectile across the HP, but health is represented visually by hearts.
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There are weapons, shields, and defence playing elements, even in the modern definition. Zelda II was a huge
enhancements, but they are sparse. There is Since it is so different, it’s not popular with series shift in gameplay, but
no experience-based levelling system, so Link fans, but as an 8-bit action RPG, it’s excellent. on its own merits,
grows more powerful by finding equipment Combat is challenging but rewarding, and while it is a fantastic, albeit
via exploration or puzzle solving rather than is difficult, it’s not really much harder than many difficult, game. The
through combat. Games throughout the ’90s, other games of the era, and it’s less obscure than Japanese artwork is
including those inspired by Zelda, added a much games like Castlevania II or Legacy of the Wizard. less distinguished
larger variety of combat equipment, or more After the Nintendo 64 era, most Zelda games than its overseas
elaborate magic systems, or experience systems, patterned themselves after A Link to the Past or counterpart, but
while the Zelda games, for the most part, didn’t. Ocarina of Time. However, with the 2017 release more indicative of the
And while Zelda stories started to become Breath of the Wild, Nintendo finally decided main character, Link.
more complex, with Ocarina of Time for the to drastically rework the formula, taking more
Nintendo 64, they still weren’t quite as involved inspiration from open-world games like The Elder
as games like Final Fantasy, or even Dragon Scrolls. The template changes so that Link can
Quest. So again, the popular understanding of approach the game’s main tasks in almost any
what “RPG” meant evolved, but Zelda didn’t order. Large dungeons were replaced with smaller
evolve with it. And such RPG elements as did shrines, which consisted of optional challenges,
exist were so simplified as to no longer qualify. allowing you to increase either your health or your
The exception here is Zelda II: The Adventure stamina (your running and climbing abilities).
of Link for the NES, a massive departure from The equipment system is far more complex, as
the original game. It was obviously influenced almost every weapon or piece of armour will break
by Dragon Quest, including a similar-looking after use, requiring constant recycling of things
overworld, which is combat-free, used solely for dropped by enemies. There’s also an elaborate
travel. Whenever you enter towns, caves, or castles, crafting system, allowing you to create items that
or encounter a foe on the overworld map, the game will temporarily boost your abilities or allow you to While consistently
switches to a side-scrolling perspective for the survive in harsh weather. Though the story is still successful, the
action. Unlike the original game, Zelda II has towns, sparse, compared to more cinematic games, and Zelda formula was
as well as an experience system, so you can upgrade there still aren’t numerical stats, there’s no doubt getting a bit long
your health, magic, or attack power. Armour and that this added complexity puts the game more in the tooth as the
sword upgrades are not present, but there is a firmly into the “role-playing” category. years went on, so
relatively wide assortment of magic spells. The But, ultimately, it comes down to marketing. the reinvention with
dungeons, now represented as castles, are gigantic Nintendo itself is inconsistent about what to the Wii U/Switch
mazes focused on combat and exploration – unlike call the game, but it seems that from their release Breath of the
the original, there is no in-game map – rather than perspective, RPGs are for RPG fans, but Zelda Wild was met with
puzzle-solving. All of these are still considered role- games are for everyone. widespread applause.
431
Final Fantasy Adventure
Developer: Square | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): GB, GBA, MOB, PSV
Directed by Koichi Ishii, Final Fantasy Adventure

was the first of many spinoffs from Square’s RPG
series. Known as Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy
Gaiden (“Holy Sword Legend”) in Japan and Final
Fantasy: Mystic Quest in Europe (no relationship
to the SNES game of the same name), it re-imagines
the series to create an action RPG similar to the
original Legend of Zelda. The hero must fight
against the evil Dark Lord, who seeks to control
the energy of the Mana Tree. The hero meets a girl,
who has a mysterious pendant that proves her to
be descended from the guardians of the Mana Tree,
and is constantly hunted by the Dark Lord’s forces.
The visual style is very much like the 8-bit
Final Fantasy games, though it introduces many
elements expanded in later Seiken Densetsu
games. While the player directly controls the hero, of Mana, mechanics from the later SNES games, The origin of the
computer-controlled companions (including the and completely redesigned maps. The basic story Mana series is
heroine) are usually present too, and provide him is similar, but has been expanded; the additional actually this Final
with aid. (They are also, thankfully, invincible.) dialogue makes the game richer, but also drags the Fantasy action
The hero can wield various weapons, like swords, pacing down significantly. It also suffers from some spinoff, initially
axes, spears, and sickles, and he can choose to of the same issues as the later Mana games, like released for the
increase certain stats when levelling up. There’s clumsy combat. The companions are playable now, Game Boy.
also a power bar that increases automatically, but when they’re CPU-controlled, their AI is terrible,
allowing you to execute stronger attacks when plus they are vulnerable to damage now. There’s
fully charged. Enemies like the cutesy Rabites also a class system for developing your characters.
and Mushbooms make their first appearances, It’s not a bad remake but while the additions make
as do the strangely joyful dancing shopkeepers. things prettier, they don’t really make them better.
The soundtrack, provided by Kenji Ito, is also one The other two remakes are more faithful – a
of the best on the Game Boy, with particularly Japan-only mobile release, which uses colourful
striking main and overworld themes. It may be sprite-based visuals, and a smartphone/Vita
a little simple, especially compared to the later release with 3D visuals, which was released
Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, but for an internationally as Adventures of Mana. These
8-bit action RPG it’s remarkably solid. keep the story, gameplay and even map designs of
There are no less than three remakes of this the GB original, but with upgraded graphics. The
game. The first is Sword of Mana for the Game Boy 3D remake is obviously a little cheap-looking, but
Advance, which is a complete overhaul featuring the spectacular arrangements in the soundtrack
character designs in the vein of the PS1 Legend almost make up for that.
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Secret of Mana
Developer: Square | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SNES, PS4, PSV
The sequel to Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of

Mana begins when a boy named Randi discovers
a innocuous-looking sword stuck in a rock; little
does he know that it is the legendary Mana Sword,
which saved the world in centuries past. His village
believes this to be a bad omen, and they exile him.
During his adventures, he learns of the sorcerer
Thanatos, who seeks to resurrect the Mana
Fortress of the previous calamity and use its power
to take over the world. He wields the Sword that
can fight against him, though it’s in rough shape,
so he needs to visit the eight temples across the
land to recharge it.
Much has changed with the shift from the humourously, early on, rapid transit in the The combat is
Game Boy to the SNES, though some elements overworld involves getting shot through the air pretty clumsy, but
can be seen in evolved form. There are now a total from a cannon, though later you can summon a the gorgeous (and
of eight weapons you can wield, each of which dragon named Flammie, and fly, instead. often comical) world,
grows in skill level as you use it, plus there are Alas, the combat is the biggest point of fantastic music, and
several elemental spirits that act as magic spells. contention. The need to charge up for every multiplayer action
Randy meets two companions, a girl named single swing gives the action a very stop-and- turn this follow-up
Primm and a sprite named Popoi, and they take go feeling, not to mention the iffy hit detection. into a classic.
a much more active role in combat than did The AI characters are often dumb, getting stuck
earlier game companions. In single player mode, in obstacles or needing constant healing. Magic
they are directed by AI (which can be fine-tuned), attacks are also unavoidable, so your only recourse
but they can also be controlled by other players. when fighting bosses is just to bring lots of
There’s still a power bar, which takes about two or restoratives. It’s really unrefined compared to later
three seconds to recharge; however, it needs to be SNES RPGs, though the fact that it’s one of the few
at 100% when use a weapon, or else you will do RPGs that supports multiplayer action led many to
almost no damage. You can also hold down the forgive its faults.
button longer, for even more powerful attacks. A 2017 remake plays faithfully, for better or
It also develops a more distinct identity, worse. It redoes everything in 3D – the art style
separating it from the Final Fantasy games. This is translated well but it can’t help but feel a little
a gorgeous game, filled with colourful characters, low-budget. It expands the dialogue and adds
each given personality through unique animations. voices, which are alright; it also adds an arranged
And the soundtrack by Hiroki Kikuta is outstanding soundtrack, which is incredibly inconsistent,
throughout. New elements introduced into the though the original music is available. It’s not
Mana series include a cat merchant named Neko, bad, but since the SNES version is readily available,
who will also helpfully save your game. And rather it feels redundant.
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Trials of Mana
Developer: Square | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, NSW, PS4, WIN
The basic story of Trials of Mana (known in Japan

as Seiken Densetsu 3 and sometimes referred to
by the fan-given nickname “Secret of Mana 2”)
is pretty typical RPG stuff – you control a party
of adventurers that journeys through the world,
visiting magical mana stones to unleash the
elemental spirits within, finding the legendary
Mana Sword, and using it to protect the all-
powerful Mana Tree from evil. But it’s the way
that it’s told that makes it unique. Square was big
on anthology stories at the time, as noted in the
Romancing SaGa games as well as Live-A-Live,
which features multiple playable characters. Here,
you pick a main character from the six offered, is associated with one of the elemental spirits, Of all of Square’s
and then choose two companions. The prologue strengthening that class of magic. 16-bit titles, this
focuses on the chosen protagonist, who meets Aesthetically, everything about this game – and Final Fantasy
up with the others not too far into the adventure. released in the later SNES period – shows Square V were the ones
While much of the game is similar regardless of was on top form. The sprite visuals are gorgeous most demanded by
your chosen hero, it does also branch off to focus – similar in style to Secret of Mana’s but more English speaking
on various subplots, meaning you need to play detailed, and both the landscapes and boss designs fans, relying on a
it through at least three times to really get the are incredible. Hiroki Kikuta composed another fan translation for
most out of the story. Angela is a magic-wielding masterful score, that’s more complex but just as over 20 years until
princess, while Duran is an orphaned mercenary; listenable. Fixing pretty much every issue with a localisation finally
Hawkeye is a thief, while Riesz is a spear-wielding its predecessor, plus offering a huge, replayable happened in 2019.
Amazon; Kevin is basically a werewolf prince, while adventure, resulted in one of the best action RPGs
Charlotte is a young half-elf. After a point, the hunt on the Super Famicom.
for the spirits can also be done in almost any order, Alas, the game was not initially released in
so there’s a lot of flexibility in how to approach it. English. It finally received an official localisation
Combat has been refined so that your in 2019 as part of the Collection of Mana for
characters automatically run around when the Switch, plus a full remake in 2020. This was
exploring, but stop to draw their weapons when a much more drastic overhaul than was given to
encountering enemies. When drawn, they move a the 3D versions of either previous Mana game.
little slower, but the power meter from Secret of The action is much more solid, playing similarly
Mana has gone. It still feels a little choppy, but the to that in the modern Ys games, and the addition
ally AI is much better, at least. Upon levelling up, of maps and waypoints helps when exploring the
you can choose to improve specific stats, as well otherwise somewhat confusing areas. The biggest
as evolve characters into various classes. There’s downsides are the lack of multiplayer support, and
also a day-night cycle, plus each day of the week the surprisingly poor voice acting.
434
Legend of Mana
The fourth Mana game was a spinoff, as it was a

joint venture, bringing the SaGa team in to work
on the Mana franchise. As a result, it’s a unique
title that has many qualities typical of SaGa series
producer Akitoshi Kawazu. The player can choose
between male and female characters, and then
which type of weapon they use, though they are a
complete blank slate when it comes to personality.
Your initial goal is vague: restoration of the
Mana Tree. The game uses a unique Land Make
system, in which you collect artefacts and place
them on the map, which then turns them into
locations – towns and dungeons – that you can
visit. Where you place them on the map can have Visually, everything is pure delight. The The reason this
subtle effects, like changing the strength of the sprites are similar to Trials of Mana’s but more is considered a
monsters within. As you explore these areas, you’ll detailed, while each background is individually spinoff is that it’s
uncover various quests (68 in total, with three hand-painted. At a time when Square was focused basically Mana +
main plot threads), which usually involve either on either polygon-based 3D or computer-rendered SaGa, a unique
exploring or beating up some enemies somewhere. backgrounds, it stands out as one of the best- combination
Many of them are also character-focused and looking RPGs of its era. It’s also populated with that the Western
feature a partner, who will join you in combat. an eccentric cast of characters, including many audience couldn’t
There’s quite a lot of stuff you can do in your home anthropomorphic ones, like the shameless quite parse at
too: you can forge weapons, raise pets or create bunny merchant Niccolo and the temperamental the time.
golems (who can join in during combat), and make detective Boyd, as well as oddball groups
musical instruments for magical use. like the naive Dudbears and the goofy Pirate
Battles are a little slower than in Trials of Penguins. Everything from the lushly illustrated
Mana, and they feel a little strange, since you can art to the idiosyncratic storytelling gives it a
only attack horizontally. You cannot run from quaint, storybook charm. The music from Yoko
encounters either, but you are completely healed Shimomura is always on point, ranging from the
after each battle, and can even regenerate health by folksy Swedish-language vocal song, through the
standing still mid-fight. Various magic and special peaceful town themes, to the rocking boss tracks.
moves can be mapped to the shoulder buttons, Players looking for a story-based experience
too. Altogether, it feels a little clumsy, though that like the previous Mana games will probably be
is typical of many Mana titles. Multiplayer mode disappointed, as the narrative is very disjointed
is unusual in that the second player must either and directionless, and it has more subsystems
control the selected partner (if available) or import than it really needs. But those who can adjust to its
their own character from a memory card, so there’s foibles will likely become enamoured with Legend
no easy way for a buddy to jump in or out. of Mana’s strange and wonderful world.
435
Children of Mana
Developer: Square/Nex Entertainment | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): DS
Children of Mana is another spinoff, focused

entirely on dungeon crawling, and developed by Nex
Entertainment (Crusader of Centy, Shining Soul).
You control a group of four orphans, who must
solve the mystery of what happened to their parents.
It’s a fairly constrictive game – there’s no
overworld, just a single town (with only a few
screens) and a map screen that lets you choose
your destination. Once you’ve embarked on a
stage, you need to complete a certain number of
levels before you reach the boss and complete the
level. Each stage can also be revisited by tackling
any one of numerous sub-quests, usually with a
slightly different layout (there are no randomly- want to change it, which drastically reduces its The focus of this
generated stages). Simply finding the exit to a stage usefulness. Want to be able to use healing magic spinoff is on
isn’t nearly enough – you need to find the gem that AND fire magic? Too bad, you’re out of luck. dungeon crawling,
unlocks the portal to the next level. Sometimes There are several elements that will seem so it may be a bit of
they’re easy to find. Most of the time it involves familiar to Mana fans. You ride a dragon named a disappointment for
whaling on all of the bad guys in the area until it Flammie, there are merchants that looks like cats, fans, but at least the
pops up. Since there’s very little in the way of actual and there’s a guy with a huge turban. You still wield combat is fun.
exploration, the vast majority of Children of Mana multiple weapons, you still engulf candy to gain
is focused on item gathering and level gaining. HP, and several familiar bad guys, such as Rabites,
Thankfully, fighting bad guys is pretty fun. make their appearance. There’s the ever-important
You can equip two weapons at once (out of four and permanently threatened Mana Tree, and lots
total, including swords, flails, bows, and hammers), of summonable spirits to help you out. You can
with each having two kinds of attacks. Smashing even play local multiplayer with up to three other
an enemy into a wall will cause him to bounce people, although there’s a suspicious lack of AI
around and slam into other enemies … or your own controlled partners.
character, if you’re not careful, although at least While the graphics are repetitive, as is
that doesn’t drain any HP. natural to this kind of game, they’re pretty
There are four different characters to play as, well done, especially the gorgeously painted
and you simply pick one in the beginning and play town scenes. But the real standout is the
as them through the entire game. The characters’ soundtrack, which maintains the same musical
storylines vary only slightly, but they each have excellence Square has been known for since the
different combat and magic abilities. Unfortunately, 16-bit era. With a fairly thin storyline and no
the magic skills are pretty lame, considering you world-spanning adventure, it’s not a patch on the
can only take one Spirit (read as: set of spells) into main games, but as a simple hack-and-slasher, it’s
a dungeon. You need to head back to town if you fun enough.
436
Dawn of Mana
Dawn of Mana focuses on two main characters

– Ritzia, a girl who takes care of the Mana Tree,
and Keldric, her guardian knight, who the player
controls. The two must protect the Tree from the
invasion of the nefarious King Stroud. The story
is pretty typical, though it does have some minor
references to other Mana games.
Dawn of Mana was part of a bigger project
called World of Mana, which included the DS
action RPG Children of Mana, the real-time
strategy game (and prequel to Trials of Mana),
Heroes of Mana, and an online Japan-only RPG,
Friends of Mana. This game was the primary
release for the series, being the only title to come some unique ways. The big gimmick is the MONO The previous
out on a console, plus in Japan it was given the (“thing” in Japanese) system, which refers to the Mana spinoffs felt
name Seiken Densetsu 4, officially making it part Havok-based physics engine. There are many items off but were still
of the mainline series. – boulders and such, mostly – that you can knock pretty fun; this game
However, it’s really unclear why Square around and into enemies, which will cause them to may be known as
decided to grant it that title – probably just for panic. Killing them while they’re panicked is easier, Seiken Densetsu 4 in
marketing reasons – because outside of some plus they’ll give out extra stat-enhancing items. Japan, but its quality
story references, it has little in common with its You’ve heavily incentivised to take advantage of doesn’t match the
predecessors. In fact, there are so many changes this, but ultimately, it’s just not much fun trying level seen in the
here that it can only barely be called an RPG. There’s to push stuff around – in fact, much of the game previous games.
no overworld or any real exploration elements, and feels like a proof-of-concept demo that somehow
progress is entirely stage-based. Though Keldric skipped the intervening stages and became a
can obtain items to increase his stats, they only completed product. Additionally, the combat
affect the given stage and reset when you enter a suffers from other issues, ranging from a dodgy
new one. While you can wield three main weapons camera to slow character movement.
– the sword, a slingshot, and a whip – plus there’s The visuals are pleasant enough, but the
a fairy that can cast magic, there’s nothing in environments are repetitive, and there’s not
the way of equipment either. Ritzia accompanies much beyond seemingly large expanses filled
Keldric at times, but she doesn’t really fight, and with enemies. The soundtrack is supplied by an
there’s no multiplayer support at all. All of the cool assortment of composers, including Kenji Ito, who
player characters, class upgrades, and branching did the music for the first game, as well as Tsuyoshi
paths of the previous game are just missing, and Sekito (Brave Fencer Musashi) and Ryuichi
it’s a tremendous disappointment. Sakamoto (Yellow Magic Orchestra) for the main
The game is the first in the series to be theme. It’s outstanding, so it’s unfortunate that it
fully 3D, though the combat system is clumsy in wasn’t attached to a better game.
437
Kingdom Hearts (series)
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PS4, XB1, PSP, DS, 3DS
What began as a literal elevator pitch from a

Square executive to a Disney employee has since
turned into one of the most popular role-playing
titles the company ever produced: Kingdom
Hearts. The long-running saga of the Keyblade
wielder Sora and his travels throughout the
various lands of Disney lore to vanquish evil has
captured the hearts of generations of players since
the inaugural title debuted in 2002.
The game concept was conceived by Shinji
Hashimoto (who had just finished producing Final
Fantasy VIII and IX) and Hironobu Sakaguchi without having to pause the game. Famous The original
(the creator of Final Fantasy), who had the idea Disney characters also appear as Summons, concept of Kingdom
of featuring Disney characters in a game. Not like Simba, from The Lion King and the Genie Hearts was so
long thereafter, Hashimoto ran into with a Disney from Aladdin, who can be called into combat straightforward –
executive in the elevator – Square and Disney both when certain conditions are met. The numbered Disney characters
had offices in the same building. After gaining entries in the series also feature shoot-’em- mashed into a Square
Disney’s approval for such a project, Square began up style gameplay during the “Gummi Ship” RPG – until the
work in earnest on the inaugural title, development segments, when Sora and company are moving storytelling got wildly
beginning in February 2000 with Tetsuya Nomura between worlds. overcomplicated.
(who at that point was best known for his character The storyline for the first game is fairly
design work on Final Fantasy VII) heading the straightforward, as you just hop from world to
project. The game’s music was handled by Yoko world, meeting up with familiar heroes and foiling
Shimomura, and – in spite of her prolific career, familiar villains. These scenarios take place in the
including Street Fighter II, Super Mario RPG, middle of the film’s stories (e.g. in the case of The
Parasite Eve, and numerous others – Kingdom Little Mermaid, you visit Ariel before she makes
Hearts has become her signature franchise. her deal with Ursula), which gives everything a
The key concept in Kingdom Hearts is that sort of fan-fiction feel. However, in subsequent
all of the Disney films and franchises inhabit their entries, the overarching story becomes much
own worlds, which you then travel between. In more complicated. It doesn’t that help that, in the
terms of gameplay, most of the titles are action nearly 15-year gap between the second and third
RPGs, with a hack-and-slash style of combat games, there were numerous spinoff games with
at the forefront. Typically the player controls seemingly nonsensical titles, all of which were
the main protagonist, who’s joined by other required in order to understand just what the heck
characters governed by the computer. While was going on. The result is that Kingdom Hearts
the hero is controlled with the analogue stick, reputedly has the most inscrutable plot of any
you can use the control pad to cycle through an Japanese RPG – and given how wild these games
on-screen menu, so you can use magic or items can be, that’s really saying something.
438
The first Kingdom Hearts title was released in having pledged himself to serve Maleficent. Sora is The screenshots
2002 for the PlayStation 2. The story follows Sora, able to defeat Riku and Maleficent and restore Kairi’s pictured here are
a young boy who lives on the Destiny Islands with heart, only to learn that a powerful figure known from Kingdom
his friends Kairi and Riku. The trio longs to leave as Ansem has been pulling the strings all along. Hearts 1.5 for the
the islands and explore new worlds together, but Despite the odd premise of blending Final PlayStation 4, which
before they get the chance, the islands are attacked Fantasy with Disney properties, the initial has revamped HD
by creatures known as the Heartless. Kairi and Kingdom Hearts was a massive success. Square’s visuals, though it’s
Riku both disappear in the attack, and Sora wakes visual artists have always been some of the best still a PS2 game at
up in a place called Traverse Town. There, he meets in the business, and it’s one fantastic-looking heart, with all of
Donald and Goofy, who have been sent by King game in both its anime-styled original characters the technical and
Mickey to find the Key to fighting the oncoming and the animation of the Disney characters. design constraints
evil. As Sora is the person chosen to wield the It actually does successfully weave together that entails.
powerful weapon known as the Keyblade, Donald the more serious elements of Square’s big RPG
and Goofy follow him as he searches for Kairi and franchise with Disney’s trademark whimsy.
Riku, with the Disney duo hoping to track down The voice acting is also excellent, as most of the
Mickey himself. Also playing an important role is actors from the films return to reprise their roles
Yen Sid, the long-bearded wizard who made his (with a few substitutes, like Dan Castellaneta filling
debut in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice. in for Robin Williams as the Genie). Probably the
While the biggest emphasis is placed on most unusual one is NSYNC member Lance Bass
Disney characters, there are also assorted Final as the voice of Sephiroth, who appears as one
Fantasy cast members who pop in and help the of the super-powerful bosses in the Coliseum.
plot move along. Tidus, Selphie, and Wakka appear Mega J-Pop star Hikaru Utada was also tapped
as kids on Destiny Islands, while Aeris, Yuffie, to provide the vocal theme songs, including both
and Squall (now older and going by the name English and Japanese versions.
Leon) appear in Traverse Town. Cid from Final The biggest sticking point, though, is the
Fantasy VII also appears as a shopkeeper, and will battle system, with an often-wonky camera and
help tune up your Gummi Ship. While nice fan a frustrating difficulty curve that often spikes
service, their appearances often feel arbitrary, as severely during boss battles. The environment
if their dialogue could’ve been given to any other design is also pretty bad. Many areas are confusing
character and it wouldn’t have made a difference. It to navigate, and directions are often vague,
is the first time you hear voiced dialogue for many requiring that you run around the same locations
of these characters though. Other Final Fantasy until you figure out what trigger you’re supposed
conventions are used, particularly spell and item to hit. The lack of an in-game map makes things
names. The currency, however, is Munny, spelled even more difficult.
like “hunny” from Winnie the Pooh. The game was re-released in Japan in
Travelling through the worlds of Alice in December 2002 as the Final Mix edition, which
Wonderland, Tarzan, Aladdin, Hercules, The included some new, optional bosses that had
Nightmare Before Christmas, and more, Sora and been added in for the first international edition, as
pals eventually find their way into Hollow Bastion, well as a fight against the “Unknown Man,” which
where Maleficent resides. There, Sora finds both foreshadowed the events of the planned sequel.
Kairi and Riku – Kairi in a comatose state, and Riku The game would be remastered in HD as part of
To the left, Sora and

pals enter the worlds
of Tarzan and The
Little Mermaid.
Above, they hang
out with Yuffie,
Squall, and Aerith
from assorted Final
Fantasy games.
439
Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD Remix in 2013, which also in an attempt to make them more enjoyable for the Kingdom Hearts II
marked the first international release of the Final player. The adjustments made them more like a rail ramps up the plot
Mix edition. shooter than a shoot-’em-up, and once the route to complexity, adding
Kingdom Hearts II was released just a few a world is opened, it’s not necessary to do the travel in a new protagonist
years later, in 2005, on the PlayStation 2. While portion again. The combat and camera have also named Roxas, and
the first game focused on the power of the seen improvements, and there is now, thankfully, also sending Sora,
Heartless, this sequel introduces the concept of the an on-screen minimap. Donald, and Goofy
Nobodies. When a strong-hearted person becomes Kingdom Hearts II is a step up in most ways. to unusual worlds
a Heartless, they also leave behind a Nobody – the The only real sour note is the prologue in which based on Tron and
“empty shell,” so to speak, after the presumed you play as Roxas: it drags on for hours, and there’s The Pirates of the
main part of their personality becomes a Heartless. no need for it to be so protracted. The escalating Caribbean.
Kingdom Hearts II features numerous Nobodies complexity of the plot is also a point of contention,
as part of the plot; the main group of antagonists, especially considering the first game was a (mostly)
Organization XIII, consists entirely of them. self-contained goofy crossover game.
Picking up roughly a year after the events of It, like the first game, received a Final Mix
Kingdom Hearts, the game begins with the player edition, exclusive to Japan, in March 2007, which
in control of a new character, Roxas. It’s not initially included a new secret movie to unlock, additional
clear who Roxas is, except that he has some kind battles, and more. It also included a PS2 remake
of connection with Sora. When Roxas wakes up of Chain of Memories. This edition wouldn’t
Sora in Twilight Town, he meets Mickey and Yen see release outside of Japan until the 2014 HD
Sid, who task him with uncovering Organization remaster, Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix.
XIII’s plans. The story continued and expanded through
Sora once again travels to different Disney- a handful of other titles across various platforms,
inspired worlds, some old, many new – including which fleshed out the plot and set the stage
Mulan, The Pirates of the Caribbean, Tron, and for the final confrontation with Xehanort and
even the classic Steamboat Willie short – where he Organization XIII. Many of these recycle music or
must contend with the Organization, the Heartless, locations from previous games, so they don’t always
and Disney villains. The party also learns that the feel new, even if the plot elements are essential to
“Ansem” they fought at the end of the first game understanding the overall story.
was an imposter, and was really named Xehanort; Chain of Memories was the first of these,
the Organization’s leader, Xemnas, is Xehanort’s arriving in 2004 for the Game Boy Advance before
Nobody, and plans on summoning Kingdom later being ported to the PlayStation 2 as part of
Hearts to capture its power. the Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and released
Kingdom Hearts II features roughly the same separately as RE: Chain of Memories in North
gameplay style as the original, with some added America. The novelty of the Game Boy Advance
elements. These included the Drive Gauge, which version is that it’s the only 2D entry in the series,
can be used to transform Sora into a special Drive and it’s interesting to see the characters rendered
Form that boosts certain combat abilities and as sprites. From a storyline standpoint, this is an
allows him to wield two Keyblades at the same interpolation, taking place between the events
time. The Gummi Ship portions were also reworked of the first and second numbered titles, and
in response to criticism from the first game, served to introduce many elements that would
440
Chain of Memories
for the GBA has
been remade for the
PlayStation 2 (and
ported elsewhere),
though the original
version has some
decent sprite visuals.
be later expanded upon in Kingdom Hearts II primarily focuses on puzzle-solving, with some
– in particular, Organization XIII. action RPG elements built in. The story is focused
In the game, Sora continues down the road on Jiminy Cricket’s record of Sora’s journeys;
on which we left him, Donald, and Goofy at the there’s a line he does not recall writing, “Their
end of the first title, and eventually they stumble hurting will be mended when you return to end
upon Castle Oblivion. There, they are shocked to it,” bothers him, leading King Mickey to digitise
learn that entering the castle has cost them their the entire journal, at which point they discover
battle memories; they also meet a hooded figure that it’s been corrupted. The journal’s contents are
who explains to them that if they travel deeper into then explored by virtual versions of Sora and Riku,
the castle, they will continue to lose memories, who try to purify them. The game was originally
but will gain new ones. Sora begins to remember a intended to exist outside of the Kingdom Hearts
girl named Namine, an old friend of his, who, he is chronology, but in the end its final chapters were
told, is being held prisoner in the castle. During his reworked into the next few games. Nomura had
explorations he faces off against several members designed the game with mobile platforms in mind,
of the Organization, as well as a replica of Riku. wanting to create a spinoff that played differently.
The “Reverse/Rebirth” portion of the game stars The end result was generally referred to as
Riku, who must fight his way up through the “skip-worthy”, with frustrating controls and a
castle from its basement after being transported confusing story.
out of the realm of darkness. Riku must not only Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days was released on
battle the Organization, but has to deal with the the Nintendo DS in 2009. Focusing on the story
lingering darkness within him after the events of of Roxas and his time spent in the Organization
the first game. before reuniting with Sora, it sees Roxas inducted
Chain of Memories is well known for its into the Organization as its 13th member, and he
polarising card-based battle system, with all forms fast friendships with Axel and Xion, two
attacks, items and magic being limited to what Sora other Nobodies. As they continue to bond, Roxas
happens to have in his deck at the time. Combining and Xion both experience odd visions of Sora and
cards can create powerful combo attacks. Sora is begin to question the nature of their existence.
allowed to customise his deck throughout his KH: 358/2 Days was developed by the studio
story, while Riku’s deck is locked. The game was h.a.n.d., with Square Enix overseeing development.
the least successful in terms of sales, though it Roxas was chosen as the game’s main character, as
received mixed to positive reviews. Nomura believed that having someone other than
The next entry, Kingdom Hearts Coded, Sora would be an interesting choice for the first
debuted in 2008 and was released in episodic DS title, and that his time with the Organization
format for the NTT DoCoMo phone, exclusively (as well as what specifically drove him to leave)
in Japan until early 2010. It was later remade was worth exploring further. The game received
as Kingdom Hearts Re:coded for the Nintendo generally positive reviews, though the control
DS, releasing internationally in 2011. This game scheme and story were both noted as being in
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need of improvement, and it became one of the in order to defeat the darkness. They are sent to Kingdom Hearts:
better-selling Nintendo DS titles of 2009. The “sleeping” worlds that have been destroyed by Birth By Sleep
game was also dedicated to the memory of Heartless, and must each unlock different keyholes introduces even
Wayne Allwine, the longtime English voice of to restore the light to these worlds. Also making an more characters
Mickey Mouse – the game is his last to feature his appearance here is Neku Sakuraba, not the Final into the ever-
performance as Mickey. Fantasy character, but rather from the Square Enix expanding roster
The prequel title Birth By Sleep debuted on game The World Ends With You, which Tetsuya of protagonists.
the PlayStation Portable in 2010. The game Nomura oversaw as a creative director. Meanwhile, 358/2
introduces players to a new trio of characters, Control alternates between Sora and Riku, Days focuses more
Terra, Aqua, and Ventus, all of whom study the based on the Drop gauge, which depletes over on the backstory
Keyblade under Master Eraqus and are striving to time. There are various new attacks, including the of Roxas.
protect the many connected worlds from creatures Reality Shift, which lets you finish off enemies with
called Unversed, in addition to dealing with their touch-screen mini-games. Also included is the
personal strife. Terra, after failing to achieve the ability to recruit enemies, here called Dream Eaters,
Mark of Mastery, falls under the influence of who can be customised and will fight alongside
Xehanort. Aqua hopes to destroy the Unversed and you in battle.
counter the darkness in Terra’s heart, but ends up After these three console entries, the series
discovering the deeds that Terra has committed. continued with the Japan-exclusive Kingdom
Ventus decides to chase after Terra, but he comes Hearts χ and its international version, Unchained χ
to blows with the mysterious Vanitas (who is also (later rebranded as Union X). This expanded the
the source of the Unversed). The three stories come universe of the franchise with a new prequel story,
together in the end, with the trio reuniting in a taking place before the Keyblade War, with cutesy
place known as the Keyblade Graveyard. 2D sprites in a web browser/mobile phone RPG.
Birth By Sleep’s development began in 2005, Three collections of games have been
originally for the PS2. The game was then shifted released. The “main” games received ports, while
to the PSP in order to make use of the handheld’s the less important entries are represented only by
multiplayer functionality. Nomura has generally cutscenes and little bits of text that help fill in the
referred to Birth By Sleep as “Episode 0”, as the blanks. The first, Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 Remix,
game has the scope of a numbered title, and indeed contains remastered versions of Kingdom Hearts
a high-impact plot. The battle system has also been Final Mix and Re:Chain of Memories, plus high-
tuned up to feature combos and regenerating skills. definition cutscenes from 358/2 Days in “theatre
Each of the characters plays differently too – Aqua, mode”. Kingdom Hearts HD 2.5 Remix contains
for example, can target-lock multiple enemies and HD ports of Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix, and
shoot projectiles. Birth By Sleep Final Mix with Re:coded included as
Kingdom Hearts 3D: Dream Drop Distance cutscenes only. These were initially released for the
was released for the Nintendo 3DS in 2012, and PlayStation 3, and later ported to the PlayStation Dream Drop Distance
focuses on Sora and Riku as they both take the 4. The games themselves are largely untouched (3D, get it?) focuses
Mark of Mastery exam in preparation for the final outside of the HD makeover, widescreen aspect again on Sora and
showdown with Xehanort. It’s believed that passing ratio, and 60 FPS frame rate. Kingdom Hearts Riku, and even brings
this exam will give them the power necessary to 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue came out in 2017, in Neku from The
rescue various allies (such as Terra, Aqua and Ventus) with an HD remaster of Dream Drop Distance, World Ends with You.
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the cinematic Kingdom Hearts X Back Cover, through time in order to reach her, before The bafflingly named
and 0.2: Birth by Sleep – A Fragmentary Passage, returning to the Destiny Islands and vanishing. The Kingdom Hearts
a short new entry in which the player controls second takes place a year after Sora disappears, II.8 Final Chapter
Aqua as she traverses the realm of darkness. This with his allies searching for him, ending with Prologue includes a
was created on the Unreal Engine 4 as a prelude Yen Sid believing that Riku could find him. The short, original game
to the type of visuals that would be seen in third features Sora facing off against Yozora (a focusing on one of
Kingdom Hearts III. All three collections were later character seen earlier in a game-within-a-game in the characters from
packaged together as The Story So Far for the PS4 the Toy Story world, appearing as somewhat of an Birth by Sleep.
in late 2018. amalgamation of Nomura’s many Final Fantasy
After years of anticipation and many designs) in Shibuya in Tokyo. Kingdom Hearts III
intervening non-numbered entries, Kingdom received pretty positive reviews, and perhaps due
Hearts III was finally released in January 2019, to the long wait for it to release, sold gangbusters
concluding what Nomura called the “Dark Seeker upon its arrival, shifting more than five million
Saga”, which began with the first PS2 title. The copies in its first week – making it the fastest- and
hack-and-slash combat from the other numbered best-selling title in the franchise.
entries returns here, and is expanded upon again In January 2020, Nomura said that “more
with new form changes and situation commands, time” would be needed before the next main entry
and by enlarging the party size to five possible in the series, which will presumably be starting
members at once. Sora can now also summon a new story, now that the Dark Seeker Saga
Disney theme park rides as special attacks, such has concluded. That said, a new mobile game,
as the Mad Tea Party and Big Thunder Mountain Kingdom Hearts Dark Road, from the developers
Railroad. New Disney worlds featured include those of Union, will focus on Xehanort and his backstory.
based on Big Hero 6, Tangled, Frozen, Toy Story, Plus, a rhythm game called Melody of Memory was
and Monsters, Inc. The visuals have seen a massive released in 2020.
improvement, especially considering that all of What started as an oddball crossover
the previous games were operating either on the between classic Disney characters and Final
level of the PlayStation 2 or that of various weaker Fantasy has evolved into its own beast over the last
portable platforms. two decades. Garnering a legion of dedicated fans,
A DLC expansion, Re Mind, was released in Kingdom Hearts has included manga and novels
early 2020. It contains three episodes: “Re Mind”, in addition to the numerous games, and regardless
“The Limitcut Episode”, and “The Secret Episode”. of what story may come next, you can bet that the
The first explores Sora’s rescue of Kairi; he travels fanbase will still be there to support it.
After over a decade,

Kingdom Hearts
III finally continues
the main story,
greatly upgrading
the graphics
and integrating
characters from
many Pixar movies.
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Soul Blazer
Developer: Quintet | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SNES
Quintet’s flagship franchise was a loose trio of

action RPGs colloquially referred to as the Heaven
& Earth Trilogy. The overarching theme concerns
the philosophy of the amor fati and, more broadly,
the cycle of death and rebirth. The concept is like
memento mori, a reminder that all beings shall die.
Soul Blazer is itself a follow-up to Quintet’s
creative debut ActRaiser, in which “the Master”
(God) governed humanity from his celestial throne,
occasionally coming to Earth to vanquish demons
directly. In Soul Blazer, the Master sends his
emissary to restore a ravaged world. The avaricious
King Magridd has forced the brilliant Dr. Leo to
build a machine capable of entering the World of reincarnated, enjoying the presence of her beloved The Japanese cover
Evil, taking the doctor’s daughter Lisa as collateral. despite being unable to communicate. It’s these art for Soul Blazer
With the portal opened, Magridd then forged a pact ancillary moments in which Soul Blazer most (originally known
with the evil god Deathtoll, by which the king would effectively communicates its themes as Soul Blader) isn’t
receive a piece of gold for each living being sacrificed. The combat isn’t Quintet’s finest. Enemy AI is fantastic, but it is
Soon the king had become rich, and the entire very limited: they either ram into Blazer, or hang back more distinctive
world barren. It’s cartoonishly black-and-white, but and fire projectiles. In addition to mêlée fight skills, than the generic-
a background that serves the progression well: the Blazer can cast projectile spells, once he gains access looking cover of the
hero, Blazer, armed with his trusty sword, travels to the necessary rotating orb. Ironically, spells cost American version.
to various regions previously taken by Deathtoll, gold to cast, which is gathered from slain monsters.
initially facing an empty field that was once a town. Soul Blazer’s environments are varied and a few
Dungeons are filled with a finite number of monster are particularly striking; most notably a miniature
lairs: portals from which a set number of monsters model town divided by a Lego-esque river, where
emerges. Once these are vanquished the lair can be you’re beset by a miniscule military. Rock musician
sealed, causing a permanent effect within the world Yukihide Takekawa handled the soundtrack, which
– typically, the revival of a living being. has its moments: a sorrowful little tune serves as the
The living beings Blazer restores aren’t always town music, and once you’ve restored the town, it
people; he has the ability to converse with all living transitions into a happy, major-key version, in a nice
things, so he also rescues plants, animals, and even touch. The dungeon themes are plentiful, though
inanimate objects, reflecting tsukumogami folklore, their reliance on Seinfeld-esque bass tends to add an
in which well-used tools gain sentience. A notable unintentionally comic edge.
interaction early on is when Blazer restores a man While Soul Blazer may be overshadowed by
and a goat. The man grieves for his late wife, but its successors, they undoubtedly build upon its
finds warmth in the goat’s presence. When Blazer framework, and its influence can be seen in Level-5’s
speaks to the goat, she’s actually the man’s wife Dark Cloud.
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Illusion of Gaia
Quintet enlisted some heavy duty talent for Illusion

of Gaia: award-winning sci-fi author Mariko Oohara
penned the scenario, while shoujo mangaka Moto
Hagio handled the character designs – the resulting
sprites, unfortunately, were unrecognisable.
Nintendo, seeing a winner on its hands, stepped in
as Western publisher. And they were right – Illusion
of Gaia was a critics darling that was also Quintet’s
best seller.
Will is a boy living with his grandparents, after
his explorer parents disappeared investigating the
Tower of Babel. Undeterred, Will wishes to follow in
their footsteps and traverse the world himself. When
the spoiled Princess Kara sneaks out of Edward after the next boss encounter, smartly ensuring the Famed shoujo
Castle and into Will’s home, he soon finds himself game never becomes unwinnable. manga artist Moto
thrown into the castle dungeon, but escapes with The seven main dungeons are a mix of Hagio provided the
the help of some new friends. Soon, Will’s off to visit mythological places and world heritage sites, such character designs
the wonders of the world, guided by the goddess as Mu and the Great Wall of China. While treasure- for this game,
Gaia, tasked with stopping an encroaching comet. hunting tales can be problematic, Oohara made though that’s not
Will’s got a decent action suite: he can swing sure to critique colonialism. Early on, Will visits really apparent
his flute like a sword, execute a lunge attack for the beautiful City of Freejia. However, there’s a from the Western
extra damage at the expense of vulnerability, dark side: indigenous people are sold at the slave packaging.
and eventually gains three additional moves for market. This reveal is not a one-and-done plot
traversing obstacles. He also gains the ability to beat; it sets the tone for the story, an unflinching
metamorphose into two other forms: Freedan the portrait of man-made misery. An early comment
Dark Knight, a long-dead warrior; and Shadow, that the carpets of Edward Castle take 40 years to
an ethereal being born of the comet. Both are weave is seen in practice near the end, where Will
heartier and more combat-oriented than Will, with encounters four slaves who have been weaving the
the trade-off that they cannot use his traversing carpets since they were children, their life sentence
abilities. Freedan gains his own suite of attack- continuing. It doesn’t always hit the mark, though;
based abilities; while Shadow, gained at the a sequence in which the heroes are captured by a
penultimate dungeon, has the ability to melt into cannibal tribe is bound to raise an eyebrow.
the floor to avoid attacks or reach lower levels. On the whole, Illusion of Gaia is an incredibly
Illusion of Gaia is light on RPG mechanics: solemn experience, and one punctuated by quiet
there are no weapons, armour, spells, or levels you scenes, such as when Will and Kara float adrift on
can gain. Unlike Soul Blazer, this game bestows a raft for a month, catching fish to stay alive. These
stat boosts for elimination of all monsters from a moments of reflection, quite unlike anything else in
floor. However, if you miss any, they’ll be awarded the 16-bit era, make for a distinctly literary title.
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Terranigma
Terranigma (Tenchi Souzou, or “The Creation of

Heaven and Earth”) was only released in Japan,
Europe and Australia, which resulted in its status as
a legendary holy grail among Super Nintendo RPGs.
It’s well-deserved, too – Terranigma is not only the
perfect capstone to Heaven and Earth, but also one
of the finest 16-bit action RPGs ever released.
Long before the start of the game, Earth went
through an entire life-cycle, from prehistory to
the post-industrial era. Somewhere in Antarctica,
a cataclysmic battle between the forces of light
and darkness ended the world entirely, sending
all its continents deep below the earth’s surface.
Hundreds of years later, the subterranean village
of Crysta is a pastoral oasis in a ruined world of A few areas require you to kill key monsters to There were huge
lava and stone. The hero is Ark, a boy who was solve puzzles, but it’s no longer an overt part of numbers of 16-bit
taken in as a baby by the village elder. One day, at the gameplay loop. JRPGs that were
the urging of other youths, he enters the elder’s Once Ark has revived both Crysta and the never released in
forbidden basement and opens a box, setting continents, the elder sends him off to the surface Europe, but at
the demon Yomi free, and turning all of Crysta’s to revive all life on the planet. He begins reviving least there was
residents to stone, save for the elder and Ark plant-life, then animals, and eventually humans. Terranigma as a
himself. The elder tasks Ark with conquering five It’s a gripping story once it gets going, though consolation prize.
towers to revive the fallen continents – only then one with fewer quiet moments than Illusion of
will the people of Crysta return to life. Yomi, not Gaia. That’s not to say it doesn’t have its pensive
necessarily an evil being, accompanies Ark as his scenes, such as when a goat is forced to eat her
guide and his medium between reality and the recently deceased husband to avoid starvation, in
world of the box, which, in a very stylish move, a stunning demonstration of the circle of life. It’s
functions as the player’s status menus. once humanity is revived that the macro plot shifts
Terranigma is undoubtedly the most “RPG” gears to become a thoughtful pondering on the
of the trilogy; weapons, armour, and experience Nietzschean theory of Eternal Recurrence, while
levels are back, à la Soul Blazer, along with the also grappling with Malthusian ecofascism.
addition of shops, commerce, and a retooled As our world continues to face a looming
magic system based around consumable jewels. climate crisis, the complex ideas of time and
Ark’s weapon of choice is a spear, of which there’s mortality put forth in the Heaven and Earth series
a number of different varieties to be found or feel more prescient than ever. Tragically, none of
purchased throughout the world. He’s pretty the games has received a single re-release to date.
handy with it too, boasting a wide variety of Perhaps it’s a fitting fate for the series: time is
attacks for all occasions, including aerial moves. fleeting and life, as ephemeral as it is, goes on.
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The Granstream Saga
Developer: Shade | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1
Although Terranigma is widely considered to

be the end of Heaven & Earth, there was a fourth
title that’s essentially a spiritual successor to the
series, with a number of the same staff behind it.
Enter Shade, a Quintet subsidiary, whose debut
was The Granstream Saga, a PlayStation action
RPG. While distinct from Quintet’s oeuvre, it still
shares many themes. Notably, this was the first
video game to feature animation by Production
I.G, with co-founder Takayuki Goto providing the
character designs.
Much like its predecessors, Granstream takes
place in the aftermath of a great cataclysm that
destroyed the world entirely, leaving four islands up (to approach a mage from a distance). Monsters While not technically
floating in the sky above the ocean. On the island of can be the most difficult opponents, as they are connected to the
Shilf, Eon lives with his foster father Valos, where the often more agile than the player. That said, combat Quintet Heaven and
two have the duty of periodically slicing bits off their functions surprisingly well for a 3D action RPG Earth trilogy, this
landmass to delay its inevitable descent beneath from 1997, one of the first of its kind. PS1 game is a kind
the waves. One day, when the two are exploring Dungeons tend to be relatively lonely mazes of successor to them,
an ancient ruin, Eon’s powers awaken, giving him broken up by combat encounters, but they do although it is quite
both the task of restoring the world (by obtaining include some light puzzles, many of which unwieldy, as were
its magical orbs) and the strength to complete it. require the player to think outside the box, and most 3D 32-bit
He must therefore seek out the orbs’ inheritors, even fight against the interface itself. Eon has in action games.
the first of whom, Arcia, has been abducted by his possession a sceptre capable of storing and
the Imperial Wizardry. Striking up an unlikely replicating any object, and Granstream regularly
alliance with Laramee, femme fatale of the Desbat delights in misdirection by offering a number of
Sky Pirates, he rescues Arcia, and the pair become red-herring verbs to obfuscate this tried-and-true
the de-facto administrators of Airlim, a sentient solution. It’s a fun touch.
tower governing what’s left of the world. Together, Due to its primitive graphics, Granstream
the group travel in their quest for salvation. hasn’t aged particularly well, and was even
Granstream is a relatively simple game. maligned somewhat at publication. Released in a
Weapons, armour, and even levels, are only gained post-Final Fantasy VII world, the camera angle is
at predetermined points. Enemies appear directly placed directly overhead and at a tight angle. When
on the map, and are quite spread out: battles are the camera does transition, every character is
strictly one-on-one fencing duels between Eon and revealed as distractingly low-poly, devoid of a single
his opponent. Each enemy must be approached facial feature. Perhaps a little distance was needed
correctly for its type; you can break their guard, to prove that Granstream, while not the most eye-
try to out-manoeuvre them, or keep your shield catching, isn’t a bad PS1 RPG by any stretch.
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Castlevania (series)
Developer: Konami | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): NES, SNES, GEN, GB, PS1, GBA, PSP, DS and more
In 1986, Konami published Castlevania for the

NES, starring vampire hunter Simon Belmont as he
adventures through a haunted castle to defeat the
evil Count Dracula. The excellent graphics, fantastic
soundtrack, and difficult but rewarding action
worked together to create one of the best games on
the system, which began a long-running franchise.
Around the same time, there was an MSX2
computer version, unreleased in North America,
but known in Europe as Vampire Killer. While the
NES game was straightforward action, this take was
slightly different, requiring that Simon explore each
section of the stage, hunting for secrets and looking
for hearts, which could be used to purchase items. previously inaccessible areas. There are tons of Symphony of the
Vampire Killer was used as the basis for secrets, revealing items that will expand your Night co-director
the game’s NES sequel, Castlevania II: Simon’s health and life meters, but there are also plenty Koji Igarashi noted
Quest, which reworks the concept into an open- of proper RPG elements not found in Metroid, that the game was
ended action RPG in which Simon explores including experience levels, currency, and tons of basically Zelda, but
Transylvania for the five body parts of Dracula. As equipment. Its rich level of detail, along with the presented as a side-
you slay skeletons, werewolves, and zombies, the high-quality 2D visuals and excellent soundtrack, scrolling platformer.
hearts they drop can be used to purchase more again earned it accolades.
powerful whips, extra subweapons, and important 2D games went out of fashion in the 32-
items like garlic. However, there is a distinct lack bit era and beyond, but Symphony of the Night
of direction, and the only clues come from the maintained its fervent fanbase, and Konami
townspeople, whose statements are confusing continued with similarly styled games for portable
or useless. Even though it’s quite opaque, its Nintendo platforms. This distinct style eventually
haunting atmosphere and incredible soundtrack earned it the fan-given sub-genre moniker
still earned it admiration from NES fans. “Metroidvania”, a portmantaeu of “Metroid” and
For a number of years, Castlevania reverted “Castlevania”. This sub-series continued until
to the action-platformer formula of the NES game, 2008’s Order of Ecclesia for the DS, after which
until the release of Castlevania: Symphony of Konami transferred its efforts to its Western-
the Night for the PlayStation in 1997. The star developed Lords of Shadow games. Series
is Alucard, the rebellious half-vampire son of producer Koji Igarashi soon left the company, then
Dracula, who must explore the many areas of he Kickstarted Bloodstained, which was basically
his father’s castle to take him down. The game is a new RPG-style Castlevania in all but name.
structured similarly to Metroid, in that you’ll find While the Metroidvania sub-genre has proliferated
new abilities as you explore further, including the thanks to indie developers, it’s important not to
ability to take bat, wolf, or mist form to explore forget the games that started it all.
448
Monster World (series)
Developer: Westone | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): ARC, SMS, GG, GEN, WIN, PS4, NSW, XB1
Westone’s Wonder Boy series began life as an

arcade platformer, in which you control a caveboy
running through a jungle to save his girlfriend.
(The game is perhaps more widely known as
Adventure Island from Hudson for the NES,
which replaced the hero with its own mascot.)
The sequel, Wonder Boy in Monster Land, is
wildly different, as the hero trades his hammer
and grass skirt for a sword and armour, and the
setting moves to a medieval fantasy world. But it
also introduces some RPG elements – there are
plenty of shops that sell upgraded equipment,
money is obtained either by defeating enemies
or from hidden caches, and earning points will revision in 2017 courtesy of Lizardcube, which Wonder Boy in
eventually expand your health meter. There are provides redrawn HD graphics. Monster Land
plenty of secrets, including a sub-quest that Wonder Boy in Monster World is the follow- was one of the
greatly helps in navigating the labyrinthine final up for the Genesis, and is similar to its predecessor, first action RPGs
level. However, since it’s still level-based and linear, though rather than changing animal forms, you to be released in
you can’t double back to previous areas, so you find little sprites that fly next to the hero, Shion. the arcade, and
need to restart if you miss something important, The next entry, Monster World IV, ditched the eventually evolved
and it’s quite challenging. The game was ported Wonder Boy name, as it stars a female character, a into the open-
many times to other platforms and computers, green-haired girl named Asha. It moves the world world exploration-
most popularly the SEGA Master System. into an Arabian setting, and it also dials back on based format of its
Westone committed to the action-RPG the RPG elements, removing the exploration. This subsequent console
format more firmly with the next game, known as is one of the most gorgeous games on the Mega entries, as seen here
Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap internationally Drive, but it didn’t see international publication in Wonder Boy: The
and Monster World II in Japan. The hero from until a re-release in 2012. Dragon’s Trap.
the original games gets cursed with the form of For a long time, the Monster World series
a dragon, requiring that he venture through the slept, but French developer Game Atelier revived
open-ended world to find a cure. As he defeats it in 2018. The new game, Monster Boy and the
more bosses, he changes into other animal forms Cursed Kingdom, is Monster World V in all but
with different abilities that let him access new name. You again take different animal forms, but
areas. The distinctive, cutesy character designs the level design is better, adding challenging reflex-
and catchy soundtrack earned it a reputation as based puzzles, and creating a much larger and
one of the best games on the platform. Unlike its more intricate world than its 16-bit predecessors.
predecessors, which began as arcade games, this Together with some gorgeous 2D visuals, it’s the
entry was created for the Master System and also perfect tribute to one of the best side-scrolling
saw various ports, as well as a greatly enhanced action RPGs of the ’90s.
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Brave Fencer Musashi
Musashi Miyamoto is one of Japan’s most

legendary samurai heroes, with numerous books,
anime, and video games based on his tales. In this
PlayStation action RPG from Square, he’s a super-
deformed little dude, defending the Allucaneat
Kingdom from the evil Thirstquencher Empire.
It’s quite a silly little game, especially since most
of the characters are named after food, but the
localisation captures much of the humour, and
even the voice acting, a first for a Square title,
is relatively decent.
Brave Fencer Musashi is entirely in 3D, with
its own set of pluses and minuses. It predates
the Dual Shock analogue controller, so digital The game world of Brave Fencer Musashi Tetsuya Nomura
movement is a bit of a problem. Musashi wields isn’t all that large, but it feels remarkably rich. did the packaging
two swords, Fusion and Lumina, but their reach Each NPC has a unique name and personality, illustrations for this
is pretty short, and it can be hard to hit enemies. most of them having some kind of job in the game, though most
Parts of the game use fixed cameras, and while you village. Many have been kidnapped at the outset of the characters
can rotate them in certain areas, like the central of the adventure, and encased in crystals that are were created by
town, it can be confusing to navigate. scattered about the kingdom; saving these guys Kouji Ogata.
But Brave Fencer Musashi sets itself apart will also increase your Bincho Power (BP) magic
from other early action RPGs by means of its gauge. The game has a day/night cycle, with
platforming elements. The hero can jump, and certain events taking place at certain times, while
many dungeons include lots of floating things you need to make sure Musashi gets enough rest.
to jump onto, in between hacking up enemies. The character models are expressive, and the
Much of the game is presented from an overhead whole experience is quite charming. The music,
perspective, but it occasionally changes to a side- from Tsuyoshi Sekito, has a strong main theme,
scrolling one, giving a dynamic feel to the different and the music expresses the full range of emotion,
areas. Musashi can also use one of his swords to from bombastic and heroic action themes to serene
steal the powers from almost every enemy in the town melodies. The amusing cast, of both friends
game, allowing for a large set of skills, most of and foes, along with the arcade-style elements,
which are used to solve simple puzzles. Musashi make this one the best games of its kind for the
is also pretty strong for such a little guy, and can PlayStation. A PS2 pseudo-sequel released in 2005
pick up and toss almost any enemy. His arsenal called Musashi: Samurai Legend disappointingly
can be expanded through the use of elementals removes almost all of the RPG elements, and
spells found in the course of the adventure. instead puts the emphasis on action, with flashier
Finding parts of the legendary army will also grant character designs that lack the personality found
new abilities, like a double jump. in its predecessor.
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Threads of Fate
Threads of Fate (Dewprism in Japan) is an action

RPG roughly similar to Square’s earlier PlayStation
title Brave Fencer Musashi. One of its major
draws is that it features two completely different
main characters, each with their own storyline.
Rue is a stoic boy with amnesia, while Mint is a
deposed princess looking to regain her throne.
Both are searching for a mysterious relic called the
Dewprism, which will help them obtain their goals.
Each of the heroes has a magical ability –
Mint has a variety of spells, while Rue can change
form into nearly any monster you come across.
They also wield different weapons – Rue, a gigantic
sword; Mint, two large rings – though otherwise Outside of the two scenarios, Threads It’s a little simple, and
they play rather similarly. Despite the different of Fate is a bit on the simple side. There’s no both the combat and
storylines, and their occasional meetings, they overworld, just a single town that acts as a hub the platforming have
both go through the same set of levels, so your for all of the other areas. There are no experience some issues, but the
choice of character doesn’t drastically change the levels either, so HP and MP stats just grow charming Princess
experience. Rue’s monster transformations should slowly as you fight enemies; there’s also not Mint keeps Threads
be interesting in theory, but neither the story nor much in the way of equipment or items to buy. of Fate afloat.
the level designs make much out of it. The fighting feels simplistic, it’s hard to tell when
Rue is also a tremendously boring character. enemies are attacking, the lock-on function is
There’s nothing particularly interesting about his dodgy, and the camera is too zoomed-in. There
story, or his quest to both regain his memory and isn’t much platforming, but what is there is
find his lost friend. Mint, on the other hand, is one somewhat wretched. It’s clear that Square was
of the most charming heroines to be found in any still working out 3D action.
RPG. She’s spoiled, greedy, and conniving; she also Still, the visuals are quite well done,
has a hilariously odd aversion to pumpkins. She’s with crisp textures and polygons, colourful
also deemed too incompetent to rule and kicked environments, and wonderfully animated
out of her position by her sister, who, to be fair, characters. The cutscenes are expressive too,
is entirely correct to do so. This sibling rivalry despite the lack of voice acting. The music was
creates an interesting dynamic, and their banter composed by Junya Nakano, who later worked
helps elevate a rather standard storyline. You can on Final Fantasy X, and there’s a pleasant
play as Mint and skip over Rue completely, and you wistfulness to it. Overall, it’s certainly not
wouldn’t miss much. Overall, there’s little to justify as ambitious or grandiose as Square’s other
the split between the two heroes, and it would’ve RPGs of the era, but the ambience, writing, and
been better if the game let you play as both, either (especially) Mint’s presence elevates it to the
alternating or letting you swap between them at will. level of minor classic.
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Princess Crown
Developer: SEGA/Atlus | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): SAT, PSP, PS4
George Kamitani is a game designer who got his

start as a pixel artist, working for companies like
Capcom, before helming the SEGA Saturn game
Princess Crown, a joint production between SEGA
and Atlus. The game stars the young Gradriel
de Valendia, newly appointed queen of the land,
who has begun to explore the world outside of
her castle walls, eventually undertaking a quest
to save her kingdom from an ancient demon
god. Though Gradriel is the star, there are three
other protagonists – Proserpina, the troublesome
witch, Edward, the knight in shining armour,
and Portgus, the hero pirate. Each has their
own scenarios, in which they become playable suggest an arcade-style battle system, it also plays George Kamitani’s
characters, and only by playing through all of their much more slowly, as you need to conserve your skill as an artist
stories can you unlock the true ending. strikes and monitor your power so you’re not left shows through in
The Saturn was known for its high-quality too weak to strike. This sluggishiness is one of Princess Crown, one
2D games, and Princess Crown might be one of the weaker parts of the game, as the action looks of most gorgeous-
the best-looking games on the system. It has an fantastic but doesn’t feel as snappy as it should. looking titles on
art style patterned after Western fantasy, mixed There are secondary weapons you can chuck the Saturn.
with the brightly colours preferred in Japan. The at foes, like magical gems that provide various
character sprites are half the size of the screens, benefits until they break. There’s also a sub-system
and incredibly well animated; there’s an impressive whereby you can plant seeds in the middle of battle
level of detail in every movement. Gradriel, ever the to yield health-restoring fruit, and can collect food
proper lady, runs with her arms to her side, but items to combine and cook, making powerful
she’s properly fierce when wielding her sword, healing items. The incredible level of detail does
which is as tall as she is. That sword is technically have a downside – there are a limited number of
carried by her fairy familiar, who delivers it when backgrounds and enemies, and everything grows
enemy encounters begin and whisks it away when repetitive.
they’re done. The enemies show just as much While Princess Crown’s strengths lie more
personality – the goblins are cute and fuzzy and in its style than its execution, it’s still an incredible
malicious all at the same time, while ghosts will work of art, and set down the pattern for later
bless themselves with the sign of the cross before games from Kamitani. While the game was initially
expiring. a flop, it has remained a cult classic over the years,
The realm of Valendia is divided into several first released as a straight PSP port, then later
interconnecting side-scrolling areas. As Gradriel brought over to the PlayStation 4 as a pre-order
traverses each area, she may come across a foe, bonus for Kamitani’s strategy/adventure game
which she fights one-on-one. While this might 13 Sentinels, though it has never been localised.
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Odin Sphere
Developer: Vanillaware | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PS4, PSV
It took nearly a decade, but Princess Crown

received a spiritual follow-up on the PlayStation 2,
called Odin Sphere. Taking place in a world inspired
by Norse mythology, with a dose of Shakespearean
tragedy, you play through the viewpoints of five
characters, each working to stop an impending
apocalypse caused by a powerful weapon called the
Crystallization Cauldron. The heroes are Gwendolyn,
the Valkyrie princess and daughter of the demon
lord Odin; Cornelius, a prince who’s been cursed
with the form of a rabbit-like Pooka; Mercedes, the Crown, this does eventually affect the game – in While not technically
fairy princess at war with Odin; Oswald, the dark each of the character’s five stories, you need to a sequel to Princess
knight who’s in love with Gwendolyn; and Velvet, play through seven of the nine areas, and they Crown, Odin Sphere
a mysterious red-hooded witch. don’t really change much, leading to an incredible is most definitely
The continent is divided into nine stages – amount of repetition by the time you’ve reached its successor,
forests, volcanic caverns, snow-covered mountains, the epilogue. Each character has a different play inheriting its
and so forth – each with several areas. Most of the style at least – Gwendolyn with her diving spear strengths (beautiful
fields loop around infinitely, with passageways attacks, Cornelius with his spinning sword slashes, visuals) and its flaws
that will take you to other parts of the stage. Mercedes with her flying abilities and machine (frustrating combat).
Battles are no longer one-on-one, as in Princess gun-like magic crossbow, and Velvet with her Thankfully, it got
Crown; instead you fight hordes of enemies before whip-like chains. a second chance
moving onward. There are many special attacks The combat is still pretty rough in the for a tune-up with
associated with your weapons, plus magical original PS2 version, one of the biggest issues the re-released
potions with various strong abilities, but you can being a POW meter that decreases with every version, Leifthrasir.
also plant seeds. These grow using Phozons, the attack and stuns your character if you run out, as
life force that emerges from fallen enemies, and well as substantial slowdown, particularly in boss
bear fruit that will not only heal you but increase battles. Vanillaware refined its combat mechanics
your experience level. in subsequent titles, including the action-focused
Hitoshi Sakimoto’s company Basiscape Muramasa: The Demon Blade and the arcade
provided the soundtrack, which includes a beat-’em-up tribute Dragon’s Crown. So when it
hauntingly beautiful Celtic-inspired main theme. remade Odin Sphere for the PS3, PS4, and Vita,
George Kamitani’s skills as an artist are made subtitled Leifthrasir, it drastically tuned up the
exceedingly apparent, as it’s one of the most mechanics, including snappier combat among
gorgeous titles on the PlayStation 2. This kind of numerous other additions, like HD visuals, changes
high resolution 2D artwork was generally believed to the levelling system, removing slowdown, and
to be too expensive, but Vanillaware makes it providing a greater variety of area types. Together,
work, with incredible amounts of detail and care these elevate an enchanting but flawed experience
put into character animation. But as with Princess into a modern action RPG classic.
453
Dark Cloud (series)
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): PS2
Dark Cloud and Dark Cloud 2 (the latter also

known around the world as Dark Chronicle) are
where developer Level-5, later known for Professor
Layton and Yo-kai Watch, got its start. Dark Cloud
was one of the first JRPGs on the PS2 and was
positioned as Sony’s counterpart to The Legend
of Zelda, though in practice it’s quite different.
It did get attention for its unique mechanics,
a sort of spin on ActRaiser that combined the
world-building elements with 3D action dungeon
crawls. Both games task you with exploring a set
of dungeons, each hiding elements of a destroyed
outside world. You then use these, in the right The first game focuses on a larger journey, Dark Cloud was
area, to restore life there, rebuilding structures and to stop an evil, world-destroying genie with a dark never the Zelda-
wildlife. Completing a dungeon also ends its story and dramatic late game twist, after a few short killer Sony pitched it
arc, giving the stories an episodic feel. stories involving controllable party members as, but it evolved into
The first game is a little basic, being an early acquired in dungeons. It’s nothing too complex, a fairly interesting
title for the PS2, but the sequel further develops which made the sequel’s complexities a surprise, game that deserves
its ideas, with a slightly more fleshed-out combat with conflicts between Max and Monica, and a another chance.
system and a focus on two protagonists, instead much more substantial villain at the story’s core.
of a quiet hero and various companions. Max, the The episodic dungeon stories are also stronger,
boy from a present-day town, uses a gun and can and have clear cinematic endings, with good
summon a battle mecha to ride for tougher fights, English-language voice work. There is clear heart
while time-traveller Monica can use magic spells in these games, and they’re a great example of
and turn into various monsters. Max’s robot can what Level-5 was capable of.
also be customised, and Monica’s form set can be What keeps the Dark Cloud series buried
expanded by finding badges. The visuals are also these days is that it’s difficult to get a read on its
substantially improved, rendered with gorgeous identity, beyond the generic dungeon crawling
cel-shading. The world-rebuilding is also given a and the world-rebuilding gimmick. The aesthetic
greater story context, by means of building goals feels very random, combining fantasy, sci-fi,
that, if achieved, allow certain future events to steampunk, and all sorts of other stuff that looks
occur. In both games, you can also level up your cool but doesn’t feel coherent. Where the first
weapons, though they have limited durability; game was more on the bland side, the second feels
the second game improves the system by having like a collage that can’t decide on a single look or
worn weapons be less useful until repaired instead concept. Dark Cloud is a difficult series to “get”,
of breaking. Chronicle even has a complex idea at a basic level, but there’s a rewarding amount
system, where you can combine ideas from photos of design complexity to dig into especially in the
to craft new inventions. second game.
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Rogue Galaxy
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2
Rogue Galaxy stars a young man named Jaster

Rogue, a farmer on the desert planet Rosa,
who resents the occupation by the Longardian
Federation. He very quickly finds himself being
drafted by a group of space pirates; they believe him
to be a legendary figure known as Desert Claw. He
isn’t, but doesn’t put them straight, allowing him
to leave his dusty home behind. He then begins an
adventure that is basically anime Star Wars.
Like Dark Cloud, Rogue Galaxy uses an
action-based battle system. When walking through
dangerous areas, you’ll randomly be surprised
by groups of foes. For the fight, you control
one character while your two companions are isn’t cool. It features cel-shaded visuals, a diverse Rogue Galaxy
governed by AI. They may shout requests, typically cast of characters consisting of humans, robots, seems impressive
to cure or revive them, which you can comply and aliens, and tons of beautiful locales. It’s also out of the box, but
with using a simple button press. While the impressive from a technical standpoint, as load its faults begin to
combat can be fun, it has some issues – primarily, times are minimised and large environments show the more and
a power meter that requires you to rest for several are streamed without them breaking up. more you play it.
seconds after attacking too often, plus camera and But then those lovely locales give way to long and
lock-on functions that tend to be kinda wonky. repetitive hallway dungeons, featuring repeated,
Characters can be upgraded using a system called straightforward enemy encounters. Unlike those of
Revelation Flow, similar to Final Fantasy XII’s Dark Cloud, the stages aren’t randomly generated,
License Grid, plus weapons can be synthesised but they sure feel like they are. The story is also
once that type’s been used enough. There are tons pretty bad, relying on too many predictable tropes
of sub-quests and some interesting mini-games, and story beats at the start, and then failing to
the best one involving Insectrons, which can be generate anything interesting as the plot drags on.
trained and used in strategy-type competitions. Rogue Galaxy was obviously hugely ambitious
As Level-5’s third original title, Rogue but it strained the company’s resources. It was
Galaxy exemplified the type of games they’d intended to be one of Sony’s leading RPG franchises,
later produce, like Ni no Kuni and Yo-kai Watch but it received a chilly reception from Japanese
– games with outstanding production values that gamers, thanks to its tedious gameplay. It received
make an excellent first impression, but begin to a director’s cut re-release that mitigated, but didn’t
fall apart the more you play them. For example, entirely fix, these issues, which was the version
Rogue Galaxy is a gorgeous-looking game. The released internationally. In the end, if you get swept
anime space-pirate aesthetic may just be an up in the grand space-opera adventure it offers,
update of the classic Captain Harlock, imagining it can provide a great time, but it also requires you to
sea vessels as sci-fi spaceships, but damned if it deal with some significant issues.
455
Rune Factory (series)
Developer: Neverland | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): DS, 3DS, PS3, WII, NSW
Farming simulation games have proven popular

across many console generations, allowing for
some chilled, slow-paced fun. This type of game
was established by Natsume’s Harvest Moon
for the SNES, inspiring many sequels as well as
assorted spinoffs. The Rune Factory franchise
created a more action-focused spin on the genre
when it debuted in 2006, blending the micro-
management of a functioning farm with action
RPG combat in a fantasy environment, for a highly
unusual gaming experience.
The franchise contains six games: Rune The inaugural entry in the Rune Factory For those who like
Factory: A Fantasy Harvest Moon, Rune Factory 2, franchise debuted in Japan as a celebration of the the farming and
Rune Factory: Frontier, Rune Factory 3, Rune 10th anniversary of the Bokujo Monogatari series. cultivation aspect of
Factory: Tides of Destiny, and Rune Factory 4. The title was described by Hashimoto as simply Harvest Moon, but
The numbered entries were all released on the “Bokujo Monogatari where you wield a sword”, found its premise a
Nintendo DS family of handhelds, while the others and it lives up to that. little too pedestrian,
were console releases on the Wii and PlayStation 3. The game is very open-ended, with the player Rune Factory is
An enhanced port of Rune Factory 4 was released controlling a protagonist, Raguna, who stumbles there to add a bit
on the Switch in early 2019, and there’s a fifth into a town named Kardia and collapses. After of hacking and
numbered entry in development for the Switch at waking, he finds that he has amnesia, and after slashing to it.
the time of writing. being nursed back to health by a woman named
The games’ main helmsman has been Mist, he is given the opportunity to live on her land
Yoshifumi Hashimoto, who has acted as the producer if he helps out on the farm. Raguna accepts, and
on the franchise, and has also been involved in the from there the player can run the farm, explore the
Bokujou Monogatari games (known in the U.S. as village, romance one of several ladies, and explore
either Harvest Moon or Story of Seasons, depending the caves and fight the monsters within. The
on who published them) since 2006. Hashimoto storyline is only advanced through exploring the
has also contributed writing and design to various caves, where Raguna can learn more about why
games in the series. The games themselves were monsters attack the town, as well as regain more
developed by Neverland, the company behind the of his memory.
Lufia series as well as assorted other titles like CIMA: Rune Factory: Frontier continues the story
The Enemy and Shining Force Neo. The music was from the first Rune Factory game, with the player
composed by Tomoko Morita, who has worked on once again in control of Raguna. After Mist
many previous Neverland games. Character design mysteriously leaves in the middle of the night,
for the franchise was handled by Minako Iwasaki, Raguna tracks her to the town of Trampoli, above
who has also worked on various manga and light which Whale Island hovers in the sky. Moving
novels, as well as on games in the Ys franchise. into the town, Raguna learns that Whale Island
456
is in danger of falling on the town, and is tasked Rune Factory 4 returns to the formula Originating on
with restoring the runes inside of it in order to of a main character with amnesia, a condition portable platforms,
keep it afloat. contracted after they arrive in the town of Selphia the visuals are a
Rune Factory 2 and Rune Factory 3 feature by falling out of an airship. The protagonist little simple, but the
the same premise as the first numbered title, with (who can be either a boy or a girl in this title) is character designs
an amnesiac male protagonist wandering into a immediately mistaken for a royal personage who radiate charm.
town, meeting a pretty young woman, and being was supposed to come to Selphia and help run
tasked with bringing the town’s farm back to its the town. Though the mistake is uncovered when
former glory and productivity. In Rune Factory 2, the actual prince, Arthur, arrives, he is happy to
the player character Kyle is focused on rebuilding let the player take over his job. From there, the
the town’s school, and upon regaining his protagonist is tasked with gaining the villagers’
memory, he leaves his family in the middle of the trust, helping to attract tourists by adding events
night. His child later learns that Kyle went off to to the calendar, and other town-running duties.
seal away the dragon Fiersome, merging himself They also must uncover the dangers lurking in
with the beast to restrain its powers. In Rune nearby caves and dungeons, with many of the boss
Factory 3, the protagonist Micah discovers that monsters reverting to human form once they are
he’s actually half monster, and uses the resulting defeated, then moving into town.
abilities to help reunite multiple factions, in order Unlike the previous games, Rune Factory 4
to restore peace to the land and help the large runs at 60 frames per second, as Hashimoto wanted
Sharance Tree bloom again. to make sure that the farming aspects of the game
Rune Factory: Tides of Destiny departs from felt as satisfying as possible – that pulling crops
the formula set by the series at this point, giving out of the ground would be felt immediately – and
players the chance to control two main characters, to give the player a greater sense of control. The
Aden and Sonja. The pair one day wake up to learn game also focused more strongly on the romance
they’ve been cursed: they’re now sharing one body, aspect, with Hashimoto wanting the overall theme
and find themselves on the strange Fenith Island. of the game to be “passionate love”. Accordingly,
After getting over their initial confusion, they the game features more variety in dating events
travel the world on the back of a large creature and in the bachelors and bachelorettes themselves.
named Ymir, who can raise sunken ships, as well These additions contributed to the game’s success,
as islands, from the sea. Some of these islands with Rune Factory 4 becoming, so far, the best-
contain monsters to fight, and mysteries to solve. selling title in the franchise.
Aden and Sonja also uncover a plot led by the This fantasy spin on the typical farm
Masked Man to use the Wind Priestess’ body to simulation game has been a boon for publisher
become a god. Of the Rune Factory titles, Tides Marvelous, as the Rune Factory titles have generally
of Destiny has the most RPG elements and by far been received very well – especially in comparison
the heaviest plot, though it maintains the farming to the Bokujo Monogatari games, which have seen
gameplay of the other titles. more mixed reception as of late.
457
King’s Field (series)
Developer: FromSoftware | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, PSP, WIN
Long before FromSoftware changed the face of RPGs

forever with SoulsBorne, it was simply a developer
of office software. It wasn’t until 1994, eight years
after its founding, that From pivoted towards game
development. Their first game, PlayStation launch
title King’s Field, was a crunchy action RPG that
would go come to represent much of their design
ethos, from Echo Night all the way up to Sekiro.
Home consoles had never seen anything
like King’s Field before. A Japanese take on
cult PC hit Ultima Underworld, each game is
a fully 3D, first-person adventure in which the
protagonist is dropped into a hostile world with
little guidance, demanding that the player learn vast fields. Finally, there was King’s Field IV: While largely
through experimentation. The series also persists The Ancient City for the PS2, which uses the derided as clumsy
in exercising its dark sense of humour; each Eternal Ring engine. Azalin’s Prince Devian is and antiquated at
game starts the player in a position from which tasked with returning the Idol of Sorrow to its the time of release,
they can easily careen into the abyss. After that, rightful place within the titular subterranean the King’s Field
there’s usually a sword-swinging skeleton hiding city. This is King’s Field at its best; eye-catching, series has been re-
behind a door to kill you – a running joke familiar well-balanced, and utterly captivating. examined in a more
to Dark Souls fans. Combat is slow and deliberate; The series received a number of side games, positive light given
the player must be constantly on the move, ready including King’s Field Additional for the PSP, the popularity of the
to strike whenever there’s an opening. This makes which has more in common with Wizardry than SoulsBorne games.
each encounter feel a bit like a duel, though control with the rest of the series. Most notable is Shadow
is definitely hampered by the fact that the series Tower, a duo of spiritual successors for the PS1
pre-dated analogue sticks, requiring mastery of and PS2. The first takes the series back to its roots,
the shoulder buttons to look around. The engine is as the mercenary Ruus descends the cramped and
pretty ill-equipped for boss battles, which devolve atmospheric tower to free his people. The Japan-
into wars of attrition. only Shadow Tower Abyss is a very ambitious SF/
The first (Japan-only) game takes place in a Lovecraftian mash-up, with a large cast of characters
five-floor dungeon in which Prince John Forester and the ability to target foes’ individual body parts.
seeks his missing father. King’s Field II (1995) ups One of the cooler releases is Sword of
the ante, with protagonist Alexander exploring the Moonlight, creation software for Windows that
Island of Melanat, an open world of horrors and allows users to create their own King’s Field game.
puzzles. King’s Field III is even larger, as Prince Lyle This comes with a high-res remake of the original
traverses all of Verdite in search of the Moonlight game as a sample, though the limitations of the
Sword. It was at this point that the engine began to software don’t allow for the more complex aspects
show its age, simply unable to keep up with Verdite’s found in later entries.
458
Evergrace
Developer: FromSoftware | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS2
With Demon’s Souls and Dark Souls, Japanese

studio FromSoftware became a fan-favourite
developer. However, that was not previously the
case. In the years before their breakthrough hits,
quite a few RPG players saw FromSoftware as the
kind of company that would rush to new systems
simply in order to offer the first RPG-ish titles.
And looking at Evergrace, it’s not hard to see how
such an impression might arise. Released within
two months of the Japanese hardware launch, the
game has a pretty rushed, sloppy feel to it. After
choosing between the two playable characters
Darius and Sharline, each sporting a different
storyline and fighting style, the player finds Still, there is an interesting aspect to FromSoftware tried
themselves in the cursed kingdom of Rieubane. combat. Evergrace offers optional support something a little
In terms of graphics, Evergrace has that for the PS2’s analogue buttons: the strength different with this
typical early-PS2 feel to it. Thanks to 480i of a button-press determines the power of the early PlayStation 2
resolution, the picture seems crisp, but also attack and its stamina consumption. Another RPG series, though
shows that giveaway flickering in menus and at relative novelty is the way equipment actually it never quite made
the edges of many objects. Outside-areas surprise changes the look of the player-character; it also a mark in the way
with warm, autumnal colours but character and determines the player’s stats. A slightly more King’s Field did.
monster animation feels rather stiff; battles feel ambitious prequel, titled Evergrace II in Japan
nothing like the fights in FromSoftware’s later and Forever Kingdom in the West, was released
body of work. in 2001.
Eternal Ring
Developer: FromSoftware | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS2
While FromSoftware’s Evergrace was released
only a few weeks after the Japanese launch of
the PlayStation 2 in 2000, their first PS2 title,
Eternal Ring, was out on day one. As Cain Morgan,
the player travels to the so-called Island of No
Return in order to find a powerful magical ring.
In comparison to King’s Field, the game has a
larger emphasis on magic, thanks to the central
ring mechanic, and due to a rather limited
choice of weapons, mêlée attacks are more of an
afterthought. Instead, Cain relies on magical rings
that are crafted using basic rings and elemental
gems of varying quality – all there to be found
across the island. Some of these crafted rings designs don’t do the game any favours. Like its As one of the first
affect the hero’s stats, some enable offensive or cousin Evergrace, Eternal Ring supports the PS2 RPGs released on
support actions, some grant passive effects. The controller’s analogue buttons for movement and the PlayStation 2,
ring system is pleasantly complex and essential for attack power, but the feature feels more gimmicky this King’s Field-
success; with ten equipment slots for these rings, than useful. The whole game feels rather stiff, adjacent title feels
the game allows for many different approaches. especially in cutscenes. FromSoftware made a obviously rushed.
After three episodes of King’s Field, good call in not making their PS2 debut a part of
FromSoftware had a good deal of experience the King’s Field series. Eternal Ring is not a bad
with action RPGs played from a first-person view, game, but like so many early releases, it just feels
and the PS2’s tech allows for a smoother frame rushed and sloppy; it doesn’t reach the level of
rate and a higher resolution, but the often bland quality later offered by the excellent King’s Field IV.
459
SoulsBorne (series)
Developer: FromSoftware | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): PS3, X360, PS4, XB1, WIN, NSW
Back in 2009, FromSoftware, in collaboration

with Sony, created Demon’s Souls, a third-
person spiritual successor to its long-running
King’s Field series, with its myriad offshoots.
Looking quite unlike the rest of the PlayStation
3’s then-small library of RPGs, Sony figured the
dark action RPG would have niche appeal at best,
and opted not to release it in the West. Oh, how
wrong they were.
Ambitious RPG fans sat up and took notice
of Demon’s Souls, which developed such a fervent
cult following online that Atlus picked it up for an to say that SoulsBorne, as it’s colloquially referred The original
official US release in October 2009, with Namco to by fans, is a phenomenon that’s changed the Demon’s Souls for
Bandai Europe following suit a few months later. face of video games forever. the PlayStation 3
Compared to the cinematic action games of the Considered to be the brainchild of current was a surprise
time, that held your hand and did their best to see From president Hidetaka Miyazaki, previously a hit, starting a
you through the experience, Demon’s Souls was director on the Armored Core series, SoulsBorne whole sub-genre
damned difficult, asking more of the player in ways is a series of action RPGs with five core tenets: of hardcore
that hadn’t been seen since the 16-bit days. 1. Learn By Doing. Like King’s Field before action RPGs
In 2011, Demon’s Souls’ own spiritual it, SoulsBorne wants you to explore, and it wants that continues
successor, Dark Souls, came out for both PS3 you to fail in doing so. Once you exit the brief a decade on.
and Xbox 360. With its numerous mysteries and tutorial zone, you’re on your own. Though this can
multiplayer mode, Dark Souls’ online life never make each SoulsBorne title incredibly difficult,
really stopped. Multiple sequels, expanded re- they’re also rarely unfair: each adversary clearly
releases, and spiritual siblings like Bloodborne telegraphs their moves and leaves themselves
followed suit, the latter of which takes place open; many attacks can be parried with the
in a horror-filled environment inspired by H.P. correct timing. Unlike in King’s Field, death isn’t
Lovecraft. And that’s not to mention dozens of a trip back to the last save point: die, and you’ll
challengers to the throne developed by other respawn at your last checkpoint, lacking all of
studios across the globe. “Soulslike” came to your unbanked Souls (experience/currency).
be a moniker for any game that borrowed its Taking inspiration from Rogue-likes, you’re given
mechanics, like having to revisit the spot where the opportunity to make a Corpse Run to retrieve
you died to regain lost currency. your lost goodies; die again and they’re gone
As of May 2020, the Dark Souls series alone for good. While each SoulsBorne playthrough
has sold over 27 million units worldwide, and constantly autosaves, which makes each decision
From’s own successor, the yet-to-be-released permanent, the chance to retrieve one’s corpse
Elden Ring, features a scenario co-written by hammers home the point that it’s OK – indeed
famed fantasy author George R.R. Martin. It’s safe encouraged – to screw up.
460
The SoulsBorne
games, as they’re
nicknamed, can be
quite intimidating,
but are also gratifying
in a way that other
action games aren’t.
2. Solve the Mystery. SoulsBorne’s approach engine, there’s no such thing as cheating within
to storytelling is indirect and vague. The bones of SoulsBorne. Trap a foe behind a door and go to
the plot are there, though you may not be privy to town on it; plink at a dragon’s tail at a distance;
your role within the world. Cryptic clues are given watch a video tutorial or summon another player
away by NPCs, and many of the more revealing to figure out how to beat that flying centipede
details are contained within item descriptions. boss; or even just grind up a few extra levels.
These snippets, if engaged with, position the If you still find yourself beating your head against
player as a detective or archaeologist seeking to the same fight with no progress, you can usually
put together a fuller picture of what happened go challenge another area and come back later.
before they arrived. There’s no canonical Or you can just stop for the night, and come back
explanation, either, enticing the player to interpret in the morning with a fresh set of nerves. Stick
things as they wish. Miyazaki himself has stated with it, play how you want to play, and don’t beat
that he longed to create a game with an impact yourself up, and SoulsBorne is an immensely
like that of the original Legend of Zelda, in which satisfying experience.
players shared their knowledge through word of 5. Fashion it Up. Each weapon, shield, and
mouth, and attempted to solve mysteries together. piece of armour or clothing, from hats to boots,
Judging by the numerous forums, wikis, and has not only its own characteristics but also its
fan communities that have sprung up around own unique appearance. Is there a nun’s habit you
SoulsBorne, he apparently succeeded. think you’d look especially fetching in? Give it a go
3. Engage in Jolly Cooperation. With – it just might boast a high poison resistance. No
the exception of 2019’s Sekiro (another action poison around? That’s OK too – “Fashion Souls”
game from FromSoftware that has far fewer are part of the appeal of the series as a whole.
RPG characteristics than its siblings), each With so much equipment to find, there are endless
SoulsBorne title encourages players to engage combinations of outfits available. You’re going to
with each other online. They can summon help want to look your best when invading another
against a particularly challenging boss from a player’s world, after all.
friend or a charitable stranger, or they can opt A question commonly argued over is: can
to be summoned to help another player in turn. SoulsBorne be classified as a JRPG? The answer
And that’s to say nothing of the Player vs. Player is a resounding yes. Though each title may bear
systems, in which a more mischievous player can the trappings of Western fantasy, it’s interpreted
invade another’s world; whoever kills who receives through a distinctly Eastern lens, with an approach
a big bonus, bragging rights, and possibly a nasty to side quests and secrets found more often in
message from a less mature player. Japanese games. The JRPG is a broad category
4. Don’t Give Up. From its gigantic, that’s seen constant evolution since its advent.
screeching bosses, to its precarious walks across Dark Souls may have little in common with Final
narrow ledges, SoulsBorne relishes overwhelming Fantasy, in the same way that Final Fantasy has
the player. Again, as per the first tenet, SoulsBorne little in common with Wizardry. FromSoft took
is rarely unfair. Clear your mind and face your disparate elements from both East and West;
foe with calm determination. That said, there’s particularly Steve Jackson’s Fighting Fantasy
no shame in doing what you have to do to win. gamebooks, and Kentaro Miura’s epic manga
Unless you’re specifically using an external cheat Berserk, to create something new and enticing.
461
Nier
Developer: Square Enix/Cavia | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PS3, X360, PS4, WIN
Nier begins with the game’s hero (named by the

player, but known affectionately as Papa Nier
among fans) fighting off shadowy monsters in what
appears to be a modern-day city. The story then
jumps forward over 1,300 years, and civilization has
seemingly gone through some kind of apocalypse
and reverted back to a medieval state, though Nier
himself seems unchanged. He is, however, gravely
concerned about his sick daughter Yonah, who is
suffering from a terminal illness. As he seeks a way to
cure her, he investigates the mysteries surrounding
the world, how it came to be, and his role in it. and Emil, a child already suffering an unfortunate While critic reviews
This action RPG was directed by Yoko Taro, fate, who is later cursed with a terrifying were middling, the
who was previously known for Square’s PS2 appearance. The fantastic localisation and voice offbeat characters,
action game Drakengard; a game which, by most acting turn these into some of the most memorable excellent story, and
accounts, was dreadful to play but had a darkly characters seen in a Japanese RPG, making it easy fantastic localisation
compelling storyline. Nier, also developed by to empathise with their struggles. The game is quickly earned Nier
Cavia, isn’t quite as bad, though its strengths don’t meant to be played a few times, and culminates the affection of
really lie in its visuals or its gameplay. The budget in four different ways. It is fairly repetitive, though many JRPG fans.
clearly wasn’t very large, because much of the subsequent plays are much quicker than the initial
landscape is fairly ugly (though there are some bits run (early parts of the story are skipped, too), plus
of attractive art design) and the combat, while not you’re given a new perspective on old events that
awful, is rather basic and repetitive. The middling drastically reshapes the narrative.
visuals are in contrast to the brilliantly evocative In Japan, there were two releases with
soundtrack, accompanied by gorgeous vocals in different protagonists: Nier Replicant, the PS3
a fictional language. While the camera primarily version, starring a teenage hero and casting Yonah
stays behind the hero, it often switches positions, as his sister, and Nier Gestalt for the Xbox 360,
giving overhead, isometric, and even side-view with the older Nier, which was released on both
perspectives of the action and platforming, platforms internationally. This was created for
making it feel dynamic; one section even turns Western markets, who the developers felt preferred
into a straight-up visual novel. Boss fights are older protagonists … and they’re kind of right,
innovative too, with elaborate bullet patterns that considering how routine teenagers are in JRPGs.
feel like they’re out of an arcade shoot-’em-up. Plus, the old man Nier preceded a number of “dad”
But again, Nier’s appeal really lies with its games, like The Last of Us and God of War (2018),
story, and perhaps more importantly, its characters. focusing on the relationship between a man and
The hero is joined by an eccentric bunch, including his child. In 2020, a remake was announced, based
Grimoire Weiss, a wise-cracking talking book; on Nier Replicant, which will allow the English
Kainé, a scantily clad woman with a foul mouth; market to experience the game as it was intended.
462
Nier Automata
Developer: Square Enix/PlatinumGames | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): PS4, XB1, WIN
Nier Automata takes place long after the events of

Nier. The Earth has come under attack from aliens,
causing humans to flee to the moon. To fight in
their stead and take back the planet, the humans
develop an android army called YoRHa, members of
which make regular journeys down to the surface
of the planet and fight against the robots left by
the aliens. The protagonist, at least at the outset,
is 2B, a YoRHa android with short white hair,
a Gothic Lolita outfit and one sharp sword; while
she is stoic and emotionless, she’s joined by 9S,
a slightly more upbeat male counterpart. game is the independent evolution of artificial life The first Nier had
The main hub area consists of a ruined city forms like androids and robots, outside of their trouble figuring out
that’s been reclaimed by nature, but there are pre-determined programming. This can even be which protagonist
a few others areas of note, particularly a creepy heard in the sometimes-trivial radio banter from would most appeal
amusement park. the YoRHa headquarters, complaining about office in each territory.
Cavia had gone out of business by this romances in-between giving mission orders. As Its sequel creates a
point, so development shifted to PlatinumGames, with Nier, the game delves into themes that are protagonist everyone
the folks behind such character action hits as presented in sci-fi literature but not often discussed can love – a white-
Bayonetta and Metal Gear Rising. The original in video games, which is what makes them special. haired, sword-
Nier was, at best, functional when it came to In most ways, Automata is a huge wielding Gothic
combat, but this sequel is orders of magnitude improvement, though its main cast, however Lolita android.
more satisfying when it comes to pretty much strikingly designed, never really has anyone as off-
everything, particularly its visuals and frame rate. the-wall as Weiss or Kainé. The game also uses a
However, it is still meant for RPG players, so the multi-ending structure, casting you first as 2B, then
difficulty isn’t nearly as demanding as more purely later as 9S, whose adventure is largely identical,
action-focused games. Though equipped with a though he also has the ability to hack robots via
sword by default, there are other weapons to find small mini-games. Then the story resumes, with
too, mecha that floats around your shoulders and a few more branches to come. There’s also an
fires bullets. Characters are also customisable by assortment of bad ends you can trigger, some very
slotting in chips. The action still routinely shifts simple, such as removing your CPU from your chip
perspective, and there are now regular scenes in bank, effectively committing suicide.
which your androids hop into a floating mecha for While Nier’s issues relegated it to the status
some shoot-’em-up sequences. of cult classic, Nier Automata is so much better
Though the robots are often your enemies, put together that it quickly found surprise success,
there’s something oddly adorable about them, topping four million units, spawning both the
and you do come across a faction that want only mobile spinoff Nier: Reincarnation, and triggering
to live in peace. One of the main themes of the a remaster of the first game.
463
Yakuza (series)
Developer: SEGA | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PSP, PS4, WIN, IOS, AND, MOB
The Yakuza or Ryu ga Gotoku (“Like A Dragon”)

series has a rather infamous origin, with franchise
head Toshihiro Nagoshi threatening to leave SEGA
unless they let him pursue his idea for a more
accessible game for adults, exploring subject matter
games hadn’t really addressed before. The end
result is a game series in the double digits with a
yearly release schedule, every entry selling like
hotcakes in its Japanese homeland. Yakuza is also a
spiritual successor to Shenmue, though it sacrifices
that series’ focus on capturing a particular time
and place for the sake of realism to make a more other games have ever managed, with cinematic SEGA didn’t know
traditionally entertaining experience, though with cutscenes having extensive and effective dialogue, how to market the
similar levels of world detail and complexity. along with actual actor likenesses in later games. original Yakuza in
It took quite a long time to take off outside This is all in contrast with the extremely North America, so
of its homeland, though. The first game for the goofy tone during gameplay, including the side it ended up being
PlayStation 2 was released with some curious stories equivalent to the optional side quests advertised as a
English dubbing, but also marketing that seemed you’d see in a JRPG. You get to help a dominatrix Japanese Grand
to position it as the Japanese counterpart to understand what masochist men like, or give a Theft Auto. It’s not,
Grand Theft Auto, even though it isn’t. The rest pep-talk to a part-time pocket-car-track worker, and it took quite
of the mainline games were released with native telling him there’s no shame in still being a a while before they
Japanese voice acting and subtitles, though some virgin. And that’s just some of the minor stories could successfully
were compromised in some way: some mini-games from Yakuza 0! sell its particular
were cut from Yakuza 3, and Yakuza 5 was released The series has always had a great balance charm to English-
only as a digital download. The series didn’t between silly and serious, partly because those two speaking audiences.
truly pick up in the West until Yakuza 0 for the elements clash so much and show wildly different
PlayStation 4, the marketing for which managed sides of the main characters. This extends to the
to successfully sell its unique sense of humour. combat system, a beat-’em-up-style action brawler
The main numbered games follow Kazuma in which you can build up a heat meter to enable
Kiryu, a yakuza known as the Dragon of Dojima, hotter moves. With the addition of weapons,
who keeps ending up in the Tokyo red-light district which you can keep on your person or grab on
of Kamurocho (based on the real-life Kabukicho) the street, you can do such ridiculous things as
having to solve problems for the Tojo clan, even bowl down a bunch of thugs with a bowling ball,
after he’s left. Kiryu’s story is told in depth over or brutal stuff like rip out someone’s tooth. They’re
years, showing him age along with his world, fine after. The violence is extremely exaggerated
and exploring different parts of his life; even the and cartoony, even in the original PS2 games.
prequel, Yakuza 0, shows how he first joined the The series may not be a “Japanese RPG” in
Tojo. There’s a sincerity to the franchise that few the traditional sense of the term, but it’s most
464
Yakuza 0 is where
the series really took
off internationally,
especially since it
was a prequel, so
players unfamiliar
with the other games
could jump right in.
definitely inspired by them. The main JRPG the second game. It was, weirdly, made by AKI
element of the series has always been the ability developers, known mostly for Def Jam and
to level up your character over time to unlock assorted wrestling games. While the Yakuza
more moves, buffs, and higher stats, with some games were still sparse in the West, we did get
added flair – getting drunk gives you an attack a spinoff called Yakuza: Dead Souls that almost
power buff, for example. Later games even have nobody liked. The game was a what-if zombie
proper skill trees, Yakuza 0 switches from an game based around gunplay, which Yakuza has
experience system for using money, in its ’80s never been good at, though it did bring back fan
boom environment, to unlock more branches on favourite Ryuji Goda from Yakuza 2.
the tree. You can even equip not just weapons, but The PS2 Yakuza games were remade as
accessories and defensive items as well; Yakuza 3 Yakuza Kiwami and Yakuza Kiwami 2, using
lets you equip multiple weapons you can switch systems from later releases and reworking
through with a button press. There are even a few details, like 2 ’s ultimate villain being
random battles, though they occur as punks run recast, and an additional prequel in Kiwami 2
up to you in the streets, as opposed to the screen for Goro Majima, a fan favourite character who
just swirling or breaking apart. was playable in Yakuza 0. The second game was
You can also just explore the neighbourhoods, better received than the first, which includes a
all re-creations of actual spots in Japan, and spend bizarre mechanic whereby bosses can turtle up
time on side activities like crane games and batting to regain health and power up, not to mention
cages. There are even entire arcades with actual locking combat skills behind repetitive fights.
SEGA games, including a playable arcade version A Fist of the North Star spinoff called Lost
of Virtua Fighter 5 in Judgment, a recent spinoff Paradise was also made, taking that franchise
about a former defence laywer. The brilliant thing and putting it in a Yakuza framework. There’s
is that these games deliberately prevent you from a mobile and PC game out there as well, called
causing chaos in the streets, making you engage Ryu ga Gotoku Online, which was mainly made
with and take in the city, instead of turning it into to show off the protagonist Ichiban Kasuga,
a toy box (though Yakuza 6 started to move away of Yakuza: Like A Dragon (Ryu ga Gotoku 7:
from this a bit, with the Dragon Engine’s focus Hikari to Yami no Yukue).
on physics objects and seamless transition from This latest Yakuza game marks the first
exploration to fighting). time in the franchise’s history that the main
There are also two games set in historical series has made a major change. Inspired by the
periods, Kenzan in the Edo period and Ishin in likes of Dragon Quest, this new game is set to
the Bakumatsu period, though both are Japanese play like a traditional turn-based JRPG, justified
exclusives (though SEGA has expressed interest by Kasuga being a huge nerd who sees the world
in translating and porting Ishin). They each rein those terms. It’s even complete with ridiculous
imagine the Yakuza cast in new scenarios, some summons, like a swarm of crawfish. While
more questionable than others (especially Kiryu’s the franchise is changing its base mechanics
adopted daughter Haruka in Kenzan). More focus significantly, the presentation and writing are
is also placed on sword fights. as weirdly engaging as ever. What’s going to be
The Japanese-only Kurohyou (“Black interesting is seeing how the developers handle
Panther”) spinoff series on PSP has a street- designing these games as more traditional JRPGs,
fighting theme and managed to net a televised rather than the experimental combinations
drama adaptation, the series wrapping up by they’ve been so far.
465
Dragon Buster
Developer: Namco | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): ARC, FC, PC88, PC98, MSX, X68
Namco was a pioneer of both arcade role-playing,

with 1984’s The Tower of Druaga, and side-scrolling
platforming, with 1984’s Pac-Land. The two genres
collided in Dragon Buster, an early action RPG.
As the hero Clovis, you must venture through
the kingdom and explore caves, towers, and other
locales in order to rescue the princess Celia.
While action RPGs, like Falcom’s Dragon
Slayer, did exist on computers around this time,
they were long and obscure. Dragon Buster, in
contrast, is an arcade game, so it needs to be
easy to understand – you just barrel forwards and
beat up bad guys. Each level has various rooms,
connected by weaving corridors. Typically, once It’s also the first game to feature a double jump. Namco often pays
you enter a room, you’ll be trapped inside until The Famicom port adds in some extra items, tribute to its classic
you beat the enemy. The levels, however, grow as well as an experience system that enhances your arcade games. In the
a little more complex as you get further into the life meter when your score increases. PS2/3DS RPG Tales
game. Each stage also has an overworld map that Dragon Buster II is Famicom-only and takes of the Abyss, there’s
lets you choose which levels to enter. Compared place from an overhead perspective; it’s basically a actually a whole
to modern RPGs, the role-playing elements are totally different game. Namco later created a spiritual mini-game based
minimal, beyond perhaps using a number to successor to the first game for the PlayStation, called on Dragon Buster.
indicate vitality, or the many magical spells or Dragon Valor, which is a side-scrolling 3D beat-’em-
items you can find, but it is one of the first games up, which also has some light RPG elements, as you
to use fantasy RPG trappings in an arcade setting. can use gold to purchase items and equipment.
The Legend of Valkyrie

Developer: Namco | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): ARC, PCE, PS1
Namco’s Valkyrie series was born as a
frustratingly difficult action RPG for the
Famicom, Valkyrie no Bouken (see page 470),
but received a drastically reworked sequel
released for the arcades, Valkyrie no Densetsu
(“The Legend of Valkyrie”). Again, you control a
warrior maiden, sent down from the heavens to
protect the humans on Earth from evil, this time
in the form of an evil magician named Kamooz.
The genre has changed to an overhead run-and-
gun, similar to Commando or Ikari Warriors,
though with a brighter, fantasy bent.
Despite the shift in focus, it still maintains
some core RPG elements, and in a way, it resembles his own spinoff action game for the SNES, called Valkyrie is one
SEGA/Westone’s earlier Wonder Boy in Monster Xandra no Daibouken in Japan and known in of Namco’s more
Land (see page 449). Defeated enemies drop coins, Europe as Whirlo. popular retro
which can be used to buy extra weapons from Valkyrie no Densetsu, at least in its initial characters, popping
shopkeepers. Valkyrie also has access to a number form, was one of the many Namco arcade games up in crossover games
of magic spells, though they aren’t given to you of the era which never made it outside of Japan. like Project X Zone,
straight away, and usually require a bit of extra A PC Engine port expanded some elements, such even though there are
exploration or questing to find. Since the game is as implementing an experience system, but the only a few games in
still pretty linear, if you miss something, it’s gone visuals aren’t quite as pretty. The game eventually the actual franchise.
unless you restart. It supports two players, playing saw English release in 1997 as one of the titles on
as Valkyrie and her buddy Xandra, who later got the Namco Museum Vol. 5 for the PlayStation.
466
Cadash
Developer: Taito | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): ARC, GEN, TG16
Atari’s 1985 arcade classic Gauntlet let four players

each pick one of four character types, and sent
them on a quest to kill tons and tons of bad guys.
It’s not a video game RPG in the purest sense, at
least compared to computer games like Ultima or
Wizardry, but it has the same window dressing,
and the same camaraderie, as tabletop RPGs, in
that you and some buds were banding together for
an adventure.
That same spirit can be seen in Taito’s arcade
game Cadash, though the influence from console
RPGs of the time can be seen more readily. As with
Gauntlet, you pick from four characters – Fighter,
Priest, Ninja, and Magician – as you save a princess, levels get a little more complex, even having a time Despite the
all in a medieval setting. It’s actually a bit similar limit to prevent too much dawdling. emphasis on
to Rastan, another Taito game from a few years It’s hard to say how popular the arcade game narrative – there are
earlier, but with RPG trappings and supporting was, but Cadash probably got more exposure from actual NPCs to talk
four players, using networked cabinets. If you stand its two 16-bit console ports – a TurboGrafx-16 to and towns to visit
still for a few moments, a status window pops up version, which was solid but had simplified – Taito didn’t have
that shows your stats. Kill enough enemies and levels (and an improved localisation by Working the best grasp of
you’ll gain a level and raise those stats; between Designs), and a Genesis version, which was mostly English, so the text
levels you’ll visit towns where you can buy new more faithful but excised two of the four character in certain arcade
equipment or stock up on curatives. Being an classes. Due to console restrictions, both support versions of Cadash
arcade game, it’s mostly linear, though some later only two players rather than four. is hilariously inept.
Dungeons and Dragons

Developer: Capcom | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): ARC, SAT, PS3, X360, WIN, WIIU
Capcom created a number of RPG-like arcade
games similar to Cadash, like Magic Sword, in
which you control one of four character types as
they scale a gigantic tower, and King of Dragons,
a spiritual successor that reformed the game in the
style of their popular beat-’em-ups. It was achingly
clear that they wanted to make a Dungeons and
Dragons game, and they finally got the opportunity
with two more beat-’em-ups, subtitled Tower of
Doom and Shadow over Mystara.
At the outset, you choose your character,
name them, and set off for adventure. You don’t
gain points, but rather experience, which will monsters like owlbears and the Beholder. Tower Given how richly
increase your max HP when it gets high enough. of Doom has four characters: Fighter, Elf, Cleric, detailed these
You have an inventory, and you can cycle between and Dwarf; Shadow over Mystara adds two more: games are, it’s no
various items and spells, most used in attack, the Thief and the Magic User. wonder that both
like throwing axes or oil bombs, though some These were ported together to the Japanese Dungeons and
do healing. Shops pop up between stages, so you Saturn, though the 2013 release Chronicles Dragons games
can use collected gold to purchase more items. of Mystara, released for numerous platforms, are considered
The narrative is written in the second person, is available internationally. Artist George Kamitani to be among the
and you come across various NPCs that may beg also worked on the graphics for these games; later best of Capcom’s
you for your help. There are branching paths, he founded Vanillaware and published Dragon’s beat-’em-ups.
sending you to different levels depending on how Crown, in 2013, a lavishly-drawn beat-’em-up using
you answer them. You also run into famous D&D fantasy tropes and featuring RPG elements.
467
Golvellius: Valley of Doom
Developer: Compile | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): MSX, MSX2, SMS
Golvellius was part of an early wave of action-

adventure games patterned after The Legend
of Zelda, and it’s one of the better ones. As
green-haired warrior hero Kelesis, you explore
the Valley of Doom in order to rescue the
princess from the demon lord named in the title.
It’s more structured than Zelda, with seven
discrete zones, and you need to find and defeat
each boss before you can move onto the next.
Each screen has a hidden cave, usually triggered
by defeating enough enemies or hitting the right
block, which can reveal shops and other goodies.
Compared to the puzzle dungeons of
Zelda, Golvellius is more arcade-style, alternating The game began on the MSX, developed by Golvellius and Ys:
between side-scrolling action sequences and Compile programmer Satoshi Fujishima. A second Vanished Omens
overhead auto-scrolling levels. The downside here release was made for the SEGA Master System, were the first two
is that both types of area have dead ends, and if which improves the graphics and completely games on the SEGA
you get caught in one, you need to start the whole changes the level designs; this is the best-known Master System
stage over. They aren’t very long, though, so it’s version, since it was released internationally. to challenge The
not a huge issue. As you progress through the A third version, called Shin Golvellius, for the Legend of Zelda
game, you get boots that can walk over water, and MSX2, redoes the layouts again. Though a sequel on the NES. This
then over basically every other type of terrain. It was never made, a comical food-themed spinoff one is the better
looks more like a glitch when you’re just kinda called Super Cooks appeared on Compile’s Disk of the two.
passing over seas and forests and stuff, though. Station, a monthly anthology disk.
The Guardian Legend

Developer: Compile | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): NES
Compile was a prolific company throughout its
decade and a half life span, and outside of their Puyo
Puyo series, it was known for shoot-’em-ups like
Zanac, Power Strike, and MUSHA. The Guardian
Legend is basically a mash-up of The Legend of
Zelda and one of their shoot-’em-ups. You control
a transforming combat android named System DP,
aiming to infiltrate a planet called Naju, which is
hurtling towards Earth, and must be destroyed
by detonating ten explosives found within its
mazes. The exploration sections are a bit like the
company’s earlier action RPG Golvellius, as you
hunt through mazes, look for weapons and hunt
for Corridors. Here, System DP will change into a The game world is fairly large, and there’s The cover art
spaceship, as these levels are presented as vertical a large number of shooter segments too, many for the Famicom
shoot-’em-up sections. There are a dozen weapons, of which are optional. Obviously, given the small version was
mostly projectile based, and all work the same way, 128 kb ROM size, there’s quite a bit of repetition. provided by sci-fi
regardless of which part of the game you’re in. You But there’s so much to explore, and the central artist Naoyuki
also have a health bar, rather unusual for a shooter, concept is so compelling, that its strengths easily Kato. The overseas
though the difficulty level would be incredibly overwhelm its faults, creating one of the most versions were not
high if you died after only a single hit. This bar is compelling cult classics on the NES. In Japan, so elaborate.
extended by increasing your score, which functions the game is called Guardic Gaiden, being a spinoff
as an experience gauge. You also need to find of an earlier MSX game called Guardic, though it
chips in order to power your arsenal of weapons. has little to do with that title.
468
Borfes to 5-nin no Akuma
Developer: XtalSoft | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): MSX
Borfes to 5-nin no Akuma (“Borfes and the

Five Demons”) stars an apprentice magician
who begins a quest to become a real wizard.
It obviously takes some inspiration from The
Legend of Zelda, but while it borrows the basic
framework, the details are completely different.
There are dungeons, sure, but there’s very little in
the way of puzzles, beyond figuring out the rock
configurations that open up each door. Instead,
these caverns act as tunnels that link together
a massive overworld, broken up into three main
continents – consisting of a forest, a desert, and
a land filled with ice and snow – with the latter
being home to Nyquis Castle, where you will points to expand his health. While not
confront the great wizard demon Naikin Aikis. The game was designed by Kazunari Tomi, particularly well
Incidentally, four of the five demons also known as the creator of the Mugen no known, Borfes
mentioned in the title are actually good guys. Shinzou games for XtalSoft, who eventually went is a fairly decent
During the course of your adventure, they’ll join on to helm the Lunar series. While his RPGs were Zelda-alike.
your quest, and you can summon and control them rarely original, they were all very cognisant of
at any time – they even pop into play with cool genre conventions, and were able to mix and match
little animations. In addition to different abilities, the best parts of other games to great effect. This
they also have skills you’ll need to proceed. Borfes one was only available for the MSX computer in
can also wield a variety of weapons and magic, ROM format, owing to its obscurity even among
and in addition to grabbing gold, gains experience Japanese RPG fans.
Silviana
Developer: Pack-In-Video | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): FDS, MSX2
Developed by Pack-In-Video, Silviana (also spelled
Sylviana) is an action RPG similar to Hydlide.
This time you take on the role of a young girl,
who sets off to find a cure for her sick mother by
hunting for eight treasures.
As in Hydlide, there is no attack button,
so you bump into enemies to attack, then you
exchange blows automatically, based on your
strengths. There are no experience levels, though
you can purchase upgraded swords and shields,
and find hearts to expand your health meter. In the
early parts of the game, you’ll also be buying lots
of bread from the shops, which you can munch
on to restore health. As with many games of this halfway through the game, you enter a dark, This game’s
era, much time is spent grinding enemies, gaining mirrored version of the overworld, foreshadowing characters also
gold, and returning to towns to heal yourself and The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past, though here reappear in East
replenish curative items. Eventually, you do get it seems like a means of reducing the workload of Technology’s 1991
the ability to regain health by standing still in the map developers. Overall, it’s better than other Bomberman-
the overworld, which greatly improves the pace. Famicom ARPGs like Märchen Veil or Hydlide, like arcade game
You can also create temporary saves almost but it’s too simple to have any lasting appeal. Selfeena, which was
anywhere, which reduces the frustration. Pack-In-Video also published Silviana on the designed by the same
There are many dungeons, and with them MSX2, about a year after the FDS release. This version planner as Silviana.
boss battles, but they’re just simple mazes, and has an introductory cinematic sequence, along with
there’s little variation between them. About more illustrations of the game’s cute heroine.
469
The Battle of Olympus
Developer: Infinity | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): NES, GB
In The Battle of Olympus, you play as Orpheus,

who is tasked with making his way into the
underworld to save his love, Helene. Games based
on Greek mythology were somewhat uncommon
during this era – there was Nintendo’s Kid Icarus,
of course, but that played fast and loose with the
subject matter, whereas this game at least tries to
stay close to the myth. During your adventures, you
meet up with various gods as you travel through
Greece, and eventually face off against Hades.
The Battle of Olympus is very heavily based on
Zelda II, at least from a visual perspective. Orpheus
looks like a Link sprite edit, and various aspects,
like the house interiors, are almost identical. Zelda II is also renowned for its difficulty, Brøderbund
Even the final battle, in which you fight a shadow, but The Battle of Olympus is much, much harder. brought a number
is based on Nintendo’s game, though in practice it The Orpheus of Greek legend was a poet rather of these early
plays a little differently. But it’s not quite an exact than a fighter, and this is translated faithfully into action RPGs to
duplicate, primarily because there’s no overhead the game, so he’s absolutely terrible at combat. North America,
map, and the entire game is displayed from a Among the first enemies you meet are bouncing including The
side-view perspective. This proves to be a little slimes, which are incredibly difficult to hit with Guardian Legend
troublesome, since you need to map which doors your club. Later, projectile-based weapons make and Legacy of
to lead to which areas. There are no experience things easier, but not by much. If you can manage the Wizard.
points, but you do find olives and salamander skins the frustration, it’s not a bad title, but it takes a lot
with which to buy new equipment. of patience.
Valkyrie no Bouken
Developer: Namco | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): FC
Valkyrie no Bouken (“The Adventure of Valkyrie”)
was Namco’s early attempt at creating an action
RPG. The story takes place in a country called
Marvel Land, which has been taken over by the
dark lord Zouna. The heavens seek to set things
right, so the warrior maiden Valkyrie is sent down
to save the land.
At the outset, you choose a zodiac symbol as
well as a blood type, which affects your strength,
magic, and experience growth rates. There’s no
real guidance, but ultimately you need to hunt for
various pieces of equipment that help you find and
take down Zouna. The world is broken up into a
few continents, most of which can be reached by powerful equipment. One of the most infuriating The damsel-in-
using teleport blocks, sailing on a ship (which can parts is when you need to repeatedly beat difficult distress Ki from
be carried in your inventory), or riding a whale. foes called Xandras, until they randomly drop an The Tower of Druaga
There are significant issues, some typical of item you need. If you lose that item, you need to proved so popular
mid-’80s RPGs, but others unique to the game. do it again. that Namco created
Enemies spawn semi-regularly, almost always This is a frustrating, hateful game, but a number of games
surrounding and overwhelming your character. Namco revisited the character with the 1989 action starring women,
Combat is frustrating, since your sword is tiny arcade game Valkyrie no Densetsu (“The Legend of including the warrior
and magic is limited. You can grind for gold and Valkyrie”) (see page 466). In 1999, Namco remade maiden Valkyrie
experience points, but it doesn’t really seem to Valkyrie no Bouken in the style of this sequel, of this game.
make much of a difference until you get more for the PlayStation Namco Anthology Vol. 2.
470
Faxanadu
Developer: Hudson | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): NES
Falcom signed a deal with Hudson to port its hit PC

game Xanadu to the Famicom. However, the end
result, Faxanadu (Famicom + Xanadu) is basically
nothing like the original game. You control an
adventurer who returns to his hometown, only to
find it in ruins. The nearby World Tree has been
devastated, and you are the only remaining warrior
who can save it.
When Nintendo released Faxanadu in the
West, it was positioned as a follow-up to the Zelda
series, complete with a shield on the cover. Indeed,
it does resemble Zelda II in a lot of ways, as it’s
a side-scrolling action RPG in which the player
must explore towns, kill enemies for gold and While the levels occasionally require a bit Reportedly, Hudson
experience, and find equipment to clear barriers. of exploration, you’re rarely liable to get lost. The did not have the
However, there is no overhead map or any random graphics aren’t exactly attractive, considering the source code for
battles. The combat at the outset is pretty clumsy, overly brown colour palette, but there are very few Xanadu, and due
as your weapon is far too short, but you eventually games that take place almost entirely inside of a to both time and
get better ones, as well as magic spells for gigantic tree. Overall, it’s not a patch on the Zelda technical constraints,
attacking from a distance. The character’s sprite games, but it’s certainly a game more suited to the elected to create
also changes, depending on their equipment, 8-bit console market than the obscure Xanadu. their own game
which was a novelty during this era of RPGs. There Falcom later dipped its toes into the Famicom rather than port it.
are no save games, but instead you get passwords, market with Legacy of the Wizard, which is more
referred to here as Mantras. faithful to Xanadu in spirit.
Faria
Developer: Game Arts | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): NES
In Faria, you control an unnamed female warrior,
as she sets off on a quest to rescue the princess
of the kingdom. Much of the game is handled
like Dragon Quest, in that you explore a large
overworld map, except that when you enter
combat, the screen zooms up close and play
changes to action-based combat, as in the original
Legend of Zelda. Beyond your sword, you can
also find magic, as well as use a bow and arrow.
The fighting is pretty clumsy, owing to the erratic
enemy movements. It’s not a whole lot of fun,
but you’ll be doing it a lot, in order to grind up
experience points and gold.
Other aspects are fairly frustrating as well. It’s a tough game, and all of these annoyances Faria’s American
At one point, you’ll run into invisible monsters add up to a rather unpleasant experience, but it cover art hides
that are basically impossible to kill until you find does have a few things going for it. It’s an early the fact that the
the appropriate glasses. You can run away, but RPG by Game Arts, and was directed by Takeshi protagonist is
can also lose gold and equipment in the process. Miyaji, who later worked on the Grandia games. supposed to be
There are assorted towers to conquer, but their The visuals are colourful, especially the close- a woman.
layouts are complex, often sending you around up portraits of the NPCs, who were designed by
in circles, and there are plenty of false walls. cartoonist Yoshitoh Asari, and the game has a
You can also explore caves, but they’re completely good sense of humour. It’s also one of the handful
dark without a flashlight, which steadily drains of Famicom action RPGs to be localised. Any oasis
its batteries. in the desert ...
471
Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden
Developer: Westone | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC
Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden (“Mashin Hero

Story Wataru Gaiden”) is a manga/anime series,
popular in the late ’80s starring a boy who can
control little mechas called Mashin. Americans
probably know it in its PC Engine version,
which was released internationally for the
TurboGrafx-16, as the system’s rather mediocre
launch title, Keith Courage in Alpha Zones. This
entry, released a few years later, is an RPG spinoff
for the Famicom, and while it ties into the main
Wataru plot, it’s a completely original story.
You do not actually control Wataru (the
protagonist of the manga), as he has been
captured; instead, you control another character, looks on enemy faces when they get whacked This licensed tie-in
who you can name, and who then gets to use with your sword – is almost identical to that in was actually made
Wataru’s Mashins to save him. games like Wonder Boy in Monster Land, so fans by Westone, so it
Exploration is handled as in Dragon Quest, of those titles will probably get a kick of out it. has some small
complete with random battles, though action- Your sword’s range is pretty short, and magic similarities to games
based combat is viewed from a side-on perspective, spells, while useful, are limited by MP. While you in their Monster
à la Zelda II. The most interesting thing about can grind out levels, equip items, and ride new World series.
this game is that it was developed by Westone, Mashins, it really is down to your skills in combat.
the company mostly known for the Wonder Boy/ But the action here is far better than in earlier,
Monster World series. The combat here – the similar titles like War of the Dead, making it an
physics, the sound effects, the goofy, exaggerated interesting curiosity.
Crystalis
Developer: SNK | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): NES, GBC
In the year 1997, nuclear chaos enveloped the
world. Years pass, and a young man hidden away
in a cave awakens from cryogenic sleep; he doesn’t
know it yet, but he’s destined to save this world
from the evil Emperor Draygon.
Most NES action RPGs were released in
the mid-to-late ’80s, and borrowed significantly
from either The Legend of Zelda or Hydlide.
Crystalis, however, feels more distinctive and
more modern, a predecessor to some of the 16-bit
games that would later come out for the SNES/
SFC. The action is faster and much less clumsy
than in earlier games, as the hero can move
quickly and in any direction, not just the cardinal Combined with the post-apocalyptic sci-fi In Japan, Crystalis
four. In fact, there’s a much greater focus on world, an unusual setting for a NES RPG, this makes was known under
combat, plus unlike in most of the Zelda games, for an excellent title. It’s also unusual in coming the much more
you gain experience points and level up when from SNK, which at this point was largely focused on dramatic title
killing enemies. You can shoot projectiles by arcade games. (There are some references to some God Slayer.
charging up your weapon, and you eventually get classic SNK characters like Athena and Kensou.)
elemental themed swords (plus the eponymous There was never a sequel, but a Game Boy
Crystalis) with different magic spells. Certain Color port was developed by Nintendo Software
enemies are only susceptible to certain kinds of Technology. However, this has a much worse
attacks though, so you need to regularly switch soundtrack, and alters the story to make it suitable
into the menu to change your equipment. for a younger audience.
472
Golden Axe Warrior
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): SMS
The Master System had a Zelda-ish game in the

form of Golvellius, but 1991’s Golden Axe Warrior
is a whole hog rip-off of Nintendo’s legendary
game. This time it’s an extremely loose tie-in to
SEGA’s barbarian-themed arcade beat-’em-up,
Golden Axe. Your goal in Golden Axe Warrior,
as the unnamed hero, is to save the kingdom of
Firewood by hunting down the mythical Golden
Axe and defeating the evil Death Adder. Only some
namechecks and familiar enemies link this game
with the original, though.
Much is as it was in the original The Legend
of Zelda, right down to the overworld structure
and presence of nine dungeons, each with its own Zelda, something Nintendo might have made if As a late Master
simple puzzles and boss fights. The music is not they’d done a proper sequel rather than deviating System release,
quite as good and the enemy designs are not as from the formula in Zelda II. this game was not
distinctive. However, this game is a little more SEGA also published a similar game, called released in Japan,
advanced, offering towns where you can chat with Ax Battler, for the Game Gear. It takes an RPG-ish and saw publication
NPCs or purchase things, as well as a magic system form, in which you explore an overhead-view map in PAL territories but
with four types of attack, and a much bigger and run into random battles, which are fought from limited distribution
arsenal of weapons and armour. You can even a side-scrolling perspective. There are special moves in North America,
get a ship to sail over almost any body of water. you learn over the course of game, and magic potions making it quite the
So while it is indeed a shameless rip-off, it does feel can be used as currency, but it’s really more of an collector’s item.
like a significant advancement over the original action game that uses the framework of an RPG.
Grand Master
Developer: Soft Machine | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): FC
Developed by Soft Machine and published by Varie,
Grand Master is sort of an action RPG by way of
Mega Man. You control a warrior named Rody,
who must rescue the princess Serena from the
evil lord Dante. When you start the game, you can
choose from five different levels – a cave, a tower,
a castle, an ice cave, and a pyramid. The stages
are presented from an overhead perspective, and
play out a bit like a more linear, more action-
based version of The Legend of Zelda. The stages
are too constrictive to really get lost in, but there
are branches, which lead to treasure chests that
contain various items. While you start off with a
fairly weak sword, you’ll find stronger variations, There is a handful of side characters, like Terry the Grand Master is
plus an assortment of other weapons, like a knight, who’s attempting to save his sister Freya, an interesting take
throwing axe, a magical rod, and a morning-star and their fates depend on your actions. on the action-RPG
that doubles as a grappling hook. There’s also a Purely as an action game, Grand Master is format, but the
levelling system, whereby beating up enemies will rather middling, because the combat just isn’t that “action” part
reward you with more HP and MP. Your items and exciting, and trudging through the levels quickly really needed to
levels carry over between levels, even if you run out gets tiresome, especially when you need to replay be more exciting.
of health, though the game isn’t long enough to them. This really hits its nadir in the final stage,
need a password. which is just unnecessarily long. But as a genre
The order of levels not only affects which hybrid experiment, there’s nothing else quite like
weapons you can obtain, but also the ending. it out there.
473
Super Chinese (series)
Developer: Culture Brain | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, GB
The Super Chinese series has had an unusual

trajectory, as did Westone’s Wonder Boy games,
in that it started as an arcade game (more widely
known in English for its NES port, titled Kung-Fu
Heroes), and then started weaving RPG elements
into its console sequels. The games feature two
ninja kid warriors, Ryu and Jack, as they defend
their home, Chinaland, from an assortment of
invaders. It’s all rather tongue-in-cheek, similar to
Konami’s Ganbare Goemon series.
The first of the RPGs was Super Chinese 2,
known as Little Ninja Brothers in North America
for the NES. The games are structured similarly
to Dragon Quest, with an overworld, towns, and Culture Brain was never the best game Starting as a simple
dungeons explored via an overhead map. When designer, so the action scenes never quite feel arcade game, this
random battles occur, you’re thrust into an action right. But there are some legitimately funny bits series switched
segment that plays like a side-scrolling beat-’em- in there that make them worth checking out. to action RPGs
up, and a second player can join in. Once you’ve There’s some crossover with other Culture Brain for a while, then
killed enough enemies, the remainder retreat, titles too, including cameos from The Magic of morphed into
and it’s back to adventuring. It’s an innovative Scheherazade and Hiryuu no Ken. The first two fighting games,
blend, though the encounter rate makes things Game Boy games, known as Super Chinese Land before fizzling out.
drag. Some games have side-scrolling platforming in Japan, made their way stateside under the Ninja
sections, and boss fights are fought in typical Boy name, while the first SNES title came out as
command-based fashion, for some reason. Super Ninja Boy.
Dragon Scroll
Dragon Scroll is Konami’s attempt at an action
RPG for the Famicom, and while it borrows
elements from Zelda, it also sort of does its own
thing. As the hero Feram, you must adventure
through the land to find eight magic books with
which to stop the Chrome Dragon.
There’s not technically a single overworld,
so much as a few smaller areas that are linked by
warp portals; through which you access various
caves, shrines, and dungeons. There’s not much
direction and no towns or friendly NPCs; instead,
fallen enemies may give clues about where you’re
supposed to go and what you’re supposed to be
doing. Some enemies speak another language, shops, or equipment beyond these rods and a Konami was
so you need to find the item that will translate handful of supplementary items (which can make extremely prolific
for you. However, these hints all hail from the you walk faster, increase your defence, or display during the Famicom
Castlevania II school of game design, so many of a map), but you do level up after defeating enough era, but it was
them just don’t make much sense. Many solutions enemies, extending your health or magic meter. required to limit the
are obscure, and progress is difficult unless you The aimless direction and plodding pace number of titles it
have a walkthrough. make Dragon Scroll feel a little dull, but it is brought overseas. So
Feram is an unusual hero, in that he doesn’t a Konami NES game, so it has an absolutely it’s easy to see how
wield swords; instead his default weapon is a fantastic soundtrack, which helps give this game Dragon Scroll didn’t
magical rod. There are a few other rods to obtain, some energy. Otherwise, the fact that it never left quite make the cut.
plus an assortment of magic spells. There are no Japan is no tragedy.
474
Famicom Jump (series)
Developer: Tose/Chunsoft | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): FC
Weekly Shounen Jump is one of the most popular

manga magazines in Japan. In 1988, Bandai
created a series of action RPGs that were crossovers
involving all of its stories and characters, dubbed
Famicom Jump: Hero Retsuden.
In the first game, you control a kid who
has been sucked into a Weekly Shounen Jump
magazine, and must explore the world to find
the heroes of several different stories. Characters
include Kenshiro (Fist of the North Star), Son Goku
(Dragon Ball), Arale (Dr. Slump), Joseph Joestar
(JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures), and others, 16 in total.
Enemies are visible on the overworld map, and
colliding with them will generate an action scene in another crossover to fight evil. The battle The first game
in which you attempt to whack them. It all feels system here is all new – the screen zooms up close, has a much larger
very slapped-together, plus the graphics, music, and the field is divided into an invisible grid, with character roster
and animation are pretty clunky. It’s not good, but each character able to move a certain number but is a weaker
there are certainly worse licensed games. of squares and attack. It’s similar to Square’s game. The second
Yuji Horii and Chunsoft, the folks behind SFC game Live-A-Live, released a few years later. has less manga
Dragon Quest, were brought aboard for a sequel The story itself isn’t bad, but it focuses too much representation
in 1991. Instead of playing as a human kid, you on original characters, so in the end, it feels like but is definitely a
pick one of seven manga characters (only Goku a different RPG with Shounen Jump characters superior product.
returns, plus Jotaro Kujo is now the JoJo rep, but wedged in. Still, it’s definitely a huge improvement
otherwise the cast is all new), who come together over the first game.
Willow
Developer: Capcom | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): NES
Willow is a 1988 fantasy movie from Lucasfilm,
which borrows bits from The Lord of the Rings,
and focuses on a dwarf who must make a journey
across a dangerous land. Capcom made two
games based on the property, a side-scrolling
arcade game, and this action RPG for the NES.
Despite using the characters and setting,
the actual adventure is only very, very loosely
based on the movie’s story.
While obviously inspired by The Legend
of Zelda, it’s quite a bit more advanced than
earlier clones made for the Famicom Disk
System. While there’s not much in the way of
puzzle-solving tools, there’s a wide variety of Capcom NES games were generally pretty Capcom made a
swords and shields, plus an assortment of magic solid and Willow maintains that level of quality. number of licensed
spells. The overworld is large, but designed more The game was designed by Akira Kitamura, the games in the NES
like an expansive forest maze, and there are creator of Mega Man. The visuals are decent, era, like DuckTales
several towns with numerous NPCs, giving it a with large character sprites and individual scenes and Rescue Rangers;
stronger plot. There is no currency, but there when talking with NPCs. When battle begins in Willow is one of
are experience points, granted following enemy the overworld, the leaves and trees animate, giving their few Hollywood
defeats. Since there’s a big emphasis on combat, fights an extra bit of drama. It’s not quite as good movie tie-ins.
there are actually two types of sword slash: as the later action RPG Crystalis, but it’s certainly
a stab, and a swipe with a wider arc, depending one of the better entries on the NES, and it’s
on the direction you’re holding. definitely excellent for a licensed game.
475
Neutopia (series)
Developer: Hudson | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): TG16
Hudson needed an action RPG to take on The

Legend of Zelda, and what they ended up with
was … basically a slightly nicer-looking rip-off. In
Neutopia, you control a warrior named Jazeta,
tasked with hunting down eight medallions and
saving the princess Aurora from the demon Dirth.
The game looks and plays very similarly to Zelda.
There are a lot more old men hidden in surprisingly
well-furnished caves, and their dialogue is a little
more comprehensible. Rather than having one
overworld, the land is divided into four Spheres
(Land, Subterrain, Sea, and Sky), each with two
dungeons (called Crypts here). There’s also a
compass that helps point you in the direction as compared to four in the original, and there’s As far as Zelda
of the next Crypt, or the boss if you’re already in a boomerang weapon, which was conspicuously rip-offs go, the
one. It’s more linear and a little less obscure than absent in the first Neutopia. There’s is now a Neutopia games are
the original Zelda, with improved visuals, and single overworld, but the story is even more linear two of the better
while the music is decent, it’s not a patch on the than before. ones, though there
legendary themes. The original Neutopia was a decent game are certainly later
A sequel was released in 1991, though the for 1989, but Neutopia II was released just a 16-bit action RPGs
improvements are minor. Here, you control few months before The Legend of Zelda: A Link that are far better.
Jazeta’s son, who has had a vision indicating great to the Past for the SNES, which completely
danger to his father, so he sets out to rescue him. wipes the floor with it, and makes it feel hugely
You can now move and attack in eight directions, dated in comparison.
Sylvan Tale
Developer: SEGA/Nex Entertainment | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): GG
Sylvan Tale is a fairly typical action RPG, in
which the hero Zetts is summoned to the land of
Sylvalant to defend it from evil. However, it draws
from Westone’s Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap,
in that the hero begins as a human but can take
the forms of assorted beasts as he progresses
through the story. The human form uses a sword
and can pull blocks, while the turtle form can hide
in its shell and dash around to attack foes, or use
its weight for switches. The mole form can crush
rocks with its claws and dig holes in the ground
with a drill spin manoeuvre, while the mouse form
is small and can pass through holes. The merman
can move through water, and the hidden bird form
lets you fly over enemies.
There are no experience points or gold, and
equipment is limited to whatever items you find, Coming at the end of the system’s life, Sylvan Sylvan Tale is one of
including sword skills and beast forms, and other Tale was only released in Japan. While the Master the games featured
items that expand your max health or improve System had a few action RPGs, like Golvellius and on the Game Gear
your attack or defence. It does feel a little cramped, Golden Axe Warrior, this is one of the few of this Micro miniature
thanks to the low Game Gear resolution, and the type for the Game Gear. The game is believed to consoles released
human form’s sword is a bit small, but otherwise have been co-developed by Nex Entertainment, in Japan in 2020.
it plays well; the ability to run really helps. the folks behind other SEGA action RPGs, such as
The visuals are well done and the music is decent. Crusader of Centy and Linkle Liver Story.
476
Sword of Vermilion
Sword of Vermilion was one of the first RPGs

released on the Mega Drive, and as such, the
developers were eager to show off what the 16-bit
console could do. You play a young knight who
learns he’s the rightful prince of the kingdom of
Excalabria, and sets off on an adventure to save
the land from the evil Tsarkon.
The game is an assemblage of different RPG
genres – towns are viewed from an overhead
perspective, while fields and dungeons are
displayed first-person style. When you run
into combat with random, smaller enemies,
you’re switched back to an overhead view, as like OutRun and After Burner. They really try Sword of Vermilion
you hack and slash at everything until it’s all their hardest to make an interesting RPG, but the seeks to cram as
dead. Boss fights are shown at a side-scrolling action in both types of combat segment is clumsy, many different RPG
perspective – these gigantic creatures were used difficult to control, and ultimately frustrating. styles as it can into
to promote the game, because they are so visually The music, by Hiroshi Kawaguchi (of OutRun and its cartridge, but
impressive. The first-person scenes look cool in Space Harrier fame), is outstanding though, and none of them work
motion too, as rather than having static walls like easily the biggest legacy of this title. While the particularly well.
most dungeon crawlers, they’re presented with game received decent reviews at the time, and is
several small sprites like trees and pillars, which included on a number of Genesis compilations,
change size as you walk past them. history has not been kind to it, and most SEGA
Sword of Vermilion was developed by SEGA RPG fans will point to the Phantasy Star games
AM2, a team typically known for arcade games as being the better entries.
Rent-a-Hero No. 1
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): MD, DC, XB
In this offbeat game from SEGA, you are cast
as everyday average Japanese teenager Taro
Yamada, who is randomly chosen to participate
in the “Rent-A-Hero” program, in which you’re
given a suit that lets you transform into a Sentai-
esque superhero. The downside is that the suit is
technically a rental, so you need to pay for it, but
on the upside, you can become a local do-gooder
for your fellow citizens in Aero City. Tasks are
simple at the beginning, but eventually escalate
into infiltrating yakuza organisations. There are
no experience levels, but you can use the money
obtained from your exploits to purchase combat
suit upgrades. but thanks to its goofball attitude, it eventually The spiritual
The game was developed by the same team as became a cult classic. This was enough to qualify follow-up to Sword
Sword of Vermilion, so it’s kind of similar. The first- it for a full remake for the Dreamcast, which of Vermilion is a
person dungeon crawling and overhead fighting upgrades the graphics to full 3D and adds in a few bit more focused,
scenes are gone, leaving the overhead exploration extra story elements, including a female partner and much, much
and side-view brawling segments. It’s still a little named Rent-a-Hiroko. This also, unfortunately, sillier, starring an
ropey but it’s a substantial improvement. The real did not leave Japan – it was ported to the Xbox and everyman turned
appeal lies in its goofy sense of humour, filled with translated into English, and was even reviewed in local superhero.
parodies of both Western and Japanese culture. magazines, but publisher AIA Games went under
The game was not released outside of Japan, before it could hit the market. A disc image of this
where it initially received a middling reception, copy leaked online, at least.
477
Lagoon
Developer: Zoom | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): X68, SNES
Zoom was a small Japanese company, known in

Japan for its goofy cat mascot character Dolucky,
and elsewhere for the SNES shoot-’em-up
Phalanx. One of its earlier releases was an Ys-type
game called Lagoon. It takes place in the country
of Lakeland, where the water has been polluted
by the evil Zerah; only the Champion of Light
named Nasir can stop him. Since it was released
internationally early in the SNES’s life cycle, it’s
probably better than the actual Ys games, which
at that point had only appeared on less popular
platforms like the SEGA Master System and
TurboGrafx-16 CD.
It looks and plays much like Ys, right down to is simple and missing Ys’ compelling backstory. Kemco was early to
the identical-looking equipment screen, with a few The only thing it really gets right is the soundtrack. the SNES RPG scene,
improvements such as larger character sprites and The SNES Lagoon is actually a port of a with both Lagoon and
the addition of a jump button, though it’s not used Japan-only X68000 game, released a year earlier, Drakkhen, though
for much. However, play is much worse. In this in 1990. They’re fairly similar, but the PC game uses they were both
SNES game, you attack by swinging your sword, a bump system more like that in Ys, and it actually originally developed by
but its range is so pitiful, and enemy movement so plays quite a bit better. There are other changes different companies.
erratic, that it’s hard to hit anything. However, in too, as the SNES version had to remove quite a
the Ys games, you can heal yourself by standing few of the cutscenes, and the story is different in
still, but only on the overworld segments – at least places too. It’s still not an exemplary game, but it’s
in Lagoon, you can regenerate anywhere. The plot certainly better than the console port.
Alcahest
Developer: HAL | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC
In HAL’s Alcahest, you control a warrior named
Alen, on a quest to defeat the titular demon. The
game looks and plays like an action RPG, but the
role-playing aspects are extremely minor. It’s fair
to say that this is more of an action game in RPG
clothing. It was initially intended to be released by
HAL under the name Guardian Blade, but they ran
into financial troubles, so the game was published
by Square, which renamed it.
The game is broken up into eight stages,
though the levels are not entirely linear, and you’ll
usually need to explore around a bit to hunt for
various items, some of which are for healing, and
others essential to progress. The level layouts are as well. In many areas, you’re accompanied by a Alcahest is unlike
rarely large or all that complex, though. Your partner character – the cooler ones include a cyborg any of Squaresoft’s
strength is increased automatically when you and a dragon goddess – who trails behind you and other SFC RPGs …
beat a stage, though there are some equipment attacks when you attack, plus you can activate their and that’s because
upgrades to find. special power at the expense of some SP. You also it was made by a
The levels are also filled with blocks that will acquire the powers of elemental guardians as you different company.
either propel you forward or send you leaping to progress through the game, all of whom have their
some other part of the area. Technically, there are own charge attacks with your main sword, as well
experience points, though in practice these are as special abilities. Overall, it’s a decent title, as
more like a score, which will grant you a continue long as you go in expecting an arcade-style hack-
if you level up. You have a limited number of lives, and-slash, rather than something like Zelda or Ys.
478
Brain Lord
Developer: Produce | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SNES
In Brain Lord, you control a young man named

Remeer, who is on a quest to hunt down the dragon
that killed his father. Developed by Produce, the
team behind The 7th Saga and Mystic Ark, it
shares a few names and references with them, but
is otherwise unrelated, as Brain Lord is an action
RPG. Remeer can equip a number of weapons, like
swords, boomerangs and flails, and has access to
various magic spells, which he can use as much
as he wants, as long he charges them. There are
also various fairies you can find (and name), which
float alongside him and cast magic spells at their
own discretion. Strangely, they can level up with
experience points but Remeer cannot. Unusually aren’t quite so attractive, as the perspective gives Brain Lord maybe
in a game of this kind, the hero can jump, the characters somewhat awkward proportions, isn’t the best title for
which allows for some platforming challenges and the animations are goofy. One nice touch is this game, but as far
in dungeons. Together with the emphasis on that Remeer is joined by several companions, who as 16-bit action RPGs
puzzles, this makes it feel like a predecessor to don’t directly adventure with him but rather travel go, it’s not too bad.
Matrix’s 1997 PlayStation game Alundra. Indeed, independently. They can be found in dungeons,
as the game goes on, these end up becoming more where you can stop and chat with them. The world
difficult than the combat. isn’t terribly large – there are two towns (one
The character artwork was provided by named Toronto for some reason) and five dungeons
Sachiko Kamimura, known for her work on The – so the adventure isn’t too long. Brain Lord never
Heroic Legend of Arslan. In-game, the visuals proved particularly popular, but it’s a solid game.
Dragon View
Developer: Kemco | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SNES
Drakkhen is a really curious game, developed by
French company Infogrames. Mixing up aspects
of adventure games and RPGs, it features a 3D
overworld rendered via polygons, and includes
strange enemies like landsharks and giant
dog heads. While initially developed for home
computers, it’s mostly known for its SNES port by
Kemco, which was the first RPG on the platform.
As such, it did gain some popularity.
Kemco still held the rights to the game, and
went on to create its own sequel, called Super
Drakkhen in Japan, and renamed Dragon View
in North America. It technically continues the
storyline, though it’s not like the original game had play out something like a simple arcade beat-’em- It’s curious that
all that strong a plot. Rather than creating a party up. But otherwise, all of the elements of action Drakkhen had
of characters, you only control one hero, named RPGs are present, including experience and level such high name
Alex, who must rescue his girlfriend. There’s gaining, different weapons (including a boomerang recognition in Japan
a stronger story here (interestingly told from a and a bow), magic spells, equipment, and even that Kemco created
narrator’s perspective in the English translation), simple puzzles. a sequel to it, despite
though it’s boilerplate fantasy-type stuff. The only Though it’s almost nothing like Drakkhen, having few real
other significant aspect kept from Drakkhen is the there’s also no other RPG that’s like Dragon View. connections to it.
first-person 3D overworld, with random battles. Though the combat is a little ropey and the play
These fight scenes, as well as towns and dungeons, area is small, thanks to the status window, it sets
are viewed from a side-scrolling perspective, and itself apart nicely from other 16-bit ARPGs.
479
Kuusou Kagaku Sekai Gulliver Boy
Developer: Hudson/Bandai | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, PCECD, SAT
Kuusou Kagaku Sekai Gulliver Boy (“Imagination

Science World Gulliver Boy”) was a multimedia
project helmed by Ouji Hiroi, one of the key minds
behind the Tengai Makyou series. The story takes
place in a European sci-fi alternate reality, where
high science and magic co-exist. The character
designs are by Toyoo Ashida (Mashin Eiyuden
Wataru) with music by Kohei Tanaka.
Most of Europe is under attack by the
Spanish Empire, ruled by the evil King Yudo. The
hero is Gulliver Toscanni, who is joined by his
genius inventor friend Edison and magical lady
friend Misty, who is a descendent of the Moon
Queen. Gulliver attacks using a special weapon instead of the mostly still-motion visuals of other The PC Engine CD
called a Minder, which loads discs with various PCE games. It was ported to the Saturn the same version is much
attacks. A 50-episode anime TV series was aired year, in only slightly enhanced form. longer, with a
during 1995, with three game tie-ins. The Game The Super Famicom game, released in 1996 by stronger story, but
Boy got a simple puzzle game, while this PC Bandai, is an action RPG similar to Secret of Mana. the action RPG
Engine CD game from Hudson is an RPG much in The player controls Gulliver, Edison, and Misty, SFC version is more
the vein of their Tengai Makyou series. While FMV though rather than all three appearing in play at interesting to play.
games were common on the SEGA CD, they were the same time, you switch between them at will.
extremely rare on the TurboGrafx-16 CD. Gulliver Characters on the bench will also replenish their
Boy uses HuVideo compression technology to health and powers. It’s shorter than the PC Engine
allow for full anime cutscenes on this system, version, though easier for non-Japanese speakers.
The Twisted Tales of Spike McFang

Developer: Bullet-Proof Software/Red Entertainment | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SNES
Makai Prince Dorabocchan was a cutesy side-
scroller for the PC Engine starring a little kid
vampire. The sequel, which was released in the
United States as The Twisted Tales of Spike
McFang, switched platforms to the SNES and
changed the genre to action RPG. On the island
of Vladamasco, the evil Von Hesler has kidnapped
the other two rulers, Vampra and Dracuman,
leaving their kids, Camelia and the titular Spike, to
retake their kingdoms.
Spike primarily attacks by spinning around,
whacking enemies with his cape. He can also
attack by throwing his hat, plus there are plenty
of secondary skills which require cards to use. the English version makes enemies take more Spike McFang didn’t
Later in the adventure, Spike is joined by Rudy and hits, and also removes the life replenishments really make much of
Camelia, who are computer controlled; they aren’t that occur when levelling up or reloading saves. an impact, which is
very powerful but they are invincible. In addition to It’s one of those things that doesn’t really make the too bad, because it’s
finding money to purchase stronger hats or ability game harder so much as more annoying. But it’s a fun, cutesy game.
cards, Spike also gains experience points as he still an amusing game – Spike is a vegetarian, so he
defeats enemies. replenishes health with tomatoes or tomato juice,
Since the game is aimed towards kids, it’s and he’s aided by his butler, who communicates
pretty linear, with no overworld and not much in via cell phone. Since so many action RPGs of the
the way of exploration. It seems like the localisers era use a standard fantasy theme, this goofiness is
felt the game was also a little too easy, since quite refreshing.
480
Bushi Seiryuuden
Developer: Game Freak | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): SFC
The world of Bushi Seiryuuden: Futari no Yuusha

(“Warriors of the Blue Dragon Legend: The Two
Heroes”) is based on medieval Japan. There are
two creation gods – the brother of the sea, and the
sister of the mountains. The god of the sea grew
jealous of his sibling, and sent demons down into
the world. The ocean goddess drafts in a human
boy named Jin, who fights back with the help of
Wokuu, a girl who has been transformed into a
flying monster.
On the overhead-view map, you control
Jin as he explores each area. However, when he
encounters an enemy or enters a dungeon, the view
switches to a side-scrolling perspective. If there are beat enemies quickly, you get bonus magatama Bushi Seiryuuden
no bad guys on the screen, the game functions as a beads, which are important items to collect. is a turn-based
regular platformer, but if an enemy hops into view, Not only is Bushi Seiryuuden a very action-platformer
time stops and the flow changes to turn-based. As innovative game, it has a nice sense of style, of sorts, which isn’t
in a Rogue-like such as Mystery Dungeon, every based around Japanese mythology. When talking something you see
time you move, the enemy moves as well. Jin has to NPCs, the screen zooms in to a first-person very often.
a sword, and can also throw spirit-energy bullets, perspective. The game was developed by Game
plus he can learn numerous skills as the game Freak and has artwork by Pokémon character
progresses. Just as important is using Wokuu designer Ken Sugimori, so the art style will
effectively, as while she’s not all that strong, she probably look familiar. As a late SFC release,
can lift Jin into the air, or distract bad guys. If you it’s quite a collector’s item in Japan.
Gunman’s Proof
Developer: Lenar | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): SFC
Gunman’s Proof (alternatively known as Ganpuru,
or Gunple) is a sci-fi western, in which something
from outer space crashes into the desert near a
small American town, causing all sorts of trouble.
Another UFO makes the visit to Earth, and
convinces your character, a local child, to lend
them his body, allowing them to hunt down the
invaders and send them packing.
Gunman’s Proof rips off The Legend
of Zelda: A Link to the Past for some reason.
Although it doesn’t remotely make sense within
the American Wild West context of the game,
it looks a lot like Hyrule, dungeons and all.
But it’s also much more action-focused – the There’s also a score, and you’re graded after Gunman’s Proof is
protagonist has a variety of guns at his disposal. beating a dungeon, granting you extra points. The credited to Akihito
Other, limited-use, weapons include fireworks, score doesn’t actually do much beyond granting Tomisawa, a designer
machine guns, and flamethrowers. The labyrinths extra lives though. at Game Freak, and
are almost completely devoid of puzzles; instead The logo reads “A Strange World” and boy Isami Nakagawa,
you simply explore and hunt for treasures. As a howdy, is that correct! Anachronisms abound in a manga author.
result, there aren’t any tools, though there are this weird game, along with some oddball enemy
items that give you skills (like swimming), life designs, as well as some hugely racist caricatures.
capsules that expand your life meter, and gold It’s also fairly short, and doesn’t have even a
for buying items. Rather unusually, there’s an fraction of the longevity of a Zelda title, but it’s
extra life system, when you run out of health. still a peculiar and mildly amusing game.
481
Landstalker
Developer: Climax | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): GEN
Landstalker: The Treasure of King Nole stars

elven treasure hunter Nigel and his faithful fairy
friend Friday as they search for the eponymous
treasure on Mercator Island. It is superficially
similar to The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the
Past, though there’s quite a bit that sets it apart
from Nintendo’s counterpart. It was developed by
Climax Entertainment, who helped out with the
Genesis Shining games, so it has a very similar
vibe, and also includes art by Yoshitaka Tamaki.
The entire game is viewed from an isometric
perspective, common in British microcomputer
games but uncommon for Japanese RPGs (seen Once you get the hang of it, it’s an incredibly A remake of
only in this and Treasure’s middling Light charming title. It has quite a bit in common Landstalker was
Crusader). Since you can only move at 45° angles, with the same team’s Shining series, including a announced for
it takes some getting used to, but it allows for pleasant storybook setting. The characters have the PSP, though
maps with greater depth than the typical action- quite a bit of personality, particularly Friday, nothing came
RPG overhead kind. Rather than hunting items who regularly bickers with Nigel, providing some of it, leaving the
for use in dungeon-based puzzle-solving, you face comedy, as well as a rival trio of thieves led by a Genesis game
a fair few platforming challenges, which is the woman named Kayla who try (and repeatedly to stand alone.
biggest hurdle to overcome with this game. They fail) to stop Nigel. The script is fun too, though
can be quite difficult, due to depth perception some adult jokes were cleaned up in localisation.
issues, but the result is a game that’s more focused The game never quite got a sequel, but it did lead
than a typical Zelda title. to several spiritual successors.
Ladystalker
Developer: Climax | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC
The unfortunately-titled Ladystalker: Kako kara
no Chousen (“Challenge from the Past”) is a sort
of follow-up to Landstalker, though this time for
the Super Famicom. It stars a rich young woman
named Lady, who’s locked up in her family’s
mansion because of her inability to stay out of
trouble. She escapes anyway, and along with
her two servants, Yoshio and Cox, heads for the
dangerous Deathland Island to search for treasure.
Although it looks and plays like Landstalker
on the surface, quite a bit has changed. You can
no longer jump, so most of the troublesome
platforming obstacles are gone. Instead, you can
dash, which lets you hop over short distances. The biggest downside is that Lady doesn’t talk a This follow-up
Encounters are random, as enemies fall from the whole lot. There’s some slight S&M naughtiness, as creates a cool
sky every now and then, and must be defeated she attacks using whips and boots while wearing a heroine, but doesn’t
before you can move on. While the player directly mini-skirt, but the player is left to fill in the blanks manage to make
controls Lady, the computer manages the other of her personality. her an interesting
two characters in combat, though they can also be The game is purported to have been pitched personality.
given individual orders. There are also experience to Enix as a spinoff of Dragon Quest IV, based on
points, and you can gain levels. Princess Alena and her two servants. But being
The game maintains the silliness of unable to obtain the licence, they created their own
Landstalker, though the visuals are slightly property. However, there are still many similarities,
worse in spite of the expanded colour palette. especially in the enemies and item names.
482
Dark Savior
Developer: Climax | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT
In Dark Savior, you control a bounty hunter named

Garian, in charge of escorting the dangerous monster
Bilan to an Alcatraz-esque Prison Island. Of course,
things go wrong almost immediately, and Bilan
escapes. The unique aspect is that there are five
Parallels, with different storylines. In one, Garian
pursues Bilan to Prison Island and tries to recapture
him before he kills all of the other prisoners; in
another, he apprehends Bilan early on and instead
investigates the unethical experiments going on in
the jail. One gets particularly wild, as the parallel
dimensions end up colliding with each other.
It can get confusing, though, as some storylines
are vague and undercooked. Within the main With the emphasis on the multi-scenario The multiple parallel
scenarios, there are also several smaller variations, structure, many of the role-playing elements of storylines of Dark
though their effects are often minimal. previous Climax games are stripped back. There’s Savior are its
The game plays similarly to Landstalker, not much exploration or puzzle solving, and the greatest strength,
though the characters are 2D sprites that are much emphasis is mostly on straightforward isometric but its platforming
larger and more detailed than before, while the platforming. And despite the addition of 3D, challenges are a
backgrounds are 3D, and can be rotated slightly this is just as problematic as in Landstalker, huge hurdle.
to peek around the scenery. Unusually, combat is if not more so, since the difficulty level is much
presented as one-on-one battles like those in fighting more punishing. The result can often be quite
games, complete with best two-out-of-three matches, frustrating, though the unusual storytelling keeps
though still presented on an isometric plane. the game compelling.
Alundra
Developer: Matrix | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1
In 1994, some of the staff members of Climax and
Telenet splintered off to form Matrix Corporation,
with its first title being the 1997 action RPG
Alundra. This is basically a spiritual successor to
the earlier Landstalker, featuring the same elven-
looking hero, as well as artwork by Landstalker/
Shining Force illustrator Yoshitaka Tamaki.
The eponymous hero is a Dreamwalker, who sets
off to visit the town of Inoa, whose residents are
plagued with nightmares. While there is a Zelda-
like overworld in the lands that surround the town,
the dungeons are actually located in the dream
world of its denizens, so Alundra enters their
minds to destroy the evil within. difficulty level is much higher than in a typical In the absence of
The main difference from Landstalker is Zelda-type game. One particularly nasty puzzle, a proper sequel
that it ditches the isometric perspective for a more involving pushing several ice pillars around the to Landstalker,
typical overhead view, though the hero can still stage, is liable to give players nightmares of their Alundra is the
jump, so it retains its predecessor’s platforming own. Still, the removal of the isometric perspective closest we’ll get.
elements. However, in spite of its similarities, generally makes it more playable than Climax’s
it’s a much darker game, filled with various other games, and it’s certainly one of the better
character deaths and a fight against a demon Zelda-style action RPGs.
god. The Working Designs translation attempts Matrix also developed a sequel called
to introduce some levity via some goofy dialogue Alundra 2, though it’s a completely different (and
here and there, but it doesn’t really work. Plus, the much worse) game that shifts everything into 3D.
483
Beyond Oasis / Legend of Oasis
Developer: Ancient | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): GEN, SAT
Beyond Oasis (known as The Story of Thor in

Europe and Japan) is an action RPG with a heavy
emphasis on the action part. You control a warrior
named Ali as he explores a kingdom inspired
by ancient Persia, seeking a variety of elemental
spirits. The visuals are fantastic – they seem to have
been inspired by the Genesis Aladdin game, with
its lush, cartoon-like look and slick animation,
though the artistry isn’t at quite the same level.
The music is by Yuzo Koshiro – it’s like a rousing
orchestral movie soundtrack performed on the
Genesis synth, but it doesn’t really work in practice
and never feels appropriate for the action.
The game was developed by Ancient, Koshiro’s fighting is the main emphasis – there’s not much The fantastic
family company, who also worked on Streets of story, it’s very short, and while there are weapons visuals, unusual
Rage 2. The influence of beat-’em-ups is apparent, beyond Ali’s dagger, they’re almost all limited in use score, and fun
as there is a variety of moves Ali can perform (except for a few bonus weapons found in extra sub- fighting system
pummels and throws. Some are based on command quests). There are quests for gems that power up make this a unique
motions, as in fighting games, and unlike most your elemental friends, and you can increase your action RPG.
ARPG heroes, he can duck and jump. There are strength by grabbing hearts dropped by enemies,
also plenty of magic spells you can use with your but otherwise the RPG elements are pretty thin.
elemental companions. The perspective makes A sequel was released on the Saturn, called Legend
fighting a little awkward, but it’s fun once you get of Oasis, which simplifies the fighting but amps up
the hang of it. However, it really does feel like the the puzzle solving.
Crusader of Centy
Developer: Nex Entertainment | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): GEN
The look and feel of Crusader of Centy is very
obviously patterned after The Legend of Zelda: A
Link to the Past. However, its key gimmick is that
its hero, the young boy Corona, gains the ability to
talk to animals, who then lend him their powers.
(Conversely, he can no longer talk to humans.)
These animal abilities act like the items you would
get in a Zelda game in order to solve puzzles – you
can use them to freeze animals or run faster, and
many are built around your ability to throw your
sword like a boomerang. Two animals can travel
with you at a time, and some of their powers can
be combined to let you do things like drain HP
from monsters. Unlike in Zelda games, you can This game is known as Shin Souseiki The Genesis
jump, too. It’s a reasonably fun experience, though Ragnacenty (“New Genesis Ragnacenty”) in Japan didn’t get too
it really can’t match up to the better SNES action and Soleil in Europe. The game’s working title many Zelda-style
RPGs. It’s more action-y and less puzzle-heavy, was Shining Rogue, as it was meant to be an early games, and this
but there’s also not much to explore. There is no expansion of the “Shining” RPG label. However, it is certainly a
actual overworld, just a map that you use to travel was not developed by the same team as Shining good one.
between destinations, plus neither the story nor Force, but rather by a team called Nextech. They
the world are all that involving. But considering would later work on a number of other action
there were few games of its type on the Genesis – RPGs, including Linkle Liver Story (Saturn),
the only other similar title is Landstalker – it’s a Shining Soul (Game Boy Advance), and Shining
good enough substitute. Tears/Shining Wind (PlayStation 2).
484
Magic Knight Rayearth
Magic Knight Rayearth is a manga/anime

created by artistic group CLAMP about a trio of
teenage girls who are whisked away from their
everyday lives to save the world of Cephiro. The
game adapts the first act of the manga, though
there have been quite a few changes, so it’s a
good experience even if you’re familiar with the
material. SEGA created a few games based on
this licence, including this Saturn action RPG tie-
in. It’s quite a bit better than the typical anime
licence, especially since it was developed by some
of the same staff as Phantasy Star IV.
The game is a standard action RPG. You can
switch between the three heroines – Hikaru, Umi, Since the game was aimed as teenage girls, SEGA put a decent
and Fuu – each of whom has her own attack and the difficulty in the Japanese version is fairly effort into this early
magic abilities. You can also jump, somewhat low. However, seeing that the audience in North Saturn RPG, though
rare in games that use an overhead perspective. America would probably consist of slightly older localisation issues
The sprite-based visuals are gorgeous, showing geeks, Working Designs made the game much meant it didn’t see
off why the Saturn positioned itself as the king of harder for its release there. But as was common for American release
2D animation. It also faithfully adapts the source them, they really didn’t make it more challenging until the Saturn
material by having lots of cute super-deformed so much as more frustrating. It’s still a solid game, was already dead.
character portraits used during speeches. The game though as the last Saturn title published in North
plays well, though the controls are a little slippery America, more than three years after its Japanese
and the short range of the attacks is annoying. release, it has become incredibly expensive.
Linkle Liver Story

Developer: Nex Entertainment | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT
Linkle Liver Story (which should probably be
something like “Wrinkle River Story” or something
to that effect) takes place on the lush world of
Mamouna, which is inhabited by various races
of anthropomorphic creatures. Their peace is
disturbed by encroaching evil, so the foxgirl Kitsch
rises to the occasion to defend her planet.
Developed by Nextech, the game is the
successor to Crusader of Centy on the Genesis.
Being mostly 2D, it’s a little like Magic Knight
Rayearth – the backgrounds aren’t quite as
detailed, but the sprites are beautifully animated,
with lots of nice little touches, like the way the
heroine’s tail flutters in the wind when she runs. weapon – swords, hammers, boomerangs, and so Another early action
Kitsch can jump, tumble, and dash around the forth – each with one of four elemental attributes, RPG from SEGA
landscapes, and she’s fun to control, more so than which can be further modified by the effects of that was passed
the hero of Shining Wisdom, which features a the four seasons. While Kitsch does not level up over for localisation,
similar gimmick. She’s also joined by Puchimuku, directly, her weapons do so instead. probably because it
a cute little spore who can be tossed as a weapon The adventure is a little easy and it’s looks too cutesy.
and has an assortment of magical abilities. not terribly long, and like Crusader of Centy,
Additionally, Mamouna is so peaceful that it forgoes an actual world map in favour of an area
they don’t even sell weapons. Instead, you cultivate select screen. Still, the bright visuals, charming
them by planting seeds found throughout the characters, and weapon crafting flexibility make
game world. There are seven different types of for an amusing journey.
485
Brave Prove
Developer: Data West | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
In Brave Prove, you play as a young man named

Ars, one of a group of mountain bandits called
the Wild Fangs. They discover the location of a
mysterious artefact that may save the world, called
the Black Crystal. The chief’s daughter (and Ars’
girlfriend) Sheena is sent to retrieve it, but things
obviously don’t go quite as planned, leading to
a much grander adventure. The game feels a lot
like Ancient’s Genesis game Beyond Oasis – Ars
is quite speedy and there are a number of sword
combos you can execute, plus you’re joined by
various elementals to provide you with magic.
Data West (not to be confused with the more
prolific Data East) was a pretty small company – bomb to uncover hidden openings. While some By 1998, games
they primarily made PC adventure games, but also simple puzzles break up the tedium, most of like Brave Prove
the shoot-’em-up series Rayxanber – and that the time is just spent running through endless were going out of
low-budget aesthetic is reflected in Brave Prove. identical-looking caverns, beating up the same style, and it’s not
The visuals are entirely 2D and look quite plain, handful of enemies. These bad guys are rarely a really as beefy or
worse than Beyond Oasis, which was a game challenge but certainly are hit sponges, unless as well-designed
from a whole generation back, and the music is you’ve grinded up your experience levels or as competitors
pretty generic too. The game’s biggest issue is obtained enough gold to get better weapons. like Alundra.
that the dungeons are just way too large, and even The action feels fun, at least, and fans of this type
the ones that aren’t are unnecessarily winding. of game will find an acceptable if not particularly
It’s also easy to miss areas that you might need to outstanding experience.
Bealphareth
Developer: Sony | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1
Bealphareth takes place in a dark, medieval
time, in the town of Callus Bastide, which is
ungoverned and lawless. Built on top of a series
of underground ruins, its depths are said to hold
a stone that can grant immortality, so it attracts
people of all kinds – treasure seekers, scholars,
and criminals. As a newcomer to the city, you can
create a character, selecting gender, birthplace,
weapon type and the purpose of your visit to the
city – then you meet with fellow adventurers, form
parties, and hunt for treasure.
The game is presented from an isometric
perspective, which makes it rather difficult to
control. Though you only control one character Bealphareth would be a rather standard Bealphareth’s
at a time when dungeon crawling, you can switch dungeon crawler, except for the relationships you humble origins,
to another with a command. Each has their own can develop with your partners. There are 13 in boring cover and
weapon, as well as a variety of traps that can be total, and the endings reflect the bonds developed, simple visuals
set to spring on foes. If you attack enemies with incorporating romance where these involve opposite aren’t really
combo chains, then you can increase the amount sexes. The plot itself isn’t all that involving, but indicative of the
of gold obtained. Time also passes when you’re there’s a lot of interesting backstory, as each of the care the developers
adventuring, which influences various events. The other adventurers has their own motive. The game put into this
visuals are stark, though the character designs was developed as part of the Game Yarouze! design dungeon crawler.
are by Koya Katsuyoshi, the artist for the SFC Fire contest by Sony, and while it does feel low budget,
Emblem games. you can feel the amount of care put in by the staff.
486
Record of Lodoss War
Developer: Neverland | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): DC
There have been a handful of Lodoss War games

in the past, including some PC games from
HummingBird Soft and an SRPG for the Mega
CD by Kogado. The Dreamcast version, subtitled
Advent of Cardice in Japan and developed by
Neverland (Lufia, Energy Breaker) is, basically,
a Diablo clone. You control a warrior who has
been resurrected and is set off on an adventure
to defeat the dark dog of destruction. You hack,
you slash, you chug curaive potions, you loot, and
then equip that loot on your hero. The levels are
not randomly generated but the item drops are.
At a certain point, you can find runes and have
them engraved to strengthen your weapons. to join your adventure for a bit. The game does Record of Lodoss
However, it’s stripped back Diablo in a number work nicely with the controller though, and since War is surely an
of ways – you can’t pick a character class, and it’s the only type of game available at the time was unusual property to
only single player, though at times you are joined the somewhat janky PlayStation port of Diablo, turn into a Diablo
by computer-controlled partners. This feels like this actually is a reasonable alternative. Someone clone, but that
a missed opportunity, especially seeing how the at Neverland must’ve enjoyed this type of action appears to have been
Dreamcast had online capabilities. RPG though, since it was used as the basis for the the wheelhouse of
At the outset the game barely seems related developer’s next few games, Shining Force Neo and developer Neverland.
to the Record of Lodoss War licence, seemingly Shining Force EXA for the PlayStation 2, though
more like dark generic Western fantasy, though these both have brighter visuals more in line with
familiar faces like Parn and Deedlit do show up typical Japanese RPGs.
Boktai (series)
Developer: Konami | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): GBA, DS
Boktai is a contraction of the Japanese title
Bokura no Taiyou (“Our Sun”), and is an innovative
action-adventure game from Konami. You control
Solar Boy Django, a vampire hunter who tracks
down undead baddies, equipped with his Gun
del Sol. The design was drafted by Hideo Kojima,
though the games were actually directed by Ikuya
Nakamura, an artist on the team. Viewed from an
isometric perspective, they inherit their emphasis
on stealth from the Metal Gear Solid games; you’ll
often need to sneak past or surprise bad guys to
attack them effectively.
The unique gimmick of the game is the solar
sensor installed in the cartridge, which measures even though the story is aimed towards kids. The sun sensor put
real-world sunlight levels. This is used to recharge The second Boktai introduces RPG elements, into the Boktai
Django’s gun, plus it’s required to use the Pile including experience points, upgradeable stats, cartridges was an
Driver move that’s used to actually kill vampires. and a larger number of weapons, as well as magic. interesting idea, but
There’s also an in-game clock that affects events The third game continues this trend, though sunlight also made
and other things based on the time of day. It’s an it remained unreleased in English, despite a it impossible to see
interesting idea, except that the game is extremely crossover with the Mega Man Battle Network the screen on the
difficult to see on the screen when you play it games. Konami elected to soft-reboot the series original Game Boy
outside, so it’s ultimately self-defeating. In spite for the DS with Lunar Knights, which gets rid Advance, making it
of that somewhat major failing, the anime/Wild of the solar sensor and replaces it with in-game very hard to play.
West/vampire-slaying mash-up is pretty cool, weather effects.
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Relics
Developer: Bothtec | Released: 1999 | Platform(s):WIN
Before becoming Quest and merging with

Squaresoft, Bothtec’s biggest success, an obscure
side-scrolling adventure from 1986 called Relics,
was as mysterious then as it is bizarre today.
When ex-Quest staffers reformed Bothtec in the
late ’90s, a new Relics for Windows-era players
seemed logical.
The Recur of Origin opens similarly to
its predecessor: you awaken in unknown ruins,
merely a spectre of your former self, exploring
without really understanding why. You’re aware,
however, that other factions are here to investigate
the ruins, from crimson MARX soldiers to brutish,
sentient wildlife. Eventually, you become able to
possess the bodies of others, tying your life force Diablo and contemporary Korean RPGs without A revival of an
to them in exchange for actions and identities. mimicking them, making it accessible to both unusual mid-’80s
As both a remake and sequel, The Recur previous Relics players and Windows-era adopters. PC title, Relics
of Origin revives the original’s evasive story and The alluring alien world of Relics proved keeps its body-
Giger-esque aesthetics, adding much-needed successful enough for the new Bothtec to produce swapping gimmick
polish and complexity to its plot and systems. two sequels: 2nd Birth and Rinne. Around and adds in RPG
Each playthrough offers multiple story branches, 2005, Bothtec’s legal battles over their Legend elements and
and many skills to learn from your victims, of the Galactic Heroes wargames forced their dungeon crawling.
culminating in complex, story-driven real-time closure, leaving Rinne’s development to Falcom,
dungeon crawling. It pulls from influences like the developer of the Ys series.
Okami
Developer: Capcom/Clover Studios | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PS4, WII, NSW, WIN
Despite the massive popularity of The Legend of
Zelda: The Ocarina of Time, very few other games
followed its template. One of the exceptions is
Okami, developed by Clover Studios, a subsidiary
of Capcom that eventually broke off and formed
PlatinumGames. It was influenced by Japanese
folklore and mythology, you play as the sun
goddess Amaterasu, who has taken on the form
of a wolf, to fight against the encroaching Yami
(Japanese for “darkness”), who has resurrected
the demon Orochi.
Amaterasu wields a handful of weapons, Okami uses an absolutely gorgeous The Legend of Zelda:
including a Reflector (a flaming shield), a cel-shaded art style that looks like Japanese Twilight Princess
Rosary (a necklace of beads), and Glaives (a set sumi-e artwork in motion; it was impressive on also featured a wolf
of swords). She also wields the Celestial Brush, the PS2 and is even better in the many subsequent form, but ultimately
which is an innovative way of using skills and HD re-releases. The soundtrack, using many Okami was the
weapons – at almost any point, you can pause classical Japanese instruments, is also incredible. better experience.
the action and use a calligraphy brush to draw The only real issue is its pacing, as cutscenes drag on,
different symbols with various effects (drawing especially the jabbering of Amaterasu’s miniature
a bomb will drop a bomb, drawing a circle will buddy Issun. The game is also divided up into three
summon the sun, and so forth). By completing massive chapters, each of which could have been
sub-quests and nurturing both flora and fauna, an independent release, so it’s easy to burn out on.
you gain Praise points, which can be used to But otherwise, in most respects it’s better than
upgrade various abilities. most of the 3D Zelda games that inspired it.
488
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale
Developer: EasyGameStation | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): WIN
For quite a long time, the Japanese doujin software

scene consisted of amateur developers trading and
selling games at conventions or speciality stores.
EasyGameStation made a name for itself with
its high-quality titles, a few of which were based
on other video games (like Duo Princess, from
Square’s PS1 game Threads of Fate, and Gunner’s
Heart, from Atlus’ sky action game SkyGunner)
but grew to develop original properties, like the
action RPG Chantelise. The growing popularity of
the Steam digital distribution platform allowed for
these previously Japan-only titles to be more easily
distributed internationally. Recettear was one of
the first of these, released in English in 2010. Not
only was it fairly popular, but it proved there was can use the equipment for themselves, or Recette Recettear was
demand for JRPGs in the computer gaming sphere, can sell the spoils for profit. You also spend your one of the early
and also paved the way for more doujin games. time dealing with the nitty gritty of running the Japanese indie
The game is like Torneko’s chapter from shop, like merchandising your wares and haggling games to see
Dragon Quest IV, expanded into a whole game. with customers. It’s fun and rewarding to see your international
A young girl, Recette, opens a shop to help pay cash grow – “Capitalism Ho!” is the game’s motto success, thanks to
off her father’s debts, with the main source of – at least until it’s drained by paying off your debt. its novel simulation
goods being a series of ruins lying outside of town. Combined with the cutesy graphics and amusing and action RPG
Playing as her hired adventurers, you hack and localisation courtesy of Carpe Fulgur, it’s easy to elements, involving
slash through these dungeons, and the adventurer see why this unique game took off the way it did. running a store.
3D Dot Game Heroes

Developer: Silicon Studio | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): PS3
FromSoftware defined itself with action RPGs, first
in its early years with niche titles like King’s Field,
and then later on with more hardcore games like
Dark Souls. In 2009, it published 3D Dot Game
Heroes, developed by Silicon Studio, a technology
developer mostly new to gaming, and this was
released in between From’s larger titles, positioned
more on the casual end of the spectrum.
Everything in the game – characters, backgrounds,
weapons – is modelled with voxels, which are 3D
pixels, giving everything a very boxy look. Bad guys there’s a wider variety of weapons (including some 3D Dot Game
even explode into their core building blocks when comically large swords), and there’s a meter that Heroes is very
defeated. The game itself is largely patterned after powers your magic, rather than its use depleting consciously a
the original The Legend of Zelda, so you explore your gold. But otherwise, it’s a little too simple clone of the
an overworld and hunt through several dungeons to carry itself beyond its initial novelty. There are original NES
while solving simple puzzles. However, it also has other issues too – the visual style is nice but the Zelda, done in
some Dragon Quest influence, particularly in the default camera is zoomed very close up, with a a deliberately
way that the characters look and move. Plus there heavy depth-of-field effect that badly blurs the retro visual style
is a custom character creator, which you can even screen. You can change to a more traditional using voxels.
share with other players. overhead camera, which mostly fixes the issue. 3D
However, the game leans heavily into nostalgia Dot Game Heroes is a neat title just because there
to carry itself. The actual design is only slightly really wasn’t anything like it at the time, and on its
more advanced than the original NES Zelda’s – own terms it’s both funny and enjoyable, but it’s
there are a few character classes you can pick from, more worthwhile to stick with the actual classics.
489
Pandora’s Tower
Developer: Ganbarion | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): WII
Pandora’s Tower focuses on a young couple,

a man named Aeron and a woman named Elena.
Elena has been struck with a curse that will cause
her to become a raving demon; the only potential
cure involves exploring the Thirteen Towers,
a massive fortress. Aeron sets off with her, and
hunts through the many areas of the Towers,
bringing back the flesh of the enemies he kills,
which will slow the transformation and allow Elena
to keep her humanity for a little while longer.
Pandora’s Tower is one of the three mind, but you can use a classic controller as well. This late Wii release
Operation Rainfall games, but it doesn’t have The game is divided into stages, between which is more action than
quite the following of Xenoblade Chronicles, you can visit the observatory, where you can purchase RPG, but may still
for a few reasons: the developer, Ganbarion, was items and upgrade equipment. You can also chat appeal to fans of
previously known only for assorted anime-based with Elena, and beyond delivering her monster flesh, both types.
licensed games, and also probably because it’s only you can also give her gifts, which she will either wear
barely an RPG. Instead, it’s really more focused on or use to decorate the area. The relationship between
action – a hardcore dungeon crawler, this ain’t. Aeron and Elena is at the centre of the game, though
Thankfully, the exploration and fighting is pretty it’s under-developed since Aeron is a bland stand-
fun, largely thanks to the chain wielded by Aeron. in for the player. There’s a lot of backstory, but not
You can flail it around, you can bind enemies much in the game itself, and the adventure does get
together so they can be attacked simultaneously, repetitive. It’s got some good bits though – the bad
and you can rip armour and equipment off of ending, where Elena turns into a demon, eats Aeron,
enemies. It was developed with the Wii Remote in and then conquers the kingdom, is pretty cool.
Cladun
Developer: System Prisma | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PSP, PSV, PS4, WIN
Cladun (short for Classic Dungeon, as it’s known
in its Japanese release) is a retro-styled trilogy of
dungeon crawlers published by Nippon Ichi. It’s
fairly typical of the genre – explore area, kill bad
guys, collect loot, and find exit – but contains
some unique elements that make it as good as
Nippon Ichi’s other titles. Unlike other dungeon
crawlers, there’s a big focus on action and reflexes
– no mindless hacking and slashing here. There are
no items, and therefore no curatives, but instead
the dungeons are littered with visible traps, some
of which can heal you. Alternatively, you can also provides stat boosts and other benefits to the main The “create your
trigger these traps, get out of the way, and use character. There are several pre-made dungeons own character”
them to attack your enemies. that advance the (rather threadbare) story, plus function lies at
The biggest draw is the huge amount of a randomly-generated dungeon with 99 floors. the centre of
customisation – you pick your character design It’s decent as a portable time-waster, and the Cladun’s appeal.
from a number of set sprites, but can also edit them soundtrack is fantastic.
down to the individual pixels. There are several The first two games were released for the PSP,
character classes, with the ability to switch (while with the sequel, Cladun x2, receiving a Windows
retaining some skills) when you reach a certain port. A third game, Cladun Returns: This Is
level. You can also create multiple heroes, which Sengoku!, hit the PlayStation 4 and Vita. There’s
you can swap out in between levels. Although also a related title from developer Studio Prisma,
you only control one character at time, secondary called Legasista, for the PlayStation 3, which plays
characters can be added to a Magic Circle, which similarly, though it lacks the chunky pixel aesthetic.
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Lapis x Labyrinth
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2019 | Platform(s): NSW, PS4
The setup of Lapis x Labyrinth, a side-scrolling

action RPG from Nippon Ichi, harks back to the
oldest of RPG tropes – you control a group of
adventurers who make their base in a town,
and explore the dungeons that lie beneath it to
hunt for treasure. You create your band from
eight mega-cutesy character classes – Hunter,
Necromancer, Shielder, Maid, Gunner, Witch,
Destroyer, and Bishop – and can customise a few
aspects, like their hair colour. Four at a time can
venture into the labyrinth, though they’re actually
stacked on top of each other. The game calls hit the Fever mode, in which the whole screen The RPG elements
this the Dango system, as the super-deformed lights up like a slot machine jackpot, and hitting are rather simple,
characters resemble ball-like “dango” dumplings. enemies or certain blocks will cause jewels to come but the explosive,
The one at the bottom is the leader, who does all exploding out everywhere. At the end of each exuberant nature of
of the attacking. Each dumpling, er, character can stage, it compiles the loot you’ve found, which lets Lapis x Labyrinth
jump off another’s head, effectively allowing you you tweak the stats of your team. keeps it exciting in
to quadruple jump. It’s pretty shallow – there’s tons of equipment small doses.
The dungeons are all pretty short – they’re to find and numbers to tweak, but it doesn’t feel
meant to be beaten in less than five minutes – and like it matters much because the core of the game
there are arrows that helpfully point you in the is very button-mashy. But super-hyper sensory
right direction. Defeated enemies spill coloured overload hits the same dopamine triggers as Las
gems, which make pleasant sounds as your team Vegas does, without the threat of losing money.
sucks them all up. But the real treat is when you It’s repetitive, but in short bursts, it’s great.
Crystar
Developer: Gemdrops | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): PS4, WIN
In Gemdrops’ Crystar, you control a girl named
Rei, who’s fighting through the layers of purgatory
to rescue the soul of her little sister Mirai. The story
is full of such tragedies, as the heroine essentially
makes a deal with the devil to find her loved ones,
while blaming herself for her sister’s misfortune.
Along the way, you meet other tormented souls,
some friendly, some not, each with their own
burdens. The gloomy scenario was written by
Naoki Hisaya, known for the tear-jerking visual
novel Kanon. The character artwork is by Riuchi,
who hasn’t worked on any other game of note, but For as thematically heavy as Crystar is, it’s “Sad girls in the
it’s easily the strongest aspect of Crystar. actually a fairly straightforward action-based afterlife” is the
The game has an almost depressively gloomy dungeon crawler. The abstract environments, with theme of this
story. It also takes the “cry” portion of the title quite buildings floating atop coloured skies, are pretty, dungeon crawler.
literally, as your powerful Guardian companion is but since the layouts are randomly generated,
strengthened by your tears, and there’s a button they’re fairly repetitive by design. The combat is
openly dedicated to sobbing, which will leave you satisfying, with a variety of combos and special
vulnerable while you power yourself up. Enemies moves, as well as multiple playable girls, but it’s
also drop Memoirs of the Dead, which can be also too basic to really stay interesting for the
purified and equipped as stat bonuses. Between many hours the game demands. Whether the
levels, where you can tune up your characters, the melodramatic story proves worthwhile depends on
sole consolation is petting your fluffy dog, who is how much you dig sad girls in fantastical Gothic
indeed a good boy. Lolita outfits beating up lots of bad guys.
491
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Strategy
RPGs
Board games, going back at least as far as checkers 1990. What separates a mere “strategy” game
or chess, were the earliest strategy games. These from a “strategy RPG”? After all, RPGs are all
eventually evolved into military-themed war- about numbers, and with strategy computer
games, and these led to first computer strategy games basically just simulating dice rolls, what’s
games. From a Western perspective, many of these really the difference? As with every definition,
came from Strategic Simulations Inc., with releases it depends on who you ask, but generally, the
like 1980’s Computer Bismarck, though other biggest differentiation is story. Is there an
companies also specialised in them, like Avalon overarching narrative? Are the characters you
Hill, which also published board games. The genre command faceless warriors or do they have
really found its form in the ’90s, with titles like defined names with personalities and roles in
Microprose’s Civilization, Mythos’ X-Com: UFO the story? And perhaps as importantly, do they
Defense, SSI’s Panzer General, and Westwood’s develop over the course of the game, increasing
Dune II. In Japan, there were two establishing in strength and gaining new abilities? These are
computer titles in the genre – Koei’s 1983 game the elements that separate Fire Emblem from its
Nobunaga’s Ambition (which eventually led earlier sibling, Famicom Wars, otherwise fairly
to their more famous Romance of the Three similar games.
Kingdoms series) and SystemSoft’s 1985 release Entire books can be written on the strategy-
Daisenryaku (“Great Strategy”). While Koei’s series RPG genre, so the following section is more of an
continued for decades, it was really the latter that overview of the bigger and more interesting series.
helped formulate the wider genre. SystemSoft Important titles include Quest’s Tactics Ogre (and
continued with a fantasy version of Daisenryaku its successor, Final Fantasy Tactics), Square’s
called Master of Monsters, and there were a few Front Mission, SEGA’s Shining Force, Sakura
other similar games, like NCS’ Elthlead, Gaia no Wars, and Valkyria Chronicles, NCS/Masaya’s
Monshou (“The Crest of Gaia”), and Guyframe/ Langrisser, Atlus’ Growlanser and Devil Survivor,
Gaiflame, all initially released for PC platforms in and Nippon Ichi’s Disgaea. Compared to standard
the late ’80s. RPGs, the emphasis is more on combat than
One particular branch, arguably the most narrative so their stories (with some exceptions)
popular in Japan, is the strategy RPG. The game generally aren’t as focused, and the mechanics
which most strongly defines this is Nintendo/ rarely change much entry by entry, so they don’t
Intelligent Systems’ Fire Emblem, released in need to be examined in detail.
Tactics Ogre and

its spiritual sequel,
Final Fantasy
Tactics, set the
template for many
strategy RPGs
through the ’90s
and 2000s.
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Fire Emblem (series)
Developer: Intelligent Systems | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, GC, GBA, WII, DS, 3DS, NSW
Intelligent Systems is the part of Nintendo that

developed many of its early NES titles. One of its
original titles was Famicom Wars, released in
1988, an attempt to make hardcore PC strategy
sims more palatable to a wider audience. The basic
concept was refined, and given stronger story and
RPG elements, resulting in the 1990 release of Fire
Emblem: Ankoku Ryuu to Hikari no Ken for the
Famicom. The story and characters were created
by Shouzou Kaga, who helmed the series until his
departure after the Super Famicom era.
There are 16 entries in the Fire Emblem series, immediate game over, though other plot-carrying The fourth Fire
and keeping track of them is a little confusing. characters can still be killed, and the story will go Emblem game,
None of them are officially numbered, but many on, providing the player allows it. It is possible to Seisen no Keifu,
are referred to using numerals by the fanbase. suffer huge losses in the early part of a game and pictured on
Some of these are true sequel sequences, sharing then be overwhelmed by enemy forces later on, this page, is the
characters and plot elements; others are remakes though new characters join constantly throughout defining entry of
of earlier games, even though they are given new the story, replacing fallen units if needed, or sitting the series. Yet it
numbers. The series remained Japan-only until on the bench otherwise. Later games in the series hasn’t seen official
the seventh entry (on the Game Boy Advance), offer a Casual mode that removes permadeath, English release.
subtitled Rekka no Ken in Japan, but released and fallen units will simply retreat, then appear
simply as Fire Emblem elsewhere. The series has unharmed in subsequent levels.
seen ebbs and flows in terms of popularity over the There are several other unit types, including
years, but became an international phenomenon heavily armed units that can take a walloping but
thanks to Fire Emblem Awakening (the 13th entry) move very slowly; cavalry, which can cover large
for the 3DS in 2012. areas very quickly; healers, who can’t do much
As you’d expect for a series that’s been damage but are essential to aid other units; and
around for three decades, there have been archers, who can attack from a distance. Many
numerous changes over the years, but many games also use a rock-paper-scissors-style weapon
elements can be seen in most or nearly all of triangle, giving certain types of combatant
the games in the series. They all involve medieval strengths and weaknesses – sword beats axe, axe
fantasy worlds, filled with political strife, and have beats lance, and lance beats sword. There are other
mythical creatures like dragons and pegasi. One of strengths and weaknesses too, depending on the
their defining elements is permadeath – that is, if unit types – for example, pegasi have enormous
a character is killed in battle, there is no way to range and can fly over difficult terrain like
resurrect them, and they are dead for the rest of mountains, but they can be easily disposed of by
the game, unless you reset, restarting that level. an archer. Magic types also have their own affinity
Obviously, for protagonists, dying will mean an triangles in certain games.
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There’s a little more to the levels than just you can also fight, increasing your characters’ The original Fire
straight combat, as there are often towns to be levels, as much as you want, which you couldn’t Emblem for the
visited, where you can obtain information or do in the previous game. For a long time, it was Famicom wasn’t
items, or treasure chests to search out. Shopping considered a bastard child of the series, since many exactly a looker,
depends on the particular entry, not all of them subsequent entries tossed away these changes, but and perhaps this
have shops between levels, but if they do, you more recent entries have brought some of them contributed to
may need to stop at these to replenish supplies. back, and this second game was even completely Nintendo’s decision
Weapons and spell books break after a certain remade for the 3DS under the title Fire Emblem not to localise it.
number of uses, and will need to be replaced lest a Echoes: Shadows of Valentia, so it retroactively However, it received
unit find itself defenceless. feels a little less weird. a late English
Units gain experience by fighting enemies, The third entry, Monshou no Nazo (“Mystery localisation in
with the greatest amount of points awarded for of the Emblem”) saw the series move to the Super 2020 on the Switch.
delivering the killing blow. The scenarios have Famicom and continues the adventures of Marth
a tendency to give you at least one powerful and crew. In addition to this new scenario, it also
character who can technically dispatch opponents includes a series of missions that are basically a
with ease, but due to their high level, they won’t remake of the first game, using the upgraded
advance very much, and they essentially rob other visuals and mechanics of this title. Due to ROM
characters of that necessary growth, so you can’t space limitation, some missions and characters
over-utilise them. Stats are increased randomly have been cut, but it’s good enough that you can
upon levelling up, so characters develop differently play and understand it without having to revisit
each time you play. There are level caps, though the Famicom game.
there are ways to promote or change characters The fourth game, Seisen no Keifu (“Genealogy
into different classes, usually by obtaining and of the Holy War”) gave another substantial
using a particular item. shakeup to the series. It stars a new character,
The initial game on the Famicom, Ankoku named Sigurd, descendent of a hero who defeated
Ryuu to Hikari no Ken (“The Shadow Dragon and evil long ago, and heir to the holy blade Tyrfing.
Blade of Light”) stars a young blue-haired man The game also introduces the aforementioned
named Marth, the exiled prince of Altea, who must weapons triangle used in most of the later entries.
fight to take back his kingdom and defeat the evil The level structure has changed too – the first and
dragon Medeus. Being the initial entry, on an 8-bit third games each had about 30 missions, while this
platform, it is pretty rough – the UI, in particular, game cuts that number down to ten, but makes
is difficult because it does not highlight your each level much longer. Since battles are longer,
units’ movement ranges, so you need to feel it out you can save your progress at the beginning of
by moving the cursor. Though the fight sequences each turn. Previous games let units talk on the
aren’t long, there’s no way to skip them either. The battlefield, but here, you can develop relationships
story has a level of complexity similar to that of between the male and female characters, and
other RPGs of the time, but it’s mostly relegated to potentially have them fall in love. About halfway
mid-mission text, and characterisation is sparse. through the game, tragedy hits your team, and the
The sequel, Fire Emblem Gaiden, suffers game skips forward. A new generation of grown
from some of the second instalment weirdness children continues the battle that their parents
that affected other franchises of the day (e.g. could not win.
Castlevania II: Simon’s Quest, Zelda II: The The fifth game, Thracia 776, is a side story
Adventure of Link). It stars two characters, focusing on Prince Leif, one of the characters
a man named Alm and a woman named Celica, from the second generation of the previous
who fight on the continent of Valentia, and game. The levels here are shorter and more
the chapters alternate views between the two. focused, like those of the older games, and
Unlike its predecessor, in which progress was the romance options have gone, but the game
straightforward, this entry has more RPG elements, is much more difficult. In addition to health,
including an overworld map, and dungeons and you also need to manage each character’s
towns to explore. Due to the recurring enemies, stamina, lest they become too weak to fight.
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This game was originally released for the Nintendo The series then returned to consoles with The first Fire
Power cartridge download system, before seeing Path of Radiance for the GameCube, focusing Emblem game to
a retail release. It was the last game worked on by on the mercenary Ike. The visuals are all rendered make it overseas is
series creator Shouzou Kaga before he left Nintendo. polygons, though rather unimpressive, and the the one pictured on
The series then moved to the Game Boy music quality has improved. The biggest change this page, technically
Advance, with Fuuin no Tsurugi (“The Binding to the game is the inclusion of beast-like creatures the seventh in the
Blade”), focusing on the red-haired hero Roy. called Lethe, which can transform in battle. series, for the Game
It’s similar to Thracia 776, though it removes the The direct sequel, Radiant Dawn, appeared on Boy Advance. Thank
unpopular stamina system, and the game isn’t the Wii. The story initially focused on the white- Super Smash Bros.
quite as difficult. The visuals are also brighter, haired maiden Micaiah, before eventually joining Melee for that.
to compensate for the portable console’s small up with Ike and crew. This entry was also made for
screen. You can suspend progress in battle, but series veterans, as the difficulty level is quite high.
re-loading wipes that out, so you can’t save scum. The international released toned things down a
On its own, this entry is only middling, but it’s rather bit, and even added the ability to save progress
important, since it indirectly sparked international mid-battle.
interest in the series. Roy appeared with Marth The next two entries went to the DS, and both
in Super Smash Bros. Melee on the GameCube, are remakes of earlier games. Shadow Dragon is
leaving English-speaking fans wondering who a retelling of the first game, finally introducing
these red- and blue-haired swordsmen were. English-speaking gamers to Marth and crew. The
Inspired by that curiosity, Nintendo began mechanics are all updated to match the newer
localising Fire Emblem games thereafter. games (including the weapon triangle) and a few
The next game, Rekka no Ken (“Blazing prologue chapters have been added. There are also
Sword”), known as just Fire Emblem without new characters, though they only exist to replace
any subtitles in English, is both a prequel to the fallen ones. However, the game is quite ugly, with
previous game, and an introduction for new players. a dull colour palette and terrible-looking CG-
The first several chapters put you in the role of an rendered sprites. Some artwork was provided by
unseen commander, with a long tutorial given by Masamune Shirow (Ghost in the Shell), though this
a noblewoman named Lyn. After this prologue, the is not used in-game. The follow-up, Shin Monshou
story shifts to focus on Eliwood, Roy’s father. The no Nazo (“New Mystery of the Emblem”) is a
game is similar to its direct predecessor, though remake of the third game (the first Super Famicom
with lower difficulty. entry, continuing the story of Marth) and was not
The final Game Boy Advance game is Fire released outside of Japan. It does introduce a few Fire Emblem
Emblem: The Sacred Stones, which moves away elements continued in later games, like the Casual Awakening
from the story of Roy and Eliwood, and instead Mode that gets rid of permadeath, and the My rejuvenated the
focuses on twins named Eirika and Ephraim. This Unit user-created character, who has several new series, largely
entry borrows some elements from Fire Emblem chapters devoted to them. because the player
Gaiden, including the dual perspectives of the The DS games were not particularly popular, could pair up their
heroes, and the ability to travel around on a world but Nintendo gave it another go on the 3DS with favourite warriors
map, and with that, the ability to fight and grind at Awakening. Again, the hero is technically the and have them make
your leisure. user-created avatar My Unit (default name: Robin), a (full-grown) kid.
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but the protagonist is actually Chrom, the has been greatly expanded and the supporting cast
descendent of Marth. In addition to the return greatly fleshed out, with much more voice acting.
of Casual Mode, you can again venture around While its mission design feels dated, anyone who
a map to play non-story battles. The polygonal was put off by the modern Fire Emblem games will
visuals are nicer than on the GameCube, despite probably like this one.
the lower resolution. The series then moved to the Switch, with
Probably the biggest reason for the game’s Three Houses. Taking a note from Persona and
success was the return of relationship building, Trails of Cold Steel, it mostly takes place in a
last seen in Seisen no Keifu. While there’s no time- school setting, here a war academy. Rather than
skipping here, magical shenanigans enables the being a student, though, you’re a teacher, and can
children of the married couples to time-travel to choose how to spend your time around campus,
the current era and join their parents. There’s also attending activities or hanging out with students.
quite a bit of DLC that references past games. As the title suggests, there are three houses to
With the series revived, the Fire Emblem choose from, each with its own students, and a
team moved onto more ambitious projects with fourth house obtainable as DLC. Since relationship
Fire Emblem Fates. Focusing on a young prince/ building is the focus of the game, more emphasis
princess (another player avatar, default name is placed on the characters here than in most other
Corrin), who must choose which kingdom to fight entries. The story also includes a time skip, so you
for, Nohr or Hoshido. There are technically three can see how your classmates develop. Due to the
different scenarios, with two retail releases, the social elements, the battles aren’t quite as difficult,
idea being that you’d buy one of them, and then though some added features include Battalions,
purchase the remaining two as DLC. This sort of or hired mercenaries that fight alongside your
recalls the multiple scenarios of SEGA/Camelot’s characters. The weapon triangle was also ditched
Shining Force III, but the execution here is rather in favour of other weapon strengths-weaknesses.
poor. The writers were clearly stretched too thin, As usual with these long-running series,
and while Fire Emblem games aren’t really known there’s no real “best” entry, with most favourites
for their plots, here they’re worse than usual. In coming down to preference. Seisen no Keifu is
particular, Hoshido are obviously the good guys, best of the classic 16-bit games, Path of Radiance
while the Nohr are the bad guys, without much in is generally regarded as the strongest of the
the way of shades of grey. following generation, and Three Houses is the
The game itself is generally an improvement preferred game out of the more gentle, modern
over Awakening, with a castle that you can entries. The series has shown no evidence of
customise. The weapon “triangle” has been stopping, especially as Nintendo continues to add
expanded to include different types of weapons, new characters to the Super Smash Bros. games.
and they no longer break either. Players can also While not officially part of the series, it’s also
bring chosen characters back to their private well worth looking into the Tearring Saga games,
quarters for meetings. The Japanese version gave the titles created by Shouzou Kaga after leaving
close-ups on their faces, which you could touch Intelligent Systems and forming his own company,
with the stylus, something so weird and alienating Tirananog. The first entry, released in 2001 for
it was removed from the English versions. the PlayStation, has almost identical gameplay,
The final 3DS game, Shadows of Valentia, is the same interface, and even the same character
a remake of the second title, Fire Emblem Gaiden, artist. It’s styled after Fire Emblem Gaiden, with Three Houses
focusing on the heroes Alm and Celica. This being its two heroes commanding different armies, and features character
a throwback, it’s missing the romance elements a map screen to follow. Its original name was also artwork by Chinatsu
and the avatar characters of the other 3DS games. Emblem Saga; that was such a huge rip-off that Kurahana, known
While the DS remakes retroactively added some they were actually sued by Nintendo, and while for her work on Uta
more modern Fire Emblem mechanics, this publisher Enterbrain was ordered to pay damages, no Prince-sama, a
one really doesn’t, as it doesn’t use the weapon game sales were permitted to continue. In other multimedia franchise
triangle. It keeps some of its more unique traits words, it may as well be considered part of the focusing on a boy
(like archers being able to attack at close range) as series due to its lineage. Its sequel, Berwick Saga idol band. It’s quite a
well as the dungeon crawling. Due to the reliance for the PlayStation 2, changes this system so it bit more stylish than
on random variables, there’s a Turnwheel that, feels less like a clone, including a switch from that of other games
within limits, can be used to reverse time. The plot square to hexagonal tiles. in the series.
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Shining Force (series)
Developer: Sonic! Software/Camelot | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): GEN, SCD, GG, SAT, GBA
Nintendo/Intelligent System’s Fire Emblem was the

pre-eminent strategy RPG, but the cumbersome
interface, high difficulty, and political storylines
meant that it was really reserved for a hardcore
audience. SEGA’s Shining Force was a counterpoint
to this, being a very similar type of game but
created to be more approachable, in a number of
ways. It was doubly important for Western gamers
since, unlike Nintendo with Fire Emblem, SEGA
supported the series outside of Japan, at least
during the 16-bit era, making it many English
speakers’ first exposure to this type of game.
The initial entry was developed by Sonic!
Software Planning (no relation to Sonic Team, as it’s more like a role-playing game with tactical Visuals were rarely
the developers of the Sonic the Hedgehog games), elements. Rather than having missions foisted a key feature of
as a follow-up to their Genesis dungeon-crawler on you, players are free to explore towns, talk to the Fire Emblem
Shining in the Darkness. It has a very similar people, buy weapons and so forth, before moving games, but Shining
style, including the fairytale storybook fantasy on to the battle scenes to advance the story. Force featured both
setting, and visual connections between the The towns are also linked with an overworld, an intriguing art
two can be spotted immediately, even though which is also the scene for many fights. There style and gorgeous
the plots aren’t directly related. It was designed are several different character classes, including battle scenes.
by Hiroyuki Takahashi, with character artwork by the usual fighters, archers, priests and mages,
Yoshitaka Tamaki; music in the first game was by while knights are generally centaurs, and there
Masahiko Yoshimura and in the second game are other anthropomorphic characters as well.
by Motoaki Takenouchi. As with Fire Emblem, units can be promoted to a
Shining Force opens with a young girl more advanced class when they hit a certain level.
reading a book, who registers your name and Some join as part of the story, while others need to
then sends you off to start the adventure proper. be actively recruited. One of the most amusing is
You control a young man, default name Max, as a little hamster-type creature named Jogurt, who
he protects the Kingdom of Guardiana from the isn’t much use in combat but sure is cute.
invading forces of Runefaust, which seeks to Combat is very similar to that in Fire
resurrect the Dark Dragon. While fighting off their Emblem; the most striking difference is how much
hordes, Max must recruit members for the titular better it looks. The view is zoomed in closer, so
Shining Force, eventually expanding their ranks both the scenery and the characters are larger,
from a ragtag group of kids to a legitimate army. making them more distinct, and the interface is
Strategy-RPGs like Fire Emblem are typically much easier to understand too. During battles,
defined as tactical games with role-playing the viewpoint switches to a dramatic over-the-
elements, but Shining Force flips the script a bit, shoulder view, presented in letterbox as if it were
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a movie, as the combatant attacks their foe. While unleashing the demon king Zeon onto the land Shining Force II
the animation is simple, visually it’s so much of Granseal, and the player controls a young man is not a drastic
more impressive than the little figures in the named Bowie, who forms a new Shining Force to change from its
earlier Fire Emblem games. Indeed, these images stop him. It’s a little longer and more involved, predecessor, but
were featured prominently in advertisements, and though also much chattier. The interface has it is more refined.
helped sell the game to an international audience seen some improvements that make item juggling
that was believed to have been averse to role- less cumbersome (among other things), and
playing games. exploration is a little more open-ended, as you
Various other elements make it quite a bit can backtrack to previous areas instead of being
easier too. There is no permadeath, so defeated railroaded through chapters like the first game.
characters are available for subsequent battles, The class promotion is a little more flexible too,
and you can maintain your experience after and there are even alternate classes available to
getting wiped, giving you a chance to level up certain characters, provided you can find the
through repeated encounters. Terrain still has an proper items. While not a massive change, it’s
effect on stats, though counter-attacks, generally generally regarded as very slightly the better of the
a given in Fire Emblem, are much rarer and occur two Genesis games.
randomly. Character turns are also determined via SEGA created a Gaiden spinoff series for
their speed stats rather than the sides alternating the Game Gear, beginning with Ensei: Jashin no
in discrete turns, though there is some element of Kuni e (“Expedition: To The Kingdom of the Evil
randomness to it, and you can’t tell ahead of time God”, unreleased in the English) and Jashin no
who will act. While the game overall is certainly Mezame (localised as The Sword of Hajya). These
not as difficult as any Fire Emblem, it doesn’t are meant to bridge the stories in the first and
mean it’s easy either – allies can easily become second Genesis games. They were later compiled
overwhelmed, and a few careless moves can still together for SEGA CD, released internationally
spell defeat. as Shining Force CD, bringing the interface
Shining Force became an almost instant and visuals into line with those of the 16-bit
classic, and helped bolster the Genesis’ RPG line- games, and including a CD audio soundtrack.
up. In 2004 it received a remake for the Game Boy There are two extra scenarios to be unlocked
Advance called Shining Force: Resurrection of the as well, though due to the larger memory space
Dark Dragon, with redone graphics and assorted required, they require a Backup RAM cartridge
tweaks to make it easier to play. This port was to unlock. The story actually continues with a
developed by Amusement Vision, a team within third Game Gear game, subtitled Final Conflict,
SEGA, rather than the original developers. though this has never been officially translated
Shining Force II was a quick follow-up which in any form.
looks more or less the same at the outset, but The third Shining Force arrived on the
has a number of subtle improvements. The story Saturn, and marks a true evolution of the series.
this time involves a seal that has been broken, It was divided up into three separate releases,
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with completely different scenarios, which focus the PlayStation’s better titles of the late ’90s, and Shining Force
on various factions with their own leaders: the have aged terribly over the years. Plus, they include CD is basically a
first stars Synbios of the Republic of Aspinia, the digitised battle cries, which were fine in Japanese compilation of two
second Medion, Prince of Destonia, and the third but sound embarrassingly bad in English. The Game Gear games,
featuring Julian, an unaffiliated mercenary. The soundtrack is by composer Motoi Sakuraba, now visually on par
story initially concerns the war between the two who had also supplied the music to Shining the with the Genesis
kingdoms, though the true manipulator is actually Holy Ark. The soundtrack to Shining Force III ones, and with
the nefarious Bulzome Sect. It’s also connected is similarly outstanding, with leitmotifs built into redbook music.
directly to the events of Shining the Holy Ark. town and battle themes.
Some events, in which the characters’ paths cross, The Shining Force series technically didn’t
are shown from different perspectives in different end here, but the development team, which had
releases. Some choices made in one scenario can rebranded as Camelot by the time of the third
also affect another, though the effects of this game’s release, was growing impatient with SEGA
aren’t terribly large. Unfortunately, the biggest and had begun working with other publishers.
downside of Shining Force III has less to do with They eventually linked up with Nintendo, for
its contents and more to do with its release. The which they created their own original RPG series,
English version came as SEGA was beginning to Golden Sun, and assorted Mario sports games.
pull the plug on the Saturn outside of Japan, so Meanwhile, SEGA continued the Shining label as
only the first entry was localised, leaving the story a sort of general RPG franchise, but most of these
incomplete. later games weren’t strategy-RPGs, and indeed
From a gameplay perspective, it’s similar barely resembled anything from the original
to the Genesis games, though it borrows a few developers. As a result, there are cries from many
elements from Fire Emblem, particularly the fans who still wish for a proper return to the olden
capacity of characters to develop bonds when days of Shining Force.
fighting next to each other in combat, improving
their abilities. Some maps have secondary, typically
hidden areas, where you can split your party up,
and try to hunt for extra items.
The graphics are now entirely in 3D, though
this was never the Saturn’s strong point. The The second and third
sprites are CG-rendered on the maps and don’t scenarios of Shining
look great, though since the field is made with Force III were not
polygons, you can rotate the camera at will. released outside of
Less impressive are the battle scenes, which are Japan, leaving North
totally 3D and … are really rather ugly. They’re America and Europe
certainly better animated than in the Genesis with only one third
days, but they look markedly worse than those in of the story.
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Shining (series)
Developer: assorted companies | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT, GBA, PSP, DS, PS2, PS3 and more
The Shining series began with the first-person

dungeon crawler Shining in the Darkness, and
later Shining the Holy Ark, then spun off to the
SRPG Shining Force. While many Western players
associate the Shining name with strategy games,
it quickly became a catch-all RPG brand for SEGA,
with numerous types of release from different
developers across various sub-genres.
The first of these was Shining Wisdom for
the Saturn, the only of these Shining spinoffs
developed by Sonic! Software Planning, the original
team. It’s an overhead action RPG starring a squire
named Mars, who must stop the wizard Pazort This action RPG style set down the rough The Shining series
from summoning an evil giant and destroying template for the next few Shining games, after the veered into action RPG
the world. It’s similar to previous games from Saturn era. The next series, Shining Soul, began territory, first with
SEGA, like Crusader of Centy, complete with an in 2002, for the Game Boy Advance, developed Camelot’s Shining
emphasis on overworld and dungeon exploration, by Nextech (Crusader of Centy) and Grasshopper Wisdom (top and
along with simple puzzle solving. Manufacture. It keeps the same frame story, of a above) and Nextech/
The central gimmick is that the player can dash girl reading a book, maintains the familiar menus, Grasshopper’s Shining
by hammering the B button, allowing the character and roughly ties in with the story of defeating Soul (above left).
to run very fast. There are a few amusing items, like a a Dark Dragon, but otherwise, it feels quite a
judo suit that lets you throw enemies around, spring bit different from the Camelot entries. Rather
shoes which allow you to jump, and even a car! than taking after Zelda, or any other 16-bit action
And it maintains the same storybook-style narrative RPG, this series is closer to a hack-and-slash
as the 16-bit Shining games, even being a bit sillier. à la Diablo, just made for a younger audience.
But everything else about this game is middling to You pick your character class (out of four in the
poor. The sprites are CG-rendered, with thick black first game, eight in the second), then fight through
borders, and they look terrible. Even the colour dungeons and pick up loot from fallen enemies.
scheme through much of the game is ugly, and in Unlike Diablo’s, its areas are not randomly
the end, looks worse than in many 16-bit games. generated. It also supports multiplayer via link
Your default sword is too small (though some of the cable. The games are fairly simple and rather
other weapons/abilities help make up for it), and tedious, plus the action is a little frustrating, since
everything feels clumsy and awkward. The American attacks are basically dice rolls, so many moves can
Saturn release was translated by Working Designs, “miss” even if they connect.
which changes up some names and messes up some Nextech was also in charge of the next sub-
links with the main Shining series; the European series of Shining games, the first being Shining
version has an English translation that’s more Tears, published in 2007 for the PlayStation 2,
faithful to the original. followed up by its sequel Shining Wind in 2009.
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This began the line of Shining games with artwork Wind, which features some original characters The series then
by Tony Taka, a well-regarded illustrator who was from the “real” world. Parts of Shining Wind’s split off into two
at the time known for adult games like Fault!! and story are difficult to understand unless you also separate action-
Sora no Iro, Mizu no Iro. But he’s also very skilled watch the anime. RPG directions: the
at fantasy artwork, here producing a wide variety of From a gameplay standpoint, these are 2D entries, with
attractive characters of different races, including evolutions of the Shining Soul games, with a few artwork by Tony
humans, elves, and beastfolk. However, the art main differences. For starters, you’re in charge of Taka, and the 3D
really is the main appeal of these games, because two different characters, the primary character entries, developed
the games themselves are very inconsistent, to the controlled using the left analogue stick, while the by Neverland.
point where some Japanese fans felt that the Tony secondary can be either AI-guided, or controlled
Shining entries were made more to sell figures or using the right stick. If positioned correctly, this
artbooks than to create games. pair can perform combo link attacks. The game
Shining Tears and Wind are also unusual also reels back the dungeon exploration and
for PlayStation 2 games in that they’re entirely focuses on just killing lots of bad guys in small
displayed in high definition (480i) 2D visuals with areas, giving it a feel sort of like a 2D version of
pleasant, watercolour-style, painted backgrounds, Koei’s Musou (Dynasty Warriors) series.
though they suffer from poor animation and There was another series of Shining games
frame rate, as well as long load times. Indeed, they released for the PlayStation 2, this time developed
look very pretty, but they’re very simple and aren’t by Neverland. They’re also hack-and-slash games,
much fun to actually play. based on their Record of Lodoss War Dreamcast
The story of Shining Tears focuses on a boy RPG. However, unlike Tears/Wind, they have
named Xion, who washes up on a shore without entirely 3D visuals. Both games feature different
any memory, but possessing a pair of strange character artists: the first, Shining Force Neo, has
rings. There are eight different characters art by Yuriko Nishiyama, and the second, Shining
you can partner up with, including the elven Force EXA, has art by Pako. Both of these games
archer girl Elwyn and the icy witch Neige, were released in North America.
with unique endings based on your favoured These games are less constrained than Tears/
character. Shining Wind focuses on characters Wind in their design, and less focused on missions
called Soul Bladers, who can use their partners’ and more on sprawling arenas where you run In response to the
hearts as swords. One such Soul Blader is Kaito, around, hack stuff up, and find loot. In addition calls of strategy-
the protagonist. The stories are fairly typical to a main character, whom you can upgrade and RPG fans, the DS
fantasy stuff, though they play a bigger role than customise in various ways, you’re usually joined entry, Shining
they did in the Soul series. Shining Tears was by two partners of your choosing. There is a wide Force Feather, was
released in North America but Shining Wind variety of characters of different races, including developed by Flight-
was not. In 2007, there was an anime TV series wolf-like beastmen, winged birdmen (and Plan, known for the
based on these games, called Shining Tears X birdwomen), centaurs, and even a robot and a baby Summon Night series.
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dragon. Unlike in Tears/Wind, you can’t control is more on resource and character management. There are three
them directly: they’re governed by AI. While the game was liked among Japanese fans Shining games for
Shining Force Neo stars a character named for its fun character banter, something Flight-Plan the PSP – Shining
Max, though it’s a completely different Max from was known for, otherwise it’s fairly average. Hearts (above far left
the one in the original Genesis game. In Shining The Tony Shining games continued with a screenshot and box
Force EXA, the main characters are a boy named trilogy on the PSP, which was Japan-only. Shining art above), a life-sim
Toma and a girl named Cyrille. The latter game also Hearts was the first instalment, released in 2010. RPG, and two SRPGs,
includes a customisable mechanical castle called Developed by Studio Saizensen, it’s actually a Shining Blade (above
the Geo-Fortress. Despite being mechanically spiritual successor to their earlier PlayStation left) and Shining Ark.
similar games, their stories are unrelated. While game, Doki Doki Poyacchio. The main character
they are hardly stellar, the action feels much more in this one is a swordsman named Rick, who has
satisfying than in the Tony Taka games, so they taken up odd jobs on the island of Wyndaria. One
end up being more fun, even if they’re still a bit day a mysterious girl named Kaguya, who has lost
repetitive. The wide selection of partner characters her memory, is washed ashore; naturally, Rick
of different races and types also makes them feel a comes to her rescue. Though Kaguya is technically
little closer to the 16-bit games, even though they the main heroine, you can also pick from one of
play nothing like them. three partners – Amir, Neris, or Airy – though
Some of the next few games return to the other than their character designs, there’s not
series’ SRPG roots, though they’re still quite much difference between them.
different from the 16-bit games. The first of these Much of the game is spent running
is Shining Force Feather for the 3DS. This was various sub-quests, which grant you hearts
developed by Flight-Plan, known for its Summon of four different colours, which are the keys
Night series of SRPGs, and features art by Pako, to advancing the story. There’s also the MOE
who also did the illustrations for Shining Force (Mind Over Emotion) system, which is basically
EXA, along with another artist, Noizi Ito. identical to the LIPS from Sakura Wars, in that
The game takes place several millennia after you’re given a short amount of time to respond
a huge battle against beings called the Kyomu. to dialogue questions. You can go fishing, you
The ruins created by this war still draw treasure can go sailing, you can go foraging. It’s not an
hunters, including the hero, Jin, who discovers action RPG, unlike the previous Shining games,
and activates an ancient android girl named Alfin, and has a more traditional JRPG turn-based
who joins in for more adventures. battle system. Since Rick works at a bakery and
While you can walk around the airship that often does deliveries, there’s a whole system in
functions as your base, there are no towns or place for baking bread.
overworlds to explore: you just jump from scenario Shining Hearts defines itself as a “slow-
to scenario. The battle system is completely life RPG”. It’s visuals and music are pleasant,
different from that of the old days, removing the particularly due to the soundtrack by Hiroki
movement grid and instead giving you a circular Kikuta (Secret of Mana), but movement is
radius to indicate how far you can move. Each sluggish, the battles are tedious, and load times
character has a Force meter, which determines how are long – the game is supposed to be relaxing,
many attacks they can perform, and regenerates a but it may be more liable to put you to sleep. An
bit after each turn. When combat begins, you’re anime adaptation was also released, called Shining
switched to a side-view perspective. When on the Hearts: Bread of Happiness.
offensive, if you hit the button with the correct The second PSP game, Shining Blade,
timing you can activate extra damage, then is another SRPG, and again focuses on Soul
choose from a variety of attacks, which can inflect Bladers, as in Shining Wind. The hero is
elemental damage. When defending, you can also Rage, a human who was summoned from
time button presses to regain either HP or Force. another world, and wields a sword named
Multiple characters can also join in for union Yukihime, which possesses the spirit of
attacks. While unique in concept, in practice, it’s a woman. Other characters from the previous
kinda boring. Most SRPGs require that you use the Tony Shining series make appearances as well.
terrain to your advantage, but here, most of the With the party he assembles, Rage fights back
maps are just flat open plains, and the emphasis against the evil Dragonia Empire.
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Shining Blade was developed by Media. in others, it’s a step backwards. While most of the
Vision, the same company as developed all of the These then led into the sole HD game, Shining Tony Shining series
Valkyria Chronicles games after the second one. Resonance, released in 2014 for the PlayStation stayed in Japan,
As such, it actually uses a nearly identical battle 3. The hero in this game is a young man named SEGA did bring over
system, referred to as BLiTZ (Battle of Live Tactical Yuma, who holds within him the power of the Shining Resonance
Zones). At the beginning of each turn, you’re Shining Dragon. He can take on the monstrous Refrain, an HD port
presented with an overhead-view map, with icons form of this beast, though he can’t always control of a game originally
showing your player characters and the enemies. it. He is drafted into a war between the kingdom of released on the
When you choose to move on, the view zooms Astoria and its rival, Empire of Lombardia. PlayStation 3.
down and goes 3D, and you directly control the The game is a more traditional JRPG, and
character on the battlefield. There are a few types plays much like a Namco Tales game, right down
of weapon, including mêlée gear, bows and arrows, to the action-based battles, in which you control
and magic. If another character is in range, you a single character, while the rest of the party is
can also have them link attacks, or call the units governed by AI. The characters’ weapons are based
to walk together. There are Force special moves, on musical instruments, and provided they can
based on a gauge that increases over the course of charge up the party’s super meter, can activate a
battle. Additionally, there are Diva characters who BAND performance, triggering a vocal song and
can provide aid through song, though they can’t giving perks in combat, like the songs from Blade
perform any other actions when they’re singing. and Ark. There are also events that strengthen the
It’s a solid system, but it’s also a bit on the emotional bonds between the hero and the other
easy side. The story is also pretty repetitive and not party members, which is an element typical of the
all that interesting. As in the PS2 games, there is a Tony Shining games.
Likeability stat that determines your relationships The attractive character designs look quite
with the other characters, which can affect the nice rendered in 3D, though the environments
ending. The visuals are quite pretty and the music are fairly bland. The vocal themes are forgettable
is decent, and the game’s certainly of better quality J-pop, but the rest of the soundtrack has a
than most that preceded it. pleasant Celtic feel. From a gameplay perspective,
This was followed up by the third and final the difficulty curve is unbalanced, and you’re
PSP game, Shining Ark. The story set-up, however, forced to travel through the same boring areas
is very similar to that in Hearts. It takes place on repeatedly. The story is typical anime fantasy
the mostly deserted island of Arcadia, where a stuff, resulting in a pleasant if somewhat
village boy named Fried discovers a girl washed up derivative game. Initially confined to Japan,
on the shores. Her name is Panis, she has a single a remade version dubbed Shining Resonance
black wing on her back, and she’s lost her memory. Refrain was released internationally in 2018 for
Shortly after, a red moon appears on the sky, and Windows, PlayStation 4 and Switch. This includes
the island is attacked by giants. Only Panis’ songs all of the DLC from the PS3 release, plus two
can quell them. additional playable characters in the optional
The game is another SRPG, mechanically Refrain mode.
pretty similar to Blade. The main difference is that The Shining series didn’t completely stick
in Blade, you could pick which characters to move, to RPGs either, as the Tony Shining characters
but here, turn order is determined by character were used as the centrepiece of the 2D fighting
and enemy speed stats, as in Final Fantasy Tactics. game Blade Arcus from Shining. Developed by
The difficulty is a little higher (there are both Studio Saizensen (who previously did Shining
casual and standard levels) but there are other Hearts, and later made the fighting game Blade
issues – namely, you can only take four characters Strangers), it features a couple of new characters,
instead of five into battle, and one of those is but the cast is mostly the crew from Hearts, Blade,
always Panis, so in reality you can only pick three. Arc, and Resonance. This version was actually
And then there’s Panis herself, who talks like a released internationally on Steam, though none
cute, innocent little girl despite being at least a of the earlier games had been localised at the
teenager, and is incredibly obnoxious. While Blade time of release in 2016. An enhanced version,
offered the ability to romance the other heroines, subtitled Rebellion, was later released for the PS4,
here Panis is the sole object of Fried’s affections. but only in Japan, including four extra characters
So in some ways, the game is an improvement, but from Resonance.
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Super Robot Wars (series)
Developer: Winkysoft/assorted companies | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): GB, FC, SFC, PS1 and more
Banpresto’s Super Robot Wars series started in

1991 with a Game Boy title. Originally developed by
Winkysoft, the franchise currently stands at over 55
games. It’s all about giant robots and pilots, from
mecha anime old and new, coming together to
take on all manner of foes, usually with the fate of
the world or universe at stake. Represented series
include the “Holy Trinity” (Mobile Suit Gundam,
Getter Robo, Mazinger), fan favourites (GaoGaiGar,
Dancouga, Macross), and some forgotten one-offs
(Mechander Robo, GoLion, Jushin Liger). UX for the
3DS (2013) even featured vocaloid Hatsune Miku,
while 2015’s X-Ω (Cross-Omega) for mobile has
included everything from Super Sentai to Godzilla! ever since Winkysoft stopped making them, after The SRPG gameplay
In terms of gameplay, SRW generally follows F Final in 1998. Really, SRW games primarily offer in Super Robot
the basic SRPG style, i.e. moving units across a the joy of seeing events only possible via crossover, Wars is relatively
grid-based battlefield to engage enemies, with each like having the casts of RahXephon, Neon simple, but it’s the
side having its own turn to move and/or attack. Genesis Evangelion, and Brave Raideen meet up, best place for crazy
Player units also have access to Spirit Commands, hiring the services of the cast of Cowboy Bebop crossovers between
the game’s equivalent to spells, which can enable, or Galaxy Cyclone Braiger’s J9, seeing Captain assorted franchises,
for example, evasion of a single attack, healing Harlock fight alongside the Gunbuster, or even even including mecha
of another unit, or single-turn power-ups for preventing characters from dying, as they did in anime, special effects-
offence or defence. The original game focused on their source stories. The cutscenes of the mechas driven live-action
conquering an enemy base, but all subsequent executing attacks, accompanied by the yells of films (tokusatsu),
games feature various objectives. In between their pilots, are always a rush, too. A few games and monster movies
battles, you can upgrade individual units’ stats even had themed rosters, like the ’80s (GC/XO), (kaijuu) in their ranks.
or attacks, and equip items to further increase kids-focused ’90s anime (Neo), or super-obscure
stats; some games even allow you to upgrade the series (Compact 3). In 2002, Banpresto even
pilots themselves. A few entries did make changes, launched the Original Generation series, which
though, like putting units into pairs or creating brings all the original characters together, in one
squads of four (at most), while those not considered universe, without any licences.
mainline entries have tried other genres entirely, Due to said licensing, only three Original
like real-time strategy (Scramble Commander), Generation games saw release in America and
monster-raising (Link Battler), card-battling (Card Europe. Ever since 2016, though, Bandai Namco
Chronicle), & tower defence (X-Ω). has produced English releases of the latest console
To be fair, SRW games aren’t exactly the games for Asian markets (OG: The Moon Dwellers,
ones to play if you want deep SRPG gameplay, V, X, and T ), and there are fan translations for
and difficulty has generally been toned down some of the pre-2016 games.
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Langrisser (series)
Developer: Masaya/Career Soft | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): GEN, SFC, PCE, PCFX, PS1, SAT and more
Alongside Nintendo’s Fire Emblem and SEGA’s

Shining Force, one of the most popular SRPG
series of the 16-bit era was Masaya’s Langrisser.
The high fantasy storylines are pretty typical;
all of the games revolve around the holy sword
Langrisser and its counterpart, the Alhazard. But
in presentation, it’s a little flashier than the other
series, largely thanks to character illustrations by
artist Satoshi Urushihara (Legend of Lemnear,
Plastic Little). Urushihara’s speciality is designing
attractive, scantily-clad women with wistful doe
eyes and impossibly pert breasts, but he also
creates stylish male characters with overflowing experience points (which are applied to the troop Langrisser II is the
spikes of vibrantly-coloured hair, suited up in as a whole, rather than individual characters), but best game of the
bulked-up armour. Langrisser’s other main also cash to recruit additional mercenaries or series, here shown
star is its primary composer, Noriyuki Iwadare. buy equipment for your Generals. Additionally, in its initial Mega
Famous for his work on classics such as Lunar and if you kill a General, all of their troops will die Drive form. Above,
Grandia for Game Arts, Iwadare’s music is full of automatically, but eliminating the rank and file the hero Elwin
heavy synth rock, with a far more energetic flavour one by one and saving the leader for last, while holds his childhood
than the brooding orchestrations in the likes of more dangerous, will lead to greater rewards. After friend Liana, who
Final Fantasy Tactics. The series was developed by gaining enough levels, you can choose to promote is being pursued by
some of the same staff as early PC strategy games a General to a higher class, so you have some role the imperials for
like Gaiflame and Gaia no Monshou. in their character development. reasons unknown.
From a gameplay perspective, what sets There are three primary unit types, which
Langrisser apart is its tremendous scale. Most have rock-paper-scissors advantages and
similar games have you controlling between five disadvantages, much as with the Fire Emblem
and ten single units. By comparison, in Langrisser weapon triangle. Terrain bonuses also play a large
it’s not uncommon to control over 30 units at part in strategy, as hiding in forests or mountains
one time, fighting against scores of enemies on gives you incredible advantages over fighting out
a single map. The main characters are extremely in the open. When you engage in combat, the
powerful units dubbed Generals. Each General game switches to a zoomed-in side view depicting
commands a Battalion of generic mercenaries, and the battle (as in Intelligent Systems’ Famicom
the two share an important symbiotic relationship. Wars). As units lose soldiers, their effectiveness
Mercenaries are relatively weak, but are available in in combat drops. While the battle sequences are
great numbers and relatively dispensable. Keeping cool at first, most of the games let you skip them,
your soldiers close not only keeps the General safe, as they make the long battles seem even more
but awards them a stat bonus, and even heals them drawn out. Indeed, that’s the core issue with the
after each turn. Killing enemies yields not only Langrisser series – battles tend to drag on for a
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good while, though at least most of them let you Tactics, rather than dividing actions into turns.
save mid-battle. Langrisser V changes to the movement system
The first game in the series was initially by allowing you to take half-, rather than whole-,
released for the Mega Drive. And for a long time, square steps, giving greater control over your
this was the only game localised into English, positioning, though the interface for this is rather
known as Warsong. This version slightly redesigns clunky. After both entries had been released on
the character portraits to make them look less the Saturn, Masaya bundled them together for
anime. Langrisser II was also a Mega Drive title, the PlayStation, dubbing them Final Edition.
though it received a substantially remade version A lot has changed in the port; the biggest is that
for the PC-FX called Der Langrisser. In it, your Langrisser IV now uses Langrisser V’s battle
characters’ initial statistics are determined by system. Overall, these games aren’t bad, but they
answering a series of questions, as in Ogre Battle, never really recaptured the popularity of the The large number of
and this has since become standard for the series. first two games. So the developers, at this point attractive women in
The PC-FX game, being on a CD, benefits from known as Career Soft, moved onto a new series, bikini armour meant
animated cutscenes and voice acting. However, called Growlanser. this series lent itself
the biggest additions in Der Langrisser are the The Langrisser series didn’t quite die well to pin up-style
plot branches, allying you with different factions though, as Masaya continued it on the Dreamcast artwork as seen above.
or letting you fight against them all. The difference with Langrisser Millennium. However, this is
is substantial – there are around 25 scenarios really a Langrisser game in name only – it’s more
in the original Langrisser II, whereas the four of an action-strategy game than an SRPG, plus
different paths in Der Langrisser add up to over Satoshi Urushihara’s artwork has been replaced
75. It was later ported to the Super Famicom by character artwork from Kaishaku (Steel Angel
too, and all subsequent ports are based on Der Kurumi). It was also a flop, though a Wonderswan
Langrisser, even if they’re titled Langrisser II. game released around the same time, Langrisser
The first two games were compiled together for Millennium WS: The Last Century, at least keeps
release on the PlayStation and Saturn. the classic gameplay.
Masaya decided to reinvent the wheel for The series was resurrected again in 2016
Langrisser III for the Saturn, moving to a system with a 3DS title called Langrisser Re:incarnation:
closer to that of SEGA’s Dragon Force. Instead of Tensei, likely released due to the success of the
commanding each unit on the battlefield, you’re Fire Emblem games on the system. Developed by a
only given control over the Generals. After setting company called Extreme, it did return to the usual
a destination for your General, your characters SRPG gameplay, though in most other ways, it’s
and the enemies move simultaneously. When an awful game – terrible balance and shockingly
they collide, the screen zooms into the battlefield, ugly graphics, and again missing the signature
where you can give specific commands to each Urushihara artwork.
squad member, or just let the computer take over. Langrisser was also brought back in the
You’re then treated to a pseudo-3D rendition form of smartphone games, featuring characters
of the battle, though these scenes are both ugly from throughout the series, and these were
and hard to follow. There’s also a greater focus actually pretty good. They culminated in a full
on the heroines; depending on how you interact remake compilation of Langrisser I & II for the
with female compatriots, their feelings about PS4 and Switch in 2019. In addition to fully
you will change. While the multiple paths of Der remade graphics, this includes new art by Ryo
Langrisser are gone, there are still two major Nagi (ar Tonelico) as well as an option to use
endings depending on the various choices you’ve the classic Urushihara artwork, plus a choice
made throughout the game. Due to the changes, between the original Mega Drive music and
this game was deeply unpopular with fans. newly arranged versions. Not only does it give
The fourth and fifth games were returns to English players their first chance to experience The artwork for
form, bringing back the battle system from the Langrisser II, but it also expands the story in the 2019 remake
first two games, and enhancing the graphics Langrisser I, adding plot branching. It isn’t feels more modern,
a bit. These games are also closely connected quite comprehensive – it’s missing the animated but lacks the
storyline-wise. New to Langrisser IV is the cutscenes from the earlier CD versions, for one distinctive style that
Judgement system, where character turns come – but they’re the best treatments the series has characterised the
around based on their speed, as in Final Fantasy received since the 32-bit era. series in its glory days.
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Growlanser (series)
Developer: Atlus/Career Soft | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, PSP
After wrapping up the fifth Langrisser game,

Career Soft transferred its efforts to Growlanser.
The two series have some commonalities,
particularly the Satoshi Urushihara artwork
and focus on medieval fantasy stories; however,
Growlanser does move away from the established
SRPG framework a bit, being structured more like
a traditional RPG, but with a rather unique battle
system, calling itself a “non-stop dramatic RPG”.
You walk around towns and areas, as in a
regular JRPG, but shift gears when you encounter
an enemy. This battle system is roughly similar to
the “real time battle with pause” setup seen in PC
RPGs like Baldur’s Gate. There are no separate The first Growlanser takes place in a Compared to the
battle arenas – combat occurs right where you land shared by two races, humans and winged straight SRPG
meet the enemies – and there is no grid, so Featherians, who both fled from a decaying world. Langrisser games,
characters can move freely anywhere. When A select few humans can wield magical power Growlanser is set
combat begins, you command your characters called Growshu, drawn from the power of their old up like a traditional
to attack a specific enemy. Then they’ll walk world, while the Featherians, unable to use magic, JRPG, but with a
into range and fight them, until either they’ve live their lives in a secluded flying fortress. unique real-time/
defeated their foe or you interrupt them with The main character, Carmaine, is the turn-based tactical
new orders. When a character attacks, there’s a adopted son of a palace magician named Sandra, battle system.
brief waiting time before they can attack again. in the kingdom of Rolandia. His fate is foretold:
Mêlée combat tends to go quickly, but casting he will either destroy the world or lead it to
spells can often take longer. At first, keeping salvation. When he comes of age, he is freed from
track of everything gets a bit hectic, since battle his confines to explore the world, and discover
moves fairly quickly, but it’s also much quicker his secret past. Since he is a silent protagonist,
and more involving than the typical stop-and-go he is accompanied by a fairy-like creature named
flow of most RPG battles. Tipi, who helps guide him around the world –
While the stories are fairly typical RPG stuff, most subsequent games also give the hero a fairy
the Growlanser games also have more in-depth companion. He’s also accompanied by his adopted
character interaction systems. After many story sister Luise, who has the power to wield Growshu.
events, you can choose to go on vacations with The game features a unique character creation
one of your buddies, deepening your relationship. system, in which you, as the hero, wander around
While you can romance female characters, you’re the opening town, and your stats are determined
not restricted to them, and you can develop closer by how you interact with the townspeople.
bonds with male characters too, which eventually (Did you steal from the unattended store?
lead to character-specific endings. Did you help the disabled woman up the stairs?
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Did you dutifully watch the inn while the keeper in turn seemingly caused a cataclysmic event a Opinions are split
was away? And so forth.) millennium ago. Combat has been tweaked to add as to whether the
This entry was originally released on the combo spells and super-limit ability attacks, plus first or the fourth
PlayStation, then updated for the PSP with some missions have various objectives that you can pass Growlanser game
new characters and a few branching paths. It’s also or fail at. While the first game let you develop your is the best, though
generally regarded as the series’ best, not only for vacation town, here it’s already well developed, the latter has the
having the strongest story, but also for its excellent and instead acts as a base for your team, as in advantage of an
soundtrack by composer Noriyuki Iwadare (also the Suikoden games. You can also cultivate English localisation
of the Langrisser games), who did not work on your own fairy with their own personality, using for the PSP.
subsequent instalments. Unfortunately, this game designs based on the previous games. Lots of
was never released in English. side characters also die in the course of the story,
The second game moves to the PlayStation 2, though some of them can be saved, depending
and it’s the odd one out in many ways. It’s the only on your actions. While originally a PlayStation 2
game to feature a protagonist who can actually game, it was later ported to the PSP, with some
talk, and he doesn’t have a fairy companion. Taking extra story branches. This version was released
place a year after the first game, Growlanser II: in North America, though it excises all of the
The Sense of Justice focuses on Wein Cruz, voice acting. It’s a pretty decent title, and one of
a knight of the kingdom of Burnstein. the best in the series, along with the first game.
This entry introduces the ring weapon A storyline sequel called Growlanser IV Return
system, which lets you use spirit stones to was also released for the PlayStation 2, though this
customise your abilities. It’s also unusual in that is an adventure game rather than an RPG.
it gets rid of much of the exploration; instead The fifth game, Heritage of War, is
you travel the game world via an interactive map, structured similarly to Dragon Quest IV, as the
which sends you to various areas and scenarios. game is divided into five chapters, each with
It’s a relatively short game, as you can reach the different protagonist; the “main” one, Zeonsilt,
ending in less than ten hours, but there are several is playable in the final one. The story focuses on
different plot branches, so you need to play it an island continent that is not only plagued by
through a few times to see everything. Overall, it’s conflict between its human inhabitants, but also
an interesting experiment which feels more like a by marine monsters called Screapers. The visuals
spinoff than an actual sequel. have moved to pure 3D, and while the Growlanser
Growlanser III: The Dual Darkness is a little series was never a looker, it’s pretty ugly here.
closer to the original game. It stars a boy named The battle system has changed so that you
Slayn Wilder, who not only has amnesia but can also directly control the protagonist, and the computer Several other
see ghosts and spirits. It’s up to you to investigate controls everyone else, though you can pause play Growlanser games
and save a dying world where sunlight seems to issue orders to them. The game was released in were localised into
to be disappearing. In the original Growlanser, English, though it was rather poorly received. English, though the
all of the areas were connected by separate Growlanser VI: Precarious World is the last quality of the series
map screens, with visible enemy encounters. game in the series and takes place in the same was inconsistent,
This entry uses an overworld map that features game world, though on a different continent, and we tended to get
random battles. The dungeons are also randomly which is split into three warring nations. the weaker entries.
generated. Since it was developed in tandem with It ditches the chapter structure of the previous
Growlanser II, it uses many of the same assets. game, and stars an amnesiac soldier named
Both games were released in one package in North Merklich, part of the group Monopolis, who
America by Working Designs, dubbed Growlanser eventually obtains the ability to go back in time.
Generations. However, given the various changes It fine-tunes some elements of the previous game,
and compromises in relation to the first game, they but ultimately its faults and foibles are similar.
aren’t really all that well regarded. This one wasn’t released internationally, but the
The fourth game, subtitled Wayfarer of Time, series’ fans never particularly cared for either
returned to its roots, eliminating the world map the fifth or sixth entries anyway. After the PSP
and random dungeons of the third game and ports of the first and fourth Growlanser games,
returning to the structure of the first. The hero is Career Soft was then drafted to work on Atlus’
Crevanille, a member of a group of mercenaries, Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor series, where
who wages a war against an army of angels, who their SRPG talents were put to good use.
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Front Mission (series)
Developer: Square | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1, PS2, WSC, DS, X360, PS3
Front Mission is a mecha-based strategy game,

initially co-developed by G-Craft and published
by Square, released on the Super Famicom.
Since then, the series has seen five instalments
in the main series, as well as several spinoffs in
different genres. Despite its relative popularity
amongst enthusiasts in Japan, Front Mission has
only made occasional appearances in the West.
Instead of taking to the battlefield as themselves,
the human characters pilot huge mechas called
Wanzers (short for “Wanderpanzers” or “Walking
Tanks”). The first Front Mission game is the only
2D entry in the main series, and utilises an angled destroyed, then you can only move one square per Yoshitaka Amano’s
perspective like that in Tactics Ogre, another turn, drastically reducing your mobility. If either waif-like character
popular Super Famicom strategy game released of your arms is destroyed, the relevant weapon designs never quite
in the same year. Later games use combinations will become useless. If your body is destroyed, fit with the relatively
of sprites and 3D graphics. When the units attack, then the whole mecha goes down in flames. realistic military
the viewpoint zooms in for a sequence showing Of course, you’re going to want to aim for the storyline of the
the mechs duking it out, as in Fire Emblem and body, except for two factors – not only is it Front Mission series,
Shining Force. usually the strongest part of the mecha, but in so later entries in
Front Mission differentiates itself from general, you can’t pick which body part to target; the series changed to
other strategy RPGs to the extent that you can it’s usually determined randomly. different illustrators.
customise your units. Each mecha consists of Keeping this in mind, there are tons of
a body section, two arms, and a pair of legs, different weapons to equip to suit your strategy.
and can be equipped with handheld weapons, Machine guns will randomly disperse damage
shoulder mounted rockets, and backpacks. Each across the body parts. Shotguns will damage
and every piece of equipment can be tinkered all parts equally. Effectiveness, in both cases, is
with, in order to create a well rounded platoon based on how close you are to your enemy. Rifles
of combatants. Naturally, you can’t just stick the have a long range and attack a single body part.
best parts together and call it a day. You need Mêlée weapons like knuckles and rods increase
to get the weight – and budget – balance right the damage from close range combat, which
to create the most efficient machine possible. usually attacks the body, but leave your mecha
Movement is based on an Action Point (AP) open to attack. Missiles have even longer range,
system. Although each unit can usually only move but you need to have plenty of distance between
so many spaces in a turn, it’s possible to move too yourself and your foe, and they chew up a lot of AP.
far, and then be unable to attack. Each unit has Grenades are also long-distance and can attack
four health bars – one for the head/body, one for multiple squares. While you can level up your
each arm, and one for the legs. If your legs are pilots in simulators, granting them new skills and
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increasing their effectiveness with various weapons, successors. There are only a few skills, and neither The first Front
ultimately it’s more advantageous to tinker around the character-building nor the tactics are as Mission wasn’t
with your equipment and see what works best. complicated. The visuals are excellent though, as is released in English
As in most strategy games, the story has a the soundtrack, primarily by Yoko Shimomura. until the 2007 DS
heavy focus on war and politics. The game setting The original version was not released outside of port, which notably
is in a near future, in which most of the nations Japan, though the menus are largely in English, removed Amano’s
have banded together to form two superpowers so it’s still relatively easy to navigate. A later art from the cover.
– the USN (United States of the New Continent, PlayStation release tunes up the visuals and adds
consisting of North and South America) and a new scenario, focusing on the USN side of the
the OCU (Oceania Cooperative Union, which is war and introducing several new characters with
most of Asia). Despite being a Japanese game, plenty of new missions. This provides the basis for
Front Mission has a very Western feel to it. Most the DS version, which is the only version released
games have an international cast, as well, with in English, and contains a few more missions that
characters from all over the globe. Other than tie into later games in the series.
the original game and its spinoff Gun Hazard, Front Mission 2 takes place 12 years after
which have distinctive character designs by the the original. There’s turmoil in the Asian land
famous artist Yoshitaka Amano, the games have of Aroldesh, with a revolutionary army gradually
had relatively realistic depictions of the characters. advancing and taking control of the country.
The mechas look plenty different from your typical Unfortunately, a young Wanzer pilot, along with
Mechwarrior robots, and they’re far grittier and at his squadron, the Muddy Otters, gets caught
least a bit more realistic than your typical Gundam. up in an attack, and the soldiers are forced to
Most of the Front Mission games were scatter. Eventually, they regroup, meet up with
directed by Toshiro Tsuchida, who had also worked another lost battalion, named the Dull Stags,
on Cybernator (a.k.a. Assault Suits Valken) for and begin their fight against the dissidents.
NCS/Masaya. However, the series has seen a In addition to the usual mid-mission exposition
whole gamut of different character designers and mecha upgrading, there’s also an Internet-
and composers, so the feel is not really unified like feature that lets you research various
across the games, and most of them appear quite characters, as well as unlock various stuff, if you
disparate in many aspects. Even the gameplay have the right passwords. Front Mission 2
often changes quite a bit between instalments. This sequel expands greatly on the original, would be a decent
The original Front Mission focuses on a adding significant layers of depth. There’s a much game, if it weren’t
hotly contested warzone known as Huffman heavier emphasis on skills, as there are now well for the absolutely
Island. A select group of OCU soldiers is sent over 40 (compared to the seven in the original). glacial pacing,
to investigate a USN facility on the other side of You can then pick the skills you want to equip, largely caused by
the island. But naturally, they’re ambushed, and which are randomly executed in battle. The other persistently long
war breaks out. As a Super Famicom SRPG, it’s big change is the emphasis on AP consumption load times and fancy
an excellent game, but against the background and regeneration. The more AP you have when but overly long
of the series, it’s not nearly as in-depth as its you attack, the better your chance of succeeding. combat sequences.
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AP regeneration is also affected by surrounding increase your accuracy or evasion, or fine tune The first two games
units – enemy units will drag it down, but keeping your armour to protect against attack by flame, had not been localised
close to friends will keep it up. impact, or penetration. The “internet” feature into English when
On the main screen, the environments are from its predecessor has been greatly expanded Front Mission 3 was
3D, although the mechas are ugly 2D sprites. upon, offering World Wide Web-style pages for all released in 1999, but
Amano was replaced as character designer of the major organisations in the game, lending it’s a fine entry point
by fantasy artist Jun Suemi (who worked on incredible depth to the game’s storyline. into the series.
Japanese Wizardry titles). Noriko Matsueda, who If a character is attacked, there’s a random
contributed to the first game’s music, returned to chance that they’ll be ejected from their mecha. It’s
compose the whole soundtrack, though it’s not possible to kill a pilot when they’re unprotected,
quite as good. or even hijack enemy mechas. Enemies can also
The fight scenes are no longer just two surrender, if they feel the odds are too stacked
mechas shooting at each other. Instead, you’re against them, and their mechas can be nabbed
treated to a cinematic sequence showing both after you’ve won. The game as a whole is much
opponents dashing around the landscape and faster paced. The load times are practically gone,
fighting violently. The graphics are surprisingly the fight sequences are shorter, the maps are
crisp and the frame rate is extraordinarily smaller, and you only control four characters in
smooth, but all this leads to exasperating load each stage. There are well over 100 scenarios across
times, and these scenes are not skippable, at least both storylines, so the game still feels meaty.
in the initial release. The Ultimate Hits version The only issue is that the game is quite a bit easier
lets you disable these, which does greatly speed than your standard Front Mission.
up the pace. The character designs this time were provided
Front Mission 3 was released for the by Akihiro Yamada (Record of Lodoss War
PlayStation in 1999, and was the first game in the manga). The music is by Koji Hayama (Choaniki)
series to get an official English release. This works and Hayato Matsuo (Ogre Battle), and while there
well: it’s more refined and easy to get into than its are a good number of memorable songs, it’s not
predecessors. Taking place roughly ten years after really a standout soundtrack.
Front Mission 2, our heroes are Kazuki and Ryogo, After the drastic departure of Front Mission 3,
two Japanese teenagers working as Wanzer test the series moves back towards its roots with
pilots for Kirishima Heavy Industries. However, the first PlayStation 2 instalment. The large-
while they’re delivering some mechas to a military scale battles have returned, and the difficulty
base, a suspicious explosion rocks the land, has been cranked back up. Thankfully, all of
drawing the two into international conspiracies, the improvements, such as the sped-up battle
Chinese rebellions, the mysterious human sequences and distance weapons, have been
experiment known as the Imaginary Numbers carried over. (The ejecting pilots have been
project, and the hunt for a deadly weapon known removed though.)
as MIDAS. There are once again two storylines in Front
Right at the beginning of the game, Kazuki Mission 4, although here the focus alternates
is offered a choice – go with his friend Ryogo to between them every few stages. Elsa is a rookie
make a delivery, or stay at home. This seemingly recruit sent to help defend a German base from
insignificant decision will affect the storyline for attack, while Darril is a lazy USN soldier who goes
the rest of the game, sending the heroes on two AWOL with his comrades after stealing some gold.
completely different paths, allying our heroes with Their stories eventually intertwine, although they
opposing factions – one with the Da Han Zhong remain separate through most of the game. It’s
(DHZ) Army, and the other with the USN. also the first Front Mission to use voice acting,
Front Mission 3 tunes up many aspects of which is in English in all regions.
the game, giving range to most of your weapons There are many new additions to the system
instead of relying on close-quarters combat, and in Front Mission 4, the biggest being a shift of
linking skill acquisition to equipping certain emphasis onto the Link attacks. Before going
mecha parts. You can now distribute AP to into battle, you can set a certain number of Links
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between specific characters. When one character a close-up viewpoint, and you watch as the robots Perhaps due to the
attacks, and one of their Linked allies is within exchange blows, all in one smooth motion. The chilly reception of
attack range (and has the necessary AP), that ally shakiness of the camera emulates the feeling of Front Mission 4 (and
provides an additional attack. You can also set up real war footage, and the viewpoint constantly the DS re-release of
defensive Links for counter-attacking. Naturally, changes, making these scenes far more engaging. the original Front
the bad guys can do the same thing, which can A majority of the soundtrack has once again been Mission), the fifth
lead to trouble if you’re not careful. Even though composed by Hidenori Iwasaki, although this time and final game of
it’s an excellent idea, the overall strategy focuses he’s joined by Kenichiro Fukui. The end result is the core series was
a bit too much on setting up and executing Links, the best game in the series, though unfortunately passed over for
which makes gameplay somewhat cumbersome. it was not localised into English. localisation. Which
Your attacks can be affected by the weather or time This is the last game in the mainline is a shame, since it’s
of day – night often falls during battles, making it series, though there are plenty of spinoffs. Front the best one.
harder to wield certain weapons. Additionally, all Mission: Gun Hazard was released for the Super
of your guns – not just missile launchers – have Famicom in 1996, and is an action game similar
limited ammo. to Cybernator, though it’s a bit more open-ended
The visuals have obviously improved over the and story-focused, with a world map for travel
PlayStation days, but they still look muddy. The and more mecha customisation. The best aspect
music, provided by newcomer Hidenori Iwasaki, of this game is the soundtrack, jointly supplied by
is also rather mediocre. It’s still a decent strategy Nobuo Uematsu and Yasunori Mitsuda, two of the
game but some of these nitpicks drag it down a bit. best musicians to have worked with Square. It’s
Front Mission 5: Scars of the War takes also the only game, other than the first, with art by
everything from FM4 and retools it into a far Yoshitaka Amano.
superior game. The game’s plot spans nearly In the PlayStation era, Square also released
the entirety of the Front Mission timeline. Front Mission Alternative, which is an unusual
The opening sequence depicts the First Huffman real-time strategy game. In each mission, you’re
Incident (which took place years before the first given a map of the stage, complete with the
Front Mission game) and concerns the lives of a locations of enemy soldiers. All you need to do is
trio of friends – Walter Feng, Randy O’Neill, and tell your battalions of mechas which waypoints
Glen Duval – caught on opposing sides of the to go to and which enemies to attack. Then you
war. The story of Front Mission 5 takes place over watch your mechas march through the level,
several years, as it chronicles Walter’s tour of stumble over the scenery, attack the bad guys, and
duty in the USN army. Major portions take place wait until you issue your next order. There’s a lot
in between Front Missions 2 and 3, and you’ll of sitting and watching your mechas traipse over
encounter several familiar characters, including the maps, which isn’t terribly interesting, and the
Emma from FM3 and Darril from FM4. Many of story isn’t that interesting either. So overall, it’s a
the more annoying aspects of Front Mission 4 have bit of a failed experiment.
wisely been ditched. Gone are the weather effects Square tried for an online battle game with
and limited ammo for non-missile weapons, and Front Mission Online, which ran from 2005 to
the Link system has been drastically simplified, 2008. They then decided to reboot the series with
so it’s now just a skill to equip. Front Mission Evolved in 2009. Series producer
It’s also remarkable how much the graphics Shinji Hashimoto oversaw the project, while
have improved in Front Mission 5. The muddiness Motomu Toriyama wrote the story, but otherwise,
is gone, the terrain is more detailed, and the the game was developed primarily by American
mechas look more awesome than ever. But the studio Double Helix. It is a simplified 3D mecha
real clincher lies in the presentation. Unlike the action game, with some multiplayer elements.
old games, in which you would move first, then The action is average, but nothing about it really
attack, in FM5 you select your position and then feels like Front Mission, and the story, which is a
choose your action before you actually execute complete reboot, isn’t very good either. As such,
any commands. When you attack, your mecha this revival fizzled out, and the series has been
slides up to your enemy, the viewpoint fades into dormant since.
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Hanjuku Hero (series)
Developer: Square | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): FC, SFC, WSC, PS2, DS
Hanjuku Hero (“Half-Boiled Hero”) is a comical

real time strategy RPG franchise that got its start
on the Famicom. The goal is simple – starting
from your home castle, you must command your
generals to capture all of the enemy castles on the
map. When one of your units meets up with an
opponent, the game switches to a battle view, in
which combatants literally fling themselves at each
other, like toy soldiers being banged together by an
unseen child. Other than jamming the button to
make them stronger, the only real interaction here
involves either using a trump card for various effects,
or summoning a monster that hatches out of an egg, The game is also both easier and more complex, “Hanjuku” means
which will fight in place of your team. The system lessening the cruel difficulty of the Famicom game “half-boiled”,
then changes to a typical RPG command menu, so while implementing other features, like generals referring to
you can instruct your chosen monster. This system and eggs that grow stronger as they fight. underdone eggs
influenced the Summon command seen in the Final The series saw a revival on the PlayStation 2, and applied to the
Fantasy games – the mascot of Hanjuku Hero, the with two entries. Hanjuku Hero vs. 3D represents dim-witted hero of
superhero Eggman, even shows up as a summon all of the characters as paper-thin 2D sprites these games. A more
monster in Final Fantasy V. Time flows during your fighting in a 3D rendered world, which looks quite appropriate English
campaign, and at the end of every month, you collect silly when you see dozens of them gather around translation would
the money from the territories you’ve captured and together. The fourth game, simply called Hanjuku be “half-baked” but
use it to pay your generals, hire more troops, and Hero 4, refines and updates some mechanics, like then you’d lose all
so forth. There are both set and random events, allowing three-on-three battles (instead of one-on- of the egg jokes.
depending on the time of year, with various effects. one like the earlier games), providing a command
The first game is a little simple, as there menu during combat, and sticking in an octopus
are only three maps, but the series came into its meter that determines the emotional state of the
own with the Super Famicom sequel, subtitled warriors. There was a spinoff for the DS called Egg
Aa, Sekaiyo Hanjukunare … (“Ah, a World Half- Monster Hero, which is actually a Rogue-like in
Boiled”). This entry really cranks up the humour, which you explore dungeons and use various egg
particularly focusing on the thick-witted prince monsters to attack.
of Alma Moon, who can barely even read, much The series technically ended here; however,
less command an army. There are also tons of the second game saw a revival on mobile phones,
parodies of other games, including Final Fantasy which included additional cameos like Dr. Eggman
(the field maps, tiles, and sprites seem lifted from (a.k.a. Dr. Robotnik) from Sonic the Hedgehog.
these games), SaGa, Dragon Quest, and even Live- Alas, none of these ever saw a release outside of
A-Live. Composers Koichi Sugiyama and Nobuo Japan – perhaps Square felt the games were just
Uematsu even show up for their game’s sound tests. too silly – but they’re a lot of fun.
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Dragon Force
Developer: SEGA/J-Force | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT, PS2
If more people had played it, Dragon Force would

likely be atop more strategy RPG fans’ all-time
greats lists. Its excellent translation, infinite
replayability and technical wizardry make Dragon
Force deserving of that accolade.
Hailing from a similar line of RTS games as
Ogre Battle, Dragon Force allows you to control
one of Legendra’s eight monarchs and their
army, with the goal of uniting the continent and
defeating the evil god with the nice goddess’
power. Gameplay consists of two modes: strategy
(plan your invasions by grouping your generals
and their troops, then dispatch them across the
map) and tactical (armies battle in real-time). Each Most importantly, the formations you choose and The fact that
monarch has five key generals, plus a few other your in-battle commands (and magic spells) really Working Designs,
characters germane to them. The generals each are what decides whether you win or lose. The not SEGA, localised
have distinct portraits, powers, and personalities, game engine and systems allow you the flexibility this cult classic
and when two who are in some way connected to pretty much play the game as you wish, and try shows the American
meet as opponents in battle, they exchange different combinations and tactics in reply to your branch’s tragic
unique words. This cements your attachment to enemies’ attacks. If you like beating games despite indifference towards
the characters and helps Dragon Force feel like an self-imposed handicaps, Dragon Force will keep role-playing games.
organic world. you busy pretty much forever.
While strategy games often feature large Part of what makes Dragon Force special is
battles (Kessen, Suikoden), usually armies function the localisation. Working Designs, as usual, wrote
as units – meaning a large number of soldiers a great script: conversational and natural English,
is grouped into a single unit, to which you issue but with “epic RPG” cheesisms scattered properly
orders, and it acts as one. In Dragon Force, every throughout (“The bell tolls for thee!” “Fools and
unit of every army is a fully animated and detailed zealots alike walk death’s dusty road”). The pop-
sprite that fights autonomously (AI controlled, culture jokes are at minimum, unusually for a
although you give them general direction). Up to WD script. The soundtrack by Tatsuyuki Maeda is
100 soldiers on each side actually fight in real-time classic SEGA. The battle tracks are mainly upbeat
across a scrolling, parallax-laden battlefield, and you orchestra, featuring horns and strings over pop
can manually zoom in and out. Even today, seeing drumbeats, with memorable melodies at the core.
200 distinct sprites hack away at each other like it’s The sequel added some units and dulled the
Lord of the Rings is an impressive sight. Different colour palette, but is otherwise mostly the same.
troop types vary in effectiveness depending on the A SEGA Ages PlayStation 2 port of the first game
terrain, the general’s skill, and their advantage or adds in new illustrations and voice acting, plus two
disadvantage relative to the other troop type. new characters. Both were regrettably Japan-only.
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Ogre Battle (series)
Developer: Quest | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SNES, NGPC, PS1, SAT, N64
Quest was a small company that worked on titles

like the NES action game Conquest of the Crystal
Palace and the TG16 shooter Magical Chase. And
yet it was Ogre Battle, a real-time strategy RPG for
the SNES, helmed by Yasumi Matsuno, that defined
the company’s legacy. The initial entry is subtitled
The March of the Black Queen, with both title and
subtitle being references to songs by Queen.
The core game is similar to Square’s Hanjuku
Hero, in that you move units across the map,
capture castles, and defeat enemy strongholds.
The more cities you hold, the more money you get,
allowing for stronger combat units. One of the key subsequent games, many connected with Ogre Battle began
differences is in how you customise those units. Matsuno. The storyline in this initial entry is a line of games
Each is led by a commander, with accompanying a little thin – the protagonist is silent, though helmed by Matsuno,
fighters positioned on a 2 × 3 grid. When you enter there are assorted units that can join in (again, all with similar
combat, accompanied by a voice that yells “Fight it depending on alignment) – and is definitely styles, including
out!”, your squad and its enemy trade blows for a not the focus. But it does try to present the Tactics Ogre, Final
few turns. You don’t directly control the battle, just complexities and ethics of war in a way that was Fantasy Tactics,
broad orders as to what type of unit to attack; your rarely seen in strategy RPGs. Vagrant Story, and
unit obeys, picking an enemy based on position. Unlike Hanjuku Hero, Ogre Battle was Final Fantasy XII.
As a result, you need to customise your unit to released internationally, and received a few Despite all playing
maximise its attack potential while minimizing 32-bit ports, which improved the music but added very differently, they
the damage it suffers. There are several classes, annoying load times, as well as a portable NEOGEO shared many of their
which grow stronger as they level up, and units can Pocket Color rendition. It was followed up by Tactics artistic staff, and all
be equipped with various weapons and armour. Ogre (see opposite page), a very different type feel very similar.
You can also use tarot cards, which are basically of SRPG, but its true sequel was Ogre Battle 64:
magic spells, to help influence the battles. Just as Person of Lordly Caliber. While Matsuno was
important is paying attention to your alignment. not directly involved with this title, it has a much
Various actions will set you higher or lower, which stronger storyline than its predecessor. There are
determines what kinds of unit you can use, among assorted gameplay revisions too, like restricting
other aspects, and affect the ending. unit movement to pre-determined paths, replacing
The map screen is presented using Mode 7 the tarot cards with the somewhat similar Elem
scaling effects with board game-esque figures, Pedra attacks, and altering unit formations based
with unique character art by Akihiko Yoshida. on the direction they were approached from. It’s
Hitoshi Sakimoto and Masaharu Iwata were the one of the very few of its type on the Nintendo 64,
main composers for the orchestral soundtrack, and while fans of the SNES game may bristle at the
which defined the duo’s style for several changes, it’s still an excellent title.
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Tactics Ogre (series)
Developer: Quest | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SFC, PS1, SAT, GBA, PSP
In creating the follow-up to Ogre Battle, Yasumi

Matsuno took the series in a different direction,
resulting in Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together.
It’s a somewhat more typical SRPG, similar to Fire
Emblem and Shining Force, though enhanced
with even more narrative and mechanical depth.
The story takes place in the Valerian Isles,
which have been thrust into chaos as the Kingdom
of Galgastan attempts to take over the Walister
people. The story focuses primarily on three
people – the hero Denam, his older sister Kachua,
and his best friend Vice – as they fight back and way, as war is never pretty, even when necessary. The squat, cutesy
protect their fellow Walstanians. The story was The soundtrack, again by Hitoshi Sakimoto and characters do
influenced by the Yugoslav Wars of the ’90s, and, Masaharu Iwata, is absolutely stellar. somewhat belie
like Ogre Battle, examines the difficult moral The SFC version was not initially released in the seriousness
questions that come with conflict. English, though it did come out internationally for of Tactics Ogre,
Tactics Ogre switches to an isometric the PlayStation in 1998; the port, however, suffers though the story
perspective, similar to the one in Mythos Games’ 1994 from poor sound and other technical issues. contains only a few
PC strategy game X-Com. This proved to be hugely Outside of Final Fantasy Tactics, the game got a of the juvenile tropes
inspirational for the genre, with many subsequent Game Boy Advance sequel subtitled The Knight that tend to typify
games borrowing the look and feel of Tactics Ogre. of Lodis. Developed without Matsuno’s input, it’s Japanese RPGs.
The added depth allows for additional strategies a decent game, though somewhat impaired by a
– attacking from the sides or behind, or from weak soundtrack and long processing times on
higher ground, will be more successful. Movement is enemy turns. Tactics Ogre was later revived for the
affected by not only map height but also equipment PSP in 2011, with Matsuno returning to consult.
weight: heavier items are more powerful but will slow While Final Fantasy Tactics received a lousy
you down. Since opposing characters will typically port for the platform earlier on, this is a full-on
counter-attack, it’s best to put yourself in situations remake that drastically enhances every aspect. The
that will minimise the damage received. This is mechanics have changed, as fallen characters can
especially important given that once a character be resurrected and classes, rather than individual
is killed, they cannot be resurrected, at least until characters, gain experience, greatly reducing
you obtain a spell late in the game. There is more tedium. The biggest revision is the Chariot Tarot,
flexiblity than in Fire Emblem though, as you can which allows you to rewind time to rethink
create and train units of various classes, but it’s strategies in battle, and also lets you explore
still an extremely difficult game. alternate paths in the story. Everything comes
Tactics Ogre also has a branching storyline, together to create the most essential edition
which takes Denam down different paths of one of the best, most influential titles in the
depending on his actions. All are tragic in some SRPG genre.
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Final Fantasy Tactics (series)
Developer: Square | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, PSP, GBA, DS
Final Fantasy Tactics is a strategy-RPG spinoff

from the mainline series, initially released for
the PlayStation. Although Square had already
dabbled in the genre with Front Mission for the
Super Famicom, for this game they hired Quest,
the developers of Tactics Ogre, including director/
writer Yasumi Matsuno, character artist Akihiko
Yoshida, and composers Hitoshi Sakimoto and
Masaharu Iwata.
The story focuses on Ramza Beoulve,
a noble caught in the middle of a war of succession.
During his adventures, he regularly meets up with
Delita, a commoner and former friend, who has
the same basic end goal but goes about things and movement capabilities, and allowing you to A combination of
differently. That’s the extremely brief version of learn abilities in any order you like. Final Fantasy and
the story, which is actually a complex tale about It also changes the way that turns play out. Tactics Ogre, this
class struggles and political machinations – In Fire Emblem (and many similar games), each SRPG remains one of
indeed, the story is much more Tactics Ogre than side moves all of its units at once before switching the best of all time.
Final Fantasy. The setup was inspired by the 15th to the other. In Final Fantasy Tactics, each unit
century English War of the Roses, which was also is placed in a turn queue, depending on its speed,
the inspiration for George R.R. Martin’s A Song equipment weight, and other attributes, so there’s
of Fire and Ice. The game is also extremely hard less sitting around and waiting for the CPU to move.
to follow, as there are at least a dozen important Additionally, certain attacks, like magic, take time
characters, many of whom disappear for large to charge, requiring that you plan your moves
spans of game time. As such, its ambitions are ahead to ensure that your target stays in range.
simply too grand for the confines of a 32-bit The interface makes this somewhat difficult, and
strategy-RPG, though it certainly tries. is indeed one of the game’s biggest issues.
Final Fantasy Tactics introduces a medieval At the time of this game’s release, the Final
world called Ivalice. There are familiar Final Fantasy name was aimed at a wider audience
Fantasy things, particularly creatures like Moogles than something like Tactics Ogre, so this game
and Chocobos, and various character classes like was designed to ease non-SRPG players into the
Dragoons and Black Mages. The other main link to genre. It is a little gentler than its predecessor – the
the core series is the customisation inherited from battlefields are smaller and have fewer units, and
Final Fantasy V, which allows you to train your fallen characters can be resurrected, as long as you
units in a specific Job class, gaining the associated act within a turn limit. However, it does suffer from
skills, then change to a different one while still an inverse difficulty curve: the early stages of the
maintaining everything they learned previously. game can be too hard, especially for newcomers,
It’s flexible too, separating out attack, support, but it becomes much more manageable once
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you’ve unlocked some more Job classes and built rest of their town) transported into the world of The cutscenes
up your team. Late in the game you can almost Ivalice. Most seem to prefer this fantasy version of newly added to the
totally break it, thanks to powerful classes like the their lives to their real ones, but the hero, Marche, PlayStation Portable
Calculator, who can use maths in curious ways to does not, and finds himself at odds with his former version, however
create incredible amounts of destruction. friends. The storyline is thin, with the emphasis on brief, are beautiful
Final Fantasy Tactics came on the heels of fulfilling sub-quests. There’s quite of a bit content, renditions of Akihiko
Final Fantasy VII, and it seemed rather off the wall but it can become tedious. Yoshida’s unique
at the time. Its fantasy setting appeared quaint The Job system is still present, but has character designs.
compared to the spiky hair/huge sword sci-fi world seen some changes, mostly due to the inclusion
of that game, and it eschews 3D graphics and fancy of other races. In addition to humans (called
cutscenes in favour of primarily 2D visuals. It looks Humes), there are the lizard-like Bangaa, the
much like Tactics Ogre did, complete with sprite- rabbit-like Nu Mou, the bunny-like Viera, and the
based characters, though since the battlefields are classic Moogles. Jobs are restricted to specific
3D, they can be rotated at the player’s command, races, so the ability to mix and match abilities
allowing for more elaborate design. The orchestral is limited. Skills are also learned by equipping
score is brilliant, particularly the battle themes, weapons, which you first need to find, drastically
though the style is markedly different from that of limiting your freedom. The most contentious
previous Final Fantasy games. additions are Judges, neutral characters who
Altogether, Final Fantasy Tactics is a definite enforce Laws, which are determined at the start
classic, and one of the pinnacles of the SRPG genre. of battle. These will outlaw certain attacks or
The game was a fairly big success in both Japan abilities, and ignoring them could send the
and North America – it sold well, it earned great offending character to jail (or worse). It’s an odd
critical acclaim, and created a rare product that inclusion, restraining play, and doesn’t make
could both satisfy genre fans and make new ones. much sense – it was so hated in the original
A 2007 PSP port, given the subtitle War of the Japanese release that the overseas version made
Lions, adds in some animated cutscenes in it less troublesome. Overall, Final Fantasy Tactics
a gorgeous painted art style, and a complete Advance is still a great SRPG – it maintains many
retranslation that is far better than the only of the core elements that made its predecessor
halfway comprehensible English of the PlayStation so fantastic – but the drastic change in tone and
game. However, it suffers from numerous technical altered mechanics made it a disappointment for
issues, particularly the noticeable slowdown that some fans of the original.
occurs when casting spells, but also smudgy visuals A sequel was released for the DS, called Final
and noticeably worse music. A later smartphone Fantasy Tactics A2. While featuring a new roster
port fixed most of these issues, though the touch- of characters and ditching the “real world kids in The original Final
screen controls don’t work all that well. fantasy” angle, it plays very similarly. The Judges Fantasy Tactics
While there was never quite a sequel, Square and Laws are less annoying – you get bonuses Advance made
did follow it up with a spinoff for the Game Boy for complying, rather than punishments for some technical
Advance, titled Final Fantasy Tactics Advance. breaches – and new races include the pig-like Seeq compromises to
As it was aimed towards the slightly younger and the winged dragon-like Gria. It’s a definite fit onto the GBA
audience of the portable, various elements were improvement over the GBA game, but those who platform, but its DS
simplified. The story focuses on a group of children preferred the PS1/PSP game will still probably find sequel looks and
in the real world, who find themselves (and the little of interest. sounds much better.
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Arc the Lad (series)
Developer: G-Craft/Cattle Call | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, WSC, IOS, AND, MOB
In the early days of the PlayStation, Sony of

Japan had three main RPG series: Wild Arms,
Popolocrois, and Arc the Lad. Only Wild Arms
was released internationally, while the other two
remained Japan-only for quite some time.
Arc the Lad is a strategy RPG series
developed by G-Craft, the same folks who made
the mecha game Front Mission for Square. The
eponymous Arc is a young man who investigates
the disappearance and apparent death of
his father. During this journey, he obtains a
mysterious power from a Guardian spirit, that just as the story is beginning to take off. Given the The Arc the Lad trilogy
will eventually allow him to obtain an artefact 2D visuals, which are only slightly improved over was a latecomer to
called the Ark, which will help protect the world. typical late-era SNES ones, and the short play American audiences,
At the outset, he is joined by Kukuru, a girl who’s time, it is easy to understand why Sony of America so it felt a little
a member of the tribe that protects the flame passed on localising it. outdated when it was
that protects the Ark, and Poco, a member of Luckily, the sequel made up for this, released released. Only the
the royal drum corps. The world has elements of the next year, in 1996. Its story initially focuses on second one can really
typical fantasy, but it also takes place in a near- a Hunter named Elc, whose village was destroyed be considered a classic,
modern world filled with technology like airships. when he was a child. A mission to defend against though the others
The soundtrack was provided by Masahiro Andou, a terrorist attack goes off the rails when he aren’t bad either.
the guitarist from the Japanese jazz-fusion discovers a mysterious girl named Lieza, who can
band T-Square, giving the music a very talk to animals. It’s revealed here that Arc is now
distinctive feel. a wanted criminal, and was seemingly involved
Arc the Lad plays much like Shining Force, in with the destruction of Elc’s village, but the two
that the player directly controls the character on eventually come together, learn the truth, and
the field. However, there are no cinematic attack save the land.
sequences, so the pacing is fairly breezy. All in Arc the Lad II is a massive improvement
all, it’s a pretty good game … but it’s really only over the original. The game is much longer, and
a prologue for the sequel. In order to complete includes overworld maps, towns, and shops. There
their RPG lineup, Sony needed something for are also the guild missions, which are mostly
the PlayStation’s first year, so the planned game optional side quests for extra prestige and cash.
ended up being drastically scaled back. As a result, The battle system has improved dramatically, with
the first Arc the Lad is pretty simple. There are weapon and ability levels that increase with usage.
no shops, as items are simply obtained on the You can improve items or craft your own, plus you
battlefield, and nothing really to explore, as you can use Lieza’s ability to talk with animals to draft
just move from encounter to encounter. The total certain monsters onto your team. Overall, it’s an
playing time is about ten hours, and the game ends excellent game.
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The success of the title in Japan led to the initial trilogy. Arc the Lad: Twilight of the Arc the Lad III
a related anime series, plus two spinoffs – a Spirits focuses on a world divided into humans updates the
Wonderswan Color SRPG called Arc the Lad: and demon-like creatures called Deimos. There graphic style, but it
Kijin Fukkatsu (“Resurrection of the Machine are two protagonists, the human warrior Kharg was made by a new
God”), also starring Elc, and Arc Arena (a.k.a. and the demon Darc, and the story switches team, and it shows.
Arc the Lad: Monster Game with Casino Game) viewpoints between them until they eventually
for the PlayStation, which focuses entirely on the team up. Given the millennium between this and
monster-battle arena from the main game. the previous games, the storyline connections
Arc the Lad III moves the game on a few are fairly thin, though this also makes it an
years, letting you explore the world after the acceptable jumping-on point for new players.
fallout from the events of the second game. However, it feels like even less of an Arc the Lad
The new hero is Alec, who begins a quest to game, largely due to the shift to 3D. The designers
become a Hunter. While the hunting guild was an changed to Cattle Call, previously of the Atlus
element of the second game, here it’s pretty much RPG Tsugunai. The character designs are totally
the crux of the story, as you take on more missions different in style, and because it’s an early PS2
to advance the plot. The visuals have been changed title, it looks kinda ugly. The music is still pretty
from pure 2D to 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds, so good, at least.
it looks a little more like a typical PlayStation RPG, The battle system has changed, freeing
for better or worse. the characters from grid movement, and instead
At this point G-Craft had been absorbed into allowing them to move within a defined radius.
Square, so this entry was largely made by a new Similarly, each move has its own attack area,
team. And it shows, because neither the story nor allowing you to target multiple enemies at once
the characterisation of pre-existing characters, are if they’re close to each other. There is no MP;
as good. Various elements have also been scaled instead you use Spirit Stones to power magic or
back, with a much lower number of playable super-moves, which are either bought, found, or
characters and missing systems, like the absence of obtained from fallen enemies. Overall, the battle
the blacksmith and skill improvement mechanics. system is fairly decent, but the rest of the story
The end result is a game that’s pretty good, but not drags, resulting in a game that’s pretty middle-of-
really up to the level of its predecessor. the-road, and disappointing for Arc the Lad fans.
Initially, none of these games were released in But it was still better received than its sequel,
English, but Working Designs eventually released Arc the Lad: End of Darkness. This stars a boy
a compilation pack in 2002 which included all named Edda, this shifts the genre to action RPG,
three games plus the Arc Arena bonus disc. At this but unfortunately it plays very poorly. Characters Twilight of the Spirits
point they all seemed pretty outdated visually, but from previous games are available in side- was the last mainline
the flaws of the first game were also less apparent, missions, but that doesn’t really save the game. SRPG in the series,
considering you could beat it in a few days and This spelled the end of the series, at least until a and it’s not bad, but
then move immediately to the better sequel. 2018 free-to-play mobile RPG called Arc the Lad R. it barely has any links
With the jump to the PlayStation 2, the Released only in Japan, it continues the story of to the other Arc the
series enters a whole new era, 1000 years after the characters from the first two games. Lad games.
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Sakura Wars (series)
Developer: SEGA/Red | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT, DC, PSP, PS2, PS4
SEGA’s Sakura Wars (a.k.a. Sakura Taisen)

is a wildly original concept – it’s a hybrid of a
turn-based SRPG like Tactics Ogre and a dating
simulation like Tokimeki Memorial, taking place
in Taisho-era (1920s) Japan, starring a troupe
of women who do stage plays by day and fight
demons, using gigantic mechas, by night. It tosses
together a whole bunch of seemingly disparate
pieces that somehow come together to create one
of SEGA’s most successful late ’90s franchises.
There’s quite of a bit talent behind the series,
including helmsman Ouji Hiroi (Tengai Makyou),
character designer Kousuke Fujishima (Oh My
Goddess, Tales of Phantasia), prolific writer SRPGs, except there are no experience levels or Kousuke Fujishima
Satoru Akahori, and composer Kouhei Tanaka equipment. Instead, all of the stats and abilities are not only has a
(Paladin’s Quest, Just Breed, Alundra). based on the character’s feelings towards Ohgami, distinctive character
The player sees the world through the eyes of with favoured characters getting stronger. If certain art style but an
Ichirou Ohgami, a Japanese Imperial Navy officer conditions are met, you can also combine powers excellent fashion
assigned to lead the Imperial Flower Combat for super-attacks. Obviously, if a girl is knocked sense, and his
Troupe, charged with fighting demons in Tokyo. out of battle, then her affection decreases. Though take on early 20th
Each of the game’s ten chapters is divided into the basic story doesn’t really change, the choice of century fashion, as
halves. During the first half, you control Ohgami favoured character determines the ending. well as the Flower
as he walks around the theatre and interacts with Bishoujo games live or die with their Troupe’s distinctive
the various characters. The game uses something characters, and Sakura Wars has a diverse roster of uniforms, greatly
called LIPS (“Live & Interactive Picture System”), personalities of different nationalities, all named helped shape the
which basically means that you have a time limit after flowers. The main heroine is Sakura Shinguji, style of the series.
when selecting dialogue, and running out means a traditional Japanese woman who’s skilled with a
that you’ve chosen to remain silent. (Later games sword, but others include the haughty, high-class
also implement other interactive features, like Sumire; the karate-loving country girl, Kanna; the
choosing how loudly to say something, based on tough Russian fighter Maria; the quirky Chinese
the analogue controls.) As typical for bishoujo inventor Kohran; and the psychic teddy bear-
games, Ohgami’s relationships will deepen or sour loving 12-year-old Iris.
based on his responses. The first game was released for the Saturn in
This is important for the second half of 1996, across two CDs. An instant success, it was
the chapter, when the demons attack. All of the followed up by a sequel two years later, subtitled
characters hop into steam-powered mecha called Kimi, Shinitamou Koto Nakare (“Beloved, Thou
Koubu, at which point the turn-based tactical part Shalt Not Die”). The game is pretty similar, and
of the game begins. It functions similarly to typical has most of the same cast, albeit with a new
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story and two new women: Reni, an androgynous like the anime TV and OVA series and the manga, The Dreamcast
child progeny from Germany, and Orihime, a hot- were released in English. SEGA then attempted to Sakura Wars games
blooded half-Italian singer. relaunch the series, with the initial project being a were developed by a
The third game moved to the Dreamcast and remake of the first game for the PlayStation 2, in part of SEGA called
reset the stage from Japan to Paris, France. The the style of the Dreamcast games. Subtitled Atsuki Overworks. Some
third game, subtitled Pari wa Moeteiru ka (“Is Paris Chishio ni (“In Hot Blood”), this was intended for of the same staff
Burning”) focuses on the Chattes Noires theatre, English release but somehow never made it across would later go on to
where the dancers dress as catgirls. The roster is the ocean. develop the Valkyria
entirely new, including the klutzy heroine (and The next part of the project was a fifth entry Chronicles series.
nun-in-training) Erica, the high-class Glycine, the for the series, which moved the action to the
young orphan Coquelicot, the half-French half- United States, finally marking its English debut.
Japanese noble Hanabi, and the devious criminal Playing as Ichirou Ohgami’s nephew, Shinjirou
Lobelia. The 2D visuals have improved, due to the Taiga, you are transferred to the American branch
higher resolution of the Dreamcast, plus the battle to helm the New York Combat Revue, which
scenes are now fully 3D. The tactical battle system puts on Broadway-style shows. The heroine is
has been changed too, now called ARMS (Active Gemini Sunrise, a samurai cowboy, with other
& Realtime Machine System) with each turn characters including Cheiron, a Harlem lawyer/
granting the character an action bar, allowing bike gang leader; Diana, a sickly wheelchair-
them to divide it between movement and attacks. bound doctor; Rosita, a dimunative dancer/
For the fourth game, subtitled Koise yo bounty hunter; and Subaru, a gender non-
Otome (“Maidens, Fall in Love”), SEGA saw the binary traditional Japanese dancer. However,
death of the Dreamcast coming, and cobbled the new cast failed to entertain the Japanese
together something of a send-off, featuring the fanbase and the long delayed localisation, which
cast of both the Tokyo and Paris Flower Troupes. was released by Nippon Ichi rather than SEGA,
It’s fairly short and inconsequential, to the point came far too late for anyone to notice.
where it feels like a fan disc. The series went under again until 2019, when
Up until this point, the video game series SEGA resurrected it as Shin (“New”) Sakura Wars.
was basically Japan-only, outside of some The series is again set in Japan and stars Seijuro While the NewYork
Windows ports for territories like Russia. SEGA of Kamiyama as the new captain, with an all-new City setting includes
America president Bernie Stolar prevented many cast, except for classic character Sumire, now older familiar American
RPGs from being localised, an attitude that felt and at a higher rank. The character designer has landmarks like the
shortsighted in light of the international JRPG been changed to Tite Kubo, known for the anime/ Statue of Liberty and
boom arising out of Final Fantasy VII and the manga Bleach. However, the series shifts away Times Square, the
increasing popularity of anime and manga in completely from SRPG tactics to hack-and-slash new cast failed to
North America in the late ’90s. Nonetheless, the combat. This was also released internationally ignite the flames of
Sakura Wars name was known to fans of Japanese in 2020, giving the franchise another chance at passion of long-time
manga and anime, as the assorted tie-in products, international stardom. Japanese fans.
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Disgaea (series)
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): PS2, PS3, PS4, PSP, DS, PSV, WIN, NSW
Nippon Ichi had joined the RPG bandwagon with

its PS1 musical Rhapsody, before spinning it off
into SRPG territory with its PS2 game La Pucelle.
But it was really their second effort, Disgaea,
that not only defined its style but found its
international success, resulting in six core entries
and several spinoffs.
Disgaea is a retelling of the war between
heaven and hell, mostly focused on the hell part (or
the netherworld, as Disgaea refers to it). There’s
fire and brimstone, but also a largely dysfunctional
monarchy, led and operated by demons who run foe. The key is to manipulate the Geo Symbol in Disgaea was a
the gamut from being corrupt through arrogance clever ways to give yourself the advantage. surprise cult hit
to just plain incompetent. The characters are Character customisation and creation plays when it hit North
silly, the dialogue is often absurd, and even the an enormous part in these games too. There is a America, thanks to
items have silly joke descriptions. The weirdness core cast of distinct characters in the game, but its goofy sense of
is brought to life by Takehito Harada’s cutesy, you can also create an army of other classes, that humour and insane
colourful character designs and Tenpei Sato’s range from typical standbys like Archers or Mages, customisation
delightfully whimsical soundtracks. to weirder classes like Sentai Heroes and Zombie schemes.
On the surface, the game utilises the same Maids. Particularly unique to Disgaea are Prinnies,
setup as Final Fantasy Tactics – 2D sprites on 3D which look like peg-legged penguins but are also
backdrops, with an isometric perspective – which souls of the damned, who are treated like cannon
even at the time of release in 2003 seemed a little fodder, since they explode like bombs when tossed.
old-fashioned. But it’s the many unique quirks There are systems whereby you can teach skills
that give Disgaea its particular identity, setting to other characters, or kill one, then reincarnate
it apart from others of its kind. There’s a big them complete with existing abilities, but in a new
emphasis on ganging up on foes and executing class. Using abilities repeatedly can also increase
combos, either by attacking them simultaneously strength, resulting in a Pavlovian effect in which
or by sticking characters into close proximity with level-ups are constant and addictive.
each other. Characters can also pick up and throw Disgaea is also aware of SRPG tropes and
units across the map, or even create towering looks for ways to play with or completely break
stacks of soldiers. Additionally, some tiles on the them, one of the most interesting being the Item
battlefield are coloured – the properties of these World. You see, within each and every piece of
tiles can be modified by tossing stones called Geo equipment in the game, there’s a little world
Symbols onto them. If you find a Geo Symbol that, filled with mini inhabitants. You can shrink
say, increases your defence by 50%, toss it on a red yourself and enter any item, which takes you to
tile. Now any character standing on a red tile will a randomly-generated dungeon. Making your way
gain a 50% defence boost, whether it be friend or through this will eventually strengthen whatever
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item you’ve decided to adventure into. In a nod to Each game has a unique story, setting, and Disgaea has angels,
democracy, there’s also a senate called the Dark cast of characters. The first stars demon prince demons, vampires,
Assembly, where you can propose pre-determined Laharl, who seeks to establish his place as ruler werewolves, and
bills to change aspects of the underworld, like of the underworld with the help of his servant, exploding peg-
making items in the shop cheaper. If it doesn’t the demon girl Etna, and a fallen angel named legged penguins
look like your measures will be supported, you Flonne. The second focuses on the human Adell called Prinnies.
can either bribe swing votes, or even try to beat and his fight against the overlord Zenon, while
them all into submission (not recommended if the third takes place in a demon academy and
you’re at a low level). stars an honour student named Mao. The fourth
Most of these aspects are in place in the stars a vampire named Valvatorez and his werewolf
first game, though other features were added companion Fenrich, who try to win an election and
later, with even stranger ways to create, enhance, take over the demon government, while the fifth
and customise your party. The second game stars a demon named Killia as he ventures to various
introduces a Dark Court, where you can be issued Netherworlds to recruit overlords to fight against a
summons for certain “criminal” actions, like killing greater evil. These games are often populated with
too many enemies. The third game introduces amusing secondary characters, friend and foe, like
the Class World, similar to the Item World, but the goofy rock star Axel and baseball bat-wielding
even more abstract, since you’re fighting to level half-Prinny Fuka. The villain Vyers, who refers to
up the stats of different character classes. This himself as the Dark Adonis, is renamed Mid-Boss
entry also introduces the Magichange ability that by the hero, following an appearance as an early,
allows certain monsters to become weapons and low level foe. And while the stories are separate,
be wielded by other characters. The fourth game characters from previous games (and other Nippon
allows you to capture enemies and “discipline” them Ichi games) make cameos.
to get bonuses or convince them to join your side. While the specific features of each entry
Of course, with all of these different ways change from game to game, as the designers
to manipulate characters and abilities, almost all toyed with what worked and what didn’t, assorted
pretence at balanced difficulty goes right out the quality-of-life features were built into each
window. The main story missions can either be successive game, making it a little hard to go
overwhelming or completely trivial based on how back to earlier ones. However, most fans agree
you’ve built your party, since it’s so open-ended. that the cast of the first game is probably the
The party-building aspect really is the focus best, and the later ones never quite captured the
of these games, compared to the pure strategy of same goofy sense of weirdness … which is why it’s
something like Fire Emblem. They really are for the only game to have received a storyline sequel
people who like to figure out how games work and (Disgaea D2) and an HD remake (called Disgaea 1 After the success
then proceed to break them. You can raise your Complete, though it doesn’t change much, other of Disgaea, Nippon
character levels to the max of 9999 and do damage than updating some visuals). Ichi got quite
up into the millions, if you stick at it long enough. Though Nippon Ichi has created several other experimental with
These games can theoretically last you hundreds SRPGs, they regularly return to Disgaea, since its other franchises,
of hours, though that’s really only for those that it’s their most popular, and arguably their best. though eventually
want to put in that much time to elevate their stats In addition to an anime series, there are also two they settled back
to comical levels – the core story can be beaten and side-scrolling platformers featuring the Prinnies, into nurturing their
enjoyed without becoming exhausting. as well as a visual novel called Disgaea Infinite. flagship series.
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La Pucelle: Tactics
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2, PSP
Although Disgaea is Nippon Ichi’s most famous

SRPG franchise, their first entry in the genre was
actually La Pucelle: Tactics. It’s a pseudo-sequel
to the Marl Kingdom games, taking place a few
centuries later, plus it removes all of the singing
stuff, though it keeps the same goofy sense of
humour. It stars a group of holy warriors from
La Pucelle, a church organisation in charge of
hunting down demons. The stars are brazen
nun-in-training Prier, her little brother Culotte,
and the calm and collected Alouette, as well as
the stately knight Princess Eclair and the pirate
Homard, who commands a squad of cat pirates.
The art is by Ryoji, who also designed the Marl of energy. By standing on them, you can direct La Pucelle was
Kingdom games, so the art is a bit different from this energy, which can be used to attack enemies; originally skipped
the Takehito Harada-designed characters of most alternatively, if you can form a rectangle with these for localisation, but
later Nippon Ichi games. squares, they can decimate anything within their was later brought
Many of Nippon Ichi’s SRPG mechanics began borders. You can also purify foes, in which case out internationally
here, even though they’re not quite fully fleshed they may join you once you defeat them. There are thanks to the success
out. When you attack an enemy, you’re switched 12 chapters, many with multiple endings. of Disgaea.
to a separate, side-view screen as the combatants La Pucelle is decent but unrefined, compared
exchange blows, with nearby characters joining to its successors. A PSP port called La Pucelle:
the skirmish. There are also Dark Portals, which Ragnarok was also released in Japan, but was not
will not only spawn enemies, but also let off a flow published internationally.
Phantom Brave
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2, PSP, WII, WIN
Phantom Brave takes place on a series of tropical
islands. The star is Marona, an orphaned 12-year
-old girl who can see phantoms, so she makes a
living as a demon hunter. She’s also possessed by
Ash, a departed friend of her parents who basically
acts as her father figure.
The mechanics of Phantom Brave have
moved on from those of Disgaea. The battlefield
removes the grids in favour of free movement,
with a character being able to move within a
specific radius. But, more strangely, almost all
of the characters are phantoms. Since they have
no corporeal form, you choose objects on the
battlefield for them to inhabit, each with different instead of being organised into turns. Phantom Brave’s
stat modifiers. For example, rocks will grant high The story is also much more serious and story is both
HP but slow movement, while trees will give higher melodramatic than Disgaea’s, focusing on charming and
magic power but weaker defence. Plus, phantoms Marona’s loneliness, the villagers who hate her harrowing, as poor
can also only stay on the battlefield for a limited for her powers (even though she works to protect Marona is often
number of turns before disappearing. So you need them), and her search for her parents. But there’s put through the
to form strategies based on strengthening Marona still some goofiness and plenty of colourful emotional wringer.
(who is the only character who can stick around characters, like the Owl Ninjas. It’s tough to wrap
for unlimited turns), and doing as much damage your head around it, but once you do, it’s easily
as possible with the others before they go up in as charming and compelling as other Nippon
smoke. Unit order is also determined by speed Ichi SRPGs.
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Makai Kingdom
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2005 | Platform(s): PS2, PSP
After the dramatic departures in mechanics and

tone of Phantom Brave, Makai Kingdom (known,
strangely enough, as Phantom Kingdom in its
native Japan) reels things back a bit, returning to
the tone of Disgaea. It stars Zetta, a self-proclaimed
“freaking badass overlord” whose arrogant actions
end up with him getting confined to a book. He
seeks the aid of Pram, a devilish oracle with a
sarcastic sense of humour. However, you don’t get
to control them (or any of the other silly overlords
that lend their hands) but rather focus entirely on
player-created units.
The stages in Makai Kingdom are randomly
generated, with each starting on a very small The game is kind of a mess – each area on Makai Kingdom
battlefield. By destroying a Key unit, a new area the battlefield has a different set of textures, which feels more cobbled
is unlocked, and you can move on. The goal creates an inconsistent look, plus Tenpei Sato only together than other
isn’t just to beat everything, but rather to gain supplied a few music tracks, with the rest given to SRPGs, but its core
enough points, at which point you can leave. freelancers. Plus, the crazy overlords are fun, but elements are still
It keeps the free movement of Phantom Brave, you don’t see enough of them. Still, there’s plenty very much intact.
plus adds things like buildings you can place on of silly bits, like the way that your characters appear
the battlefield, which give assorted bonuses as by being rocketed into the battlefield, as well as
long as they stand, plus a wider arsenal, including flashy attack animations. Overall, Makai Kingdom
weapons like rifles and bombs, and rideable is a fine game – its quirks, while numerous, are all
vehicles like tanks and mechas. minor and forgiveable.
Soul Nomad & the World Eaters

Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): PS2
Soul Nomad messes with the tactics RPG formula
far more than Phantom Brave or Makai Kingdom
ever did. It takes place on a ruined world that used
to be ruled by beings called World Eaters, who
have been lying dormant for quite some time.
The player’s avatar (which can be male or female)
emerges from hiding to explore the world, although
they are actually possessed by Gig, the spirit of the
World Eater ruler, who wants nothing more than to
take over the Earth once again. There is an alternate
path you can take, if you wish to follow Gig.
The battlefield is quite different, as the fields
are all flat, drawn maps that your characters move
across, rather than the standard 3D terrain. When Decor to modify stats, and perform Inspections, Most of Nippon
you attack another unit, you get a close-up battle which work similarly to the Item World in Disgaea, Ichi’s SRPGs
in which both squads duke it out. Individual units being randomly-generated stages to increase the have had ports
consist of a leader and several soldiers placed in Room’s abilities. from their initial
different formations, who have different skills The tone, as well as the character art by Toi8, PlayStation 2
depending on where they’re placed. These are is much darker than in other Nippon Ichi games. releases, except
hugely customisable, though the terminology is It is their most innovative title, which is saying Soul Nomad,
a little odd. These formations are called Rooms, something considering how off-the-wall their which indicates
which are randomly generated, and you are mechanics can get, but they unfortunately decided its tepid reception,
charged rent money based on which units are to play it safe after this game, primarily relying on if not its quality.
placed within. You can also place items called Disgaea sequels after the end of the PS2 era.
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Valkyria Chronicles (series)
Developer: SEGA/Media.Vision | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): PS3, PS4, WIN, NSW, PSP
SEGA’s Sakura Wars series took a break after the

fifth entry for the PlayStation 2, leaving room for
another strategy RPG to take its place. And thus
was born Valkyria Chronicles, initially released
for the PlayStation 3 in 2008. Relating the story
of a fictional war on a continent that’s an awful
lot like Europe, it focuses on the neutral nation of
Gallia, as it’s invaded by the East Europan Imperial
Alliance, which seeks control of its bountiful
resources of a powerful ore called Ragnite.
Since Gallia doesn’t have much of a regular
military, its combatants consist entirely of unit. When a unit is selected, the camera zooms Many SRPGs fit nicely
conscripted citizens who have picked up arms to into their perspective, as you control them on into the Tactics
defend their country. The hero of the first game, the 3D battlefield, and get them into position Ogre or Fire Emblem
Welkin Gunther, would rather study nature to attack enemies. A unit only has so much model, so Valkyria
than pilot tanks, while fellow combatant Alicia stamina for movement, but is allowed to attack Chronicles branching
Melchiott is really just a baker. The diverse cast once before its turn is up. In each turn, you get a out into a movement
of scrappy characters, designed by artist Raita number of Medals, which are used to command system is a nice
Honjou, makes for compelling storytelling, as even any unit. In other words, you can command the change of pace.
minor characters have their own personality same unit to act multiple times, but each time its
traits, and fight better next to characters they get selected, it has less stamina, and can’t move as
along with. (There’s even a few cameo characters far. Units include Scouts, which have the greatest
from the SEGA RPG Skies of Arcadia.) The story movement range but are stuck with weak rifles;
is basically an anime World War II, though rather Shocktroopers, which wield powerful machine
than rockets or nuclear bombs, its weapons of guns; and Lancers, which carry heavy rocket
mass destruction are members of an ancient launchers. You also have command of a tank,
warrior race of battle maidens called Valkyria, which is easily more powerful than human units,
who possess enormous magical powers. The key but has limited mobility, and generally also needs
antagonist is the blue-haired Selvaria, fighting on an Engineer unit to walk alongside it to perform
the side of the Imperials, who appears on the front maintenance. Also, tanks have a big glowing
cover and shows up in other games in the series. weak point on their rear – they’re difficult to take
In spite of its fantastical elements, the characters down from the front due to their heavy armour,
give it a really down-to-earth feeling. but a single Lancer rocket to the back will heavily
Valkyria Chronicles plays a bit differently incapacitate it, if not outright destroy it. As with
from most Japanese strategy RPGs, using what many strategy games, positioning is of the utmost
it calls the BLiTZ (Battle of Live Tactical Zones) importance. Even when it’s not their turn, certain
system. The battlefield is presented as a military units will open fire on opposing combatants if
war-room map, with emblems representing each they get close enough, so it’s best to sneak up
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from behind. When aiming, you can also chose to It’s not unplayable but it is a marked step down
aim at the body, or at the head, the latter having a from its predecessor.
lower probability of success, but doing much more The third game was also for the PSP, though
damage. recognising the storytelling issues of the second
It’s a thrilling system, since the character title, it refocuses the story on a penal black ops
movement puts the player right into the unit during the Gallian war. It’s a much better
battlefield, hiding behind grass or buildings to story, on the level of the first game, though overall
avoid enemy fire while trying to find an opening. it still suffers from the same technical restraints,
The game uses a graphical style that features cel- as well as some reused maps. Unfortunately, due
shaded characters, giving everything the feeling of to sluggish sales of the PSP outside of Japan, the
a painting in motion. Combined with the comic game was not localised into English, though it was
book-style sound effect words that pop up during eventually translated by fans.
the action, it’s thrilling to play in a way that most Though left dormant for a number of years,
SRPGs don’t allow: you’re not just pointing and the Valkyria name was resurrected for the ill-
clicking. And while Hitoshi Sakimoto may be received action RPG spinoff Valkyria Revolution.
stereotyped as the “SRPG soundtrack guy” thanks Despite sharing some terminology, there isn’t
to his work on Tactics Ogre and Ogre Battle, much connection to the main series, and it loses
it’s hard to say he doesn’t do a great job here. the unique visual style too. Unfortunately, this is
The biggest downside lies in the game’s quite a poor effort, with simple battlefield action
mission design, as some scenarios are extremely segments that are often braindead easy, until the
difficult unless you know when and where sudden wild difficulty spikes. It’s also weighed
enemies will show up, though this is a common down by aimless, terribly-directed cutscenes and
issue with strategy RPGs. Unit customisation is long loading times; the only decent thing about it
also restrictive, as you simply level up unit classes is a soundtrack by Yasunori Mitsuda.
rather than individual characters, though this Thankfully, Valkyria Chronicles 4 was
also prevents certain characters from becoming released the next year in 2018 to wash away the
too weak. But otherwise it’s an outstanding title, terrible taste of Valkyria Revolution. Released for
and while it wasn’t enormously popular, it gained HD consoles, it’s a return to form for the series,
enough fans to continue the franchise. as it looks and plays much like the first game.
Alas, SEGA really didn’t handle the Additions include a new unit, a Grenadier, which
subsequent games correctly. The sequel was can lob bombs great distances, as well as several
released for the PlayStation Portable, making new scenarios that take place in an arctic setting.
for a large technical downgrade from the initial On its own, it’s an excellent title, but at the same
PlayStation 3 game. It still looks good, considering time, it feels like barely anything has advanced in
the weaker hardware, but the change does affect the decade between this entry and the first one.
the gameplay, particularly the smaller maps, which The story doesn’t add much, the characters and
are typically broken into even smaller chunks. writing are slightly worse, it looks and sounds
The story focuses on a civil war in Gallia, and almost identical, and the improved mechanics
changes the location to a military training academy don’t really change much.
full of teenagers, resulting in more juvenile In spite of its mishandling, there’s no doubt
characters and storytelling. The unit customisation Valkyria Chronicles is one of strongest of its type,
has been expanded, but you may need to spend and at very least, the first and fourth entries (and
more time grinding to get the units you want. arguably the third) are essential for SRPG fans.
Valkyria
Chronicles’ cel-
shaded art style
makes it look like
a war painting
in motion, as in
the fourth entry
pictured here.
529
Energy Breaker
Developer: Neverland | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SFC
Myra is a young woman living a peaceful life in the

village of Olga, who has no recollection of her past.
A dream sends her off adventuring, teaming her
up with an eccentric inventor, Lenardo, and they
often cross paths with the mysterious, blue-haired
swordsman Leon, who seems to be tied to her
previous, unknown life.
Neverland had previously developed the
two Lufia games for the SNES, both of which
were decent, albeit typical, role-playing games,
but Energy Breaker is anything but. The game
is a mixture of traditional JRPG exploration and character customisation, which is what the title The innovative
tactical RPG combat, à la Tactics Ogre. The entire refers to. Each unit has a positive or negative SRPG mechanics
game is viewed from an isometric perspective, amount of each of four elements – earth, wind, and excellent
as Myra explores towns and maps (though the fire, and water, and you can allocate a certain story turn Energy
overworld is handled via menu selections). Certain number of PP energy points to these. These are Breaker into one
screens will trigger encounters with enemies, capped, but when you level up, you can choose of the best titles
which switch the game into turn-based mode to raise those maximum amounts. During the of its era.
while you fight them. These battles are typically adventure, you obtain grimoires, which will
pretty short, often resolving within a few turns list the energy distribution requirements to
(there’s a turn limit anyway), though they can learn certain skills. The interface makes this all
recur if you revisit the area. difficult to manage, but it’s an interesting system
Most SRPGs let a unit move and attack once once you wrap your head around it.
in each turn. In Energy Breaker, each character There’s quite a bit of detail in the game
has a maximum of 12 BP per turn, which they world. There are tons of hidden items to find, and
can spend on various actions. Moving consumes a lot of evocative text when investigating various
5 BP, regular attacks consume 4, and so on. areas. The conversation system allows you to
So, providing you don’t move your character, inquire about certain topics, show key items, or
they can attack three times in a single turn. even adjust your attitude (friendliness or hostility),
Therefore, there’s quite a bit of flexibility in how though in practice, it doesn’t affect a whole
you can position and guide your units. There are lot. The character designs by Yasuhiro Nightow
five main units, plus a sixth unit named Gulliver, (Trigun) are attractive, and the story is solid too,
a flying robot who can’t attack but can take an dealing with weighty philosophical issues around
infinite amount of damage, making him useful as science and religion, as was popular in RPGs of
a defensive tool. this era. Even in Japan, it’s a mostly unknown cult
However, their health also affects how much classic, largely due to its very late release in the
BP is regenerated after each turn, so weaker Super Famicom’s life, but it certainly deserves to
units can’t act quite as often. Also unique is the be much better recognised.
530
Bahamut Lagoon
While Square already had the mecha game Front

Mission as their primary SRPG staple, they also
developed Bahamut Lagoon, another title in the
genre that adheres more closely to the style and
aesthetic of their Final Fantasy series. The game
takes place on the world of Orelus, which consists
of a number of small land masses, called lagoons,
floating in the sky. The game begins when the
Granbelos Empire invades the Kingdom of Kahna,
in order to unite the continents under its rule.
As Byuu, the commander of the Kahna Dragon
Squad, you and your fellow soldiers put up an
admirable fight, but it’s a lost cause – the kingdom
falls, the princess Yoyo is kidnapped, and everyone joining the squad-level skirmishes if they like you One of the late SFC
flees to safety. Years pass, and eventually everyone enough. Between the unit customisation and the releases from Square,
regroups to take back their kingdom, save the dragon raising, there’s quite a bit of depth here, Bahamut Lagoon
princess, and defeat Granbelos. but compared to other SRPGs like Fire Emblem or has everything the
Bahamut Lagoon has a few unique features, Tactics Ogre, it’s also not nearly as difficult. company is known
specifically in the way it breaks down its units. Each The story takes the best of Square, in for – excellent
unit actually consists of four soldiers, so when that it’s a decent fantasy story with bits of odd visuals, outstanding
they attack another, you’re given a separate side- comedy. Byuu is a silent protagonist, but there music, interesting
view battle screen on which you pick commands, are plenty of weird characters in your party, mechanics … and
and they exchange blows. Each soldier also has a like the occasionally senile old man Sendak, the some cool as heck
class affiliation, giving them various strengths and overly proud knight Matelite, or the underling dragon designs.
weaknesses, so you can rearrange your characters Bikkebakke, who kindly asks that you refrain from
to have, say, a squad mainly of Heavy Armour making fun of his name. But the most unusual
fighters, which are super-strong but can’t move is Yoyo, the captured princess, technically the
very far, balanced a bit by sticking in a Light main protagonist – despite being set up as a love
Armour fighter. interest for Byuu, she ends up deeply subverting
Additionally, each unit is accompanied by a this trope.
dragon, to which you can give a name. Since they The visuals are brilliant, with the high
are beasts, they act of their own accord, though they level of pixel artwork Square is known for –
do listen to basic commands to attack, fall back, or the dragon designs are resplendent, the battle
hold in place. Over the course of the game, you can character sprites larger and clearer than in most
develop these dragons by feeding various items of their other games, and the shots of the lagoons
to them. Not only does this affect their affinities floating in the clouds were made to show off the
and stats, but also their loyalty, which determines SFC Mode 7 effects. Altogether, it’s one of the
how well they’ll listen to you during fights, even best SRPGs of the era.
531
Vandal Hearts (series)
Developer: Konami | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): PS1, X360, PS3
In the world of Vandal Hearts, the monarchy

has been overthrown and democracy has been
granted to the citizens of the newly created
Republic of Ishtaria. Things aren’t exactly going
well though, with crime running rampant and
conspiracies afoot within the government. It’s up
to a few key members of the Ishtarian Security
Force, including hero Ash Lambert, to bring
justice back to the land.
This is a pretty typical SRPG, using an
isometric perspective, à la Tactics Ogre, with 2D
sprites on a 3D background. The class system is
fairly similar to Fire Emblem’s (mêlée fighters are
strong against archers, archers are strong against place over the course of his life, as his country As an early PS1
flying hawkmen, and hawkmen are strong against is torn by civil war. There are multiple endings, SRPG, Vandal
mêlée fighters); even the class promotion system depending on your choices. The main difference Hearts is a solid
works similarly, as you choose to upgrade when here is how character turns work – normally entry in the genre,
characters reach certain experience levels. Its place you move a character and then their turn ends, even though
in history isn’t due to any particular innovation, but here, enemies move simultaneously with later games have
but rather because it was one of the first on the your character. It makes combat unnecessarily surpassed it.
system. Released in 1996 in Japan, and other complicated, since you can target an enemy, only
markets in 1997, it beat Final Fantasy Tactics for it to saunter out of your range. Most players
to the market by nearly a year. SRPGs were also couldn’t get past this, and thus the game was met
extremely rare in North America, with most gamers with a poor reception.
of the time really only familiar with Shining Force. Vandal Hearts was resurrected for a third
Vandal Hearts is more linear – there are towns and game, technically a prequel, a digital download
shops, though they’re all menu-based – but the for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. Subtitled
story is decent and the battles are challenging and Flames of Judgment, it was developed by Western
well designed, even if the systems aren’t terribly studio Hijinx Studios. The main character is
complex. It’s mostly memorable for the enormous Tobias, an orphan of war, whose church is
and striking blood fountains that spurt whenever mysteriously attacked. Gameplay-wise, it takes
a character is slain, but even without that, it’s a after the original Vandal Hearts rather than
pretty decent early effort. its sequel, though it moves to a queue-based
By the time a sequel came out in 1999, turn system. The character artwork is distinctly
Vandal Hearts II was up against more serious Western and a huge departure from the original.
competition from other SRPGs, so it needed to As a cheap way to indulge in turn-based strategy,
stand out a little more. The story is completely a genre rare on consoles at the time, it’s just barely
new, focusing on a boy named Joshua and taking acceptable, but its low budget is very apparent.
532
Black/Matrix (series)
Developer: Flight-Plan | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): SAT, PS1, DC, GBA, PS2
Flight-Plan’s Black/Matrix takes place in a world

based on the Bible, except that the roles of good
and evil are reversed. Here, virtues such as love,
equality, and freedom are viewed as sins, while
greed, anger, and lust are praised. Humans are
born with wings, whose colour determines their
class – those with black wings are the rulers, while
those with white are slaves. You control a young
white-winged man named Abel, in service to a
black-winged master. Curiously, while the player
character is set, you pick your master from one of
five women, though a man can also be chosen by
entering a code. The master has fallen in love with
Abel, something that is strictly forbidden, and they presence was previously minimal. However, Its religious
are separated. Left in prison to rot, Abel discovers the artist was changed from Kyoko Tsuchiya to iconography and
he has the ability to change the wings of humans Kazuhiro Soeta. A second remake, released for the apocalyptic themes
from black to white, making everyone to believe PlayStation and called Black/Matrix+, is largely ensured that
him to be the saviour of their kind. They escape, based on the Dreamcast release, but with the Black/Matrix was
and Abel’s quest to rescue his beloved master original Saturn artwork. However, a number of probably too niche
eventually leads to full scale war. events have been cut from this version, so there’s to be localised at
At its core, Black/Matrix is an isometric no ideal port. the time.
SRPG, very similar to Tactics Ogre. The main The series continued, but it never quite found
difference is that magic and weapon crafting are the same success. Black/Matrix II takes place in
handled via Blood Points, harvested from fallen a separate universe, where everything is divided
enemies. Time flows during battle, at the pace of between heaven, hell, and the human world.
an hour per turn, and various spells have different It moved the series to 3D, though the visuals are
properties depending on when they’re cast. quite ugly. The battle system is similar, though,
At the end of each encounter, you’re graded on and there is still some plot branching, with four
your performance and given items, as well as an heroines to choose from. A third game called
experience pool you can divide among your team. Black/Matrix Zero was released for the Game Boy
The music consists largely of rap and hip-hop, an Advance and PlayStation; this removes the Blood
unusual sound for a game like this. Points but adds in summoned creatures called
Black/Matrix saw a remake for the Dreamcast, Pain Killers.
called Black/Matrix AD (for “advanced”) which Black/Matrix was the first of its type from
revamps the visuals and greatly expands the story. Flight-Plan, who later created Summon Night,
In the original Saturn version, there’s one (rather another SRPG series that’s much brighter in tone;
sad) ending, but this port adds a few alternative it became their most popular series and outlived
paths, plus a greater role for the masters, whose the company’s closure.
533
Summon Night (series)
Developer: Flight-Plan/Felistella/Media.Vision | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, PS4, DS and more
Japanese developer Flight-Plan started out with

the Black/Matrix SRPG series, but its Summon
Night franchise was really its flagship. Including
the first entry released for the PlayStation in 2000,
there have been a total of 13 games, some dating
from after the developer went out of business,
all published by Banpresto.
Most of the games take place in the medieval
fantasy world of Lyndbaum, which functions
using a mixture of magic and science, and is
surrounded by various other worlds, each with
its own unique civilisation. The protagonist of
the first game, chosen from among two boys and story and characters than on the gameplay itself. Summon Night was
two girls, comes from a world that’s basically The characters might look cutesy, but the games aimed at casual
Earth. Most of the subsequent games also offer are definitely not “moe”, because the themes can SRPG fans, and
a choice of protagonists, typically a boy or a girl. get pretty dark, especially for the Summoned was Flight Plan’s
Since all of the games take place among these characters or creatures, who are often treated gravy train for quite
worlds, mostly around the same era, there are like slaves. awhile, consisting of
various characters who recur in all of the games, Which isn’t to say that Summon Night is several core SRPG
even though each game has its own story and cheap or badly made – Flight-Plan had already games, as well as
protagonist. Combined with the large assortment proved itself to be more than competent in the numerous spin-offs.
of tie-in materials (novels, drama CDs, and so past, after all. The core gameplay isn’t much
forth), and character illustrations by fantasy artist different from that in other SRPGs, and the
Takeshi Iizuka (also known for Kino’s Journey), original PlayStation version doesn’t look all that
it paints a richly detailed world that earned itself much different from something like a slightly
quite a number of fans. cheerier Tactics Ogre, complete with 2D visuals
Throughout the ’90s, SRPGs were mostly and an isometric perspective. As suggested by the
thought of as a hardcore fan genre, owing to the title, characters can Summon various creatures by
complexity of games like Fire Emblem and Tactics combining an item with one of their accessories,
Ogre. Even games with broader target audiences, which then determines what kind of magic it
like Final Fantasy Tactics and Shining Force, can cast. After battle, you’re also given a pool of
could be seen as too hard for people that weren’t experience that you can assign to your characters
already RPG fans. Summon Night was mostly as you desire, rather than having them level up
aimed at an even larger gaming audience, with based on how they attack, as in most other SRPGs.
pretty straightforward mechanics and a fairly Most chapters are broken up into three segments:
moderate difficulty level. These are what’s known an adventure section, in which you select spots on
as “character games” in Japan – in other words, the map and advance the story; a battle segment
products where the emphasis is more on the and a night-time conversation, in which you can
534
chat with one of your teammates to enhance and plays like the ones in Namco’s Tales games, The first Summon
your bond with them and learn more about them. in which the player is aided by one of a handful of Night games released
These can affect the route through the story, and Guardian Beasts. Although vastly different from in English were the
ultimately the ending. the main series, English speakers can still feel Swordcraft Story
The first two games were released on the its influence through the colourful characters spinoffs, which are
PlayStation and then ported to the DS; the third and dialogue, even though the stories themselves completely different
and fourth games made it to the PlayStation 2 are pretty typical. The first game in particular is gameplay-wise, but
and were later ported to the PSP. Summon Night 5, somewhat infamous for its focus on “yuri” (girl- keep the character-
made for the PSP, was released after Flight-Plan girl romance), something not often presented to focused stories.
went under, and was developed by Felistella, an American RPG audience in 2006, especially
formed by former staff members, working in on the Game Boy Advance. The heroes from the
conjunction with Compile Heart. Summon Night 6, first two games cameo in these games as well,
for both the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita, came though they’d be unknown to English-speaking
from Media.Vision, known for the Wild Arms and audiences. The first two games in this trilogy
some of the Valkyria Chronicles games. The latter were localised by Atlus.
two games changed from 2D units to 3D models. This was followed up by Summon Night
Only the fifth and sixth entries were released Ex-These: Yoake no Tsubasa (“Wings of Dawn”),
internationally, localised by Gaijinworks, the an action RPG for the PlayStation 2, in 2005.
successor to Working Designs. Alas, neither is This game puts you in control of two souls, a man
particularly liked by series fans, for a variety of and a woman, who inhabit the same body; you can
reasons (questionable balance, and basically being switch control to either at will. This was followed
too different from the older games), but English up by Summon Night Gran-These: Horobi no
speakers will also miss out on the many references Tsurugi to Yakusoku no Koshi (“The Sword of
to past games. This is a particularly big issue for Destruction and the Knight of the Promise”) in
Summon Night 6, which is meant as a crossover. 2010. In between these two games was Summon
Since Summon Night was a “character Night: Twin Age, released for the DS, another
game” series, many of its spinoffs shifted to other action RPG in which you control two characters
genres. These are of varying quality and don’t (AI managing the third companion) using the
always connect to the core series, in some cases stylus and touch screen. Unlike the PS2 entries,
featuring characters from different artists or this one was released in North America, again by
taking place in worlds other than Lyndbaum. The Atlus. Summon Night X: Tears Crown is a more
first among these is the Swordcraft Story games, typical JRPG, released for the DS and co-developed
a trilogy released for the Game Boy Advance, by Think and Feel.
starting in 2003. These play a little more like In addition to Summon Night and Black/
typical JRPGs and are focused on dungeon Matrix, there were a few other self-published
exploration, as well as crafting new weapons, games for the PlayStation 2: Dragon Shadow Spell,
as the title implies, since you play as novice which stars a hero who has a pet dragon, and
blacksmiths. The battle system is action-based Sacred Blaze, which casts the player as a god who
and presented from a side-scrolling perspective, can grant your characters various abilities.
Summon Night 6,
the last in the series,
is a crossover event
with characters
from all of the other
games … most of
which were never
released in English.
535
Majin Tensei (series)
Developer: Atlus | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC, SAT
Long before Devil Survivor, there was Majin Tensei, a

trio of SMT strategy spinoffs. The first Majin Tensei
is a bleak, story-light retelling of Shin Megami
Tensei – 20 years after the fall of Neo Tokyo, our
protagonist receives an email from the mysterious
TAKEUCHI, with an attachment containing demon-
summoning software. After fighting through the
ruins, he partners with a mysterious woman with
the ability to summon demons through magic.
These two, and their growing platoon, head deep
into the underworld to confront Lucifer. As it’s an
SMT offshoot, you can negotiate with demons for
their allyship, as well as fuse them.
Looking similar to Fire Emblem, Majin all anime archetypes, though a welcome change While Nintendo
Tensei’s map screen appears dated for 1994, with from the previous game’s undefined duo. hyped up a Shin
small unit sprites and simplistic art, but the battle Finally there’s the infamous Ronde for the Megami Tensei
scenes are absolutely dazzling. When two units Saturn. Asuka and his younger brother Satoshi and Fire Emblem
meet in combat, the screen transitions to show visit Tokyo Museum to see a special exhibition of crossover in 2013,
one of Kazuma Kaneko’s iconic demons, displayed Aztec art. Tragedy befalls the group when a statue they already had
as an impressively large and detailed sprite. Majin of Moloch springs to life, kidnapping Satoshi to be the same basic
Tensei handily boasts the best-looking bestiary sacrificed and leaving Asuka to battle an army of concept in play
of all the 16-bit SMT games. It’s also got one of demons. Eventually things lead into a plot about with Majin Tensei.
the best soundtracks, filled with industrial dance ancient computers, and a confrontation with the
tracks by the late Hidehito Aoki. Zoroastrian devil Angra Mainyu.
Majin Tensei II: Spiral Nemesis came just over Ronde suffers from substantial issues,
a year later, with an eye-catching isometric map, including a troublesome camera and jerky
a large cast of characters, and a complex branching scrolling. The battle transitions this time are
story. Unfortunately, the battle transitions took a laughable mess of pre-rendered sprites and
a bit of a hit; the two units involved in a skirmish FMV, and take ages to load. The game itself isn’t
are now shown in split screen, and though the inherently awful; it has the same bones as Spiral
bestiary is wider, the sprites are far smaller and less Nemesis, but its poor presentation and technical
dazzling. Serving as both prequel and sequel, Spiral issues have cemented Ronde as a kusoge footnote.
Nemesis opens in Tokyo 1996 with a demonic coup Given the release of the critically acclaimed
d’état led by a summoner named Ogiwara. Standing Devil Survivor duo, it’s easy to see why Majin
in opposition is Partisan, a rag-tag resistance group Tensei hasn’t been revisited. However, despite its
of which the protagonist, Takeuchi, is a member. comparative simplicity, revisiting Majin Tensei
Aside from demons, Takeuchi’s Partisan comrades (Ronde aside) is a valuable look back at SMT’s
make up a good chunk of the playable party. They’re darker past.
536
Devil Survivor (series)
Developer: Atlus/Career Soft | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS, 3DS
The Shin Megami Tensei series had flirted with

SRPG mechanics in its Majin Tensei spinoff series
for the Super Famicom (and the dreadful Ronde
for the Saturn), and returned to the concept with
the Devil Survivor series. Mechanically, the Devil
Survivor games are almost the same, though with
a separate story. The first is almost like a retelling
of the original Shin Megami Tensei, focusing on a
group of citizens trapped within Tokyo as it’s invaded
by demons. The second draws heavy inspiration
from the anime Neon Genesis Evangelion, and has
the world ravaged by seemingly invincible beings
from outer space, called Septentriones. This story
escapes the confines of Tokyo, featuring locations
and characters from other major cities in Japan. In that are often way too frustrating. Devil Survivor has the
both games, the heroes obtain the ability to predict In the course of the stories, the surviving same inconsistent
the deaths of other people, who can be saved if the characters each have their own method of dealing tone found in many
heroes intervene in time. The games were helmed with the impending apocalypse. Depending on your modern Shin Megami
by Career Soft, developers of the Growlanser series. choice of allies, the final chapters branch in different Tensei games, and the
The core gameplay is much like that in directions, leading to several endings. Alas, like boss battles can be
Final Fantasy Tactics, using the same isometric many other modern SMT properties, it can’t help hugely frustrating,
perspective. Each unit is comprised of a human but feel like it’s tailored for teenagers. The character but otherwise, it
summoner and one or two demon companions. artwork by Suzuhito Yasuda is decent, but the female includes some of the
When you attack, the screen changes to a first- characters have gigantic, gravity-defying breasts that finest SRPGs around.
person view and all combatants exchange blows; look absurd. The writing, too, lacks maturity, veering
if a weakness is exploited, then the character into dumb humour or inappropriate character types.
responsible may get an extra attack, and if a For example, in the first game, gloomy indie rocker
human leader is struck down, their whole unit is Haru totally fits, but chipper cosplay model Midori
defeated. Collecting and breeding demons, and feels wildly out of place. When it’s not weighed
combining them with human characters, allows down by these aspects, the atmosphere still feels
for quite a bit of flexibility, and provides huge like classic Megaten, particularly with the battle
amounts of depth. Curiously, demons are not sprites, as well as the rocking soundtracks – the
recruited via conversation but rather through second game has music by Kenji Ito (SaGa).
internet auctions, a novel addition for the modern Still, the Devil Survivor games are high-
age. Overall, it’s a formula that works extremely quality SRPGs. While both entries originated on
well, the only downsides being the presence of the DS, both also received 3DS ports. These have
escort missions, in which you need to protect full voice acting and some quality-of-life tweaks,
friendly, AI-controlled characters, and boss battles plus extra scenarios.
537
Silver Ghost
Developer: Kure Software Koubou | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC88
In Silver Ghost, you control young prince Lancelot,

who must take back his castle from magician
Lucius. At the outset, this appears to be a typical
action RPG, à la Ys, in which you walk around
towns and fields, and can ram into enemies (or
use projectiles like magic and arrows) to attack
them. But the main gimmick is the “gocha-kyara”
(“multi-character”) system, which gives you dozens
upon dozens of friendly units that Lancelot will
draft into his force. While the player only ever
directly controls Lancelot, all of his companions
will follow him automatically, and engage in
combat with foes – there are many classes, and
they gain strength the more they fight. As such, and it’s hard to tell what’s going on through the Silver Ghost also
it’s a sort of real-time strategy RPG, even though choppy animation, though watching hordes of paved the way
there’s little actual strategy beyond monitoring your soldiers slaughter foes is still rewarding. for many other
the status of your army, switching formations, Hiroyuki Takahashi, one of the creators of games from
and knowing when to charge or retreat. It’s also the Shining Force series, pointed to Silver Ghost publisher Kure
the spiritual successor to 1983’s Bokosuka Wars, as one of its main inspirations. From a gameplay Software Koubou,
in which you control a single character who leads perspective, they’re totally different, since Shining including its
a sizeable army across a large battlefield, though Force is a turn-based tactical strategy game, First Queen series.
that game also wasn’t really an RPG. whereas this one’s all chaotic action, but he was
Since the graphic capabilities of Japanese inspired by the way all of the many characters
PCs were limited, the sprite movement is chaotic, appeared on the field.
Crystal Warriors / Royal Stone

Crystal Warriors is an SRPG for the Game Gear,
similar to SEGA’s Shining Force series, though it
predates the first Genesis entry in that series by
a few months. It stars Princess Iris of Arliel, who
must reclaim her kingdom’s stolen elemental
crystals from the Emperor Grym. It also has
cutesy shoujo-esque character designs by artist
Kugatsuhime.
It plays similarly to Shining Force, with a few
key differences. The type of enemy is unknown –
they appear as blank slates with question marks
– until you either fight them or cast Scan on them.
When combat is initiated, you’re switched to a side-
view battle scene with a menu, and you trade blows
for two turns before returning to the field. The
difficulty is high, since characters that are killed
are gone forever. Plus, you cannot replay previous A successor named Royal Stone: Hirakareshi Royal Stone, the
missions, so you cannot grind for experience, Toki no Tobira (“The Door When Opened”) was sequel to Crystal
either. You can, however, tame monsters and have released in 1995. The plot is not related, and this Warriors, regrettably
them briefly fight in your place. There is a single time concerns Eva, a former knight exiled from her never left Japan.
town you can explore between battles to buy stuff kingdom. It plays like the first one, though the story
and get information. Altogether, an excellent is more elaborate, featuring numerous cutscenes
game for its time, and noteworthy for actually between fights, and the visuals are stronger, as the
being released in English. fights now use an over-the-shoulder perspective.
538
Just Breed
Developer: Random House | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): FC
Just Breed begins in the town of Astholm,

where the hero is about to watch his girlfriend
Firis ascend to the rank of priestess. Right after
the ceremony, she is kidnapped, leaving behind
only the sapphire that protects their kingdom.
So the hero sets off to both rescue her and save
the kingdom. The game was developed by Random
House, with art by Yuzo Takada (3×3 Eyes, Blue
Seed), and is the largest RPG on the Famicom,
clocking in at six megabits.
Just Breed is very similar to Shining Force,
in that you can explore towns and talk to people
freely, but whenever you enter the overworld or
any combat-focused scenario, you’re switched share experience regardless of who actually kills Just Breed is one of
over to a turn-based tactical battle system. the monsters. the handful of games
(The game was released after SEGA’s, but had been The story is pretty decent, and there are to use the fancy
in development for three years, so its similarity elements that differ from the JRPG tropes of the MMC5 mapper chip,
is likely coincidental.) It plays similarly to others time – for example, fellow units walk around town making it one of
of the time, but there are no separate combat of their own accord, instead of just following the the more technically
animations, so the pacing is much quicker. hero. Unfortunately, it was commercial flop, since advanced games
You can have up to 24 units in combat, broken up it was released very late in the Famicom’s life, when on the Famicom.
into separate armies comprising of five soldiers it was competing directly with Final Fantasy IV
and one commander. Subordinates cannot move and Enix’s own Dragon Quest V, but nonetheless,
too far from their commander, but all of them it’s regarded as an overlooked classic.
Farland Story (series)

Developer: Technical Group Lab | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98, PCFX, PS1, SFC, WIN, SAT
The Farland Story franchise, from Technical
Group Laboratory, Inc., began in 1992 and spans
numerous entries. They are fairly typical SRPGs,
in the vein of Fire Emblem, but the cutesy visual
style and lower level of difficulty give them a wider
appeal than just the usual fanbase. They take place
on the island of Edochi, which contains three
warring nations vying for supremacy. Outside of
the first handful of games, the protagonists are
different, though they all take place in the same
game world.
There are eight core games in the Farland
Story series, so far as the early PC games are
concerned. Farland Story FX (a.k.a. Yottsu no games, as well as Farland Symphony, change The Farland Story
Fuuin) is a compilation for PC-FX, PlayStation the perspective from overhead to isometric, games were never
and Windows of the first two games, while and the two Farland Odyssey games are slightly stellar, but they
Farland Story 2: Dance of Destruction is a direct more traditional JRPGs incorporating random sure were prolific.
sequel to this release. The second Super Famicom dungeon crawling. The console CD-ROM versions
entry is not a port but rather a new, separate also include voice acting.
game, and the Saturn entry is a sequel to these. Ultimately, all of the Farland Story games
The PlayStation game in particular is interesting are fairly derivative in both storytelling and
for its dramatic scaling and rotation effects gameplay, though they did find some success in
on the map, and for its large, super-deformed China and Korea, and most of them have been
sprites. Certain entries, like the two Farland Saga fan-translated into English.
539
Dark Wizard
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SCD
Unlike typical SEGA CD games of this era, Dark

Wizard moves away from the heavy use of limited-
gameplay cinematics to provide players with an
interactive, addictive strategy game that not only
outshines many other games on the console, but
holds its own against strategy games on other
early ’90s systems. The game begins by allowing
players to choose one of four commanders to
liberate the kingdom of Cheshire from the dark
wizard Velonese. Two of the commanders, Prince
Armer and Robin, are aligned with “good”, whilst
the other two, Krystal and Amon, are “chaos”-
slanted. The character selection not only allows
players to choose which branching storyline and the movement of troops. There are also villages, It’s nothing fancy,
ending to engage, but also affects the gameplay by which can be entered to gather information or buy but Dark Wizard
offering different army units, sub-characters, spell equipment. Some areas of the map contain hidden makes a nice
sets, equipment, and promotions, providing a high weapons, towns, and even characters. accompaniment to
degree of replayability. Compared with many other lacklustre Shining Force CD.
Dark Wizard tells its story through the voiced games in the SEGA CD library, Dark Wizard
cutscenes. These are bland compared to those in stands a cut above, and offers fans of the strategy
other RPGs, but the gameplay is where the game or role-playing genre a much needed option for
truly shines. Battles take place on a huge hexagon- the system. SEGA carried on this strategy RPG
tiled map, covered with forests, mountains, formula, and released the highly-acclaimed
deserts, and bodies of water, all of which affect Dragon Force for the SEGA Saturn in 1996.
Feda (series)
Developer: Max Entertainment | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC, SAT, PS1
Feda: The Emblem of Justice focuses on the
oppressive Balformian Empire, and two warriors
who fight against it. It is also, plainly, a Shining
Force rip-off, originally created for the Super
Famicom. It looks and plays almost identically,
right down to the ability to explore towns between
missions and the cinematic conflict cut-ins.
It even features art by the same illustrator,
Yoshitaka Tamaki, who fills the roster with
plenty of human and anthropomorphic beast
characters. It’s somewhat darker though, lacking
the storybook feel of SEGA’s series. Where it
differs even more is in its alignment system – each
mission has set goals, and it’s up to you to either many of its predecessor’s elements to make it It’s Shining
follow or defy them. At the end of each mission, less Shining Force-like, but it also removes the Force for the
you are ranked, and depending on your actions, branching paths. You can still choose to follow or Super Famicom,
you can go down different route alignments for defy orders though, and this time it will alter the pretty much!
law, neutral and chaos, with various characters flow of the mission. You’re still ranked on how well
either joining or leaving your cause. The game later you performed, affecting which characters can
received a remake on the Saturn, suitably named join you, as well as the rewards after each mission.
Feda Remake!, which enhances the graphics and Quality-wise, they’re decent, though they
makes a few small tweaks and additions. don’t stand out much; there are better games.
The PlayStation sequel, Feda 2: White Surge The live-action intro to Feda 2 is amusing,
the Platoon, tries to set itself apart by ditching if nothing else.
540
Albert Odyssey (series)
Developer: Sunsoft | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC, SAT
Sunsoft wasn’t exactly known for RPGs – its first

dabble was the unremarkable 1989 PC Engine
game Benkei Gaiden, then it went on to produce
the Albert Odyssey series. In the first game, you
play as a warrior named Albert, who must fend off
the attacks of the dark magician Globus.
Albert Odyssey is similar to Shining Force
in that it meshes together a standard RPG and an
SRPG. However, it’s more open-ended, and it’s not
divided into missions; the game simply functions
in turn-based fashion whenever you’re exploring
the overworld, dungeons, or anywhere else with
enemies. Also, rather unusually, the areas are The story in the first Albert Odyssey game is This series of
divided into hexes rather than squares, though pretty standard, but it ends on a rather downbeat SRPGs paved
otherwise it’s pretty typical of the formula. Battle cliffhanger, which isn’t entirely resolved in the the way for the
scenes consist of the super-deformed characters sequel, Jashin no Taidou (“Sign of the Devil”). This later Saturn
exchanging blows, making it a little more comical game picks up ten years down the road, and stars game, which is a
than Fire Emblem. The big technical draw is a character named Dean, who wishes to follow traditional JRPG.
the Mode 7 implementation, similar to the Final in the footsteps of his hero, Albert. The series
Fantasy VI overworld, though every time a character continued on the Saturn as a spinoff called Albert
turns, the entire screen rotates with them, a cool, Odyssey Gaiden, which changed the format to a
albeit disorienting, effect. The music, by Naoki more typical JRPG. This game was localised by
Kodaka, also known for many NES titles like Working Designs under the name Albert Odyssey:
Journey to Silius and Blaster Master, is a highlight. Legend of Eldean.
Mystaria: The Realms of Lore

Developer: SEGA/Micro Cabin | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SAT
Mystaria is a series of strategy RPGs released on the
SEGA Saturn. The first game was released in Europe
as Mystaria: The Realms of Lore in 1995 and again
in America as Blazing Heroes in 1996. It followed
Virtual Hydlide, making it the second RPG for the
Saturn in America, and was one of the first 3D
fifth-generation RPGs. The developer, Micro Cabin,
is known for offbeat Japanese PC RPGs such as
Illusion City and the Xak series. The 1996 sequel,
Riglord Saga 2, was only released in Japan.
The player assumes the role of Aragon, prince
of the conquered kingdom of Queensland, who
must assemble the 12 warriors fated to challenge
Lord Bane and save Queensland. The story is enemy using the most powerful skill available. “Mystara” is a
simple, and even though some of the characters The game feels sluggish and primitive even when location in Dungeons
look colourful, they don’t have much personality. compared to its contemporaries. & Dragons, so the
The game is a little simple. Battles play out SEGA’s never been known for its console RPG American name
in a familiar chess-like fashion, but there’s little library. Few titles ever made a splash, outside of the for this game was
character development. The game utilises an Shining Force and Phantasy Star games. Mystaria probably altered for
interesting skill system that unlocks techniques as feels like Saturn’s Quest 64: a shallow showcase being a little too close.
you use different skills with characters, but there’s of the system’s 3D abilities that represents a bone
no growth diversity. Since there are no strategic thrown to hungry gamers, who would need to
considerations in any level’s terrain or victory wait three more long years before they could play
condition, every battle is just a dash to slay every Shining Force III.
541
Terra Phantastica
Developer: Chime | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): SAT
Prince Alexis is the leader of the Grand Duchy of

Mais, which has suffered under the attacks of the
demonic nation of Bowfon. Coming to his aid is
a mysterious woman named Deene, whose visage
resembles the statue of a goddess, though she
seems to have no memory. Together, they will fight
back and protect their kingdom.
Terra Phantastica borrows the medieval
fantasy setting of most tactical RPGs, here with
character artwork by Akihiro Yamada, as well as
utilising an isometric perspective, à la Tactics
Ogre. Each unit is assigned a squadron of troops,
which can be commanded in different formations,
determining their abilities. Positioning is always to monitor their Elan (stamina) so they don’t get Developer Chime
important in SRPGs, but there’s an even greater too worn out. There are no healing items or spells, worked on Dragon
emphasis on it in this game, since you can flank so instead you need to claim glowing areas on the Force II, so they did
enemies, putting them at a disadvantage. Defeated field to regenerate yourself, adding to the strategy. have some people
enemies can retreat, so you can force them into Additionally, Deene needs to offer lessons to in common.
situations where you can wipe them out more Alexis during the game, and how well she teaches
easily. When conflict occurs, the game zooms in him determines the ending.
to a closer viewpoint, from which you can pick While not as flashy as Dragon Force, released
commands and exchange blows for a few turns. around the same time, the emphasis on troop types
Characters may be able to act multiple times in a and formations makes them feel similar. The battles
turn if they have enough AP, though you also need tend to drag, but otherwise it’s a decent game.
Wachenröder
Wachenröder is set in the steampunk dystopia of
Edward Island, where the rich few live in relative
comfort while the poor wallow in pollution. In the
slums, there lives a boy named Lucian, grieving
and frustrated over the death of his sickly sister,
which sends him on a quest for vengeance.
At the core of Wachenröder’s tactical battles
are mechas called Sledges or Steam Refined Gears.
Your move options are dictated by Action Points,
and you can perform multiple actions in a turn,
plus special attacks are limited by a Heating Gauge,
which you need to observe so you don’t overheat.
The sprites on the field feel too cutesy, while the
3D models used in combat are a little rough, even gives them a distinctive retro-futuristic style. Wachenröder is
considering the Saturn’s tech. The scale models used in the cutscenes prove more so committed to
The battle segments aren’t really what makes impressive than the CG animation typical of the its aesthetic that
Wachenröder stand out; they are functional if not era. The soundtrack, which includes contributions its packaging even
particularly involving. The emphasis is really on the by Ian McDonald of the prog rock band King includes a whole
world design. This was produced by a number of Crimson, is excellent as well. separate art book.
prominent writers and artists, including Yoshitoshi Released near the end of the Saturn’s life, the
Abe (Serial Experiments Lain) and Range Murata game wasn’t particularly popular – perhaps it was
(Last Exile). The in-game visuals have a dinginess a little too dark and depressing, and SRPG fans
one would expect in a world suffocated by identified it as being too easy – but appreciated as
contamination, while the sepia-toned artwork a work of art, it’s certainly an overlooked classic.
542
Brigandine
Developer: Hearty Robin | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1, NSW
In the land of Forsena, peace was within the grasp

of the king of Almekia, until he was betrayed by
one of his mightiest generals. Taking control of one
of six nations, the player must conquer the entire
continent to bring peace to the world once more.
A war simulation SRPG, it was extraordinarily
ambitious, letting you summon monsters,
manage characters, and attack castles. Battles
are conducted as attackers versus defenders,
with at most three leaders on each side.
In essence, the game is a grand fantasy of mighty
warriors, spellcasters, and powerful creatures both
mundane and magical, fighting in large scale
battles. However, the game may have been too are already strong. Although this enables strong Even now, in a
ambitious for its time, as the war simulation and characters to have a major presence, other, world of plentiful
SRPG aspects come into conflict at many points. less developed characters can be pushed to the SRPG releases,
Yet there was almost no other game that even sidelines all the more. Brigandine’s
attempted to blend these two aspects together. In the year 2000, the developers Hearty Robin approach to the
Unlike Koei’s Romance of the Three released a new version called Brigandine: Grand genre is unique.
Kingdoms series, and other war simulations, Edition that allows multiplayer action, has you
there is more of an emphasis on characterisation taking control of the Esgares Empire by default,
and plot development. In contrast to SRPGs such and made major refinements to the overall game.
as Final Fantasy Tactics, there’s less of a push The series was resurrected in 2020 with a new
to funnel experience into characters, as many sequel, called Brigandine: The Legend of Runersia.
Kartia
Atlus’ Kartia takes place in the land of Rebus, and
you can choose to view the story as one of two
characters caught in a great war – a young knight
named Toxa or a shrine warrior named Lacryma.
Their stories are completely different and each
has 18 levels, so you need to play the game twice
to experience everything.
The combat in Kartia is pretty similar to
that in Tactics Ogre or Final Fantasy Tactics.
The central elements are the titular Kartia,
which are enchanted cards with words on them.
You can also combine these cards for various
effects. They can be used to chant magic spells,
but more importantly, they can also be used to Produced by key Megami Tensei developer While Atlus
create Phantoms, creatures that act as friendly Kouji Okada, this crafting system is the heart of the published the
units, which come in three different classes game. The core strategy action isn’t much different Growlanser games,
that interact in a rock-paper-scissors fashion. from that in similar titles but it’s well put together their key staff tried
They’re generally weaker than human characters, and there’s enough flexibility to the Phantom and their hands at a
but conversely, they’re disposable, whereas any spell systems to make up for its linearity (there few SRPGs, Kartia
human deaths mean you lose the whole mission. aren’t any shops or side missions apart from some being the first.
There’s also a system whereby you can craft your battles in the Arena). The character artwork by
own equipment using Kartia. Magic can also Yoshitaka Amano is distinctive, though otherwise
have an effect on the terrain, though this aspect the visuals are fairly average. Altogether, this game
is under-utilised. seems largely forgotten but is fairly decent.
543
Saiyuki: Journey West
Developer: Fu-Qi | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1
Known as Saiyuuki in Japan, the 16th century

classical Chinese novel Xī Yóu Jì has had many pop
culture adaptations, from Nippon TV’s live action
Monkey to Dragon Ball. Legendarily awful game
Super Monkey Daibouken demonstrated how
not to adapt it for interactive media; fortunately,
Saiyuki: Journey West is a much better attempt.
Saiyuki is a simplified retelling of the
Buddhist monk Sanzo’s pilgrimage from China
to India on divine instruction from Bodhisattva
Kannon. Though expressly male in the source
material, the player can choose a male or female
Sanzo. Accompanying them are Goku, the
monkey king; Hakkai, the pig chef; Gojo, the river additional powerful attacks. Only one character The Saiyuki tale
lord; Ryorin, the dragon princess; and Kikka, the can transform at a time, and each action costs isn’t particularly
dryad; the first three are from the novel, while the Were Points. Once all Were Points are depleted, well known among
latter two are original characters. There’s also a the transformation ends. Unable to transform, Westerners;
handful of optional characters who can be gained Sanzo is initially the most fragile, functioning although some
through side quests. as the party’s primary healer. As the story will recognise
In this small-scale tactical RPG, Sanzo and progresses, however, helpful spirits start to offer it from various
co. right wrongs and fight bandits and demons their assistance. These can be summoned by adaptations,
on their way to India. Each of the companions Sanzo three times each, offering buffs as well as such as this one.
has the ability to transform into a giant bestowing a suite of powerful spells. Altogether,
Were form, boosting their stats and granting a worthwhile entry in the strategy-RPG genre.
Vanguard Bandits
Developer: Human Entertainment | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1
Near the end of Working Designs’ PS1 catalogue
is Vanguard Bandits, known as Epica Stella in
Japan. Seemingly influenced by The Vision of
Escaflowne, it takes place on the fantasy continent
of Eptina, where several nations battle using giant
mechas called All Terrain Armoured Combatants
(ATACs for short). A young nomad named Bastion
travels with his father Kamorge, seeking to beat
back the Junaris Empire and give the oppressed
Pharastia Kingdom a chance at peace. Soon
Bastion learns he’s the exiled heir to the throne,
but after witnessing Pharastia’s own war crimes,
he finds himself at an existential crossroads.
In contrast to the customisable mechas of The game’s true appeal lies in its multiple The English version of
Front Mission, Vanguard Bandits’ ATACs really paths, reminiscent of Langrisser. Bastion can the song “Tomorrow
only differ in appearance. Rather than swapping choose whether to stay the course and face his to Start” was sung by
parts to tune performance, the player simply destiny, join the Imperial Princess’ reformist Shiya Almeda, who
changes out equipment, as in any number of squadron, or go for power-mad conquest. Each of also worked with
tactical RPGs. When a unit gains a level, it’s these routes has multiple endings, dependent on Working Designs on
granted three skill points to be divided between a Bastion’s relationships with his comrades, which the opening track on
handful of stats; hitting certain thresholds unlocks change by during interactions between battles. Lunar: The Silver Star
new battle skills and passive effects. This allows Notably, the very bouncy soundtrack was for the SEGA CD.
an individual unit to prioritise its own expertise, by Chiyomaru Shikura, creator of the Science
though the decision is a permanent one. Adventure series (Steins;Gate).
544
Ningyo no Rakuin
Developer: Highwaystar | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1
The heroes of Ningyo no Rakuin (“Mark of the

Mermaid”) are mostly a group of high school
students that crash-land on an uncharted island.
The students survive mostly unscathed, only to
be accosted by crazed people, who kidnap the
heroine, Mizuki. They are able to save her, but she
has been branded with the titular mark, which
will turn her into a mermaid. The story draws
heavily on the Cthulhu Mythos, with the island
inhabitants worshipping some dark god, and
many characters are strange hybrids of humans
and insects or plants. Even parts of the landscape,
like the trees, can be hostile. So “mermaid” here
doesn’t mean the Disney type, but rather, the the terrain, especially considering that once you Ningyo no Rakuin
terrifying body horror type. commit to a move, you can’t reverse the command is one of the few
The game plays pretty much like a standard if it turns out to be a mistake. Japanese SRPGs
PS1 SRPG, and allows you to take five of the eight Conversely, the structure makes it relatively easy to be influenced by
characters into encounters. Each of them has set to play with minimal Japanese skills. The story really H.P. Lovecraft, and
skills, which grows over the course of the game. is the focus here, and the cutscenes do a fantastic job this, along with the
The story is completely linear, so items need of telling the story. There’s even some plot branching illustrated stills,
to be found on the field, and it’s easy to miss based on how the hero, Keisuke, handles his newly makes it feel very
important equipment or fail to level a character mutated girlfriend. While Lovecraft-inspired games distinct from
up sufficiently. The interface is also something of aren’t exactly uncommon, there really aren’t any other SRPGs.
a pain, as the camera makes it hard to see around other SRPGs of this type, and it’s a welcome entry.
Volfoss
In Namco’s Volfoss, you are in charge of a
mercenary army called the Silver Gang. In Volfoss
World, there are three nations that you can choose
to run missions for – Ikuiape, a land filled with
rusting metal; Asdenia, filled with swamps and
forests; and the unusual Caldea land, which is like
a deranged child’s huge bedroom. By running
missions, both increase the rank of Silver Fang and
affect the allegiances between the kingdoms, which
eventually branch off into different endings.
The tactical battle system is similar to that
in other SRPGs, though both the landscapes
and the units are rendered in 3D. You can also
capture and recruit numerous soldiers from any who attacks with a syringe, a gigantic pierced ear, The wild-as-heck
of the three kingdoms, and herein lies the game’s and all manner of other creatures that walk the designs of Volfoss
main draw. The creature design was provided by line between gross and fetishistic. are a huge part of
Yasushi Nirasawa, an artist known for his monster Combining all this with a heavy metal the game’s appeal.
illustrations in various Kamen Rider series. The soundtrack, Volfoss really tries to ride that punk
artwork here is absolutely insane – there’s a rock attitude as far as it can, because the core game
flaming heart wrapped in barbed wire, a skeleton is pretty rough. The difficulty level is fairly high,
with chicken legs that rides on a billiard ball, and if you don’t choose your missions carefully,
a spiked woman wearing an iron maiden as armour, you can get railroaded into a bad ending. Add in
a psychedelic punk rock centaur, a headless roast a clumsy interface, and it becomes a frustrating,
turkey who wields a knife and a fork, a sexy nurse if fascinating, experience.
545
Hoshigami
Developer: MaxFive | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1, DS
On the continent of Mardias, the countries of

Nightweld, Gerauld, and the Valaimian Empire
stand in uneasy alliance following a long-fought
war against the spirits of nature. Before long, the
Empire launches a surprise assault on Gerauld,
conquering it in part before setting its sights on
Nightweld. The unfortunately named Fazz, along
with his friend/mentor Leimrey, find themselves
enlisted to help drive back the Empire’s forces.
What follows is a battle for supremacy that will
leave their friendship as a casualty.
Hoshigami, at first sight an attractive
successor to Final Fantasy Tactics, has the
dubious reputation of being one of the most any action costs Ready-for-Action-Points (RAP). Hoshigami is one of
aggravating strategy RPGs ever produced. And In theory this allows actions to be finely tailored, the most famously
with good reason – though not particularly but in practice a character will move three disliked SRPGs
difficult, its design challenges the player’s good squares and not have enough RAP to attack. out there, so it’s
faith at every turn. Experience points are hard Most frustrating of all, it takes no fewer than baffling that they
to come by, requiring each of your units to land seven button presses to confirm you wish to end not only ported
the killing blow on several adversaries to level a character’s turn. it but did little to
up. Spellcasters have it even worse, especially Hoshigami Remix, released in 2007 for the actually fix it.
early on, when characters are only able to cast Nintendo DS, added a difficulty select and multiple
once in every 20 turns, leaving them useless for endings, but as the bones of the game remained
the majority of a battle. Outside of static turns, unchanged, it met with a similarly poor reception.
Stella Deus
Developer: Pinegrow/Atlus | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2
At some point in the early 2000s, the core team
behind Hoshigami left obscure studio MaxFive
for the even more enigmatic Pinegrow. Their first
game together, Stella Deus, is clearly a spiritual
sequel to the maligned strategy RPG. Cleverly,
this is revealed by the game’s title: Hoshigami and
Stella Deus both translate to “Star God”. Atlus were
fully involved this time around, and Stella Deus
was notably the first game to feature character
designs by Shigenori Soejima (Persona 3-5).
The continent of Solum has been engulfed by
a lethal miasma, resulting in vast desertification.
Taking advantage of the looming climate disaster
is Overlord Dignas, a brutal dictator promising a ally units don’t die permanently, and the magic Stella Deus
solution to those who bow to him. Protagonist system is far less esoteric. Character customisation is basically
Spero finds himself drafted by Dignas to kill is handled by Skill Points (SP), which are granted the sequel to
Spirits, something that doesn’t sit right with him. alongside experience for every action taken in Hoshigami,
Upon meeting the shamanic Princess Linea, he combat. SP can be exchanged for a skill, spell, though they had
finds his eyes opened to the hard truth. passive ability that a character can naturally to change its
Stella Deus is a vast improvement over acquire, or be taught through skill scrolls. name to avoid
Hoshigami; the game’s system is the same, but Stella Deus is truly a redemption story the earlier
the quality-of-life features make for a far less for the Hoshigami team. Soejima especially game’s stench.
frustrating experience. No longer is the player deserves praise for his character designs, and the
forced to confirm a single action multiple times, soundtrack by Basiscape is also a gem.
546
Suikoden Tactics
One of a handful of Suikoden spinoffs of varying

genres, Suikoden Tactics is both a sequel and
prequel to Suikoden IV. Penned by IV’s writer
and series artist Junko Kawano, Tactics was titled
Rhapsodia in Japan, emphasising its identity as
an original story. As it wasn’t intended to be a
main Suikoden title, the 108 Stars of Destiny are
not present here, although character recruitment
is still very robust: roughly 60 characters can be
recruited to the cause, many returning from IV.
The game opens on the Island Nations,
several years before the Kooluk Empire conflict,
when an engineer named Walter, his crew, and his
son Kyril seek to destroy Rune cannons – heinous Each character has an innate element; when they In addition to this
biological weapons capable of transforming people stand on a tile of their own element, they receive SRPG spinoff,
into Lovecraftian melds of man and fish. When an offensive/defensive boost and regenerate HP; Konami created a
Walter ends up on the receiving end of a cannon when they stand on an opposing element, they few Suikogaiden
blast, his companions Andarc, Seneca, and Yohn take a debuff and lose HP. The same is true for visuals novels, as well
help a traumatised Kyril escape. Time then skips enemies, so the key to battle is often to set up an as Gensou Suikoden
past the end of Suikoden IV, with Kyril beginning elemental base and play defensively. This unusual Card Stories for the
his father’s mission anew. feature makes for one of the most challenging Game Boy Advance.
What sets Tactics apart from its peers is its strategy games of its era. Its reception was rather
emphasis on elements. Elemental runes can be chilly though, particularly as it was related to one
used to imbue tiles with the matching energy. of the most unpopular games in the series.
Eternal Poison
Developer: Flight-Plan | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): PS2
Eternal Poison (known as Poison Pink in Japan)
was the first of Flight-Plan’s SRPGs to actually
see an overseas release, courtesy of Atlus.
However, it didn’t really put its right foot forward
with this one. It takes place in the Kingdom of
Valdia; demons have invaded and kidnapped the
princess, and it’s up to five different squads to
venture to Besek to save her. Each squad has its
own scenario, and you choose between them at
the outset; certain actions are required to reach
the true ending.
The key to this game is capturing beasts,
called Majin, which is accomplished by “overkilling”
them. You can sell them or take their skills to use illustrators like Yasushi Nirasawa and Kenji Ando, Beautiful character
as your own, but you can also extract Poison Points both known for Kamen Rider. However, little of artwork and a
to buy Majin to use in combat. However, since they this is reflected in the game itself. The computer- monster-capturing
don’t grow in experience, there’s not a whole lot of generated FMV just can’t render these illustrations system can’t save this
use for this. properly, and they look really poor. And while otherwise rote SRPG.
The artwork is Eternal Poison’s strongest other PS2 Flight-Plan games used detailed
point, provided by fantasy artist Tomatika. Tage, spritework, Eternal Poison uses 3D models, which
the game’s central character, has a striking cannot compare. It also features Fire Emblem-
gothic-Lolita fashion sense, and the rest of the style combat animations, but these, too, just don’t
game’s fairly large cast is also striking; the Majin look all that good, and feel like a waste of time.
designs are fantastic as well, provided by famous What’s left is just a mediocre experience.
547
Record of Agarest War (series)
Developer: Idea Factory/Compile Heart/Red | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): X360, PS3, WIN, PSP
Idea Factory started in 1996 and was known for low

budget Japan-only RPGs like Spectral Force. It got
its first chance at international distribution with
PSP games like Spectral Souls and Generations
of Chaos. It was also responsible for games like
Chaos Wars, Trinity Universe, and Cross Edge,
which include crossovers with Disgaea, Atelier,
Shadow Hearts, Growlanser, and Darkstalkers.
Many of these titles are substandard strategy
RPGs that cloak their low-budget visuals and
poor gameplay with some kind of novelty. Idea games play further into the sexiness, with plenty The limited edition
Factory later established Compile Heart, which of suggestive artwork. And yet, these scenes are of the Xbox 360
worked hard and quickly to pander to the otaku sparse, and anyone hoping for extreme sexiness version included
demographic. Before it settled into a role with its will be disappointed when most of the game is a breast-shaped
Neptunia games, it created a number of games in an ugly SRPG with boring playing fields, awful mousepad, which
the Agarest War series. balance, and a terrible interface. indicates the kind
Idea Factory games tend to cobble together To be fair, later games at least do something of audience the
concepts from better titles. Record of Agarest interesting. In the sequel, if you choose a wife with publisher was
War draws from games like Phantasy Star III and whom you haven’t built up a proper relationship, you targeting.
Fire Emblem: Seisen no Keifu, in that its story is enter a loveless marriage, and your child’s stats suffer.
divided into different generations. At the end of Compile Heart also gave up the SRPG clothing with
each generation, you pick one of three women to the fourth entry, Record of Agarest War Mariage,
become your wife, which in turn influences the which is basically a visual novel, interwoven with
abilities and stats of your son. However, these traditional turn-based battle scenes.
Operation Darkness
Developer: Success | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): X360
Operation Darkness is wild. It’s occasionally
presented as a serious recreation of World War II
as a strategy RPG, weaving in numerous historical
characters … except Adolf Hitler and the Nazis are in
cahoots with Count Dracula’s league of vampires,
known as the Blood Clan. You play as part of an
Allied team called the Wolf Pack, led by Cordelia
Blake, who is also a werewolf. Other characters in
your squad include a pyrokinetic young woman, a
descendent of the Arthurian knight Lancelot, Jack
the Ripper, the granddaughter of vampire slayer
Van Helsing, and a resurrected German soldier Not only are the fundamentals just not there, but Operation Darkness
who wears a supersuit. Also, at some point, you get this is an ugly-looking game, with an atrocious has a huge number
magic powers along with your machine guns and frame rate – the camera zooms around to give of technical issues,
bazookas, and there are some dragons, zombies, the action some drama, but it’s so choppy that it’s and it’s ugly as sin,
and skeletons in there too. more disorienting than dramatic. but deal with those,
But playing this game is just so, so difficult. Most of the wild fantasy stuff doesn’t come and it’s a pretty
The camera is invariably at squad eye level, into the story until you’re a fair way in, when decent SRPG with an
requiring that you constantly tilt and manoeuvre the insanity should have been front and centre. absolutely wild story.
it just to get a grip on your surroundings. The But those who can tolerate its many (many, many)
maps are huge, and it’s hard to tell where any substantial issues will find a work of insanity like
unit is in relation to the rest of the squad. Once few others – even the roughly similar Valkyria
you commit to a move, you can’t take it back, Chronicles, while a much better game overall,
even if you discover that you can’t hit your target. just doesn’t compare.
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Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
A prequel to the events of Valkyrie Profile,

Covenant of the Plume depicts the Æsir–Vanir War
from a mortal perspective: protagonist Wylfred’s
father was slain in battle, and his soul taken by
Valkyrie Lenneth to aid Odin’s forces, leaving a
single feather behind. As repeated tragedy befalls
his family, his grudge only burns more strongly,
until he’s noticed by Hel, the queen of Niflheim.
The two enter a pact: the more brutality Wylfred
perpetrates, the more power she’ll grant him to
slay Lenneth, using the Valkyrie’s feather as a
conduit. Now called the Destiny Plume, Wylfred
can invoke it to supercharge an ally at the cost of This encourages the player to plink away at healthy This may not be
their life and immortal soul. foes, before going all out once they’re weak. the proper third
Adapting Valkyrie Profile 2’s battle system to Savvy players will recognise that Hel is up to Valkyrie Profile
a strategy RPG isn’t actually that much of a stretch, no good, and Wylfred’s path through the game is game that fans
as Silmeria’s battle system was a step towards this governed by how frequently he uses the Plume. might want …
genre. Covenant of the Plume only allows four This results in different scenarios and allies, and but it’s still a
combatants to join a battle – one for each face button eventually leads to one of three endings; the most decent take on the
– and tasks the player with positioning them to allow positive outcome is achieved by opting not to use formula, rendered
multiple simultaneous attacks. There’s a much the Plume at all. Though not quite as memorable in SRPG fashion.
greater emphasis on Overkill this time around, with as its predecessors, Covenant of the Plume is
the introduction of Sin: Sin is accrued by continuing a well-written and appropriately dark Valkyrie
to combo a foe past death, which charges the Plume. Profile side chapter.
ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat

Developer: Mistwalker/Racjin | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): DS
Designed by Hironobu Sakaguchi’s Mistwalker
studio, Archaic Sealed Heat tells the story of a
young princess, Aisya who, at her coronation,
witnesses the destruction of her kingdom by a
flying fire serpent. Aisya discovers she can bring
her subjects back to fight by her side as sentient
constructs made of ash. Players put together their
own teams of ash warriors and, led by Aisya, battle
through 31 chapters, and more than 40 hours
of gameplay to reclaim the bracelet of Millinear,
which restores her land and people.
While the battles themselves follow a fairly
standard turned-based JRPG formula, movement It even features music by Hitoshi Sakimoto and Many early DS games
and the challenge of setting up those battles Masahari Iwata, the composers from Final Fantasy required the use
to your advantage are where ASH innovates. Tactics. Unfortunately, the game is let down by of the touch screen
Teams are formed from up to three characters, its awful user interface. Game control is done and stylus, even
each of whom draws on a shared set of action entirely with the stylus, and requires a double though standard
points to move and initiate combat. Characters tap on every command from menus to battle controls would’ve
move separately but battle together, making and, unfortunately, making navigation twice as worked just perfectly.
the distance between each character and the laborious as it needs to be. Archaic Sealed Heat
targeted enemy part of an entertaining move- ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat was initially unfortunately fell
plotting calculus. intended for release outside of Japan, but perhaps victim to this.
The game’s story is very strong, and its due to its poor reception in its home country, the
approach to the SRPG formula feels fresh even now. English localisation was cancelled.
549
Yggdra Union
Developer: Sting | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): GBA, PSP
Yggdra Union begins with the basic mould

for a tactical strategy RPG and gives it a good
shakedown, mixing in elements of Fire Emblem,
Ogre Battle, and Dragon Force. You move your
units on an overhead-view map and visit towns to
gain items, and even the Axe/Sword/Spear weapon
triangle is the same as Fire Emblem. That’s where
the similarities end. Before you begin each level,
you’re given the option to choose a hand of cards.
One is selected in each turn, to determine how
many movements your units can make, as well as
your striking power and special abilities. Units can
only attack once per turn, but nearby units can
join in a union, depending on their position and power bar is filled, you can use a special attack Yggdra Union is
the leader’s gender – horizontally and vertically based on the card you’ve chosen. Defeated units technically the second
if female, or X-shaped if male. The maps are a bit don’t technically die, but rather lose morale. title in Sting’s Dept.
smaller than in other strategy games; however, The story is a throwaway, focusing on the Heaven series, a
each scenario usually has a few hidden areas that thief Milanor as he helps the princess Yggdra follow-up to Riviera,
open up once objectives are met. retake the throne. The sprite-based combat looks but they have little
Combat begins showing the opposing fantastic, but the super-duper cutesy character in common.
armies on each side of the screen as they duke it designs don’t feel appropriate for the serious war
out. Here, you don’t directly control the outcome story here. The flashy combat and the exciting
but you can influence it by placing your army into music make it feel more energetic than most
offensive, neutral, or defensive stances. When the SRPGs, so it’s worth a look.
Gungnir
Developer: Sting | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): PSP
Yggdra Union was followed by a few Japan-
only sequels and spinoffs, like Blaze Union,
a PSP prequel, and Yggdra Unison, a DS real-time
strategy game. Neither were localised, but Atlus
did bring out their next SRPG, Gungnir.
Giulio Raguel, son of the first leader of
Esperanza, is chosen as the new carrier of the
legendary spear, Gungnir, and the power of
the war gods. With this new power, and in turn
hope, Giulio and his resistance make their move
to topple the oppressive empire. With regard to
its tone, it features heavier story elements such key to survival. In addition, there are various Gungnir is Episode
as classism and racism, losing one’s self to the mechanics to delve into, such as vitality IX of the Dept.
killing, and slavery. While not as bold as, say, Shin management, recruiting mercenaries, weapon Heaven series and
Megami Tensei, in its story, it is a welcome change proficiencies, and more. is the last of its
of pace, especially with its more down-to-earth As standard for Sting SRPGs, the game is line, as Sting then
story conflicts. certainly not for everyone, though not because shifted mostly to
As one of Sting’s SRPG line-up, the it’s poorly done. The unorthodox turn order can contract work.
game includes copious amounts of gameplay be hard to utilise properly with multiple units at a
experimentation, such as how the turn order time, thus deterring players. Coupled with strange
is conducted. The player’s forces share a turn, style choices with regard to character art and UI,
with a shorter delay than the enemy units get. it is a challenge for newcomers. Yet, if the game is
When the enemy’s turn arrives, they come in embraced for what it is, a hard-to-forget journey
full force. Given this, proper management is will be the reward.
550
Rondo of Swords
Developer: Success | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): DS
An RPG’s combat system can make or break its

game. However, a truly good game knows when to
try something unexpected. Rondo of Swords does
just that, and has thus managed to remain one of
the most unique RPGS around. It’s also one of the
most notoriously difficult RPGs on the Nintendo DS.
Referred to in-game as the RMS or Route
Maneuver System, this combat system focuses
on optimal movement through enemies that
you attack along the way. Mêlée units aim
to attack enemies from the side or the back,
for increased damage and reduced chance of
guarding or counter-attacking, while ranged
units such as archers and mages attack Outside of its unique combat, Rondo of The Route Maneuver
in specific formations that often cover a wider area Swords also allows for side expeditions, on which System, which
of the map. your characters can discover items, enhance stats combines movement
The story of Rondo of Swords has diverging and skills, and unlock new classes for themselves. and combat, makes
paths, which allows for the multiple playthroughs Some of these can’t be attained until at least Rondo of Swords feel
needed to meet the expansive cast of characters. the second playthrough, increasing the game’s quite a bit different
Unlocking some of them requires that various replayability quite a bit. While little has come from its peers.
conditions be met. Some of the members of the from many of the people involved in Rondo of
cast come from developer company Success’ Swords, it was illustrated by the artist BUNBUN,
previous works, such as Cotton and Izuna: who would later go on to illustrate the Sword Art
The Unemployed Ninja. Online light novels.
Pokémon Conquest
Developer: Nintendo/Koei | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): DS
There are many strange crossovers in the video
game world. Known in Japan as Pokémon +
Nobunaga’s Ambition, this game was later
renamed and released under the title Pokémon
Conquest. It combines Pokémon, a Herculean
turn-based catch, evolve, and battle franchise,
with the grand strategy simulation gameplay of
the Nobunaga’s Ambition series. What ultimately
came out was an addictive turn-based combat,
kingdom management, strategy RPG, with special
upgrade requirements to bring out the full
potential of each of the 37 unique Warlords, their
Pokémon, and their respective stories.
The Ransei Region is locked in endless war.
Warlords vie to unite the world under their vision, special mechanics that encourage clever strategies Seeing Sengoku-era
but only one can claim victory, with their trusted to defeat your enemy, ranging from simple bounce Japanese warlords
Pokémon companion. With your faithful Eevee by pads to reach the higher ground to slippery ice you battle each other
your side, you begin your journey to unify the ever- can use to knock your enemies around. with Pokémon is
changing kingdoms of Ransei. Pokémon Conquest was directed by Osamu amusing in its own
Instead of the traditional Pokémon levelling Mieda who went on to direct Samurai Warriors 4. right, but it doesn’t
system, the more you use them in battle, the The soundtrack, which was composed by hurt that this is one
stronger their bond becomes. This allows them to Shinichiro Nakamura, of the Koei Sound Team, of the best spinoffs
evolve and increase your army’s overall strength. enhances the journey through a Sengoku-inspired in the franchise.
Battles are fought on unique, isometric maps with Pokémon world.
551
Wild Arms XF
Developer: Media.Vision | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): PSP
Wild Arms XF (“Crossfire”) is a competent strategy

RPG spinoff of the Wild West-themed PlayStation
games, with its fair share of quirks, some of which
serve it well, and some of which get in its way.
The plot is convoluted in a way that only
strategy RPGs seem to be able to pull off.
You play as Clarissa Arwin, a girl who travels to
the kingdom of Elesius to retrieve her mother’s
sword from a ruthless drifter named Rupert. What
could have been a straightforward MacGuffin hunt
becomes instead a dense and complicated political
conflict, as Clarissa somehow becomes the leader Battles are heavily puzzle-oriented. The stronger Strategy spinoffs of
of a movement to overthrow the current rulers of you get, the easier it becomes to brute-force your JRPG series were
the kingdom. way through most encounters, but, especially in becoming common by
The battlefield grid in XF is hex-rather the first chapter, you’ll find yourself drudging this point, and Wild
than square-based. This means six different through tedious micro-management. Levelling up Arms XF does some
sides vulnerable to attack at any given time. takes a lot of time, drawing out this process. interesting things
The character classes are mostly comparable The music by Masato Koda and Noriyasu with this trend.
to ordinary Black Mage, Knight, etc., but are Agematsu is undeniably beautiful. Where the setting
generally defined in terms of stats and tricks lacks Wild West vibes, the music rushes in, as always,
rather than defensive versus offensive. Sacred with twangy guitar and whistling. Add the bright
Slayers, for example, are important because they visuals, and the game looks and sounds great; the
have good defence against magic spells have the story also gets surprisingly dark later on. Issues with
ability to cast spells on several hexagons at once. the gameplay are thus that much more of a shame.
Jeanne d’Arc
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): PSP
Imagine an anime retelling of the Joan of Arc
legend and you’ll have a pretty good idea of what
this Level-5 SRPG is about. The heroine, Jeanne,
wields a magical armlet and is commanded by a
voice from the heavens to lead France against not
only the British troops, but also the demons they’ve
made an unholy pact with. Other historical figures
that pop up here include military commander
La Hire and knight Gilles de Rais.
Much of this game heavily resembles Final
Fantasy Tactics, right down to its interface,
though it introduces a few unique mechanics. In terms of other PSP SRPGs, Final Fantasy Relive the Hundred
Whenever a friendly unit attacks a foe, it leaves Tactics was released around the same time, in Years War, except
behind a little glow called a Burning Aura, into 2007, one of the best of its genre, but also a with demons and
which allies can step, enabling infliction of more clunky port of a game that was nearly a decade dwarves, in this
damaging attacks. Units that huddle together also old at the time it came out. Jeanne d’Arc, on the fairly decent SRPG.
provide enhanced Unified Guard defence. There’s other hand, has fully 3D graphics and cel-shaded
also a Fire Emblem-style rock-paper-scissors character models that take fuller advantage of the
damage system, based on three element types: system’s capabilities. It’s not nearly as in-depth,
Sol, Stella, and Luna. Certain characters, including so SRPG fans might find it a little simple for their
Jeanne, can also equip gems onto their armbands tastes, plus the story and soundtrack are nowhere
for various time-limited effects. Otherwise, there’s near the quality of other strategy greats. But those
nowhere near the level of customisability found in looking for a more straightforward experience will
other SRPGs. find something enjoyable.
552
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
Developer: Nintendo/Intelligent Systems | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): 3DS
In a fictional late 19th century, dominated by

steampunk technology, public-domain English
literary heroes like Henry Fleming, John Henry,
and more come face to face with Lovecraftian
aliens invading Earth! S.T.E.A.M., the Strike Team
Eliminating the Alien Menace, must carry out
Abraham Lincoln’s orders to save London, the
United States, and lands hitherto unexplored
where the Great Shugguth has taken root.
Code Name S.T.E.A.M. remains an underrated
experiment in SRPG design by the Fire Emblem
studio. Taking elements from contemporaries like The game has numerous strengths, from Code Name: S.T.E.A.M.
X-COM and Valkyria Chronicles, the game puts its multi-faceted battle designs to a unique has a number of design
you in charge of squads fighting through multiple mix of heavy metal and Japanese manga-like quirks that are often
battles per chapter. S.T.E.A.M. members each have audiovisuals. Long thinking times during enemy frustrating, but meet
a steam engine; its boiler’s capacity determines turns was a problem in the initial release, though it on its own terms,
how many moves its character can make per this was later patched. Stage construction can and it’s just as good
round. Surviving combat requires careful steam be confusing too, due to the lack of a map, and as other Intelligent
management, splitting movement and actions since enemies constantly respawn, battles are Systems SRPGs.
effectively, and making use of stage hazards and often stressful. Fighting alongside characters
characters’ special traits to defend and advance. like Tiger Lily, Queequeg, and the Wizard of Oz
As you have neither mini-map nor battle preview, troupe is amusing, though. While the Fire Emblem
S.T.E.A.M. encourages slow but steady map mould remains dominant at Intelligent Systems,
exploration and calculated risks. S.T.E.A.M. continues to have a fervent following.
Project X Zone
Developer: Monolith Soft | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): 3DS
Namco, Capcom, and SEGA are three companies
that have had a historic impact on the video
game industry. It only seems natural for them to
collaborate to make an epic crossover featuring
dozens of their franchises – everything from
mainstream titles such as Street Fighter and
Tekken through lesser-known series like Sakura
Wars and .hack to downright obscurities like
Genpei Toumaden and Youkai Douchuuki.
It even features SEGA’s mid-’90s Japanese
mascot Segata Sanshiro.
The series began back in 2005 as the Japan- combinations. There are two unit types: Pair Soichiro Morizumi
only PS2 game Namco X Capcom, itself a spinoff Units, which feature two characters teaming wrote and directed
of a Wonderswan SRPG called Namco Super Wars. up, and Solo Units, which can be equipped to each game in the
While the characters in this game were probably Pair Units. This allows for long combos that, Project X Zone
too obscure for non-Japanese players, the follow- when timed right, juggle enemies in the air for series, and had
ups have more internationally recognisable faces. increased damage. Maps are grid-based and often previously worked
They in turn led to two sequels for the 3DS under have gimmicks that change how you approach on the Super Robot
the title Project X Zone, adding SEGA characters each stage. Wars franchise.
for the second game and Nintendo ones for Project As with Super Robot Wars, the tactical parts
X Zone 2: Brave New World. of the game are merely okay, as they’re really just
Gameplay for Project X Zone follows a style an excuse to see all of the disparate characters
similar to that of Valkyrie Profile. Unit attacks interact. The localisation and dialogue for the
are allocated to specific button and directional second game in particular are hilarious.
553
Grand Knights History
Developer: Vanillaware | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): PSP
Grand Knights History is an intriguing tactical

strategy game from Vanillaware that was designed
to incorporate online features. Working as a
military officer in one of three kingdoms, you
train units of four warriors by putting them into
combat. The fights are turn-based, with each
unit inhabiting a space on a 3 × 4 grid. There are
several classes of unit (Knights, Archers, Gunners,
Magicians and so forth) with different attack
abilities. Once you’ve trained your units, then you
send them to the online War mode, in which they
face off against units trained by other players. IP blocked, making it difficult for non-Japanese XSeed attempted
The game is different from MMOs in that there’s players to experience even if they imported the to localise Grand
no persistent connection to the internet – rather, game. Technically, you can still play in single player Knights History
much of the game is technically played offline, so mode, but without the multiplayer aspect, there’s for North America,
it uploads and downloads new data to the server not much point to it, since there’s no real progress but Vanillaware
whenever the state of the world map is updated. to make beyond training units. Ultimately, all that’s cancelled it. Pity,
Additionally, you’re never directly playing against left is appreciating its gorgeous 2D artwork and but the game
another person, just against the teams they’ve rousing soundtrack, both of which are hallmarks didn’t have a
created, which are controlled by the CPU. of Vanillaware titles. long life anyway.
At least, that’s how the game used to Despite its brief life, the spirit of
function. Unfortunately, the online servers were Grand Knights History lives in its spiritual
only active for just over two years before being shut successor, Grand Kingdom, which was released
off. It’s just as well, since access to the servers was internationally in 2015.
Stella Glow
Developer: Imageepoch | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): 3DS
Stella Glow was intended to mark the tenth
anniversary of Imageepoch’s founding.
Unfortunately it couldn’t have come at a worse
time, as the company declared bankruptcy just
before its release, so Stella Glow was released an
entire month after Imageepoch closed for good.
The spiritual successor to their earlier, and
rather unremarkable, Luminous Arc series, Stella
Glow is a turn-based strategy RPG set in a world
in which the act of singing has been prohibited
by God. Existing on the margins are witches, able
to control magic through forbidden music. When upbeat J-Pop track, which has a different effect Stella Glow is
amnesiac Alto’s village is razed by the Destruction on the battlefield, like a regen effect for party Imagepoch’s
Witch Hilda, his childhood friend Lisette awakens members. swansong, picked
as the Water Witch to protect him with her voice. Like much of Imageepoch’s oeuvre, Stella up by SEGA and
The two then find themselves tasked with travelling Glow is a harem game. In between battles Atlus just as the
the world to persuade the rest of the witches to Alto engages in dating sim segments with the company failed,
unite against Hilda. It’s a fairly by-the-numbers different witches, building them up with his suave and it’s actually
strategy game that will be immediately familiar to compliments, which eventually gain him additional pretty good as
those who’ve played any number of games of the battle skills. There’s cleavage, panty shots, and far as SRPGs go.
genre, though there is a fun risk-reward mechanic suggestive scenes in which a magical phallic object
in which the player is encouraged to attack is inserted into a witch’s chest to draw out her
higher-level monsters for a big experience payday. potential. It’s a fitting final effort from Imageepoch,
Each witch has a unique song, each an individual who died as they lived: incredibly horny.
554
God Wars
Developer: Kadokawa Games | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV, NSW, WIN
God Wars: Future Past is a strategy RPG based

on the Kojiki, a chronicle that’s the basis for many
Japanese myths. While the genre has been typified
by medieval fantasy, thanks to Fire Emblem and
Tactics Ogre, this story takes place in feudal
Japan, featuring characters like Kaguya, Sakuya,
Kintaro, Susanoo, Issun, Momotarou, Amaterasu,
Urashima, and many other gods, goddesses, and
others from Japanese folklore.
The game is very much in the style of Final
Fantasy Tactics, with a few notable tweaks.
Characters have three job classes each – their
Main Job and their Sub Job, which can be Mino Tarou (Love Plus) and monster art by Sawaki God Wars is very
changed, and their Unique Job, which is inherent Takeyasu (Devil May Cry) provide some interesting much Okami in the
to that character and is fixed. This allows quite interpretations of classic Japanese figures. The form of a strategy
a bit of flexibility in customising your units. MP core strategy mechanics are excellent, but the RPG, though it’s not
starts at zero and charges throughout each battle, overall presentation is a little lacklustre, the music quite as charmingly
and there’s a big emphasis on using the many is dull, and the story isn’t particularly interesting. developed as
skills you can learn. The game also adopts a Hate Had this been released in the 32-bit era, it would’ve Capcom’s game.
statistic, which will make enemies target you if been written off as a mere clone of better titles …
you enrage them. but due to the rarity of this type of strategy RPG
The visuals, which are entirely 3D modelled, when it was released in 2017, especially across
feel a little low-budget and don’t have the charm multiple platforms, it fills a niche that had gone
of the 2D games, though the character art by vacant for too long.
Utawarerumono (series)
Developer: Leaf/AquaPlus/Sting | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): WIN, PSP, PSV, PS4
Utawarerumono is a trilogy that began on
Windows platforms, developed by adult game
company Leaf (To Heart). The first game focuses
on a young man named Hakuoro, who awakens to
find himself in a mysterious village that resembles
Sengoku-era Japan filled with part-beast people.
After learning of their oppression by a nearby lord,
he helps lead a rebellion, toppling the lord and
then becoming a leader himself … only to find that
being a ruler isn’t so easy, as he must both lead his
people and learn about his past.
Like many PC games of the time, the original Utawarerumono Zan, which retells parts of For quite a while,
release was a pornographic game, with a number the third game, as well as an HD remake of the the visual novel/
of adult cutscenes, though the strong characters original, Prelude to the Fallen, which was released adventure game
and storyline, not to mention an attractive art style in English in 2020. genre on PCs
based on Japanese Ainu culture, gave it a wide This series is really more of a visual novel mostly needed
appeal, resulting in an anime and all-ages console than a strategy game – there are tactical battle adult content to
ports. Two sequels, subtitled Mask of Truth and sections, but you’ll spend far more time reading sell, but in some
Mask of Deception, were released further down than playing it. They’re also typical of the genre, cases, the stories
the line, which don’t directly continue the story, and not too difficult, but at least they present were so good they
at least initially, but do tie in strongly. The original battles as something more than just text. Another could stand on
game was not released internationally (though visual novel/SRPG hybrid from Leaf is Tears to their own.
the anime was) but these two sequels came out Tiara, the second of which was localised for the
in English via Atlus. There’s also an action game, PS3, though it’s not as well regarded as this series.
555
556
First-Person
Dungeon
Crawlers
First-person dungeon crawlers were among the an intentional retro throwback, but with some
earliest role-playing game types. In the early days modern accommodations, particularly the ability
of computer gaming, the player would wander to draw your own map on the bottom touch screen.
through a maze rendered in wireframes, moving The title’s success also sparked the resurrection of
one block at a time, only able to turn 90°. It was Wizardry, along with similar titles like Elminage,
tough going, as using graph paper to make maps which may as well be Wizardry with the serial
of the dungeons was often critical to successful numbers filed off.
crusades, but plenty rewarding in its own right. This was also a boon to smaller publishers
Sir-Tech’s Wizardry, first released in the United – dungeon RPGs are relatively cheap to make, so
States in 1981, was one of the most popular of they were able to pump out games that featured
these, and actually took on a life of its own in attractive character art, typically of cutesy or
Japan. A number of similar games were created for scantily-clad girls, and then stick them into
the Japanese market, for both PCs and consoles, the standard design template, selling them to a
particularly the famous Shin Megami Tensei series small but faithful audience. Despite the inherent
from Atlus. cynicism, not all of these titles are poor quality,
However, through the early ’90s, the but you have to know what you’re getting into.
Japanese RPG audience became more acclimatised Broadly speaking, first-person dungeon
to games like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, crawlers tend to allow greater party customisation,
which were much more user-friendly, and first- with an emphasis on combat and exploration,
person dungeon crawlers eventually became the rather than storytelling. This isn’t always the case,
realm of the hardcore. With the introduction of especially with games aimed towards a slightly
3D technology in the mid-’90s, the “square-by- more casual audience, but there are enough
square” movement found in the older games was instances out there to prove the stereotype true.
beginning to feel outdated, and even the Shin Of course, there’s also the debate about whether
Megami Tensei series phased out the first-person these games are technically Japanese RPGs, since
dungeons, with 1997’s Soul Hackers being the last they’re all based on Wizardry, an American game.
to use them. But they’ve also evolved their own unique aesthetic
A small group of fans kept the spirit alive and can thus be considered their own sub-
for a number of years, but it was Atlus, again, genre, especially since, outside of a few Western-
that brought about their resurgence, with 2007’s developed games like Legend of Grimrock, they’re
Etrian Odyssey for the Nintendo DS. This was the ones keeping this type of game alive.
Mapping out
elaborate hallways
and rooms is one
of the key aspects
of first-person
dungeon crawlers.
557
Wizardry (series)
Developer: assorted companies | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): NES, SNES, PS1, PS2, GB, PSP and more
Wizardry, developed by Andrew C. Greenberg and

Robert Woodhead, and first published by Sir-Tech
in 1981, is one of the foundational computer role-
playing games. However, for a Western game, it’s quite
unusual in that its longevity and popularity were
greater in Japan, where it received a number of tie-in
manga, as well as an anime OVA. After Wizardry VII,
the series petered out during the early ’90s in North
America; its final entry, Wizardry 8, wasn’t released
until 2001, nearly a decade later. However, various
Japanese publishers and developers continued
the series on their own, with many exclusive ports
and entries released only in Japanese. The rights
have been tangled up with assorted publishers and which also had English support built-in, making Most of the Japanese
developers over the years, and following the series these the best versions for English-speaking Wizardry games
lineage can be quite confusing. players. Wizardry VII was also ported to the 32-bit stayed there, but
Japan was first introduced to Wizardry on consoles exclusively in Japan. Atlus’ Tale of the
imported Apple II computers, and guides were The Japanese original Wizardry games Forsaken Land for
created to help players wade through the English began with the Wizardry Gaiden games for the the PlayStation 2
text. The official Japanese localisation did not Game Boy, also published by ASCII. Based on made it overseas.
arrive until 1985, when it was published by ASCII Wizardry V, these were basically new scenarios.
for the PC88, PC98, Sharp X1, FM-7, and MZ-2500 The first three, Suffering of the Queen, Curse of
computers. However, as with most video games at the Ancient Emperor, and Scripture of the Dark,
the time, the series didn’t really take off until it hit were for the Game Boy, with the fourth, Throb
the Famicom in 1987. The package artwork for these of the Demon’s Heart, released for the Super
versions was handled by fantasy artist Jun Suemi, Famicom. When the series hit the PlayStation, it
and new music was composed by Japanese pianist was renamed Wizardry Dimguil, though this is
Kentarou Haneda, who lent a classical feel to the the fifth Wizardry Gaiden game in all but name.
soundtrack to compete with Koichi Sugiyama’s Around 2005, some of the same team formed 59
music in the Dragon Quest games. In order to help Studio to create two more Wizardry Gaiden games:
port the game from PASCAL, Masanobu Endou, Prisoners of the Battles and Five Ordeals, released
the programmer behind The Tower of Druaga for Windows, PlayStation 2, and smartphones.
and Xevious for Namco, was enlisted. The series These also supported user-created scenarios.
continued on the Famicom (and home computers There was also the Wizardry Empire series,
like the MSX2) until the third entry, then jumped published by Starfish, which began on the Game
to more powerful consoles like the PC Engine and Boy Color and was based more on the older
Super Famicom. Many of the later entries were entries. When the series moved to the PlayStation,
also ported to the PlayStation and Saturn, some of the developers began using the newer ruleset and
558
Wizardry was so
popular in Japan it
received an anime
OVA adaptation as
well as several game
books and novels.
made the games a bit more like Wizardry Gaiden.

The PlayStation entries are subtitled Princess of
the Ancient, Legacy of the Princess, and Ancestry
of the Emperor. There was also Wizardry Asterisk
for the Nintendo DS in 2005. The team behind
these games later ditched the Wizardry name and
created their own spinoff entry, Elminage.
Wizardry Chronicle was released for
Windows in 2000 by KSS, and changes up some
of the races and character classes, but otherwise
isn’t much different from the very early games.
Wizardry Summoner was another spinoff,
originally created for the Game Boy Advance in
2001. This adds a new Summoner class, which ported to the PSP by Zerodiv, and was released
lets the character capture and summon monsters, internationally by Atlus as Class of Heroes. This
a reflection of the Pokémon-induced monster- then spun off into its own sub-series, originally
collecting craze of the time. This followed with developed by Motoya Ataka, who had previously
a PlayStation 2 remake in 2005. worked on the Wizardry Empire titles at Starfish.
Atlus then got its shot at the licence with two Eventually he left, along with a group known as
games for the Busin: Wizardry Alternative series Team Muramasa to form the developer Experience.
for the PlayStation 2. These use fully 3D-modelled In 2006, the Wizardry brand was bought by
environments, making them feel a little more Aeria IPM, which is why a lot of later spinoffs were
modern than some of the other Wizardry games published without the Wizardry name. They also
of the time, though they’re still obviously fairly put out their own line of games for HD platforms
low budget. They are more narrative-heavy too, as as part of the Wizardry Renaissance project,
while you can create the protagonist, your party published by their subsidiary Acquire, including
members have pre-specified personalities and Prisoners of the Lost City and Labyrinth of Lost
are incorporated into the story. This series was Souls by Zerodiv (the latter of which was released
produced by Kouji Okada, one of the creators of internationally by XSeed). These maintain the
the Megami Tensei series, with monster design feel of the classic Wizardry games but use HD
by manga artist Katsuya Terada. The first game illustrated graphics.
was actually released in English under the name They also put out Pledge of Life and
Wizardry: Tale of the Forsaken Land. Boukyaku no Isan (“Heritage of Oblivion”) for the
The next series was Wizardry Xth, developed Nintendo DS, by Suzak and Genterprise. There
by Michaelsoft. These games take place in an was also a free-to-play MMORPG called Wizardry
anime school setting, with the students venturing Online that began in 2011, developed by Headlock
through dungeons in VR. Academy of Frontier and maintained by Game Pot. An English version
and Unlimited Students were released for the from Sony Online closed in 2014, while the
PlayStation 2. The second entry was remade and Japanese version ran until 2016.
Wizardry: Labyrinth
of Lost Souls is
the most recent
Japanese entry to see
international release.
559
Madou Monogatari (series)
Developer: Compile | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): MSX2, PC88, PC98, WIN, MD, SFC, SAT and more
Madou Monogatari (“Sorcery Saga”) is the main

RPG franchise from developer/publisher Compile.
Beginning as a fairly simple first-person dungeon
crawler for Japanese computers, its main star is a
young magician named Arle, along with her little
buddy Carbuncle, but it also includes a variety
of other cutesy and amusing characters. While
familiar to the PC audience, the cast became
much better known through their inclusion in
the company’s Puyo Puyo competitive puzzle
series, to the point where most gamers probably
recognise the characters from these games rather
than the RPG that they sprang from. The series Quest slime, called a Puyo. (These little blobs The Mega Drive
was originally designed by Kazunari Yonemitsu, were featured as the blocks you need to connect port of Madou
though he left Compile after the original set of in the Puyo Puyo puzzle game series.) While the Monogatari,
games was created and went to Sting. mood is generally quite silly, these games aren’t pictured on this
The series had rather inauspicious really meant for kids, and occasionally there will page, is the most
beginnings, as a short game included in one of be some horrific scene in which cutesy characters attractive version of
Compile’s DiskStation releases for the MSX2. contrast with gory events, particularly near the the original game,
Called Madou Monogatari Episode II: Carbuncle, end of the first episode, when Arle’s classmates though it tells only
it features Arle as a teenager, trapped in a maze seem to be melting. a fraction of the
and hunted down by a swordsman named Schezo. These games are fairly simple dungeon adventures of Arle
It was popular enough that Compile fleshed out crawlers, in which you only control a single character the sorceress.
the concept for retail release, releasing it for both and turn-based encounters are fought one-on-one.
the MSX2 and PC98 as Madou Monogatari 1-2- Combat uses a “fuzzy parameter” system, whereby
3. This includes three episodes: the first focuses HP and MP are not displayed as numbers, but
on Arle as a child, undertaking her final test to rather inferred from graphical portraits. As Arle
graduate from basic magical school; the second takes damage, she grows sadder; as she grows in
is a remake of the original DiskStation game, in experience, the gems around the interface will light
which she meets the happy little Carbuncle and up. Most of the magic attacks (and other actions)
his former owner, the dark prince Satan (who’s are accompanied by digitised speech, assuming the
actually a rather amusing fellow despite being an computer hardware supports it – it’s quite scratchy,
antagonist); and the third faces Arle off against but was mighty impressive for an 8-bit computer
a martial artist named Rulue and her minotaur like the MSX2. The game is generally easy to play
servant. A sequel was later released, called Madou and even features an auto-map – in other words,
Monogatari A-R-S, with three new scenarios, along with the cutesy character designs and funny
starring Arle, Rulue, and Schezo. One of the dialogue, these were aimed more towards casual
main enemies is a little parody of the Dragon gamers than hardcore Wizardry fans.
560
As Puyo Puyo rocketed to popularity in inheriting some elements from the Super Famicom
Japanese arcades in 1991, the original PC games game, though it features Arle as a teenager
were ported to other platforms. The first game rather than a child. The maps are isometric,
popped up on both the Mega Drive and PC while the battle scenes are presented from a side-
Engine, while the entire original trilogy (plus the view perspective. However, it removes the “fuzzy
Arle episode of A-R-S) made it to the Game Gear. parameter” aspect, so characters have the standard
However, these aren’t always straight ports and RPG numeric HP and MP. The sprite-based visuals
often substantially remake the story or structure. are excellent, though overall it’s a somewhat
Assorted spinoff stories from the original set of average RPG. Compile was going through financial
games were released for Windows as well. difficulties at the time of its development, and
However, first-person dungeon crawlers there are certain aspects that feel rushed.
were going out of style in the early ’ 90s, so later After Compile went bankrupt, certain
Madou Monogatari RPGs took other forms. properties were purchased by SEGA, including
The first of these was Madou Monogatari: the characters of Arle and Carbuncle, along The success of Puyo
Hanamaru Daiyouchienji (literally “Flower Circle with the Puyos. Meanwhile, other parts of the Puyo compelled
Great School”, though “flower circle” here is property were picked up by Compile Heart, Compile to continue
equivalent to a gold star given for good work in a sort of spiritual successor to Compile. In 2013, with the original
school). As a direct prequel to Arle’s school test they released a total reboot of the series called Madou Monogatari
in the first episode, this removes the first-person Sei Madou Monogatari, though since SEGA had RPG series, though
dungeon crawling in favour of an overhead bought many of the original characters, the cast they never quite
perspective, and, like the Mega Drive port of the is all new, many suspiciously resemble, but are figured out the
first game, changes the battle scenes to a side- legally distinct from, the original characters. right formula.
scrolling perspective, making it more like how the It takes the form of an overhead-view, procedurally- Pictured here is
characters face off in Puyo Puyo. It’s a little simple, generated, Rogue-like game, so it actually doesn’t the Saturn release.
to the point where it feels like it’s made for kids, play much like any of the older games save Waku
but it’s lively and adorable, illustrating the main Waku Puyo Puyo Dungeon. It is the only entry in
aspects the series is known for. the series to have been released internationally,
This was followed up by Waku Waku Puyo localised by Aksys under the name Sorcery Saga:
Puyo Dungeon, released for both the Saturn Curse of the Great Curry God.
and PlayStation. This is a Rogue-like similar to Even though none of the main Madou
Chunsoft’s Mystery Dungeon games, starring Monogatari games were officially released in
assorted Madou Monogatari characters. Another English, the original games are relatively easy to
game was released for the Saturn, simply called play even without much Japanese knowledge,
Madou Monogatari. Not directly associated with and the fun characters, amusing dialogue, and
any previous titles, it’s something of a reboot for generally goofiness can be understood in the
the series, in the mould of a traditional JRPG, while English Puyo Puyo games like Puyo Puyo Tetris.
Clockwise from
upper-left, the
original Madou
Monogatari Episode II
on the MSX2, Puyo
Puyo for the arcade,
Madou Monogatari
for the Saturn, and
Madou Monogatari:
Hanamaru
Daiyouchienji for
the Super Famicom.
561
Deep Dungeon (series)
Developer: HummingBirdSoft | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): FDS, MSX, FC
HummingBirdSoft was a company that specialised

in adventure games in the early ’80s, and began
its (brief) journey into consoles with this RPG
series, Deep Dungeon. It is basically Wizardry, but
simplified such that kids on the Famicom could
play it, as it was the first of its type to appear on
the 8-bit platform, predating even Megami Tensei.
In the first game, subtitled Madou Senki
(“Demon Cave War Chronicle”) you control a
hero delving into a dungeon beneath a town;
this dungeon is filled with monsters, who have
kidnapped a princess. A warrior named Ruu went
in but never came back, so you must follow him in
there. As you wander further into the maze, you towns and multiple dungeons. It also has basic The first two Deep
find that Ruu is actually the final foe. Each floor character creation, adds in magic, and allows Dungeon titles were
has its own colour scheme and (rather irritating) you to create a party of four with three different published by DOG,
music, giving the impression of delving deeper classes. The fourth and final game, Kuro no a group used by
into a creepy underground lair. Much of the game Youjutsushi (“The Black Sorcerer”) removes the Square specifically
is bare-bones – there is no character creator, you character creator but instead features a few pre- for Famicom Disk
control only a single character, and only battle determined party members who join you along the System games.
against one monster at a time. way. However, a few things have been expanded:
There is no magic, just items you can you can summon monsters to temporarily fight
purchase from the shop to toss at foes. The wild for you, plus there are actual sub-quests you can
random number distribution and the high miss go on. This release was published by Asmik rather
ratio also make fights extremely erratic, and there than DOG/Square.
are several bugs. In the sequel, subtitled Yuushi By 1990, most RPG gamers had moved on
no Monshou (“Emblem of the Hero”), reveals that from dungeon crawlers to stuff like Dragon Quest,
Ruu has been resurrected, and the descendent of and for hardcore fans, there was Megami Tensei II
the hero from the first game must fight him. It’s and the actual Wizardry ports. The series didn’t
very similar, though the balance has been tweaked really offer anything that those games didn’t, and
so it’s less frustrating. There are two parts of HummingBirdSoft didn’t last much longer anyway.
the tower to enter, with the underground areas But Square has referenced the Deep Dungeon name
containing stronger enemies. Both of these games in a few of its titles, even though it only published
were ported to the MSX, with the sequel changing the games, rather than developing them. It’s the
town exploration to an overhead view. name of the optional location in Final Fantasy
The third game, Yuushi e no Tabi (“The Tactics that has the strongest enemies and best
Journey of the Hero”) moves to the Famicom items, as well as a randomly-generated dungeon in
cartridge, and expands its scope, having multiple the MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV.
562
Shining in the Darkness
Princess Jessa of the kingdom of Thornwood has

been kidnapped by the evil wizard Dark Sol, and
is held in the depths of a labyrinth. It’s up to the
hero to not only rescue her, but also find out what
happened to his missing father.
As an early RPG for the Genesis, Shining in
the Darkness is meant to be accessible to new
players. Compared to classic dungeon crawlers
like Wizardry, it cuts back on the character
customisation – there are only three playable
characters, all pre-made: the hero, the elf magician
Pyra, and the cleric Milo – and if defeated, you’re
sent back to town, maintaining your experience
and items but with your gold halved, à la Dragon
Quest. But just because it’s accessible doesn’t you can choose to visit the inn to rest and talk to SEGA was keener
mean it’s easy, as it still requires careful mapping various folks, check out the alchemy and armour to cater to Western
and plenty of grinding to make your way through shops to purchase things, or visit the shrine to RPG audiences in
its nine floors. check your XP and save your game. the early 16-bit
This was the first title by SEGA CD4, later Many of its unique touches, like the visual days, which is why
renamed Sonic! Software Planning, before it spun style and (especially) the interface, on which you titles like Shining
off as Camelot. It has a very friendly, fantasy- pick from nodding “yes” or “no” heads, can be seen in the Darkness
storybook feel to it, and eschews boring menus in in later games, including their Shining Force SRPGs, got localised.
favour of visually impressive scenes. These include and the Golden Sun games. For experienced players,
a town explored via a panorama image, where however, it might be a little too simple to play.
Shining the Holy Ark

The Shining series continued with the popular
Shining Force SRPG series, as well as the Shining
Wisdom ARPG, before returning to first-person
dungeon crawling with Shining the Holy Ark.
You control a group of mercenaries who get
caught up in a war against evil spirits intending
to resurrect an ancient kingdom. The story loosely
connects to Shining Force III, released for the
Saturn a bit later down the road, in 1997.
It’s a much more fleshed-out game than
Shining in the Darkness, offering longer, more
complex, and more varied dungeons (and an auto-
map to help navigation), a total of eight playable attacks, and his companions are shown jumping First-person
characters, and a class promotion system. Combat into the fray from the sides, then attacking enemies. dungeon crawlers
is basically the same, but there are various pixies The CG-rendered bitmap characters are pixelated were seen as
you can summon in the brief pre-battle moments; and look a little dated, but the fight scenes have antiquated in 1996,
these can let you get in a first strike. The difficulty such energy that many other first-person dungeon but Shining the
doesn’t require quite as much grinding, but it’s crawlers, particularly contemporaries like Atlus’ Holy Ark remains
still challenging, while remaining accessible for Devil Summoner, seem boring by comparison, even fun and flashy.
those who aren’t Wizardry junkies. if the mechanics are less complex. Combine all this
The full-screen 3D dungeons, complete with a fantastic soundtrack by Motoi Sakuraba and
with smooth scrolling, are mighty impressive. a slightly darker version of the charming fairytale
The viewpoint is always out of the eyes of the world found in other Shining games, and it’s one of
protagonist, so the camera leaps forward when he the better console dungeon crawlers out there.
563
Etrian Odyssey (series)
Developer: Atlus/Lancarse | Released: 2007 | Platform(s): DS, 3DS
First-person dungeon crawlers were some of

the first RPGs published in the ’80s, but their
popularity waned through the ’90s, and all but
disappeared into the 2000s – Shin Megami Tensei
transitioned away from them completely for its
PlayStation 2 instalments, and the Wizardry games
and assorted offshoots were targetted at dwindling
niche audiences. But in 2007, Atlus almost single-
handedly rejuvenated the crawler with the Etrian
Odyssey series on the Nintendo DS, updating the
age-old sub-genre for a modern audience. The first
game in the series was helmed by Kazuya Niinou, The series is also specifically developed for Atlus took a chance,
who had worked on Atlus’ Trauma Center series, the dual-screen layout of the DS. A big part of the reviving the old
though he left fairly early on to join RPG developer appeal of the old dungeon crawlers was mapping school dungeon
Imageepoch. their layouts, which basically required graph crawler with Etrian
There are a number of reasons for Etrian paper. Unfortunately, this was always going to be Odyssey, and it paid
Odyssey’s success. Wizardry was an American pretty clumsy, and not exactly suitable for portable off, with a total of
game, so many of its entries used Western-style play. Leaving that behind, Etrian Odyssey uses eight games in the
fantasy artwork. Etrian Odyssey instead uses the bottom screen as a map that you can make franchise plus the
manga-style character illustrations, provided by yourself, with the stylus. The game automatically Persona Q spinoffs.
artist Yuji Himukai. There’s a wide assortment of keeps track of where you step, but it’s up to you
characters, male and female, super-masculine and to draw in walls, doors, treasures, and other
hyper-cutesy, that take on the roles of standard important elements. It really gives a small thrill of
RPG character classes. satisfaction to chart your progress step-by-step,
It also takes the dungeon out of dungeon though later entries offer automatic mapping if
crawling, by putting you in a variety of colourful you’d prefer not to deal with it.
environments. The grid-based layouts are the At the outset of each adventure, you enter
same, but the diverse locales are in stark contrast a town, create your characters based on an
to the dingy caverns that previously typified the assortment of classes, and then meet with the
sub-genre. In Japan the series is called Sekaiju no local guild to get some quests. The town acts
Meikyuu (“Labyrinth of the World Tree”), where the as a home base where you can rest, buy and sell
“World Tree” is Yggdrasil from Norse mythology. equipment, and look for sub-quests between your
But since Atlus published the GBA RPG Yggdra dives into the labyrinth. Though the particulars
Union around the same time, it used another vary between entries, the single main dungeon is
name for the English title, from the town of divided into strata, typically consisting of four or
Etria, in which the game is set. The title change is so floors. You can skip between them after they’re
unfortunate because it fails to represent the lush, conquered, though you can also unlock shortcuts
foresty feel in each of the games’ opening areas. to make retreading old ground much faster.
564
The combat system is a pretty typical turn- produced by SEGA. The series began with three Etrian Odyssey Nexus
based affair, but owing to the large number of entries on the DS, which use 3D graphics for the can be considered a
character classes and techniques, there’s an dungeons and static 2D sprites for everything “best of” compilation
astounding amount of depth. Beyond the usual else. The music is by Yuzo Koshiro, who provides of previous classes
fighter, magic-user and healer type characters, a retro-style vibe, using FM-synth music, that and dungeons from
there’s a large emphasis on various buffs and sounds almost like it came directly from a PC88 the series, and makes
debuffs, defensive skills, and binding attacks that soundboard. Most of these games are pretty similar, a good entry point,
can disable various body parts and thus decrease The fourth and fifth games were produced despite technically
enemy effectiveness. Upon gaining a level, you also for the 3DS, which enables a visual upgrade, being the final game
get a set amount of SP, which is used to upgrade including polygonal animated monsters and (for the moment).
various stats or skills. The flexibility is extraordinary. cleaner graphics all round. The music has been
As in many older RPGs, since the characters redone with live instruments, and all sounds
you create are completely your own, there’s not gorgeous, though certain entries offer alternate
much of an emphasis on story. That isn’t to say that FM tracks. Etrian Odyssey IV breaks the formula
there’s no plot, as you’ll come across various NPCs a bit by presenting an overworld you can explore
at regular intervals, all exploring the labyrinth in an airship, with many smaller dungeons instead
for their own reasons, but they’re pretty sparse. of one large one. Etrian Odyssey V returns to the
Unique to Etrian Odyssey are monsters called single big dungeon, but adds in assorted races
FOEs (“Field On Enemy” in Japanese, “Formido (including bunny humans and dark elves).
Oppugnatura Exsequens” in the English version). Between the fourth and fifth games, there
While most enemy encounters are random, these were two games in the Untold sub-series. These
incredibly powerful foes are visible when you’re are remakes of the first two DS Etrian Odyssey
dungeon crawling. Each has its own behaviour – games, each including a brand new story mode for
some simply move in patterns, others will chase those who prefer games with beefier narratives.
after you if they see you. And you generally don’t To appeal to a wider audience, these games also
want to fight them, at least at first, because introduce various quality-of-life improvements
they’re monumentally overwhelming. Instead, that make the games less difficult.
the challenge is figuring out a way to avoid them The final game, Etrian Odyssey Nexus, is a
without getting caught. Then, when you’ve grown celebration game, including a selection of classes
more powerful, you can revisit them and give them and dungeons from nearly all of the games (except
a proper smashing. for the fifth one), compiled together with a new
There are a total of eight games in the main story. As such, there’s an extraordinary amount of
Etrian Odyssey series, not counting similar games content. The series is pretty samey, since they were
by Atlus like Persona Q and Shin Megami Tensei: released on an almost yearly basis, and it’s easy to
Strange Journey, or the two Mystery Dungeon burn out on them, so this single-game “best of”
spinoffs, or their spiritual offshoot 7th Dragon, acts as a good starting point.
565
Elminage (series)
Developer: Starfish | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): PS2, PSP, DS, WIN, 3DS
Along with Etrian Odyssey, Elminage was at the on gameplay, in terms of dungeon availability, spell
forefront of the Japanese first-person dungeon strength, and monsters spawned. The game also
crawlers of the 2000s. Created by Daisuke introduced additional graphics and custom BGM
Komiyama, who helmed the games through the loading; plus a dungeon-sharing function: the
first two instalments, and published by Starfish, game can generate a random dungeon for players
they are typical of Wizardry-style games, but to name and insert their party as a boss fight.
feature quite a number of unique gimmicks, as A 3DS version was released in 2017, which included
well as unparalleled customisability. balance adjustments and some new events.
The first game, Elminage: Priestess of Starfish released two Elminage spinoffs in
Darkness and the Ring of the Gods, didn’t 2012 for the PSP: Elminage: Gothic and Elminage
introduce any particularly outstanding new Ibun: Ame no Mihashira (“Pillar of Heaven”).
gameplay elements, but was notable for its diverse, Elminage: Gothic retains the same basic gameplay The Elminage series
well-illustrated monsters and items. However, the and customisation of the earlier titles, but has is aimed at fans of
initial PS2 version was plagued by extraordinarily a darker, “gothic” story and setting. Combat classic Wizardry
long load times, among a host of other issues. difficulty and dungeon complexity are increased, games, so its art style
The Nintendo DS re-release, in November 2008, with party wipes much more likely. Auto-mapping, eschews the anime
eliminated these and dramatically improved the previously free, is now a consumable item. In a style of most other
balance. This re-release became known as the game with very limited inventory capacity, such modern DRPGs. The
“Miracle of Starfish” and saved the series from maps take up valuable equipment or healing exception is the last
death. The game was later re-released as Elminage item slots. The game was later ported to 3DS game in the series,
Original for the PSP and Windows, which and Windows, getting an English translation and which went that route
received an English translation along with higher higher resolution graphics. to capture a wider
resolution graphics. Elminage Ibun: Ame no Mihashira departed audience.
The sequel, Elminage II: Sousei no Megami from the Elminage formula and embraced a style
to Unmei no Daichi (“Twin Goddess and the Land aimed at a more casual audience, with anime-style
of Destiny”), released on the PSP the following visuals. The story is more detailed than in previous
year, introduced a Marriage System that allows titles, revolving around mysterious occurrences
party members and contracted monsters to at a modern-day Japanese high school. Character
create children, who can inherit skills that are creation has been eliminated in favour of a
unattainable otherwise. The Face Load feature pre-made party. Combat is very easy, leading
allows players customise their party using their many players to call it a boring beginner’s game.
own uploaded portraits. A DS revision was released The player can capture youkai encountered in
in 2010, with new monsters, items, and events, battle, forming a separate party. However, the spirits
plus additional item graphics. cannot be customised or combined, causing youkai
Elminage III: Ankoku no Shito to Taiyou no to be too weak to be of value. The game was later
Kyuuden (“The Dark Apostle and the Palace of the ported to the 3DS in 2014, with some added events
Sun”) was released for the PSP in 2011, adding day/ and some optimisations, but the changes have their
night and weather cycles that had actual impacts own issues, causing frustration amongst players.
566
The Dark Spire
Developer: Success | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
Much like Elminage, Success’ The Dark Spire

is unapologetically for the old-school Wizardry
fan. That means that rather than several brightly
coloured dungeons, there’s just the one massive
tower, with eight floors, a training area, and a
basement. Each floor is packed, though, and both
substantial exploration and plenty of grinding
are required to build up a party strong enough
to make it through. There are four character
classes at the outset (Warrior, Thief, Mage, and
Priest), with advanced classes opening up later
on (Samurai, Ranger, Paladin, Wizard, and Druid),
plus you can set their race (Human, Dwarf, Elf,
and Halfling) and alignment. It’s also one of the
few modern dungeon crawlers to bring back the utilising both distorted guitars and chorales to The unique visual
Advanced Dungeons & Dragons Armour Class create perfect exploration and dungeon themes. style of The Dark
stat and with it, THAC0 (“To Hit Armour Class The Classic mode changes the dungeon display Spire – bright
0”). This determines the probability of successful to simple wireframes, as in the original Apple colours contrasted
hits, with lower numbers having a better chance II Wizardry games, and makes the enemy into with blackness
of producing damage; this can result in fights in tiny sprites, as well as changing the music to a – make it stand
which one (or both) sides may spend several turns NES-style soundtrack. There are also plenty of out against other
attacking without actually making an impact. The references to classic RPGs and fantasy (and even dungeon crawlers
only concession to modernity is an automap on the Monty Python and the Holy Grail), though some of produced both
bottom DS screen, though even that just shows the these were lost in the localisation (in one instance, before and since.
layout of the dungeon, not your party’s location. a password was supposed to be a reference to
The puzzles can also be extremely obscure. the classic “TREBOR SUX” phrase from the older
What it does have is an incredible sense of Wizardry games).
style. The developers of The Dark Spire clearly had Gamers who were introduced to 3D dungeon
more of a thing for Western fantasy than anime, crawlers by Etrian Odyssey might find themselves
but at the same time, gave the visuals their own out of their depths with The Dark Spire, as it’s
unique identity. The dungeon hallways are a blend really for hardcore players who want to revisit
of black and single bright colours like green, the ’80s, though its aesthetics make it worth at
orange or red. The enemies aren’t animated, but least a tour. Unlike Elminage, it never received
rather presented in full screen illustrations that any iterations or developed much of a fanbase,
seem right out of an RPG rulebook. Accompanying though it did have the luxury of receiving a North
this is an incredible soundtrack – Kenichi Arakawa American localisation, courtesy of Atlus, seeking
isn’t exactly a well-known name among video to pad out its dungeon crawler library before the
game composers, but he did incredible work here, Etrian Odyssey sequel was released.
567
Mary Skelter (series)
Developer: Compile Heart | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PSV, WIN, NSW, PS4
Compile Heart began dabbling in first-person

dungeon crawlers with games like Moe Chronicle
and MeiQ: Labyrinth of Death, which were bad-to-
mediocre efforts filled with cutesy girls. Their Mary
Skelter series, though, is a bit more ambitious.
The setting is a major city in Japan that has been
consumed by a living prison called the Jail, which
torments its denizens with monstrosities called
Marchens. Most of the cast consists of reimagined
girls from assorted public domain stories and
fairy tales, both Western and Eastern. The main (this is a Compile Heart game, after all) but sends Mary Skelter is still
heroine, is Alice (of Lewis Carroll’s stories), but them into an uncontrollable rage. Additionally, very much a Compile
other characters include Little Red Riding Hood, one character can lick blood off another, which Heart game, but
Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Thumbelina, Gretel, resets that character’s blood counter but grants the company has
and Hameln. The sole male character is Jack (of some kind of bonus based on who’s doing the made a concerted
the beanstalk), though in the first game, he can’t licking. (This isn’t actually shown, just represented effort to improve
do much in combat. In the second, he’s morphed through text and sounds.) Each character can be its games while still
into a monster and shares turns with that game’s assigned one of a variety of classes to enhance maintaining its
heroine Otsu, herself taken from the Japanese their skills, plus equipment can be upgraded, signature bawdiness.
tale Crane’s Return of a Favour. Obviously, these using blood crystals dropped by enemies. There’s
designs are based only loosely on their originals, quite a lot of depth to these systems, helping set
so most of the ladies are typical harem stereotypes. the game apart from the usual DRPG, though the
The dungeon is filled with more traps, pits randomness, particularly when it comes to the
and gimmicks than the usual DRPG. Since it’s Jail’s emotions and the appearance of merchants,
technically alive, it also has three characteristics tends to be frustrating.
– hunger, libido, and sleep – which sometimes The second game is similar to the first, offering
trigger roulettes that can provide bonuses or a few new characters, like the Little Mermaid. It lets
open up new areas. Similar to Etrian Odyssey’s you cultivate blood farms in the dungeons, and has
FOEs, there are also certain powerful Nightmare optional restrictions to make the game harder but
creatures that you need to run away from, though with higher rewards. It also includes an unlockable
they can disable the automap, so that’s not easy. remake of the first game that fixes some issues.
During combat, if you exploit an enemy weakness In particular, many dungeons were just needlessly
or finish them with a powerful attack, then blood large and complicated. It also adds an extra dungeon
will splatter on the heroine. When she’s obtained that ties everything together. Altogether, the dark
enough blood, she can enter a powerful Genocide setting and story, and interesting mechanics,
mode which lets them use more powerful abilities. elevate it above some of the other DRPGs out there,
However, she may also enter Blood Skelter mode, even though it still has some of the clunkiness
which will strip them of most of their clothes and sleaziness typical of Compile Heart.
568
Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): PSV, PS4, NSW, WIN
Nippon Ichi is largely known for strategy RPGs stat bonuses/penalties. For example, some Pacts
like Disgaea. Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of are tailored for healing and others for strong
Dusk may be their first dungeon crawler, but defensive/evasion skills. Class strengths and Pacts
you’d never know from its polished graphics, provide a lot of options for party customisation
excellent soundtrack, and intricate character and and play styles.
combat systems. Tatsuya Izumi’s dark comedy Puppet can have one of eight classes.
storyline is much more developed than your average The typical prototypes are here: Tanks, Mages,
dungeon crawler’s tale, which could frustrate Archers, Paper-tigers, and Fighters. Puppets
fans of the classic formula. The game’s story have a Nature which affects their initial stats and
centres on Dusk Witch Dronya and her assistant, their rapport with other puppets in their Coven.
Luca, who go to the town of Refrain to explore Other customisation options, such as combat Labyrinth of Refrain
an underground labyrinth. Since the labyrinth is stance, strong hand, and stat growth curves have can be described
toxic to humans, the duo sends puppets to explore substantial impacts. Choosing a lucky number succinctly as a first-
it. Dronya possesses the Tractatus de Monstrum, (tip: choose an even number) and nickname are person dungeon
a.k.a. Tractie, a magical book that can hold a fun additions to flesh out the puppets. crawler made by
person’s soul. The player controls Tractie, which, Combat rewards chaining physical or magic the Disgaea people.
in turn, controls the puppets. attacks with damage multipliers and increased
Labyrinth of Refrain takes the familiar loot. The party can also assume different
dungeon crawler formula and adds new exploration Formations, with each Coven taking a front or
mechanics, deep character customisation, and back row position. Formations provide stat boosts,
fresh combat mechanics. There are nine dungeons auto-healing, or better odds of escaping. Strong
to explore, each with a distinct feel. One dungeon attacks, called Critical Gore, break the body parts
makes the party the size of giants, while another of party members or enemies, limiting their
has them collaborating with a ghost in purgatory. max HP and combat options until repaired. By
Exploration revolves around a limited resource spending Reinforcement, the player can stockpile
called Reinforcement. This allows the party battle experience, risking total loss on a party
to break down walls, hide from enemies, and wipe, but getting a good bonus when cashing in.
escape the dungeon. While exploring, the party Loot has various rarities and qualifiers that give
gathers a currency called Mana. As the party’s items their individuality. Synthesis allows the
Mana increases, rare loot drop rates go up too. player to upgrade weapons and armour for even
However, if the party gets too much Mana, ultra- more customisation.
hard enemies appear, which can wipe out a party It certainly looks and feels like a Nippon
very quickly. Balancing the use of Reinforcement Ichi game. Takehito Harada’s character designs
and gathering of Mana plays a large part in the received high praise, as did the lush dungeon
gameplay loop. graphics and enemy designs. Tenpei Sato’s
The party is divided into five Covens, with soundtrack was regarded by some as his strongest
up to three active puppets each. Each Coven uses effort in recent years. All in all, it’s an excellent
a Pact, which supplies specific spells/skills and title, and it was well received by genre fans.
569
Stranger of Sword City
Developer: Experience | Released: 2014 | Platform(s): WIN, X360, PSV, NSW
Experience is a prolific Japanese dungeon crawler increases the risk in dungeons, while encouraging
developer, releasing over ten separate games in the experimentation with different classes while
genre between 2008 and 2018, including Demon characters heal.
Gaze, Generation Xth, Operation Abyss, and Ray Character creation offers a number of
Gigant. Stranger of Sword City, probably their options: age, five races, seven talents, and element
best game, was originally released in 2014, and classes. Age affects Life Points; race affects initial
an enhanced PS Vita version, Stranger of Sword character statistics; and talents provide passive
City Revisited, came out in 2016. Revisited makes skills such as disarming traps and noticing
a number of improvements, including three labyrinth secrets. The classes include the usual
new character classes, three new dungeons, and suspects: Samurai, Ninja, Mage, Cleric, etc., and
optional battle challenges for the game’s mini- the option to change classes later. Revisited adds
bosses, called Lineages. three new classes, with the Clocker being one of Experience has
The game opens with the player a castaway the most interesting. The Clocker can speed up developed quite a
in a land known as Escario, after their plane time to ensure they take the first action, perfect number of DRPGs,
disappears. The player meets other people for healing: and can also slow enemies, ensuring most initially
also stranded there, and the well-illustrated they attack last, allowing the party to set up released on the Vita,
backgrounds show the causes: crashed planes defensive countermeasures. though Stranger in
and a grounded cruise ship. Soon after arriving, The game’s combat is well balanced, and Sword City is one
the player learns of the ability to extract Blood offers an interesting mechanic known as Hiding. of the better ones.
Crystals from powerful enemies called Lineages. In certain areas of a dungeon, the party can Hide
Each Blood Crystal can be given to one of three and attack Transporter enemies carrying high-
Vessel characters, in exchange for different, value loot. These battles typically include higher-
powerful combat abilities known as Divine Skills. level enemies and powerful variant enemies.
By exploring labyrinths, defeating Lineages, and Hiding can also result in battles with Lineages,
giving Blood Crystals to Vessels, the inhabitants the fearsome mini-bosses mentioned earlier.
hope to find a way to return home. The game Revisited adds the ability to reduce the party’s
offers three endings, one for each Vessel, and level, limiting hit points and skills during these
the player’s Blood Crystal distribution choices Lineage battles. Winning these Slaying Challenges
determine which is played out. provides even better loot.
The game features a permadeath mechanic. Motoya Ataka’s dungeon crawler design
With the exception of the main character, each experience really shines here. The balance is very
party member has Life Points, as in some of the good, the classes are interesting (especially with
SaGa games. These indicate the number of times strategic class change options), and the artwork
a character can die before becoming unusable. is excellent. As with many Experience games,
Typically the maximum is between one and three, there are some reused assets, and the music
initially depending on the character’s age. There certainly sounds similar to that in Demon Gaze,
are ways to restore these Life Points, but they are offering orchestral scores and optional vocaloid
time consuming or very expensive. This mechanic accompaniment.
570
Zanki Zero: Last Beginning
Developer: Spike-Chunsoft/Lancarse | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV, WIN
The world has ended, and the last remnant of

humanity is eight people gathered on the deserted,
destroyed Garage Island. Their original bodies
have died, but their souls live on in the form of
clones with brief life spans. By exploring the ruins,
they seek to understand their purpose, and learn
about their lives before the apocalypse.
Zanki Zero was created by some of the
members of Spike-Chunsoft’s Danganronpa
series, including producer Yoshinori Terasawa and
designer Takayuki Sugawara, so it bears many of your stamina high and stress low by eating or Zanki Zero is similar
their trademarks. It involves an isolated situation, drinking, as well as regularly finding a toilet for to Danganronpa,
and a cast of characters with exaggerated, unique your characters to use. Certain characters have but re-imagined as
personalities, here based on the seven deadly sins. preferred foods or allergies that can also affect a dungeon crawler
Chipper police officer Minamo Setouchi suffers these stats. A further complication is that the instead of a mystery
the sin of pride; chubby corporate heiress Yuma clones only have a life span of 13 days – as you adventure.
Mashiro shows evidence of gluttony, while the move between dungeon floors, they will age, from
cutesy florist Rinko Susukino bathes in lust. Most childhood through middle age to old age, each
curious is Sachika Hirasaka, a young girl with with differing stats and abilities. Since death is
artificial limbs, who isn’t affiliated with any of unavoidable, anyone can be resurrected so long
the seven deadly sins and doesn’t grow older like as you have enough points, obtained by killing
the others. The story balances a sense of despair enemies and completing goals. Dying under the
with a curious sense of humour, as instructions right circumstances will also provide bonuses to
are relayed via videotapes of a ’50s-style cartoon strengthen the clone in their next life. As with
starring a young boy and a talking lamb, and Danganronpa, the characters have different
it also has an odd obsession with retro arcade affection ratings towards each other, with various
games. However, while Danganronpa was a bonus scenes appearing depending on these.
mystery adventure game similar to Capcom’s Ace Juggling all of the items necessarily to keep
Attorney series, Zanki Zero is a dungeon crawler. your character healthy, as well as monitoring their
It was actually co-developed by Lancarse, the team constantly dwindling stats, proves to be quite
behind Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey series. stressful. Combat is also clumsy, and enemies are
But it’s different again, being less like extremely powerful. The story is pretty good, and
Wizardry and more like Dungeon Master. Combat the lowest difficulty makes it easy enough that
occurs in real time, as you explore beaches, adventure game fans don’t really have to worry
abandoned office buildings, and other locales, about the RPG aspects, but at that point, it just
with four people acting simultaneously. There’s feels long and boring. Still, as an eccentric little
a heavy emphasis on survival, due to constantly game, there’s nothing else out there quite like
dwindling stats and resources – you need to keep Zanki Zero.
571
Fantasian
Developer: XtalSoft | Released: 1985 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X1
On the early Japanese RPG scene, XtalSoft’s Mugen

no Shinzou series is well known for combining
the exploration of Ultima with the combat of
Wizardry, a formula that was also used by Enix’s
Dragon Quest series with remarkable success.
One of XtalSoft’s other series, Fantasian, is the
inverse: it’s a Wizardry clone that uses Ultima-
style combat, particularly the type introduced in
the third game.
The other aspect Fantasian is known for is
its robust character creation system. Attempting
to mimic pen-and-paper RPGs as closely as
possible, you can pick from one of seven races –
Human, Half-Orc, Half-Elf, Elf, Dwarf, Halfling, make a female Monk, but she cannot be promoted Fantasian is the
and Gnome – and then pick their gender. After to Clergy. The ultimate goal is to conquer all five inverse of Mugen
allocating bonus points to each of the stats, floors and defeat the demon king, Billades. no Shinzou,
there are then four classes: Warrior, Thief, Monk, There was also a sequel called Advanced offering Wizardry
and Illusionist, though certain races are better Fantasian: Quest for the Lost Sanctuary. dungeons with
suited to certain classes. You can also upgrade It retains the basics and expands on pretty Ultima combat.
their classes, if you find an item called the Ring much everything, providing a much stronger
of Gald, similar to the Rat Tail from the original storyline, exploration and story scenes that take
Final Fantasy. Promoted classes include Battler, place outside of the dungeons, vastly improved
Robber, Clergy, and Magician. Some are restricted graphics, actual music, and a more complex
based on gender or race – for example, you can magic system.
Dinosaur
Developer: Falcom | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FMT, WIN
Despite specialising in RPGs, Falcom didn’t
really produce much in the way of first-person
dungeon crawlers, except for Dinosaur. It’s also
rather unusual for the company in that it’s dark
fantasy, a change from the more colourful fare
they were generally known for. Despite the name,
it has nothing to do with any prehistoric setting;
Dinosaur is just the name of the final boss. The
story focuses on a group of people summoned
by a white butterfly to the land of Zamhan for
mysterious reasons; the hero is a legendary
mercenary named Ash. The plot focuses on the
cast’s sins rather than the usual “save the world”
story, and the game is well regarded for its writing, Brandish, you can also rest at any point while There are no
particularly the devil-worshipping priest Ruon. exploring, to recharge health, but there’s a chance dinosaurs in
There are two scenarios, the second of which is you’ll be surprised by enemies and get shellacked. Dinosaur, a
more difficult than the main story. Designed and programmed by Kazunari dungeon crawler
All of the characters are set in their classes, Tomi, who previously created the Mugen no from Falcom.
but once their stats reach high enough levels, they Shinzou series and later conceived the Lunar
can become apprentices and learn skills from series, it’s a minor RPG classic. While Tomi left
stronger characters. Battles are straightforward, Falcom after this game, it was later remade for
with friends and foes displayed as cards. Windows under the name Dinosaur Resurrection,
The random encounter rate is very high, but at which completely overhauled the visuals and
least each fight is over quickly. Like Falcom’s tuned aspects like the random encounter rate.
572
Dungeon Kid
Developer: Pixel/Quest | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC
Dungeon Kid lets players create and play their own

first-person dungeon crawler. While certain aspects
are set in stone, there’s quite a bit of customisation
– you can create opening and ending messages,
change the dialogue of the townspeople, create
map layouts, name and adjust enemy stats, and
create various types of items and magic. You can’t
directly change the graphics – that may have been
too complex for a mere Famicom game – instead
using a selection of tiles. You can, however, choose
between fantasy and science fiction themes. There
are other limitations, such as a maximum of eight
floors. It’s one of the handful of Famicom games
that supports the Turbo File storage drive, though Indeed, your creations are likely to be experiments, There really wasn’t
your creations can be saved on the cartridge as well. or for friends to play, rather than games for any “make your own
The game itself is pretty basic. You can yourself. Visually, it’s a little more colourful than game” software for
have three characters in your party, chosen from the average Famicom dungeon crawler, as it’s the Famicom at the
12 different classes. The turn-based battles are meant for a younger audience, and the soundtrack time, so Dungeon
displayed from an overhead perspective, in by Masaharu Iwata is absolutely fantastic. Kid is particularly
which friends and foes appear as small sprites. Dungeon Kid is a treasure, since there aren’t trail-blazing.
There’s a sample game included, called Kojou really any other “make your own game” titles on
no Mahoutsukai (“The Magician of the Ancient the Famicom. It also paved the way for the RPG
Castle”) but it’s really just there to give you an Maker series that originated on PC platforms
example of how you can create your own game. before eventually making its way onto consoles.
Shadow Brain
Developer: Scitron & Art/Brain Busters | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): FC
Shadow Brain calls itself the first “virtual reality
RPG” for the Famicom, and boy, is it ambitious.
The story begins in the year 1990, as genius child
programmer Jun and his father are transported
100 years into the future, to a city called Lemuria.
During the time travel, Jun’s dad seems to have
disappeared, so Jun begins to explore the 16
sections of the city, where robots, cyborgs, and
humans attempt to share the space, and the streets
are overrun with mutants. He’s guided by a woman
in cyberspace, who will lead him up against an evil
program named Gaider.
The game package includes a VHS tape,
which explains the story using a voiceover and on-screen map and the option to back away from Multimedia
illustrated stills. Some big talents of the era were enemies instead of fighting them. crossovers like
behind the game, with the main theme provided Still, this is one damn cool-looking game. Shadow Brain
by the band The Alfee, and Gaider’s design by It has a fascinating retro-futuristic-cyberpunk were novel, but
surrealist Screaming Mad George. The production style that’s both colourful and weird, especially in not unheard of, in
values are pretty high, so it’s a shame that much some of the strange characters you’ll come across. the Famicom era.
of the game is rather basic and repetitive. Jun is There’s an in-game BBS the player can access to
the only playable character, fights are one-on- chat with people or buy stuff, which was ahead
one, and other than finding new programs for his of its time; the ’90s proliferation of the internet
Virtual Data Sensor, there’s not much character did indeed follow. Definitely a case of style over
customisation. It is player-friendly though, with an substance, but the style is remarkable.
573
Argo
Developer: Kuro Software Koubou | Released: 1986 | Platform(s): PC88, FM7, PC98, X1
Argo is based loosely on the Grecian tale of

Jason and the Argonauts, and has the hero Iason
protecting his village of Iolkos from monsters. It
was developed by Kure Software Koubou, later of
the action-strategy RPG Silver Ghost.
Compared to other first-person RPGs of the
time, Argo is relatively user-friendly. Whenever
you happen onto someone, you’re given the option
to fight or chat; obviously chatting with bears or
thieves won’t accomplish much, but you don’t want
to be beating up shepherds either. An on-screen
map makes things easy to navigate, and enemies
have health bars visible during combat, though
it’s a little difficult to find the mage’s house where These creatures pop up over the horizon and take The gigantic boss
you can rest and replenish your strength. You only up most of it – combat switches to an action-based monsters and
ever control a single character, so the turn-based system whereby you control Iason directly as he accompanying 3D
fighting is more a matter of just hacking away at runs back and forth across the screen, dodging the action sequences
enemies, though you also need to keep your food boss’s attacks while dashing forward to slice it up make Argo stand
supply up so you don’t go hungry. The game is or fire magic. You can even zoom into the sky to out from the crowd.
fairly open-ended, as you explore for specific fight with flying monsters. In other words, it’s all
items, compared to the floor-based dungeons in a bit like Space Harrier, except you have a sword
other first-person RPGs. and the screen doesn’t actually scroll. While the
However, the coolest part of Argo kicks in animation is pretty flickery, it still looks incredible
whenever you happen upon a large boss monster. for a PC game from 1986.
Double Dungeons
Developer: NCS/Masaya | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): TG16
Role-playing games are typically thought of
as single player affairs, but that’s something
Masaya tried to change with Double Dungeons,
a unique first-person dungeon crawler for the
TurboGrafx-16. The screen is split down the middle,
one side for each player. The pacing is pretty
fast, as combat largely boils down to running up
against an enemy and attacking them over and
over. When you gain enough experience points,
you’ll level up, plus money can be used to rest at
the inn or purchase stuff from the shop, providing
you can find them. In addition to weapons and
armour, there’s also attack magic to find, and
since there’s no MP, you can use it with abandon. starting at level one and need to crawl up through Double Dungeons
Death will plop you back to the beginning of the the ranks every time. Once you’ve beaten all of the is a little simple, but
stage and drain you of your gold. main scenarios, you can unlock the final one, and it’s not like there’s
There’s not really much of a plot beyond see the ending. much else out there
the single screen that pops up when you start On its own terms, Double Dungeons is way in the way of co-op
the game. You can play the dungeons in almost too simple to be enjoyable. While it’s fast-paced, dungeon crawlers.
any order, though each only has a single level, there’s not much in it beyond hacking-and-
and none of your items or statistics transfer over slashing, and all the dungeons look identical.
between stages. So while later dungeons are much But with a buddy, it’s definitely a little more
larger and more complex than earlier ones, there entertaining, mostly because there’s nothing else
are still plenty of easy enemies, since you’re always out there like it.
574
Arcana
Developer: HAL | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): SNES
HAL’s Arcana takes place in the land of Elemen,

where powerful warriors called Card Masters
threaten the rule of the evil Galneon. Most of
these fighters have been ruthlessly hunted down,
though the young Rooks survives, and trains
himself to rise up against his oppressors. There
are five chapters altogether.
Along with SEGA’s Shining in the Darkness,
Arcana was one of the few first-person dungeon
crawlers to be localised in the early 16-bit console
days. All of the characters and abilities are visually
represented as cards – when a character is killed,
their card is torn, for example. As usual, there are even something like Shin Megami Tensei, Arcana Arcana was one of
magic spells based on the four elements, plus you is still tough. When a human character falls in the few early RPGs
can buy cards and combine them for increased battle, the entire game is over. Spirits can be killed to make it out in
power. Rooks can also summon a spirit associated without triggering a game over, but they can’t be English for the SNES.
with one of these cards, which takes up one of the levelled up like regular characters. The only save
four party member slots. The other two slots are point is in the town, and super-powerful boss
occupied by whichever characters are assigned to fights often pop up without warning, leaving you
you for your current chapter. Each chapter also unprepared, and typically slaughtered, until you
focuses on a specific set of dungeons, and you know how to approach them the next time around.
cannot backtrack to previously completed areas. It is rather unusual for its time, though overall the
While neither the combat nor the dungeon game is quite average. Watch out for a cameo of
layouts are quite as advanced as in Wizardry or HAL’s mascot Kirby in the intro though!
Yume Meikyuu: Kigurumi no Daibouken

Developer: Axes Art Amuse | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): SFC
Yume Meikyuu: Kigurumi no Daibouken
(“Dream Labyrinth: Great Costume Adventure”)
is, appropriately enough, a dungeon crawler that
takes place in a dream world filled with several
strange towers. The goal is to rescue the queen
and princess of Enderia, whose kingdom has been
overrun by possessed stuffed animals. Rather
than having character classes or weaponry, you
wear costumes stolen from defeated enemies
to improve your stats and change your abilities.
Each have different sizes for use by the various
player characters, and they can be taken apart and
recombined by a tailor. Costumes include cats,
chickens, pandas, cows, penguins and more; the feeling slow and pointless unless you’re trying to The cutesy visuals
dungeons include a cake tower and a TV tower. get a particular costume, plus it’s hard to escape belie the fact that
In battles, rather than directly picking from encounters. this SFC dungeon
enemies, you choose a location to target from the Being such a colourful game, it gives the crawler can be
on-screen 3 × 5 grid. It’s actually rather annoying impression that it’s aimed at kids, but this is very pretty difficult.
though, since you can’t just click through combat much aimed at dungeon-crawler fans, with fairly
and must make adjustments every time. Plus, complex layouts and plenty of traps. Still, in spite
enemies have a nasty and frequent habit of moving of the sluggish battle system and many balancing
and dodging your attacks. Plus, there are no issues, the weirdness of the dungeons, plus the
experience points, just candy (which can be used novelty of the costumes, make it worth a look,
as either a curative or currency), so fights end up if only for a bit.
575
Death Bringer
Developer: Telenet | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X68, MCD, PCECD
Death Bringer was released on Telenet’s fifth

anniversary, and is one of their earliest RPGs,
barring the action RPG XZR/Exile. It has the usual
fantasy story, in which a bunch of heroes have to
defeat an ancient evil god … except the twist is that
those heroes are actually the people responsible
for accidentally resurrecting it.
The game uses a day/night cycle, which is
relatively unusual in a first-person dungeon crawler.
Battles are fought from an overhead perspective
(as in XtalSoft’s Fantasian), and it features an
interesting weapon and magic skill-learning
system, which uses the character’s intelligence
stat. Unlike most games of this type, this one has kaijuu designs. The game was ported to assorted Telenet games often
no random encounters, and enemies are visible PC platforms, as well as 16-bit consoles. The PC feel rushed and
roaming around the mazes, so they can be avoided. Engine version changes the character art and underdeveloped,
In many ways, it’s a pretty standard dungeon looks terrible in all facets; the Mega CD version is and Death Bringer
crawler, but if Telenet was known for anything, it far better but changes the battle system to a more is no different, but
was making nice-looking games. The character standard Dragon Quest-style system. (By the way, it does try a few
designs are by Kazuhiro Ochi, who was prolific don’t confuse this one with the Western PC games interesting things.
in the anime industry and also did the art for of the same name: a 1989 Pandora dungeon
Telenet’s later Cosmic Fantasy series. The package crawler, and a 1991 Empire Software action game.)
design, at least for the original PC version, is by Telenet continued their dungeon crawler line with
Yasushi Torisawa, known for many Ultraman and Arcus (see page 46).
Slayers
Developer: NIC Spirits | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): PC98
Slayers was a fairly popular fantasy franchise,
which began in novel form before expanding into
manga and anime. It stars sorceress Lina Inverse
as she adventures with her hapless swordsman
companion, Gourry Gabriev, through a number
of comical scenarios; it’s much more lighthearted
than something like Lodoss War. There were a
number of RPGs based on the Slayers franchise,
which were typical JRPGs and strategy RPGs for
the Super Famicom and Saturn; in other words,
nothing too remarkable. However, the first (and
most interesting) entry was for PC98 home
computers, released in 1994.
The story is pretty typical stuff – Lina and her Most of the emphasis was put on While average
companions go on adventures, some of which were presentation, because the game itself is fairly as a first-person
newly created for this game – but the presentation simple. You control Lina, Goury, and other dungeon crawler,
is quite remarkable. Utilising the high resolution of companions through assorted mazes. There are the visuals in this
the PC98’s display, the graphics are much crisper no experience points or levels to gain, and you have anime tie-in were
than anything home consoles could produce at all of the skills you need from the outset, plus you far beyond what
the time, with an art style that perfectly matches can only directly control Lina. Also, considering could be seen on
up with the anime. Battles consist primarily of that this is a first-person dungeon crawler, the consoles of the era.
large still images, which change depending on actual first-person window is incredibly small,
who’s attacking, with little portraits that pop up with the screen otherwise taken up by character
with each attack. portraits and a gigantic map.
576
Dragon Master Silk
Developer: Gimmick House | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PC98, SAT
First-person dungeon crawlers in which the

standard fantasy characters were replaced by
naked or nearly-naked female ones was a prolific
genre in the PC RPG scene. Gimmick House’s
Dragon Master Silk series is one of the better ones,
if mostly because it’s not really pornographic, even
if the emphasis is on scantily-clad women.
The heroine is the eponymous dragon master
Silk, who’s on a quest to hunt down some magical
orbs, joined by three dragon women, Aka, Ao, and
Ki, who are colour coordinated, with matching
Japanese names and hair (red, blue, and yellow).
The dungeon crawling and combat are relatively Dragon Master Silk originated on the PC98, This series is mostly
straightforward, though the maps themselves can with two entries, but it received a port to the Saturn known for the all-
get fairly complex. as well. This version features a full-screen view with female character
The real draw is, of course, the character smoother animation, as in Devil Summoner, that artwork by Hiroshi
artwork and the writing. The designs were constituted it a big technical improvement over Kajiyama, otherwise
provided by Hiroshi Kajiyama, mostly known the square-by-square movement of the PC version. known for many
for his work on assorted Shining Force games. Though published before the existence of a rating entries in the Shining
His artwork here is much cutesier, as this is really a system, SEGA was a little more permissive about Force series.
bishoujo game, but it’s also quite distinct from the this type of mildly ecchi game than Sony. Publisher
usual anime character designs of the time. There Datam Polystar felt strongly enough about the
are lots of funny cutscenes and plenty of goofy franchise that it published a board game spinoff
dialogue, complete with voice acting. called Sugoventure: Dragon Master Silk Gaiden.
Boundary Gate
Developer: Polestar | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PCFX, PS1
In Boundary Gate: Daughter of Kingdom, the hero
is a warrior named Fin, who’s journeyed to the
Kingdom of Ambrose and become a bodyguard
for a girl named Lisp. The two then begin receiving
visions from Kiral, the princess of the kingdom,
who is opening several boundary gates to an
ancient civilisation. Lisp seems to be connected to
this, but how?
As a 1997 release, Boundary Gate feels a little
out of time. Initially released for the PC-FX, it looks
and feels more like an early Shin Megami Tensei
game for the Super Famicom. Key plot points are
told through illustrated stills, though, and these
are very cool – the character outfits have a South The story is also pretty cool, if rather thin – The interesting
American influence, while the ancient civilisation outside of the introduction, the plot doesn’t really setting and cool
is far more advanced, with some cool cybernetic advance until you begin approaching the end. artwork help this
designs. While exploration is first-person, the The battling is also fairly standard, with some mid-’90s dungeon
characters hop into the scenery whenever they do interesting tweaks: among the available weapon crawler stand out.
battle, viewed from a behind-the-back perspective. types, some are weak but hit multiple times,
The animation is a little simple, the enemy designs others are strong but only hit once. Plus it’s that
are, again, excellent, and some spell effects are rarity: a game of this era that allows you to adjust
particularly impressive. The PlayStation port also the random encounter rate. Altogether, it’s rather
implements smoother movement, though it still quaint, but the cool 2D visuals and interesting
feels behind Shining the Holy Ark. story make it worthwhile.
577
Nemuru Mayu
Developer: Asmik Ace | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): PS1
Nemuru Mayu (“Sleeping Cocoon”) tells the story

of a demonic tome, which has entrapped the souls
of four knights. You control another human,
who has been sucked into the book – and given
the default name the Accursed One. You must
explore the dungeons associated with each of the
sleeping warriors, so that all can be freed from
the demon’s influence. The game was designed
by Yukinori Tokoro, who was mostly known as
a photographer, but also had a penchant for
surreal art. Indeed, the labyrinths you explore
are not termed dungeons, but rather Dreams,
which should give you an idea as to how uncanny
the game feels. you’re transported to a separate arena where you The mid-to-late
The game is a first-person dungeon crawler, can only move forwards or backwards. You can run ’90s was a period
though you only control a single player. Each of up and use physical attacks, or cast magic spells by when many artists
the four knights has their own set of mazes, summoning runes – as the strokes of an invisible discovered video
19 floors deep, and associated with an pen trace its shape, you hit marks in a specific games, and started
identifying colour. Add in the 13 levels of rhythm, strengthening the spell. Meanwhile, your adding their unique
Dream Tower, the final dungeon, and the total opponent is doing the same thing, but you can styles to this
is 89 floors, though many are quite similar, also reflect their spells back at them. Combined interactive setting.
so it gets quite repetitive. with the huge number of random item drops and
The game also has an extremely unusual hidden stuff, this turns the whole game into a
battle system. When you walk into an enemy, unique experience for every player.
Lost Heroes
Developer: Lancarse | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): PSP, 3DS
In the ’90s, Banpresto began the Compati Hero
series, a selection of games spanning multiple
genres and starring characters from assorted
mecha and tokusatsu properties. They were
generally well regarded, particularly the Great
Battle series on the Super Famicom, but puttered
out in the PS1 era. The line was resurrected in
2012, first with an action game called Great
Battle Fullblast, then continuing the revival with
Lost Heroes, a first-person dungeon crawler.
It was developed by Lancarse, the team behind
Atlus’ Etrian Odyssey games, so it feels a lot level isn’t quite as high as in the Etrian games, Lost Heroes is
like them. as you can hop back to your home base at any time, basically Etrian
There are three main classes for the and there are save/warp points in the dungeons, Odyssey with
properties featured in the game – Ultraman, but it’s no cakewalk either. The enemies are famous mecha
Gundam, and Kamen Rider – with five different presented as static 2D sprites, though when one of and tokusatsu
characters within each class. Some have their your party members attacks, they hop into battle characters.
own unique talents – Gundams can attack all as 3D models.
enemies at once, while the Ultraman characters The first entry was released on both the PSP
flip between “red” and “green” states every and the 3DS, while the sequel is 3DS only. Like
few turns, which affects their attack powers. many of the games that use licensed properties,
There’s also a skill-learning system like Etrian both were released only in Japan. The sequel
Odyssey ’s, allowing you to spend acquired SP included a download code for a port of the 1992
points to unlock abilities on a tree. The difficulty Super Famicom RPG Hero Senki Project Olympus.
578
Dungeon Travelers (series)
Developer: Sting | Released: 2011 | Platform(s): PSP, PSV
To Heart 2 is a fairly well regarded erotic bishoujo

game from Aquaplus/Leaf, which was released in
1999. There was a fan disc called Aika de Ikuno!!
released in 2009 which contained a variety of
spinoff mini-games, one of which, Final Dragon
Chronicle: Guilty Requiem, was a first-person
dungeon crawler. It reimagines all of the girls as
fantasy-type heroines, with all of the monsters
being either (often scantily-clad) girls, or other
cutesy creatures. The concept was then expanded
into a separate release for the PSP and Vita, called
To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers. than some other companies’ fan-service Busty red-haired
There are 19 characters in total, each dungeon crawlers. knight Tamaki
of whom is assigned to a base class (Fighter, The game was popular enough that Kousaka is the
Magician, Maid, and Scout), and can be upgraded Aquaplus/Leaf created a sequel without the poster child for
to more advanced ones as they grow in power. To Heart franchise attached, instead featuring the first Dungeon
As with most bishoujo games, the main appeal a bunch of original characters. Now just called Travelers game.
is seeing the girls dressed in different outfits. Dungeon Travelers 2, this too was released for
The battle system is a bit different from that the PSP and Vita. Other than the characters and a
of other dungeon crawlers, in that character few small additions (like an extra character class),
order is determined by speed. Most spells also it’s mostly the same, right down to the suggestive
take time to cast, usually requiring that other CG artwork. The Vita version was released
characters act first. Since it was developed by internationally by Atlus, though they had to cut
Sting, a veteran of RPGs, it’s better balanced out some of the more explicit artwork.
Labyrinth no Kanata
Developer: tri-Ace | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): 3DS
Labyrinth no Kanata (“Beyond the Labyrinth”)
initially presents itself as an 8-bit-style dungeon
crawling MMO, in which the player teams up with
three other “people” to hunt for treasure and beat
up baddies. But things quickly get weird when
they hear the voice of a young woman calling for
help. Once you find her, the retro facade gives
way to a beautiful rendered labyrinth, through
which you accompany the girl to figure out what’s
going on. It’s a really cool premise presented in
an interesting package – the three team members
communicate only through text boxes, while the strength of your attack, which will also influence tri-Ace games are
girl, always tagging along next to your viewpoint, your place in the turn queue. In other words, you known for their
talks in full speech. need to manipulate the queue in order to take unusual battle
tri-Ace’s battle systems are often unique, and advantage of the elements, restore your HP, and mechanics, and this
this game uses familiar mechanics but flips them deny it to your enemies. The girl is mostly useless Japan-only 3DS
on their head. Combatants are assigned colours in combat at first, but eventually gets magic spells, DRPG definitely
of red, green, and blue, which have a rock-paper- and you need to both protect and work in tandem makes use of them.
scissors relationship. If you hit the element yours with her to inflict the most damage.
beats, the resulting damage pops up into the air It’s a great battle system, and when coupled
as a colour, and is absorbed by the next character with the gorgeous atmosphere of the labyrinth,
matching that colour, healing them, whether makes for a compelling experience. Alas, publisher
friend or foe. This is one of the only real ways to Konami didn’t bother localising it, making it
restore the HP of your party. You can pick the Japan-only.
579
580
Japanese
Rogue-likes
Initially developed in 1980 for Unix mainframe Famicom era. While some publishers dabbled
systems, Rogue ranks up next to Ultima and with Rogue’s concepts, like Konami (Cave Noire,
Wizardry as one of the most important role- 1991) and SEGA (Fatal Labyrinth, 1990), it was
playing games ever made. Focused entirely on Chunsoft’s 1993 Mystery Dungeon that introduced
dungeon crawling, it has you controlling a lone these concepts to a wider Japanese audience.
warrior through a series of randomly-generated It actually began as a Dragon Quest spinoff, called
rooms, picking up items and fighting monsters, Torneko no Daibouken: Fushigi no Dungeon (“The
exploring deeper and deeper, until you are Adventure of Torneko: Mystery Dungeon”), starring
eventually overwhelmed. Since everything is the rotund merchant from Dragon Quest IV.
created procedurally, it provides a different Though it looks like an action game at first glance,
experience with each play. And unlike other RPGs, it works by the same rules as Rogue – characters
which were fairly long and allowed you to save move square-by-square, and the action is turn-
your progress, each run through its dungeon is based, so enemies only move when you do.
relatively short, as once you’re dead, you need to Chunsoft continues the Mystery Dungeon
start again from scratch. series to this day, using characters from other
During the ’80s, several variations of Rogue video game franchises, as well as its own
were made, including commercial releases. original properties. Other developers pattern
Many of these improved the visuals beyond the their games after this series, as it introduced
simple ASCII characters of the original. Later these mechanics. However, as with many
games, including Western ones, such as Epyx’s Japanese RPGs, many of these games were
DunjonQuest series, Blizzard’s Diablo, and SEGA’s not released outside their native land, and the
Toejam & Earl, took elements from it, primarily ones that did got a chilly reception. The first
its randomly generated nature. However, it wasn’t such title was Konami’s Azure Dreams for the
until the 2008 indie smash hit Spelunky that the PlayStation, which was met by reviewers with
concept of a “Rogue-like” hit the mainstream general confusion; the second Torneko game,
consciousness, at least within the Western gaming localised as Torneko’s Last Hope, received
sphere. These generally weren’t RPGs, but rather outright hostility. Indeed, they often featured
other genres (typically action games or platformers) somewhat simple graphics, and the randomly-
that featured procedurally-created levels and generated scenarios just didn’t make sense to
permadeath, though some games loosened that many Western gamers at the time. However,
restriction by allowing some progress to be carried given the modern popularity of Rogue-likes,
over between games. the audience clearly has a broader understanding
However, among Japanese gamers, this of what these games are, and what they’re trying
renaissance came much earlier, in the Super to accomplish.
Rogue-likes also involve

dungeon crawling,
but their randomly-
generated nature and
(traditionally) overhead
perspectives make
them a separate breed.
581
Cave Noire
Developer: Konami | Released: 1991 | Platform(s): GB
For a long time, Rogue-style games were

restricted to personal computers. Though
Chunsoft’s 1993 Mystery Dungeon series is
generally credited with popularising the sub-
genre, at least in Japan, Konami had attempted
its own take a few years earlier, with the 1991
Game Boy title Cave Noire.
The fundamentals of the sub-genre are in
place – there are randomly-generated dungeons,
and characters move in a turn-based fashion,
square by square. Cave Noire offers you four
separate dungeons, each with its own quests. In
one, you may need to kill a certain number of
monsters, while in another, you need to scrounge
up enough money, or find enough orbs, or save
enough caged fairies. Accomplish the goal and
a door will open up somewhere, allowing you to
exit and begin your next quest. These get more there’s not much of an advantage to getting into Rogue-likes are
difficult with each new dive into the dungeon, fights – there are no experience points, and item often known
and while your stats go up slightly, it’s not drops are rare – so it’s much better to calculate for their brutal
really enough to compensate for the heightened their movements and try to avoid them. difficulty, but Cave
difficulty. It’s a rather brilliant approach; normal Various items can help you – healing Noire eases you
Rogue-likes can be brutal, requiring significant potions and antidotes restore HP and cure into the concept.
time investments and usually ending in failure. poisoning, while swords and shields will slightly
By breaking the game up into smaller chunks – increase your stats for the remainder of the level.
even the longer dungeon crawls rarely last more Cloaks will turn you invisible, flight powers will
than ten minutes – and providing concrete victory transport you to any tile in the room, boulders
conditions, it allows for a game where success is a can be dropped to manipulate enemy movement,
distinct possibility rather than a far-off dream. and so forth. You are given four items at the
That’s not to say that Cave Noire is easy – beginning of each quest, and the rest are found
the first few levels are cakewalks, but it quickly in treasure chests.
becomes much tougher. Careless decisions are still Cave Noire, being a Game Boy release and
met with harsh consequences: just one mis-step thus primarily for children, excels in player-
can lead to doom. Another big difference from friendliness, unlike its computer counterparts.
standard Rogue-likes lies in enemy movement. It’s breezy, and like many Konami titles, has
Mostly they trundle about in simple, distinct excellent music. It’s a good introduction to the
patterns, so they’re easy to get around. Except in sub-genre, and it’s easy to play even for non-
the cave where you’re supposed to kill enemies, Japanese readers.
582
Fatal Labyrinth
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GEN, MCD
Fatal Labyrinth began as a title called Shi no

Meikyuu for Meganet, an early game download
service for the SEGA Mega Drive in Japan. Due to
memory and bandwidth constraints, these had to
be fairly small games, so a regular RPG probably
wouldn’t fit without severe simplification. To fit
into the limited space, SEGA created this Rogue-
like, one of the first to appear on a console
platform. It was later re-released for the Mega CD as
part of the Game no Kanzume Vol. 2 compilation,
and published as a separate game internationally,
with a few graphical enhancements.
As a lone hero, you must travel through
30 floors of a dark castle to defeat a dragon and by providing an introduction, Fatal Labyrinth SEGA was generous
reclaim a holy grail. It adheres firmly to most makes no such concessions and is quite difficult in bringing out RPGs
Rogue conventions, including turn-by-turn right off the bat. The random generation is often in English, even if it
movement, and items that must be used before too harsh, neglecting to give you the proper meant localising this
their purpose becomes clear. There are plenty of equipment to fight the enemies it produces. The rather bland-looking
weapons, of both mêlée and projectile types. Gold only real aid is that it lets you continue from every Rogue-like.
acts as a points system of sorts: wealth will grant fifth stage, so you don’t need to start from scratch
you gravestones in the game-over screen that get each time. The game is visually simple and quite
fancier the more you have. ugly, especially compared to other SEGA RPGs
In contrast to Konami’s Cave Noire, which like Shining Force and Phantasy Star II, and was
accommodated players unfamiliar with its style met with a poor reception.
Dragon Crystal
Developer: SEGA | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): GG, SMS
Dragon Crystal can be considered a port of Fatal
Labyrinth for SEGA’s 8-bit systems, released for the
Master System in Europe and for the Game Gear
internationally. Despite technically being on weaker
hardware, it’s actually a little nicer-looking, owing
to the bright colour palette. The game takes place in
a variety of locations, like forests and deserts, so it’s
less drab than 30 floors of a dark castle.
It plays like its predecessor, albeit balanced
slightly better – many enemies are reused, but
stronger ones appear, appropriately, later in the
game instead of early on. The food system in Fatal
Labyrinth worked oddly, in that you could eat too
much and die from overindulgence, which is kind somewhat worse. The game did see a sequel solely A sort of port/sequel
of funny but in practice quite frustrating, so that for Japanese mobile phones, through their Sonic to Fatal Labyrinth,
aspect is gone. Gold can now be used to be purchase Cafe download service. Dragon Crystal is
continues, too. However, in the Game Gear version, Overall, although Dragon Crystal is a better actually a slightly
the speed is very slow, to accommodate the game than its forebear, it never really caught on, better experience.
portable’s blurry screen, and can only be sped up and it was a style that SEGA of Japan basically
by holding the Start button. In the console versions, abandoned after this. SEGA’s eccentric Toejam &
you can toggle faster walking speed with the pause Earl, developed in the United States and released
button. The Master System version also benefits for the Genesis in 1991, would later serve as a wider
from the better resolution by enlarging the view, introduction to Rogue-likes, though it’s a different
though the soundtrack is completely different and type of game, which de-emphasises combat.
583
Mystery Dungeon (series)
Developer: Chunsoft | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): SFC, N64, DC, GBC, GBA, WII, DS and more
The Mystery Dungeon games form a long-lived

series, dating back to the days of the Super
Famicom, and essentially created their own sub-
genre. Created by Chunsoft, the developers of
the early Dragon Quest games, the first Mystery
Dungeon was a crossover from that universe. The
series has waxed and waned in popularity but
continues to this day, featuring characters from a
variety of properties.
The original Mystery Dungeon was a follow-
up to Dragon Quest IV. It stars Torneko (Taloon
in the original NES game), a merchant who wants
to build a grand item shop to support his family.
To that end, he explores dangerous dungeons, quest that requires you to reach the tenth level, The long-running
searching for treasures. In between, there’s a town but has its main objective on the 20th. Once Mystery Dungeon
to explore, its growth fuelled by your success. you find a dungeon’s goal item, the game isn’t series began as a
These segments are only there to provide an over; you must still escape with it, going back up spinoff from the
excuse for a story, and to give you people to talk through the levels just passed. During your ascent Dragon Quest series,
to, many of whom will give play advice. The real the monsters usually found on each level are still before branching
game begins when you enter the dungeon. there (so the game now gets easier as you go), but off in several other
Once in the dungeon, the game switches to random items are no longer generated on each directions.
a turn-based affair: every action Torneko takes, floor, forcing you to rely on the stuff you gained
whether taking a step, resting a turn, making on the way down. Significantly, you must survive
an attack or using an item, consumes one turn on the food you’ve already obtained on the way
of time, and allows everyone else in the current back up.
level to take an action in response. The player may However, the real purpose of Torneko’s
take as long as they like between turns, but once explorations is to find gold and loot to fund his shop.
an action is taken, all the monsters may react. In Play involves descending into the caverns, fighting
addition to managing health, you also need to monsters and finding items, all randomised for
find food to manage your hunger meter. When each trip. The monsters encountered are the same
Torneko either finishes his quest or runs out of kinds on each dungeon level, but their numbers
hit points, he’s returned to the outside world. The and locations differ. After many games, the player
money he finds goes into improving his shop. will eventually form strategies for handing the
However, if Torneko is killed, his current trip ends, many possible situations.
and he’s returned to the surface, minus his levels There’s a variety of monster species, borrowed
and all his items, but play continues, so you can from Dragon Quest, and some have special powers
try for another run. to make Torneko’s journey harder. There are
The game eases you in by means of a tutorial various items that improve equipment power or
584
can be used as weapons, like arrows or explosive originally a feature whereby dying players could While many Mystery
Blaze Herbs. Compared to classic Rogue-like games, send out a request over the internet in hopes Dungeon games tie
the first Mystery Dungeon game is a bit simple, but that another player would rescue them. With the in with established
it’s a good introduction. The interface in particular shutdown of Nintendo’s Wi-Fi Connection servers, franchises, Chunsoft
is suitable for the Super Famicom controller and this feature no longer works, but players can still created the Shiren the
has been used in the subsequent games. generate a rescue password that another player Wanderer series so
Torneko was a surprising success, though with a copy of the game can use. they'd have a property
for a sequel, Chunsoft decided to start its own From here, the two sub-series branched of their own.
franchise, dubbed Fuurai no Shiren (“Shiren the off. Shiren went portable on the Game Boy
Wanderer”). This story takes place in a feudal with Tsukikagemura no Kaibutsu (“Monster of
Japan-like setting, starring the silent wanderer Moonshadow Village”); this was later remade with
hero Shiren and his talking weasel friend Kappa. SFC-style visuals for Windows. This game has a
Despite the new setting, it looks and feels like its difficulty select, plus it’s the only game in the series
predecessor, and even includes music by the same that requires a round trip back to the entrance to
composer, Koichi Sugiyama. beat the dungeon. In the portable line, next came
Shiren is out to cross Impasse Valley and Sabaku no Majou (“Demon Castle of the Desert”)
climb the formidable Table Mountain, to see the for the Game Boy Color, which moves the series to
Golden Condor thought to live there. The game a new setting. It also features several dungeons to
is ten levels longer than Torneko, but far beyond play through, and was technically the first game
that, it’s a hugely more detailed, challenging, and to use the rescue function found in the DS remake
entertaining adventure. Shiren is packed with cool of the first Shiren the Wanderer. It was also later
things to discover, and it’ll be many games before remade as Fuurai no Shiren DS2, for the DS,
you’ve seen everything there is. obviously. After that there was Shiren Monsters
It is difficult to overstate what an advance Netsal, which isn’t a Rogue-like but rather a futsal
Shiren is over Torneko. The makers of Mystery sports game for the Game Boy Advance.
Dungeon have obviously played a lot of Hack, as Back on consoles, the next mainline entry
many of its features show up in this game. These was released on the Nintendo 64, entitled Oni
include helpers who can follow and assist you, Shuurai! Shirenjou! (“Demon Invasion! Shiren
blank scrolls you can turn into whatever type you Castle”); it’s technically a prequel, starring a
want, multiple dungeon branches, and the ability child Shiren. The main aspect of this game is
to customise your equipment with qualities like the castle-building, the materials needed to fix
rustproofing. There’s a lot of new features that your main fortress being found in the dungeon.
are unique to Shiren too, like random pots with Perhaps borrowing from Pokémon, you can also
useful effects, sub-quests that extend beyond each befriend creatures and capture them in jars,
individual play, warehouses for safe item storage, then bring them out for attack. This release also
NPCs in the dungeons, and more. started the trend of multiple dungeons (it came
The dungeon is much more complex than out before Shiren GB2.) Next came a Gaiden
Torneko’s, and is a large part of the fun of the spinoff subtitled Onna Kenshi Asuka Kenzan!
game. Table Mountain itself is only the final stage (“Swordswoman Asuka Appears!”), released for
of the journey; along the way there are towns to the Dreamcast and Windows. This game has an
visit, shops to buy (or maybe steal) from, sub- equipment modification system, as well as an
quests to advance, and people to talk to. Some of Electric Box that replaces the monster-capturing
these sub-quests eventually unlock new features, system, involving upgrading a robot that works
like new types of item or bonus dungeons. similarly. Both versions also enabled online play
Shiren was originally unreleased in English, in weekly dungeons.
though its Nintendo DS port in 2008 was released The third Shiren game was Karakuri Yashiki
internationally. It’s an excellent port too, including no Nemuri Hime (“The Sleeping Princess of the
a second 100-level bonus dungeon, several extras, Clockwork Mansion”), and was released in North
and assorted balance tweaks. There was also America for the Wii as just plain Shiren the
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Wanderer. In this version, levels are persistent Popolo can also be a playable character. It includes Shiren the Wanderer
and no longer reset when you leave the dungeon. a monster-capturing system. Like the third Shiren has seen sporadic
This alone was a huge point of contention among game, this one gets rid of the level reset upon releases outside of
Mystery Dungeon fans, and why in general, the leaving a dungeon, again making it contentious Japan, the most
game is rather disliked by them. It also lets you among fans. recent being the
control three characters: Shiren, Asuka, and This was the last Mystery Dungeon starring fifth game, initially
Sensei. It was later ported to the PSP in Japan. Torneko, but not the last Dragon Quest tie- released on the Vita.
The fourth Shiren game, Kami no Me to in. Next up was Shounen Yangus to Fushigi
Akuma no Heso (“The God’s Eye and The Devil’s no Dungeon (“Boy Yangus and the Mystery
Navel”) was Japan-only, for both the DS and PSP. Dungeon”), starring a kid version of Yangus, the
This version reels back the main changes from the breakout star from Dragon Quest VIII. Like that
third game, and adds other elements like day/night game, it features pleasant cel-shaded visuals.
dungeons and equipment that can gain experience It removes some of the changes from Torneko no
levels. The fifth Shiren game was initially released Daibouken 3, like the world map and level non-
on the DS, with a Vita port released in English as resets, but keeps the monster-collecting and adds
The Tower of Fortune and the Dice of Fate, and is in a monster fusion system; it also integrated the
similar to its predecessor. Tension system from DQVIII.
In parallel with the Shiren games, Chunsoft Final Fantasy also received a series
also released more games in the Torneko line. The of Mystery Dungeon games. The first
second of these was released on the PlayStation, was Chocobo’s Mystery Dungeon for the
and was the first Mystery Dungeon game released PlayStation in 1997, starring the cutesy yellow
in North America, as Torneko: The Last Hope. It birds as well as other monsters, like Moogles,
imports many of the improvements from Shiren from the Final Fantasy games; it was not
the Wanderer and adds a few new things, like a developed by Chunsoft but rather Square and
bank and a bakery, as well as a simple class system Banpresto. It uses the series’ trademark Active
so you can have Torneko switch between Fighter Time Battle system and includes summon
and Wizard. The game was poorly received by monsters, as well as featuring various
both the American press and gamers, who didn’t accommodations for novice players. The sequel
really have the context to understand this type of made its way to North America, and includes
Rogue-like, even though the difficulty of this entry companion characters, a stronger storyline, and
is pretty low. This game was later ported to the tweaks to the way the Active Time Battle system Chunsoft has also
Game Boy Advance. works. This was followed up by Final Fantasy occasionally revisited
Torneko no Daibouken 3 made it to the Fables: Chocobo’s Dungeon for the Wii (also Dragon Quest in
PlayStation 2, later ported to the Game Boy in English), and later the DS in Japan, remade some of their later
Advance. Torneko’s son Popolo has fallen ill on a internationally in 2019 as Chocobo’s Mystery games, the most
vacation, and his dad must save him. This version Dungeon: Every Buddy! This stars a treasure recent one starring
includes a world map, on which you walk to hunter named Cid and his buddy Chocobo, a young version of
different towns before visiting dungeons. Torneko and uses the Job system found in other Final Yangus from the
is also joined by companions, Rosa and Ines, plus Fantasy games. eighth game.
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Pokémon was the next franchise to see a two more entries, Pokémon Mystery Dungeon:
Mystery Dungeon tie-in, first released in 2005. Gates to Infinity, and Pokémon Super Mystery
These are released for every new generation, with Dungeon. The original GBA and DS game pair
multiple titles offering a slightly different mix of was also remade as a single game for the Switch as
Pokémon, and requiring coordination between Rescue Team DX.
the games in order to befriend all of them. Even lesser known game series received
The first generation of the series, Red Rescue some Mystery Dungeon games. The Nightmare
Team and Blue Rescue Team, was released across of Druaga: Fushigi no Dungeon was released for
two different platforms. Blue Rescue Team was a the PlayStation 2 in 2004, as a tie-in to Namco’s
Nintendo DS game while Red Rescue Team came 1984 The Tower of Druaga. The goal, as in the
out for the Game Boy Advance. The cross-system original, is to find the key on each floor and use
nature of this generation allowed for a unique it to unlock the next area. Unlike most Mystery
method of communication: the original release Dungeon games, the floors are not randomised,
for the Nintendo DS had a GBA cartridge slot, so a but the items are; as in the arcade game, there
player with both games to hand could insert them are specific requirements to be met in order for
both at once, and the Blue Rescue Team cartridge hidden treasures to appear. Rather than hunger,
could then see and manipulate the data on the your light is constantly depleted, and needs to be
Red Rescue Team cart. replenished, or else you’ll find yourself wandering
The basic story in most of the games is similar: in the dark. There’s no permadeath – you lose your
the player’s character is a human being who is items and half your experience instead – but it’s
mysteriously transformed into a Pokémon. Which still an incredibly hard game.
Pokémon they become is determined by a personality Etrian Odyssey, the retro-styled 3D dungeon
quiz at the start of the game. Once transformed, they crawler from Atlus, also had two Mystery
are able to communicate with other Pokémon, Dungeon games, both for the 3DS. These let you
and can begin to build a team in order to solve roam dungeons with a whole party of characters,
whatever problems are affecting the area. whose classes come from the main games. They
Since these games are aimed at kids, the also include things like level branching and town
main game does away with traditional Rogue-like development, plus creatures called DOEs, similar
permadeath, allowing Pokémon to retain their to the near-invincible FOE monsters. These work
experience after defeats, which lessens the feel their way through the layers of the dungeon and
that each expedition is its own separate thing. attempt to destroy your central fort, and can only
However, it does feel like Pokémon is made for this be beaten under certain circumstances. The first
sort of gameplay. Even the first games faithfully game was released internationally; the second
implement hundreds of the Pokémon, eventually game, which adds in a few character classes and
allowing them to evolve though their forms and subclassing, was Japan only.
giving them moves close to what they would have Finally, there was also a Gundam tie-in called
in the main games, which have been translated Kidou Senshi Gundam: Fushigi no Dungeon.
well into Rogue-like terms. And the large number However, it did not see any console or portable
of Pokémon provides for more opponents and releases, and was only developed for Japanese
allies than any standard Rogue-like would dream mobile phones, which means it will likely be
of, although with a bit less personality. lost forever.
Subsequent games in the series are pretty
similar, mostly upgrading the graphics, tweaking
the mechanics, and adding more Pokémon. Next
up came Explorers of Time and Explorers of Of the Mystery
Darkness, both for the DS, which add in fourth- Dungeon
generation Pokémon. An enhanced version, renditions, the
Explorers of Sky, adds more Pokémon as well as most successful,
extra storyline episodes. This was followed up by or at least most
a trilogy of Japanese-only WiiWare games, part widely recognised
of the Adventure Team trilogy, which moved to outside of Japan,
3D graphics. The series jumped to the 3DS with stars Pokémon.
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Azure Dreams
Developer: Konami | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, GBC
Azure Dreams is a combination of a few different

genres. At its heart, it’s a Rogue-like inspired by the
Mystery Dungeon series, but it mixes in elements
of monster-raising, town-building, and even
romance simulations. You control a boy (default
name Koh) as he explores the monster tower next
to his hometown. He is accompanied by a monster,
who acts as his familiar and aids in combat.
As is typical of these games, each floor is
randomly generated, and you rummage for items
and beat up in monsters in a turn-based fashion.
The game plays, in part, by Rogue-like rules, in that
Koh always starts a run through the dungeon at
level one. However, familiars maintain their levels the random numbers need to be in your favour Azure Dreams
regardless, plus if you manage to find a way to for you to get a wind crystal, which allows you to takes the Mystery
escape the dungeon, you can keep any equipment return with everything. And until you build up a Dungeon formula
that you’ve found. This way, you can bring home good number of those, it’s frustrating. The town- and adds in town-
any eggs you find, to hatch and breed new familiars, building elements are a little limited, and there’s building, monster-
and sell stuff to get extra cash. Then you can put just not enough, narratively or mechanically, raising, and dating.
that money back into the town – you can build a to the dating sim part to make it interesting.
race track, a casino, a theatre, or any number of It doesn’t help that the girls are only broadly
things to improve the lives of the townspeople, or defined and the artwork really isn’t all that
you can expand your house from a single-room attractive. Still, it’s pretty gutsy that Konami even
hovel to a gigantic mansion. Many of these are localised Azure Dreams, especially considering
essentially mini-games that you can play to get that, as at its mid-1998 release, international
even more cash. Additionally, there are seven girls audiences wouldn’t have experienced the games
in the town whom you can attempt to woo, based (Mystery Dungeon, Dragon Quest V, Pokémon,
on what you build and what other things you can Tokimeki Memorial) that influenced it.
accomplish in the tower. There’s not much of an Azure Dreams received a Game Boy Color
actual reason to do this, though, beyond your own port, which uses fully top-down 2D rather than
self-fulfilment. There is also a rival male named the somewhat ugly 2D sprites on 3D backgrounds
Ghosh, who seems like he’s set up to be a same-sex of the PlayStation version. It cuts the dating
romantic partner, but in the late ’90s publishers and town-building parts, but it also adds in a
were too scared to commit to that. proper ending, which the original release lacked.
As with most games that try to juggle too A pseudo-sequel was also released on the
many balls, Azure Dreams is a little undercooked. Nintendo DS, too, called Tao’s Adventure, though
The opening hours are the roughest, because you like the Game Boy Color Azure Dreams, it removes
need to find ways to bring equipment back, but nearly all of the sim elements.
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Baroque
Developer: Sting | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): SAT, PS1, PS2, WII, NSW
It’s the year 2032, and Earth has been annihilated

by a catastrophic event called the Blaze. You
control a silent, amnesiac hero, tasked with
exploring the Neuro Tower to atone for some kind
of sin he has forgotten. Was he responsible for the
apocalypse? What are all of the strange creatures
that gather at the tower’s base, whose delusions
have distorted their bodies? Who is the angel
pointing you onwards?
Baroque revels in this vagueness. Little of the
story makes any real sense at the outset, and the
bizarre dialogue rarely paints much of a picture
either. But it’s not just the story that’s clouded in
mystery, but the game structure itself. The game enemies to restore it, and hunt down the floor exit It may be extremely
is a Rogue-like, with the Neuro Tower being the as quickly as possible. difficult to play, but
central dungeon. However, it builds the concepts The aesthetics are where Baroque truly fans of Silent Hill will
of death and rebirth into the narrative, as the comes into its own, as it’s something like Shin definitely be drawn
characters acknowledge your continued attempts. Megami Tensei by way of Silent Hill. The monsters, to Baroque’s post-
You’re expected to die, and die often, with based on tarot cards, are mostly bizarre, distorted apocalyptic, rusted-
little bits of the backstory doled out in flashes. demons, and many levels of the tower resemble decay aesthetic.
It’s fascinating, but at the same time, it’s nearly dilapidated factories. You also devour bones The original Saturn
impossible to know if you’re really advancing and flesh to restore your health. It’s surreal and version was released
the story, or what steps you’re supposed to take horrific in ways that most actual survival horror on the Switch in 2020.
to actually beat the game, beyond getting to games aren’t, and that alone makes it essential.
the bottom floor of the tower. An FAQ is nearly The PlayStation 2/Wii remake came out in
essential to progress. English, courtesy of Atlus. This release shifts the
The game plays differently from other perspective from first to third person, though the
Rogue-likes, as it’s viewed from the first-person action is clumsy in both versions. The graphics
perspective, at least in the initial release on are cleaner, though the dark, unpolished grit of
the Saturn and PlayStation, which only came the older 32-bit versions worked to their benefit.
out in Japan. In other words, it’s a little more The music in the first release, by Masaharu Iwata, is
like FromSoftware’s King’s Field. The random brilliantly grim, while the replacement soundtrack
generation can be brutal, often failing to drop in the remake, by Shigeki Hayashi, doesn’t quite
essential items. At the beginning of each run, match up, though it’s still quite good. Overall, the
though, you’re granted an Angelic Rifle; it can remake is easier to play, but feels like it’s missing
kill almost anything, but you’re only given five something. The original version was a cult classic
shots. In addition to your health, your vitality is in Japan, with tons of tie-in goods, including a
constantly draining, forcing you to keep killing prequel visual novel called Baroque Syndrome.
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Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PSP
Nippon Ichi is known for SRPGs containing

oddball humour and eccentric mechanics; when
they decided to apply these to the Rogue-like
sub-genre, the result was the absurdly titled
Z.H.P. Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman.
The good guy of the title is meant to face off
against the bad guy, except he’s hit by a car on the
way to the fight, and ends up bequeathing his title
to a random kid he meets, which happens to be
you. As the new Unlosing Ranger, you are sent to
Bizarro Earth, where you train with a bunny hat-
wearing girl named Etranger to become strong In the Nippon Ichi style, there are multiple Z.H.P. stands
enough for the climactic fight against Darkdeath. other game systems to engage with. Enemies can for Zettai Hero
These missions take the form of randomised be picked up and chucked around the levels. While Project, which
dungeons full of monsters and treasures, where technically you’ll start out every dungeon at level is Nippon Ichi’s
you have to keep yourself fed, or else start losing 0, every time you complete an area, you’ll increase take on a Mystery
health and eventually starve to death, and in which your base stats, so in fact you’ll always be getting Dungeon-style
perishing isn’t the end of the game, but sends you stronger. Additionally, any items brought back to game, complete
back out without your items or levels. That is to base after a successful run are kept, and can be with a ridiculous
say, it’s the same kind of “permadeath lite” as in reused, or sold to get money to purchase more story and abundant
the Mystery Dungeon series. stuff in subsequent runs. All of your weapons have subsystems.
Each dungeon scenario has you dealing a Condition stat that goes down with use. They
with the problem of someone on Bizarro Earth. must be repaired before reuse, but you can chuck
The lives of each of these people are connected, broken pieces of equipment at enemies, eat them,
in the way of parallel worlds, with someone on or use them to increase your base stats. As usual
Earth, specifically someone who was demoralised in this type of game, you need to manage your
by watching the utter defeat of Unlosing Ranger hunger meter, which depletes both as you explore
on TV. By solving their problem (by defeating the and outside the dungeons. Not only does the meter
dungeon), you end up restoring the resolve of the go down quickly, but all your special attack moves
people on Earth. Along the way, you gain a new also produce hunger. You get hungry quickly if
ability with which to fight Darkdeath; you are then you carry around enemies, and if you wield two
sent back to Earth to try the fight again, but end weapons simultaneously.
up getting defeated again, and so return to Bizarro All of these subsystems can be overwhelming
Earth for more training. Each cycle is represented if you prefer straight dungeon crawling, but if you
as akin to an episode of an anime series. The script enjoyed mini-games like Disgaea’s Dark Assembly
is quite silly, and there are cameos from other and Item Worlds, it might be for you. There is a lot of
Nippon Ichi characters, as well as tie-ins from character customisation, and it’s very approachable,
assorted manga and anime properties. even for those not usually into Rogue-likes.
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The Guided Fate Paradox (series)
Developer: Nippon Ichi | Released: 2013 | Platform(s): PS3
Despite their occasional reliance on their flagship

Disgaea franchise, Nippon Ichi is often keen
to change stories or characters in their games,
even if they share mechanics. As follow-ups to
Z.H.P., they created two more Rogue-likes for the
PlayStation 3, technically separate games but with
similar themes: The Guided Fate Paradox, and
The Awakened Fate Ultimatum, each with more
curious takes on the inner workings of heaven.
The Guided Fate Paradox, much like Z.H.P.,
stars a random kid thrown into extraordinary
circumstances – this time, it’s average kid Renya Hero Shin Kamikaze gets murdered, but is Two more Rogue-
Kagurazaka, who wins a mall lottery and ends up saved by angels, and ends up in Celestia as God likes from Nippon
being promoted to godhood in the angelic world of (again). However, while the story still revolves Ichi, one a definite
Celestia. As the new Lord, he must respond to the around the battle between angels and devils, successor to
wishes of various people, some of which are quite it removes the part about solving problems with Z.H.P., the other a
silly – for example, the first area has you fixing up various other humans. storyline sequel that
a version of Cinderella who’s become disillusioned In fact, despite the storyline connections, oversimplifies to the
with her story. In the course of the story, you’ll there’s quite a lot here that’s different from its point of dullness.
also meet with the demons of the underworld, led predecessor. While both Z.H.P. and The Guided
by Satanael. Fate Paradox featured an isometric view, with 2D
The game plays pretty much like Z.H.P., with sprites on 3D backgrounds, à la Disgaea, the new
a few enhancements and tweaks. In most areas, game uses an overhead perspective and super-
you’re accompanied by an angel companion, who deformed polygonal models. While it’s easier
walks alongside you and attacks automatically. As to control, it also looks much cheaper. Many of
you progress through the game, you unlock more the unique mechanics – the angel partners, the
and more of them to help out. Additionally, rather Bursting, and so forth – are gone. Instead, Shin
than items getting broken after use, instead they can Deitize by shifting from his regular human
Burst – this still decreases their effectiveness, but form into Angel and Devil transformations. Most
when it happens, you get a holy icon panel which enemies are also classified as angels or devils, so
can be used to upgrade your characters on a board you can switch to the opposing class to do more
called a Divinigram, plus the broken item can be damage. However, staying in either form will also
taken to a blacksmith to be simultaneously fixed suck down SP. When gaining levels or making
and enhanced. Altogether, a nicely refined entry. various moral choices, you can also gain Crystal
This was followed up the next year with The Points that let you upgrade the two forms. Overall,
Awakened Fate Ultimatum. While it is technically this entry is a little too stripped back compared to
a sequel from a plot standpoint, it’s also much its predecessors, and its more serious tone doesn’t
less loopy than a typical Nippon Ichi game. entirely work.
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Izuna (series)
Developer: Ninja Studio Ltd. | Released: 2006 | Platform(s): DS
Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja is one

of the games inspired by Mystery Dungeon.
The story goes that Izuna and her ninja clan
were kicked out of their old castle as the age
of ninjas was ending; while wandering, she
offended local gods who consequently caused
the other members of her clan to behave oddly.
In the way of these games, Izuna must go hunt
down the gods and beat them up in order to put
things back in order. In game terms, this means
exploring a series of randomised dungeons,
like those in the Mystery Dungeon series. Izuna
dungeons are laid out more chaotically, but tend
to have fewer rooms.
The graphics and sound are pretty its capacity, its durability will be drastically The character art for
good (the main theme is catchy), but the reduced. Izuna is also different from Mystery Izuna definitely plays
core of a Rogue-like is in its gameplay. Izuna Dungeon games in that traps can affect monsters, up the heroine’s
doesn’t reset to square one when she falls and Izuna can lay caltrops and bombs to slow and sexiness, though
in a dungeon, but keeps her experience attack foes. there’s little of this
levels. This tends to mean later dungeons are Sadly, one problem with Izuna’s design present in-game.
designed around a higher-levelled protagonist, is that Talismans, while often useful to read,
which in turn means Izuna sometimes has weaken the heroine, by greatly decreasing her
to grind for experience in earlier dungeons, which SP when they’re used as an escape or for a power
is a bit annoying. play. The most powerful Talismans are not just
Izuna makes a number of changes to the rare but also costly to use, and this upsets the
Mystery Dungeon formula. Food is gone, replaced traditional Rogue-like play balance somewhat.
by an SP meter. SP depletes over time, and when However, there’s also stuff to like in the game: the
Izuna is hit by monsters and reads Talisman items. differences do make it play differently from just
Running out of SP isn’t fatal, but Izuna’s attack another Rogue variant, and some of the monsters
power does drop substantially as it decreases. It is (especially Froggun) are interesting.
regained by using Likeness items. Among magic The game did get a sequel, Izuna 2: The
items, the most important class is Talismans, Unemployed Ninja Returns, which adds in a tag
which can be either read, thrown, or attached system, enabling you to switch between Izuna and
to equipment. All equipment in the game has a other, newly playable, characters. Both Izuna and
durability, roughly as in Fire Emblem, that goes her friend Shiho are also playable characters in
down with use, and also a maximum Capacity the DS fighting game Windy X Windam, another
for attached Talismans. Each Talisman has an SP Ninja Studio game, published shortly before the
value, and if the total SP stuck to a weapon exceeds company closed down.
592
Time Stalkers
Developer: Climax Entertainment | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): DC
Time Stalkers is known as Climax Landers

in Japan, a more appropriate title, since it’s a
crossover game, featuring characters from the
developer Climax. The game includes Nigel from
Landstalker, Lady from Lady Stalker, and Pyra
from Shining in the Darkness, as well as a few
original characters, including blue-haired, red-
caped hero Sword, beastman Rao, and living doll
Marion. The character designs are by regular
Climax artist Yoshitaka Tamaki.
However, this game is unlike the company’s
previous output in that it’s a Rogue-like. You pick
one of these characters, then head into one of
several dungeons, starting at level one and facing the remaining two party slots. In addition to your While some
a new layout every time you enter. Once you beat vitality, which determines the types of attacks you characters may seem
the dungeon’s boss, then you can continue with can use, you need to monitor your hunger. There familiar for SEGA
the story, though there are also sub-quests and are also VMU mini-games, including one featuring fans, the Rogue-like
randomly dropped loot to find. The battle system Jogurt from the Shining Force games. gameplay of Time
is different from other Japanese Rogue-likes When it was released in English, Time Stalkers took most
though, as when you find an enemy, the game Stalkers was widely met with disappointment, gamers by surprise.
switches to a more traditional turn-based battle since it was nothing like Landstalker or Shining
system, in which the sides trade blows. While you Force. Outside of the fan service elements, it’s a
only control one main character when exploring a rather tedious title, with boring, drab dungeon
dungeon, you can also capture monsters to fill up designs and a thin story.
One Way Heroics

Developer: SmokingWOLF | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): WIN, PS4
The Rogue-like sub-genre received a revitalisation
in the early 2010s, largely thanks to the popularity
of the indie hit Spelunky. The result was many
variations on the formula, weaving elements of
Rogue into different genres. One Way Heroics is
a particularly unique one, because it’s both very
traditional and extremely progressive, and comes
from Japanese developer SmokingWOLF.
Darkness is overshadowing the land, and
your job, as the hero, is to outrun its shadows in
your quest to defeat evil. While on a basic level it
plays similarly to previous Japanese Rogue-likes
– you move by squares, attack in a turn-based
fashion, manage hunger, and grab loot – you’re not
exploring a dungeon but rather adventuring across carry forward selected items to subsequent runs. One Way Heroics
an expansive field. Every turn, the darkness creeps While the stages are randomly generated, they can is an indie
closer, scrolling the screen to the right and forcing be given titles if you want to revisit them. success story,
you forward, hence the “one-way” of the title. The game was an indie success, resulting in having achieved
If the darkness catches you, you die immediately. Spike-Chunsoft remaking it, and releasing it as commercial
The result is a fast-paced, intensely focused game Mystery Chronicle: One Way Heroics, officially success.
that can be enjoyed in quick bites. Depending on making it part of the Mystery Dungeon series.
your performance, you can also unlock aspects However, various changes, like the implementation
for future playthroughs, including stat perks, of traps, a worse soundtrack, and a lousy frame
character classes, and abilities, plus a feature to rate, have made it unpopular with fans.
593
594
Monster-
Collecting
RPGs
Typically, role-playing games had a pretty clear monsters in these games aren’t actually all that
line between party members, who the player threatening, they’re just wild animals (or owned
controlled, and enemies, who mostly exist to either by other characters), so functionally they’re more
attack or be demolished by said party members. like toys or pets that just happen to fight on your
But, what if those enemies could be convinced to behalf. Additionally, most of these games appear
give up their evil ways and cross over to become a on portable platforms, again, to appeal to the
playable character? target market, and give kids a way to play these
This concept can be seen at least as early as time-consuming games without having to fight
Atlus’ Famicom dungeon crawler Megami Tensei, their parents or siblings for the TV. Finally, many
in which the player can talk various mythological of them also have tie-in media or merchandise –
demons and creatures into joining their team. cynically done to generate more income for the
However, this was primarily a series for older, IP holder, but also helping to flesh out the world
more hardcore RPG players; the idea was more beyond the constraints of a video game.
widely popularised, at least in Japan, by Dragon There are also competitive and social angles
Quest V, a series with a much broader audience. involved with these games. While many RPGs
Again, the hero has the ability to communicate are solitary experiences, even the early Pokémon
with monsters, some of whom could offer to join Game Boy games let you trade monsters with
your team after combat. anyone else who owned the game, provided you
This culminated in the release of Pocket had a link cable. Beyond adventuring through
Monsters (contracted to Pokémon for its the story mode to become the best Pokémon
international release), initially released in 1996 Trainer in the land, you could also battle your
for the Nintendo Game Boy. This time, monster- friends competitively, giving you even more
collecting wasn’t just one part of the game, incentive to find and train your stable into the
it was the entire focus. The concept was wildly strongest around.
popular, creating a multimedia franchise that These games also tend to be a little simple
eventually spanned decades of anime and because, again, they’re meant for children, many
manga, not to mention toys, trading card games, of whom are of primary school age and are still
and plushies. And with that level of popularity learning to read. Still, that simplicity can be
came numerous imitators. charming, so open-minded adults can still find
Since Pokémon was targetted at kids, many of themselves lured into their worlds, whether
these similar games headed for the same audience. playing alone or with their kids. Play also acts as
Thus, the types of monster the player hunts for a introduction to Japanese role-playing in general,
are the cute, marketable kind, as opposed to the so young ’uns may cut their teeth on Pokémon
actual, more threatening monsters you’d see in before moving onto other series such as Final
typical RPGs. Indeed, part of the idea is that the Fantasy, Dragon Quest, or Persona.
Exploring the world

and hunting for
critters to join your
team is the key
element to monster-
collecting RPGs.
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Pokémon (series)
Developer: Nintendo/Game Freak | Released: 1996 | Platform(s): GB, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS, NSW
Urbanisation was a concern in Japan during the

’80s and ’90s, as many rural and natural areas
turned into concrete jungles, disrupting the local
ecology. These changes were not lost on Satoshi
Tajiri, who had spent a fair amount of his youth
collecting bugs, considered at one time to be a
significant part of an ideal boyhood in Japanese
culture. With the displacement of the natural
by the manmade, Tajiri noticed the decline of
insect populations and wondered about the
future of children, as many were spending more
time indoors than out. Having run a gaming
magazine called Game Freak that wrote about
secrets and easter eggs in games, and eventually such as Yoshi and Mario & Wario for Nintendo, The Pokémon
turned into a game development company and Pulseman for SEGA. During this period, games are divided
of the same name (partnered throughout by Miyamoto suggested splitting the game into two into generations,
illustrator Ken Sugimori), Tajiri devised the idea versions, with some creatures exclusive to each, to each with two or
of collecting insects in a video game. With the encourage the trading aspect that Tajiri had seen more releases.
launch of Nintendo’s Game Boy, Tajiri observed as a priority. In 1996, six years after development Additionally, some
the functionality of the link cable and envisioned began, the Red and Green versions of Pocket entries have been
the little bugs of the game crawling across them as Monsters were released on Game Boy in Japan. remade. Highlighted
children traded creatures, as he often had. Around Initial sales weren’t encouraging, but steadily here is Pokémon
that time, Squaresoft released Makai Toushi SaGa, increased due to word of mouth, heralding FireRed, a Game Boy
which the West received as Final Fantasy Legend. the success of Satoshi Tajiri’s manmade-bug Advance remake of
Having thoroughly demonstrated that a slower- collection game. Pokémon Red.
paced, thoughtful, and complex game could The titular Pokémon span a wide variety of
succeed on the portable, this hit release inspired creatures; some are clearly animal substitutions
Tajiri to do the same. His little creatures were while others take the form of animated objects
known as Pocket Monsters in Japan, abbreviated or embodiments of mythical creatures. Each
to Pokémon in English. creature has up to two Types (out of 15) that
Tajiri’s original pitch to Nintendo left many represent their dominant characteristics.
of the decision makers unable to really follow his For example, regular animals are often classified
vision, as nothing of the kind had ever been done as Normal Type, while marine life in varying
before. Despite guidance from Shigeru Miyamoto, forms has the Water Type. Pikachu, the series’
the game faced a very long development time, primary mascot, is an Electric Type. Every
with near-bankruptcy looming over Game Pokémon has its own list of battle Moves it can
Freak so often that it repeatedly had to put the learn, with each Move also corresponding to a
Pokémon project on hold to work on side projects, Type. Types interact in a fairly logical fashion;
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Fire, for example, is effective against Grass and over the player’s. From there, you will encounter Pokémon Red and
Ice, but less useful against Water. So, if a Move wild Pokémon in the grass; yours battles these, Blue are the first
is used against a creature with a Type it has and, through the use of the iconic Pokéball, you versions of the game,
an interaction with, the Move’s damage will be can attempt to catch them to add to your roster released for the
increased or decreased accordingly. In the case or collection. Many creatures can evolve, if a Game Boy, in which
of dual-type Pokémon, both types are taken into condition (such as reaching a particular experience you control a young
consideration. This easily understood series level) is met, usually changing to larger and more boy from Pallet Town
of complex interactions is at the core of why powerful creatures. Other Pokémon trainers exist as he ventures
the game’s battles are both approachable and in the world and will challenge the player to a through the world
engaging, regardless of age-group. battle on sight; trained Pokémon are stronger of Pokémon.
The naming conventions for the series are than wild ones, and the player cannot attempt to
quite confusing. The main games are broken run or catch them. Should the player succeed in
down into eight generations, each having at winning a Trainer battle, they will receive money
least two versions, differing only in small ways, with which to purchase Pokéballs, and other RPG
typically the specific Pokémon contained on essentials, such as healing items.
the cartridge. The idea was not that you’d need Broadly, the games follow a structure in
to buy two games, but rather that you’d trade which eight successful (Badge-winning) battles
Pokémon with someone who had another title with Pokémon League Gym Leaders lead to the
from that generation. There are sometimes next stage, in which you advance to the Pokémon
third releases within each gen, with a variety of League proper; here you will challenge the Elite
enhancements. Some generations have also been Four and the Champion. However, arguably the
remade using newer technology. For example, greater goal is to fill out the Pokédex, which
the first generation exists both as the original keeps track of every Pokémon you meet and
trilogy of Game Boy games (Red, Blue, and Yellow), capture. Over the course of this journey you will
a pair of Game Boy Advance remakes (FireRed and get tangled up in contending with local criminal
LeafGreen) and another set of HD remakes for the activity: Team Rocket, in the first games, and
Switch (Let’s Go Pikachu and Eevee). assorted other Teams later on, are intent on using
Pokémon Red and Green, the first Pokémon for cruel or unjust purposes. There are Pokémon Ruby and
generation, set the structure that is used in all also encounters with your Rival, who can show up Sapphire are part of
the games: players will meet with a local Professor without warning, and start a difficult battle. the third generation,
and be provided a starter Pokémon of either Grass, In Japan, after the initial Red and Green and the first to be
Water or Fire Types while a Rival character will versions were published, a Blue version was released for the
typically choose the creature that has advantage released by mail-order later that year, featuring Game Boy Advance.
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updated sprites and additional dialogue. Rather and Sapphire, set in the Hoenn region, which The DS entries
than release three games in the West, Nintendo is based on the island of Kyushu, the follow- are considered by
made some changes to them so only two, Red up version this time being Emerald. While the many fans to be the
and Blue, saw English release. Owing to the second-generation games focused on the passage high point of the
perception that Westerners disliked cute things, of time, these games focus on weather, habitat, series, particularly
the reason that so much U.S. box art is revised to and a lot of horns in the soundtrack. New to the Black/White
look more angry and brutish, the question arose the mechanical end of things are Abilities for duology, part of the
as to whether to give similar treatment to the the Pokémon, passive traits that help them fifth generation.
Pokémon themselves. The President of Nintendo stand out and perform more complex strategies.
at the time, Hiroshi Yamauchi, ultimately decided Generation three also introduces Double Battles,
against this, considering the matter to be a in which the player will deploy two creatures at
challenge to overcome in the West. Considering once, against two opposing creatures, though the
how many people fawn over cute creatures, majority of the game is still played with singles.
regardless of nationality, it can safely be said Finally, Pokémon Contests have been introduced,
that he made the right call. A Yellow version was allowing participants to compete based on looks
eventually released, in which the player’s starter and moods rather than battles. Using sixth-
was a Pikachu with digitised voice clips that generation rules, Alpha Sapphire and Omega
walks behind the player’s character. Ruby were released on the Nintendo 3DS.
The first-generation games have been remade The fourth-generation games were Diamond
twice, with FireRed and LeafGreen on the Game and Pearl on the Nintendo DS, in 2006, with the
Boy Advance, operating like the third-generation updated version Platinum to follow, which were
games, and Let’s Go Pikachu/Eevee on the Switch, set in the Sinnoh region (based on Hokkaido).
changing the wild Pokémon encounters to include The big innovation this time around was online
motion controls, and removing the battles, so connectivity, allowing internet-based, or even
instead you just throw a Pokéball. local, trades and battles between players, all
The second generation debuted on the Game without the use of a link cable. On the gameplay
Boy Color in 1999, with Gold and Silver taking front, the fourth generation mostly saw revisions
place in Johto, which was inspired by the Japanese of older rules. Previously, a Move’s relevant stats
Kansai region, and Crystal following a year later, were governed by the Type associated with it, such
allowing you to play as a girl for the first time in as Fire being Special and Poison being Attack.
the series. These took advantage of the Game Boy This generation diversified things by introducing
Color’s internal clock and have a day/night cycle, Physical, Special and Status attributes for
with some Pokémon being diurnal and others Moves, allowing for more variety in strategy and
nocturnal. In addition to this, it’s possible to breed improving the usability of some creatures. The two
certain creatures to generate baby versions that screens afforded by the device allow for the use of
will evolve into more familiar forms. The ability for the Pokétch when roaming around, with various
Pokémon to hold given items, such as berries to eat useful and novel functions that sadly were never
in battle or mail to carry when traded, was added. replicated in any of the later games.
Two new Types, Dark and Steel, were added. The Black and White were the fifth-generation
next President of Nintendo, Satoru Iwata, famously Pokémon games, this time with a stronger
saved the project by providing development tools emphasis on the story; with that in mind, this
and compression methods that gave the team generation was followed by a narrative Part 2
so much space they were able to fit the entire taking place a year later, rather than merely an
landscape of the original game into it; this was updated version of the game. Taking place in the
retroactively named Kanto, after the region in Unova region, which was inspired by New York
Japan. Gold and Silver were remade on the DS and New Jersey, the fifth-generation games are
as HeartGold and SoulSilver, using the fourth- seen as something of an attempt to reinvent the
generation rules. series. Black and White are loaded with many
The third-generation games were released quality-of-life enhancements too numerous to list.
on the Game Boy Advance in 2002 as Ruby Of particular note are the animated battle sprites,
598
Triple and Rotation Battles, and 150 new creatures. gaming concepts to the main series, Sword and Even though they
This was the only game, excluding the first Shield feature free-roaming explorable areas, aren’t quite as
generation, to add so many at once, also having optional side quests for experience and prizes, popular with long-
older ones only available in the post-game. They and Raids, in which multiple players must team time fans, the later
also had a unique online support system called the up to contend with a major opponent. Kaijuu- 3D entries included
Pokémon Dream World, which allowed a player to sized Pokémon exist, and can be used by the some interesting
obtain exclusive Pokémon with hidden Abilities, player through a process known as Dynamaxing. locales, like the
though support for this has long since terminated. However, the issues with upgrading all of the 3D tropical islands
The sixth-generation games, X and Y, found models to HD resulted in large swathes of the of Alola, based
themselves on the Nintendo 3DS, and were set in Pokémon being cut. on Hawaii.
the Kalos region, which is reminiscent of France, Of course, the sheer number of these games
particularly around Paris. They feature fully 3D invites the question: which generation is the best?
polygonal graphics, making the battles reminiscent Most of the games are pretty similar, in spite of
of the console battle-oriented Pokémon Stadium technological advancements. It’s a complicated
games. The big addition this time around is the answer, as fans will often point to either the ones
inclusion of the 18th Type, Fairy. Further, it’s now with their favourite rosters of Pokémon, or simply
possible to customise player-characters, involving the first entry they played. However, broadly
details like clothing, hair style/colour and even speaking, the fanbase tends to like the DS (the
skin complexion. The other new point of interest fourth and fifth) generations the best, if mostly
is Mega Evolution. At the cost of giving up the because Game Freak never quite adapted to 3D
Mega Stone slot, certain creatures can evolve for development, so the later titles feel a little stripped
the duration of a battle, often gaining greater stats back. Plus, they tend to feature more story scenes
and potent Abilities. and lots of dialogue, despite not having much of
The seventh generation continued on the anything interesting to say. Indeed, the storylines
Nintendo 3DS, with Sun and Moon, which in are simple, since the games are still meant for
turn received tune-ups with Ultra Sun and Ultra children. It does open the series to criticism, as it
Moon. These take place on the islands of Alola, doesn’t evolve much, but that’s also what its many
based on Hawaii. Sun and Moon deviate from imitators are for.
the usual eight-gyms structure, instead offering Beyond the core games, there are countless
trials for nearly every Type. Mechanically, the new spinoffs across different genres. The quality of
attempt to shake up the gameplay comes in the these is inconsistent, since they are outsourced
form of Z-Shards, which are held by a creature, to other developers, though the Pokémon
and when activated will change a Move once in Mystery Dungeon series of Rogue-likes is one Pokémon Sword and
the fight. The bottom screen is now in permanent of the better ones. Plus, at this point, there are Shield take place in
use as a mini-map and all online functions are decades’ worth of manga, television shows, Galar, inspired by
handled in a rather clumsy theme park of the movies and other outlets. Most of the TV anime Great Britain. This
player’s design. are based on game entries, although the main is the first HD entry
Taking place in the United Kingdom-inspired character through the years has been the young in the series, and
Galar region, the eighth-generation games are boy Ash Ketchum, whose design is based on the it’s clear that it had
Sword and Shield. Bringing several modern trainer from the first generation. some growing pains.
599
Digimon Story (series)
Developer: MediaVision/Beck | Released: 2003 | Platform(s): DS, PSP, PSV, PS4, NSW, WIN
Though it has never gained the mainstream

popularity of the rival Pokémon franchise,
Digimon has become a respectable multimedia
entity since it first appeared as a virtual pet toy
in the ’90s. The main difference from Pokémon
lies in the designs of the “digital monsters”; they
can also talk. Now encompassing anime, manga,
films, card games, and video games, the series
has garnered a substantial following. The video
game series has included titles in multiple genres,
ranging from monster-raising through arena-style familiar with it. The game was released in 2006 Digimon Story:
fighting to open-world exploration. for the Nintendo DS, with the player in control of Cyber Sleuth was
Of the games, which have included various a Digimon Tamer. The existence of Digimon has the first game in
tie-ins to the anime series and involve a significant been covered up by the DATS organisation (from the series since the
amount of time spent with the character Ryo, the the Digimon Savers anime series), and it’s up to DS days, and it's
most established sub-series has been the digital the protagonist to explore the Digital World and been modernised
pet-raising World games, and the role-playing face off against the villainous Unknown-D. quite a bit, to
Story titles. Digimon World DS was positively received in compete with the
So far, there have been eight games in the both America and Japan, with the deep Digimon rather conservative
Story series. Across all of these games, regardless evolution management system being hailed as a Pokémon games.
of platform, there are commonalities: the player high point. The game was also noted for being
controls a Digimon Tamer of some sort, in a third- worth playing for any RPG fan, regardless of their
person perspective. Their primary responsibility is interest in the Digimon franchise. The success of
to raise up a team of Digimon to take on whatever Digimon World DS led to the development and
antagonistic force is present. Players can have release of Digimon World Dusk and Digimon
three active Digimon in their party at once, with World Dawn (known in Japan as Digimon Story
more available for substitution mid-battle. Battles Sunburst and Digimon Story Moonlight) in 2007.
take place in a turn-based format, with the next This pair of games follows the same main
Digimon’s turn visible on screen. Players can evolve plot: a virus has caused a terrible earthquake
their Digimon along various potential branches, to occur in both the Sunshine and Darkmoon
depending on their stats and level, and Digimon districts, with each district blaming the other for
can gain experience outside of battle through the the incident. In Dawn, the player is a Tamer on
use of a Digi-Farm. the Light Fang team, while in Dusk they belong
The first Digimon Story title, as it was known to the Night Crow team. Regardless of the title,
in Japan, was released in North America as Digimon the player raises up a new team of Digimon to
World DS, in spite of it having no connection to uncover what’s really behind the ongoing tremors.
the World games – Bandai had opted to roll with The differences between the titles involve
this branding, as English speakers were already primarily which areas are open to exploration.
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The games received lukewarm responses, and that have been perpetrated by nefarious hackers Hacker’s Memory
it’d be eight years before another Digimon Story using Digimon, or by Digimon themselves. is a half-sequel
game made it out of Japan. As Aiba solves these cases, a deeper plot becomes that adds several
But in those years, three more Story games evident, engendered by Kamishiro Enterprises, new Digimon to
came out in Japan: Digimon Story: Lost Evolution, the company behind EDEN. This eventually puts the roster.
Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars Red, and you and numerous other Digimon trainers into
Digimon Story: Super Xros Wars Blue. The latter conflict with Yggdrasil (or King Drasil in the
two were another paired story that was based on localisation), a digital god.
the Digimon Xros Wars anime series airing at the A companion title to this game was released
time. Lost Evolution featured an original story, shortly afterwards. Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth
in which the character Shu (male) or Kizuna – Hacker’s Memory, which follows Keisuke
(female) is transported into the Digital World. Amasawa, who has his EDEN account stolen in a
There, they find their classmates and other kids, phishing attack and ends up framed for a crime.
who all team up, along with their Digimon, to help He joins up with the hacker group known as Hudie
take down a trio of villains named Uno, Dos, and to get his account back, and ends up caught up
Tres. Despite a pretty positive reception in Japan, in the Eater incidents himself. Hacker’s Memory
it didn’t get an English release at all. added 92 more Digimon to the game’s roster, and
It wasn’t until 2016 that the Digimon Story though the game’s story overlaps on occasion
franchise was finally released internationally with that of Cyber Sleuth, it’s considered a side
under that name, its debut being Digimon Story: story (NPC characters even call Keisuke a “side
Cyber Sleuth. This is basically a soft reboot aimed character” to his face).
at a slightly older audience. It tosses out all of Both of these games play pretty much the
the old main characters, and takes place in near- same, with a standard turn-based battle system,
future Tokyo, though familiar Digimon are still though Digimon can link up for combo attacks.
present. New aspects include character designs Digimon are scanned automatically before battle,
from Suzuhito Yasuda, who had previously done and when they hit 100%, they become available.
artwork for the Japan-only PSP game Digimon You spend your time between the real world and
World Re:Digitize, and whose other notable work the digital world, where the dungeons are. These
includes Durarara!! and Shin Megami Tensei: games were developed with the Vita in mind,
Devil Survivor. Music for this game and its sequel so they’re a little simple when played on a console
was by Masafumi Takada, who had also composed or computer, but the sleek and stylish cyberspace
for killer7, No More Heroes and other Grasshopper look is attractive, if somewhat repetitive. However,
Manufacture games. collecting and cultivating Digimon are easily their
The player controls either Takumi (male) or most compelling aspects.
Ami (female) Aiba. This protagonist is a student Though not the blockbuster hit that is
who uses an online virtual reality space known Pokémon, the Digimon Story games have proven to
as EDEN. One day, while logged into EDEN, they be a series of engaging role-playing outings that not
end up confronted by a corrupted data creature only live up to the legacy of the Digimon franchise
known as an Eater, which consumes part of their at large, but have amassed their own dedicated
data and leaves them in a half-digital state. After base of fans. They’re also a decent alternative for
being found by the detective Kyoko Kuremi, Aiba those who want monster-collecting but something
is hired by Kuremi to help solve digital crimes other than Pokémon or Shin Megami Tensei.
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Dragon Quest Monsters (series)
Developer: Enix/Tose | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): GBC, PS1, GBA, DS, 3DS
While Pokémon was an international success,

it was really Dragon Quest V on the Super
Famicom that introduced the concept of monster-
collecting into the mainstream, at least in Japan.
Rather than letting Nintendo’s series steal all
of the thunder, Enix created its spinoff focused
entirely on monster recruitment and battles.
The mechanics differ from entry to entry,
but broadly, while you command a human
hero, it’s really only the monsters that actually
participate in combat – three at a time in earlier
entries, four later on. They level up like regular
characters, and can also be bred together to create
new offspring (an element which is more Shin single PlayStation upgrade, and also remade for Dragon Quest
Megami Tensei than Pokémon). You don’t micro- the 3DS, though these are Japan-only. was always filled
manage battles, instead creating broad strategies, The third game, subtitled Caravan Heart with monsters so
and your monsters comply (or not) depending on and released for the Game Boy Advance, stars a cute and/or weird
their level of loyalty, which can be strengthened in young Kiefer from Dragon Quest VII. This game that you felt bad
different ways. Monsters may join you randomly is significantly different in that it focuses on smashing them, so
after you defeat them, as in Dragon Quest V. adventuring by caravan. Each caravan is guarded a place where you
The first Dragon Quest Monsters game was by a monster, and can be customised with a variety became their friends
released for the Game Boy Color, and also came of human riders of various classes who help with made perfect sense.
out in English. It stars a young version of Terry the fighting. Not only must you balance the weight
from Dragon Quest VI, whose sister Milayou (later of the caravans, but you must also manage food
known as Milly) has been kidnapped by monsters so you don’t run out of supplies. The game also
that jumped out of her drawer. Upon following changes the breeding system: it now uses Monster
her, he’s whisked away to another world, where Hearts, based on the monster class concept in
he must fight in a tournament to save her. The Dragon Quest VII. Unlike the first two games,
sequel was broken up into two games – Cobi’s this was not released in English.
Journey and Tara’s Adventure – which are Then Dragon Quest Monsters began the
mostly the same, other than having different Joker sub-series for the DS and 3DS, which is
protagonists and some different monsters. In closer to the original Game Boy Color games,
this entry, they accidentally unplug the island of though these are in full 3D and do away with
GreatLog, causing it to sink, so they must quest in random battles in favour of visible encounters.
search of a replacement. All of these entries have They also use the skill point system from Dragon
a central hub, along with randomly-generated Quest VIII. The first two entries were localised,
sub-dungeons where you can find and battle while an updated version of the second (subtitled
monsters. All three games were combined into a Professional) and the third were Japan-only.
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DemiKids / Devil Children (series)
Developer: Multimedia Intelligence Transfer/Atlus | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): GBC, GBA, PS1
While Pokémon introduced the concept of

monster-collecting internationally, and Dragon
Quest was the series that initially started it (at
least in Japan), it was really Atlus’ Megami Tensei
series that originated the concept. Not wanting to
feel left out, Atlus created its own spinoff series,
which is basically Shin Megami Tensei for kids,
called Devil Children in Japan, and later localised
as DemiKids in North America.
As with Pokémon, most of the releases
were split into two editions, which are mostly the
same but differ in their protagonists (and partner
demons), the selection of recruitable demons, and
a few plot points. The initial releases in 2000 for an overhead view in exploration and a first-person DemiKids was the
the Game Boy Color, Kuro no Sho and Aka no Sho view in combat. The human characters don’t first title to be
(“Black Book” and “Red Book”, respectively) focus directly participate in combat, and encounters released in North
on two children, Setsuna and Mirai, in Harajuku, are generally limited to two-on-two. Nonetheless, America on which
Tokyo, who each receive a mysterious package it has many of the series’ staples (named spells, the Shin Megami
containing a gun called a Deviliser (known as conversations to recruit allies, various demon Tensei label
a Demiloc in English) and a computer called a fusion mechanics), though somewhat simplified appeared.
Vinecom. They are then called to explore the demon for the younger audience. And even though they’re
realm for various reasons. These games were aimed at kids, they still contain themes from the
combined and ported to the PlayStation. A sequel, grown-up series, like the dynamics of law vs. chaos
Shiro no Sho (“White Book”) focuses on a pair of (angels vs. demons). Indeed, the protagonists of the
young boys named Masaki and Takaharu, who get first game are actually half-demon, with Lucifer
caught up in a war between angels and demons. being their father. Even for experienced Megami
Another set of sequels appeared for the Tensei fans, part of the appeal is seeing some of the
Game Boy Advance, which were translated into demons and mythological figures done in a cutesy
English as the Light and Dark versions. These style. Ultimately, however, both the writing and
feature children named Jin and Akira, who are mechanics are probably too simple for most older
called into the world of Valhalla to save it from gamers to actually enjoy for any length of time,
mysterious time rifts. A Japan-only sequel, Honoo though the games themselves are relatively short.
no Sho and Koori no Sho (“Book of Fire” and “Book In spite of a TV anime, comic book tie-ins,
of Ice”) stars the same characters, but focuses on a a trading card game, and several spinoffs (including
war between Muspelheim and Niflheim, the worlds Puzzle de Call, a variation on Atlus’ Puzzle Boy
of fire and ice from Norse mythology. series, and Messiahlyzer, an odd real-time strategy
Developed by the team that made the Last game), Devil Children never quite took off, and
Bible series, these are quite similar to it, utilising Atlus abandoned it after the GBA era.
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Monster Rancher (series)
Developer: Tecmo | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2, GBC, GBA, DS
When it comes to the monster raising and

collecting genre of RPGs, if Pokémon is the Major
Leagues and Digimon is the minors, then Monster
Rancher is probably a high school team – sure,
there’s still people showing up to every game, but
it’s not exactly selling out stadiums. Developed by
Tecmo and known as Monster Farm in Japan, the
series made its debut on the original PlayStation
in 1997, and gained a quick cult following for its
innovative use of the disc-based system.
There are five mainline entries in the series,
all on PlayStation consoles – four numbered
games, then Monster Rancher EVO, the fifth
and final one. There were also two GBA titles, sealed within. Now, humans and monsters Monster Rancher
Monster Rancher Advance and Advance 2, peacefully coexist, and a new sport has arisen: is more of a
plus the Nintendo DS entry Monster Rancher monster breeders are able to battle their strongest simulation/breeding
DS. These retain much of the gameplay seen allies against others in flashy competitions. game than a regular
in the PlayStation titles. A card-game spinoff As a monster breeder, it’s the player’s monster-collecting
was released on the Game Boy Color, Monster job to raise monsters to fight in these battle JRPG, though it’s
Rancher Card Battle GB, which was followed tournaments. In addition to simply making obviously inspired
up by Monster Rancher Battle Card Episode II monsters more powerful through training, the by them. Monster
on the PlayStation. Other spinoff titles include player is responsible for keeping them happy Rancher 4, pictured
Monster Rancher Explorer, Monster Rancher: and healthy. Monsters can end up with positive on this page, is
Hop-A-Bout, and the Japan-exclusive Kaite or negative morale depending on how they’re regarded as one of
Shabette Hajimeyou!: Monster Farm DS, Monster raised, which can influence how well they do in the better entries
Farm Online, Monster Farm POP and Monster battle – for example, a particularly loyal creature in the series.
Farm POP 2. Despite not being one of the bigger is more likely to land a critical hit in battle. After
monster-collecting franchises, it was certainly a certain amount of time, a monster will either
prolific for a while. die or retire from battle; retired monsters can be
The basic premise is consistent across the used to create new, more powerful generations.
entire series: after the world was subjected to a Gameplay is well-balanced between the virtual
disaster, people prayed to God for help, and were pet aspect of monster-raising, and the battles and
rewarded with powerful new life forms that helped tournaments.
them. However, these new creatures also brought The gimmick with the PlayStation Monster
issues, so God responded by sealing them away Rancher games is that monsters can be unlocked
in Disc Stones. Many years later, humans have by putting an actual CD (or DVD, for the PS2
uncovered some of these Stones in ancient ruins, games) into the system. The CD-reading system
and have used a temple to unlock the monsters developed by Tecmo specifically for this series
604
uses the discs to generate a set of numbers, which different ways that take advantage of the system’s The original
are then used as the resulting monster’s statistics. unique input options: players can speak into the Monster Rancher
A select few discs could produce specific microphone or draw something on the bottom was keen to
monsters; the disc for another Tecmo game, Dead screen. advertise the near-
or Alive, provided an Easter Egg: a Pixie with the There are both common and rare types limitless number of
name Kasumi. of monsters to raise across the different games. monsters you could
The first two Monster Rancher games for the The mascot characters, in that they’re featured generate by trying
PlayStation are really more simulation than RPG. regularly on the covers, are Suezo, which are out the game and
Much of the game is spent navigating through basically tadpoles with gigantic heads, a huge music CDs in your
menus, and everything is explained through single eye, and a large mouth, and Mocchi, own collection.
partner characters. There are expeditions you can a penguin-type bird. Each monster has six stats
go on for new items or monsters, some of which to work from: Power (physical attack), Intelligence
play out like JRPG dungeons. When the series (energy attack and defence), Life (hit points), Skill
jumped to the PlayStation 2, it began introducing (accuracy), Speed (evasion), and Defense (blocking
more traditional RPG elements, like putting the physical attacks). These stats are up-rated by
player into an actual character in the story, and doing chores or training under an expert; they
letting them run around town and various areas. can also be quickly raised by using vitamins, but
Much of this takes place in simple medieval this comes at the cost of decreasing another stat,
fantasy-type worlds. Monster Rancher EVO is a as well as a shortened lifespan.
little different from the others, in that it focuses The spinoff titles feature very different
on running a carnival; in between training your gameplay from the main entries. Monster Rancher
monster to put on shows, there are various other Battle Card GB and its sequel have the player
things you do to make the audience happy, like travelling through the world in order to find new
playing brief mini-games. monster cards to add to their deck, with the
The battle systems are also different from gameplay focused on card battles. Meanwhile,
those in traditional JRPGs. You have direct Monster Rancher Explorer is basically a Solomon’s
control over your monster, though you can only Key game, but with Monster Rancher characters.
really move forwards or backwards, and use a Though the series hasn’t exactly sold
variety of attacks or dodge moves. Most games gangbusters, it’s been reviewed pretty solidly
have one-on-one battles, but Monster Rancher across all entries, with the monster summoning- Monster Rancher
EVO again changes things up, by having three- raising-battling gameplay loop being noted as EVO made a number
on-three fights. particularly addictive. Monster Rancher has of changes to the
In the Game Boy Advance titles, input of maintained a solid cult following over the years series, putting
key words or phrases is used to generate new (though more so in Japan than in other territories) you in charge of
monsters, as the disc-reading system couldn’t and has carved out its own niche in an RPG sub- running a circus,
be used for a cartridge-based portable. The DS genre otherwise dominated by just one or two alongside your
entries can generate monsters in a couple of other series. monster breeding.
605
Robopon (series)
Developer: Hudson/Red Entertainment | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): GBC, GBA, N64
At first glance, you would think Robopon is a

Pokémon rip-off. And you’d be right – mostly.
Hudson Soft’s and Red Entertainment’s Robopon
series definitely took inspiration from the easily
pocketed beasts (down to a premise based
around beating gym-leader “legends” to become
the very best), and the Atlus-published North
American versions outright stole the box design
from Pokémon’s first gen. However, the change
to capturing and battling robots changed things
in subtle ways, like having an upgrade system
instead of Technical Machines, allowing you to
combine software and parts to unlock new moves.
The first gen even included an infra-red sensor bizarre, with casual use of time travel, and the Robopon is Pokémon
on the cart, allowing you to use devices like TV art style shifted to make the game look more with robots. Rather
remotes on the game itself, possibly changing in- individual. Even the robot-capturing mechanic shameless, this one.
game robot stats. There was even a business sim stolen from Pokémon was replaced with the
element that ran in real time, thanks to a built-in ability to actually create the bots via battery
clock system. fusion (a.k.a. Sparking). Battles even became
However, the game remained largely large, four-on-four affairs, but the game failed
unchanged, especially as the [US/English] release to really impress. It was its own thing now, yes,
borrowed the same Pokémon fonts and health but not a particularly exciting thing (though the
bars. The knock-off nature was impossible to West got both versions this time, Ring and Cross).
ignore, even with these gimmicks and different Robopon never took off, which isn’t that
systems. The “GB Kiss” infra-red sensor system surprising, given that its first two games were
also didn’t get the same level of support in the of such poor quality and so low on ideas (even
West as it did in Japan, where it could be used to parts and software were basically lifted from
download exclusive content online. Of the Sun, Quintet’s Robotrek on the SNES). It’s a strange
Moon, and Star versions, only Sun was published footnote in the handheld JRPG scene, a great
in the West. A Japan-only N64 spinoff game with example of how not to establish a franchise.
a real-time, arena-based combat system, Robot These games weren’t without merit, but they
Ponkottsu 64, also failed to make waves with its were outpaced by the competition every step of
grindy and simplistic gameplay. It even did away the way. The terrible English translations did not
with levels, though it kept parts and software. help. Nowadays, if the series is remembered at all,
This makes Robopon 2 all the stranger, it’s for its bizarrely fetishistic manga, which
as the GBA sequel managed to actually take featured female characters with abnormally
the series in a more interesting and original proportioned breasts. They’d look absurd in
direction. The writing became funnier and more a porno manga, but this was aimed at little kids!
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Medabots (series)
Developer: Natsume | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): GB, WS, GBC, PS1, GBA, GC, DS, 3DS
Medarot might be better known outside Japan for

the anime series, which was released in English
as Medabots, but the franchise began in 1997 as
a manga and Game Boy RPG. The Medabots are
customisable medal-powered robots that kids
pit against each other in three-on-three battles.
If Pokémon took inspiration from creator Satoshi
Tajiri’s bug-collecting hobby, then Medabots
draws from Japanese insect fighting. The starter
Medabots in each of the game’s two versions
are modelled on two popular battle bugs: the
rhinoceros beetle and stag beetle.
The first Medarot game follows elementary
school kid Hikaru as he finds a mysterious medal The series continued on the Game Boy Color, with While largely
and encounters rival robot battlers like the Ikki fighting Medabots around the world and unknown elsewhere,
villainous Rubberobo gang. Each Medabot can travelling into space. Each entry improved the in Japan, Medarot
be equipped with various body parts that have visuals, making the Medabots look closer to the still has many
different specs and attacks. Fights play out in real original illustrations by manga artist Rin Horuma. nostalgic fans due
time, with the robots running laps of the battlefield The Medabots also gained more personality, and to its ambitious
to indicate when their turn is, like a goofy version voice acting was introduced. Medarot 5 refreshed mechanics, silly
of Final Fantasy’s ATB system. It seems simple, but the cast again, using a rural setting, and has a storylines and great
the battles can be very lengthy and challenging. battle system based around playing rock-paper- soundtracks by
Random encounters are relentless, and Hikaru has scissors to create combo attacks. Castlevania composer
to hand over his Medabot’s parts when defeated. Following two Game Boy Advance remakes, Kinuyo Yamashita.
The original Medarot is rough, but it did establish the series had a hiatus, until it was revived by
many staples of the series. These include dating developer Delta Arts with Medarot DS. This
sim elements, as Hikaru can end up with one of 2010 title starred a new generation of characters,
two girls at the game’s conclusion. featuring 3D visuals and online battles. More titles
In Medarot 2, Hikaru is now a convenience were released for the 3DS, with welcome changes
store worker, and there’s a new protagonist, Ikki. that gave players more control over their Medabots,
Though the sequel largely retreads the same while making fights faster and less punishing.
ground, new features, like Medaforce abilities, Despite some upgrades, these games never sold as
add some strategy to battles. Medarot 2 was well as the Game Boy Color titles, and Delta Arts
adapted into an anime series, and later remade closed after Medarot 9 came out in 2015.
after the cartoon was a surprise success overseas. Its popularity may have faded, but Medarot
The Metabee and Rokusho versions released for remains a strategic, if slow-paced, spin on the
the Game Boy Advance in 2002 remain the only monster-battling JRPG, and there’s still plenty of
Medabots RPGs available in English. nostalgia for it in Japan.
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Jade Cocoon (series)
Developer: Genki | Released: 1998 | Platform(s): PS1, PS2
During the late ’90s and early 2000s, the gaming

landscape was crawling with monster-collecting
games. Everyone took a stab at it. Jade Cocoon
by Genki, a company better known for its racing
games, is one of those that didn’t last. At least
Genki tried to go for a darker mood and different
look to set it apart, contracting Katsuya Kondou,
a Ghibli animator, to do the design work. The
Ghibli look was clearly a selling point in Japan,
but got lost on the hideous-to-plain-boring
Western covers.
God cursed the world. Big, dangerous
forests full of monsters spread across the land
with humans living in small settlements on their style. However, it came out within spitting distance Outside Japan,
edges. Levant is a Cocoon Master, who captures of Final Fantasy X so it failed to make an impact. Jade Cocoon is the
monsters to protect his village against the attacks This time we follow Kahu, an aspiring BeastHunter, closest thing we
of their wild brethren. However, interacting with who during his initiation trial is cursed by his have to a monster-
the cursed forests makes him an outcast. new sidekick, the snarky elf Nico. With death fast collecting RPG
Jade Cocoon is a straightforward game. approaching, Kahu has even more reason to find (Monster Rancher
Four forests a couple of screens deep each contain the four orbs of the forests to heal his curse. notwithstanding).
monsters to capture and a boss to defeat at the end. Jade Cocoon 2 beefed things up a little. The
Monsters align with four elements, which have a tale is longer; the forests are deeper and offer more
rock-paper-scissors relationship of effectiveness character interaction within. Kahu can take up to
against one another. Only one monster can fight at a eight monsters into battle now, placed on a dial
time, and only three can be brought on the journey. with slots corresponding to the elements, four
Here’s where fusion comes in, allowing for hybrids pure ones and four mixtures of two. Turning the
with more than one element each. Their look is dial changes which three monsters are active in
also created by combining the two parents’ models. each turn. Monsters are now acquired as eggs, and
The often hilarious, horrifying, or hilariously fusion produces fixed types, not the odd mixes of
horrifying results are often extremely memorable! the original.
Yet the atmospheric tale and breezy pacing are While it’s certainly expanded, the game
overshadowed by a lack of variety. A world entirely sports a bit of an identity crisis. The forests can
made of forests, having to delve into each of them still be moody, and the story has some dark turns.
twice, and the game ending after 10–12 hours Yet the characters are quirky and Nico even breaks
together give the impression of lack of content. the fourth wall. It seems like Genki didn’t know
Nevertheless, Genki made a second game on whether they should stay with the grounded style
the early PS2, which had fewer RPGs available at of the original, or lighten it up to catch a younger
that point, and fewer still in the monster-collecting monster-collecting audience.
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Monster Hunter Stories
Developer: Capcom/Marvelous | Released: 2016 | Platform(s): 3DS, IOS, AND
Capcom’s Monster Hunter series began in 2004

for the PlayStation 2, and eventually exploded
in popularity, at least in Japan, when it hit the
PlayStation Portable. With a focus on multiplayer
action, several players could get together, fight
gigantic beasts, then use the winnings obtained
from the fight to craft more powerful equipment;
this style of gameplay spawned a whole sub-genre
known as “hunting action” in Japan, resulting
in a number of similar games, like Sony’s Soul
Sacrifice and Namco’s God Eater. While there
are role-playing elements, the general consensus
is that these aren’t really JRPGs, although this at monsters and attempt to read what kind of While an excellent
label definitely applies to Monster Hunter Stories, move they’ll use. Pull this off successfully and adaptation of
a 3DS spinoff aimed at kids. your bond with your Monstie will strengthen, Monster Hunter,
In this game, you aren’t technically a hunter, eventually allowing you to ride it in battle for both in putting it
but rather a rider, who tames and creates bonds extra damage, and then enabling super-powerful into a JRPG format
with their monster buddies (given the adorable attacks. Monsties can also be ridden on the field and aiming it at
name Monsties). You control a newbie rider, and have various abilities that let you jump or fly kids, this series
who must fight back against an encroaching over the terrain. Wild Monsties cannot be tamed, seemingly didn’t go
menace known as the Black Blight. Although so instead you infiltrate monster dens to steal their down well outside
your customisable character is silent, you’re eggs. They can also be customised to an extent, of its home country,
accompanied by Navirou, a hyper-cutesy version by basically splicing DNA to unlock extra skills. with international
of the cat-like Felyne creature, who acts as your Your human character can also change weapons, versions missing
guide; the other Monsties imported from the main choosing from swords, axes, a sword and shield content that was
series aren’t quite as adorable, but they are more combo, and a hunting horn, each with different patched into the
colourful and stylised, perfect for the bright anime main and combo abilities. It seems simple at first, Japanese release.
aesthetic (which worked perfectly in the inevitable but it gets more complex as you choose how best
anime adaptation, Monster Hunter Stories: Ride to work alongside your partner. You also have
On). The game also uses Zenny as currency, three Hearts, which act something like lives; fall in
a recurring theme in Capcom games. combat and you’ll hop back up to full strength but
In combat, it’s just you and your main at the expense of one heart. These are regenerated
Monstie, and for the most part, you only really when you rest.
command your character while your partner While the story is typical and the writing
acts on its own. The game adapts the action of nothing special, this is a gorgeous game, much
the mainline series into turn-based battles – better than most 3DS RPGs. The battle system is
there’s a rock-paper-scissor system for the Power, interesting, and there are enough cool Monstie
Technical, and Speed attacks, whereby you look types to find and collect to make it engrossing.
609
Yo-kai Watch (series)
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2013 | Platform(s): 3DS, NSW, PS4
For a while, Level-5’s Yo-kai Watch franchise

was the closest anyone had come to making
a dent in Pokémon’s enduring popularity.
Like many others, it’s spread across various
media, including anime, video games and manga,
as well as plenty of toys.
The initial entry in the video game series
lets you control an average, everyday adolescent
(either Nathan Adams or Katie Forester). He or
she discovers the eponymous Yo-kai Watch, which
allows them to see and interact with spirits. These makes people blurt out whatever is on their mind. Yo-kai Watch was
youkai (or “Yo-kai” as the English version has it) are There’s quite a bit of slapstick and toilet humour, a phenomenon in
described as “mischievous creatures responsible which makes sense given the target audience. Japan, though like
for all of life’s annoyances”, some friendly, some But beyond this, it’s easy to see why the most fads (or pretty
of whom aren’t. If you manage to make friends franchise took off. There’s something fascinating much anything
with one, it’ll give you its medal, allowing you to about interacting with otherworldly beings that aimed at kids), it
summon it in the future. only you (outside of a few NPCs) can see and talk to. died down within
The hero is guided by a ghost named Plus, much of the game involves exploring your a few years.
Whisper, who calls himself a “Yo-kai butler”, neighbourhood, searching through its various
but actually doesn’t know that much about his alleyways and sewers to find new Yo-kai, or even
fellow spirits, and just reads stuff off a tablet. doing naughty things like sneaking out at night
However, the most popular character is Jibanyan, for adventures with your friends.
a red cat that perished after getting hit by a car In the context of the television show, Nate
and has spent the rest of his afterlife training to summons various Yo-kai buddies to help defuse
beat up trucks. As with other monster-collecting situations where others are causing trouble, but in
games, there are evolutions (and even some the context of the games, they’re called on to fight
fusions), with several different variations of in RPG-style battles. The battle system for the first
Jibanyan across the different games, including two games is a little unusual. You can’t directly
Baddinyan (a delinquent), Shogunyan (a samurai), issue commands, and instead the Yo-kai fight of
and Hovernyan (who flies, wears a cape, and talks their own volitions, either attacking, defending,
like a tokusatsu hero). Inspiriting (casting status effects) or Loafing
The Yo-kai differentiate themselves from (wasting a turn). You assign six Yo-kai pals to a ring,
Pokémon not only by talking and having distinct with three in active combat, and three waiting on
personalities, but also, in many cases, by having the sidelines. Since these were originally designed
individual powers. Dismarelda makes people sad, for the 3DS, stylus use is your main system
while her husband Happierre makes them happy. interface, rotating the ring to bring new fighters
Cheeksqueek makes people fart, Fidgephant into, and existing fighters out of, combat. You can
makes people need to use the toilet, and Tattletell choose to have them target specific enemies
610
Yo-kai Watch’s
mascot character is
Jibanyan, a cat spirit
that perishes in a car
accident and spends
his days training so
he might have the
power to take down
a speeding truck.
(or specific parts of large boss monsters), and can In Japan, this was called Yo-kai Watch Busters,
toss them items to heal them or increase their but this was too close to Ghostbusters, of which
Soul meters. it’s a flagrant parody, so the name was changed
When their Soul meter is at max, you can for the international release.
command them to do a Soultimate super-move, Yo-kai Watch 3 was even more ambitious,
executed after performing a random touch screen though it has to confront some localisation issues.
mini-game (pop some bubbles, spin a wheel, and The series obviously takes place in Japan, although
so forth). If one of your characters is Inspirited, the international versions change some names
you can also rotate them out and Purify them to imply that it takes place in the player’s native
in a similar manner. Despite the fact that you territory. In this third game, Nathan moves across
can’t directly control your party members, you’re the ocean to the United States … but since players
still constantly juggling different tasks, so it’s have inferred that he already lived there in earlier
very rarely boring, plus you can fast-forward the entries, the localisers invented a new location:
speed. This was obviously designed for kids too BBQ. This is important because some of the new
young to really understand a turn-based battle Yo-kai in this game are based on American things,
system with lots of text, à la Pokémon. However, like baseball. There’s also a fascination with aliens
collecting new Yo-kai is pretty frustrating, and UFOs, as the game opens with two characters
since it’s entirely random whether they’ll join who are clearly based on Mulder and Scully from
you after a fight. You can toss them food to The X-Files. Meanwhile, Katie is demoted to
increase the odds a bit, but it’s still too much supporting character, while the heroine role is
of a dice roll. filled by a new girl named Hailey Anne, who stays
The first game is pretty basic, with its back home in Springdale and can explore some
story broken up into chapters that send you on new areas, including Sparkopolis, the in-world
various sub-quests, exploring the protagonist’s equivalent to Tokyo’s Akihabara district. The
suburban home of Springdale. It’s a little aimless battle system has also been revamped, so you can
until the end, when an existential threat pops up move your characters around a grid, both to aid in
to be defeated. The second game is a little more attack and defence, and to pick up power-ups.
involving, as the hero must travel to the past to In Japan, the series was extremely popular
meet up with their own grandfather, who could for a few years before burning out, though Level-5
also communicate with Yo-kai. There are plenty continued with a fourth entry, and a port of the
of new areas to explore along with the different first game to the Nintendo Switch. Internationally,
time periods, as well as tons of new Yo-kai and its reception was more varied – in America, the
many other additional features. Like Pokémon, TV show and the game did relatively well, but
this release was initially split up into two versions: the toys were a failure. Level-5 also took their
Fleshy Souls and Bony Spirits, with a third, time localising the games, resulting in long gaps
complete version being released later, subtitled between releases. As such, the series collapsed
Psychic Specters. into a niche after a couple of years. That’s
Yo-kai Watch 2 adds a mini-game called Yo- unfortunate, because while it might not have
kai Watch Blasters, where you run through the the enduring appeal of the big-name series, it’s a
streets as various Yo-kai from your collection. fun, cute, fascinating series, and makes a perfect
This was expanded into a separate game. introduction to RPGs for younger players.
While Yo-kai fight

automatically in
battles, the player is
in charge of rotating
them in and out of
combat, as well as
doing touch screen
challenges to enable
special attacks and
to keep them healthy.
611
612
Miscellaneous
RPGs
We’re finally near the end of this book, but it’s quality, as they typically just borrow established
not quite over yet! This final section has a handful design trends in the most straightforward manner
of other RPGs that we couldn’t quite fit in possible, and use that as an excuse to stick in
anywhere else. naked women. However, it is worth examining
First off, we’re looking at a handful of some of the more prolific series, as well as some
MMORPGs. Like the computer RPG genre of the unlicensed games that ended up on 8- and
in general, this type of game began in North 16-bit consoles.
America, with entries like Ultima Online and Following that is a brief look at some sports
EverQuest, but Japanese developers created and racing-themed RPGs, and a few other offbeat
their own offshoots, and all of those featured titles that don’t fall into established categories.
here are extensions of existing properties. Some of these aren’t really RPGs, but rather games
They also provide a good contrast to World of in other genres that incorporate RPG-style modes,
Warcraft, the other big Western-developed and it’s interesting to see how these blend in with
MMORPG, which is still being played today. Note the underlying format.
that there have been many other MMOs based After that we’ll look at some Western-
on Japanese properties, including fairly famous developed JRPGs. Right at the start, we established
ones like Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine, as well that “JRPG” is a genre descriptor, rather than only
as lesser known ones like Grandia Online and being applicable if an RPG comes from Japan.
Sorcerian Online. However, due to the transient And of course, as these games started seeing
nature of these games, they were typically only in more popularity in the West, there were Western
service for a handful of years, and are no longer developers that sought to emulate them. Not all
functioning. They also tended to be exclusive to of these were successful experiments, but they’re
Asian territories. interesting too.
Next up there’s a small selection of adult- Finally, we’re finishing off with two games
themed RPGs. This type of game isn’t as well- that deconstruct JRPG tropes, Undertale and
documented as others, primarily because they Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, both of which were
were largely restricted to home computers. From a made by folks that not only had deep love for
more general perspective, they also aren’t the best JRPGs, but also knew how poke fun at them.
While modern
MMORPGs originated
in North America,
the Japanese created
a number of them
as well, often based
on other well-known
JRPG properties.
613
Phantasy Star Online (series)
Developer: SEGA | Released: 2000 | Platform(s): DC, GC, XB, WIN, PSP, DS, PSV
Of the SEGA Dreamcast’s many innovations, none

proved quite as influential as its online capabilities.
Yuji Naka and Sonic Team leveraged the popular
JRPG series Phantasy Star to break new ground
with the first ever online console RPG, Phantasy
Star Online (PSO). The new title eschewed the
turn-based combat of prior entries, opting for
action combat with an emphasis on loot, to stand
toe-to-toe with Western RPG juggernaut Diablo.
PSO ’s story unusually for the series, is not the
main focus; instead players are encouraged to dive
in and play with others online. Each takes the role
of an adventurer aboard the refugee ship Pioneer
2, escaping from their doomed home planet. Upon
arrival at their new home, Ragol, an explosion on its full potential with a group. When playing The Dreamcast
the surface forces the crew of Pioneer 2 down to the online, up to four players can share an instanced had a built-in
surface to investigate. The players hack and slash hub world in Pioneer 2, where they can interact modem, a first
through four unique environments, defeating via text, emoticons, or pre-generated phrases. in a mainstream
monsters, collecting loot, and unravelling the Ragol is divided into four areas for exploration, console, and
mysteries of the planet, ultimately leading to a unlocked in sequence, with each offering a brand Phantasy Star
clash with a version of series antagonist Dark Falz. new environment and new enemy types, along Online was one
That story quickly takes a backseat to the with tempting loot, giving new players a sense of of its killer apps.
brand new gameplay. Upon starting a new game, discovery throughout their first playthrough.
the player is prompted to create a character, Descending to the planet and battling
a series first. While the classes are new, the races through these areas comprises the majority of the
and archetypes they represent will be familiar to game. Physical combat consists of light and heavy
series veterans. Three class types (Hunter, Ranger, attacks, but rather than just mashing buttons,
and Force) represent mêlée, ranged combat, and each attack requires rhythmic button presses to
magical experts. Each type is further divided by execute basic combos. As the rhythm changes for
race and gender, with three combinations available each weapon type, learning to use your weapon
for each class type. Full customisation options becomes key. Spell-like techniques, items, and
allow players to personalise their characters to an traps add more variety.
impressive degree for the era, from basic hair and All available actions can be used via the
colour options to a cross slider allowing for a huge action palette, six configurable buttons that can be
variety of body types. mapped to any action in the game. This innovation
After creating a character, players can grants ample customisation for most classes,
play offline or online. While the game can be though the sheer number of techniques available
completed offline by a single player, it only reaches to Forces often renders the palette inadequate.
614
Outside of the action palette are the game’s and did battle in both story mode and online Alas, the
ultimate attacks, Photon Blasts, granted by another competition. While this was an unexpected move, Dreamcast died
series staple: MAGs. While a MAG starts as a small, it was well received and offered a unique spin on a fairly quick
innocuous device floating behind your character the world fans had grown to love. death, but SEGA
and offering a minor stat boost, these virtual pets A full Windows port of Episode 1 & 2 came in supported the
can be fed consumable items that boost their core 2004, as Phantasy Star Online: Blue Burst, which series across
stats. Depending on which stat the player chooses also included a new Episode 4, moving the game many consoles.
to focus on, the MAG can evolve along different online-only to mitigate rampant item duplication
paths through a branching tree of MAG evolution. problems. The last official servers for Phantasy
Researching the evolution tree and feeding your Star Online lasted until 2010, and dedicated fans
MAG appropriately becomes a significant part maintain private servers to this day.
of build planning when creating new characters. In 2007, SEGA aimed to revamp the PSO
This made PSO online in more ways than one, with series with a follow-up on PC, PS2, and Xbox
research outside the game becoming essential to 360: Phantasy Star Universe. Unlike PSO, the
making it through the hardest content. game featured a fully-realised single-player story,
Characters can level up with experience attempting to cater to both new and returning
earned by defeating enemies, but the real core of fans. While it sold well enough to produce an
progression echoes the game’s primary inspiration, expansion and several PlayStation Portable
Diablo: acquiring loot. New weapons and armour spinoffs, the core gameplay felt dated, with the rote
are dropped by enemies, with bosses dropping story doing little to elevate the rest of the game.
some of the rarest and most coveted weapons in Another revamp came in 2008, called Phantasy
the game. Higher difficulties yield scarcer rewards, Star 0, for the Nintendo DS, with a more cartoony
incentivising gamers to replay the game to collect look and a stronger focus on story. The game did
higher tiers of equipment. This loop, once released, an admirable job of adapting the scope of PSO to
provided a long-term hook for players. the smaller system, but the scale-down came at
This recipe proved incredibly popular with the cost of a crowded UI and smaller combat areas.
players, offering many their first taste of online Phantasy Star Online 2, a fully-fledged
gaming. After the discontinuation of the Dreamcast sequel to Phantasy Star Online, was released in
in 2001, PSO continued in Phantasy Star Online: Japan in 2012, offered an experience more akin
Ver. 2 for Windows, adding new content alongside to a full MMORPG while maintaining the action
a paid subscription. The console version got a new core of the series. The game would flourish across
lease of life on the Nintendo GameCube, and later a number of systems in Japan before localisation
Microsoft Xbox, as Phantasy Star Online: Episode into English in 2020 for the Xbox One and
1 & 2. In addition to a new chapter that acts as a Windows. PSO2 would inspire spinoff Phantasy
full sequel to the original game, the GameCube Star Nova for the PlayStation Vita in 2014, putting a
version added improved graphics, new classes, and Monster Hunter spin on Phantasy Star Online 2 ’s
an offline split screen, allowing players without world. While Nova was successful in Japan,
an internet connection to play through the game it never saw a Western release.
with friends. The new content was popular with Phantasy Star Online remains a landmark
existing fans, with offline multiplayer offering title in both online gaming and RPGs. Not only did
a new way to play for those who missed out it offer an early example of a classic JRPG franchise
on the online action. completely overhauling its core gameplay into
Another sequel followed just a year later, something entirely new, a move that would later
with a significant change: Phantasy Star Online be seen in hit titles like Final Fantasy XI and
Episode III: CARD Revolution replaced the Dragon Quest X, it acted as a gateway to the online
dungeon-delving RPG elements of the original gaming world for countless gamers. PSO remains
game with a turn-based tactical RPG based around the original blueprint for the modern co-op JRPG.
card battles. Players built custom decks made up While the main series lies dormant, Phantasy Star
of classic PSO monsters, items, and techniques, Online continues on.
615
Final Fantasy XI
Developer: Square | Released: 2002 | Platform(s): PS2, X360, WIN
The turn of the century is an arbitrary point

in time, but oddly one that feels, in retrospect,
like a great change in the world. It was certainly
palpable in the video gaming world, all thanks
to the mid-’90s PlayStation- and N64-led push
towards 3D graphics and gameplay. On top of this,
we see an incredibly large expansion in storage
medium space. The rise of CDs ended the era of
multiple floppies; a few years on, game worlds
had ballooned onto multiple CDs. Then DVDs
came along, and almost as soon as those became
mainstream, games started using multiple DVDs. Final Fantasy XI is an almost impossibly Final Fantasy XI
In short, graphics were getting better and games huge game to understand. So, to even begin has seen various
were getting larger. All the while, a third dimension grasping at it, it might be best to understand how expansions since
was expanding: the internet. Final Fantasy XI relates to Final Fantasy. At this its initial release,
Square found themselves riding this wave. time of turmoil for Square, Final Fantasy started including Chains
They were pushing graphics technology farther getting really introspective, something it still of Promathia,
and farther. They were even on the cusp of proudly continues to this day. For example, Final and Treasures
releasing an entirely computer-generated movie, Fantasy IX was created as a great big love letter to of Aht Urhgan.
that they had sunk a company-ruining amount of the 8- and 16-bit games. XI, on the other hand, goes
money into. It was this drive for innovation that for a far more subtle approach. Every Final Fantasy
made Square take one of their weirder bends, into has Chocobos, Moogles, and a handful of similar
online gaming, with Final Fantasy XI Online. monsters. Final Fantasy XI ’s biggest connection
MMORPGs had become popular in the to its predecessors, however is its Job system. All
’90s, primarily through American PC games like of the Jobs it uses are taken from previous games,
Ultima Online and EverQuest. SEGA was at the except the Puppet Master.
forefront of online connectivity with Phantasy The game takes place in the world of
Star Online, though that had more common Vana’diel. Aesthetically, it is quite different from
with the dungeon crawler Diablo. Consequently, any Final Fantasy that came before (or after) it.
when Square released Final Fantasy XI, it was The PlayStation era of the series embraced the
also competing directly against those more fancy, modern look, similar to anime and manga,
ambitious titles. The game was first released on but that most definitely does not apply to Final
the PlayStation 2, easily the most popular console Fantasy XI. The elves, Elvaan, are certainly not
in Japan at the time, although ill-equipped for long-haired beautiful people, but instead they
such a game out of the gate; players had to buy are weird, strong-faced, giraffe-necked folk.
a network adapter and a hard drive. FFXI was not The cat people, Mithra, now resemble humans
platform-exclusive though, and appeared on both with cat-like features. This means that characters
the Xbox 360 and PCs. are far less outlandish-looking than in other series
616
Final Fantasy XI
has continued
on for nearly two
decades, though it
obviously looks a
bit dated nowadays.
entries. Also, visually speaking, the colours seem

far more subdued. It certainly feels more like a
Western game than a Japanese one.
Of course, what ties the game back to Final
Fantasy is the gameplay. Any series fan might
think that’s quite the claim, as Final Fantasy
gameplay is a tricky thing to nail down. However,
Final Fantasy XI is trying to emulate the classic
titles, specifically the first and third games for the
NES/Famicom. For example, your initial Job is
chosen from one of Warrior, Thief, Monk, White Now, the trick here is that the penalty for
Mage, Black Mage, and Red Mage. Which, if you’re dying is steep. Combat can be skill-intensive,
one of those aforementioned fans, you’ll recall as which means if you die in a group, a whole mess
the starting Jobs in the very first Final Fantasy. of people are going to die, and they are going to
This is to invoke the feeling of that game, in taking lose EXP. This makes the game pretty unforgiving,
a party to go explore and dig around a dungeon, though par for the course in an MMO. Ultimately,
then find some treasure, or kill some big monster, it was the reason games like World of Warcraft,
at the end. What makes it an online game is that which softened these mechanics, became far
rather than controlling a party of heroes, you more popular.
control one member of that party, and you have What it also did was remain up and playable
to gather and shape your own Heroes of Light. for nearly 20 years, because while other games
This, plus the trademark Job changes, laid the began to soften up in the shadow of World of
foundation for something distinctly Final Fantasy, Warcraft, Final Fantasy XI stuck to its guns.
but also quite unique. The game is still cryptic, requiring a lot of careful
As an MMO, FFXI retains its menu-based reading of quests. Even figuring out how to
combat. Your spells and your attacks all are unlock advanced Jobs involves exploration and
performed via this menu. If you’re not familiar obscure methods. EXP loss, while reduced, is still
with MMOs, then you might not be familiar with there. And you still need party members, though
the term “cool-down”. This is the lapse of time you can get AI ones. Surrounded by games that
before you can reuse an ability. Every action draws followed in World of Warcraft’s footsteps, this
from one of several meters, and a far smaller cool- game continued to cater to those who preferred
down timer. Juggling the meters and timer can difficult, cryptic MMOs; this, given that MMOs are
add to an already skill-intensive game. This is on very costly to make, ensured that it retained some
top of the idea that monsters are tough. RPGs market share. Even though it has a sequel, Final
usually have a discrepancy between monster Fantasy XIV.
and player character damage, so the challenge What’s more, though it was a big deal in
is marathoning strings of fights, and lasting. the West, it was a huge deal in Japan. The game’s
However in FFXI, each monster is as capable single-player follow-up, Final Fantasy XII, moved to
of killing you as you are of killing it. This gets a more MMO-style battle system, a strange hybrid
amplified if you are playing a Mage, as regular of this game and its successor, Final Fantasy XIV.
attacks from a monster will do more damage to Also, the .hack series of video games was clearly
you than you will to him. This means you need to inspired by Final Fantasy XI, notably referencing
group up just to have a chance. the FFXI PlayOnline client within the game.
617
Dragon Quest X
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2012 | Platform(s): WII, WIIU, WIN, 3DS, PS4, NSW
The announcement of Dragon Quest X in 2011 as

an online RPG for the Nintendo Wii made waves.
Local papers referred to “Dragon Quest Shock”
as both Sony’s and Square Enix’s stock prices
plummeted because of decisions that on their
surface seemed confounding.
But series creator Yuji Horii and the
DQ production staff were playing by the same rules
they always had. At that time the Wii was the best-
selling home console in Japan and, in time-honoured
tradition, the next main Dragon Quest ended up on in a console-friendly and approachable package. The Dragon Quest
the system that gave the most people an opportunity This tried and true method was the template for series has seen highs
to play it. That Dragon Quest X was to be an Dragon Quest X ’s development as well. and lows outside of
MMO was surprising, but not entirely unexpected. When you start Dragon Quest X you are Japan, but Square-
Rumours about the next game featuring online presented with the same Create a Goku character Enix must have felt
elements had been circulating for a long time on customisation system as in Dragon Quest IX. that this online entry
2channel and other Japanese message boards. Players begin by creating a pair of siblings. The probably wouldn’t
Horii had expressed interest in creating a proportions of characters and the breadth of compete in the
game in which human players would stand in for the world in DQX are closer to the home console West against Final
NPCs in interviews going back to 1987. Factor in experience of Dragon Quest VIII than the shrunk- Fantasy XI.
the success of Dragon Quest IX ’s social elements, down world of DQIX.
and this new direction begins to look less like a There is then a short prologue that covers the
curve ball and more like an inevitability. basics of exploration and combat. This section of
It’s the Dragon Quest way – little changes the game is a solo affair, letting players take things
implemented over time that keep the series feeling at their own pace. By the end of the prologue a
like it always has. Even if the scope and mechanics scythe-wielding demon named Nelgel has burned
of each game are greater than it’s predecessor’s, your hometown to ashes, left you for dead, and
that’s not how they feel. Player comfort is a major spirited your sister away to another world. The
factor in the continuing success of the series. player’s soul is not willing to give up without a
If you have played one Dragon Quest you can play fight, so you are given the option of reincarnation
any Dragon Quest. as a member of one of six tribes of monsters.
How then do you make an inherently complex The player thus has the choice of coming
genre like the MMORPG accessible to anyone? This back as an Ogre, an Elf, a Fairy, a Dwarf, a Wedi,
was not unlike the challenge faced in developing or a Pukulipo. Some of those creatures are self-
the first Dragon Quest for the Famicom. For DQ1, explanatory, being staples of fantasy worlds. Wedis
Horii took inspiration from complicated CRPGs and Pukulipoes not so much … For reference,
like Wizardry and Ultima, and worked to make Wedis are merpeople and Pukulipos are little
something that reproduced the fun of these games cat-like creatures. Akira Toriyama brings his own
618
Dragon Quest X is
playable on many
platforms, including
on your web browser
or phone, via an
HTML5 version.
design sensibility to the look of each race: they all Area of Effect spells away from healers and other
have appealing elements. Whether you like your magic users in the player’s party.
monsters cute or fearsome, there’s something Players can see other human-controlled
here for you! The choice of character is mainly characters in combat and even offer an
aesthetic, though stats do vary a little between encouraging cheer that raises tension in battle.
races. The character design uses silhouetting well It’s not uncommon to see a sea of “Thank You”
to convey this. For example, Ogres are big and burly speech bubbles on the overworld after players
and are therefore suited to warrior-type classes. cheer each other on during encounters.
Dwarves work better as martial artists, Wedis Another major priority for the development
make good thieves, and so on. Really, though, team was making sure that people could play
any combination of class and race will do. This is through the game on their own if they wanted
Dragon Quest after all; friendly and approachable to. Solo adventurers can hire other people’s
is the order of the day. characters from bars in towns and cities.
To that end, not much has changed in terms The AI is as good as it’s ever been and can bring
of player control and interaction. However, Dragon you through every encounter in the game.
Quest X was designed to be played with a controller, The offline player’s character even gets to keep the
and not a mouse and keyboard, although players EXP and gold earned while they were hired out.
can use a keyboard for typing. When the game It’s a win/win situation for all involved.
came to Windows PCs it did not feature a hotbar, In August 2020, Dragon Quest X entered its
unlike other MMOs. Moreover, there are various eighth year of service. Word is that the developers
systems in place to encourage players not to planned for at least ten years of updates. So far, the
dedicate their lives to the game. Time spent logged game has had five expansion packs and has seen
out of DQX contributes to EXP and gold bonuses ports to several platforms, including Microsoft
that mean that the player can always make some Windows, PlayStation 4, Nintendo Wii U, 3DS, and
meaningful progress when they next log in. Switch. There is even an HTML5 version of the
There is also “Kid’s Time”, a couple of free hours game that’s playable on your phone or computer’s
each day that do not require a paid subscription. web browser!
As such, the usual MMO barriers are removed. Players who had stuck it out with the Wii
A new player, young or old, can play comfortably. version of the game were given upgrades to the
The main goal is to regain your human Switch port following the closure of the Wii
form, save your sister and defeat Nelgel. To do servers. And though the Wii version of the game
this you have to collect several Key Emblems from was lost, the game gained some graphics fidelity
around the world. Each Tribe has two major cities in the changeover; until a couple of years ago
associated with it; in these cities you’ll find the characters lacked individually modelled fingers.
usual DQ story vignettes, with a Key Emblem as Although there has been much interest and
a reward. Stories in Dragon Quest X 1.0 involve petition-writing it seems unlikely that Dragon
a possessed king, a disgraced circus performer, Quest X will ever be released outside of Japan. The
a lizard that turns people into dolls, and many other localisation effort alone would be a gargantuan
fun scenarios full of that special mix of charm, undertaking. For a long time, the game implemented
wit and tragedy that characterises the series. a region lock for Western players. The lock was
The game world of Astoltia is large and recently lifted for American and Chinese IP addresses
full of variety, monsters are appropriate to their but is still active in Europe, where other workarounds
surroundings, and they all have new idle animations are needed to connect to Dragon Quest X’s servers.
that give them even more personality. A standout At first, the very idea of Dragon Quest X
is the Slime Knight, which pets and plays with its seemed antithetical to the RPG traditionalism
slimy steed when out of battle. When you run into normally associated with the series, but in practice
an enemy, you get the familiar battle swirl effect the game is as true an entry as any other in the series.
and a first-person view of the monster before the Dragon Quest has always been a social experience
fight begins. Battles are menu-driven, a mix of of sorts, lining up on launch day, swapping hints
active and turn-based combat that allows the player and strategies with classmates and co-workers.
to move around between selecting commands. As Japan’s “National Game”, it always brought its
A new element comes with the player’s Weight intrepid adventurers together in the real world.
stat: heavier characters can push enemies around With Dragon Quest X, Square Enix and Yuji Horii
the battlefield. This is primarily used for moving brought generations of fans together online as well.
619
Final Fantasy XIV
Developer: Square Enix | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): PS4, WIN
“I close my eyes, tell us why we must suffer. Release

your hands, for your will drags us under.” These
opening lines to the game’s main theme were
also the words of many in September 2010, upon
the release of one of the most mistake-ridden
games ever. Amid tremendous outcry about its
terrible quality and questions about what were
they thinking, the decision was made to rebuild
the game from the ground up. Condensing five
years’ worth of developmental effort into half that
period, while concurrently making content for up with player accessibility in mind, providing a The initial release of
the current product, the servers were shut off in large degree of information for newcomers to the Final Fantasy XIV was
November 2012, marking the End of an Era, known MMO medium as well as having full controller a disaster, but with a
in-game as the Calamity. At the end of the tunnel, support that works very well for both console and substantial amount
in August 2013, was the unveiling of this real- PC players. of effort, Square Enix
world Cinderella in her ball-gown, Final Fantasy An interesting thing to observe is that the was able to remake it
XIV, or FFXIV. developers don’t seem happy to let old content into an outstanding
FFXIV is a subscription-based MMORPG remain irrelevant. The use of the Roulette system product that’s worth
taking place in the world of Hydaelyn, primarily incentivises players new and old alike to replay it even for those who
within the continent of Eorzea. In the real-time dungeons, boss fights known as Trials, and raids, don’t normally play
combat, enemies are targetted by the player, who to level up quickly and obtain useful resources, MMORPGs.
then performs Actions to damage foes, heal allies, ensuring that all of the game’s various instances
and control the situation. Of note is FFXIV’s are always ready to be populated should a new
effective use of positional tells to inform the player player need to run a dungeon they just unlocked.
of upcoming damaging areas and mechanics. The developers make a point of revamping content
Mobility is of great importance, and the game seen by the community as outdated or not worth
knows it, to such a degree that the ability to move doing, taking into account the feedback received.
is tied into the narrative, acting as one of the There are regular updates to add, adjust, and
many bridges between gameplay and story. At the streamline various user functions and content,
time of writing, there are 17 combat classes, eight showing that the community’s concerns are heard.
crafting classes, three gathering classes, and one The visuals of the game were staggeringly
extra-content class, providing a very wide array of pretty on release; these days the game still looks
interests to choose from and enjoy. Unlike many good, due to its stylisation and careful artistic
games of its kind, FFXIV does not restrict each direction, with effective use of colour, ambient
character to a single class, instead allowing the lighting, and atmospheric effects. There are
player to switch to any other they’ve unlocked at eight playable races and thousands of pieces of
any time, except during combat, an instance, or a equipment and cosmetic items to ensure your
cutscene. The game was designed from the ground characters can stand out.
620
Pictured left are
some of the different
outfits your can
dress your characters
in. The visual style is
quite different from
that of both Final
Fantasy XI and other
Final Fantasy games.
The score of FFXIV is immense, totalling over tribes, helping them secure their place among the
100 distinct tracks at its relaunch, and adding many nations, thereby mitigating their fears of colonial
more since, via expansions. The musical library of oppression by the superpowers. This is just one
the game is a plethora of original compositions of the various ways that the writing ties back to
and arrangements from previous entries, ranging itself and creates a sense that the world is coherent
across a wide selection of styles, with an emphasis and vital, and that your actions actively change the
on the orchestral. The majority of this effort was socio-political landscape.
made by Masayoshi Soken, though the Final The launch of Final Fantasy XIV is nearly
Fantasy veteran Nobuo Uematsu had a significant legendary at this point, generating almost
role in the original release of the game, including universally negative critical and user responses;
the composition of its main theme, “Answers”. these reached such heights that the president
One of Final Fantasy XIV’s greatest attributes of Square Enix issued a formal apology and
is the quality of its writing. Along the way the suspended subscription fees. Similarly legendary
player will encounter many, many NPCs of varying is the effort put into revitalising the game, turning
backgrounds and cultures. From major characters it from one of the worst large-scale failures in
to ancillary extras, there’s always something to the industry to one of the most inspiring stories
take away from a situation, whatever the broader of success – indeed, it went on to effectively
context of the moment. Even some of the most save the company. Producer Naoki Yoshida was
minor, seemingly insignificant characters can the linch-pin of the entire revival, planning out
come back later on and become narrative focal and executing an unprecedented undertaking,
points, remembering who you are and what you’ve in terms of both tightness of time-frame and
done. One of the earliest conflicts the player will immensity of scale, which had also to restore the
engage in is with the Primals, ideals of gods put user-base’s respect. The commercial results are
forth by fervent belief, which are summoned by evident: the game has had three major expansions
the Beast Tribes across the Eorzean continent. – Heavensward, Stormblood, and Shadowbringers
Superficially, this could be written off as “here’s – and boasts a player base exceeding 18 million
a bad thing for you to fight”; however, the game active subscribers. More significantly, all this
dissects the matter, pointing out that the various demonstrates the importance of transparency,
tribes resort to this as a desperate form of defence and of communication with the user base. Yoshida
against the geographical and cultural expansions has also made a case for reducing time pressure
of the various city-states. It goes so far as to offer during development, as not only unnecessary,
content allowing the player to work with the but actively detrimental to a game.
621
Rance (series)
Developer: AliceSoft | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, FMT, X68, WIN
In Japan’s long and illustrious history of adult

video games, none has stood the test of time
as well as AliceSoft’s decades-long adventure
Rance, the story of the titular character and
his quest for booty, and we’re not talking about
long lost treasures here. Rance’s fundamental
character stands in stark contrast to those found
in contemporary JRPGs. As graphics and sound
improved during the ’80s, most RPGs continued
to rely on the heroics of typical warriors, whereas
Rance completely embraces his debauchery, and is
wholly motivated by his sense of lust and lack of
moral backbone.
The first in the series, Rance: Hikari o With Kichikuou Rance, the gameplay The Rance games
Motomete, introduces the anti-hero Rance and his switches to SRPG-style, à la Fire Emblem, have been regarded
slave-girl companion Sill, who are hired to find the allowing for an even wider roster of characters. as being some of
daughter of a rich family. It follows the interactive Rance, now a king, has to contend with the the best adult RPGs
adventure game model built up by Alicesoft’s earlier emerging forces of various lands in the kingdom, out there, though
games, like Little Vampire, disguising role-playing as well as Sill growing disillusioned with him. your enjoyment
gameplay within what is ostensibly an adventure This game features an incredibly rich cast, will most likely
game model; actions are performed entirely by a surprisingly deep strategy system and a new, more hinge on how much
means of selection from menus. This was also true balanced story, inheriting plenty of lewd humour toleration you have
of the next game in the series, Rance II: Hangyaku from its predecessors, but also introducing many for the eponymous
no Shoujotachi, which elevates the game’s graphical darker, more harrowing plot elements. protagonist.
fidelity. In the third entry, Rance III: Leazas Rance then began to follow two timelines:
Kanraku, a new, top-down dungeon mechanic was Kichikuou Rance and the new mainline story
implemented, bringing the gameplay closer to that introduced in 2002; and Rance 5D: Hitoribocchi
of games like Ultima. It was the fourth game in the no Onna no Ko, which takes him back to seeking
series in which the world and lore of Rance truly dungeons and fair maidens. The series has kept
came into their own, showcasing some of the finest going strong since, with around ten additional
sprite and tilework seen on PC-98 hardware, and entries to the series, including continuations,
requiring two additional entries to tell more of the spinoffs, and yet another take on the strategy
story presented in the game, Rance 4.1: O Kusuri genre – Sengoku Rance, themed around the
Koujou o Sukue and Rance 4.2: Angel-gumi; these warring-states era of Japan. Despite enjoying
also allowed for ”what if” scenarios and other non- most of its success in Japan, the series has gained
canonical events. From here on, however, Rance a growing fanbase overseas, following both
would take a major departure and introduce an fan translations and publisher MangaGamer’s
all-new type of play. localisation of the series.
622
Toushin Toshi (series)
Developer: AliceSoft | Released: 1990 | Platform(s): PC98, X68, WIN, 3DS
Toushin Toshi (“War God City”), takes place in

the world of The Continent, where a tournament
of the Gods is held annually in Toushin City. In
order to prepare for the challenge, warriors in the
city of divine combat turn to dungeons to train
themselves. Throughout the game, played via the
familiar mix of illustrations and text for its story
progression and top-down tile-based dungeon
crawling, players must manoeuvre through the
maze dungeons and take on monsters of all kinds,
including the ever-important female monsters,
which can be captured. Central to the rules of the
Toushin Toshi, and as is natural in a game focused
on a more mature market, each warrior must be gaiden adventure Toushin Toshi: Soshite Toushin Toshi II is
accompanied by a woman of beauty and brilliance. Sorekara, the next instalment in the series, one of the very few
In the tournament, the winner is permitted to take Toushin Toshi III, would not appear for another old-school computer
the losing party’s female companion to replace 15 years. Despite its use of familiar gameplay RPGs to be revived
their own, and sinfully indulge in activities best mechanics and fairly high-quality artistry in the with a relatively
not put in print. character designs, the game was ultimately a modern 3DS port.
While taking a different direction from pale imitation of Toushin Toshi II despite being a
the delinquency of Rance, Toushin Toshi still decade later; in particular the 3D models for the
employs a fair amount of humour and absurdity brand-new fight system were very low-budget.
to tell its story. While sharing the world with Toushin Toshi would, however, not be forgotten,
Rance, Toushin Toshi differs from its sibling despite this unfortunate setback.
game in that each game is quite separate, not Toushin Toshi II was remade for the
interconnected, as Rance is, even within its own Nintendo 3DS in 2014, but Imageepoch ditched
lore, though Rance himself can be found if you the roman number and added the subtitle
look in the right places. This series also enjoyed a Girls Gift RPG. Obviously, many changes were
long string of sequels over the following decades, required to obtain a CERO D (16+) rating. Much
which solidified it as a premier adult action of the game uses 3D visuals with revised 2D
adventure, and it’s often cited as a fan favourite. artwork for characters. The battles in particular
With Toushin Toshi II, AliceSoft afforded itself are more properly paced, and make use of a
more development time than ever before, and a brand-new battle system that employs more
much larger scope than usually given to games in characters at a time. The women were also
this sub-genre. It might just be AliceSoft’s finest given more individual powers and features, to
game of all time. make them more active participants. The game
Despite the success of Toushin Toshi II, was well received, and became AliceSoft’s only
which was soon followed by the visual novel Nintendo game.
623
Dragon Knight (series)
Developer: Elf | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): PC88, PC98, X68, MSX2, IBM, PCE, SFC, WIN
Among the publishers of adult computer games

in the ’90s, Elf was one of the best-regarded.
In addition to adventure games like YU-NO and Eve
Burst Error, it also created the RPG series Dragon
Knight. This begins by focusing on a knight
named Takeru, who is tasked with saving the land
of Strawberry Fields, by exploring the Goddess
Tower and rescuing the kidnapped knights of the
kingdom. The first game is presented as a first-
person dungeon crawler, but it’s all rather simple,
as you just play as Takeru, and there are only
six floors. Most of the characters, including the
kidnapped knights, are female, they are naturally
in various states of undress for their rescues. even adds in some absolutely atrocious (and Dragon Knight
The sequel is a little more ambitious, hilarious) spoken dialogue. The retailed version of is one of the very
giving Takeru two companions for his dungeon this cuts out the nudity (dubbed R-13 on the box) few games of this
explorations. In this game, the women of the but can be uncensored with a patch. type to have been
kingdom have been cursed to become monsters, The fourth game in the series ditches Takeru released in English,
and you need the spellbook to save them. As such, all as the protagonist and moves things forward a with the third game
of the enemies are female versions of assorted RPG generation, so you control his offspring. The genre ported to DOS and
enemy archetypes. Once they’ve been rescued, they has changed yet again, this time to an SRPG that released as Knights
also pay you night-time visits as a sign of gratitude. heavily resembles games like Langrisser, though of Xentar, though it
Though the dungeon-crawling and battle scenes you can still walk around towns, as in Shining was heavily altered.
are simple, the illustrations are quite excellent, Force. The art style has changed as well, though
showing off how the artists could create attractive generally for the better. After three RPGs that
designs with merely eight colours in the palette. were really kind of simple and tedious, relying
Dragon Knight III changes things up, being heavily on their pretty girls, Dragon Knight IV is a
a more traditional console-style RPG, complete legitimately great strategy game that stands pretty
with an overhead perspective. This time, Takeru well on its own. An anime OVA version was also
has been robbed of all of his equipment, and his released, and localised into English.
journey to get it back causes him to learn about his Most of the games in the series saw releases
own history. The battles are presented from a side- on console platforms, though these toned down
on perspective, and mostly played automatically, (or removed) the sex and nudity. Some versions
with super-deformed characters duking it out, also tweaked the game systems, like the PC Engine
though you can switch up their commands. port of the original Dragon Knight, which let
This game was actually localised into English as some of the kidnapped knights fight with you, and
Knights of Xentar, complete with a drastically the Dragon Knight III port, which switched to a
rewritten, incredibly goofy script. The CD version more traditional turn-based battle system.
624
Words Worth
Developer: Elf | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): PC98, X68, FMT, WIN
Elf’s Dragon Knight series went through some

transitions between entries, eventually morphing
into a strategy RPG. Meanwhile, one of its
other RPGs, Words Worth, kept to its dungeon-
crawling roots, though it takes place in a different
world and has different characters. In it, the world
is divided up into two tribes: the Tribes of Light,
consisting of humans who live on the surface,
and the Tribes of Shadow, consisting of humans,
demi-humans, and assorted monsters that live
underground. Their worlds are separated by
the eponymous Words Worth tablet, which has
been destroyed by unknown forces, setting off
a generations-long war between the clans. You
control Astral, prince of the Tribe of Shadows, However, despite the emphasis on action, it’s still The revised
who sets off to hone his skills. a fairly straightforward game, focusing mostly on character designs
The original IBM PC version plays somewhat exploration and grinding, with the occasional story in the Windows
similarly to the first Dragon Knight, in that you or sex scene. The characters have been completely port of Words Worth
only control a single character, and the turn-based redesigned, using an entirely different art style that are an improvement,
combat consists of simple things like attacking is a marked improvement over the original. Nina, though the low-
and healing. The scenario is more involved though, for example, looked a little too much like Lum budget 3D visuals
with a variety of heroines, including Sharon, from Urusei Yatsura, with her leopard-print bikini are laughable,
the strong swordswoman and childhood friend; and horns, whereas here she’s more of a catgirl, even for the time.
Nina, a catgirl who runs one of the shops; Delta, with red hair and purple fur. They also look less
a succubus; and Mew, a sorceress. There are wide-eyed and cutesy, and the more mature look
multiple endings whereby you can end up with better fits the dark fantasy style. The story has also
various girls, though you’re only given the choice been drastically altered, plus there’s an animated
right at the end. The game is divided into halves, as intro and quite a bit of voice acting. In general, this
there’s a time skip halfway through, in which Astral is considered to be the superior version.
loses his memory and must rediscover his purpose. Words Worth never had quite the legacy
The Windows 95 remake, released in 1998, of Dragon Knight, as the title never got ported
is a drastic overhaul. It’s believed that this is outside of home computers, and never quite
a reworked version of a Saturn remake of the got beyond being a fairly simple RPG designed
original Dragon Knight, which was cancelled, in service of a story (and for the pornography,
after SEGA excluded 18+ software from the system of course). But as far as adult fantasy goes, its
in 1997. In this version, the dungeons are fully character designs are memorable, and it did
3D, and the combat is real-time, so it plays more receive an adult anime OVA series, which was
like Dungeon Master than the original game. released internationally.
625
Bodycon Quest I
Developer: Hacker International | Released: 1987 | Platform(s): FDS
Hacker International, which also operated under

names like Super Pig and Indies Soft, was a fairly
prolific developer of unlicensed games, many of
them pornographic in nature. It got its start on
the Famicom Disk System, due to the ease with
which disks could be copied and distributed. Their
most ambitious title on the platform was Bodycon
Quest I: Abakareshi Musume Tachi (“The Revealed
Girls”). The title works on a few levels: the game
involves pretty girls, and the literal conquest of
bodies; the subtitle is a parody of Dragon Quest IV
(Michibikareshi Monotachi, “The Guided Ones”);
and it’s a reference to the figure-hugging bodycon
outfits that were popular in the late ’80s. princesses, who are more than happy to reveal The quality of
The game begins when the hero turns 14, the unusual birthmarks on various parts of their the game may
and he sets off on an adventure to figure out why unclothed bodies. be middling, but
babies have stopped being born. Even though the It looks and feels a little cheap, especially the packaging of
visuals are obviously rip-offs of Dragon Quest, the since it uses screen flipping rather than smooth Bodycon Quest I is
game plays much more like Ys, as foes are visible scrolling. However, a remarkable amount of work better than that of
on the battlefield and you ram into them to attack. was put into the packaging, which resembles a most official releases.
Eventually, you get magic spells, so you can shoot VHS tape case. The game also comes on two disks,
projectiles too. Much of the game simply involves making it larger than most official releases on the
wandering around and grinding up levels, though Famicom Disk System. As to be expected, it’s also
it’s also fairly easy. You eventually rescue a few quite a pricey collector’s item.
Bodycon Quest II
Developer: Hacker International | Released: 1993 | Platform(s): PCE
Hacker International followed up its first game
with a PC Engine sequel. The kingdom of
Dekameron (“Huge Melons”) has been overcome by
a curse, causing widespread impotence, resulting
in a declining birthrate. The hero, born of a virgin
conception and destined to save the kingdom, is
sent off on his 15th birthday on a journey to defeat
the magician Topaz and remove the affliction.
Unlike its predecessor, which looked like
Dragon Quest but was an action game that played
like Ys, this sequel is a pure Dragon Quest clone.
When you hit an random encounter, the “enemy”
is a cutesy girl, usually in some suggestive pose.
Instead of a “fight” command, it reads Insert, names). But as a game, it’s barely above the level of There were plenty
instead of “magic” it reads Technique, and the original Dragon Quest, which was seven years of low-effort adult
includes moves like Lick and Tickle. You’d think old at this point. While you do find three party RPGs that were
the H would represent hit points, but it actually companions, there’s still little to the game beyond just clones of other
means Ecchi (“pervert”) points. When it runs out, grinding. The visuals aren’t even particularly games, with cute
your hero runs out of virility and is returned to the good, and the animation can be pretty choppy. girls in place of
king’s chamber. Some of the comedy is amusing but other parts regular enemies, and
There’s not much actual nudity, so much of are painfully dated or just plain gross (homosexual this is one of them.
the adult content is simply communicated via text, characters afflict your party with diseases).
with silly names for items or special techniques It’s generally amateurish, though that’s expected
(including commercial ones like real energy drink of an unlicensed game.
626
Lady Sword
Developer: Hacker International | Released: 1992 | Platform(s): PCE
Lady Sword is Hacker International’s attempt at

a first-person dungeon crawler. As far as combat
goes, it’s extremely stripped back, compared to
something like Wizardry – fights are one-on-
one, there are no magic or special skills, and
no equipment, items, or gold. There aren’t any
experience points either, though technically your
max stats will increase slightly as you continue
to fight. As there is no home base, or inns of
any kind, you can choose to rest anywhere.
This will max out your health, but there’s also a
chance a powerful monster will attack during
your break. Quite a lot of this game is down to digitised out of a girlie mag, as it doesn’t fit with The disembodied
chance, somewhat mitigated by the fact that you the fantasy theme at all. heads that give you
can save anywhere. With the stat management There technically isn’t any nudity either. instructions make
stripped back, the experience is mostly focused Most of these games (including the company’s Lady Sword feel
on dungeon crawling, and indeed, these mazes other titles) include female enemies in various like the dungeon-
are fairly long and complex. states of undress, but here, the baddies could be crawling equivalent
As far as adult games go, this one is from any old RPG. Probably the weirdest aspect of a Troma movie.
incredibly mild. Each floor has a captured maiden is that these girls’ heads communicate with you
you need to rescue. When you rescue one, you as you explore the dungeon, but their faces are
get an image of a scantily clad woman … but like mangled or grotesque in some way, exposing
Hacker International’s fighting game parody Strip muscles or bone beneath their decaying flesh. It’s
Fighter II, this appears to be a random image far more unsettling than anything.
Hi-Leg Fantasy
Developer: Hacker International | Released: 1994 | Platform(s): PCECD
After ripping off games like Dragon Quest and
Wizardry, Hacker International (now calling itself
Games Express) finally went after Final Fantasy,
with its RPG magnus opus, Hi-Leg Fantasy.
(The title refers, of course, to high-leg women’s
shorts, bikinis, or underwear.) The protagonist
is an adventurer who comes from a Japan-like
kingdom, and is shipwrecked in a land where
coupling between races is forbidden. After being
washed ashore, he teams up with two other
fighters to fight against an evil sorceress and bring
love back to the land.
The visuals and interface are straight out of
Final Fantasy, as is the battle system, and even As you do damage, eventually you rid her of her As adult game clones
the Job system from the fifth entry. Here, though, clothes. They are thirty 30 types and they’re go, Hi-Leg Fantasy
everything is a parody – instead of potions you get actually fairly well illustrated, considering that is one of the better
healed by lotions, Job classes include the Gigolo, (with the jokiness) is the main draw of the game. ones, complete with
Obese Knight, and Acupressurist, with abilities The publisher seemingly couldn’t beat the interesting (albeit
like Catcall and Massage Magic, and there’s a copy protection of the PC Engine CD-ROM, so the unusual) designs and
town called Chlamydia. Instead of a Chocobo, game came with a Game Express HuCard, which is a rather amusing
there’s an actual ostrich you can ride. While you required to play the game, rather than a standard class system.
have control over three characters, you only fight PC Engine System Card. Since it doesn’t have any
one enemy at a time, which is represented by a extra onboard memory, it will only work on PC
gigantic (zoomed-in) image of a female warrior. Engine Duo consoles.
627
Captain Tsubasa (series)
Developer: Tecmo | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): NES, SFC, MCD
Tecmo Bowl (and its sequel, Tecmo Super Bowl)

was one of the best American football franchises,
particularly in the NES era. Its hallmark was its
cinematic cut-ins during dramatic moments – as
also seen in the company’s Ninja Gaiden series,
which was famous for its cutscenes. Tecmo really
wanted its games to be like interactive movies.
For its Captain Tsubasa series, based on the
famous soccer anime/manga, it created a game
that’s represented almost entirely with these
cutscenes; in practice, it ends up playing like an
RPG. There are six games altogether, most of
which are fairly similar, though they add original
characters, making them worth checking out for numbers, giving you a better idea of where to Rather than
fans of the story. The music is outstanding as well, run. Most of the later games use this system too, making a typical
particularly in the second game for the Famicom, including the third game for the Super Famicom, sports game,
which features tracks by Keiji Yamagishi and Mikio Koutei no Chousen (“The Kaiser’s Challenge”), Tecmo mixed
Saito, the composers from the Ninja Gaiden series, and an unnumbered entry for the Mega CD, which soccer with RPG
and hence share its signature styles. includes voiced cutscenes. The fourth entry, Pro mechanics in
On the field, when you have control of no Rival Tachi (“Pro Rivals”), also for the SFC, is this series based
the soccer ball, you can run towards the goal, graphically more impressive, but has a number of on the famous
or shoot, or pass to another player. When you balance issues and glitches that basically ruin it, manga/anime.
encounter one or more members of the opposing while the fifth and final numbered game, Hasha
team, the action pauses, and competing for the no Shougou Campione (“Campione Champion
ball is almost like a battle. You can try to dribble Title”), changes the action to something more like
around your opponent, or pass the ball to another a typical soccer game (although keeping a few
player. What happens depends on the stats of all RPG elements).
of the players involved. You also need to keep your The first game in the series was localised
eye on your Guts (stamina) stat, which goes down for the NES under the name Tecmo Cup Soccer
with every action, and depletes more with special Game (not to be confused with the traditional
moves. Though it’s a little vague, players that take sports game Tecmo World Cup Soccer). It was
more action in the match will eventually level up stripped of the Captain Tsubasa licence, as
their stats. the series was unknown in North America, and
The first game in the series is a little rough, instead the characters are all new, with hero
since you’re given a map of the field, but you can’t Tsubasa Ohzora replaced by the blond haired,
see any other players, at least until you try to pass blue-eyed Robin Field. The Mega CD version was
the ball. The second game, subtitled Super Striker, considered for a cartridge release in Europe,
fixes this by showing all players on the field as but this was cancelled.
628
Inazuma Eleven
Developer: Level-5 | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS, 3DS
While the cinematic RPG style of Captain Tsubasa

faded away after the Super Famicom era, the
soccer RPG torch was carried onward by Level-
5’s Inazuma Eleven series, which began in 2008
on the Nintendo DS. While the Captain Tsubasa
games focused entirely on matches, Inazuma
Eleven provides a more rounded RPG experience,
casting you as an early-teenage student named
Mamoru Endou (or Mark Evans), the grandson
of one of the most famous goalkeepers in all of
Japan. He seeks to live up to his family’s lineage,
and has a burning passion for soccer, but his
school’s club is in poor condition, so he seeks to
whip it into competitive shape. Mamoru scouts for
potential teammates around the campus, and if he can also challenge each other over wi-fi and trade Inazuma Eleven’s
manages to beat them in a game of footy, they’ll players with one another. simple but addictive
join the team. You compete against other teams Inazuma Eleven spawned a hugely RPG elements and
in the story mode, and you can potentially recruit successful franchise for a spell, with four games anime-style over-
beaten opponents there too. Altogether, there are on the DS, along with a sequel trilogy called the-top theatrics
hundreds upon hundreds of potential teammates Inazuma Eleven Go on the 3DS. Those later make for an
you can draft. entries get much wilder with the story, taking amusing combo.
In the soccer matches, you control your place in a world where an authoritarian entity
team on the lower touch screen with the stylus. rules the sport of soccer and sets the matches; the
Whenever two characters run into each other, the hero Tenma must rise against them. Later games
action stops, and you can choose from a variety in this series involve time travel and intergalactic
of commands – passing, shooting, tackling, matches. There are numerous spinoff games, plus
and a number of special moves. In other words, anime and manga series that adapt the stories
it’s basically like the Captain Tsubasa games. of the games. For a good while, it was wildly
It actually leans into the overt RPG aspects even popular, at least in Japan, but internationally it
more, by giving each player one of four elements – was a bit spottier. Most of the main entries were
the usual fire, earth, air, and water – with strengths translated into English (and other languages) in
and weaknesses that play off each other. Characters Europe, but the only entry to see release in North
also need to manage their FP (Fitness Points, or America was the 3DS port of the first game,
stamina) and TP (Technique Points, for special published digitally in 2014. Professional soccer
moves), while PP (Prestige Points) are used after is not as popular in the United States as it is
matches to purchase various items. Small matches globally, but it’s still played in schools. Like Yo-kai
are played with four players per side, though more Watch, another Level-5 franchise, this one has
important matches are fought 11-on-11. Players been mismanaged and is currently in limbo.
629
World Court Tennis
Developer: Namco | Released: 1988 | Platform(s): TG16
World Court Tennis is a TurboGrafx-16 tennis

game, ported from an arcade game called Pro
Tennis: World Court, itself inspired by an earlier
Famicom game called Family Tennis. In addition
to the usual single and multiplayer modes, Namco
thought it would be amusing to add an RPG-like
story mode. Once you name your character and
set your gender, the King of the Tennis kingdom
complains that an evil king is taking over tennis
courts across the land, making his subjects sad.
You are apparently the hero chosen to stop him,
so you’re given some cash and set off to explore
the land.
This mode is cast as a Dragon Quest parody. Namco obviously liked the concept enough World Court Tennis
The starting town is “Chicago”, at least in the that pretty much the same plot was used in the saw the introduction
English version, despite its setting in some kind TG16 racer Final Lap Twin, itself a port of the of an RPG mode, a
of medieval fantasy world. As you gain money, arcade game Final Lap. Except, of course, instead precursor to the story
you can purchase better equipment and clothes. of tennis matches, you’re challenged to one-on- mode found in other
Random encounters occur when various people one races and use money to upgrade your car. sports games today.
challenge you to tennis matches – you can reject It also set down the template used by Nintendo
their requests, and they may or may not leave and Camelot in later Mario sports games, like the
you alone, depending on how fancy your outfit is. RPG story mode that first appeared in Mario Golf
As for the tennis matches, it’s still a late ’80s for the Game Boy Color and Mario Tennis: Power
sports game, so play is fairly uncomplicated. Tour for the Game Boy Advance.
Keru Naguuru
Developer: Game Studio | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC
The story modes of World Court Tennis and
Final Lap Twin were kinda slapped on, as a way
to give context to the tennis and racing arcade
action, but Namco’s Famicom versus fighter game
Keru Naguuru, subtitled Tenkaichi Bushi (“Kick-
Puuunch: The Strongest Warrior in the World”)
does a far better job of integrating the action and
the RPG elements.
In a land resembling China, you set off from
home in order to become a fighting master. Random
enemies will pop up, at which point you’re switched
to a side view, then you and your opponent duke
it out. At the beginning, you only have a simple
punch move, and a mere 10 HP. As you beat more Since this sort of versus fighting game Keru Naguuru was
opponents, your maximum HP will go up. As you predates Street Fighter II, the action more closely designed by Namco
hunt around and find items, you can use them to resembles earlier arcade fighters like Karate star developer
increase your stats, or take on training exercises to Champ and Yie-Ar Kung Fu, so it can be a little Masanobu Endou,
increase your jumping power. New moves can be rough going back to such basic fighting. Item the creator of
taught by visiting temples and hermits throughout management is odd too, as you can only carry one Xevious and Tower
the expansive world maps. Eventually you’ll find item at a time … and money technically counts as of Druaga.
yourself growing from a weakling to, indeed, an item. But it’s a cool setup, and gives a nod to
the strongest warrior in the world (the game world, plenty of other games too, including a tombstone
anyway), at which point you are challenged by the referencing the hero of Final Fantasy II, as well as
seemingly invincible Tao Tairah. item names from Dragon Quest.
630
American Dream
Developer: C-Dream | Released: 1989 | Platform(s): FC
Pachio-kun is an anthropomorphic pachinko

ball that was the mascot and star of a number of
pachinko simulators. With American Dream, he
sets off for grander adventures, jetting to the USA
(specifically, New York City) in order to become
rich through excessive gambling.
New York City is presented as an RPG-style
world map, which is, strangely, covered with
greenery, a far cry from the urban expanse of
the real place. For the most part, it’s really just a
framework within which to visit the various casinos
peppered around. However, there are occasional
random encounters, in which people will
challenge you to a dice game, or anthropomorphic passport lets you visit casinos when you start the The RPG mechanics
slot machines will dare you to give them a pull. The game, pistols let you protect yourself from muggers in this gambling
ultimate goal is to rack up cash, either through when you reach the big city, but you’re also liable game are limited, but
these encounters or (more effectively) by gambling to get yourself arrested for arms possession). it’s still an amusing
in the casinos. As your winnings increase, you can It is one of those games that’s fascinating, as an way to give some
eventually leave Brooklyn for the other parts of the American, to examine just because it presents an meat to what would
city, finishing up in New Jersey. extremely warped view of the United States, crafted otherwise be a pretty
The role-playing trappings here are extremely by developers who may have only seen it through simple experience.
minimal, as there are no real stats other than the movies. It is also (perhaps unintentionally) critical
cash you obtain, and the only equipment is singular of the “American Dream” concept, positing that it
items you can find and pick up (your missing can be achieved through sheer luck.
Racing Lagoon
While Final Lap Twin for the TurboGrafx-16
was technically the first racing RPG, Squaresoft
expanded substantially on idea with their 1999
PlayStation game Racing Lagoon, which calls
itself a “High Speed Driving RPG”. The company
experimented quite a bit during this time,
including this Japan-only release was produced
by Akitoshi Kawazu, with a script by future Final
Fantasy XIII writer Motomu Toriyama.
The story is very heavily based on the long-
running anime/manga Initial D, which focuses
on street racing, but also weaves in some JRPG
tropes. The amnesiac protagonist is Sho Akasaki,
who races against various street gangs in Bay on how well you do, you can then upgrade your Square was very
Lagoon, while trying to regain his memory. Much Engine, Body, and Chassis, as well as attaching experimental during
of the story is told using some very awkward, various accessories and cosmetic items. the PlayStation era,
vaguely animated CGI characters. Taking place at Racing Lagoon does have a particular sense resulting in unique
night, the field map is viewed from an overhead of style, especially owing to its snazzy soundtrack genre blends like
perspective as you drive around. You can challenge by Noriko Matsueda (Bahamut Lagoon). Racing Lagoon. It
any car you come across, or be challenged by other But the actual driving just doesn’t stand up to doesn’t always work,
cars in what are basically random encounters, more popular games like Ridge Racer or Gran but it’s fascinating
at which point the game becomes a 3D arcade racer. Turismo. The very nature of the racing means that nonetheless.
You may need to drive for a certain number of it also gets repetitive pretty quickly, especially since
laps, or just for a specific distance. Depending performance often depends on your car’s strength.
631
Secret of Evermore
Developer: Squaresoft | Released: 1995 | Platform(s): SNES
Once the RPG craze had firmly established itself

in Japan in the late ’80s, Nintendo attempted to
replicate that success in North America. At first,
they created elaborate strategy guides in Nintendo
Power magazine (for Dragon Warrior and Final
Fantasy), they toned down difficulty levels (Final
Fantasy IV/ II), and even created an entry-level
game (Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest). Eventually
they figured, rather than localising a Japanese
game, why not create a something by Americans,
for Americans? That game was Secret of Evermore,
the only game developed by Squaresoft’s North
American team.
The story begins in the town of Podunk, game. Magic is also different, in that spells don’t It’s not officially
USA: an average everyday kid follows his dog into a use MP, but are rather alchemy recipes that part of the Mana
mysterious mansion, where he finds a mysterious consume items. series, but Secret of
laboratory, and gets transported to the alternate The concept is solid and the writing is pretty Evermore still has an
world of Evermore. There are four main areas to good – although the boy is named after the player, interesting take on
explore here, each based on a period of Earth’s he has a personality of his own, including an its particular action
history: Prehistoria, filled with the usual dinosaurs affection for cheesy B-movies, often quoting lines RPG style.
and cave-people; Antiqua, based on ancient Greek, of dialogue in appropriate situations. The visuals
Roman, and Egyptian locales; Gothica, based on are excellent too, though the game generally
medieval England and populated with dragons; uses a darker colour palette than the lush greens
and Omnitopia, a sci-fi-based segment, taking that typify the other Mana games. Similarly,
place on a space station. the music by Jeremy Soule (later known for the
As expected from the title, the game Elder Scrolls soundtracks) is excellent, but it’s
positions itself as a follow-up to Secret of Mana. more atmospheric than the usual Square RPG fare.
It plays almost identically, right down to the ring For a long time, Secret of Evermore was
menu and the stop-and-go nature of the combat. regarded with resentment over the belief that it was
You can even tell that the graphic designers a replacement for Seiken Densetsu 3 (the proper
looked to its sprites as an animation reference. sequel to Secret of Mana, later known as Trials
There are only two characters – the boy and his of Mana). It was eventually revealed that it wasn’t.
dog – though the dog changes forms depending Since that realisation, the audience has come to
on the period, being a werewolf in the Prehistoria embrace Secret of Evermore – it’s not quite as good
era and a robot toaster in the Omnitopia period, as the SNES Mana titles, but its unique personality
for example. Three of the weapon types – swords, sets it apart from most everything else of the era.
spears, and axes – will seem familiar, while the It’s also a Western exclusive, published in North
projectile-firing bazookas are unique to this America and Europe but unreleased in Japan.
632
Anachronox
Developer: Ion Storm | Released: 2001 | Platform(s): WIN
Tom Hall was one of the founders of id Software,

where he worked on games like Commander Keen,
Wolfenstein 3D, and Doom. He also really, really
liked Chrono Trigger. When he left to co-found Ion
Storm, the first game he put out was Anachronox,
part of a short wave of Western PC RPGs inspired
by Japanese games.
At first glance, Anachronox doesn’t look
much different from Deus Ex, Ion Storm’s
other, better-known game from the era. It’s a
sci-fi game that stars an out-of-luck detective
named Sylvester “Sly Boots” Bucelli, who begins
the game trying to wiggle his way out of some
debt, before getting involved in a much larger another screen, and fights play out using what’s Anachronox may
story about the alien Mysterium Technology basically Final Fantasy’s Active Time Battle system. not look like a
(MysTech), and a plot to destroy the universe. Instead of magic there’s NRG (Neutron-Radiated Japanese RPG, but
While it might give the impression of a serious Glodents), replenished with certain items, used its battle mechanics
sci-fi game, it’s actually quite goofy, having more for MysTech abilities, and the power source for were definitely
in common with Douglas Adams than Arthur C. your shield. MysTech abilities can be customised inspired by them.
Clarke. (After all, the game does begin with Sly through the use of coloured bugs. Mechanically
getting chucked out of a window by a mobster.) it’s fine, but it’s also really, really slow – one of
At least Sly is joined by his (technically dead) the first patches released for the game included
secretary, who lives on in a PDA-like device a fast-forward function, and without it, fights are
that also acts as the player’s mouse cursor. painfully tedious. But at least there’s not much
Among the other characters that join your of it – there aren’t any random encounters, and
party, there’s Grumpos Matavastros, basically grinding is never really needed.
an insufferable future dwarf; Democratus, Built using a modified id Tech 2 engine, the
a tiny floating planet filled with miniature people same basic technology used in Quake II, Anachronox
who must hold votes to agree on anything; and looks a bit dated compared to something like
Paco Estrella, a.k.a. El Puño, an unemployed, Final Fantasy X, released the same year. This is
alcoholic superhero. The NPC dialogue is also particularly noticeable in the basic character models.
regularly quite amusing, and its goofiness is more On the other hand, the 3D environments offer
consistent with its universe than, say, the type more exploration, though some areas are too large,
of humourous dialogue jammed into Japanese and the game lacks a map. In spite of its fumbles,
games by Working Designs. Anachronox has remained a cult classic, largely
Ironically, the Japanese RPG-influenced thanks to its sense of humour. Unfortunately, the
aspects are probably Anachronox ’s weakest. game was planned as part of a larger series that
When combat occurs, characters are whisked to never took off, leaving the plot unresolved.
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Cosmic Star Heroine
Developer: Zeboyd Games | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): PS4, PSV, NSW, WIN
Zeboyd Games is an indie outfit that definitely

knows its JRPGs. Its first two RPGs, Breath of
Death VII and Cthulhu Saves the World, were not
only humourous tributes to Dragon Quest, but
also played with their traditional battle systems in
interesting ways. This success led them to work on
the third and fourth chapters of the Penny Arcade:
On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness game,
which were presented in a 16-bit Final Fantasy
style. But their most ambitious work is Cosmic
Star Heroine, which does quite a bit to set itself
apart from other indie SNES JRPG tributes. story-driven, none being random. There is no MP, The visuals and
The game grew out of a desire to have a woman and while most characters have an attack that can soundtrack of
protagonist but without the overt sexualisation be used as much as you want, other abilities are this indie RPG
found in Compile Heart or Idea Factory games. disabled once they’re used, but can all be recharged are excellent, but
The main heroine is Alyssa L’Salle, a special if you spend a turn defending. Each fighter, friend the real treat is
agent for the Agency of Peace & Intelligence, an or foe, also has a Style gauge that increases as the battle system,
anti-terrorist squad. She and her team learn that the fights go on, increasing their damage and which goes out of its
her employers are up to no good, so they defect also unlocking powerful Burst moves. If you run way to make every
and form a rebellion to stop them. The game’s out of HP and your Style is high enough, you can encounter feel like
inspirations are clear: it draws from Phantasy Star also live for one more turn, allowing you to either a unique puzzle.
not only by having a leading lady, but also three heal yourself or get in one final blow before you’re
distinct planets to explore – one with a dense knocked out. It’s clever and consistently engaging,
cyberpunk city, another patterned after the Wild and even aside from the excellent aesthetic,
West, and one with a jungle populated by various is the best part of the game.
plants. The spritework is obviously based on The story doesn’t quite fare as well. It borrows
Chrono Trigger (the party members even trail after the Chrono Trigger manner of storytelling in
Alyssa in the same way), while the backgrounds that it’s constantly sending you from scenario
are far more detailed, even more elaborate than to scenario so there’s never really any downtime,
2D 32-bit games. There are occasional cutscenes but it’s also a short game, at about 10–15 hours.
that act, for example, to introduce characters. As However, there are also 11 characters, and without
in the CD-ROM games of the era, though, there’s any real time to develop them, almost nothing
no voice acting. The soundtrack, by HyperDuck about them really hits. The writing tries to emulate
SoundWorks (Dust: An Elysian Tail), forgoes the Square’s style, which varied between goofy and
retro sound for something more modern, and it’s dramatic, but never quite manages to pull off
all generally excellent. the tone. Still, the fact that it’s so breezy makes it
Zeboyd also seeks to eliminate the tedium very approachable, and allows it to emphasise the
associated with JRPGs by making every encounter excellent battle system.
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CrossCode
Developer: Radical Fish Games | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): WIN, PS4, NSW
Traditional JRPG-style games are relatively

common in the indie gaming sphere, thanks to
tools like RPGMaker, but sub-genres, like action
RPGs, are quite a bit less common. Analgesic
Productions Anodyne and Cornfox & Bros’
Oceanhorn both pay tribute to classic Zelda
games, while Heart Machine’s Hyper Light Drifter
is like a 2D action-adventure take on Dark Souls.
And then there’s CrossCode, developed by German
studio Radical Fish Games.
CrossCode patterns itself after 16-bit Super
Nintendo action RPGs, but it’s still very much its puzzles found in the dungeons. Upon levelling up, CrossCode is a
own thing. You control a girl named Lea, who you can also customise various stats using a circuit homage to 16-bit
awakens without her memory in an MMORPG board. You’ll meet several other party members action RPGs, but it’s
called CrossWorlds; by joining up with other too, who will fight alongside you automatically. much more modern,
friendly players, she’ll eventually figure out who The graphics aim for the SNES era, though feeling like one of
she is. As a play on the silent protagonist trope since the game runs at a higher resolution, the more recent Ys
seen in many RPGs, Lea literally can’t talk, at the view is more zoomed out, which allows for games, but in 2D.
least at first, and can only communicate through faster movement without feeling claustrophobic.
gestures. Eventually, she learns single words, The characters are charming, and come over quite
which helps her interact a little more with the a bit differently from those in most other RPGs,
people around her. since they’re basically just regular people who are
2D action RPGs mostly faded away in also playing an MMO. The soundtrack is quite
the 32-bit era, so in bringing back that style, excellent too, if not on the level of Falcom or the
CrossCode feels remarkably modern. It’s much, SNES classics. Like most of the 3D Zelda games,
much larger than any 32-bit game, filled with there’s no jump button, but if you just run off the
expansive overworld areas, huge dungeons, tons edge of platforms you’ll leap automatically. The
of monsters, plenty of sub-quests, and a trading height of the terrain can sometimes be difficult to
system. The fighting feels remarkably punchy, parse and navigate, though.
with an emphasis on watching enemy patterns, CrossCode is almost shockingly well-
and dodging and blocking their counter-attacks. rounded – the combat is excellent, movement
If you walk away from combat for long enough, feels great, the world is a joy to explore, the puzzle
you’ll regenerate health automatically, though the design is excellent, the characters and dialogue
longer you keep fighting, the higher your combat are fun, and while the story isn’t mind-blowing,
rank, and the greater the spoils. Along with mêlée there’s enough going on to keep it intriguing.
attacks, you have a projectile weapon on the right Not only does it nail everything about what made
analogue stick, which can produce ricochets these kind of games so great in the ’90s, but it
– needless to say, this is also used for the many surpasses almost all of them.
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Shadow Madness
Developer: Big Rain | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): PS1
Developed in the wake of Final Fantasy VII,

Shadow Madness was an attempt by an American
publisher to capitalise on the mainstreaming
of JRPGs. The game was developed by a team of
former Square USA members who left the company
when it moved to a new location. Not wanting to
move, Ted Woolsey, best known for his translation
work on Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI, and
Super Mario RPG, started Big Rain by leasing the
former Square USA space and purchasing assets.
Shadow Madness was its first title, picked up by
publisher ASCII, who eventually sold it to Crave
Entertainment.
Shadow Madness centres on a plague Metroid Prime) and told through library entries Shadow Madness
spreading across the world and a lead character that could fill a few novels. The game is very easy, comes courtesy
named Stinger, whose hometown has been and inexplicably caps your level at 15, typically of some former
wiped out. The game looks and plays like a poor reached by mid-game. Square USA staff,
man’s Final Fantasy VII, but does contain some Woolsey’s company Big Rain would also be but they weren’t
unique features. Combat is turn-based within an sold to Crave and became “Craveyard”, an eerie quite able to
active-time battle, and random encounters can foreshadowing of the failure of the company itself. replicate the
be avoided by pressing L2 and R2 simultaneously Shadow Madness would be its only title. Unable to success of their
when a monster sound is heard. There are some capitalise on the market created by Final Fantasy old publisher.
good mini-games and a unique, fully fleshed out VII, Shadow Madness was released to middling
story, written by Paul Reed (Secret of Evermore, reviews and poor sales numbers.
Septerra Core
Developer: Valkyrie Studios | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): WIN, MAC
Septerra Core is not a JRPG, but it really, really
wants to be. It was made by a collection of fans
who loved Final Fantasy games and wanted to
make their own, in the style of Final Fantasy VII.
The DNA of that era of Square is felt everywhere:
the modified ATB system, the lively party you
gather, the mixture of sci-fi and fantasy, the mild
themes of capitalist class-ism and the importance
of nature, etc. Even the look is clearly inspired
by Square’s FMV work, complete with the
awkwardness of some of the models.
It also has the same major faults, including
a battle system that drags because of the flashy
animations you can’t skip, the restrictive Still, Septerra Core is charming in its oddity, Unlike Anachronox,
structure limiting who can be in your party, and with a unique flavour all its own, from the gaudy Septerra Core
some difficulty spikes once the game does open but memorable texture work, to the very likeable borrows the CG-
up, because you’re expected to be at a higher level cast, all fully voiced. It also, in contrast to Final animation look
than you’d think. These problems are a bit worse Fantasy, gives you the likeable Maya as a female of other JRPGs
here, because the newly-designed battle system is lead; she’s a voice of reason, strongly driven to of the time.
tiring to get through. It’s not exactly fun to play help people and fight injustice. The story involves
to a finish because of this, despite all the cool a planet stratified into seven layers that rotate
little touches, like two pairs of party members around a central core, with the top layer ruling
actively hating and attacking each other until you those below, which makes for a pretty cool setting.
complete their character quests. Overall, it’s flawed, but the effort is appreciated.
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Sudeki
Developer: Climax Solent | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): XB, WIN
Developed by UK-based Climax Solent (unrelated

to Climax Entertainment, the Japanese team
behind Landstalker and Dark Savior), Sudeki is an
attempt to create an action RPG in the style of a
Japanese RPG. There are four characters to switch
between, each with different skills used for puzzle
solving, with the others controlled by the CPU –
fighter Tal can push blocks, princess Ailish can
cast dispel magic, beast warrior Buki can climb,
and scientist Elco can fly. As mêlée fighters, Tal
and Buki can perform combos if you press on-
screen buttons; when controlling magicians Ailish interesting, and the soundtrack is unremarkable. The American Xbox
and Elco, the perspective switches to first-person, It’s also strangely bloody, which is normal for version of Sudeki
an aspect which makes everything feel fresh. Western action games but feels out of place in included a review
Still, it never really quite comes together. a Japanese-style game. It’s a little short for an quote from Maxim,
The visual design is lush and colourful, and the RPG (about 20 hours) and ends up unresolved, the men’s magazine,
character designs sure scream anime, with their waiting for a sequel that never came. representing the
colourful hair, and bikini armour on the women. These aspects ended up too alienating for target audience for
The development team was obviously aware of Western RPG players, yet it completely lacked basically everything
how attractive many JRPG heroines were, and the elements that Japanese RPG players look for on the console.
tried to amp up the sex appeal of the ladies here in their games. In the end, it didn’t please anyone
… but their models are more uncanny valley than much, though it’s an interesting experiment.
pin-up calendar. The story is rote, neither the It was marketed as an Xbox exclusive initially,
writing nor voice acting makes the characters but eventually hit Windows PCs.
Pier Solar and the Great Architects

Developer: WaterMelon | Released: 2010 | Platform(s): GEN, WIN, PS3, PS4
Pier Solar and the Great Architects started as
a 2004 homebrew title called Tavern RPG on
the SEGA fan site Eidolon’s Inn. The game was
ultimately released in 2010 as a SEGA Genesis game
with an optional SEGA CD music-enhancement
disc by the newly-christened WaterMelon. After
a successful 2012 Kickstarter campaign, the
game was re-released on various platforms with a
graphical upgrade and additional side quests.
Pier Solar stars Hoston, Alina, and Edessot.
They are three friends who initially set out to
find a magic herb that can cure Houston’s ill
father, later getting drawn into the fight against perfectly, alongside games like Lunar: The Silver A long-in-development
a growing evil. Your party of up to five characters Star. Unfortunately, this game also inherits that homebrew effort,
fights in a random-encounter, turn-based combat era’s gameplay problems. For example, there is Pier Solar is a decent
system. Pier Solar also introduced a Gather system often little guidance on how to advance the bland enough tribute to 16-
– instead of attacking, your character can select and simple storyline, and players frequently need bit classics, though not
the Gather command to make their counter go up to grind experience to survive. Pier Solar does quite up to their level.
by one. These points can be either transferred to somewhat make up for this with a gorgeously
other party members or used to unleash special crafted soundtrack, unique pixel graphics, and
spells or abilities. well-written characters. Ultimately though, Pier
Pier Solar was billed as a “love letter to the Solar struggles in comparison to other RPGs by
rich, imaginative 16-bit RPGs of a bygone era” by the simply not being a stellar stand-out among other
development team, and it does fit that description gaming options.
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Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden
Developer: Tales of Game’s Studios | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): WIN, MAC
It’s the “post-cyberapocalypse” in the year 2053. Some of the same

Basketball is outlawed, thanks to ex-NBA star staff tried to go legit
Charles Barkley, who performed a powerful slam with a sequel called
called a Chaos Dunk, killing almost all those Barkley 2, which,
watching. Now, another Chaos Dunk has been though Kickstarted
performed, wiping out a chunk of Manhattan, in 2012, has been
causing Barkley to come out of retirement stuck in development
to hunt down the terrorist organisation hell for years.
BLOODMOSES, thought to be responsible.
Along the way you’ll meet (and sometimes fight
alongside or against) other basketball stars, like
Larry Bird, Michael Jordan, and the descendent
of LeBron James and a cyborg Vince Carter.
Also, the events of the movie Space Jam are actually really well done. Though presented like
considered canon within its universe. Final Fantasy’s, there are lots of rhythm-based
This game is insane is the best ways. It was attacks and other elements reminiscent of games
created by people who not only love JRPGs but like Paper Mario.
also find them inherently ridiculous. Despite the It’s also freeware, because much of the
routinely absurd machinations of the story, it’s game is ripped from other sources – graphics
played as straight melodrama. Save points feature are taken from several other video games, some
rants, taken straight from RPG message boards, tracks are taken from other titles (the boss theme
about the superiority of Japanese games over their is the incredible “Eternity” from Blue Dragon)
Western counterparts. And yet, it’s more than and even the title positions it as a spinoff of the
just a parody game, because the battle system is 16-bit basketball game Shut Up and Jam.
Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled

Developer: Studio Archcraft | Released: 2009 | Platform(s): DS
Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled takes place in the
land of Bel Lenora, where everyone can use magic
… except the hero, Kairu. While he’s a strong
swordsman, he’s regarded with suspicion and
mocked as being cursed, which eventually leads to
his exile. Supported by his sister Aurora, he sets off
into adventure.
Initially known as Project Exile, this game is
the work of a small Canadian team called Studio
Archcraft, who desperately wanted to make an
RPG like the type they had played on the SNES.
When it was first revealed as a Game Boy Advance
title in 2006, it received quite a bit of hype due
to the sprite-based visuals, which were clearly more, like in the Lunar games. So if an enemy is too Another effort by
patterned after those of 16-bit Square titles. Then far away, a character planning a mêlée attack may long-time JRPG fans
things went silent while it was ported to the need to use a turn just to get close to them. But turned professional,
Nintendo DS and it finally saw release in 2009. even at its fastest speed, it’s slow, and a bit buggy. Black Sigil looks
The spritework is indeed pretty nice – it was Worse is the random encounter rate, which is nice but suffers from
a welcome contrast to the iffy 3D RPGs being constantly dragging you into tedious fights, which some debilitating
put out at the time by Japanese developers – but dole out only the tiniest rewards. Considering how design issues and
it’s so close to Chrono Trigger, in both style and long it was in development, it’s almost shocking buggy programming.
animation, that it feels more like a rip-off than a how poorly balanced it is. The story is rote, and
homage. The battle system is also basically Chrono while the writing is occasionally amusing, it’s not
Trigger, except movement and positioning matters worth suffering through the rest.
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Silver
Developer: Spiral House | Released: 1999 | Platform(s): WIN, MAC, DC
Developed by UK-based Spiral House, Silver takes

place on the island of Jarrah. It initially focuses on
a young man named David, who lives peacefully
with his grandfather and his wife, Jennifer. Their
lives are thrown into chaos when Jennifer is
kidnapped by Fuge, the son of Silver, the tyrannical
ruler of the region. David sets off on an adventure
through the land to take her back.
Initially released for Windows, Silver borrows
the visual style of games like Final Fantasy VII,
which is to say, polygonal characters walking
on top of 2D computer rendered backgrounds.
The actual character designs are closer to those of
a Western RPG, though it’s hard to get a glimpse
of what they’re supposed to look like, since the of eight different elements. The fact that David is Silver came at a time
camera is always so zoomed out. It doesn’t play old enough to be married sets it apart from the when some Western
like any JRPG though, as it’s entirely action- teenage cast of a typical JRPG, though, plus it’s RPG developers
based: you point and click using the mouse (on fully voice acted, which was unusual for the time. were attempting
the computer versions) or use the controller (in Due to the blend of styles, Silver sits at a weird to simplify their
the Dreamcast version) to move and attack. There point where the story and world design aren’t quite games a bit in order
are several characters to play as, though you have interesting enough for JRPG fans, while the game to attract a wider
to pick one, and the rest are guided by AI. The lacks the depth expected from WRPG fans. But it audience, à la Diablo.
story is the kind that you’d find in a JRPG, which did find success with those who weren’t really fans
is to say, the main plot focuses on finding the orbs of either genre, and it is a fun, breezy experience.
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age

Developer: Electronic Arts Redwood Shores | Released: 2004 | Platform(s): PS2, XB, GC
Along with two action games, Electronic Arts
decided to do the obvious thing with their
licence to Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings
movies, and started work on an RPG in mid-2002.
Development was handled by EA Redwood Shores.
Considering that background, it makes sense
that The Third Age, released late in 2004 for PS2,
Xbox, and GameCube, feels like a Lord of the
Rings-coloured coat of paint on the basic skeleton
of Final Fantasy X.
The game covers the events of all three
movies but isn’t allowed to use background
material from the books, since that licence was
owned by Vivendi at the time. Instead of playing carbon-copy of the Conditional Turn-Based Battles This is basically a
as Aragorn or Gandalf, the party is made up of (CTB) of Final Fantasy X. After a good start, the Western-developed
secondary characters supposedly glimpsed in game loses a lot of steam in its latter half, many Final Fantasy X
the background of the movies, now given names, chapters just consisting of one fight after another. with a Lord of the
and the plot runs parallel to the adventures of After the battle on Pelennor Fields, the party is Rings licence.
the main cast. Sadly, none of the characters are whisked away to the top of Sauron’s tower, Barad-
particularly engaging. Playing the game often dûr, where they … pound on the Eye of Sauron?
feels like following the stunt-doubles of the better Whatever. There’s also a game of the same name
known characters, who join the party occasionally. on the Game Boy Advance, made by Griptonite;
Chapters are quest-based but pretty linear and instead of mimicking Final Fantasy, that one goes
straightforward, the battle-system is almost a straight for Fire Emblem-style tactical battles.
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Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood
Developer: BioWare | Released: 2008 | Platform(s): DS
There are a number of games from large Western

companies that looked to Japanese RPGs for
inspiration, particularly in their battle systems.
Both South Park RPGs, The Stick of Truth and The
Fractured But Whole, by Obsidian and Ubisoft,
respectively, featured turn-based battle systems
that are a bit closer to Final Fantasy than Baldur’s
Gate. And Ubisoft’s Child of Light, a side-scrolling
RPG with gorgeous visuals and a haunting
soundtrack, has a battle system similar to that of
Grandia, with each fighter having different charging
bars that determine when they’re going to act, with
the ability to interrupt them if the timing is right.
But the most interesting, at least on paper,
is Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood. whenever you use a special attack; enemies can Trailing in the
Based on a Japanese property and developed by also run away, requiring that you give chase. Three footsteps of Mario,
BioWare, the team famous for Western RPGs like characters fight in each battle, including most of Sonic tries his hand
the aforementioned Baldur’s Gate, and at this Sonic’s friends from the Sonic Adventure games, at role-playing
point, riding high on the success of Mass Effect. like Amy, Shadow, and Rouge. in this Western-
The entire game is controlled using the stylus, The story and writing aren’t as bad as in some developed DS game,
with the field presented from an overhead view, as of the main games, though it’s unlikely to impress though his exploits
you run around, grab rings, and come into conflict anyone that isn’t a hardcore Sonic fan. It’s not nearly aren’t quite on
with enemies. The battle system is turn-based, on the level of the Mario RPGs though, and can’t the level of the
and you’re challenged to produce stylus motions touch Paper Mario, which is better on every level. plumber’s.
Battle Chasers: Nightwar

Developer: Airship Syndicate | Released: 2017 | Platform(s): WIN, PS4, NSW, XB1, MAC, IOS, AND
A follow-up to the late ’90s Battle Chasers comic-
book series, Nightwar continues the story of pre-
teen heroine Gully and the ragtag guardians who
protect her, and her missing father’s legendary
gauntlets, from the forces of evil. This self-
contained interlude sees the heroes stranded on
a once-prosperous island, where their efforts to
escape entangle them in the machinations of a
shadowy sorceress with ambitions too dangerous
to ignore. Nightwar’s action centres on exploring
dungeons randomly recombined from premade major inspiration for Battle Chasers from the very The JRPG-style
modules, in which players solve puzzles, collect beginning, and cites such series as Final Fantasy, combat of Battle
tiered loot, and fight their way to the dungeon boss. Suikoden, and Lunar as broadly influential. Chasers is familiar,
Despite its sharp character writing, Nightwar’s This influence is palpable in Nightwar’s side-on but the randomly-
story is pretty thin; its real selling point is its turn- combat presentation, its mix-and-match party- generated dungeons
based combat system, which derives considerable building, and its dungeon-dotted overworld map. and Western comic
depth from its mechanics for manipulating Nevertheless, Madureira himself suggests that with book style give
turn order and for generating Overcharge, its preferential focus on combat and loot systems it its own flair.
a temporary mana surplus designed to encourage over plot and character development, Nightwar
skill use in regular encounters. would be more aptly classified as a “dungeon
Though developed in America, Nightwar is crawler with a story”. Altogether, Nightwar
often labelled a JRPG by press and players. Creative manifests its love for classic Japanese RPGs not as
director Joe Madureira, who previously headed the imitation or homage but as one component in a
Darksiders games, points to classic JRPGs as a synthesis of diverse influences.
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Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass
Developer: Kasey Ozymy | Released: 2018 | Platform(s): WIN
Indie game developers love EarthBound (to be fair, This indie RPG
pretty much everyone loves EarthBound), so it’s borrows liberally
inspired a number of tributes, especially warranted from EarthBound’s
by the long drought since 2006, when Mother 3 aesthetic, but its
came out. One of the best of these is Jimmy and story, about an
the Pulsating Mass, which draws from a number empathetic child,
of other JRPGs, in addition to the Japanese cult is interwoven
classic adventure game Yume Nikki. beautifully with
The entire game takes place inside the its mechanics.
dream world of eight-year-old Jimmy, with the
rest of his family acting as the party members. His
older brother Buck is kind of a bully, but a good
physical attacker; his Mum is a fantastic healer
and also unaffected by status effects; his Dad is a
skilled magician. But Jimmy is the most powerful, and eventually allow him to inherit some abilities
because he is empathetic. After defeating any of for his own use.
the oddball boss monsters – a blob, a vampire, This unique take on the Final Fantasy Job
etc. – you can share in their pain, and then gain system is clever, though the heart of the game
the ability to transform into them. This is not only is really the story. It’s alternately charming and
useful for battle, since the extra forms have a whole frightening – Jimmy’s subconscious isn’t all
bunch of abilities, but also supplies field skills that clouds and rainbows, as it first appears – but this
can be used on the map. The forms technically results in a story that’s both trippy and powerful.
level up separately from Jimmy, but will also grant The only snags are technical in nature, as a result
him permanent stats boosts for his main form, of its development using RPG Maker.
Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark

Developer: 6 Eyes Studio | Released: 2019 | Platform(s): WIN, PS4, NSW, XB1
While there have been some quality entries
in the genre over the years, Tactics Ogre and
Final Fantasy Tactics jointly remain the apex of
Japanese strategy-RPG design. Fell Seal shoots
for the stars with this spiritual successor, and
succeeds in some ways while faltering in others.
The bad: the plot and writing are just
nowhere near the level of Matsuno’s storytelling,
and the music, while decent, can’t match the
highs of Hitoshi Sakimoto’s and Masaharu Iwata’s
legendary soundtrack. The character artwork
is Western fantasy-styled, with the units being variety of difficulty tweaks. When a character’s Together with
more realistically proportioned than the squat health is depleted, they are “injured” and lose Kadokawa’s God
sprites of JRPGs, but it still never looks quite stats until they heal, adding consequences Wars, Fell Seal is a
right. The backgrounds are nicely illustrated, but without making it too hard (though you can nice throwback to
since they’re 2D, they also can’t be rotated. The enable permadeath if you want). Also included is the days of Final
high-definition visuals are certainly much more a crafting system, as well as a monster-taming/ Fantasy Tactics,
modern though. collecting system added as downloadable content. still one of the best
The good: the class system is basically Considering that Final Fantasy Tactics never got SRPGs of all time.
identical to the Final Fantasy Job system, which a true sequel – the Advance games are alright but
is still the best of its type, and there are plenty of not quite the same thing – and neither Tactics
classes to pick from. Both Tactics games are also game is available on modern platforms outside of
over 20 years old, so there are plenty of welcome a smartphone port for Final Fantasy Tactics, Fell
quality-of-life adjustments, including a wide Seal is about the closest anyone has managed.
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Undertale
Developer: Toby Fox | Released: 2015 | Platform(s): WIN, PS4, PSV, NSW
In Undertale, you take on the role of a human

child who’s fallen into an underworld full of
monsters, and must escape. During their time in
the Underground, they learn of an impending war,
led by the King Asgore, who plans to break out
onto the surface and attack humanity. That simple
premise leads into one of the strangest, warmest,
funniest role-playing games ever made, resulting
in a surprise indie smash.
As with most RPGs, there is combat. When
you attack, you need to stop a power meter at
the right point to inflict the most damage. When
an enemy attacks, you defend yourself within a
square in the middle of the screen, where you to Moon: Remix RPG Adventure, which was cited Undertale is one
control a heart that must dodge a barrage of fire, as an inspiration for the title. of the great indie
sort of like a bullet-hell shoot-’em-up; the firing Much of the game is the work of Toby Fox. success stories, a
patterns are different with each enemy. Most of The retro-styled field visuals are a little simple, tremendous game
these enemies are actually either cute or just plain but the monochromatic fight scenes look like silly with personality
ridiculous, to the point where you might feel bad notebook doodles. The soundtrack is mostly retro- and heart.
about trying to kill them. But that’s also the point, styled, with plenty of fight songs and one particular
as you can talk to them, following various branches track that pays tribute to Final Fantasy VI’s opera
involving conversation or actions until they leave piece. It’s definitely the work of one talented auteur,
you alone. Across the underground world, you who had an incredibly silly vision that developed
meet an assortment of oddball characters, like into an internet cultural phenomenon. Fox got his
Papyrus the overbearing, enthusiastic skeleton, start in games by dabbling in EarthBound ROM
and his laid-back brother Sans, the nerdy reptile hacks, most notably one called Halloween Hack.
Dr. Alphys, and badass fish knight Undyne. There’s Undertale has the same sense of tender affection
also a killer computer called Mettaton who’ll place and aloof goofiness as Nintendo’s classic, but
you in a game show of death, not to mention the nonetheless carves out its own unique identity.
several other minor characters that only appear as When it was first released, Japanese gamers
mooks in combat. How you choose to treat these could only play it with a fan translation. An official
characters, whether you beat them up or show them version was released a little while later, and while
friendship, determines how the story concludes. The it’s generally agreed to be of high quality, hardcore
game’s pretty short, taking five hours to complete, fans argued about some translation choices.
so it doesn’t take much time to start over and try Considering how often these conversations have
another route. The sense of humour often veers been had among the English-speaking JRPG
into the meta, as it’s well aware of RPG tropes, and audience it’s comforting to know that things are
uses its quirkiness to deconstruct them. It’s similar basically the same on the other side of the Pacific.
642
Moon: Remix RPG Adventure
Developer: Love-de-Lic/Onion Games | Released: 1997 | Platform(s): PS1, NSW
Ever since the beginning of video games, people

have asked the question: what do little digital
characters do when there aren’t any players
controlling them? Do they live their own little
lives? Disney tried to answer this a few times in
movies, including 1982’s Tron and 2012’s Wreck-
It Ralph. Sandwiched in between these two was
the Japanese PlayStation game Moon: Remix RPG
Adventure. Despite its name, it’s not technically an
RPG, but rather an adventure game about RPGs;
it proclaims itself to be an “anti-RPG”.
The opening recalls the joys of youth,
starring a young boy who has recently purchased
a Final Fantasy-style RPG called Fake Moon. and a loving tribute to them. The characters are Moon deconstructs
He stays up long into the night to play it, only to claymation models, and over 30 indie musicians RPG conventions
have his mother yell at him to go to bed. As he provided songs for the eclectic soundtrack. in ways that are
snoozes, he finds himself transported into the Moon was a cult hit in Japan, having been both hilarious and
world of the game, a realm called Love-De-Gard. developed by a newbie studio called Love-de-Lic, heart-rending.
He does not find himself taking on the role of founded by former Square employees Kenichi
the game’s hero, however. Instead, at first, he’s Nishi and Taro Kudo. The company dissolved
invisible. Soon you, as the boy, find a place to stay after 2000, but their style of game continued
at an old woman’s house; she mistakes you for her in other titles, including Chibi-Robo!, in which
missing son. You cannot exist long in this fantasy you control a tiny robot as he attempts to clean
world though, as eventually you’ll evaporate, but a messy household and mend a broken family,
you can prolong your stay by earning love points and Captain Rainbow, where you play as a
gained by performing various tasks in the world. superhero on an island filled with washed-up
Meanwhile, the hero, the one that’s supposed Nintendo characters. Writer Yoshiro Kimura also
to be saving the world, is too busy breaking into brought his particularly quirky sense of humour
people’s houses to steal their stuff and murdering to games like Chulip, where the goal is to kiss
animals for their experience points; in other as many people as possible, and whose studio,
words, he acts as players generally do in this type Onion Games, resurrected Moon for a 2019 release
of RPG. So some of the things you need to do just on the Nintendo Switch. While the PlayStation
involve picking up after the chaos they’ve caused, version was Japan-only – the English-speaking
like reuniting souls with their dead creatures, but audience likely didn’t have enough experience
others aim to solve the problems of the kingdom’s with Japanese RPGs back in 1997 to really get what
populace. The game has a knack for combining it was parodying – this version has been released
tragedy and comedy in effective ways, acting as internationally in 2020, so English speakers can
both a meta-commentary on role-playing games finally appreciate this touchingly silly classic.
643
Index
.hack (series) 304 Battle of Olympus, The 470
3D Dot Game Heroes 489 Bealphareth 486
46 Okunen Monogatari (series) 45 Beyond Oasis 484
7th Dragon (series) 390 Beyond the Beyond 369
7th Saga, The 349 Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon: Another Story 356
Albert Odyssey (series) 541 Black Onyx, The 34
Albert Odyssey: Legend of Eldean 366 Black Sigil: Blade of the Exiled 638
Alcahest 478 Black/Matrix (series) 533
Alliance Alive, The 401 Blue Dragon 376
Alshark 51 Blue Reflection 297
Alundra 483 Bodycon Quest I 626
American Dream 631 Bodycon Quest II 626
Anachronox 633 Boktai (series) 487
Ancient Roman 368 Borfes to 5-nin no Akuma 469
Ar tonelico 418 Boundary Gate 577
Arabian Nights 355 Brain Lord 479
Arc Rise Fantasia 386 Brandish 109
Arc the Lad (series) 520 Brave Fencer Musashi 450
Arcana 575 Brave Prove 486
Arcus (series) 46 Brave Story: New Traveler 413
Aretha (series) 330 Bravely Default (series) 394
Arfgaldt 55 Breath of Fire 262
Argo 574 Breath of Fire II 263
ASH: Archaic Sealed Heat 549 Breath of Fire III 264
Aspic 58 Breath of Fire IV 265
Atelier (series) 292 Breath of Fire: Dragon Quarter 266
Avalon Code 409 Brigandine 543
Azure Dreams 588 Burai (series) 69
Bahamut Lagoon 531 Bushi Seiryuuden 481
Barkley, Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden 638 Cadash 467
Baroque 589 Caligula Effect, The 422
Baten Kaitos 302 Captain Tsubasa (series) 628
Baten Kaitos Origins 303 Castlevania (series) 448
Battle Chasers: Nightwar 640 Cave Noire 582
644
Chaos Rings 416 Death end re;Quest 421
Children of Mana 436 Deep Dungeon (series) 562
Chikyuu Senshi Rayieza 41 Defenders of Oasis 330
Chitei Tanken 52 Demikids (series) 603
Chou Mahou Tairiku Wozz 351 DeSpiria 373
Chrono Cross 212 Destiny of an Emperor (series) 315
Chrono Trigger 210 Devil Children (series) 603
CIMA: The Enemy 406 Devil Summoner: Kuzunoha Raidou 165
Cladun 490 Devil Survivor (series) 537
Cleopatra no Mahou 323 Devil Summoner: Raidou Kuzunoha 165
Code Name: S.T.E.A.M. 553 Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers 163
Conception (series) 403 Digan no Maseki 63
Contact 407 Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei 154
Cosmic Fantasy (series) 332 Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei II 155
Cosmic Soldier 43 Digimon Story (series) 600
Cosmic Star Heroine 634 Dinosaur 572
Courageous Perseus 57 Disgaea (series) 524
Criminal Girls (series) 402 Dokapon Kingdom 387
Crimson Shroud 416 Doraemon: Gigazombie no Gyakushuu 327
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII 148 Double Dungeons 574
CrossCode 635 Dragon & Princess, The 53
Cruise Chaser Blassty 40 Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu 356
Crusader of Centy 484 Dragon Buster 466
Crystal Warriors 538 Dragon Crystal 583
Crystalis 472 Dragon Force 515
Crystar 491 Dragon Knight (series) 624
Curse of Babylon 64 Dragon Lair 57
Danchizuma no Yuuwaku 62 Dragon Master Silk 577
Dark Cloud (series) 454 Dragon Quest 112
Dark Half 344 Dragon Quest Builders (series) 123
Dark Kingdom 352 Dragon Quest II 113
Dark Lord (series) 322 Dragon Quest III 114
Dark Rose Valkyrie 426 Dragon Quest IV 115
Dark Savior 483 Dragon Quest Monsters (series) 602
Dark Spire, The 567 Dragon Quest V 116
Dark Wizard 540 Dragon Quest VI 118
Dawn of Mana 437 Dragon Quest VII 119
Death Bringer 576 Dragon Quest VIII 120
645
Dragon Quest IX 121 Farland Story (series) 539
Dragon Quest X 618 Fatal Labyrinth 583
Dragon Quest XI 122 Faxanadu 471
Dragon Scroll 474 Feda (series) 540
Dragon Slayer 77 Fell Seal: Arbiter’s Mark 641
Dragon Slayer: The Legend of Heroes 94 Final Fantasy 127
Dragon Star Varnir 427 Final Fantasy Adventure 432
Dragon View 479 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles 150
Dream Master 326 Final Fantasy Dimensions 151
Dungeon 54 Final Fantasy II 128
Dungeon Kid 573 Final Fantasy III 129
Dungeon Travelers (series) 579 Final Fantasy IV 130
Dungeons and Dragons 467 Final Fantasy Legend, The 244
EarthBound 224 Final Fantasy Legend II 245
El Dorado Gate 373 Final Fantasy Legend III 246
Elder Gate 371 Final Fantasy Tactics (series) 518
Elfaria 354 Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light 147
Elminage (series) 566 Final Fantasy Type-0 149
Emerald Dragon 50 Final Fantasy V 132
Enchanted Arms 386 Final Fantasy VI 133
Energy Breaker 530 Final Fantasy VII 134
Ephemeral Fantasia 374 Final Fantasy VIII 136
Esper Dream 310 Final Fantasy IX 137
Esper Dream 2 310 Final Fantasy X 138
Eternal Poison 547 Final Fantasy X-2 138
Eternal Ring 459 Final Fantasy XI 616
Eternal Sonata 380 Final Fantasy XII 140
Etrian Odyssey (series) 564 Final Fantasy XIII (series) 142
Ever Oasis 404 Final Fantasy XIV 620
Evergrace 459 Final Fantasy XV 144
Evolution (series) 375 Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest 146
Exile (series) 47 Fire Emblem (series) 494
Exist Archive 209 Front Mission (series) 510
Fairy Fencer F 420 Funky Horror Band 347
Famicom Jump (series) 475 Gage 70
Fantasian 572 Ganbare Goemon Gaiden (series) 311
Fantasy Life 417 Ganso Saiyuuki: Super Monkey Daibouken 309
Faria 471 Gandhara: Buddha no Seisen 59
646
Gdleen 348 Hyperdimension Neptunia (series) 419
Genesis: Beyond the Revelation 60 I am Setsuna 424
Genma Taisen 56 Idea no Hi 341
Genso Suikoden: Tsumugareshi Hyakunen no Toki 287 Illusion City 59
Giten Megami Tensei 176 Illusion of Gaia 445
Giten Megami Tensei NINE 176 Inazuma Eleven 629
God Wars 555 Infinite Space 389
GOD: Growth or Devolution 338 Infinite Undiscovery 207
Gokinjo Boukentai 353 Izuna (series) 592
Golden Axe Warrior 473 Jade Cocoon (series) 608
Golden Sun (series) 392 Jaseiken Necromancer 345
Golvellius: Valley of Doom 468 Jeanne D’Arc 552
Gran Historia 355 Jimmy and the Pulsating Mass 641
Grand Knights History 554 JoJo no Fushigina Bouken 357
Grand Master 473 Just Breed 539
Grandia 272 Kabuki Rocks 354
Grandia II 274 Kaijuu Monogatari (series) 320
Grandia III 276 Kaleidoscope 60
Grandia Xtreme 275 Kartia 543
Granstream Saga, The 447 Kasei Monogatari 372
Great Greed 328 Kemco JRPGs (series) 405
Growlanser (series) 508 Ken to Mahou 55
Guardian Legend, The 468 Keroro RPG: Kishi to Musha to Densetsu no Kaizoku 195
Guardian’s Crusade 369 Keru Naguuru 630
Guided Fate Paradox, The (series) 591 Khufu-Ou no Himitsu 53
Gungnir 550 Kimi no Yuusha 411
Gunman’s Proof 481 Kingdom Hearts (series) 438
Half-Minute Hero 414 King’s Field (series) 458
Hanjuku Hero (series) 514 Knights in the Nightmare 412
Heracles no Eikou (series) 232 Koudelka 288
Hero Must Die 417 Kowloon Island 67
Hexyz Force 415 Kumdor no Ken 69
Hi-Leg Fantasy 627 Kuro no Ken 71
Hiouden (series) 65 Kuusou Kagaku Sekai Gulliver Boy 480
Hoshi wo Miru Hito 308 La Pucelle: Tactics 526
Hoshigami 546 Labyrinth no Kanata 579
Hourai Gakuen no Bouken! 352 Labyrinth of Refrain: Coven of Dusk 569
Hydlide (series) 36 Lady Sword 627
647
Ladystalker 482 Lost Dimension 427
Lagoon 478 Lost Heroes 578
Lagrange Point 312 Lost Kingdoms (series) 305
Landstalker 482 Lost Odyssey 377
Langrisser (series) 506 Lost Power 63
Lapis x Labyrinth 491 Lost Sphear 425
Laplace no Ma 66 Love Quest 339
LaSalle Ishii no Childs Quest 317 Lucienne’s Quest 366
Last Armageddon 44 Lufia and the Fortress of Doom 254
Last Bible (series) 175 Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals 255
Last Ranker 415 Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals 256
Last Rebellion 387 Lufia: The Ruins of Lore 257
Last Remnant, The 381 Lufia: The Legend Returns 257
Last Story, The 379 Lunar: Dragon Song 261
Legacy of the Wizard 80 Lunar: Eternal Blue 260
Legaia (series) 300 Lunar: The Silver Star 258
Legend of Dragoon, The 361 Lunatic Dawn (series) 73
Legend of Heroes (Crossbell), The 100 Madou Monogatari (series) 560
Legend of Heroes (Gagharv Trilogy), The 96 Magic Knight Rayearth 485
Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky, The 98 Magic of Scheherazade, The 323
Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel, The 102 Magical Starsign 406
Legend of Legacy, The 400 Magical Vacation 406
Legend of Mana 435 Mahou Gakuen Lunar 261
Legend of Nayuta: Boundless Trails, The 107 Majin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden 472
Legend of Oasis 484 Majin Tensei (series) 536
Legend of the Ghost Lion 324 Maka Maka 340
Legend of Valkyrie, The 466 Makai Kingdom 527
Legend of Xanadu, The 95 Märchen Veil (series) 67
Legend of Zelda, The (series) 430 Marica: Shinjitsu no Sekai 372
Lennus II 343 Mario & Luigi (series) 270
Libros de Chilam Balam 70 Marl Kingdom (series) 301
Linda3 364 Mary Skelter (series) 568
Linkle Liver Story 485 Mashin Eiyuuden Wataru Gaiden 472
Little Princess 301 Maten Densetsu: Senritsu no Ooparts 351
Live-A-Live 334 Medabots (series) 607
Lizard 58 Mega Man: Battle Network / Star Force (series) 306
London Seirei Tanteidan 371 Mega Man X: Command Mission 307
Lord of the Rings: The Third Age 639 Metal Max (series) 235
648
Minelvaton (series) 318 Oninaki 425
Miracle Warriors 42 Operation Darkness 548
Moldorian 331 Opoona 378
Momotarou Densetsu (series) 319 Oranda Tsuma wa Denki Unagi no Yume o Miru ka? 62
Monster Hunter Stories 609 Ore no Shikabane o Koete Yuke (series) 365
Monster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner 413 Otaku no Seiza 326
Monster Maker (series) 327 Paladin 68
Monster Rancher (series) 604 Paladin’s Quest 342
Monster World (series) 449 Pandora’s Tower 490
Moon: Remix RPG Adventure 643 Panorama Tou 76
Mother 222 Panzer Dragoon Saga 362
Mother 3 226 Paper Mario 268
Mouryou Senki Madara (series) 313 Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door 269
Mugen no Shinzou (series) 30 Parasite Eve 358
Mystaria: The Realms of Lore 541 Persona 168
Mystery Dungeon (series) 584 Persona 2: Innocent Sin / Eternal Punishment 169
My World, My Way 410 Persona 3 170
Mystic Ark 349 Persona 4 172
Nakayoshi to Issho 325 Persona 5 173
Nanashi no Game 412 Persona Q (series) 174
Nemuru Mayu 578 Phantasy Star 228
Neutopia (series) 476 Phantasy Star II 229
Ni no Kuni 382 Phantasy Star III 230
Ni no Kuni II: Revenant Kingdom 383 Phantasy Star IV 231
Nier 462 Phantasy Star Gaiden 331
Nier Automata 463 Phantasy Star Online (series) 614
Nights of Azure (series) 296 Phantom Brave 526
Ningyo no Rakuin 545 Pier Solar and the Great Architects 637
Nora to Toki no Koubou 295 Poibos 56
Nostalgia 408 Pokémon (series) 596
Octopath Traveler 423 Pokémon Conquest 551
Odin Sphere 453 Popful Mail 108
Ogre Battle (series) 516 Popolocrois (series) 298
Okage: Shadow King 374 Princess Crown 452
Okami 488 Princess Minerva 72
Omega Quintet 426 Project X Zone 553
One Way Heroics 593 Psychic City 60
Oni (series) 329 Psychic War 43
649
Quest 64 367 Screamer, The 58
Racing Lagoon 631 SD Snatcher 49
Radia Senki: Reimeihen 316 Secret of Evermore 632
Radiant Historia 399 Secret of Mana 433
Radiata Stories 206 Secret of the Stars 350
Rance (series) 622 Seiken Densetsu 54
Recettear: An Item Shop’s Tale 489 Seiya Monogatari: Anearth Fantasy Stories 348
Record of Agarest War (series) 548 Septerra Core 636
Record of Lodoss War 487 Shadow Brain 573
Record of Lodoss War (series) 61 Shadow Hearts 289
Relics 488 Shadow Hearts: Covenant 290
Rent-a-Hero No. 1 477 Shadow Hearts: From the New World 291
Resonance of Fate 208 Shadow Madness 636
Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure 301 Shadowrun (Mega CD) 357
Riglas 68 Shanghai 67
Riviera: The Promised Land 388 Shin Megami Tensei 156
Robopon (series) 606 Shin Megami Tensei if… 158
Robotrek 337 Shin Megami Tensei II 157
Rogue Galaxy 455 Shin Megami Tensei IV 160
Romancia 79 Shin Megami Tensei IV: Apocalypse 161
Romancing SaGa 247 Shin Megami Tensei NINE 176
Romancing SaGa 2 248 Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Summoner 162
Romancing SaGa 3 249 Shin Megami Tensei: Digital Devil Saga 164
Rondo of Swords 551 Shin Megami Tensei: Raidou Kuzunoha 165
Royal Stone 538 Shin Megami Tensei: Nocturne 159
Rudra no Hihou 335 Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey 166
Rune Factory (series) 456 Shining (series) 501
Rune Worth (series) 38 Shining Force (series) 498
Ryuuki Heidan Danzarb 350 Shining in the Darkness 563
SaGa Frontier 250 Shining the Holy Ark 563
SaGa Frontier II 251 Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits Bushidou Retsuden 370
SaGa: Scarlet Grace 253 Sigma Harmonics 411
Saiyuki: Journey West 544 Silva Saga (series) 318
Sakura Wars (series) 522 Silver 639
Samurai Mech 73 Silver Ghost 538
Sands of Destruction 408 Silviana 469
Samsara Naga (series) 321 Skies of Arcadia 363
Satomi no Nazo 368 Slayers 576
650
Sol Trigger 414 Sword World (series) 71
Solid Runner 353 Sylvan Tale 476
Soma Bringer 398 Tactics Ogre (series) 517
Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood 640 Tales of Berseria 193
Sorcerian 81 Tales of Destiny (series) 182
Soul Blazer 444 Tales of Eternia 184
Soul Nomad & the World Eaters 527 Tales of Graces 190
SoulsBorne (series) 460 Tales of Legendia 187
Spy Daisakusen 52 Tales of Phantasia 180
Square’s Tom Sawyer 324 Tales of (Portable Entries) 194
Star Ocean 198 Tales of Rebirth 186
Star Ocean: The Second Story 200 Tales of Symphonia (series) 185
Star Ocean: Till the End of Time 201 Tales of the Abyss 188
Star Ocean: The Last Hope 202 Tales of Vesperia 189
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness 203 Tales of Xillia 191
Star Odyssey 346 Tales of Xillia 2 191
Stella Deus 546 Tales of Zestiria 192
Stella Glow 554 Tao: The Way 325
Stranger of Sword City 570 Tearring Saga 497
Sudeki 636 Tengai Makyou (series) 238
Suikoden 282 Tenshi no Uta (series) 333
Suikoden II 283 Tenshi no Present 301
Suikoden III 284 Terra Phantastica 542
Suikoden IV 285 Terranigma 446
Suikoden Tactics 547 Thousand Arms 360
Suikoden Tierkreis 287 Threads of Fate 451
Suikoden V 286 Time and Eternity 385
Suiryuushi (series) 61 Time Stalkers 593
Summon Night (series) 534 Tir Na Nog (series) 39
Super Chinese (series) 474 Tokyo 67
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars 267 Tokyo Mirage Sessions #FE 167
Super Robot Wars (series) 505 Tokyo Xanadu 105
Super Robot Taisen OG Saga: Endless Frontier 410 Tomato Adventure 271
Surging Aura 346 Toushin Toshi (series) 623
Susano Oh Densetsu 345 Tower of Druaga, The (series) 32
Sweet Home 314 Treasure Hunter G 336
Sword of Hope, The 328 Trials of Mana 434
Sword of Vermilion 477 Tritorn (series) 66
651
Tsugunai: Atonement 375 Xanadu Next 104
TwinBee RPG 367 Xenoblade Chronicles 218
Twisted Tales of Spike McFang, The 480 Xenoblade Chronicles 2 221
Undertale 642 Xenoblade Chronicles X 220
Unlimited Saga 252 Xenogears 214
Utawarerumono (series) 555 Xenosaga 215
Vagrant Story 359 Xenosaga Episode II 216
Valkyria Chronicles (series) 528 Xenosaga Episode III 217
Valkyrie no Bouken 470 Xerd no Densetsu 329
Valkyrie Profile 204 Yakuza (series) 464
Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume 549 Yggdra Union 550
Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria 205 Yo-kai Watch (series) 610
Vandal Hearts (series) 532 Ys Book I & II 82
Vanguard Bandits 544 Ys III 84
Vay 347 Ys IV: Dawn of Ys 86
Virtual Hydlide 38 Ys Origin 90
Volfoss 545 Ys V: Ushinawareta Suna no Miyako Kefin 88
Wachenröder 542 Ys VI: The Ark of Napishtim 89
War of the Dead (series) 65 Ys Seven 91
White Knight Chronicles 384 Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of Dana 92
Wild Arms 277 Ys IX: Monstrum Nox 93
Wild Arms 2 278 Ys: Memories of Celceta 86
Wild Arms 3 279 Ys: The Oath in Felghana 84
Wild Arms 4 280 Yume Meikyuu: Kigurumi no Daibouken 575
Wild Arms 5 281 Zanki Zero: Last Beginning 571
Wild Arms XF 552 Zavas 51
Wild Arms: Alter Code F 277 Zeliard 64
Willow 475 Z.H.P. : Unlosing Ranger vs. Darkdeath Evilman 590
Wind’s Seed 72 Zill O’ll 370
Witch’s Tale, A 407 Zwei: The Arges Adventure 106
Wizard of Oz: Beyond the Yellow Brick Road, The 409 Zwei: The Ilvard Insurrection 106
Wizardry (series) 558
Words Worth 625
World Court Tennis 630
World Ends with You, The 396
World of Final Fantasy 145
Xak (series) 48
Xanadu 78
652
で、8ビットのマイコンから始まり現在の大ヒット作品の数々を生み出すに至ったジャパニーズロールプレイングゲームの広大な歴史を探
ジャパニーズロールプレイングゲームの世界へようこそ！本書ではドラゴンクエストからファイナルファンタジー、女神転生からポケモンま
の迷宮などの主観視点によるダンジョンRPGを含む、サブジャンルまで幅広く網羅した600以上のゲームレビューを収録しています。
求します。紹介文だけでなく、ファイアーエムブレムなどのシミュレーションRPG、不思議のダンジョンなどのローグライクゲーム、世界樹
Welcome to the world of Japanese Role-Playing Games!
Video role-playing games, adapted for computers

from their pen-and-paper forebears, have been around
since the earliest days of digital gaming. Despite
initial similarities to Western games, Japan’s output
began diverging in dramatic ways, inspired by its own
culture and art, producing a style of game that’s often
wildly different from its Western counterpart. From
Dragon Quest to Final Fantasy, from Megami Tensei
to Pokémon, this tome explores the expansive history
of Japanese role-playing games, beginning on 8-bit
microcomputers, and following them all the way up to
the heavy hitters of the modern era. Included are reviews
of over 600 games, covering a wide range of sub-genres,
including strategy RPGs like Fire Emblem, Rogue-likes
such as Mystery Dungeon, and first-person dungeon
crawlers like Etrian Odyssey, as well as articles on the
genre, its music and art. Let the adventure commence!
www.bitmapbooks.co.uk
Cover art by Stephanie Sybydlo

A Guide To Japanese Role-Playing Games

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Info Bar Key

3DO - 3DO IBM - IBM PC/DOS PC80 - PC-8001 TG16 - TurboGrafx-16

Etrian Odyssey (left)

The title screens

Final Fantasy Adventure – Sword of Mana – Adventures of Mana

Final Fantasy VII

Early 8-bit RPGs

XtalSoft (pronounced “Crystal Soft”) was one of

The original Mugen

During the ’80s, Namco was known for worldwide

The Black Onyx wasn’t the first original RPG

The top two screens

T&E Soft’s Hydlide series is one of the most

Hydlide starts off

Hydlide’s time in the limelight may have been in

Rune Worth (series)

SystemSoft was a publisher that put out quite a few

Square’s first role-playing game, Cruise Chaser

Enix is known for its massively influential Dragon

Kogado was a Japanese developer that had a

Kogado Studio, founded in 1916 as a print and

Last Armageddon takes place on the planet

46 Okunen Monogatari: The Shinkaron (“The

Wolf Team began as a part of Telenet, before

XZR is a series as subversive as it is obscure.

Micro Cabin was a developer virtually unknown

While Hideo Kojima is known internationally as

Long ago, in the country of Ishuban, humans

The devil king Darg has been reborn and is

Chitei Tanken (“Underground Exploration”,

The Dragon & Princess, the next game from

Seiken Densetsu translates as “Legend of the

Another RPG from Koei, released in August 1983,

Genma Taisen, literally translated as “Great War

Dragon Lair is a simple action RPG, roughly similar

The year is 199X. Due to a food crisis, Japan

Gandhara: Buddha no Seisen (“The Crusade

Hot-B wasn’t exactly a top-tier developer, being

Genesis: Beyond the Revelation

Suiryuushi (“Water Dragon Knight”) takes place

Record of Lodoss War (series)

Danchizuma no Yuuwaku (“Housewife Seduction”)

Oranda Tsuma wa Denki Unagi no Yume o Miru ka?

The Makai is ruled by a number of demon lords,

XtalSoft was known for relatively hardcore RPGs

War of the Dead (a.k.a. Shiryou Sensen) takes

Sein Soft (also known as Zain Soft and Xain Soft)

Märchen Veil is a well-remembered action RPG

Tokyo / Shanghai / Kowloon Island

Paladin (or “The Paladin”, in-game) is an early

Riverhill Soft was mostly known for adventure

You awaken within the tower of “Mick Albert”,

Libros de Chilam Balam