Introduction Donkey Kong Classics was developed and published by Nintendo, released for the NES in 1988 as a two-in-one compilation bundling faithful home ports of the original 1981 arcade Donkey Kong alongside its 1982 sequel Donkey Kong Jr. Rather than adding new content, the compilation’s value was in preserving both arcade classics accurately on a…
Introduction Super Robot Wars 2 was developed and published by Banpresto, released for the Famicom in 1991 as the second entry in the long-running tactical RPG series that crosses over mecha anime franchises like Mobile Suit Gundam, Mazinger, and Getter Robo into a single strategic battle system. Players command a roster of iconic robots and…
Introduction Nekketsu Fighting Legend was developed and published by Technos Japan, released for the Famicom as part of the Kunio-kun series, the long-running franchise of delinquent-themed sports and action games that would later be localized abroad under names like River City Ransom and Renegade. This entry frames its action as a martial arts tournament, with…
Introduction Kunio-kun no Nekketsu Soccer League was developed and published by Technos Japan, released for the Famicom as a soccer entry in the Kunio-kun series, the same delinquent-school franchise behind River City Ransom and Nekketsu Fighting Legend. True to the series’ exaggerated style, matches favor chaotic, arcade-style soccer over simulation, with players able to pull…
Introduction Final Fantasy III was developed and published by Square, released for the Famicom in Japan in 1990 as the third entry in the series, notable for introducing the Job Change system that let party members switch freely between classes like Knight, Black Mage, and Dragoon rather than being locked into a single role for…
Introduction Soleil, released in North America as Crusader of Centy, was developed by Nextech and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1994 as an action-adventure heavily inspired by the top-down Zelda formula. Players control a young boy named Corona who can transform into animal forms and recruit talking animal companions that fight alongside…
Introduction Wonder Boy in Monster World was developed by Westone and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1991 as the fifth entry in the Wonder Boy series and the first to fully commit to the action-RPG structure the later Monster World games would refine. Players control Shion, a young adventurer who can purchase…
Introduction Shining in the Darkness was developed by Sega and Climax, released for the Genesis in 1991 as Sega’s first entry in what would become the long-running Shining series, built as a first-person dungeon crawler in the tradition of Wizardry and The Bard’s Tale. Players create and control a small party exploring a labyrinth beneath…
Introduction Breath of Fire II was developed and published by Capcom, released for the SNES in 1995 as a direct sequel following a new protagonist, also named Ryu, generations after the events of the first game, once again wielding dragon transformation powers passed down through his bloodline. It expanded on its predecessor with a party-based…
Introduction Breath of Fire was developed and published by Capcom, released for the SNES in 1994 as the studio’s first venture into traditional turn-based RPGs, starring Ryu, a young dragon clan warrior who can transform into various dragon forms in battle. Players lead a party of anthropomorphic animal companions, including a fish-man swordsman and a…
Introduction The King of Fighters ’96 was developed and published by SNK, released for arcades in 1996 as the third entry in the annual King of Fighters series, continuing its three-on-three team tournament format pulling characters from across SNK’s other fighting franchises. It introduced a reworked dodge system and a faster, more aggressive movement style…
Introduction Sengoku 3 was developed by Noise Factory and published by SNK, released for arcades in 2001 as a return to the Sengoku series after a lengthy gap since Sengoku 2, blending side-scrolling beat ’em up combat with time-travel transformations tied to feudal Japanese mythology. Players fight through waves of enemies with combos and special…