Introduction Sega released Phantasy Star II for the Mega Drive in 1989, with the Genesis version arriving in North America the same year. Set about a thousand years after the first game, the Algol star system is managed by Mother Brain, a vast computer that controls the climate and supplies of the colonies. When the…
Introduction Sega released Phantasy Star for the Master System in Japan in 1987 and in the west the following year, and it went on to become one of the most influential console role-playing games of the decade. Set in the Algol star system, it follows Alis Landale, who swears revenge after her brother is killed…
Introduction Bahamut Lagoon was developed and published by Square, released for the SNES in 1996 as a tactical RPG combining grid-based strategy battles with dragon-taming mechanics, released late in the console’s life just as Square was shifting its major RPG output toward the PlayStation. Players command a squad of soldiers each paired with a tamed…
Introduction Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Eye of the Beholder was originally developed by Westwood Studios for PC in 1991 before Capcom published a SNES port in 1994, adapting the first-person dungeon crawler built on TSR’s Dungeons & Dragons ruleset. Players create and control a party of adventurers exploring the sewers and dungeons beneath the city…
Introduction Fatal Labyrinth was developed and published by Sega, released for the Genesis in 1990 as one of the earliest roguelike-style dungeon crawlers to appear on a home console, built around the same randomized, permadeath dungeon structure as PC roguelikes like Rogue and Mystery Dungeon. Players descend through procedurally generated floors collecting weapons, armor, and…
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 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 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 Front Mission was developed by G-Craft and published by Square, released for the Super Famicom in Japan on February 24, 1995, as a tactical role-playing game built around squad-based battles fought using large piloted mechs called wanzers. Players command a customizable squad of wanzers across grid-based battle maps, with each unit’s individual body parts,…
Introduction Star Ocean was developed by tri-Ace and published by Enix, released for the Super Famicom in Japan in July 1996 as an ambitious science-fantasy role-playing game that blended traditional medieval RPG trappings with a broader space-opera setting revealed as the story progressed. Players control Ratix Farrence and a growing party of companions investigating a…